[ Is that a hint of a smile on her face when he snarks back at her? Maybe. She's not telling. ]

He used to. [ She really, really misses his voice in her head. Dryly: ] He'll squeak when the door inevitably opens. At least we'll have some warning before a doll brutally murders us both.

[ She picks up her book again, flicking through the pages. ] I might as well skip to the smutty part of this before I get offed by some shitty plaything. Maybe you'll get lucky before the night is through.