52.
“Hey, Doll, I've met someone that I think you'll like.”
the Doll tilts its head in askance.
“She's a little younger than you, but she shares many of your interests. She’s been practising the same magic as you, and she started around when you did.”
“oh! this one needs to meet her!”
with a grin, the Witch shares the story of how they met: of the club where the gods made promises of purpose and structure; of where she found her, and of the games they played together. the Doll listens eagerly, filled with pride and gratitude that, despite so much time passing, its Witch still goes out of her way to be kind to the hurt and lost. she continues to spin her story, her Doll more and more eager to meet the new girl, until she finally reveals the buried lede: not a new girl, but a new DoIl!
“a Doll!” its eyes bright, pure joy written across its face.
the Witch nods. “A brand new Doll. It seems to have only just come into being. I thought you might be interested to hear that.”
the Doll giggles and kicks its feet. “you have a type, y'know?”
“Yeah,” she sighs as she pulls her Doll into a hug and kisses its head, “Yeah I have a type.”