Episode 8

* Episode
* Title Card
* End Card

## Episode Guide

**"In the Palm of His Hand"** (手 (て) のひらの上 (うえ) , *Te no Hira no Ue*?) is the eighth episode of the *Shadows House* anime series. It aired on May 30, 2021.

## Summary

Edward explains the rules of the Debut to the Dolls, they cannot injure their faces, the Shadows cannot dirty their clothes, and both must escape the maze in 2 hours. Lou and Ricky find Louise who insults Ricky, then Patrick, believing they fell in love with Lou which makes Ricky consider pushing them into a nearby pit. Emilico and Rum go through a massive maze and finds a hole in a hedge that leads to Shirley. Rum confesses she doesn't understand Shirley and feels unloved but is comforted by Emilico and the two separate to save their masters. Kate realizes that the chains on her cage fall off the more she gives off soot.

As Veiled Dolls block off the entrances of the garden maze, Edward plays on a piano, shifting into a form of a Shadow declaring that the children are all proceeding as he planned.

## Plot

The episode starts with a flashback of the living dolls asking Edward where their shadow masters were. Edward tells them that the rules of the Debut is to exit the garden before a giant hourglass completes in 2 hours, but first they must save their masters. Edward explains that the Dolls cannot injure their faces and their masters cannot dirty their clothes. The Dolls are then given bags of equipment and made to stand on different entrance points.

Ricky sees Rum's master, Shirley, sitting on a chair with her dress sewn to it surrounded by a cage of flowers. Shirley suddenly turns to him, who fumbles to greet her, not knowing her name and tells her to wait for Rum. Lou pulls Ricky away and he notes that Shirley comes off as creepy before telling Lou to take off the bag she made a mask out of which gives off a eerie appearance with her shears. Seeing soot in the distance, Lou instantly identified that it was Mistress Louise. Lou then explains that the Shadows have different ways to give off soot: Kate makes straight lines, John is like sparks, Patrick's spreads out thinly, Louise has curvy lines, and Shirley's couldn't be identified. By saying out loud the Lou is leaving, Louise gives off soot again, pinpointing her location underneath a knotted garden and the two Dolls make a rope bridge to save her. Noticing Ricky, Louise quickly insults him then Patrick for supposedly falling in love with Lou then focuses back on her Face. Angered by her comments, Ricky considers pushing the two back into the pit.

Emilico and Rum approach the doors to a maze, seeing a massive number of Scorches behind it, terrifying the two. Seeing the things in the cart, Emilico makes a broom to fight the Scorches, then an apron to help Kate back to her normal life by looking the way she usually does. The two enter the maze but are confused by the map not lining up with the maze's layout only to face a burst of Scorches from a pipe. Emilico takes care of all the Scorches as Rum deduces that the two of them are in the area around the actual path which is forming walls. The two rush to a path that leads up, bursting through a trapdoor and celebrate their victory. Noticing a tunnel in the hedge left by Lou, Emilico notes that Rum can use it as a shortcut to Shirley only for Rum to cry, claiming she isn't Shirley's Face as she never held a conversation with her master and named herself. Shirley never gives off soot and Rum struggles to understand her, feeling unloved. Emilico deduces that Shirley simply must be happy with Rum to not give off soot and brings up ideas on how she really is which cheers up Rum. Resolved to save their masters, the two separate.

In her cage, Kate notices the chains holding the cage fall off, seeing that the vent gathering her soot must be the cause of it. She attempts to stop her soot but is too scared to stop and quietly calls out for Emilico. In the distance, Emilico calls out Kate's name which stops the stream of soot.

Rewinding time to when the garden was being prepared, Aileen and Gerald comment on the large scale of the Debut. Edward states that the grand scale is to catch Lord Grandfather's attention and ascend to the 3rd floor. Looking at the debuting pairs, Edward notes John has good potential but sees a pair that is likely to fail, finally noting the strange record of one pair but dismisses the thought.

Veiled Dolls block off the entrances to the maze as Edward plays on a piano and reflects on the Debut so far. His body slowly converts into that of a Shadow and declares all the pairs are acting as planned and creates a musical staff from soot.

## Characters

* Patrick
* Shirley
* Lou
* Louise
* Emilico
* Rum
* Rummy
* Edward
* Gerald
* Aileen
* Patrick
* John
* Shaun