They had the friends they made along the way, but they did go through the underground mostly relying on only them (and memories that weren't entirely theirs, but close enough). And before that--well. Their human family had loved them, they know, but their parents weren't very good at taking care of even themselves.

"...thank you." They've been saying that a lot. "You're very nice." They think they've been saying that a lot, too.