Months have passed.

  Lily had recovered a healthy flush and started gaining meat on her bones, with endless tea and honey bringing her voice back. She learned to do her job clumsily and slowly, integrating into the "family" steadily.

  Lily also learned family meant all kinds of things.

  The family she was in meant being a hive, being in harmony with the Marquis and his wife and daughter. There was some kind of a mind connection going on in everyone, which Lily was missing out on as she was a human.

  But humans were nothing if adaptable.

  The Marquis's heir - Francesca - stood outside her bedroom doors across from Lily. She noticed the elegant robot tightly hugging herself while tapping her foot impatiently so Lily quickly rushed into the pink room and caught yet another stray grasshopper.

  Everyone just expected her to be able to read their minds despite her voicing the obvious limitation. This was what made her so clumsy and slow in the beginning but after weeks of practice and determination, Lily picked up on the cues, learned the expectations, and sufficiently observed the body language of the robots; she was very lucky for how expressive this family, especially the Marquis, was.

  'Lily, clean. Here,' her candelabra coworker "said" while pointing at a podium with a very precious vase on it. She celebrated the level of trust she had finally earned before smiling at her friend.

  "On it."

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  She had mostly compact coworkers, a few being disk shaped, some resembling lighting fixtures, and all just generally, being metal born.

  She liked them very much!

  They were all hired for the same reason as her: the Marquis and his wife loved taking in strange things and items - evident by their home - and that extended to their workers: everyone had odd exteriors and specific functions.

  As she was sweeping the floor with a disc-shaped coworker spinning around speedily around the hallway, a conversation was ringing out in the distance, a slight hint of echo from the curving high ceilings. The Marquis had his group of friends over again.

  "Yes, yes, we will discuss this next time."

  "Indeed, indeed."

  "I agree as well. I enjoy your viewpoints!" a smooth and merry voice, unfamiliar to her, rang out the loudest. She leaned in closer to catch it better out of curiosity. "It was a lovely conversation but I must excuse myself earlier today. I thank you for inviting us to your beautiful home, Marquis Remington. Gentlemen, I had a fantastic time."

  It reminded her of the flowers blooming in the gentle spring.

  "Leaving so soon? You just came back," disapproved a gruff voice.

  "Which is why I have to go attend the meeting with the King."

  "He simply always runs whenever the topic of marriage comes up," drawled out an amused one.

  "My, Andrew, no need to tease the young man. Let him go peacefully, ohohoho," finally appeared Marquis Remington's jolly one.

  "This is why this company is the finest to dine with." Footsteps echoed with a content exclamation, " Farewell, everyone."

  The friendly chuckle sounded closer that she had anticipated and before Lily could step away, the person rounded the corner and collided into her.

  Lily rubbed her nose, feeling like she had smacked into a brick wall. Which she had before so she really did know how it felt.

  "My apologies! Are you alright?" the stranger asked, kindly.

  "Yes, excuse me-"

  She froze.