Violetta and Heath went on to try to explain to Araminty why they needed her to act with limited intellect.
"You see," Violetta began. "People get scared of things that are different. And they get really scared when robots are... self aware."
"Do you mean my sentience?" Araminty asked.
"...Yeah," Heath told the truth. "You can be you in front of us. Me and Violetta… I mean."
"Violetta and I," Violetta corrected quietly. Heath rolled his eyes at her.
"Don't mind her," he said, "She always corrects my language."
Araminty watched this exchange with interest. She smiled in her core.
"We can schedule updates to your system every so often so that you can start to behave more like yourself." Violetta admitted to herself that not being able to fully be yourself was troublesome. She hated the tea parties. But both her father and mother had decided they were a necessary evil for Violetta to navigate the world.
"Alright," Araminty said.
"We'll show you how!" Heath was excited. It was not everyday you could show a robot how to be a robot.
"Before that," Aramity said. "I noticed in the encyclopedia in my data-banks that you have to register ownership of me."
"We don't own you," Violetta said. "You own yourself."
"Yeah," Heath added on with furrowed brow.
"That might be true to you," Araminty said, "but from what I read, If I am not registered the government can take me."
"Oh," Violetta looked at Heath with cold eyes. "I forgot that part."
"What part?" He looked apprehensive.
"Give me your hand." Violetta said.
"What for?" He put his hands behind his back defensively.
"Just do it." Violetta said authoritatively.
"Not til you tell me why."
"So un-trusting," Violetta sighed.
Heath heard it, and gave her his hand. "Just do it!"
Araminty's hand reached out to Heaths. Fingertip to fingertip, all 5 fingers touched. Violetta did the same action on the other side. Suddenly without warning, a needle came out of one of Araminty's fingertips on each hand. She registered the blood sample in her data-banks and analyzed it.
"You are my owners now," Araminty suddenly felt the weight of those words. She did not know she would feel restricted in her emotions. She felt a tightening in her core.
"Maybe in the government's database," Violetta said. "But as far as I'm concerned, that just means you are our kid."
"WHAT!?" Heath exclaimed.
"We made her together right?" Violetta hit his arm embarrassed. "We gotta take care of her and teach her about life, right?"
Heath rubbed where she hit him and nodded.
"That means we're her parents." Violetta was still embarrassed. She was trying to make ownership not sound so bad to Araminty. But Heath just had to make her reasoning sound wrong.
Araminty's tight feeling disappeared when she heard Violetta's words. She did not realize giving up freedom was such a heavy thing.
"Yeah," Heath smirked. He nudged her with his shoulder. "We made her together, so now I have a daughter."
"Don't be gross!" Violetta exclaimed. "We gotta show her what to do before my dad gets back."
"Got it!" Heath's earlier enthusiasm came back. Violetta was just glad to change the subject.
…
…
Dinner was uneventful, as Heath had gone back to the servants quarters with his mother. Violetta had happily shown her father her robot.
Amistad looked at Araminty suspiciously. He had personally gotten a defective part for his daughter's robot. He had wanted her to figure it out on her own. How was this machine working, when by all rights it shouldn't even be able to turn on?
There was nothing else suspicious about the robot though.
Violetta wanted Araminty to spend the night in her room.
Amistad would not budge and told her it was impossible.
Araminty could plug herself in in the workroom, but there was no outlet like that in Violetta's room. It was better if Araminty stayed in the workroom.
Violetta begrudgingly agreed. She didn't want her selfishness to cause harm to Araminty. Amistad watched as his daughter placated the robot which should not logically be working.
"I will come see you first thing in the morning ok?" Violetta explained to the stiff machine. "Here is scruffy. He can keep you company when you sleep." She placed the stuffed toy in Araminty's hand. Hold onto it and follow me."
Violetta led her robot to the workroom, and showed her where to plug in for the night, before heading to her room herself.
"Ah!" Violetta exclaimed when she saw the book upon her bed. She rushed to pick it up. "How did you get here? Dad's going to blame me again for taking you, you know."
Knock* Knock* knock*
She quickly stuffed the book under her pillow.
"Violetta are you ok?" One of the maids had heard her exclaim.
She opened the door and glared at the maid. "Go get my father. Tell him I found an interesting book that I want him to read to me." She did not explain her actions, as she did not need to. She was the one with higher status here.
"My lady," The maid bowed and went to deliver the young ladies message.
…
…
Amistad sat in his study. He was about to reach for his secret drawer to get out his book. He was going to look into things a little deeper. He had a sneaking suspicion that something wasn't right, and he could not quite put his finger on it.
Knock* knock* knock*
He sat up, and acted like he was studying the document on his desk. "Come," he called. The maid from before came in.
"Lady Violetta requests you read her a story sir."
"A bedtime story?" Amistad looked perplexed.
"Perhaps lady Violetta is missing living with you full time?"
"Was that all she said?" He asked certain his 10 year old daughter no longer needed bedtime stories.
"Lady Violetta said she had found an interesting book, sir."
"An interesting book?" He smiled to himself knowing that naughty book had sought out his daughter again. "Well then, I guess I will have to go see."
He went to his daughter's room and sat on the chair by her bed and window. "What's this about an interesting book?"
Violetta looked at the maid by the door. "You may go. We will not need you any further this evening."
Amistad chuckled remembering the first time Violetta had said that to one of the maids. She was 4 years old, and with her big eyes it was just too adorable.
The maid bowed and closed the door. She had been with the household for over 6 years. She still thought the little lady dismissing her for the night was adorable. She was already a grannie, she would probably think the little lady was adorable til Lady Violetta married into a new family.
Amistad looked bemused at his daughter. "Well?"
Violetta sighed and pulled the book from under her bed. "I didn't look for it. It found me. It was on my bed."
"So my book, which is locked in a secret compartment of my desk, got out of the compartment and either climbed the stairs or took the elevator by itself. Jumped onto your bed, and no one saw it?" Amistad questioned amused.
"I suppose it did," Violetta said assertively.
Amistad laughed aloud, his shoulders moving with his breath. "Okay," He smiled. "I'll believe you today."