When I finally came to, I felt a large pressure on my abdomen. I wasn't on as soft of a bed as I had been when I woke up in that cabin. This one felt more like a cot. The pressure felt somewhat familiar, and small snores could be heard if I strained my freshly groggy mind to hear acutely. That was enough to snap me out of my dazed state. Forcing my eyes open, a small, brown and white covered head filled my vision. A tiny black nose was pressed into my neck, and I could feel tiny breaths of warmth fanning across the visible flesh. If I could cry out in joy, that's what I would have been doing. A Cheshire smile settled upon my face as I enclosed my arms around the familiar bear cub in a death grip. 

     Brown eyes fluttered open as Orson groggily raised his head, squirming around in an attempt to get comfortable once more. Nuzzling my face into his cuddly fur, a large yawn left his outstretched jaw, followed quickly by a sneeze that landed all along my arms. My smile got so wide it physically hurt. I didn't know how he was here, or where here even was, but I was just too overjoyed by his appearance to care. 

     "Now just where are we, little Orson?" I mentally questioned the pizzly bear who was currently sprawled out across my midsection. My smile shortened into more of a small, motherly look as I stroked his fur and lulled him back to sleep. I finally decided to take a glance around the room, and I could feel the hairs on my neck rise. The feeling of being watched suddenly washed over me. Clutching Orson closer to my bosom, I scanned the room for anything that would cause that feeling. 

     The room was homely, and nearly reminded me of some distant memory. It was in the design of a simplistic bedroom, only slightly larger in dimensions. It was a bright room, with a cyan color for wallpaper with chevron stripes, and an off-white carpet covering the floor. Looking to my left, an IV bag was dangling off a stand, and following the cord with my eyes led me to a needle stuck into my left arm. Deciding to deal with it later, I scanned the right half of the room with a heavy sigh. I sat up to give me more room to look around, causing Orson to grumble as he waddled out of my arms. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A simple window overlooked what appeared to be a garden, but I wasn't certain because 1) the last window I saw lied to me and 2) the angle I was at made it hard to see out the window. A vanity mirror sat upon a dresser to the left of the window, putting it in a corner. Nothing peeked my interest until my eyes landed to the far right of me in the corner to that side.

     An obvious robot sat with dulled eyes, slightly slouching with its head lolling to the side. It was either deactivated, or it was in its resting mode. Either way, it was extremely nerve-wracking to look at. It had bright orange, thick hair that went to it's shoulders in the front, but was obviously cut shorter in the back. The eyes were also orange, but lacked the luminescent aspect of most robots due to it being 'off'. A white, frilly blouse with a sailor type jacket rested on its upper half, and a navy blue skirt reached down to its ankles. It was obviously designed to be a girl, because the dainty features, small hands, and slight protrudence of its chest gave off that feminine air. Her small hands were folded in her lap, obviously seeming to be waiting for something. 

     Looking back to the IV poking out of my arm, I removed the tape before slowly pulling the needle out of my vein. A small pin drop of blood appeared, but I quickly wiped it away. Orson was now laying at the end of the bed, curled up into a small ball of brown and white fur. I carefully removed the blankets that had been covering my lap and noticed that I was still dressed in the clothes I wore from the Arena, blood stains and all. Swinging my legs over the left edge of the bed, I went to get up before the sound of dusty cogs working together stopped me mid-action. 

     "Ah, you're awake! I thought you were going to be passed out forever! Now we can finally get to the Master and Mistress," came a sigh of relief from behind me. Standing and quickly whirling around, my (e/c) orbs locked with neon orange ones, and the robot brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. My mouth formed an 'o' as I leaned down to snatch up Orson. 

     "There's no need to be so tense. I was assigned to be your maid, and I would never do anything to harm you. I still like to abide by the Three Laws of Robotics, 'A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws'," she said in a form of daze, as if repeating a poem that was memorized years ago. "The others call me a bit old-fashioned."

     I still continued to grab for Orson. The lady robot seemed nice enough, but animals were not humans, and I knew how savage robots could be. With Orson safely in my arms, I continued to stare at her. I didn't know how to properly communicate with such a thing. Heck, I didn't even know the proper way to communicate with other humans. 

    "Oops, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name's Corrine, but you can rename me if you'd like. There's no need to say anything, I've already been informed about your lack of speech. I was given orders to escort you to the Master and Mistress's 'throne' room when you woke. You can change if you'd like, however. I'm not picky on the time, because they failed to mention it. So you just take all the time you need," she finished with a close-eyed smile and a small curtsy. 

    "This Corrine is a strange character. I have never come across a robot programmed in such a way as she," I went over through my mind while narrowing my eyes. My distrust was obvious as I glared at her.

    "I promise I won't bite. There's no need for mistrust between us, I swear!" The orangette said, bringing her hands up in an 'I'm innocent' stance with wide eyes. She seemed very taken back by my cold demeanor I was showing. There was no reason for me to act so mean to her. She'd shown no ill will towards me yet, and she didn't have that sadistic, cocky air about her like the others robots I'd known. Releasing a small sigh and softening my features, I held out a hand to her and shuffled Orson into my other arm. Corrine offered a smile in return and shook my outstretched hand, immediately getting over how quickly my persona changed. 

    "So were you planning on changing? Oh, this is so exciting! The Master hasn't given me such an important thing to do in such a long time! I'm sure we'll be great friends! Sorry, off-track. Stupid, Corrine. Pull yourself together!" She told herself, changing the pitch of her voice an impossible number of times. Corrine was a very energetic...person? She was definitely a robot, but she had a very humane quality that made it easy to forget. 

    Shaking my head 'no', I looked down at Orson. He seemed slightly lighter than the last time I held him, and parts of his fur seemed matted. He was obviously not taken care of very well. As much as I'd love to continue holding him, my muscles where tired and sore from the previous days, and I'd been passing out so often, and waking up in so many different places. The thought was enough to get me light-headed again. 

    "Woah, you've gone pale! Sit down, sit down! I was told about your history of passing out, but I didn't think I'd see it happen! Why'd you take the IV out? That was giving you important nutrients! Like the water and sugar you've been very low on! At least you're going to dinner soon. Speaking of which, it's getting a lot later than I thought. You may not be able to change after all...Is there anything else you need?" Corrine asked, still talking a million words a second. Just hearing her talk so fast was enough to set off another wave of nausea, but at least now I knew why I had such a thing with fainting lately. Corrine had already forced me to sit back on the bed, my eyes half-lidding to just barely be able to see her waving her hand back and forth in front of my face.

     "Snap out of it, girl! The Master won't want to see you like this! The Mistress would find it amusing ...but that's besides the point!" She said, slightly unfocusing her robotic eyes, but quickly looking back to me. I shut my eyes for a few moments, paying attention to Orson in my arms and the sound of his gentle breathing. Mimicking those breaths helped me come back to reality, and I opened my eyes once more. I wouldn't be able to carry him forever. Maybe a leash would help. 

    Looking up into Corrine's orange orbs, I pointed to Orson. Tracing my finger along an outline where a collar could reside, and demonstrating a leash falling from it. Robots were more in tune with putting pieces together because of their analytical programming, and her eyes lit up almost instantly.

     "The Master should be able to get you one. He has a pet himself, you know. I'm sure he'll have a smaller collar and leash from when his pet was smaller and more your little pizzly bear's size," she said thoughtfully. The more she talked about the 'Master' and 'Mistress', the more curious I got. Just who were those people? Other robots, or actual humans? There was only one way to find out.

    I stood up with Orson, and Corrine reached her arms out in a way that was aiming to take Orson away. I instinctively pulled back, shielding the sleeping cub in my arms. I'd already been apart from him for long enough, all I wanted was to be able to hold him in my arms for the moment. 

    "Okay, okay, calm down. I understand, you want to keep him. I was just trying to help you out, ya know? We've really got to be getting down to dinner. There are things you have to....discuss?" She paused on her words, slightly tilting her head like a puppy at her word choicing. I relaxed a bit and smiled at her, showing that I meant no malice. Giving her a nod of my head as if telling her to go on and lead the way, she returned the smile and walked to the door. Bending down so she was eye level with the keyhole, a scanner appeared and scanned her eye before a soft 'click' was heard. I wouldn't have been able to leave this room without Corrine. I'm glad I didn't pick a fight with the robot.

     "Right this way, Madame. It shouldn't be too long of a walk. Oh, I forgot you're covered in blood...Oh well, the Mistress won't mind, but the Master can be a bit squeamish...Nah, they'll be fine," Corrine said after giving it some thought. She seemed nonchalant, but also a ball of energy. I wonder why she was never allowed to do something really important. Other humans would love her! 

    She was right about the walk. It really didn't take very long, and Orson slept the entire way. Corrine blabbered about how excited she was to get to know me, and how happy she was to be given an important task, and how kind the 'Master' was. I just smiled and nodded towards her occasionally. That kept her happy. The halls we walked through were rather monotone, but Corrine told me that these were the guest halls, and not even close to the main part of the building which she described as a castle. 

    "So this is the dining hall," the orangette said, extravagantly motioning her arms towards the large birch door before us. It was impressive how big the door was, and how shiny the door handle was. The door handles were like large crystals held onto the door by a sterling silver base. My face showed pure awe at the sight, and Corrine giggled.

    "Just wait till you see the inside, and the two who are inside the inside," she said in a joking manner. Clutching the snoring form of Orson closer, he slowly lifted an eye lid and heavily sniffed the air. The food must smell good. By the time Corrine opened the door, Orson was nearly jumping out of my arms. He seemed slightly thinner. Wherever he was, he must not have been treated well.

     When the door fully opened, it revealed a dark themed room. The walls were a pine green with an even deeper green that looped and swirled across the wallpaper to create a floral scenery. The trimming was a chocolate brown, as well as the floorboards. The ceiling was a shiny obsidian with a miniature chandelier hanging from the middle. A menacing aura filled the room. The glare upon the blackette's face didn't help either.

    "Where have you been, Corrine? We expected you over an hour ago!" The blackette said. She was the 'Russian' girl from earlier, A.K.A. the announcer lady as well. Her attire had changed, as well as her hairdo. Her black/dark blue hair was Dutch braided to her left side, and her golden headdress had been traded out for a silver elvish crown. Her skin was still tinted with pink, but her deep green eyes still stood out beneath her perfectly arched black eyebrows. Her full lips were now painted a dark blue, and what appeared to be a hoop rested on the right side of her nose. She still sported the dark blue huntress dress, but this time an actual compound bow hung around her slim figure. A cloak rested on her shoulders, and a silver rose worked as the clasp that held both sides together.

     "I'm deeply sorry, Mistress. She only just woke up a little while ago, and even then she nearly passed out again. We had a couple issues, but they're all sorted out now. Also, you never really did tell me a specific time," Corrine answered. The sass was evident in her tone, and the other girl didn't take to it very kindly.

    "Maybe if you take such an interest in quoting people and using the words against another, we should take you apart and out your mind into one of the little spy birds," the human woman spat.

     "Again, I'm deeply sorry. It won't happen again," the orangette answered, lowering her head with a small smile on her face showing how much she enjoyed toying with the lady. 

    "Oh, Ella, she's not wrong. It doesn't matter, it's not like the food went cold. Just forgive her, please. We don't need this at the dinner table," another voice spoke. The voice was softer, but it was deep. It wasn't a gravelly kind of deep, but a deep silken sound. It was the kind of voice a girl would swoon over, if swooning wasn't a method used to stab another in the back that is. Turning my gaze to the culprit of such a voice, it appeared to be the same boy who had caught me before I fell unconscious at the Arena. He seemed deathly pale, like he hadn't seen the sunlight a day in his life. His cyan hair was swept to left across his forehead and looked as soft as the down on a baby chick. A small puppy-dog frown was placed on his pink, half-full lips, and his eyes were wide and pleading, and only a few shades darker than his hair. He wore a black sweatshirt with a yellow, circular face on the middle that has x's for eyes and an 'o' shaped mouth.
 
     "Alright. Unknown, come, sit. I'm sure you're famished," the woman that the male referred to as 'Ella' said with a softer expression on her face. There was a resemblance that could be seen between the two. Siblings maybe?

    Orson squirmed in my arms again, quietly growling in the back of his throat at the female. Making Orson fully visible, I silently questioned what to do with him.

    "She wants to know what to do with her pet," translated Corrine almost instantly. 

     "What kind of animal is that thing?" Asked the female.

     "It's a pizzly bear. A cross-breed between a polar bear and a grizzly bear. He's actually quite nice," answered Corrine once again. Orson was becoming more restless, and he even started making little fussy noises to be put down. 

     "Put it do-" started the blackette before being cut off by the boy.

     "Let me see him!" He exclaimed with childish wonder. The male wasn't a kid. He seemed only a year or two older than myself, but the curiosity in his eyes said otherwise. While I was internally debating with what to do, I bit the inside of my cheek. The male seemed harmless, and he did catch me from landing in sand filled with blood. I guess repaying him wouldn't hurt anything. Right as I moved to step toward him, the female spoke again.

    "Dear little brother, that thing might have rabies for all you know! I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt!" She exclaimed. 

    "I have a thing with animals, sis," he said with a shrug," I'll be perfectly fine."

    "I simply won't allow it. Unknown, give the creature to Corrine," she replied. I slowly shook my head 'no' as she gave me a questioning glance. 

    "Mistress, she has a close bond with the cub. She'd prefer to stay with it. Speaking of which, Master, she told me she wanted a collar and leash for her bear," Corrine spoke for me. The boy's eyes lit up.

    "I'm sure I have something that would fit him! I'll have to get a closer look at him though," he said with a sly glance at the blackette who huffed in annoyance with a roll of her eyes.

    "Fine, it's your funeral," she snappily replied and crossed her arms across her chest. 

    "Can I see your little buddy?" The boy asked. I made no action to move, and I pointed at him, trying to tell him to say his name, but it looked more like I was accusing him of something. I eventually gave up when even Corrine couldn't understand. I pointed towards myself, mouthing my name, then pointed at him again. A light bulb seemed to go off in his brain.

    "Oh, you wanted my name? Why didn't you just say so? What's with all these charades?" The bluenette questioned, genuinely curious.

    "She's mute," Corrine and the other female said at the same time, causing the human to glare at the robot from across the room.

    "Oh, you poor thing," he cooed as I grimaced, "My name's Dominic Estis. My prune-faced sister over there is Aradella." He said with a friendly smile while pointing his thumb at his sister. I faintly smiled back, and attempted mouthing my name back to him. It took a couple tries, but Corrine caught on.

    "She said her name's (y/n)," Corrine said with a tone filled with pride.

     "Aww, that's a cute name for a cu-" 
     "That's enough, Nic. We're here to eat, not to flirt. It's already past your bedtime," Aradella stated with a slightly angered face. A light pink dusted Dominic's face after she mentioned flirting, and it got even deeper when she mentioned a bedtime. 

     "I'm almost 21 years old, Ella. I don't need a bedtime," he grumbled while attempting to hide his blushing face in his hands. I walked closer to him, and carefully placed Orson in his lap. At the sudden pressure, Dominic peeked out at me from behind his fingers and slightly winked before pulling his hands away from his flawless face.

    "What are you thinking, (y/n)? He's just another guy, you've seen plenty of guys. He's no different. And he's on the enemy's side. Robots, remember?" I mentally scolded myself. Stupid girl hormones. They get in the way of everything.

     "I'm terribly sorry for my brother's flirtatious ways. He's like this with every girl that makes her way here. Don't think anything of it," Aradella said with a glare. She seemed about ready to burst with anger at any moment. She must be very protective. Her tone was meant to stay indifferent, but it cracked a bit at the last statement. 

     "Would you like me to get the food, Mistress?" Inquired Corrine who was still standing by the entrance door to the dining room. 

    "Yes,