I was up and decorating the room like crazy. I decided to change the lamps and place little lightbulbs like Christmas lights. It looked spectacular, with the mirrors as walls and the lights lit low. I wanted to place some candles as well, so I arranged some of the tables with the holograms. The tables appeared in image form, but as I pulled them into the room they became a reality. The tables materialized and now I needed to place the candles on them, but I wanted candles everywhere, so I asked Rox to help me create tall and short shelves made up of mirrors.

As these shelves formed I punched buttons to create candles made with green lime and light blue wax. They were amazingly beautiful and the wax itself shone. I gasped.

"Wonderful," said Rox. I gazed back at him with a smile.

"Yes," I said nodding.

"Okay, let's place these candles," I said and Rox helped me out. We placed candle after candle. The room looked amazing. Then I changed the color of the floor and replaced its dark color into gold.

"The golden color contrasts with the colors. It looks very appealing," Rox said.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? Thanks," I replied. Rox nodded.

"Is there anything else we need to add?" Rox asked.

"Well, I'm going to add the music, but it's going to be Earth music. I'm sorry Rox, but I just can't stand that Sha music. I really can't," I said. Rox approached me from behind.

"Anabella, I believe that Earth music does have a higher quality," Rox said.

"Thanks. I appreciate that," I said.

"Beethoven has the most exquisite voice," Rox commented. I had to laugh.

"Oh no Rox, Beethoven doesn't sing, he plays the piano," I said.

"Oh, the piano, I have seen it in our information files, yes. You are right, it is an instrument," Rox said and I nodded.

"Do you play the piano?" He asked me. I shook my head.

"No. I never learned. I really wanted to, but I didn't."

"Why not?" Rox asked.

"Well... because I never had the time to learn how to play it before. I was always so busy working shifts, school... when did I have time," I mumbled out loud.

"You have time now," Rox said. I stared back at him. He was right. There was nothing stopping me from learning now.

"You're right Rox, I can learn how to play the piano now!"

"After the party arrangements," Rox said.

"Yes, of course. That would be so amazing. I can picture it now, me sitting in front of a large piano and playing. Rox, I don't know if I can do it," I said unsure.

"You can think about it after the party," Rox suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. I have to finish the arrangements first. Now that the deco is already done, I have to select the food and the music. Do Sha people have drinks with alcohol in them?"

"No."

"Okay. Maybe we'll just have some punch or some drinks that contain very little alcohol," I said.

"I would like to taste alcohol, but unfortunately I can only digest energy boxes," he said. I had no idea of what he was talking about and I wanted to ask, but Krimla called me for lunch.

"I will keep you company," Rox suggested. I smiled. I was glad to have him as a companion.

"Thanks, Rox! That's great. You know, I really did miss you," I said shrugging my shoulders. I touched his metallic hand. He stared at it with his two blue lights that served as eyes I supposed and I had to laugh.

"I'm guessing no one has ever grabbed your hand before?" I asked.

"No... never."

"Not even when you were a child? I'm sure that your mom must have done so," I commented.

"No, never. My mother never took my hand before."

"Do you feel me? Do you feel my hand?" I asked.

"I can feel it's frailty and its palpitations," he said.

"Wow, seriously? You can feel its palpitations?" I asked.

"Yes. It is an interesting feeling," he said. I smiled and soon I let go of his hand. We entered the huge dining room. Krimla came in to serve us and as she did, Rox and I sat down. The aromas coming from the kitchen were highly welcome and my stomach grumbled as Krimla came in with trays of rice, beans and chicken.

"Good afternoon, Anabella. I see that you have a new companion today," She commented as she brought in a tray of mashed potatoes. I placed my hands together and smiled.

"Yes," I replied. Krimla grimaced and left the tray on the table. Her tentacle hair seemed to have some static. It moved left and right, up and down very gently.

"Yes, and she is glad that I am here. She has indicated that she has missed me," Rox told her. Krimla nodded with a large spoon on her hand. She dipped the spoon on the potatoes and smeared them on my plate.

"Too bad that your companion cannot eat with you," Krimla spat out suddenly.

"That's alright. I'm just happy to have him with me," I said.

"Oh, but I'm sure you wished that Rox really could eat something with you," Krimla said.

"Does my inability to eat with you displease you Anabella?" Rox asked me. I looked at Krimla with scorn. I wondered what the hell was her problem now and realized why Brok treated her in such a cold manner. I usually wondered why he never said please or thank you to her, but now I knew why.

"Of course, not Rox. The only thing that displeases me are Krimla's rude comments," I said as I grabbed a napkin that was placed next to the plate. I placed it on my lap.

"Oh, was I being rude? I apologize. I was trying to be empathetic. I thought that you really wished to have a companion to eat with you and not a simple object next to you, but now I realize that you did not need my empathy," she said.

"Please leave me alone with Rox," I uttered.

"Very well. I will come back with the rest-"

"Don't bother," I interrupted her.

"Anabella, I have not brought you dessert and it is my duty to-"

"I think this is enough Krimla. You can do your other chores," I said.

"I must insist in fulfilling my duties. If I do not complete them I will be thrown out of the castle and jobless. That means that I must beg for food, a roof over my head-"

"Okay, fine. Just leave the dessert without talking," I ordered.

"Yes, Miss. As you wish," she said and she left. I stared at Rox and he looked right back at me. I wasn't sure, but I thought that maybe he had smirked at me. How cute was that, I thought, a smirking robot.

"Rox, can I ask you a question?"

"Have you not asked a question now?" He responded. I smiled.

"You're right. Rox, do you remember when you were... a Sha?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered. I wasn't sure if I was entering dangerous territory. Was I being too nosy? Yes, I was, but I was too curious to care about it. I opened my mouth to ask the question when I heard Krimla's tapping coming our way. Rox moved his head sideways like a little puppy and then he tilted to look at Krimla.

"Is that cherry pie?" Rox asked her.

"Yes, Rox. It is. The master wants to please Anabella in every possible way, so he has chosen to allow Earth food to be served in the table. In fact, he is enjoying it himself as well," she answered.

"Good, because Earth food is wonderful. I was already missing it myself way too much," I said.

"Even though it is less nutritional and more harmful for the master," she uttered out and then turned and left. I glanced at the food and then right back at her.

"Krimla! Wait a minute, what are you talking about? Come back here," I shouted. Krimla brought back her little figure towards me and stood in front of me. One of her hands grasped her hip.

"Yes, Anabella?"

"What did you mean with the food being harmful to the master?" I asked.

"I meant exactly what I said. The food is harmful to the master. His blood pressure has lowered significantly ever since he's been exposed to it," she said.

"But he didn't say anything to me," I said.

"Rox, tell Anabella," she said. I looked at Rox and he nodded.

"Yes, it is true. The master's blood pressure has lowered significantly, but we still cannot determine if the Earth food is the source of his low blood pressure," Rox said.

"Oh please, you know better than that. He's hiding information from you," Krimla said.

"Is that true?" I asked him. He tilted towards me.

"I am not programmed to answer that question," he said.

"You're not programmed? What the hell does that mean? Rox, you're going to answer to me. Is the Earth food hurting the prince?" I asked him.

"I am not programmed to answer that question," he repeated. Krimla waved her hand at him.

"It's useless. He won't answer the question," she said. I ignored her and turned to Rox. I grabbed both of his hands hoping that there was a Sha in there, somewhere in that head made of metal and cables and lord knew what else. I had to try.

"Rox, the master is your responsibility, is he not?" I asked.

"Yes."

"And if he harms himself, isn't it your job to help him?" I asked.

"It is my job to help him to the best of my ability," he said.

"Okay... so I just want to know so that I can help him too. I don't want any harm to come to him, so you need to tell me the truth. Is the Earth food harming him?" I asked.

"I am not programmed to give a response to that question," he said. Shit.

"You see I told you," Krimla said and left the dining room. Her head shook from side to side with disapproval. Now I understood all of those glares and annoyed ticks. Apparently without knowing it I was harming the prince.

I stared into the blue lights of what were supposed to be the eyes of Rox. He just sat there in silence. I couldn't hear anything coming out of him, not even breath and why would I? He really was only just a robot, wasn't he? I looked at my plate. It had some mashed potatoes on it, but I wasn't hungry anymore.