Chapter Text
As the sisters, Y/n and Olivia, were getting to know Veeronica, they were still weary of how she is and what she does.
Veeronica skids to a halt, the sound of metal screeching against stone. Her screen flickers with a neon "HELLO!" as she looms over them.
Both Olivia and Y/n stare at her.
Veeronica: Whoa, chillax! Why the long faces? You two look like you just saw a Ghost-and I don't mean the boring kind that haunts the halls!
Y/n shrinks herself slightly back behind Olivia, wide-eyed.
Y/n: Olivia... why is she twitching? Is she going to explode?
Olivia steps forward, hand hovering over the knife at her belt.
Olivia: Stay back, Y/n. I don't know what Ring she crawled out of, but she's got too many eyes for my liking. Hey, scrap-heap! One more step to Y/n and I'm seeing how your circuits handle hell-steel.
Veeronica's screen shifts to a 'sad face' emoji, but she keeps her upbeat, glitchy tone.
Veeronica: Ouch! Tough crowd. My sensors are picking up some major 'bad vibes' coming from you two girls. I'm a Helper RO-bot, remember? I'm programmed to guide, teach, and be generally radical!
Y/n looks carefully to Veeronica.
Y/n: You... you guide people? You look like you're vibrating. Are you okay?
Veeronica spins her wheels in place, sparks flying like a cool move.
Veeronica: Just a little 'Forsaken' flair, girl! Don't let the glitches fool you. I've seen some dark stuff, but I'm here to make sure you don't. Especially you, Y/n. You've got that 'lost soul' scent all over you. It's making my protection protocols go haywire.
Olivia's eyes were still slightly tense, her eyes slightly narrowed.
Olivia: We just met you though. We don't need a babysitter, especially one that looks like she belongs in a junkyard. We take care of our own.
Veeronica softens her tone, her screen flickering to a warm yellow.
Veeronica: I get it. Trust is a bug, not a feature in this place. But look.
She pulls out two glowing 'Radical' stickers from her sweater.
Veeronica: I'm not here to report to the Prince or that mean lady in the cape, Stella. I'm just a skater who hates bullies. And from what I hear, this palace is full of 'em.
Y/n reaches out a shaky hand toward the sticker to carefully touch it.
Y/n: You... you aren't going to take us back to Stella?
Veeronica just smiles kindly and she boops Y/n's hand gently with a metallic finger.
Veeronica: Gross, no. I'd rather reboot in a ditch. If she tries to touch you, I'll grind my wheels right over her fancy shoes. Whaddya say? Can we move 'Aggressive Defense' down to 'Mild Suspicion' for five minutes?
Olivia slowly relaxes her stance, though her hand stays near her blade.
Olivia: Five minutes, girl. But if you start 'teaching' us anything that sounds like a trap, I'm turning you into a toaster.
Veeronica's screen flashes a peace sign.
Veeronica: Deal! Now, who wants to see how fast I can outrun the royal guards?
Veeronica skids toward the the two sisters, her neon screen strobing with a "PARTY TIME!" alert. The noise is too loud, and the movement is too fast.
Veeronica: Yo! Check the specs! I'm here to-
Y/n was caught slightly off guard, and she accidentally used a bit of her magic.
Her eyes glow with a faint, shimmering light. She throws her hands up, her voice slightly trembling.
Y/n: No! Please-just stay back!
Y/n's psychic telekinesis of her Goetia magic ripples through the air. Veeronica's heavy metal frame is lifted an inch off the ground and shoved backward several feet, her wheels spinning uselessly in mid air before she slams back down onto the marble floor. Static hisses from her speakers as her screen flickers to a 'loading' icon.
Veeronica: Whoa... dizzy... dizzy... recalibrating... Error 404: Gravity not found.
Olivia quickly moves in front of Y/n, stunned.
Olivia : Sis? Did you just...?
She looks at Y/n's glowing eyes, then shook her head at Veeronica.
Olivia: I told you she was jumpy, bot girl! You pushed her too hard.
Y/n breathes heavily with her hands shaking.
Y/n: I'm sorry, Veeronica! I didn't mean to-it just happened. You were so loud, and I thought you were going to crash into us.
Veeronica shakes her head to clear herself, her screen stabilizing into a 'wide eyed' emoji.
Veeronica: Holy... radical! That wasn't a glitch, that was a feature! You've got the 'Force,' N/n. Or, uh, tele-k-whatever-it's-called.
Olivia keeps Y/n close, her voice low as she looks at Veeronica.
Olivia: Back off, Veeronica. Seriously. She's still learning how to control that, and if she gets scared again, she might do more than just push you.
Veeronica carefully rolls forward an inch, hands raised in a 'don't shoot' gesture.
Veeronica: Message received, loud and clear. My bad, Y/n. My sensors forgot that 'excitement' can look a lot like 'attacking' to someone new. I'll keep my distance-strictly 'chill zone' only, I promise.
Y/n looks sympathetic as the glow in her eyes slowly fades away.
Y/n: You... you aren't mad? I hit you pretty hard.
Veeronica shows a 'thumbs up' flashes on her screen.
Veeronica: Mad? Kid, I've been hit by things way meaner than a psychic hug! If anything, I'm impressed. With those powers and Olivia's blade, you guys are a certified 'No-Flex Zone.' Just... maybe give me a heads-up before the next blast? My internal cooling fans don't like being shaken.
Olivia gives a small smirk.
Olivia: Maybe the 'scrappy bot' is good for something after all. She makes a great target for practice.
Veeronica skids around a corner, her wheels screeching against the marble. Her screen is currently flashing a bright, neon pink "RADICAL!" as she performs a 360-spin.
Veeronica: Yo! Check it! I just tagged the underside of your dad's big telescope with a 'Shedletsky Rules' sticker! Best. Day. Ever!
Y/n gets wide eyes, she immediately scrambling behind Olivia and grabbing the back of her coat. Her voice is barely a whisper.
Y/n: Olivia... she's making those noises again. Make her stop.
Olivia instinctively steps forward, shielding Y/n completely. She reaches for the hilt of her training blade, her eyes narrowed at the robot.
Olivia: Hey! Scrap-heap, calm down! Back the hell off. You're scaring her.
Veeronica skids herself to a halt, her screen flickering to a 'nervous' expression with a pink screen with wide, pixelated eyes.
Veeronica: Whoa, whoa! Easy on the 'scrap' talk, girl! I'm just trying to bring some 'pizzazz' to this dusty-crusty palace! I'm a Helper RO-bot, remember? Programming 101: Guide, teach, and be a total vibe!
Olivia: Your 'vibe' is loud, glitchy, and too fast. In the lower rings, things that move like you usually have teeth and a hunger for owl-meat. You want to help? Then stand still and dim those lights before my little sister has a panic attack.
Y/n looks out from out from behind Olivia's shoulder, her eyes wide.
Y/n: She... she looks like it's broken. Olivia, what if she explodes? She keeps making that static sound.
Veeronica's screen shifts to a soft and dim yellow 'sad face'.
Veeronica: Aw, kiddo... that's just my Forsaken' flair. I've been through some... uh, technical difficulties. But I promise, I'm 100% explosion-free! Mostly. Look, I'll even turn off the Broadcast mode. See? Super chill. Like a regular, non-terrifying TV.
Olivia still not calming her grip on her knife, looks wearily at her.
Olivia: Better. Now, keep your wheels locked. If you so much as 'kickflip' toward her, I'm turning your head into a birdbath.
Veeronica gives static hisses as she gives a small and careful thumbs up.
Veeronica: Message received, ma'am Olivia. I'll just... stay over here in 'time out' until the 'stranger danger' levels drop. But for the record? Y/n, you've got a killer bodyguard of a sister. That's pretty radical in itself.
Y/n slowly relaxes her grip on Olivia's coat, but she doesn't move from behind her.
Y/n: I guess she is pretty cool.
Y/n didn't know why, but when she was staring more at Veeronica, a blush couldn't help but show on her face.
Veeronica could secretly sense the rise of warm feeling from young owl Y/n, and secretly thought she was adorable back.