David
The flowery pokemon took another sip of her berry juice as she examined the robot and did her best not to worry about the drunken steel-type at the bar.
She felt a strange sense about Beta, something *Almost* Familiar but not quite enough to know what that feeling was... Maybe something to do with Beta being mechanical? I mean, this *Is* Feb's first time meeting a robot, maybe they're all just like that?

'Say, Beta?'

February spoke up, finally thinking of a question to ask-

'If you don't mind me asking, What would have happened if you stayed with your creator? I caught that it was dangerous back at home in Neone but not much else... Now I think about it, I don't really know anything at all about Neone.'
Raymon
"I don't know the, um, exact details... But it's very strange. Only four Beta units were created— those being Units 0001, 0002, 0003, and 0004. And we were programmed with... A 'will'? Normally servants are mass-produced, and don't have... That. It's suspicious. And I have a bad feeling about it. That's why I left. He tried to keep us in cages, and he'd shock us if we tried to leave. I... I don't like it. I don't like thinking about it." The android shuddered in her slot, rubbing one of her arms.
David
They would shock her and lock her in a cage? How sickeningly and needlessly cruel.
Sure, Beta may have cut down the trees by mistake but... Seeing her talk here and sympathising with the emotions that she felt- it was clear to everybody that she was just as much a living 'mon as anybody else! 

'Its a good thing you managed to get out of there! That all sounds real scary.'

She offered a gentle smile to try and quell that discomfort that probably arose from recalling such a frightening memory.
'I'm sure you're in good hands now with the sheriff taking care of you.'
Norma
*Highly* Irregular. What kind of felon would justify being dragged out in front of the entire town? Sometimes, Silas wondered if he ever would truly fit in with this town but then... It probably beat the course of justice that would be doled out at home in Neone.

So he had decided to humor the locals with their strange traditions. It was pretty soon that he would come to regret it - the moment the snake had made entrance to the tavern and set eyes on what was in front of him, he froze so solid he could have become a makeshift javelin.

He looked at the robot that stood across from everyone. Adjusted his glasses, made a mental note to be absolutely sure he hasn't had any hallucinogens today and once he was absolutely sure the thing in front of him was perfectly real, he summarily yelped, slithered back around the door with only his head visible and peering around the corner at the... The *Thing* That had somehow crawled from that hole.

**"Kill it! Someone get the guards and kill it!"**
George
❥───────────────────── 🦚 Cerul 🦚 


꧁~ In preparation for this frankly wasteful small town tradition, Cerul had to preen himself a bit. Getting out today's dirt, readjusting her jewelry, getting all fancied up like this was the world's most important gala~ ✨ 

꧁~ Buuut it wasn't. It was just some country folk gathering to just drive a further stake in both her sanity and her pride, and he was NOT going to let that happen. His dignity was at stake, therefore, she must save it! So Cerul made sure he was absolutely ready before leaving Silas' mansion.

꧁~ And lo-and behold who was cowering outside of the doors...

◈ **"Come now, Silas, we both know killing her would only bring about** ***More problems."*** Cerul said antagonistically, trying to wedge himself past the snake.


❥───────────────────── 💎 Aetris 💎
Larry
Torstein let out a very noticeable chuckle of mockery towards Silas, just kind of amused by how afraid the newcomer seemed to be of this robot. "Don't worry, this one couldn't hurt you even if she tried. She'd probably just get stuck again."

Torstein put a claw to his beard, contemplating how best to ~~worsen~~ improve the situation now that Cerul was here. Unfortunately he didn't know jack shit about Neone or the myriad politics happening here. He shrugged to himself. 

"We're not killing the robot. Just being able to see how much of a failure that birdbrain's homeland is, that alone is worth the price of keeping her around," He declared as if he had any level of authority here. "Oh, and judging by her explanation, this Neone place is as cruel as they are incompetent. So if anyone has any bright ideas of sending her back to that place, they'll have a fight waiting for them."

Make no mistake, Torstein's defense of the Magearna was fueled by disdain of snobby nobles rather than compassion for abused machines. If keeping the robot here hurt people like Cerul, he was more than ready to maintain this position.
Raymon
Just as Beta was beginning to calm down some, with the encouraging words from February, it... Didn't last as a result of Thilath entering the room and instantly flipping a shit as soon as he saw her. The robot began to panic at the mention of guards being called to kill her, and she frantically looked for a place to run and hide. She chose to jump the counter and hide inside of a cabinet in Lunisse's kitchen, although she did a poor job at hiding; A very loud metal rattling noise came from it on the other side of the wall as she trembled.

The Mienfoo just kind of drew a blank watching this. "Unless her particular model was kept behind closed doors, she must have been a particularly new development; I was just at the Phoenix Spire a few days ago, and I didn't see any Magearna models with red or gold bodywork... Or, um. This level of... Character. Am I missing something here?"
[
Gladys
Meanwhile, as the chaos began to unravel, Henry the local tinkering Eevee, as he carefully overhead everything that was spoken prior, was sitting silently by a table amongst the onlooking crowd to see it all. From Silas's visceral reaction to Beta's presence to Torstein rambling from all the way across the room like a drunken sailor, and then to Beta herself leaping behind the bar counter like a cat that's been scared the living daylights out of. And he could scarcely blame her for such a reaction. Wishing death upon Beta, even if she was a robot, like that out of nowhere with little explanation provided? It was madness, he thought.

Though he also couldn't help but wonder *Why* Silas reacted the way he did upon seeing Beta. Did her presence alone pose that much of a threat to the snake?

Then he heard the Meinfoo across from him speak up. Just from hearing the words 'Phoenix Spire' was enough to cause a knot to twist up his stomach. The mere mention of his true homeland always made him feel queasy, for they always brought back memories he wished would just stay in deeper, inaccessible recesses of his mind, or preferrably out of his mind altogether. Alas, such deep-rooted memories would always prove nigh impossible to get rid of...

But something else crossed his mind, then. Something he thought of prior just before coming to this hearing. Whatever the Meinfoo said clearly warranted Henry's attention as he, too, began to speak up. "You were-?" He questioned the Meinfoo. "And you're *Sure* That you saw no other models like her?"