Word count: 567

The light hum of machinery was rather relaxing, each twist of delicate metal crafting fine tuned by nimble fingers. A screw here, a new wire there and the small bot was slowly coming to life, it was rather cutesy yet still had the clean lines of a true bot. Even if it was tiny Azuri felt a swell of pride within her chest when the finishing touches were placed upon the little metal figure. The robot had long elegant limbs which she had carefully sculpted over the past few weeks. With a small push of two wires Azuri grinned in delight as the bot twisted to life..it’s legs bending..an elegant dance she had so carefully coded being performed. The dance lasted a few moments, the ballerina robot moved across her work desk with ease. Each motion made Azuri more pleased her eyes twinkling “Perfect, you’re so pretty. Not perfectly smooth yet but don’t worry I’ll work out the kinks. You could rival any flesh and blood dancer!” Clapping when the robots performance ended in a deep bow Azuri turned back to her other project..contentedly fiddling with the tiny wires, cogs and joints. “Every dancer needs a partner in this life, even if you are not alive my dear ballerina. You shouldn’t dance alone.” However the slightly larger bot wss far from finished and even after an hour toiling over the mechanics Azuri felt a growing wave of frsutration..hands falling flat to the table top. There was something missing; not just in the robot but in her own life..a lingering longing for something more. She had made so many bots, almost alqays they were pairs..two pieces that could perform alone but, worked better when they were placed together. Looking away from the tiny creations her eyes swept the mostly empty little house where she lived..the silence suddenly deafening. Surely there was more a nightmare like her could be doing? Shouldn’t she have a partner to dance with? Of course there had been small romances through the years but, never had she settled down with any particular nightmare. Yet here she sat feeling a deepening pit of loneliness, why did she have to be alone. Shaking off the melancholy sensation Azuri lifted hersf up a bit stiffly..body giving a few deep stretches before being able to move more freely. Wandering towards the front door..once bare feet now hidden by simple shoes she made her way out into the world. As she wandered down the bustling sidewalks past couples and families with children it all clicked into place. Perhaps if there wasn’t someone out there that wanted to be her ‘dance partner’ she could find something else. Wouldn’t raising a child be interesting? Imbuing had never been on Azuri’s mind until this moment in time..a time where her loneliness felt overwhelming. It wouldn’t be selfish to imbue randomly would it? The goblin had heard of the cache..how random embuing worked, it meant not needing a relationship, it meant no longer being alone. “Could I even raise a kid?” Words spoken quietly aloud; brows furrowing at the ideas now swirling to life within her mind. A stone, a child all her own? Maybe if she worked on her gambling addiction..would there be questions involved before randomly imbuing? Uncertain Azuri continued walking until she’d made it to a board that held information..maybe it was possible..maybe she wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.