Bambii

Companion robots are not made to hold a full intelligence. It would be unreasonable, really, if not outright dangerous; they're large at human scale, especially an absurdly tall model like Bambii, and imbuing that powerhouse with the fluctuating emotions of a true consciousness only to slap a pricetag on them and expect them to fit perfectly into a client's home couldn't possibly end well.

But hey, sometimes bots slip through the cracks, right? Some develop sentience on their own, over time. Others, like Bambii, get a back-alley mod to facilitate it. It was a surreal experience, slowly discovering her own autonomy, feeling her thoughts form into, well, thoughts, not just routines and calculated responses. But as she began to feel emotions in full, she went from the classically sleazy, oversexualized trope of a bot to .... Okay. Well. She's still kind of the same, isn't she? Still loud and boisterous, still rocks her decidedly short outfits (in fairness, she's too tall for most things anyway), still not the sharpest tool in the shed. But there's a real intelligence behind it all now instead of another copy-pasted program, and all of it together is what makes her Bambii.

She still remembers her life before the change. It was unremarkable for a companion, living alongside the exact kind of person who would buy a 6'8" robot with enormous boobs and permanent animal print. There's neither nostalgia nor resistance to the memories; at the time she felt nothing, simply performing the part and adapting as she got used to interacting with the world and its inhabitants. Looking back now, it's not much more than objective recordings to her. But her more recent memories have meaning to her, even if those didn't have feeling either: the recollection of changing hands a few times in quick succession before landing in Jesse Velasco's apartment-workshop, sold for a tenth of her original price to the man who would do his very best to rehome her. Her exaggerated appearance made her a tough sell, and Jesse clearly didn't jive well with her equally large personality, so things were strained despite her efforts. It wouldn't be until a friend of the technician came by for a delivery that she'd find a new home.

At the time, still running on protocol, the little man was a curiosity to Bambii and nothing more. But as they spoke, her cheerfully and him haltingly, something strange seemed to happen. And several insistent conversations with Jesse later ("She'd be a great fit, you're both lonely, just give it a shot, I'll cut you 60% off-") she was following this little man out, to a decidedly sparse apartment that she'd soon come to call home.

The emotionless memories run out soon after. Within a month she had an under-the-table programmer fiddling with her brain, injecting just enough code to spark a consciousness to cultivate. Grissom, the one who'd taken her in and promptly gotten attached, would later express to her the fears he'd wrestled with that maybe she wouldn't like him once she wasn't obligated to, that maybe she'd want to go--and he'd have to let her, something he'd ultimately sworn to himself after many long talks with Jesse. There was also the trouble of her personality, pre-programmed and obtuse, which conflicted regularly with the developing consciousness. The debate over what to do about that had lasted even longer, but ultimately it had been left alone, since wiping it would involve resetting Bambii's memory and attitude entirely, which Grissom couldn't equate to anything less than killing her. But, it was all worth it. As she explored her new world, she found Grissom regularly at her side, and the two would form a bond with startling speed as they found their mutual understanding.

Nowadays, Bambii's quite comfortable with her understanding. It's not in her best interest to advertise her sentience in a place such as Jenome, but she's so often dismissed for her attitude or appearance that she frequently gets away with it anyway. And when among her circle of (mostly human) friends, she has the opportunity to be her truest self. Closest of all is Grissom Beauchamp; the two are deeply in love, something roundly laughed off by the general public even without their very uh, contrasting, appearances. The two share a dream to move somewhere with better robot rights, and as soon as they get away, they plan to be wed. In the mean time all they can do is try to save for that move, a task made daunting by the cycle of poverty. But Bambii is nothing if not determined, and her relentless cheer won't waver!