8. Resolution

Cora closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the warmth of the midday sun. It was good to get out of the manor again. For a few days after she'd been rescued, she had been under orders to get some rest to recover from the incident with the Beciles, and also to adjust to the new heart Peter had built. The automatons had seemed reluctant to leave her alone. Rabbit, uncharacteristically quiet, refused to leave her side for the first day. Cora was glad to see him gradually regain his usual exuberance as he bounced in and out of the room, chattering animatedly. Even when one of the robots wasn't in her room, Cora was certain that one of them was lingering in the hall or walking in the garden beneath her window.

When she finally convinced them that she was sufficiently recovered, and demonstrated that she could escape through portals of her own making in case of another Becile incident, they consented to relax their protectiveness. Today, Hatchworth had wanted to go to the farmers' market down the road. Cora had no idea why a robot would be interested in organic produce, but since nobody else was available, she was playing chaperone. Anyone who lived near Walter Manor had long since gotten used to strange sights, so the appearance of an oddly dressed girl and an excitable robot at the farmers' market did not draw much notice aside from the enthusiastic greetings of two fangirls.

They walked back to the manor. Cora listened obligingly as Hatchworth expounded upon the benefits of organic produce. This was his latest obsession, and he was always eager to share what he had learned in researching his current interest. Cora found his whole-hearted fixation endearing, even when she didn't quite follow all of what he said.

As they walked through the front doorway, they were greeted with shouts of: "Surprise!"

Cora looked around in astonishment. A banner reading "Welcome Home" hung from the ceiling, although it looked like something else had been crossed out on the opposite side. All the people Cora already knew had gathered in the foyer, as well as some she had not met or gotten to know. There were a few other automatons, a whole passel of crocheted doppelgangers, a Walter girl with black instead of blue lips, and more Walters that had previously been away from the manor.

"What's going on?" Cora gasped.

"It's an official welcome home party for you," said The Spine with a smile.

"I was the distraction," Hatchworth said, fairly bouncing up and down with glee, "See, The Spine? You didn't think I could keep a secret, but I did so keep it a secret!"

"He did," Cora laughed, "I never suspected a thing."

"Why don't we go into the dining room?" Peter's mother suggested, "I hope you don't mind if we don't use the good china. We haven't got any, you see."

The whole bunch of them trouped off to the dining room. They had gotten together a rather magnificent spread that even the robots partook in. Cora made a mental note to make sure and ask how that actually worked. There was eating, and talking, and no small amount of laughter when Cora forgot herself and made a face when Peter called her Verity.

"That's right," said The Spine, "You were going to come up with a new name for yourself, weren't you? Did you ever decide on anything?"

"I did," said Cora, hesitating for a moment, "I decided on Valiant. I know it's a little presumptuous, and more than a little silly-"

"N-no sillier than Rabbit," the copper robot interrupted.

"Or The Spine," his brother added.

"Michael, is Hatchworth a silly name?" the bespectacled automaton asked quietly.

"But if the name you choose a promise you make to yourself," she continued, "Then it'll give me something to live up to."

"Then may you be valiant," said Peter, raising his glass, "I propose a toast. To our Valiant Verity Edgeworth, welcome home!"

Valiant, as she was now called, smiled as they drank to her. At least Peter was trying. They all jumped as Hatchworth smashed his glass onto the floor.

"I was researching toasting traditions," he said, "Did you know that in Russia, they break their glasses after a toast because-"

"Now you see why we don't have any good china, dear," whispered Peter's mother to Valiant.

xXx

Valiant looked around her room. She had just finished putting away the housewarming presents she had received (including a full Nerf arsenal from Michael, Matt, and Steve). Hatchworth and Rabbit had taken it upon themselves to paint Valiant Edgeworth on her door in bright colors, surrounded by ridiculous designs. They had even convinced The Spine to help with the painting. That is, until they decided it would be more fun to paint him instead. It took the Walter girls almost an hour to clean him off.

"Have the two, uh, artists finished up?" he asked warily.

"Yes," said Valiant, "The humans took away the paint when they finished so they couldn't get up to any more trouble with it, so they ran off someplace else."

"It looks… nice," he said, unable to keep the unconvinced expression from his face.

"It looks absurd," Valiant laughed, "but it was a sweet gesture. And it's sweet of you all to still be so welcoming after all the trouble I've caused you. I hope you won't regret inviting me to call this place my home."

"It seemed like the practical thing to do," The Spine said lightly.

"Oh, well if it's for the sake of practicality, then I have no choice but to stay," said Valiant with mock seriousness.

"Honestly, though," said The Spine, "It's no greater trouble than we've gone to for lesser things, and no greater danger than we've been in before. We're all family here. We'd do just about anything for each other."

"I hope you all know that I'd do just about anything for you, too," Valiant said earnestly, "I do mean to live up to my name."

"I believe you," The Spine smiled.

"But, I'm not sure what to do with myself now. I've gotten this far, and now what? Life just goes on?" Valiant frowned and looked away for a moment as she realized what she had just said, "Oh, don't worry, Spine. I'm not going to start crying again, and I'm not exactly looking for answers. It's just the question in the back of my mind."

"I suppose other people would call that human nature, but you and I know it's more than that. Still, if you stick with us, Valiant, I can promise you it'll always be an adventure."

"There are whole other worlds to explore, aren't there? And I haven't even begun to see all there is of this one. So many things to learn and adventures to have, and a few rather amazing friends to share it with," she lifted her head and looked back to smile at The Spine, "I suppose that's a good place to start for a cyborg like me."

This time it was The Spine's turn to start forward and impulsively pull her into a hug.

xXx

That evening, Valiant walked to the window and stared out into the moonlight. In the garden, The Spine was dancing a foxtrot with a lady robot in a red dress. A distant crash in the manor heralded that Rabbit was up to some mischief. Hatchworth had almost certainly returned to his vault for the night. This is home, Valiant thought as she crawled into bed. Life goes on, and that's just fine. She sang softly to herself as she fell asleep:

"I am not an unimaginable thing.
My thoughts are tangible though they're full of springs.
I don't have the heart to send you untruthful words.
My skin is cold to the touch and made from the earth…"

THE BEGINNING