[ WP ] Robots with sentient AI are indistinguishable on the surface from humans . Some owners have taken to various forms of abuse on their robots in public .

Mr. Lansby and I headed out to a small coffee shop just around his apartment corner. It had been a while since I had left the small rooms he had me periodically clean, and I had been adamant I could keep my less than perfect coordination in check so as not to anger Mr. Lansby. 
 
 With a small chime I opened the door for him, watching him walk wordlessly by. Before I could walk in myself a small family with a dog unit walked up to the shop. I continued to hold the door open much as I had for Mr. Lansby, they smiled brightly and responded with a thank you as they walked in. I looked up to see Mr. Lansby with an irritated look on his face and hurried to come to his side. 
 
 `` Hurry it up next time will yah?'' he said in quietly, not turning away from the overhead menu. 
 
 I simple speak a `` yes sir'' and wait for the line to move. When we get to the cashier he orders a large cappuccino and gestures to my general direction. I place my left hand onto a small pad in front of the cash register, and run through the transaction in my head. When I finish the cashier instantly gets passed a tall cup of the requested beverage. 
 
 I reach out to procure the cup when I get a sudden spasm in my elbow joint. My fingers tip the bottom of the cup, causing it to fall out of the young worker's hand. The hot liquid pours midair out of the cup and onto my arm, splashing onto the counter and coating the bottom of Mr. Lansby's shirt. while the way circuitry works at the moment makes the sensation of pain difficult, they have substituted it with a stiffening of the local afflicted fibers. My arm takes a second before the full effect of the sensation registers. I hold on to the afflicted arm, shaking in my hand from the pseudo-muscular action. 
 
 Mr. Lansby grumbles next to me. I feel him jam his hand under my cap and grasp at my fake follicles. He hoists me to eye level, his teeth gritting hard enough for me to hear. 
 
 `` I ca n't get one day without you futzing up the smallest task!'' I see him move his arm and gesture toward his shirt. `` This cost me two hundred dollars back when I had that kinda dough, I got places to be today!'' his voice only raised enough to graze shouting. 
 
 I avert my gaze, `` I'm sorry.'' His eyes widen, his angrily shaking his head. 
 
 `` Oh no, do n't JUST say sorry to ME,'' he turns me toward the staff of the coffee shop and places me back on the ground, `` you apologize to them too.'' the workers that were n't already staring at me had slowed in their work and turned to peak at me. `` And do n't forget to show some respect.'' I suddenly became very aware that his hand had not left my scalp. 
 
 Before I could to say anything my vision began to blur toward the coffee covered counter. The bang of the impact did n't register as my systems quickly worked to compensate. What I experienced was bolt of snow rippling across my vision and a burst of white noise in my ears. I was dazed as I processed what had happened. 
 
 `` Do n't keep the nice people at the store waiting, you know what you did!'' he began to lift my head up for another table slam. I placed the backs of my hands on my forehead and cushioned the blow. 
 
 `` I'm sorry for ruining your hard work.'' 
 
 `` And!?'' 
 
 `` And for dirtying your counter.'' There was no inflection in my voice, no shuddering to my breath, there was no programing for it. Sincerity was what I went for, even if I knew the way I could produce it was n't correct. I looked through the corners of my eyes. The way their gaze was directed had an unusual feeling to it, like a sort of weight to the air. Many had looks of concern, while others watched on in cautious amusement. Whatever was the case, I was alone here. No one would get up, fewer would even think of this later. 
 
 The tightness on my head went away, signaling he had relinquished his grip on my hair. I rose from the counter and looked at the cashier, who by this point was a little spooked. He had moist paper towel in his hands, saturated by the dark brown liquid, and had nearly cleaned the worst of the mess on the counter. After a minute a drink was carried from the back as a replacement and handed to Mr. Lansby. With a curt thanks he turns and smacks me in the back of the head toward the door. 
 
 Following him the eyes of the shop patrons followed me, the sounds of conversation slowly sprouting as I grew closer to the door. I looked around until my eyes fell to the dog unit from the family I let in. With a quick tapping of his front paws on the tiled floor I got the gist of his message and smiled, giving him a thumbs up as I walked out of the door. 
 
 `` Your lucky I have n't sold yah to the labs yet!'' Mr. Lansby said over his shoulder. `` If I had more than the few coins my job throws at me I'd have had one of those fancy all-purpose models.'' he laughs to himself before slumping over and taking a loud drink from his cup. I knew I was in over my head for thinking I would screw up today, it's just how my supposed `` luck'' seems to run. 
 
 But I have no where to go, nothing more I can by my self. In the end I can only do as much as I've been given to do, learn as much as they tell me I can, and live as much as a tin man in a pseudo-derm can, whatever the true meaning of that word live is.
