Her words do little to soothe its increasingly frantic gestures as it tries, yet again, to make its legs move. This time it has a degree of success and it shudders towards her, closing the gap she just made between them again.

"The t-time is ten thirty-five and forty-nine seconds, mistress. Fifty. Fifty-one. Fifty-two-"

Its count comes to an abrupt halt and, after a brief pause, and it tilts its head, as if seeing her for the first time. They might be emotionless and unreadable but there's something bizarrely penetrating about its eyes and their unbroken, unblinking stare.

"Assistance, mistress-ess?"