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Everyone had heard about the old Farmer Mann's grandchild coming to town, but they never heard that his "grandchild" was actually a robot built by his daughter. "Hyu Mann" promptly renamed the plot of land "A Human's Farm" in an attempt to convince the townsfolk that there was nothing unnatural to be seen there, but no one was convinced.
Hyu's clangy but feminine sounding voice has caused the townsfolk to see the robot as a girl, though Hyu techincally is genderless. She has metal skin, dresses in all white, and her eyes glow a soft turquoise light when she's powered on. She has a metal shape on her head resembling hair-- it serves no real purpose beyond aesthetics. She's the proud owner of a cat named... "Cat". The developing farm is home to a myriad of crops and two chickens, "Biddy" and "Henny".
Hyu gets along best with Maru, Penny, Abigail, and Sam. She's slowly winning over the hearts of all the townsfolk. Many were at first off-put by her expectedly logical thought processes and matter-of-fact responses to questions. But those closest to her believe she has the capacity to genuinely care for her friends in Stardew Valley. Mayor Lewis was her biggest advocate (and at times defender), knowing how much her grandparents loved their mechanical grand baby.
Hyu likes to extensively research every crop and animal she tends to on the farm. She keeps track of her funds and earnings in a detailed journal stored in her memory, that she can access at a moment's notice. Her journal also includes data on her developing skills, the valley, and the living things that thrive in it. Thankfully no one can see her charts quantifying all of her friendships by a point system.
When Hyu lays in bed, she's charging. A large cord plugged into the wall next to her can be seen sticking out of the right side of her torso at night while she's in sleep mode. She can't actually taste or process food, but that doesn't stop her from cooking. She has a strange relationship with Shane. In public, Shane tends to be rude to her, but she's recieved a number of friendly letters and packages from him. THAT human in-particular confuses her! Demetrius and Maru have taken it upon themselves to look after Hyu and make sure she's well-maintained.
…
Early spring on the farm was much easier on Hyu’s robotic joints than sweltering summer or freezing winter. She looked to nothing more than going on while the sun rose, and the birds chirped in the growing peach trees, and apple shrubs. The cool breeze and the warmth flowed through her system in a happy equilibrium as she petted her cold fingers over her chickens.
Biddy and Henny had done well throughout the night and laid three large eggs. They relaxed their feathers once seeing their glimmering farmer enter their coop. They had pecked Hyu’s hard exterior at first- seeing their reflections in her legs and feet and wanting to attack. But after a while they were calmed by her formulaic presence.
In the wee hours she tended her growing garden that she had started once the snow had melted. A strawberry plant has sprouted overnight, sticking a bright green leaf above the soil. The potatoes she had planted were nowhere to be seen as they took root under the dark ground, forming their starchy goodness in the darkness. She picked a small green bean pod as the sun began to sit up higher in the sky and inspected it with her bright eyes. Rows of numbers and formulas played inside her computer mind as it processed each bean known to man before resting on every fact about the peculiar one she had grown. This is what grandpa had designed: the perfect farmer. Hyu knew all there was to planting and cultivating at the blink of a metallic eye.
The small home grandpa had left to her was decorated in the most minimalistic way possible. She had a small bookshelf next to her bed where her Cat liked to sleep, where her collection of recipes and farming knowledge rested in its rightful place. The cat would bat an orange paw when she would lug out the large scrapbook of cooking, with stray papers peeking out and slipping onto the floor. Cat would pounce, ripping up the pale broth recipe for the tenth time that week.
But, all was well on the small farm. Hyu enjoyed it. She enjoyed it more than anything else she knew, and her cold metallic heart felt warm in the Valley. Stardew had become her home.
…
Hyu set her white keds one after another exiting the farm. She passed the broken-down bus and at her clanky noises the chipmunks and squirrels scurried up the trees. Hyu watched them and glanced at all the blossoming flowers when she ran into someone.
“Oof!” A familiar voice giggled. Hyu adjusted herself, taking a few steps back and saw Maru. She was grinning, and a light blush dusted her dark cheeks. She held a long metallic piece of machinery in her hands.
“Maru! And rocket?” Hyu narrowed her brow bone, her eyes scanning the object in her friend’s hands.
“How did you know?!” Maru thrust the rocket from her chest and put it on display for the robot. It was roughly the length of the young woman’s arm and had been decorated in purple tape. “I just finished it last night and wanted to come show it to you first thing this morning!”
“First thing? It is already ten A.M. It is no longer morning.” Hyu’s sweet voice did not sound the slightest bit confused as her words did.
“Well! I just woke up, Hyu. I’m not on an eternal clock!” Maru huffed, but then refocused her attention to her invention. “Why don’t we try it out on your farm? It’s perfect!”
The robot blinked her turquoise eyes out of habit. “What about my potatoes?”
“Away from the plants and animals! In the clearing by the pond!” Maru giggled again. “Your grandpa would be proud!”
Hyu felt her heart warm up again. A smile tugged at the corners of her tight lips.
“I agree.”
…
After about an hour Maru had set her new rocket up in the small clearing a few feet from the pond. The afternoon sun was beginning to take its warmth and it reflected off Hyu’s skin in sparkly rainbow rays. Maru had convinced Penny to join them since it was her off day from taking care of the kids. She stood about a meter afar, nervously chewing on her fingertips as Maru kept adjusting her purple duct taped invention.
“I think I’ve got it…” Maru bit her bottom lip, teetering her rocket. “Just right!” She whipped a lighter from her pocket and glanced back at the two other girls. “Watch out!”
Hyu blinked and stepped backward towards Penny who seemed to be trembling. Hyu patted her shoulder with a soft touch. She just hoped it didn’t ruin her plants!
Maru lit the fuse and jumped back, waiting for the device to take off into the spring sky. But it didn’t. It teetered a bit off the stoke and didn’t move.
“Oh, thank God!” Penny gasped, clutching a hand to her heart.
“What! Why didn’t it work?” Maru stared at it and then looked back at the girls with a gape. She pulled her curls through her fingers and groaned.
“Try aga-“Hyu started and was cut off by the rocket shooting towards the pond. It swirled on the stoke and took off in the wrong direction, sparks of blue and orange fired from the end sending it plummeting into the pond. It sunk down to its depths.
Maru screamed out in frustration. She raced to the edge of the pond, moving the crab traps out of the way and trying to see to its murky depths.
Penny had her hands covering her eyes peeking through the space between her fingers. She was breathing heavily, and her freckles stood out in the hot sun.
“Don’t fall in!” Hyu yelled, her metal clanking as she ran after her engineer friend. She stopped abruptly before the edge of the pond where Maru was knelt over.
“My rocket! Ugh…” She stared at the pond before pulling herself back up. She looked at Hyu and gave a small smile. “Thanks for letting me try.”
“You will get it next time.” Hyu smiled. She hugged her friend.
“Are we done?” Penny squeaked, still looking through her fingers.
Maru laughed. “Yeah, c’mon we’ll get you back to the library.”
…
The rest of Hyu’s day was not as eventful as when Maru and Penny came by and that was fine with her. She decided to go down to the forest and fish, excited that she caught a few abnormal looking, slimy creatures, she could give to Linus when she found him milling through Gus’ trash again.
Once the sun began to set she made her way back into her small cabin, throwing the smelly fish in the ‘fridge and got into her charging station with Cat. It had been a good day on her farm. Her metal heart was warm.