“
What’s up, buddy?” I asked as I sat on my stool. Then Stan jumped down and bolted toward his scrap pile, and he dug around until he found the bent scrap of steel he was looking for. I grinned as he hurried back to me, but when he slapped the steel on his head, I was lost. “Something fell on me?” I guessed, but the little metal man shook his head, and Aurora came over to help me decipher his charades. I couldn’t help chuckling at how cute the little guy looked while he marched in a circle, ducked, rolled, and saluted, but his scrap of metal kept falling off his head no matter how hard he tried to balance it there. “Stan, you’re so brave,” Aurora giggled, and I furrowed my brow. “How did you get brave from all of that?” I asked. “He wants to join us on the frontlines,” the half-elf told me. “See? That’s his little helmet.” Stan nodded vigorously, and then he powered through a set of jumping squats, ten pushups, and some more marching to prove his worth. I grinned. “Ahh… so that’s what you’ve been doing. You wanted to gear up for the battle?” The little metal man nodded again. “Stan, I appreciate the dedication,” I admitted, “but war is no game. It’s gonna get messy out there, and you’re--” Aurora elbowed me hard as Stan clutched his scrap metal against his chest, and my heart melted into a puddle at the hopeful hunch in his shoulders. “You’re… not properly dressed,” I fumbled. “That should fit more securely to your head. Here, allow me.
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