The Gallium Statue held Its arm up, staring at the package It carried mercilessly. It was amazing what an expressionless face could communicate, but for some reason It wasn't really working. "Higher! Higher!" the package squealed. Well, it was really just a kid. For whatever reason, the kids of the village adored It. With Its unfathomable strength and unique looks, it was the shining oddity of the village. However, the Statue really had no idea how to handle these small, organic beings. Currently one of them was dangling off of Its arm, suspended in the air and giggling. More had surrounded and played around It enthusiastically. Was this fun for them, It wondered? They could not speak with It, not like the Smith could. That was because only Royals and the Metallurgists could commune with the Statues, to preserve their functions as servants of the royalty.

  "Michael, can you let go? Your body heat is gonna start making him melt," a dispassioned voice spoke. The kid gasped in surprise and immediately let go, landing in the soft snow. "S-sorry...I forgot..." At last, It was saved. The Statue frantically made a few gestures, but its apparent distress only made the Smith laugh. "You say that everytime, but you still walk down this same road, yeah?" That made It pause momentarily, unable to properly process that. Its friend laughed and patted It on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go get some drinks."

  This, of course, was purely metaphorical for the Statue, who could not eat or drink. Yet for whatever reason, It was constantly dragged along by the Smith to various social events and gatherings the Village held regularly. This would normally be problematic due to the warmth from fires burning within the buildings, but magical charms allowed the Statue some mild liberty to spend brief moments in the company of others.

  As It sat beside the Smith, who was drinking from a mug, It stared at the mug curiously. "What, want some?" He asked, giving a wink. The tavern was particularly rowdy tonight. Some merchants had come by with their caravan, so a lot of new faces had entered the scene. "What's this thing?" A new voice asked. The Smith and Statue both turned in their seats to regard a rather posh looking man in a suit staring down at them. "It's not a 'thing', you know. His name is Galla." The Smith said with a snort. The Statue regarded the Smith and tugged on his sleeve, but for some reason Its intent was ignored.

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  The Merchant frowned, tilting his head slightly. "Sure looks like one. This is one of those 'Statues' the Bolvans are so proud of, yeah? It don't look like much..." The Statue jerked slightly in surprise as the man flicked its forehead, the soft chime of it's metal ringing. "Never seen one before. They're only in the main castle, yeah? Why's this one out here?"

  "Someone's gotta keep the winter home clean," the Smith replied easily. "They say they've got the strength of a hundred men. That true?"

  "Depends on the Statue. Different metals have different abilities," The Smith said cautiously. The Merchant nodded slightly. "How much for him?"

  "What?"

  "How much? I'll give you a million gold, right here, right now." If Statues could frown, this one would have the deepest of one on its face. It was not too well versed in economics, but it was aware that this was a frighteningly large sum. "Are you mad? Statues are property of the Royals. It'd be high treason to ever sell them to an outsider. Even if I could, I wouldn't give him over for any amount. He's my friend."

  "Friend? This thing? Does it even know what friendship is?" The Statue nodded in affirmation. "I'm not asking you, you piece of junk."

  "That's not a piece of junk. That's our Statue you're talking about." The Bartender interjected, giving the merchant a glare. "If you're gonna start trouble, get the hell out of here." Jeers from the crowd arose. The Merchant scoffed, then left unceremoniously, joined by his buddies.

  "Sorry about that. It's easy to forget how much foreigners don't understand," the Smith apologized to the Statue, who shrugged and turned to the bartender, tapping the wooden counter with Its finger. "Eh? You're asking for a drink?" The bartender asked with a raised eyebrow. The Statue turned towards the Smith, and the two communed silently for a moment, before he turned to the crowd to vocalize the Statue's intent. "Galla says he thinks this is the part where he says 'I need a drink.'" Cheers and laughter erupted from the entire tavern at that.