Ferro smiled behind his mask, even though it wasn't easy to tell that he was doing it. There was at least still a telltale crinkle near his eyes.
"I'm good with how I look now, at least," he said proudly. "Before I got stuck in my metal form, Karate Kid and I stayed with these monks on the planet Steeple. And they helped me finally not be ashamed of my face. I was going to stop wearing my mask and everything. But then I got hurt real bad and they had to make it so I was stuck in this form so I didn't die."
He paused.
"Figures, right? Right when I finally got comfortable enough with myself to go without my mask, I couldn't take it off anymore."
Which was actually a pretty miserable thing but he was at peace with it. He was good at making peace with a lot of things. "It could be worse" was pretty much his motto.
"But I can deal. It's all the rest that's a little..." He went quiet and thoughtful. "I used to worry a lot when I first got brought to the future about whether or not I'd be good enough. At being a hero. Even though Superman said he thought I was really brave. Dr. Ryk'rr said I was mostly worrying because I was afraid my friends would reject me. Because then I'd have nowhere to go. I'm not scared of that anymore. Even if I was the worst hero ever, I might have to stop being a Legionnaire but they'd never stop being my friends."
But there was much more at stake now.
"But now I worry a lot about being what the others need just...so that everyone can get through the day. It's so dangerous now. Especially with all our friends gone. Some of the politicians and the public and stuff -- they're not sure we can fix everything. They think we've lost our way. They think we've made too many mistakes. And now you're here and you're all helping but even though that's a help that's also another problem since we have to get you all back home."
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"I'm good with how I look now, at least," he said proudly. "Before I got stuck in my metal form, Karate Kid and I stayed with these monks on the planet Steeple. And they helped me finally not be ashamed of my face. I was going to stop wearing my mask and everything. But then I got hurt real bad and they had to make it so I was stuck in this form so I didn't die."
He paused.
"Figures, right? Right when I finally got comfortable enough with myself to go without my mask, I couldn't take it off anymore."
Which was actually a pretty miserable thing but he was at peace with it. He was good at making peace with a lot of things. "It could be worse" was pretty much his motto.
"But I can deal. It's all the rest that's a little..." He went quiet and thoughtful. "I used to worry a lot when I first got brought to the future about whether or not I'd be good enough. At being a hero. Even though Superman said he thought I was really brave. Dr. Ryk'rr said I was mostly worrying because I was afraid my friends would reject me. Because then I'd have nowhere to go. I'm not scared of that anymore. Even if I was the worst hero ever, I might have to stop being a Legionnaire but they'd never stop being my friends."
But there was much more at stake now.
"But now I worry a lot about being what the others need just...so that everyone can get through the day. It's so dangerous now. Especially with all our friends gone. Some of the politicians and the public and stuff -- they're not sure we can fix everything. They think we've lost our way. They think we've made too many mistakes. And now you're here and you're all helping but even though that's a help that's also another problem since we have to get you all back home."