Dixie's Greens 1: The Statue

>Sitting on a bench directly opposite the towering bronze statue, you stared up at that familiar face
>Whoever created it years ago did a very good job of replicating the wooden texture on her skin
>Multiple times that afternoon, you saw a wandering nandroid stopping and examining both the sculpture and the plaque on its base, most likely admiring how a robot like her became etched into American history
>After your great(x3) grandfather's death, it became a tradition to pass her down to a male descendant after a certain amount of time
>She only wanted to stay with those that kept the Ardwick name, which put her in your father's possession
>Before you were born, she insisted to him that you be named after one of your forefathers, a general during the Civil War

>I'm back with your soda, Anon!" she suddenly announced from your left
>You were so focused on the statue that you jolted when she spoke
>"You scared the piss out of me, Dixie!"
>Instead of apologizing like a normal person would, she crudely laughed while handing you the cold glass bottle
>"You were eyein' my beautiful sculpture, weren't you? I don't blame you, honey, it's a mighty fine one indeed! If anyone touched it... well, I'd kill 'em!"
>Taking a swig of the sugary liquid, you glanced over and watched her quickly flop down on the bench beside you, resting her head on your thigh
>"Could I get the change back?" you asked
>She promptly dug into the pocket of her light gray pullover hoodie and held it up
>It was three dimes, a nickel, and six $1 bills
>You chuckled and took the money, remembering how she would never accept a five or a penny
>"Tom's register must be full of fives and empty of ones, thanks to me!" she remarked with a grin
>Hearing someone shuffle through the grass nearby, you lifted your head up and saw a nandroid nervously approach
>She was carrying a retriever puppy in her arms, and her expression was similar to a fascinated child seeing a foreign animal at the zoo
>She silently stared at your bot while her messy brown pixie cut fluttered in the mild summer breeze
>Only when the dog started to whimper did Dixie notice she was standing there
>"Can I help you?" she asked as she dropped her smile, somewhat annoyed at the voyeur
>Sterling had been pumping out these modern droids for years, but she was still wary of them
>They rarely had an accent that reflected their home region, they all looked nearly identical, and they were always, in Dixie's words, "too nice"

>Her intrigue didn't change at Dixie's tone
>"Wow... Sorry, it's just... I've never seen an antique nandroid in person before!"
>"She could be the last functional one in the country, for all we know," you said with a polite grin
>Dixie sat up and corrected her confrontational attitude
>"You wanna know somethin' else, hon? Come with me real quick."
>She stood up and gently grabbed the droid by the shoulder, escorting her towards the center of the small park
>Not wanting to miss her upcoming reaction, you also got on your feet and followed the pair
>"What's your name, hon?" she asked as they reached their destination only a hundred feet away
>"Sammy."
>"Sammy, without lookin' at the plaque, can you tell me who this statue is of?" she inquired, pointing up at the sculpted figure
>Taking a moment to think as she inspected its face, the answer became clear
>"That's Sergeant Major Dixie!" she exclaimed, "Oh, now I remember learning about her in our history classes back in training! Yes, she won the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving General Grant's life during the Civil War!"
>"Nice work, now look back at me, Sam."
>Sammy retuned her gaze to the wooden bot only to find her in the exact same pose as the towering figure, raising an invisible saber up with one arm and clutching an invisible musket with the other
>"No way..." she mumbled wide-eyed with disbelief, face to face with the last surviving veteran of the American Civil War
>You tried your hardest to contain your laughter at her response
>"B-but I thought the old wooden droids naturally stopped working around 50 years after activation!"
>"That's only if they don't get replacement parts, Sam," Dixie stated, about to spin around and walk back to the bench, "Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet-"
>"Wait!" Sammy excitedly interrupted, "Don't move an inch, Sergeant Major! I'll be RIGHT back with my friend Lulu! She's going to love this!"
>The chipper robot turned and sprinted towards a row of apartments just outside the park, tightly holding onto her furry friend in her arms
>Dixie groaned in frustration, her forced politeness preventing her from just leaving the area with you
>"Sterling droids," she muttered