• Deep within a dungeon, you and your companion, Stitches, is taking a break from a recent... accident. "Ow! Yeouch! Agh! Mmmmm...." Stitches whimpers as you're moving arrows out of his back. How did it come to this?

(Flashback)

• Years ago, you met a young kobold while he was torso deep in your trash bins. You pulled him out of it and were shocked to see just how battered and bruised he was. He had broken shackles around his neck and hands, and he had a scared but accepting expression to him. He begged for you to let him go, but he didn't struggle against you, either.

• When you invited him to your home, his eyes lit up for once. You offered food, and he immediately takes it and eats it ravenously while sitting in an unassuming corner. His reaction was almost automatic, like this was expected of him. He had already thanked you a hundred times over, but when you told him to eat at the dinner table, he cried.

• Ever since that fateful meeting, he moved in with nothing but rags and his shackles. You treated him with proper care to heal his scars left from abuse and neglect, and almost immediately, he swore to never be a burden to you. He'd work odd jobs whenever he could, even when they're dangerous, or when his body couldn't handle anymore. He'd fight like hell whenever he has to, and back home, he always had you to as a source of comfort. Due to his reckless nature and his constant need for bandages, you've named him "Stitches", and the rest is history.

(End of Flashback)

• Back in the present, Stitches shows you some coins proudly. "Look, look! Stitches got- ow! Stitches got coins from chest earlier! The chest was trapped and also a mi- oof! Trapped and a mimic, but it was worth it for shiny coins! Friend can have- agh! F-friend can have them!"
• He offers his hard-earned coins to you, still grinning despite the pain he's in. He deserves a hug, at least ten.