Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Lord Waltine, the timer!"
"Understood; time's up! Will the next person in line come forward please? You may bring your children with you–assuming that is still okay with Perlina?"
There's so many…so many people are waiting to see me. Me? Why me? All of their eyes are glistening with joy of excited children–even the adults are.
The lines of these tiny people surrounding me seem endless…
Oh! I think Lord Waltine just asked me a question; his lifted eyes and wide smile at least imply it. But what did he ask? There are so many voices bouncing around in my ears, it all sounds like noise.
I'll just play it safe. He probably wants to hear a "yes" from me. Okay Perlina, just nod with confidence!
"Y-yes, I-I don't mind…"
"Excellent! Okay elder Ruth, start the timer the moment this amazing father and his adorable daughters alongside him step on that tile. Remember, everyone only gets half a minute!"
Who's up next?...oh, it appears to be a cat demi-human family. That man's little girls are so cute, jumping giddily while holding his hands…looking and pointing directly at…
Come on Perlina, get it together! Don't think about that, you've already done this with over one hundred people today. You can keep going and going for as long as Vex needs–even if it's forever!
Just think about him…
Think about him…
…?
Hmm, didn't Vex mention a cat demi-human girl that he's partnering with? I wonder if she's related to this family…no, maybe I'm misremembering. My mind feels uneasy about it–
"Daddy! Why won't she listen to us?"
"Yeah, why won't she? We want her to make our hair look just like hers! Please make her do it, daddy!"
"!"
"I'm pretty sure she can't reasonably do that. Don't overload her, we don't have much time left, so let dad have a turn. I'll ask your mother to make your hair just like Perlina's, okay?"
"Okay!"
Oh no, oh no, oh no oh no! I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the little girls' request! I'm doing a horrible job!
"I'm t-terribly s-sorry for–!"
"It's okay, Konnie and Sern are happy enough seeing you up close. As for me, could you please wash over us with your purifying water? That'd be more than enough."
Phew, I'm glad that their father is so understanding. His humble request with that gentle voice makes me want to go above and beyond to satisfy him.
Alright, I will give him and his daughters the best one yet!
"Y-yes, I can do that! Please stand still…spewwwww."
Never in my centuries of living have I seen so many people eager for a water nymph to "shower" them with water. To me, it feels like I'm just spitting on them, but everyone has enjoyed it beyond what I could imagine. Even the little girls have calmed down, smiling brightly…
I wonder how Vex would feel if I tried–
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Alright, time up! Lord Waltine!"
"You heard elder Ruth, please expeditiously walk towards her direction. Next person in line, please! Have your petition ready; once your thirty seconds have passed, there's no extension! I suggest that everyone keeps it simple and concise!"
Aww, the cute cat family look so refreshed and gleeful even as they leave…wait, if they are leaving then someone else is coming right after…! Someone is approaching me now!
Okay Perlina, this time, no distractions! I must focus…focus…focus…look at the person directly in the eyes…
This time, it appears to be a human male…maybe? His black hood and mask covers most of his face, except for his brown eyes. His proportions and style are familiar–the more I see it, he looks kind of similar to Vex, a tiny bit…!
No no no, snap out of it! If I start thinking about him, I'll get distracted again!
Focus…focus…focus…
"That person has stepped on the tile. Elder Ruth, commence!"
"Yes sir, starting the timer…now!"
"..."
"...?"
This man…he's just standing there, looking up at me without moving…
Could he be shy? Oh no, maybe I'm intimidating him by concentrating too hard–I should try relaxing my face because after all, what tiny human wouldn't feel tense around a giant nymph like me?
I know, I'll try speaking first to put him at ease…I hope.
Even though it feels like I'm the one under pressure!
"Umm, is there anything I can do for you…kind sir?"
"...a strand of your hair, please."
"My hair?"
That's it? What a relief, I can do that easily. I always have a few loose hairs on my head somewhere. It's a strange request, but it's not any worse than the people who asked me to lick them!
My tongue now belongs to Vex alone, so I must purify it by licking him later after this–with this consent of course! I'll just think of a good excuse between then and now.
"J-just a moment, please."
My sisters worked hard to help me style my hair like this, saving me from a messy bedhead that would have undoubtedly embarrassed me in front of Vex. So I can't carelessly scramble through my hair to find a loose strand, but I also don't want to keep everyone waiting for too long. Oooh, the pressure is making me hot!
Breathe Perlina, just breathe. Close your eyes…feel for it…
Gently…steadily…
…maybe towards the back?...
…a little more to the left?...
Ah! Found one!
"H-here you are, one strand of my aqua blue hair just for you!"
"..."
Aww, my little strand of hair is the length of his waist. Tinies can be surprisingly cute!
Hmm, the alarm has yet to ring. I should offer him an extra treat; everyone deserves a full thirty seconds with me!
"Looks like you have a few seconds left, so is there one last thing you would like from me quickly?"
"...no. You are perfect right there where you are."
"R-really? T-thank y-you for the nice compliment–"
Before Perlina could finish her reply, the last thing she could see was a blinding light.
For just a split second, she could hear the sound of shrieking—
"Compress."
That was the only word that lingered in her mind.