Let's rewind time a little from the end of the last chapter, back to when Min and Gyllen had just split into their separate ways to scour the shore. As you may recall, Min went rightwards whereas Gyllen headed left. Let us take a quick gander at what she got up to by herself while the prince was entertaining a certain scylla. The goblin was walking across the warm sands at her own easy tempo, periodically taking indiscriminate glances over her shoulders to keep herself savvy on the ponytailed blonde's increasing distance until he was completely out of sight, becoming just another body lost in the crowd. An impish smile would then adorn the female's face.
"Ace! With Goldie outta me hair, I can get up to a bit a' fun without his naggin'~!" Min thought to herself, continuing her stride a few extra metres just to be on the safe side, her wobbly parts persisting to wobble without a constraint. In the mean time, the goblin woman took the opportunity to subtly scout the smorgasbord of gorgeous human hunks of all shapes and sizes tanning their toned, shirtless figures, or perhaps working up a sweat hitting a ball to one another over a net between them further up the beach, or even resurfacing from the sea after a brief dive, their frame dripping with water.
Her unfiltered glee aside, Min was also feeling an air of unease, able to sense many of the loungers' eyes trained on her as she passed them by. Normally, she would have been ecstatic over being spotlighted like this yet something inarticulate was off about the attention this time. "Somethin' tells me these guys aren' eyein' me up jus' for the T n' A...come t' think a' it, I haven' seen any other monsters about 'sides from the mermaids. Guess folks 'round here don' see other species too often. Hel! Might be their firs' time seein' a gobbo in the flesh! Hmm...'spose that leaves me in a bit a' a moral jam...do I try t' give a good impression and show 'em that mos' goblins are not much different from themselves? Or do I risk warping their views on me entire race forever with the nasty acts I am cravin' t' carry out? ...shit, is this even a debate? Nasty acts fer life, Min! Jus' need t' put me plan into action..."
Min took a minor turn in her stroll and was now heading towards the ocean. Her green toes left imprints in the wet sand the closer she got to the water's edge while the foamy tide ebbed and flowed, faintly plashing beneath her feet. The red-haired woman's focus was then directed down to the ground, intently combing along the surface for something very particular.
"C'mon, c'mon...there's gotta be one somewhere..." The goblin girl muttered to herself until she very nearly stood onto the very something she had been seeking: a freshly marooned jellyfish, transparent, pale blue in colour and half-buried in the sand with its fibres trailing towards the sea where it had drifted from. "Perfect! All I gotta do now is get in position..."
Min swivelled her neck from left to right, taking in a quick survey of the vicinity for anybody who might have still been eyeballing her. Luckily, it appeared the initial awe of her appearance had worn off as all the beach patrons she could spot had gone back to minding their own businesses. It also helped that she found herself semi-isolated from any other individuals by a generous margin. Without further delay, the shortstack dropped onto her right-hand side facing upwards the shoreline, resting on an elbow while shifting her feet close to the beached blob but taking extra care not to make actual contact with it. Once she determined her pose seemed authentic enough, Min let out a large wail of artificial anguish that pricked the ears of anybody possessing functional hearing within her radius. It did not even take a second attempt before a small collective of curious males crowded around the diminutive emerald woman who just screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Please, kind sirs, I was jus' havin' a lovely li'l swim all by me lonesome then that horrid creature came outta the blue and stung me right on the back a' me feet!" Min wept as she looked up to the faces of the pack, crocodile tears welling up in her crimson eyes as she indicated the inert jelly by her lower end. Of course, the cutesy, helpless damsel act was merely that: an act to entice a few studmuffins over to her. She had a hard time keeping it up whilst holding back any devious smirking from materialising on her features. "I can barely stan' up now, never mind walk! Oh, woncha help a poor girl out...?"
Despite her award-worthy performance, all the goblin was greeted with in return were expressions of uncertainty from the males. It was not until hearing some foreign mutterings amongst them that she realised the snag in her scheme.
"Oh, bollocks...I forgot...I don' speak Gaulish..." Min puffed her cheeks, feeling rather stupid about the whole attempt now. "Well, back t' the drawin' board..." She was about to give up the game but was halted from moving back to her feet by a single voice speaking up.
"Um...you are from SnjΓ³rland, oui?" A man asked, taking a step forward. He was tall, even by human standards, and possessed a short, dark haircut along with a little beard patch on his chin. His trim, bronzed physique was brandished without reserve as a pair of white shorts were the only clothing currently worn on his person. "I speak some SnjΓ³rlandic...zough your dialect is a little unusual. I will do anyzing I can to help, zo please feel free to just ask! I can even translate to ze ozers for assistance too if need be." Min's oculars fired up with zeal once more when this fine specimen of a man emerged forth from the solar glare like a guardian spirit. The gods must have been smiling on her that day.
"Oh, thank ya so much, mister!" The goblin broke out into a gleeful grin, nearly ruining the illusion before switching back to the pained faΓ§ade at the speed of thought
"A quick question 'owever." He said. "You said you were just 'aving a swim, yet 'ow are you bone dry?"
"Erk! I was...er...it was a really quick swim!" Min ad-libbed a bluff. She knew she skipped a step somewhere in the stratagem and quickly changed the subject. "A-anyway...this is gonna sound a bit weird t' ask for... buuut I've heard
urine
works wonders fer jelly bites!"