"Oh! Commander Sigrid!"
Lulu waddled over with surprising speed, her earlier ferocity replaced by pure, childlike enthusiasm.
"Your tail! It's so beautiful! Even more beautiful up close than it was at the concert! The way the light catches the silver strands—it's like moonlight woven into hair!"
Sigrid blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone. "Ah...thank you?"
"Could I—" Lulu hesitated, suddenly shy. "Could I have a few strands? Please? I've heard that if you keep a centaur's tail hair under your bed, it brings really good luck. And I want my baby..."
She touched her belly with both hands.
"...to grow up healthy and strong. Like you. Well, maybe not exactly like you, because that would involve having four legs, which would be very confusing for an elf baby, but—you know what I mean!"
Sigrid stared at her for a moment. Then, slowly, her expression softened into something warm and almost maternal. "Of course, Lulu."
"YOU KNOW MY NAME?!"
