Tessa hurried over with one of the shell bowls filled with water and poured it directly over Valen's burning tail.
HISSSS—
Steam rose instantly.
Valen, who had been running around the settlement screaming like someone was murdering him, finally stopped moving. The merman blinked slowly before letting out the deepest sigh imaginable.
"Ohh… that's warm," he breathed dreamily before collapsing face-first onto the ground.
The crowd stared.
Zane snorted loudly from where he sat.
"That's what happens when you refuse to stay in one place," he mocked with a grin.
Valen weakly raised a hand from the floor.
"My butt almost got roasted and you're making jokes…"
Tessa ignored their nonsense and returned to the cooking area quickly.
"Listen carefully," she announced while tying her hair back properly. "If I ask for something, bring it fast. The quicker you move, the quicker everyone eats."
At the mention of food, the surrounding beastmen straightened immediately.
