Less than ten minutes of her so-called "safe" time remained. Mai Mingle shoved the two pieces of cheek skin into the woman's outstretched hand. Without a spare moment for words, she spun around and dashed out again—hope was within reach, just an eye and a mouth away.
But just as she stepped out the door, she froze.
"Have you started eating?" Mai Mingle asked hurriedly. "I haven't found your mouth yet, so how can you eat? But you residents don't really eat with your mouths like humans do, right?"
The woman stood in the corner with her back to her, silent for a moment. "...What?"
"I mean, I've already found five pieces of your face. If you've started 'eating,' will that have a suppressive effect on the other diners?"
It would be a bald-faced lie to say Mai Mingle wasn't terrified. The thought of what life-or-death crisis awaited her outside made her want to never leave the restroom. "If you can suppress them a little by 'eating,' I'd be a little safer..."
