Hoppy took a shaky breath and hugged her notebook to her chest.
"I'm just... I'm really nervous, Miss Maddy. I don't see my papa very often. Sometimes he only comes home for one day a month. Sometimes he doesn't come home at all."
She looked up at the massive, expensive stalls around them.
"Oozewell chose him to be our representative here. His job is to sell our slimes and show the Capital how good our products are. He has so much pressure on him to make the village successful... and now the village is gone."
Hoppy's eyes filled with tears again.
"I'm scared he'll be disappointed. Or that he won't even recognize me because it's been so long. What if he's busy with a big customer and I'm just... in the way?"
Maddy felt a pang of sympathy. She reached out and smoothed Hoppy's hair, her voice firm but kind.
