All that build up gone to drain

Standing in front of a crowd and knowing she had nothing to offer but a pretty smile was not Fil's forte. The crowd often overwhelmed her, or rather, the spotlight. Although she had been in the spotlight since her makeover, this was a different setting. 

In the past, whenever she had to present a project in front of her big bosses, she distracted herself with technical knowledge so they wouldn't have to judge her appearance. But in this situation, she couldn't just talk smart about infrastructure and it was a situation she couldn't simply shrug off.

As soon as Fil got to the stage, she approached the host discreetly. 

"Here's your mic, Miss Lovin," the host smiled politely as he handed her another mic. "I'm sorry. I got the request late. I didn't notice it."

Fil smiled meekly. "It's not my request."

"Huh? But —"

"Doesn't matter anymore." Fil sighed briefly. "Thing is, I think my gift is… in the gift section."