Purely Koraz

Chapter 5: Counting (Can I Count On You?)

"Jackie, you are not coming." Lyla insisted, crossing her arms. "You're barely combat trained, it's too dangerous."

"And how exactly will you stop me?" Jackie asked, staring her down. Kira smirked at Beem.

Lyla pulled a large ziploc bag out of her satchel, causing Jackie to tense. Good, he knows what this is. "Don't make me do this, Jack."

Jackie frowned, eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

Lyla opened the bag, spilling thousands of rice grains on the floor. Jackie growled, shaking for a few seconds, then dropped into a crouch.

"One, two, three, four, five..." He muttered, eyes locked on the rice.

"Sorry, Jackie." Beem whispered, hopping up to Lyla's shoulder.

***

Lyla fell to ground, a large gash in her arm beginning to lose too much blood for her tastes. An armored warrior stood above her, sword at the ready, with little hope for her to escape. Beem lay unconscious a few feet from her, they were surrounded by the enemy, this was it...

Flute music filled the air. The warriors screamed as nature itself turned against them, vines carrying them into the air. Jackie grinned, playing an elvish healing song that sealed her arm and caused Beem to stir.

"You forgot, Human, that I'm only half wood elf." He helped her to her feet.

"So you don't have to count them." She sighed, annoyed and relieved that she didn't remember his Magish father.

"What? No, that's insane." He shook his head. "I estimated how many grains there were, then gathered them up to count later."

"Your boyfriend eats fertilizer and has to be reminded to make facial expressions, and yet you're weirder." Lyla rolled her eyes, picking up Beem.

"Hey! I just saved your life." Jackie whined. "Muma's right, you humans don't have a sense of gratitude at all."

"Thanks for saving us, Jackie, Kira." Beem said sleepily.

"Thanks, but you still disobeyed my orders." Lyla pointed out, looking over the warriors' vine-bindings with a certain begrudging respect.

"I'm not on your crew, I don't have to listen to you." Jackie argued.

"You're dating someone from my crew." Lyla smirked. She nodded her head towards their prisoners. "Good job, elf, for a noncombatant. You have a Songstone?"

"Uh, yeah." Jackie blinked at the non-sequitur. "Why?"

"Mine got busted and I need to call the Fasttechs to contain the prisoners." Lyla cradled Beem in one arm and made a grabby motion with her free hand. "Gimme. Please." She added, remembering that, friend or no, Jackie was still an elf.

Jackie unlocked his Songstone and threw it to her. She caught it and dialed, grinning. "So you can listen. Add some more combat training, and we'll make a Freak out of you yet."