242.

[captainshort]

[ voice ]

-mmander's orders that we don't send a full Retrieval team until we have a confirmed sighting of the pixie. You may think that dispatching a Recon team the size of Retrieval One is excessive, but the idiots thinking that have never encountered Koboi. I have. Commander Kelp wants us to spread out through the UK for now; there's a chance

Comments

[girlwithabow]

D'who?

[captainshort]

Gnommish swear word. Sorry.

[girlwithabow]

And now you have to explain what Gnommish is.

[captainshort]

It's what fairies speak in my world. We have the gift of tongues, though, so communicating in English or any other language isn't a problem.

[girlwithabow]

Fairies. Like Tinkerbell?

Okay, I've seen a lot in my world and here, but fairies are a first.

[captainshort]

What, that little cartoon fairy? No. None of us are that small and not all of us have wings-just the sprites. Shorter than your average human, certainly, but we don't do shoes or toys.

[girlwithabow]

Or lunchboxes or backpacks or bedsheets.

Tell me to shut up and go away, but how tall are you?

[captainshort]

I don't mind. Three feet.

[girlwithabow]

Taller than I expected.

Oh, crap. I don't think we've met and I'm asking you all your business. I'm Kate. Not anything special, just human.

[captainshort]

It's okay. This is probably the most light-hearted conversation I've had in a week, to tell you the truth. Nice to meet you, Kate; I'm Captain Short-call me Holly.

[girlwithabow]

Hard times in this place?

...Your last name is Short? Somebody does not like you.

[captainshort]

More recently at home than here. I just got back, after all. [laughter] Ironic, isn't it? It's better than Kelp.

[girlwithabow]

Kelp as in seaweed?

[captainshort]

The commander of my division is named Trouble Kelp, you know. It's fairy tradition to have a name have something to do with nature-his predecessor was Julius Root. I've got a friend named Mulch. I'm Holly, my mother was Coral... you get the idea.