THE MOMENT
"What's mine?" Jubilee asked the moment she realized she could get an answer. She'd never even considered that she had a 'Kill Count' until Willow explained that everyone did. Willow and Jubilee were downtown walking to lunch when the conversation of Willow's unique ability came up. It was something that Jubilee kind of knew about. It came up in conversation every now and then; but, she never wanted to pry and it was always while already discussing something else. But this time she finally had the chance to ask questions since it was just chit-chat.
"Oh wow," Willow had stopped to focus on the general area above Jubilee's head. She was taller than the teenager and looked straight over her. "You've been busy," she giggled, then turned to continue forward. "It's gone up a ton since you first got here, you hit ten thousand in only three weeks," she said.
"Are you sure it didn't carry over from my last world?" Jubilee asked. The number surprised her too. Willow had mentioned that it included microscopic viruses and bacteria, and other minor consequences of living, but it still seemed like a high number for only three weeks.
"I'm sure," Willow nodded. "I checked when you first arrived. Your Kill Count was at zero then."
"Oh," Jubilee nodded with a giggle. "If you didn't summon me from another world, that probably would've been surprising."
"A little bit, I suppose," Willow shrugged. "But, you wouldn't be the first."
"Huh?" Jubilee asked as Willow turned a corner and they headed down a new direction. "You've seen someone with a Zero?"
"Of course!" Willow said. "Just because you were summoned doesn't mean you're the only person new to the world. I did nursing for a stretch before I opened the hobby shop; I've assisted with more than a few births; they always came out at zero."
"Oh, right," Jubilee giggled. "That makes sense; still surprising to see it on a 14-year-old teenager I'm sure," she added.
"I've had some time to get the hang of things," Willow nodded as she came to a stop in front of a cafe named 'Glory Anna's' and opened the door for Jubilee. "It would've meant something else if it was a zero on an older person," she grinned as Jubilee walked in. The cafe was relatively empty with a green-haired woman behind the counter. She looked up at the sound of the door jingle and smiled.
"Hello, Willow! Who's your friend?" Jubilee only had time to glance around before she became the subject of conversation, and she wasn't able to go ask what Willow meant right away.
"This is the great summoned hero, Jubilee!" Willow giggled. "Jubilee, this is the nicest person you'll ever meet, Glory Anna."
"It's a pleasure," Glory Anna smiled and Jubilee returned the gesture.
"Thank you, you too!" she said.
"Well, our friend Willow here has told me all about how much she's inconvenienced you. It's not much, but I'd like to treat you to lunch today; order anything you like," she placed a menu down in front of Jubilee, then looked at Willow. "You're still paying; the usual?" she asked with a grin.
"You got it," Willow nodded.
"I'll be back in a sec," Glory Anna waved, then spun around and headed to the kitchen.
"Not 'The Nicest'...," Jubilee used air quotes to get the point across. "...if she's still charging her friend," she said.
"My friend is running a business," Willow replied. "I expect her to pay when she visits my shop too."
"You're right...," Jubilee nodded. She meant it more as a joke; but, there was no sense explaining that if Willow took it seriously. Instead, she took the opportunity to return to the other conversation. "So, what if someone older had a zero? You said that means something else, have you seen it a lot?"
"Other than those new to this world, I've only seen a zero kill count over one person's head," Willow replied. "I'll be honest, I don't know what it actually means; but, I came up with an explanation that I'm okay with. It seems to add up at least," she said.
"It's Glory Anna," Willow nodded toward the kitchen. "She has a zero over her head," she said.
"How? What does it mean, she hasn't killed any microbes?" Jubilee asked.
"I don't know," Willow shrugged. "The way I see it, is killing is all about intent. When people take medicine or squash bugs, or even just eat yogurt, they're trying to accomplish something and don't care about the details, like microbes dying. Most of us don't even think about it, and it can be considered 'cold-hearted' from certain perspectives."
"But why does Glory Anna have a zero?" Jubilee couldn't see the connection she was trying to make.
"Microbes die naturally all the time, deaths that aren't attributed to anyone. In my mind, I imagine whatever determines what 'counts' as killing to increase the number has to be able to tell the difference between a natural death and an intentional kill."
"I guess?" Jubilee shrugged. That kind of made sense, but she still didn't see how it explained Glory Anna. "But, unless she's never taken meds or squashed a bug... not even once?"
"Honestly...," Willow shrugged. "She's tough and kind; it's really easy to imagine she wouldn't do either of those things in her adult life. Though, she'd probably have less control as a child, so theoretically she'd still have a number above zero. But, that brings me to my conclusion," she said.
"It's kind of a stretch, but it's an explanation I like," she reminded Jubilee. "Glory Anna's so nice that whatever force in the universe determines what 'counts' as a kill always gives her the benefit of the doubt."
