|
Post by Ara on Dec 24, 2008 2:31:02 GMT -5
CRASH!
The sound of twisting metal and a less-than-in-tact engine roared just next to a very irritated looking young man. Yet another of the city's hover cars, better known as Zoomers, had seen its last trip. The one who had been driving it had jumped off the thing before it crashed right into a very large, very sturdy building. Needless to say, the small vehicle wouldn't be taking its driver back home.
Not that Jak had a home. Not really. The home he knew was far, far away. Not by distance, actually. The old hut where he grew up was a stone's throw from Haven City's walls. Unfortunately, where he grew up, a place called Sandover Village was years in the past.
But home wasn't where he was headed. No, he'd gotten a call from the Governess. She wanted to talk to him about something, and for whatever reason, that hadn't settled well with the elf. His deep blue eyes were narrowed, his eyebrows drawn together into quite a practiced frown. His fists were balled up, and it looked like he was ready to shoot someone. Thankfully, the gun he carried was safely holstered.
On his shoulder, there clung a bright orange ball of fur. Said ball of fur looked equally as upset, though in a different way. Jak was fuming. Daxter seemed more... worried.
"No Dax. I said I wasn't going to calm down." Jak grumbled, slamming a fist against the door frame as he entered the palace and made his way to where Ashelin had asked to meet him. "I was trying to take care of things, and she goes and has a yakkow about it. And now she wants to have a chat."
The boy pouted, his frown deepening. "Dax..." He seemed to think for a moment before pausing and looking over at his friend, "I don't even remember what I did." He leaned against the wall, eyeing the door to where he knew Ashelin was waiting. "So what am I supposed to tell Miss High And Mighty Governess?"
Out of everything Jak had gone through, out of everything he'd done, seen, heard... There was very little he was afraid of. But Ashelin? She was another story all together.
|
|
|
Post by Kay Kay on Dec 24, 2008 3:37:53 GMT -5
Daxter had pretty much given up on yelling. He was relatively sure that Jak had stopped listening a long time ago anyway. So instead he held on for dear life to his usual perch on Jak's shoulder, pretending that he didn't notice the smoke drifting from the beaten zoomer's engine. Or rather he pretended until he felt the elf leap off the vehicle, which proceeded to slam into the building just feet ahead of them. Daxter stared at the hunk of burning metal for a moment, and then let out a very loud sigh of relief. He always hated that part!
As Jak walked, Daxter did his best to smooth his fur, which was mostly standing on end after his friend's less than spectacular landing. For a few moments he stood up straight, leaning against Jak's head as he smoothed out his tail. Once that was taken care of, he crouched down to complain about the all-too-often practice of wrecking zoomers. That was when he noticed the blonde's expression.
Jak was not happy. And that was not a good thing. "Hey buddy, gonna chill out there?" Daxter ventured, already well aware that it wouldn't do any good. Once something had set off Jak's temper, there was no stopping it. "I d'no if Sweet Stripes is gonna like it if you go in and bust up her nice clean palace, ya know?"
No. No? Okay, that's what Daxter had expected. He sighed, knowing this wasn't going to end well. He winced as Jak slammed his hand against the door, wondering which ended up with more damage. "Hey, hey, I don't see what the big deal is myself, either, ya know? A few months ago we could cause some big ol' explosions and it didn't bother nobody! Nobody on our side, anyway."
That didn't really seem to get much through either. Daxter hopped down to the floor as Jak stopped. "Ya know what I think?" He started, a devious little smile forming on his furry face. "I think we shouldn't have to answer to anything! Me an' you saved this city! Er, well, mostly you, but still! I think that should give us just a liiiittle leeway when it comes to dealing with the new head honchos. Right?" He shrugged and scurried back to Jak's shoulder. "And if she doesn't listen for that, I say we play dumb and blame somebody else."
|
|
|
Post by Ara on Dec 24, 2008 4:00:49 GMT -5
"She didn't seem to mind when I busted this place up when her FATHER," He spat the word out, "was the big guy around." His ears fell slightly when he knew Daxter was trying to calm him down. But this wasn't just something that would blow over. "Yeah, Dax, we blew a lot up. We took out a lot of metal heads, did a lot of stuff for Krew... But that was FOR something, wasn't it?"
Okay, SOME of it was for something. A lot of it was a good way to get out some pent-up rage. There wasn't much more satisfying than blowing up a Hellcat cruiser for the hell of it. It just so happened that Torn wanted that done to keep his men safe when they were part of the Underground. To Jak, it had been a lot simpler.
When Daxter jumped off his shoulder and flashed that smile Jak knew all too well, he raised an eyebrow at the Ottsel, an incredulous look crossing his face. "I can tell you're trying too hard, Dax, when you admit to me doing all the work. But you're right. We saved this city." He glanced towards the door, "And Ashelin knows it."
But then... There was that temper flaring up again. "So we shouldn't even have to be here in the first place." He rolled his eyes, "Playing dumb isn't going to get us off the hook Dax. I don't know if anything will. And if that little..." He took a deep breath, "If Veger has anything to say, I'll be paying for that with more than just a slap on the wrist."
Jak glowered at the door, squared his shoulders, and stomped forward, not bothering to knock. No, he raised a foot, kicked the double doors open, and strode right on in. "Alright, Ashelin. I'm here. You got me. Now let's get this over with so I can go back and cause all that unnecessary trouble that I'm so good at." He spread his arms out and raised his eyebrows, making quite a show of waiting for her answer.
|
|
|
Post by ChibiJaime on Dec 24, 2008 5:43:01 GMT -5
((Stupid inability to sleep. Wtf. I woke up thirsty and now I can't get comfortable again. D: ))
"The governor has stepped out for a moment but will return presently," a calm voice responded, never raising or growing sharp... not even in the slightest. There was the obvious stiffness in the voice, however. "I do hope you will not mind humoring a helpless old lady while you wait."
The voice belonged to a woman who was neither old nor helpless. It belonged to Lesca, a former commander in the Krimzon Guard, her posture as rigid and strict as it had been when she had commanded the same troops Torn and then Errol had overseen. She had no love at all for the blond-haired boy or his fuzzy companion, but she knew of Veger's designs. She didn't like the pair any more than he did. But his plans were moving pointlessly fast.
In cases like these, one needed to use care and finesse to smooth a situation.
"I am afraid my former charge has deemed it unfit to inform me why she has called you here today, or I would perhaps give you a prelude to whatever speech or scolding she has for you. Unfortunately, I am as in the dark as you, but..." Her lips turned in a tight smile which only served to make her look even more unpleasantly strict. Her long fingers curled around the handle of the cane injuries years old forced her to carry, shifting her weight carefully on damaged legs. "...I suppose I would be remiss if I did not at the very least welcome your return to the palace."
A thought, she noted to herself, that rankled her to bring up. If she'd had another way around this, she would've dealt with these two much... much sooner. Again, though... care and finesse. Something Veger may have lacked but that she carried in boundless abundance. They had not give her the nickname of Widowmaker because they thought it was cute...
|
|
|
Post by Ara on Dec 24, 2008 17:52:29 GMT -5
((oohohoho! Lesca! THROWIN' US FOR A LOOP I SEE!))
Jak's arms dropped to his sides, that angry look on his face degenerating into a pure scowl. He really didn't know much about her. He knew that she'd been close to the Baron. And anyone close to the Baron (save for maybe Ashelin - she'd not been able to help that) meant there were grounds for dislike. The Baron might have been dead, his reign finished... But that still didn't mean Jak was able to forgive him for what he'd done. Never.
He glowered and folded his arms, shifting his weight to rest on a hip so Daxter would be more comfortable with the movement. It wasn't hard to tell that Jak was bristling with anger, and on top of that, irritation. Locking gazes with those deep blue eyes of hers, he stepped forward towards her. "And I feel SO welcome. Believe me. It's like coming home to a warm fire and a good meal." His words couldn't have held more sarcasm. "If Ashelin's called me in, why the hell are you here?" At least he didn't see Veger. That little rat of a man. "Because I should just turn around right now and leave. Obviously she has other, more important things to take care of."
Huh, maybe he'd get out of the scolding after all...
Then again, probably not. From what he DID remember... People had died.
|
|
|
Post by Kay Kay on Dec 27, 2008 2:14:22 GMT -5
(( Sorry for the delay guys. D: ))
Daxter rolled his eyes and his fur bristled for a moment. "Hmph, Vegar..." His ears laid back flat. "Doesn't that windbag have anything better to do than sit around and...I d'no, be bald or something?! Sheez, he's tryin' to make a city sport outta pickin' on you n' me!" He huffed as Jak opened the door and nodded in agreement with him as he spoke in that typical angry tone...not that he was even fully listening to what Jak was saying.
It took him a minute too to realize the woman in the room was not Ashelin, and his fur quickly bristled again. Daxter hopped down from Jak's shoulder to stand a little behind his friend. This woman was, after all, pretty scary, even if she was just sitting in an office. At least his friend didn't seem bothered. He was, in fact, maybe even a little bit angrier. And as he finished speaking the ottsel seemed to catch on to the same idea. He jumped and spoke up.
"That's right Jak! If the person who wanted to see us can't even be bothered to stick around to actually see us, then we don't need to stick around! Am I right?" Taking his excited response maybe just a little too far, Daxter turned toward Lesca and stuck out his tongue while making sure to linger safely behind Jak.
|
|
|
Post by ChibiJaime on Dec 27, 2008 11:34:32 GMT -5
"Actually, the governor is gathering some of the information she required to speak with you and will call you into her office presently," Lesca responded, her tone and expression both quite calm. She steepled her fingers with a tight, thin smile that never reached her dark eyes, not looking away from Jak, letting her own gaze intensify if it was possible. "She is quite angry."
One long ear twitched faintly as she turned her attention to Daxter, her smile flickering ever so faintly. But the lack of change in expression was almost as frightening as if she had scowled full-force. "There is another matter she wishes to discuss with you as well, apparently... one that does not involve berating you both for your immature and violent actions of earlier today." Turning, she took a few steps toward a large set of doors nearby, clicking something on her wrist with her free hand.
"Well? Will the two of you be following or shall I tell the governor that you had no time to wait for her while she prepared a suitable "speech" for the two of you?" She glanced over her shoulder. The smile was gone, and in its place was something that seemed somewhere between bored and sharp. "I'm sure I can explain it to her, either way. After all, it isn't as if you've gotten yourself into trouble recently..."
|
|
|
Post by Ara on Dec 27, 2008 14:42:28 GMT -5
(s'okay! Haha Christmas and all that *waves a hand*))
Upon hearing Daxter's nod towards what Jak had said, the blond youth crossed his arms and looked rather satisfied with his reasoning. That is, until Lesca gave the reason Ashelin wasn't there. Needless to say, Jak's face fell, and for a brief moment, he looked nervous. But then, his anger got the best of him - it had a habit of that - and he glared into those dark eyes trained on him. Ashelin was angry? "Well, so am I." This meeting wasn't going to be pleasant.
Jak's ears fell back slightly, his mouth pulled into a tight, thin line. He did NOT like how the woman was talking to Daxter. Especially when the Ottsel was obviously less than brave when it came to speaking with her. Jak took a step forward and made it a point to be squarely between Lesca and Daxter. He wanted to tell her that what had happened was none of her damn business, but being the advisor to the governess... It was. Jak barely knew this woman, but it didn't take him long to realize he just didn't like her.
"With all the trouble that YOUR end caused... I think I still owe you a few more headaches," Jak said, resisting the urge to walk right up to her and shove her into the wall. Instead, he followed after her, taking a small comfort in the weight of Daxter on his shoulder. The furry little companion might not have been the bravest of creatures, but he was a friend... And always, ALWAYS stood by him. Without Dax, he just felt... Lost.
And when you were presented in front of the Governess of a city, feeling lost wasn't a good thing. Especially when one's temper made them liable to fly off the handle and cause some real problems.
|
|
|
Post by Kay Kay on Jan 13, 2009 2:35:50 GMT -5
Daxter crouched on all fours on Jak's shoulder and whispered into his ear, hoping they wouldn't be overheard. His bravado was holding up, sure, but the ottsel also just couldn't shake the feeling that Lesca was the sort of woman that ate ottsels for breakfast...raw.
"Ain't too late to make a break for it, buddy," He managed to sound more urgent than he perhaps intended. His fur was standing nearly on end though with the thought of what this undoubtedly coming all out shout fest could bring. But of course once he'd started on a rant Daxter could hardly be stopped. He stood upright as Lesca finished speaking, "Ya know lady, you dunno if those 'immature n' violent actions, as youuu call 'em weren't the result of karma!"
Daxter stopped his rant with enough time to hear Jak, whom he quickly nodded in agreement with, growing more and more excited. "Yeah, and I'm angry too! Boy are you official types lucky that me and Jak here are between lawyers right now or else...eh, er else there'd be a lot more yelling going on! Sheeeeez~ we save this crummy city and just end up in more trouble!"
Finally the ottsel crouched next to Jak's ear again after taking another glance at Lesca and peering into the next room. "...So whattya think? Can we still make a run for it?"
((Short, but it's DONE! Ahaha!))
|
|