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Yet another fic I haven't touched in months that is now being updated for no sane reason at all. Thanks go to the following linklies, who I'm sure have forgotten this story by now: doomofevil, Lunatic Pandora1, Shadowsister (yes, you're right. Lady Bug is my weakest OC), DarrrrrrrrkMistwess, Yakow a million times hehe, and the omnipresent anonymous!
This fic fits between Jak2 and Jak3 (like most of mine, actually). This chapter is an experiment in dialogue. Do you remember where it left off? Enjoy!
"Jakka-lu?"
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakka-lu."
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkaaaa-luuuuu."
"JAAAKKA-LU!"
"AAH!!"
"AAH!"
"AAH!!"
"AAH!"
"AAH!!"
"Can we have breakfast now?"
"AA- oh. Uh. Sure." Jak groaned and rubbed his ringing ears. It took a few seconds for him to remember why he was in the Oracle's cabin, and why he had been woken up by a series of painful pokes to the face accompanied by a diminutive version of his name.
"I already borrowed your communicator and ordered breakfast. And then I borrowed your pockets and paid the guy. Here ya go," she handed him a huge slice of bread. "It's a Water Slums specialty."
He grunted and wolfed it down. It was a lot better than he had expected.
"Guess what!" Lady Bug sprayed crumbs as she talked with her mouth full. "The Oracle gave me a dream! It only wanted to talk about you. Which is good, I guess, cuz I don't think you understood what I was telling you yesterday."
"Prolly not."
"Things make more sense now."
"That so?"
"Yeah, plus also, I know that you're planning to drag me to Onin's today, even though I don't want to go, and I will still throw a fit. But she's gonna say all sorts of weird stuff, and you're not gonna get it. So I better explain. Mmmhmm. Yep yep. Um, did you eat the crust?"
"Yeah."
"You're not supposed to eat the crust."
"Why not?"
"It's stupid. It doesn't taste good."
Jak groaned, hoping a headache wouldn't set in. "What do you have to explain to me?"
"Oh yeah. Okay. When the Precursor touched you, what did it say?"
"Something about a balance between light and dark."
Lady Bug nodded. "And when you turn into the monster, what does that do to the dark eco inside you?"
"It gets rid of it." Jak leaned back and stared at the statue. "It all empties out."
"And how do you know when you have enough to become the monster?"
"I can feel it. There's a… certain amount. Once it gets to that amount, I can change."
"Do you get it yet?"
Jak thought. "No."
Lady Bug sighed. "Hey… did you blow out those candles?"
"…no."
She squinted at him. "I don't believe you."
"Believe what you want, little girl. We're going to Onin's now." Jak jumped up.
"Nooooooo! No! I hate Pecker!" Lady Bug sprawled out on the floor, gripping the edges of the rug.
"Everyone hates Pecker. Stop that. We're going. Now."
LB
"-want to discuss my lack of vacation. What is with you, lady? I've been working in this tent for years and have yet to see one ounce of- oh Precursors. What is that smell? The smell, woman! I think, no, it couldn't be-"
"HIIIIIIIII!"
"AAH! Hell's demon child!" Pecker launched himself into the air.
"Didja hear that, Jak? He's so mean!"
Onin smiled and started signing.
"I am not translating for you, Jak!" Pecker shouted. Onin frowned. "Not unless that thing is out there!" He pointed to the tent flap with one wing.
Lady Bug bared her teeth. "But we had so much fun last time!"
"That's a lie from your mouth and you know it!"
Onin signed furiously, swatting at the air. Pecker hovered above her flailing arms.
"My offer is good for another thirty seconds."
"Argh," Jak turned. "Bug, can you please just go outside?" She rounded her eyes and tried to look extra cute.
"It's hideous! Make that ten seconds."
"He called me a demon child!" Lady Bug stomped one foot. "I'm not hideous, you stupid half monkey, half bird thing that doesn't know what to be!"
"Three seconds!"
"And you smell like wet yakkows!"
"Here," Jak dug a coin from his pocket. "Go buy some purple jelly or something."
"Purple jelly?" Lady Bug squinted at him. "You're weird, Jak." She snatched the coin. "You haven't heard the last of me, Pecker! Mwahaha! Whee!" She ran outside.
"Spoiled brat!" Pecker settled onto Onin's hat, rubbing his forehead. "Thank the Precursian monkey idols. I could feel my brain starting to implode."
"Yeah, yeah," Jak felt no sympathy, having just spent the better part of a day with her. "Lady Bug says-"
"Lady Bug?! You named that atrocity?"
"Uh…"
Onin huffed, spraying blue light everywhere.
"Okay, whatever. Evil goes by many names," Pecker squared his shoulders and cleared his throat. "Onin does the usual salutations and greeting crap. What do you want, Jak?"
"Lady Bug said that the Oracle is gone."
Onin's fingers whirred.
"Woah, woah. Slow it down just a little." Pecker watched the colored mist. "Onin says based on the Oracle's last known ethereal movements, she has divined a prediction of doom."
"For Haven?"
"No, stupid. For the whole planet. I said this was a prediction of doom! It has far reaching consequences!" Pecker rolled his eyes. "Onin says the Oracle is not truly gone. It is weak. It has withdrawn to gather its strength. It is preparing for something… evil."
"Great," said Jak. "Does this have anything to do with me?"
"Oh, of course, I forgot. Everything is about you." Pecker threw his wings into the air. "The Oracle is also about to divert a lot of its energy to you, Ungrateful One. Hence the reason for its retreat."
Jak narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"About the ungratefulness? Well! You didn't even thank me for doing all that research on those Precursor artifacts a few month-"
"No, not that," Jak said irritably. "The Oracle's energy."
"Hmmph."
Onin drew a deliberate shape, tracing it several times with her fingers.
"See this?" Pecker pointed to it. "This represents you. It is a circle with a curvy line going through the middle. I'd say it's too complex for you to handle, but I'm not the one with the thumbs here." He pointed to one half. It glowed purple. "This is your Dark side, and this," he pointed to the other half. "Will be your Light side. The Oracle is waiting and gathering power so that you can soon utilize your new capacity."
Jak folded his arms. "I'm not following."
"I'm not surprised!" Pecker huffed and sat back. "Some of the words I used were over four letters long. I'll explain it again. This is your Dark side, you know, the part that mutates into a horrible beast and rampages through the city causing unwonted destruction. This will be your Light side, which Onin is reluctant to explain further."
Jak stared at the symbol.
"Why did the Precursors give such unholy power to someone as dumb as you? What happened to the little voice in your head called Reason? Why am I stuck in this body? Got answers for those questions, lady?"
Onin waved him away. She redrew the symbol and pointed at the light half. It throbbed white.
"Stop showing him, he won't get it," said Pecker.
"Look, I didn't come for a lecture on Precursor mythology. What do I have to do to get the Oracle back?"
"You're not going to get it back, dummy! This isn't another quest!" Pecker clenched the ends of his wings into mock fists. "You aggravate me so much! Look at me! Am I molting? Is this stress molt?"
Onin sighed. She wiped the symbol from the air.
"Onin says there is nothing you can do but wait. The Oracle is not coming back. What matters is that you have yet to fulfill your true destiny. Patience and perseverance will give you the answers you seek. You know, all the good stuff for you while we're doomed."
"What am I gonna tell Lady Bug?" Jak glanced at the tent flap. "She lives with the Oracle. It takes care of her."
Pecker scoffed. "She belongs to the state now. Maybe they'll put her to good use. We need more urchins cleaning the streets. Have you seen those streets? They're filthy!"
Onin zapped Pecker and waved for Jak to leave.
Outside, Lady Bug sat in the dust, nibbling a gigantic cookie. Jak joined her.
"Want some?" She broke a piece off.
"No thanks." Jak folded his legs up to his chin. She shrugged and shoved it in her mouth. "What did you do to Pecker? He really doesn't like you."
"He made fun of me so I pet him backwards."
Jak blinked.
"It made his feathers go in different directions. He hates that."
Jak chuckled.
"Especially since it makes them all fall out." Lady Bug took another bite. "So… how do we get the Oracle back?"
"We can't."
"What?" She choked on her cookie and coughed. "What?!"
"Onin said the Oracle is waiting, gathering power for some upcoming doom. We have to wait, too."
"What?!" Slummers glanced at her as she sprang up. "We have to find the Oracle, Jakko! If we don't… what will happen to me?"
"I don't know."
"I do! C'mon, Jak," she grabbed his hand and tugged. "Pecker was just kidding. He hates me, you know. We gotta go. We gotta go find the Oracle."
Jak pulled her down gently. "There's nothing to find, Lady Bug," he said, looking into her big eyes. "We have to wait."
"No! Let go! We have to-"
"Shh!" Jak gripped her wrists. "Sit down!"
"Ow!"
"Hey!" called a slummer. She jogged over to them. "What are you doing to that little girl?" She narrowed her eyes at Jak.
"I'm-"
"He won't let go! We have to find the Oracle! The Oracle is missing!" Lady Bug started to cry.
"What?" the slummer whispered.
"It's fine," said Jak between grit teeth, avoiding the girl's swinging fists. "Pecker and Onin said we just have to wait-"
"The Oracle is missing?" The slummer didn't wait for affirmation. She turned and ran.
"Oh, great." Jak shook Lady Bug. "Shh! Be quiet! We'll figure out what to do, okay?"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!! I want Tessy!" Lady Bug stopped struggling. She leaned into his shoulder and cried.
"Uh… shh," Jak patted her back. "I'll take you to Tessy. Stop crying, okay?"
"If we don't find the Oracle they'll make me be a slave!"
"I won't let them do that," Jak picked her up and scanned the sky for a zoomer. "C'mon, I'll take you to Tessy. She'll know what to do."
Lady Bug sniffed and stuck her tongue out at the tent.
Please review! And don't forget about the ND email thing.
