CLEANED UP

Clean-up notes for this chapter: Wow, we fit all the content of a single chapter into another single chapter. YAY FOR THE ONE TO ONE RATIO!

Some changes to dialog, some changes to narrative, most main events left alone. MEOW!

I do not own Jak and Daxter. I am not making money off of this work of fiction. The characters Loor and Lyra are a product of my own imagination, and DO belong to me. Fury is respective to her own creator and owner. How many times and in how many ways do I have to say this? I hate just having the same disclaimer in every chapter... but I'm afraid someone will fry my ass if I forget to post it.

Vacation or War
Chapter Twelve-Night Walks With Friends

Loor had excused herself almost instantly once she delivered the news to the trouble twins, wanting to avoid human contact until she had a sure grip on her emotions. It wasn't like her to go to pieces like this... of course, she'd never seen a person die before. Much less one of her closest friends. She didn't have anyone to turn to, nor anyone to confide in that she trusted. She went back to the underground ahead of the boys, thinking she might just find a place to stand and space out for a bit outside.

She wished she was home. Back there she had her ultimate escape; climbing up on the roof. It was something she did often when she wanted to get away from others, more and more as she dipped into the emotional roller-coaster ride of puberty. Her parents didn't disturb her up there, though they also didn't approve of her going up there. They usually didn't know, since she used things laying around the yard to get up from a low point of the roof in the back yard.

Returning to the hideout, she noted the zoomer on the corner. She blinked at it, and then glanced to the building the hideout was practically built beneath. She didn't question the idea as it passed her mind, getting the zoomer and driving it over, switching into the high zone and making the jump from there, able to scramble up to the pitched roofing without doing much damage to herself aside from a little pain on her hands. Once up she was able to back off from the eve and lay back, ensuring she wouldn't be seen from the ground. Unless someone figured out her trick with the zoomer, no one would come to bother her.

She finally relaxed, allowing herself to think about exactly what happened.

Chelsea had been killed by metal heads. The thought passed as a simple fact, but the emotions that circled that fact pulled something else into focus; once Loor found her way home... Fury wouldn't be with her. She wanted to wonder how she was going to explain that, but such selfish thoughts were blotted out by something else.

You think you killed her.

Loor flinched as Lyra's voice came into her conscious world. She wanted to deny it, but didn't bother. The animal was right. I'm responsible... I brought us here... I didn't get us out of here fast enough... it's my fault.

She perceived the animal giggling at her, a sound that made her shudder. If it's your fault... you might as well have torn her apart yourself. You murdered her.

I... did not. She shook her head. Her death is on my shoulders, but not on my hands... I didn't personally do it... and our coming here was an accident.

Accident or not, you led her here. You let her go alone. She died while you were safe.

Trying to find a way home! She defended, screaming in her head. The floodgates had opened once more, tears falling down her face as she became more mentally involved. I didn't know it was going to happen! I didn't kill her!

Tears of fear and doubt, you don't even believe yourself.

I didn't-

MURDERER!

She suddenly sat up fast, bellowing as if she had just fought her way up from a tremendous weight, slamming her hands down on the roofing. "I DIDN'T KILL HER!" She proclaimed it both to herself and the monster in her head, coming to hug her shoulders, rocking and sobbing. "I didn't... I... it wasn't... it was all an accident... a terrible accident..."

Whatever helps you sleep at night... Loor.

The beast purred over the 'r', but left her be after that final sweet note. It was enough that she had installed such doubt in Loor's thoughts, making her question every event that had happened since the VC-M1 had somehow gotten them here.

Had she killed Chelsea? Was it enough of her fault to splash the blood on her hands?

Was she truly at fault for ending a life?


Loor had only come down from the roof once the body was already burning. She had watched from afar, as they got the original fire going in the dead end alley, seeing that the corpse was wrapped in a thing blanket and covered with something highly flammable. Even then the sight was something far too terrible for her to stomach, and she didn't dare climb back down to ground level till the body was no longer recognizable.

When she did come down, it was quietly. She was an exceptional climber with her affection for lofty perches, able to jump from a safe distance and adsorb most of the shock by bending her knees and putting her hands on the ground, also keeping her elbows soft. Distributing her weight, like so, had allowed her to jump from as high as twelve feet and avoid harm. There'd been accidents in learning the technique, but such accidents made doing it the right way second nature to her.

Once she was down on the ground, she turned to approach the funeral pyre, nudging her way through the guys, since Torn, Jak, and Daxter were all present, to stand close as she dared. The body was hardly a shadow in the flames, somewhat human shaped.

The one life Loor couldn't save.

She suddenly felt the gaze of the others. As the person who knew Chelsea, she imagined she was expected to say something. Sadly, she had nothing appropriate that she could say in front of the others, not without hinting their younger and softer existence. She ignored the sensation, the pressure, and focused on the body. If she had one last thing she could say to her dear friend, what would it be?

She sighed, sucking in a brave breath. "Good luck Chelsea... I donno if it's going to get better from here... but I promised. Sisters keep their promises... always."

She blinked, a globe of water breaking away from her lashes and sliding down her cheek. Behind her, Torn bent his head in respect. Jak, on the other hand, made the effort to approach Loor.

Now, all of the people who knew Lauren were aware that if she was in a state like this, emotionally unstable, as it were, they stay the hell away. She avoided human contact because she came to completely discard control in any sense of the word. Put simply, she was... prone to exploding.

And said exploding possibility happened when Jak walked up slowly, and said, all to innocently: "It's okay."

Lauren's eyes flashed. If the words she needed to hear had come out of anyone's mouth, she would have been surprised, but 'It's okay' was the last thing she needed to hear. She had spent her time on the roof thinking about how not okay it was. She growled, and turned quickly, putting all of her anger into one clenched fist, and bringing that fist across to Jak's face. Jak had moved slightly so she only clipped him, but it still stung. He stared at her as she stormed off, and she paused a moment to turn back at him, seething. "Jakkie boy, don't go telling me it's okay. Try telling her." With that, she took off running, turning the nearest corner to be alone again.

Jak stood, blinking in what seemed to be shocked. Apparently chicks didn't try to deck him often. Daxter, on the other hand, was quick to bring his buddy back to Earth. "Uh... Jakkie-boy? A girl just tried to punch you and you're not doing anything!"

He shook his head. "She's liable to get into a fight, wandering around alone with an attitude like that."

"Hey, if you hadn't dodged that wild swing your head would be on the other side of the alley, brother." Dax clearly felt her attitude wasn't going to get her in that much trouble, since it seemed she had some of the goods to back it up with.

"She shouldn't be by herself..." He sighed, giving a look to Dax. "You coming with?"

"And let her take a shot at me?" Daxter snorted, jumping down to excuse himself. "No-thank-you!"

Jak smirked at his friend. "Don't wait up for me." He said before following the path Loor had taken out of the dead-end alleyway. At first he figured it was going to be a bitch to find her, but she hadn't gone far. In the dimming twilight he could see she'd gone a few buildings over and hidden in a crevice made between two, where their walls were crumbling and pipes had been ripped out for whatever reason. She sat on the ground in this little hole, head hung and clinging to her knees.

He approached, a bit more carefully this time, gauging her reach and crouching down just outside it. "Hey."

Her head jumped as her body flinched back, having not seen or sensed him coming. Her eyes were hardly visible behind the curtain of black hair that fell over her brow, but what little he could detect said she was glaring. "What, dark boy?" She spat. "Didn't have enough?"

He frowned, not jumping at the insult. "You grazed me," He said before allowing a smirk, "but if that hit had actually connected you might have done some damage."

A low, feral growl came from her point in the shadows, sinking deeper into them as she attempted to squeeze her whole body into the small space. "What the hell do you want? Did Torn send you to drag me back? I don't care."

"No." He answered, wondering how long it would take before she cut herself on some damaged piping or otherwise in that little crevice. "It's not exactly safe in Haven city. A lot of weird people wander around at night."

She froze, and he sensed her looking at him again, though her eyes were hidden by the darkness. "Weird people like you?" She asked, her tone half joking.

He offered a chuckle, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, sure, people like me. Come out of there before you hurt yourself."

"What the fuck do you care what I do to myself?" She asked, what little humor she'd gained draining away in rebellion against an order.

"I don't." He answered bluntly. "But Torn can't afford to cut you any slack, and if Dax and I end up with you as a partner I'd rather not have to bring you back in a body bag cause you weren't at the top of your game."

She was surprised by how straightforward he was being, but finally came out and stood up, brushing her clothes off. "Whatever. I'm still walking around for a bit."

"You shouldn't be out here alone." He insisted.

She gave him a look before turning down the dirty street to walk. "I can take care of myself." She said haughtily, irritated he had come after her at all. She had always taken care of herself, to a fault she realized. Still, it felt wrong for her to back down for any reason, even strange surroundings or common sense. She wanted to be alone with her grief, and the rage and doubt that spawned from it.

She stopped when she heard him take a few steps after her, turning her head to look at him over her shoulder. There was a tense silence, and she finally sighed. "Fine." She started walking again, looking forward. "You think I shouldn't be alone? Come with me."

"Where are you going?" He asked while taking her up on the offer, trotting to catch up.

"No where. Where should I be going?" Her voice was dangerous; questions she found unnecessary were a great way to get her to explode again.

He simply shrugged, not feeding her rising passion. Such a passive move made her breathe a little, taking a big inhale and letting it out, feeling cleaner for it.

"Sorry... I just like to walk around aimlessly when I'm upset. Or go someplace up high... though usually I'm alone. It gives me time to think about stuff." She paused, wanting to say she had a lot to think about, but she tried to curb her chatterbox nature. When she wasn't sure what to do in a situation with another person, she would rattle on endlessly. It was her own strange nervous reaction, and she did her best to pin it down by biting her lip.

"You mentioned you're from someplace else... that doesn't have all this shit going on. I guess nothing like this has ever happened to you."

She nodded to agree, frowning. "I only know one person who's died, and I'd only seen her a few times before she was gone. Old age, so... it was time. But Fury..." She shook her head, feeling the lump again with the reminder of just how much had been destroyed. "She had so much she still wanted to do..."

Jak didn't say anything when he heard her voice choking up, backing off and just nodding sadly. The two walked in silence, and Loor forced her mind to other things as not to wallow in such painful emotions. To do so felt like having her skin ripped off and then bathing in hydrogen peroxide. Instead she turned her gaze skyward, seeking stars. She got them, but the display she witnessed dazzled her. At home she was used to silver stars that peppered the sky in beautiful mist, but the stars here were a glorious rainbow of color, gems of vivid red, blue, magenta, and gold strewn across a black velvet blanket. Such a tapestry had her in awe, forgetting herself to smile.

In this display was also the moon, which was the only thing that looked familiar. That made her smile grow, as the moon was yet another object she favored in study.

Jak seemed to notice her glee at the night sky, looking up as well. He didn't see anything new or special, but perhaps the cosmic painting brought her some solace and allowed her to disconnect.

"These are my friends..." She said absently, not particularly to him. "When I'm at my worst... my darkest days, the moon and stars have walked so many nights with me. Even when I can't see them, be it clouds or city lights... I know they're there. I breathe the night air, and I always find some right with the world." She giggled softly, letting herself come down from browsing the glitter. "Night walks with friends, hm?"

He looked at her, seeing the analogy she drew; she referred to Night as herself. He also found some issue in it. "It's a little difficult to resolve anything when your friends can't talk to you."

The smile left her, as did her comfort. "They are not there to resolve... they are there to distract. I do have some people I walk with from time to time, but most of the time they are the reasons I'm upset... usually because I can't help them. Or they won't let me."

"Little bit of a savior complex there?" He prodded.

"Like you're one to talk." She snorted, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. Of course she saw as he was taken slightly aback, realizing her slip of the tongue and quickly patching it up while keeping her tone and posture. "You chased me out here, didn't you?"

"Hey, if you handle thugs like you handle metal heads, you needed an escort." He shot back, holding his hands up in defense. "And what if Errol had decided to be wandering the streets tonight? You may have shot him, but you keep insisting that was a lucky break."

Errol's name evoked some very bad magic, making her snarl. "I would have ripped his head off with my bear hands... he deserves that, now more than ever."

"Easy..." Jak cautioned. He forgot just how touchy she was. "Just making an example, that's all."

Again, his anti-aggressive voice made her calm down. She looked at him, stepping down from her brisk and long strides. This whole time, she'd been making an effort to stay in front of him. Now, settling into an easier gait, she walked next to him. "Yeah... don't change how... mad doesn't seem to be the right word... fucking insane might be better... hate works too... ah whatever, forget the vernacular, I want the fucker dead. Him and Praxis... and anyone else involved with what happened to Fury and I."

"I know the feeling. Daxter and I are after Praxis; we just need to find a way to get close to him. If we can get up to the palace, I think I might be able to get a shot at him."

She nodded, tempted to suggest asking Vin about the support towers, but deciding against it. Spoilers were mean. "You two wouldn't mind me tagging along till I found a way home, would you? I'll help if I can... but I just want a chance to get a whack at him."

"I'm alright with it, and Daxter won't mind. He liked your sister better than he likes you, but I think you got filed as eye candy anyway. The top doesn't help."

She glanced down at the midriff she was wearing, crossing her arms over her chest and balking. "Well it's not my fault! This is what the lady had that would fit me on short notice..." She squeezed herself, looking down at her breasts. She hated them when they were Bs, and she was hating them even more now as Ds.

"I wasn't complaining." He snickered. "Just sayin'."

She grumbled something, turning her gaze back to the stars to banish her annoyance. He didn't follow her gaze up, but instead remembered her earlier comment.

"Why do you insist on being alone?" He asked.

"It..." She sighed. "It's just the way I work. I've never done well with people... and Fury... well she was really more of a patient than a friend. I was trying to help her be herself, more self confident. She'd been doing really well this past day... she must have gotten a major reality check in the fortress. I always see myself alone... I don't let people get close. Bad things happen."

He sensed a story in that. "Bad things like what?"

She stopped walking, looking at him before smirking softly. "That's my business. But let me just say I may have saved Chelsea from herself a few times... but I still owe her for the one time she saved me."


Jak and Loor arrived back at the underground hideout somewhere around midnight. Loor collapsed on her bed almost at once, laying face down in her pillow for several moments before rolling over and putting the work into taking her boots off. Once through with that she shed the rest of her things, stuffing all but her pants under the bed and flattening to her bed. Despite how full her head was, she was dead tired and ready to crash. The wheels in her head wanted to be spinning, but there wasn't any fuel left for the process.

Not with all the tears gunking up the gears. Maybe that's why people slept well when they'd been crying.

Her ears noted Jak removing his own effects in preparation for bed, but she then sat up quickly while realizing something; Torn and Dax were missing. That was a strange combination of people to be gone, and she imagined such things ending with a skun ottsel. Jak seemed to notice the absence as well, but shrugged it off.

She laid back again. If he wasn't worried, she wasn't either. She let her brain go for the evening, turned into her pillow, and began to drift off as she felt the bunks shake, Jak climbing up to his bed.

She then heard the door open. She clung to consciousness for a few more moments out of curiosity, though she made it look as if she were already gone. Eyes closed and body lax, she only clung on to the living world in order to listen.

She heard Daxter's odd bipedal steps on feet that were meant for a quadruped creature, and heavy steps that had to be Torn. She felt Jak's weight shift and heard him grunting slightly. There was a moment of silence, and then Daxter had to go and break it. "Is she uh… safe?" The ottsel asked shiftily, as if Lauren had hit him instead of Jak.

Jak moved again and Lauren fought to keep the look of someone deep at rest on her face. "She looks asleep right now. Torn, what is that stuff?"

A pause.

"It's Chelsea's stuff. One of her guns is jammed, and the other is out of ammo. I sent the cloths back to Teek."

Lauren went stiff.

"What is her scarf wrapped around?" Jak's voice inquired.

There was a sound of the silky marital shifting about something, and Daxter sighed.

"It's her ashes." The ottsel stated, sounding sad for the first time that Lauren remembered.

Loor heard the thud of what had to be Torn setting the ashes next to her bed, and the two smaller thuds of the guns getting placed next to it. Tears threatened to break through her facade of sleep, but she didn't allow them to fruit. Instead she listened as Torn settled into bed himself, and Daxter scampered up to his bunk. There was quiet in the underground.

And then Daxter's voice came again.

"Hey... Jak, you awake?"

There was a pause before Jak responded. "Yeah... I'm here."

"Strange stuff going on, buddy."

"Strange things have been happening since Sandover Dax."

"You know what I mean. That feeling. It was just wrong... and I'm sure it's gotta do with her."

There was a pause as Loor felt the fuel of adrenaline rejuvenating the gears in her head. She knew what feeling they were talking about; the tension that had been in the air when they visited with the oracle. The fact that it centered on her made her afraid... was there some force, perhaps the precursors themselves, that knew she didn't belong?

Was that the real reason Chelsea died? To remove someone who didn't belong?

"I don't know Dax." Jak finally said. "I don't know why... but she felt it too, and she was just as confused as we were. I don't think she's dangerous; she's just like us."

"Just like you. And I call BS on not dangerous. You saw what she changed into. Kinda like you... but... y'know, hot, in a really scary way."

There was another pause, and Loor got the feeling that Jak was either face-palming or feeling the need to do so. "Dax... never change."

"Will do, partner!"


The Author's Corner

WOO! Another chapter in the bag! I'm happy with the way this one came out.

Not much else to say... um...

ONWARD!

-Loor