Author's Note: Hello all my precious readers, & welcome to the fifty-third chapter of this here story! Now, I bet you are all wondering why this chapter is posted so early in the month... the simple answer is this; I have a week long trip coming up this month (the 17th through the 25th). Yes, I understand it shouldn't have affected the posting schedule for this chapter, BUT it would affect the scheduled release of chapter 54, which would have to come out on the 26th, which is the day after I get back from my week-long trip.
Stuff I own: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, & plot idea... Stuff I don't own: All Jak and Daxter & Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, & the music used in any & all chapters they appear in.
Jak's POV
The loud beeping of my communicator's alarm wakes me with a start, my eyes snapping open as I feel a form shift next to me. Sitting up onto an elbow & looking around, I see two empty, darkly stained wine glasses & one single empty bowl, glancing down to see Meldalvyna shifting her position a little before remembering that I had spent the night in the living room with her. Searching with my eyes for the agitating comm. unit, I turn over & away from Meldalvyna's warmth & finally spot the thing. Picking the little device up, I shut it's alarm off before setting it back down where I got it from. Turning back to Meldalvyna, I give her shoulder a slight shake, her eyes opening sleepily, a smile gracing her lips when she realizes it's me who is waking her. Sitting up, Meldalvyna gives me a light, good morning kiss before stretching her arms above her head & her wings out behind her.
"So, are we ready to start the day at work yet?" I ask with a smirk while Meldalvyna supresses a yawn, rolling her shoulders back. Meldalvyna's eyes move to glare at me, a sudden frown replacing the pleasant smile that had been there just a second ago. Laughing, I take the look as a 'no' before sitting up the rest of the way myself. Before I can sit all the way back up, Meldalvyna's hand reaches out & stops me, looking at me with a small smirk on her face, her pupils round, but starting to become slits.
"Just a few more minutes," Meldalvyna whispers as she pushes me back down before lying down next to me & lying on her side & snuggling up against me. Again I try to sit up, only to be held in place by Meldalvyna. Lying there in defeat for a second, I try to think of a way to convince Meldalvyna to get up. After about a minute or two, I finally remember something Meldalvyna had said she wanted done the day before.
"Hey Mel, what about sending your communicator to Vin's so he can change the language to Draconian?" I ask her, nearly getting shoved off the side of the makeshift bed as Meldalvyna launches herself from the bed of cushions. Before she can run up the stairs, Meldalvyna comes to a sudden, harsh halt, whipping around with an expression of eager & zealous confusion on her face.
"What are you waiting for?" Meldalvyna asks in a rush before darting up the stairs, the sound of her feet thumping up the staircase until it suddenly stops, accentuated by her bedroom door slamming shut. With a chuckle & a shake of my head, I stand from our bed of cushions & walk up the stairwell & into my room. Just as I close the bedroom door, I feel my Eco alters wake up.
"So, you spent the night in the same bed as your sweetheart... knowingly this time," Dark says, a lecherous smirk evident in his voice. With a scowl, I ignore his concupiscent snickering & start to get out of my tank top & shorts & into my uniform & suit of armor.
"Dark, if you are going to tease Jak, at least wait until he's a bit more awake," Light scorns, a small smirk in his voice as well. Now deciding to not only ignore Dark, but Light as well, I finish getting into my work clothes & walk out of my room & back downstairs. Looking around the corner & into the kitchen, I don't see Meldalvyna at the kitchen table. Walking out of the stairway & into the kitchen I look around the corner where the stove is & see Meldalvyna at work- already dressed in her Freedom League Uniform & armor, missing only her hood- a pan on the stovetop, the smell of sizzling sausage just now hitting my nose. After a second or two, Meldalvyna finally notices my presence & smiles at me before going back to watching the sausages cook.
"Hey Mel, you go sit down. You cooked a delicious dinner for the both of us last night AND cleaned up afterwards, so now it's my turn," I say as I approach her & gently push her away from the stove, a soft, insistant grin on my face.
"I've got it, it's fi-"
"No, go sit down & rest. I've got this under control," I interrupt, pushing her softly out of the cooking area with one hand, the other already flipping one of the sausage patties, "do you want eggs with this?"
"Ugh, fine... and no thanks," Meldalvyna says with a sigh before walking off out of the kitchen. Shaking my head with an amused smile, I turn my attention back to the stove top, I flip over the second sausage patty before setting down the spatula & finding two plates & two slightly powdery pairs of breakfast buns. Splitting the breakfast buns, I set each pair in the small toaster oven face down & turn it to a light toasting setting. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turn my head to see Meldalvyna watching me with a barely visible grin on her face, her hair now brushed out & wavy from being in a damp braid all night, I softly smiling back at her.
Returning my attention to the pan of cooking sausages, I hear Meldalvyna's footsteps come closer & feel her hands rest on my shoulders, her chest to my back, her face coming into view in my peripheral. Feeling a coy smirk come to my face, I supress the urge to ask her what she's doing. Suddenly, I feel her tail wrap its way around my leg as her hands retreat from my shoulders, only for Meldalvyna to wrap her arms around my chest from underneath my arms. An involuntary shiver runs up my back at this new level of closeness, her face burrying into my hair on the back of my head, all of the images that both Dark & Light had tried to force me to see yesterday in the shower resurfacing in my mind as I try to force them all back out again. Trying to ignore the sudden feeling of anxiety, I take the sausage pan off the burner & set it on the cold one next to it, flipping the sausages again so they don't burn.
"What's wrong Jak, feelin' a little nervous," Meldalvyna asks in a low whisper, her breath ghosting across the back of my neck, followed by a dark chuckle before growling in my ear, "that's perfect."
Suddenly, the toaster oven dings, signifying that the two breakfast buns are finished toasting. Supressing the great urge to sigh in relief, I attempt to break Meldalvyna's hold & take the toasted breakfast buns from the now off toaster oven only to find myself completely held in place.
"Mel, breakfast's ready... I just need to put it together for us, & after we eat we need to leave," I say, trying to keep the tension out of my voice, not wanting her to know that she's making me nervous. Meldalvyna exhales in disappointment, immediately releasing her grip on me, her arms unwinding themselves from my chest & her tail leaving my leg, her footsteps leaving my side & going away a small distance, the sound of a chair sliding out & creaking hitting my ears a second later. Taking the breakfast buns out of the toaster oven, I set each pair down on a plate, picking back up the spatula & using it to put the still hot sausage patties on the buns before dropping the utensil in the sink. Turning back to the still unfinished meal, I set the top buns on each breakfast sandwich & walk with both plates in hand to the kitchen table. Setting one down infront of Meldalvyna, I set one infront of my seat before joining her at the table. We eat in silence, I watching Meldalvyna with slight worry, fearing that I had upset her by calling off her- what I'm going to assume- teasing.
"Okay, so the plan is I leave my parents's comm. units here with a note telling them which one is theirs & that I'll teach them how to use it once I get home. After that, we head to work, I send my communicator off to Vin via Torn, & we have a normal day of work before coming back here," Meldalvyna says while standing from her seat, a small smile on her face as she walks away from the table & puts her plate in the sink, I finishing my breakfast just seconds after her & following her, making sure I wash the dishes instead of her.
"Okay. You just do what you need to, I'll be done in a minute or two with these, then I'll go brush my teeth & hair," I say as I wash the plates free of crumbs & grease. Meldalvyna hums in agreement before walking off, I listening to her footsteps turn down the hall & fade out of my range of audibility. Just seconds before Meldalvyna exits the bathroom I finish washing the pan & spatula used to cook the sausages, putting the pan in the drying rack behind the plates & the spatula in a small cup attatched to the side of the rack. Drying my hands on a washcloth, I walk down the hall, making sure to smile at Meldalvyna as I pass her on my way to the bathroom.
"I think you may have messed up our chances with Meldalvyna today, Jak... no signs of affection today for you," Light says sounding almost upset, yet also like he was mocking me.
"Hey, that also means none for either of you!" I retort angrily in my head as I begin to brush my teeth. If anyone had been in the bathroom with me, they would've been able to tell my alters had annoyed me, my scrubbing intensifying irately.
"True, but since YOU made her stop- & we did nothing- SHE will want nothing from YOU today," Dark says with a taunting snarl in his voice, making a very obvious point that I hadn't really considered. Deciding right there to ignore any further degrading comments from my Eco alters, I finish brushing my teeth & hair. Walking out of the bathroom with fresh breath & neatened hair, I go out of the end of the hall & look into the kitchen, noticing the two Cynder & Spyro-sized communicators with a note underneath each. Not seeing Meldalvyna anywhere in plain sight, I turn my attention to the living room, spotting her on her couch.
"You ready to go Jak?" Meldalvyna asks with a pleasant smile once she notices my presence, standing with her helmet underneath one arm, her other arm holding my helmet out towards me as I myself nod in agreement. Walking towards Meldalvyna with a smile on my face, I take my helmet from her & wrap my opposite hand around hers & walk with her outside & into the frigid winter morning air.
"Mel... did I upset you this morning?" I ask after a second, both of us deciding to use the Jet-Board like we did the day before, my conscience- as well as what Dark & Light said- getting to me.
"No, not at all... I was seeing how far you'd let me go, but I wasn't thinking about work at all really when I was messing with you," Meldalvyna answers with a reassuring smirk, playfully bumping me with one of her wings.
"Why didn't you say anything at breakfast then?" I ask as I pull my Jet Board out of my single-strapped rucksack, looking at her with a bit of concern & a raised eyebrow. Meldalvyna's eyes widen for a second in suprise before the expresion fades to one of slight disappointment.
"I realized how I was acting, & what my intentions implied... then I thought of what would happen if I was caught teasing you like that, & what my parents would have done. I kind of dwelled on the fact they could kick you out & bring me back to Warfang," Meldalvyna answers, the look of disgust & sadness on her face, her eyes downcast. Activating my Jet Board & tossing it on the ground, I stop the device with my foot before wrapping Meldalvyna in my arms, hugging her close to me.
"How 'bout we go to work & get those thoughts out of your mind. Hey, maybe I can get Torn to let US deliver your comm. unit to Vin instead of him sending it," I suggest softly with a comforting smile, the look of building sadness on Meldalvyna's face pulling at my heart. Luckily, Meldalvyna's face lights up as she nods eagerly, a bright smile on her face while I kneel down infront of her, she climbing on my back & wrapping her arms, legs, & tail around me. Stepping onto my Jet Board, I shift her weight on my back before zipping off down the trail towards our rendezvous with Carl & Luke.
Meldalvyna's POV
Rushing inside the Freedom League Head Quarters, Jak & I pause just inside the building to catch our breaths momentarily before continuing on to where we clock in, I pulling down my hood, everyone in the Freedom League now familiar with my face. Walking with Jak first to where we clock in & out, I follow him then to Torn's office, ignoring the sudden craving for coffee. Knocking on the door, we wait only a second before the Cheif of Arms calls us into his office, pulling open the entry & going inside.
"You two... are you here to give me your communicator?" Torn asks, turning his attention from the both of us to just me, the tall pile of paper on his desk threatening to tip over any second catching my eye.
"Actually, I was hoping we could deliver the comm. unit ourselves, & I could introduce Meldalvyna to Vin as well, then return to start our patrol," Jak answers for me, eyeing me with curiosity as I continue to distractedly & unintentionaly stare down the stack of papers, worried about the possibility of them all falling to the floor.
"Well, if our mission with getting the public to accept the Dragons goes smoothly, we'd need to contact him anyhow... You have until one o'clock to start patrolling, knowing Vin he'll ask you so many questions you'll want to repeatedly smash your head on a wall," Torn says after considerring Jak's answer for a second, dismissing us with a distracted wave of his hand in the direction of the door, nearly swatting the pile of paper down on accident.
"Okay, thank you sir... Is there anything particular about Vin that I should know about?" I ask, tearing my attention away from the dangerously balanced stack of paper to look at Torn with an expression of curiosity & desire for prior knowledge.
"First off, he's a computer that powers the city. Second, he's a bit jumpy from the war with Baron Praxis, Metalheads, & Dark Makers, so be slow & make sure to make no sudden movements," Torn answers with a rough chuckle towards the end, comparing Vin to a frightened crocadog. Jak laughs quietly beside me, obviously agreeing with Torn's dry humor.
"Thank you Torn, see you around," I say as I lead Jak out of the office, wanting to leave before the pile of paper can topple over & ruin Torn's day with having to make sense of a massive mess just waiting to happen. Torn nods his goodbye before returning to his work, I closing the door just as the stack of paper begins to tip over. A loud, angry & suprised yell echoes out of his office just a second later, I already shoving Jak down the hall towards the entrance to the building. Jak looks back towards the office with suprise before looking at me, a concerned eyebrow raised.
"Huge pile of paper fell, I saw it just start to fall as we left," I explain quickly as I continue to push Jak down the hall. Jak laughs as he picks up the pace, I no longer having to shove him as I join him at his side. About fifteen minutes later, we land our covered Hellcat Cruiser at our destination, Jak being the first to jump out after the vehicle shuts off, walking around to my side of the zoomer in order to help me out.
Making sure my hood is still effectively hiding my face, I accept Jak's help, hopping the small distance from the Hellcat Cruiser to the metal ground. Looking up from my landing spot, I take a quick glance around, Jak pulling me gently along as I commit the image of the place to memory. Jak stops just infront of the door before punching in a quick code in a small number pad just to the left of the door, the door sliding open a second later. Jak looks back at me with an encouraging smile on his face before pulling me into the building after him. Looking around, I stare in wonder as the huge computer continues on its job, jumping a little as a large blue hologram of the head of an older-appearing man with glasses strapped around the bases of his ears & some form of strange hat that's so tight it compresses his hair to his head suddenly appears out of nowhere.
"Hey Vin, it's been a while, how are you?" Jak greets, smiling up at the large floating hologram head, making it clear that Vin was infact a computer program, & not an actual computer like Torn had told me.
"Fine, I guess- a little lonely being the only person that takes care of these computers all day- but fine... Who's that?" Vin asks Jak with a nervous sounding voice, his hologram swiveling to look at me, the eyeless- yet oddly still very lively human- face giving me, what I will assume is, a curious & cautious look.
"Huh, maybe I should go get some of our tech people from the Freedom League over here to help you out at least a little... anyway, this is Meldalvyna. You'd probably be more familiar with her though if you've seen the recent news concerning me lately," Jak answers, placing a hand on my shoulder & giving it a light squeeze, breaking his concentration on Vin to look at me with a soft smile. Vin looks at Jak in thought for a second, his hologram head bobbing in what I can only guess is a nod.
"Oh hello... WAIT, you mean she's the winged lady on the news lately?!" Vin stutters out in suprise & sudden realization, turning his attention straight to me, his entire virtual expression pulled back in suprise & what I swear is a little fearful awe. Slowly, I answer for Jak with a small series of nods, remaining silent, deciding to only speak when spoken to, realizing that it'd be best if I followed my plan of silence.
"O-oh. Meldalvyna, was it? Do... Do you mind taking down your hood, & showing me your wings? If you don't mind," Vin asks, his voice shakey & nervous with a small hint of excitement mixed in.
"Are you sure? I heard you can be a bit... jumpy," I say softly, not wanting to suprise the hologram head, sincerity in my voice. Vin's head nods slowly up & down twice, an expectant look on his face.
"I'll be okay... can't have a heart attack any more, now that I'm in this thing" Vin smiles shakily, I now realizing he wasn't afraid at all, his nervousness just in his nature & affecting his speach. The statement makes me raise an eyebrow, but I leave my question as to why he'd have to worry about a heart attack only to my mind to ponder, not wanting to make his day any harder than it already is.
"Okay, I'll take down my hood... Jak, could you help me with the coat once my hood is down?" I ask, turning to Jak with hope of help in my voice, knowing that I always make a fool of myself when I go to take the false coat off my wings by myself. Jak nods with a smile on his face, answering my question with a silent signal. Turning back to Vin, I reach up & pull my hood away from my face to my shoulders slowly, gradually revealing my Draconian facial feature to the computer.
"Oh my... Wha-what are you, if you- if you don't mind me asking?" Vin shakes out as Jak moves behind me, pulling at the buttons that secure the false coat to the collar & extra-wide sleeves. Vin's holographic head pulls back a little in shock as the wing-covers are finally removed & he catches sight of not only my wings, but my tail as well.
"Well, the proper term is a Dracon- but Dragon is just fine- but I am actually a hybrid between Dracon & Human. My mother is a Draca, or Dragoness as you'd probably say, & my father was human," I say, suddenly feeling comfortable in the hologram's interested & curious gaze, realizing that seeing his head's hologram would be no different than seeing a magic projection of the New Age Chronicler Ignitus in an Elemental gem.
"A HYBRID?! How is that even possible, our genetic codes should be so different we shouldn't even be able to make a hybrid between our species, but you're here! Did you know your father? How old are you? Do you mind if I take a blood sample?!" Vin stutters out excitedly, the holographic head zooming to within just a few feet of me, making me jump backwards into Jak in suprise.
"She never knew her father, he died before she was born. She's 19 & turning 20 this month. What do you want a blood sample for?" Jak says, answering every question for me except the last, coming up with a question to combat Vin's last question, the scent of defense rising thickly from Jak as he stares down the blue projection floating in the air infront of me.
"Jak, calm down, it's okay... but, he's right, what do you want my blood for?" I ask, turning from comforting & calming Jak to asking the same exact question, though not nearly as offended by the small request as Jak had been.
"Well, a multitude of things can be found from your blood sample. For example, I can figure out how much of you is human; tell you if you can have children, many hybrids cannot have children due to the genetic codes of their parents being so far apart; possibly tell you who your father was, that sort of thing," Vin answers shakily with a triumphant smile on his face, happy to divulge any information onto me in order to convince me into giving up a little of my blood. Thinking through the possibilities for a second, I glance at Jak, who is hostily staring down his boots, a small patch of red on the cheek I can see, the tell-tale look on his face that suggests he's conversing with his Eco alters in his head.
"I wonder what they're talking about in there," I think to myself, resisting the urge to raise an eyebrow & ask Jak Dark & Light were telling him at the moment. Looking back at Vin, I finally come to a decision.
"I guess I could wouldn't mind losing a little bit of blood if it means I have the chance to figure out THAT much about myself & a chance at knowing who my father was," I say, answering Vin's earlier request to sample my blood, Jak's head snapping up to look at me with an expression of suprise, only visible to me through my peripheral.
"O-okay! Here, have a seat... don't worry, this won't hurt all that much, it'll feel like a hard pinch for only a second when the needle goes in & when it comes back out, & it won't take very long to get the amount I need," Vin says with a smile on his face & in his voice as a platform comes from somewhere above me & stops just next to me. Taking a seat on the metal platform, a small device comes from somewhere above me as well. A strange object with a long, thin spike on it spins out of the device, which is what I assume is the needle. Infront of me, I see Jak suddenly pale a little while looking at the needle before turning his gaze away from it, the scent of anxiety coming off him in waves.
"Jak, what's wrong?" I ask, concerned at this new, sudden attitude, Jak's eyes turning towards me in a frightful expression, his mouth set in a disgusted grimace, looking like he was ready to turn & leave or vomit any second.
"It's the needle. I... I don't do to well with needles," Jak answers before turning his gaze away from me, his ears twitching in a way that make it look like the appendages were trying with no avail to flatten themselves against his head.
"He's afraid of needles? Must be from his time in prison getting Dark Eco put in him, the experience scarred him for life. No wonder he was so defensive when Vin asked to take a blood sample," I think to myself, at first curious, then feeling sorry for him. Standing, I walk up to an unsuspecting Jak & hug him from behind while wrapping my tail around one of his legs, rubbing his chest with a hand, trying to calm him down. Jak turns to me, the nervous expression still on his face before smiling softly at me, his scent calming & his breathing slowing to a safer pace.
"I'll be okay, you'll be okay... I get why you don't like them, but this needle aren't those needles, & this needle won't hurt me all that much, like Vin said," I whipser with a soft smile before giving Jak a light kiss on the cheek that I hope Vin can't see, walking away a second later back to the metal platform & taking a seat. To my suprise, Jak follows me to my seat, sitting on the side opposite the needle, wrapping his hand around mine, eyeing the thing with a cautious glare.
"Whe-when you're ready, expose your inner elbow to me so I can prepare the injection point with a steralizer... to keep you from getting sick," Vin stutters in a soft tone, not wanting me to get nervous at the sight of the needle as well, seeing how Jak had reacted to the thing. Nodding, I pull my sleeve up to my shoulder for good measure, following Vin's orders exactly. A small puff of white, wet cotton appears out of a hole on the device bearing the needle & rubs a small spot on the inside of my elbow. Jak's hand tenses around mine as the needle suddenly comes within a few inches of my arm, fear beginning to come in small waves from him, I squeezing his hand in return to try to calm him down.
"Okay, I'm going to count to three, & when I reach three, I want you to cough," Vin says before starting to count slowly, "one... two... three."
I cough hard, feeling the needle go into my arm between the soft scales of my inner elbow, the sensation just a little bit different than what Vin had said, but not as painful as I'd imagined it to be. Minutes later, Vin counts to three again & I cough again, the needle coming out a little more painful than it had been coming in. After that, Vin applies a bandage over the small bleeding area on my inner elbow & tells us to come back in a few hours for the results while setting my communicator to my native written language. Surely enough, a few hours later while Jak & I are on patrol, I get a call from Vin & answer it.
"Meldalvyna, you won't believe what I found! It turns out, your father had a daughter, meaning you have a human half sister!"
Author's Note: Dun dun duuuunnnn! So, I guess you all are going to have to wait until next chapter to see who this mystery half-sister is, & I hope you all liked how I introduced Vin... I think I could have done a bit better, but it IS kinda hard to wright for a character like Vin when he's no longer human, or alive, & is only in 2 games of the entire series. Also, I appologize for the relatively boring first half of this chapter... it's hard to write an entertaining filler for half a chapter, ya know? At least I made Mel be a little mischevious in Jak's half of the chapter... Also, please tell me what you think of my making Jak afraid of needles! Do you think he'd be afraid after all the s#!t he went through with the things? I also appologize to anyone who is indeed afraid of needles, as I am as well... believe me, it made me a bit jittery when describing the needle myself. Anyhow, again, tell me what you think of Jak's fear of needles, & see you in chapter 54 of this story, tigerdj98 signing off!
