Back in the Hip Hog
I finally reached the bar. The doors opened and I stepped in hoping to see somebody. But no, nobody was there. Where had everybody gone? 'Probably everyone's mourning for me by now' I thought as I looked around the empty place. "Now what?" I asked myself. I sat in one of the seats rather than in the bar stools. I crossed my feet and rest them on the table. I crossed my arms behind my head and rested for a while. What a comfortable position it was. I never had time to rest like that ever since Krew began working on that secret project of his. I still didn't know what the project was, but Jak killed Krew and messed it up. So I didn't have to worry about anything. I would just wait for someone to arrive and fill me in on what Jak and the golden boy were up to. I cracked my knuckles before getting up form that comfortable position to get a drink. I went to the bar and served myself a root beer. Then I went back to the table I was sitting on to drink it. While I drank the root beer, I wondered what the cherries were doing. Probably they were shooting some Krimzon Guards or killing a couple of Metal Heads. Whatever it was that they were doing, it was going to be spread all around the city; until it eventually reached me. I bet that Tess would be the one to come through the doors and tell me, but I was wrong. In fifteen minutes or so, Brutter came in with an important message.
I got up from my seat and greeted the Lurker. "What's cooking Brutter?" I asked him. "Is Jak and Daxter around?" he asked me. "No, why?" I told him. "Because Brutter need to tell them message" he replied. "Tell me" I pleaded him. "Brutter's air balloon that Brutter lent Samos and the others arriving in the Metal Headers' nest" he informed. "Also," he continued, "Samos told Brutter that if Jak and Daxter not in bar; they probably are in nest already." I looked at the Lurker's face for a moment. I tried to analyze what he said in his confusing way of talking. When I finally put the pieces together, I told him "Then they probably are in the nest like Samos told you." "Yes, most likely" Brutter agreed. After that, Brutter turned around to leave. "Hey Brutter!" I called for him before he left. "Yes?" he asked as he turned around. "Come have a couple of drinks with me" I invited him. "Ok" the Lurker said. He got a lot of empty glasses with ice and four bottles of root beer. He put them on a tray and lay the tray on the table we sat on. We began drinking while discussing some things about the cherries. "So what's on the air balloon?" I asked Brutter. "Time machine to take Jak and friends back is on balloon" he told me. "And what do you suppose Jak is doing in the nest?" I curiously asked. "Probably fighting Metal Header leader" the shaky Lurker guessed. "So you're saying that they're going to kill the leader and then go back to their time?" I asked for a confirmation. Brutter nodded in reply as he drank his root beer. "And what about the kid? He's been missing for some time now" I continued the interrogation. "Old man with long beard said Baron Praxis have kid" Brutter explained. "Who's 'old man with long beard'?" I asked, not knowing who the Lurker was referring to. "Brutter can't remember old man's name" he said, looking disappointed at not being able to answer that question. "Don't worry Brutter, you don't have to feel bad" I assured him.
"Ok then" Brutter said as he changed the sad look on his face to big smile. We continued to drink our root beers in silence until I asked another question. "So when are Jak and chili pepper going to save the kid?" I asked. "Maybe after they finish killing Metal Header leader" Brutter responded. "Oh" I said. Silence surrounded the place again. We finished the bottles of root beer without talking anymore. Then I picked it up and put all the glasses and bottles on the tray. I took the tray to the kitchen behind a door next to the entrance to the bar. I entered the kitchen and left the tray on the pantry. Then I took a crate with different types of alcoholic drinks inside to the table where I was sitting with Brutter. "What is box for?" Brutter asked curiously. "It's for your mini-bar at the Bazaar" I answered him. "For free?" he urged. "Yep" I told him. "Thank you Sig!!!" Brutter thanked excitedly. He got up and hugged me tightly. "Courtesy of the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon" I assured him. He hugged me again and carried the crate. He waved goodbye and left the bar. Nice old Brutter, he was so kind. He was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. But he especially cared most for his 'Lurker brothers' as he called them.
The rest of the day passed as I stayed in the bar relaxing. Some people entered and exited, but they were just customers I didn't know. I had to attend the customers since nobody else was there. Luckily, there weren't much customers at a time. At lunch time, I ate a cheeseburger that I made myself in the kitchen. I only ate half of it before remembering the Metal Head flesh though. Finally, when it was nighttime; a customer had just left and I was exhausted. I was in the kitchen washing the dishes when I heard the doors open and someone step inside. I went out of the kitchen to see who it was. It was Torn. "Sig, I thought you were dead" he said in his regular cocky voice. "Well, I'm not" I replied. "I just came by to see if anyone of Jak's friends were around to let them know something" he informed. "Well I'm one of Jak's friends, so spill the beans" I ordered the ex-Krimzon Guard. "Jak has just defeated the Metal Head leader" Torn explained. "He what!?" I cried in excitement. "You heard it, and he's on his way here" Torn continued. "But wasn't he going back to his time?" I asked confused. "Yes, but the time machine had to be used for something else" Torn cleared it up. "For what?" I asked. "I'm as confused as you are, let's just wait for him to get back and tell us" Torn said. Then he turned around and was about to leave the building when I called out for him. "Wait" I said. "What?" Torn said without even turning around. "Aren't you staying to wait for him?" I asked him. "Nah" he answered. "Then do me a favor" I pleaded. "Tell me" he ordered. "Don't tell him I'm alive, I want to surprise him" I admitted. "Ok" he agreed. Then he left and the place was quiet and calm once again. 'Well,' I thought, 'I bet Daxter's going to want to own the bar; so I'll surprise him when he opens it.'
And with that I left the Hip Hog before Jak and his furry pal got there. I walked away to a small motel in the Slums. I got a room and watched some TV. After two hours or so, I turned the TV off and took my armor and boots off. Then I jumped on the bed and turned the lights off. 'Jak and Dax will be glad to see I'm still alive' I thought before going to sleep. Soon I fell into a deep sleep. I didn't much dream anything that night. I just slept without dreaming.
I finally reached the bar. The doors opened and I stepped in hoping to see somebody. But no, nobody was there. Where had everybody gone? 'Probably everyone's mourning for me by now' I thought as I looked around the empty place. "Now what?" I asked myself. I sat in one of the seats rather than in the bar stools. I crossed my feet and rest them on the table. I crossed my arms behind my head and rested for a while. What a comfortable position it was. I never had time to rest like that ever since Krew began working on that secret project of his. I still didn't know what the project was, but Jak killed Krew and messed it up. So I didn't have to worry about anything. I would just wait for someone to arrive and fill me in on what Jak and the golden boy were up to. I cracked my knuckles before getting up form that comfortable position to get a drink. I went to the bar and served myself a root beer. Then I went back to the table I was sitting on to drink it. While I drank the root beer, I wondered what the cherries were doing. Probably they were shooting some Krimzon Guards or killing a couple of Metal Heads. Whatever it was that they were doing, it was going to be spread all around the city; until it eventually reached me. I bet that Tess would be the one to come through the doors and tell me, but I was wrong. In fifteen minutes or so, Brutter came in with an important message.
I got up from my seat and greeted the Lurker. "What's cooking Brutter?" I asked him. "Is Jak and Daxter around?" he asked me. "No, why?" I told him. "Because Brutter need to tell them message" he replied. "Tell me" I pleaded him. "Brutter's air balloon that Brutter lent Samos and the others arriving in the Metal Headers' nest" he informed. "Also," he continued, "Samos told Brutter that if Jak and Daxter not in bar; they probably are in nest already." I looked at the Lurker's face for a moment. I tried to analyze what he said in his confusing way of talking. When I finally put the pieces together, I told him "Then they probably are in the nest like Samos told you." "Yes, most likely" Brutter agreed. After that, Brutter turned around to leave. "Hey Brutter!" I called for him before he left. "Yes?" he asked as he turned around. "Come have a couple of drinks with me" I invited him. "Ok" the Lurker said. He got a lot of empty glasses with ice and four bottles of root beer. He put them on a tray and lay the tray on the table we sat on. We began drinking while discussing some things about the cherries. "So what's on the air balloon?" I asked Brutter. "Time machine to take Jak and friends back is on balloon" he told me. "And what do you suppose Jak is doing in the nest?" I curiously asked. "Probably fighting Metal Header leader" the shaky Lurker guessed. "So you're saying that they're going to kill the leader and then go back to their time?" I asked for a confirmation. Brutter nodded in reply as he drank his root beer. "And what about the kid? He's been missing for some time now" I continued the interrogation. "Old man with long beard said Baron Praxis have kid" Brutter explained. "Who's 'old man with long beard'?" I asked, not knowing who the Lurker was referring to. "Brutter can't remember old man's name" he said, looking disappointed at not being able to answer that question. "Don't worry Brutter, you don't have to feel bad" I assured him.
"Ok then" Brutter said as he changed the sad look on his face to big smile. We continued to drink our root beers in silence until I asked another question. "So when are Jak and chili pepper going to save the kid?" I asked. "Maybe after they finish killing Metal Header leader" Brutter responded. "Oh" I said. Silence surrounded the place again. We finished the bottles of root beer without talking anymore. Then I picked it up and put all the glasses and bottles on the tray. I took the tray to the kitchen behind a door next to the entrance to the bar. I entered the kitchen and left the tray on the pantry. Then I took a crate with different types of alcoholic drinks inside to the table where I was sitting with Brutter. "What is box for?" Brutter asked curiously. "It's for your mini-bar at the Bazaar" I answered him. "For free?" he urged. "Yep" I told him. "Thank you Sig!!!" Brutter thanked excitedly. He got up and hugged me tightly. "Courtesy of the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon" I assured him. He hugged me again and carried the crate. He waved goodbye and left the bar. Nice old Brutter, he was so kind. He was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. But he especially cared most for his 'Lurker brothers' as he called them.
The rest of the day passed as I stayed in the bar relaxing. Some people entered and exited, but they were just customers I didn't know. I had to attend the customers since nobody else was there. Luckily, there weren't much customers at a time. At lunch time, I ate a cheeseburger that I made myself in the kitchen. I only ate half of it before remembering the Metal Head flesh though. Finally, when it was nighttime; a customer had just left and I was exhausted. I was in the kitchen washing the dishes when I heard the doors open and someone step inside. I went out of the kitchen to see who it was. It was Torn. "Sig, I thought you were dead" he said in his regular cocky voice. "Well, I'm not" I replied. "I just came by to see if anyone of Jak's friends were around to let them know something" he informed. "Well I'm one of Jak's friends, so spill the beans" I ordered the ex-Krimzon Guard. "Jak has just defeated the Metal Head leader" Torn explained. "He what!?" I cried in excitement. "You heard it, and he's on his way here" Torn continued. "But wasn't he going back to his time?" I asked confused. "Yes, but the time machine had to be used for something else" Torn cleared it up. "For what?" I asked. "I'm as confused as you are, let's just wait for him to get back and tell us" Torn said. Then he turned around and was about to leave the building when I called out for him. "Wait" I said. "What?" Torn said without even turning around. "Aren't you staying to wait for him?" I asked him. "Nah" he answered. "Then do me a favor" I pleaded. "Tell me" he ordered. "Don't tell him I'm alive, I want to surprise him" I admitted. "Ok" he agreed. Then he left and the place was quiet and calm once again. 'Well,' I thought, 'I bet Daxter's going to want to own the bar; so I'll surprise him when he opens it.'
And with that I left the Hip Hog before Jak and his furry pal got there. I walked away to a small motel in the Slums. I got a room and watched some TV. After two hours or so, I turned the TV off and took my armor and boots off. Then I jumped on the bed and turned the lights off. 'Jak and Dax will be glad to see I'm still alive' I thought before going to sleep. Soon I fell into a deep sleep. I didn't much dream anything that night. I just slept without dreaming.