Chapter 2
By shadows/of/flame
Todays been awful - so I thought I'd make it better for everyone else by updating. :D
Torn glared at his new threads in absolute disgust.
"I have to wear THIS?" he hissed.
Kleiver started laughing his flabbyhead off, his 3 chins wobbling as he did so.
Torn was wearing long white trousers, shinguards and long boots, leather gloves and armguards, a blue flannel tank like top, and his red scarf rewrapped around his neck for easy access for protection against the sands.
Torn wrapped his gun holsters around his legs and glared at himself in the mirror.
"This... is... horrible." he groaned, trying to take the clothes off as fast and as painlessly as he could manage.
Kleiver smirked.
"You have to wear that now. Come on, Damas is expecting you for an audience."
Torn looked curiously at Kleiver, following him out of the room.
"Whos Damas?" he asked.
Kleiver chuckled again, his belly flopping all over the place.
"King of Spargus, of course. If you wanna be a Wastelander, like you claim, you have to pass his tests first."
Torn smirked.
"Tests? Bring 'em on!"
This new life of his was all going according to plan - but the sharp pang in his heart every now and again told him that he hadn't REALLY run away from the thing that was bugging him the most...
His friend, Jak.
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"Jak..."
Jak drowsily lifted his head to see Keira waving her hands in front of his face.
"Sweetie... we have a date remember?"
Jak sighed, and nodded drowsily, trying to clear his vision so he could see straight.
He had another dream about Torn - this time, he was battling alongside Jak in the Wastelands with similar clothing to himself.
"Sorry... got carried away." Jak smiled, dashing upstairs to have a brief shower before changing and coming back downstairs.
Keira half smiled at his appearance, her mind also elsewhere.
"Lets go, shall we?"
Daxter hated being left behind, and watched as his friends left arm in arm.
Tess picked Daxter up from behind and hugged him.
"You didn't REALLY think I'd let you stay here on your lonesome self, didya?" she giggled, nuzzling him.
"Jaks worried about Tattooed Wonder - can you tell?" Daxter asked.
Tess was about to reply "Isn't everyone?" but stopped.
"A bit TOO worried - is that possible?" Tess murmured.
Daxter sighed.
"He never snaps out of his little daydreams... Maybe theres something wrong with him?"
Tess averted her gaze, worry for her friend evident in her features.
"I hope that there IS something wrong..."
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Damas snorted as Torn returned from retrieving artifacts from the Wastelands.
"Good work, my boy. But... I wish to have a chat with you later today, if thats possible."
Torn nodded, and went to calm down with a nice cold shower.
As he turned the cold water on, and began to get undressed, his mind wandered back to Haven City.
Did they miss him? Heck, did they even know he was missing?
He got into the shower, and water cascaded down his back, flattening his usually wild hair.
He needed a re-dreadlocking session, and soon.
As soon as the shower time limit was up, Torn grabbed a towel, and re-dreadlocked his hair.
It took a while, seems he was distracted by all the thoughts swirling around in his head.
Why did Damas want to see him?
Did anyone care he had run away?
Did... Jak... care?
Torn shook his conscience from his head.
It was telling him things he didn't need to be thinking about - at the moment, he had an audience with the King.
He stood up, and almost opened the door, before noticing he had no clothes on.
He would get dressed, and THEN go.