Home in my arms
Chapter 12
By shadows/of/flame

Keira wrung her hands nervously - she had heard about Jaks 'death', and could only hope that her friend was ok.
Samos wasn't making it any better by telling her that he was doomed to a life of oblivion in the desert till the point of no return, and she desperately wished she could shut her ears off or something so she didn't have to listen to him.

She had also heard of the metal heads warning, and if possible it worried her more than anything else.

The Naughty Ottsel was abuzz with customers as usual, and Daxter leaned confidently against Tess' beer jug, almost knocking it to the floor.
But Tess just smiled, readying the jug before cuddling her favourite ottsel to her cleavage before continuing to serve the customers.

Keira looked up as the door clanged open, expecting to see some of the usual crowd come in or something, but to her utter surprise, Jak, Torn, and Jaks two alter egoes walked in.

Tess dropped the beer mug, and it clattered to the floor, spilling everywhere.
More or less in surprise to see Jak alive, but an alive Jak holding Torns hand tightly, and his two alter egoes walking in, with bodies no less?

"This won't be good for the customers..." she muttered, not particuarly caring,but Daxter couldn't be more happy that his best friend had come back.

Dark and Lights hands interwined as well as the ottsel bounded over, Torn letting go of Jaks hand so the old friends could have a reunion of sorts.

"Jak! You're OK! And you found tattooed wonder! This couldn't be a happier day! I can't say your, er, taste in lover is exactly what I'd expect of you, but hey! As long as my buddy is happy, so am I!"

Keira decided not to bound up to Jak as Daxter had, but as he gave a quick look in her direction, he knew that they would talk later.

His brunette lover was relieved to see that Ashelin was missing from the bar, and he couldn't have been more pleased about it.
Ashelin wasn't on his top ten list of people to see right now.

Tess, Samos, Keira, Daxter, Jinx, Torn, Light & Dark, and Jak all had a small party of sorts after all the customers had left.
While Daxter asked Torn of their adventures in the Wasteland, expecting the whole story, from when Jak found Torn to when they got back to Haven City, Jak slipped off to the roof where Keira was.
Now was a good time to talk, while everyones attention was diverted from all else but booze.

"Keira?" he asked quietly, and she turned her head, smiling as she saw him.
"Have a seat Jak!" she smiled cheerfully, patting the roof beside her, and he complied, sitting beside her and smiling.

"So, what exactly did Ashelin do? You don't have to talk about it if its too hard." Keira murmured, and Jak shook his head.

"She... she told us the reason Haven City was brought up to hate homophobes. Damas wouldn't accept it, but seems there were so many homosexuals in the city at the time of his rule, he dared not say anything. He..."

Jaks hands started to shake, and she gently put a hand on his shoulder, silently urging him to go on.

"At least he wouldn't single out homosexuals... But when Praxis took the throne, he immediately placed... a "BAN" on being a homosexual... seems you can't really ban something that happens by nature, a lot of homosexuals were killed... and the city were bought up hating them after that."

After she was sure he had finished, Keira spoke. "You love Torn, right?"

Jaks head snapped up to look at her.

She chuckled. "It was obvious Jak. When Torn went to the Wasteland, or 'missing' as we knew him, you wouldn't sleep... whenever you did sleep you ended up in his room... you became dark and broody... Oh many many reasons."

"... It seems some of the homophobias gone from this city after all." he murmured, and she smiled.
"One day Jak, you'll be the person to battle homophobia in this city, and I sure hope you win. Just... take Torn and Light and Dark along OK?"

"Dark and Light?" he questioned.

"Yes." she chuckled. "They haven't kept their hands off each other since they got here, despite your thoughts to the contrary."

"That leaves Torn all to me." Jak smirked, and the two friends spent some more time under the stars bonding, both secretly hoping that Ashelin wouldn't come back to Haven City. Well, at least not yet.

They went back inside, and Torn looked at Jak suspiciously, but the blond just laughed, wrapping his arms around the brunette and holding him close.

"Me and Keira are just friends! Didn't you think so?" Jak smiled, nuzzling Torns cheek with his own.
"I just wondered where you had gone." Torn replied, but spun around as the door to the bar opened.

"Sorry, we're closed, come back to-"

Tess stopped dead in her tracks, and backed away from the door.
Torn and Jak tried to see who it was, but they didn't have to look much harder as Ashelin strode into the bar.

Tess dropped the beer mug for the second time that night.