Months passed. The control grew but it was still hard. Tougher tasks with sage power were all but impossible unleashed the dark eco that inevitably built up within. Eco was the planets life blood there was no way to truly avoid it

But smaller things. Those she could do. Once more Lexi was the king's sage, and she found herself busy with simple things. She was still one of the best sharpshooters skilled with guns and made herself plenty useful for Spargus.

passed and each day though was easier than the first though some were bad. Some nights she did not close her eyes for fear of what might great her within the darkness.

A few times she went back to the city to see Torn, to make sure that he wasn't killing himself trying to bring down the Baron, or slipping back down into things like Light-stream, Dead Town was a few years behind him now, but she knew that the pain still lingered and some days were worse than others. She was on one such trip now, though this time Torn had asked her there, there was something he believed only she could help do.

Within the Undergrounds bunker she leaned against the desk wondering how much more the thing could take before it just gave in. From the look torn gave her she wondered if her weight would be enough to do it in. 3 months since she had been here and they had almost gathered the pieces of that seal of Mar.

The Jak kid must be good given how long the Shadow had been looking for such things. And given the current situation. Torn pulling her from her "wasteland recovery" and to have Jak be her guard. The kid had to be good.

Stone grinding, a rough sound from haphazard hidden mechanisms of the hideout as someone entered.

Dark boots graying pants (that's what you get for wearing off white in the slums) blue tunic cute little green goatee those angry eyes. Yea that was the boy. Or was it man. Was he even 18 was he older than her….younger than her.

"Lex"

"Hush torn"

"Don't even think about it"

She smiled at him a twisted little grin letting him know she was most definitely thinking about it.

Not the it he feared but she could flirt with the boy just to get under Torn's skin. It was still something she enjoyed. And she had to take joy in something.

"Jak. This is Lex she"

"Please Torn he remembers me. The drugged up mess from the hidden prison." She held out one gloved hand and smirked as he took it. They wore the same style gloves she felt like she knew the same marks on her hands mirrored on his. Had it been the drugs or something real. "Though I will be honest I don't really remember you. He says your the one that carried me out of there"

"Yea. But that's all I know about you. Torn wont say more than that your a sage of sorts and dangerous"

"Why do you think they keep me drugged so much. On such a high dose it should have killed me"

"should have killed you?"

"If I wasn't a sage. And if they weren't experimenting to see if they could use sage powers for whatever bullshit weapon they thought up this time" she said it with a smile on her face her voice even and light one might think she was talking about how nice the weather was.

"Lex why don't you go make sure you have everything while I give Jak the rundown."

Torn's disapproval could be heard and she smiled bigger leaning over further giving an eyeful of cleavage to the boy. "I am perfectly capable of explaining what the mission is, or is this the "don't touch her flirt with her" rundown or is it the "make sure she doesn't stop at that house in the water slums where Leaper sells his eco drugs." Catching Torn's eye she could see she hit the nail on the head. "Im clean torn. It took 3 months of weaning me off it but its out of my system."

"You eco drugs."the boys voice had a rough edge to it. Dangerous sexy. Why must the bad ones be so tempting.

"Lightstream is the street name. It's the drug of choice for addicts who want to forget and keeping sages powerless. They pumped me so full of it for 18 months that quitting would have killed me. Almost did till torn realized I had to be weaned off it."

"But your off it now?" she smiled crookedly at his tone, it was the tone of someone that knew it, and there was only one way to know it.

"Yes", the lean went further and she did a half turn and rested her elbow on the table head in her hand, if she leaned any further she would be laying on the table. She could see the tips of his ears turning red, and Torn cleared his throat.

"Alexi behave", she pouted as she sat up straight winking at Jak before she turned and faced Torn still pouting as he used her full name. "Jak, the Baron installed some new security measures, special cameras hidden threw out the slums. The plan is, Jinx who I understand you've met through Krew blows them up, and Lex takes out the Elite team assigned to them. You keep her alive. Anything gets to close, you shoot it, anything aims at her"

"I shoot it", the smile on his face should have been unnerving but looking over her shoulder Lexi couldn't ignore the thrill that ran through her at the sight of it anymore than she could stop herself from grinning crookedly.

"A man who not only knows how to, but enjoys handling a….. gun, be still my heart", a little dramatics as she laid back on the table, back of her hand pressed against her forehead, the other fanning herself. Eyes half closed she could still see Torn's glare that he directed at her, winding him up was going to be so easy, and Lexi couldn't help but wonder why this one bothered him so much.

"Well, Jaks not the only one that handles guns you know", Lexis eyes were drawn back towards Jak and that orange thing on his shoulder. What was the name again, D…..something with a D...Dex...Dexter….no Daxter.

"Sorry Fuzzball, you are a little too short for this girl"

"Humph, she would break you down within an hour if she tried." Torn added on

"I doubt that, I quite fierce", Daxter winked and Jak shook his head half covering his face with his one hand. It obviously wasn't the first time he had witnessed such flirtation from his smaller friend.

"Sweet heart,", Lexi climbed down and rounded the table till she was face to face with Jak and Daxter. " I would break you in half that time, and the best part, you beg for me to come back".

She walked past them signalling for them to follow her, and hearing them do just that she made sure her hips had just the hint of extra sway in them smiling as she heard a loud swear coming from where Torn stood over his maps.