|Valentine|
She almost started singing out loud. When was the last time she had felt this good? Not even the constant desert heat was able to make her feel any worse. The feeling of the Dark Eco was gone, she couldn't hear that voice in her head anymore and she and Jak were friends again! The thought put a skip in her step.
"Valentine, could you-" a young woman, perhaps a year younger than her, started to ask. Without pausing Valentine accepted the map she was holding out.
"Sure can!" She replied, not even listening to the question. Could life at this moment get any better? The girl watched the famous woman as she skipped away, not quite believing her eyes. She didn't think she had ever seen Valentine in such a good mood. What could have happened to her?
'Now I just need to check on Ma'al and...' she paused her thoughts as her skip came to a falter. Ma'al. Ma'al was in town at this exact moment, in the Arena, unsupervised. That was a definite no-no. Who knew what the Metal Head King was doing at this moment? Did they even have an Arena left right now?
Spouting some extremely colorful words she took off with a sprint towards the Arena. There was no telling what Ma'al would do if someone were to anger him. Practice rounds in the Arena were supposed to be just that, practice. People weren't supposed to get killed.
She burst into the Arena via the King's lodge, pointing a finger in front of her. "Stop it right there!" she shouted, her ponytail jerking in front of her by the momentum. Looking down she could see Ma'al looking up at her, golden eyes immediately noting her. Instead of a corpse by his feet as she had been expecting the three Metal young were looking up at their father.
"King Valentine!" he yelled back at her, obvious glee in his voice. "You have finally returned to this nest!"
Her pose dropped for a moment. This would show her, making assumptions. Still a bit annoying that she had it wrong. It was something she didn't encounter that often, or at least she didn't like to admit she was wrong very often. "Wait a second, I'll be right down." She focused once again, feeling the familiar surge. For a moment the pain was back, but the feeling soon ebbed.
The platforms that allowed the winners to receive their Battle Amulets from the King rose up. She stepped down, creating a moving stair downwards to reach her destination faster. Ma'al was waiting for her, dressed in his ivory robes with his hands on his sides. The hatchlings waited around him, panting. She raised a hand towards him with a smile. "King Ma'al, so glad to see you could make it."
He inclined his head towards her, a faint smile playing around his lips. "I would not have missed your official instatement for the greatest Hunt of the year. And I must admit, this Arena of yours has some pleasure to offer."
"How many? she asked. Seemed like she had been correct after all.
"Only five up until now." he said with a predatory grin. "Though I have not killed them, for I knew it would displease you." He smoothed down his robes, before gesturing in her general direction. "May I say you are looking very fit this day. Has something good occurred?"
She scratched the back of her head. "I guess you could say that. I'm not hurting any more." She announced with a big smile. The later part of her message was delivered with more hesitation. "And well...me and Jak are friends again." She admitted, shuffling her feet.
This caused the King some surprise. "And this pleases you?" he asked her, remembering how she had felt not too long ago.
"It pleases me greatly." She answered him with certainty. If she didn't convince Ma'al she was happy with this development he might decide to eat Jak, imagining he was doing her a favor of sorts.
Ma'al surprised her by swinging his strong arms around her. Valentine found herself squished against his strong chest, muscular arms pinning her down. "Ma'al. What are you doing?" she asked him, feeling a bit hot with this action. No matter how one wished to look at it, he was a very attractive man.
He let go of her, his black hair nearly falling in his eyes as he looked down upon her. "I would have thought this is a strange custom for you as well. A female of your species, Female Rae, has informed me that this 'hug' is something which is performed when one feels joy for an occurrence."
Well, it seemed like the women in Spargus had caught on to Ma'al being around. She poked him in the side with an elbow, giving him a wink. "So that's how it is." She said in a knowing tone. "First time in town and already popular with the ladies."
He looked down at her as if he didn't understand her words. "Is this a good thing, being popular with the ladies? Did Female Rae have any special intention in teaching me?"
Holy Mar, it would seem like Ma'al was totally clueless. Not that it should surprise her, she being the only non-Metal female he had ever conversed with. "Well, if you like attention it's a good thing. It means they think you look appealing. And you should ask Miss Rae-" she put special emphasis on the miss part "- what she meant by her lesson."
Ma'al seemed to stand up a bit straighter at her words. "Then it means they like my choice of appearance. This is a very good thing which should foster further relations between our nests." Somehow he seemed very proud that being a lady magnet would improve things between Spargus and his own Hive.
"Then I shall speak more with Female-" he started.
"Miss." She interjected, trying to get rid of the Female thing as soon as she could.
"-Rae when I see her next." He finished his sentence. "She has told me that she likes to dabble in weaponry. I am interested in seeing her improvements."
Whoever this Rae girl was, she had her work cut out for her. The only guy she knew who was more clueless than Ma'al was Jak, albeit in a completely different way. When she remembered what he had said as he hugged her chased a fiery blush to her cheeks, causing Ma'al to bring his head awkwardly close.
"Is anything the matter, King Valentine?" he asked.
She pushed his face away, reminding herself to keep breathing. "I'm fine. Just my imagination running a bit wild sometimes."
|Jak, The Day After|
"Jak, you have to tell her." Daxter pleaded with him, referring to him actually being Mar. "She will try to kill you all over again if you just keep this from her."
Jak shrugged. "And what do you suggest I tell her? That I'm the sweet little kid she used to tuck into bed not too long ago? She used to babysit me for the Underground." If he was ever to have a chance at actually getting together with Valentine it would be better if she didn't know she was the one that had given him baths when he was a kid.
Daxter grinned. "You realize that it's perfectly normal to have a babysitter fetish, don't you? No man is going to judge you for wanting to get it on with-"
Jak clasped a hand in front of his friends mouth when they arrived next to Kleiver. If there was one person in town who didn't need to know about his relationship with Valentine, past or future, it was this guy.
"You're looking pretty carefree today." Kleiver said with a grin. "Don't get your hopes up, pretty boy. Just because you managed to get back into her little princess' good graces doesn't mean you'll be getting out alive today."
Jak grinned, letting go of Daxter. Like something small like this would scare him now. "Don't worry too much about me. Maybe you should try meeting me in the Arena."
The large man laughed out loud at that. "Maybe I will one day. But not with today's line-up." He showed a cryptic smile, gesturing towards the gate. Jak was the only one who would be going after a Battle Amulet today.
With a small nod Jak walked into the Arena, immediately engulfed in the cheers of the crowd. Daxter lifted up his hands to receive it, sometimes blowing a kiss to someone in the audience. Jak hardly noticed. He was looking up at where Damos sat, looking regal as always. On his left side a tall man with black hair was standing, looking down at the Arena with great interest. His ivory robes swayed lightly in a soft breeze.
And on Damos' right was Valentine. Her hair was up in the usual ponytail, her dark blue eyes locked onto him. She gave him a little wave, as if she didn't want to spoil the serious atmosphere that Damos was projecting.
Jak waved back, just as subdued as her. He couldn't help looking at her, not when she was smiling lightly like that. He watched her slight pink lips as she mouthed 'good luck' towards him, causing him to grin like an idiot until Daxter waved a hand in front of his face, making him snap back into reality.
"If you keep making goo-goo eyes at her like that, Damos might decide she's safer with you not being around." Daxter warned him, a certain amount of glee in his voice. He would have hated to say- no that was a lie. He would say 'I told you so' as often as he could when those two finally hit it off.
Pecker took the word immediately as they stepped on the platform going up, flying in from behind Damos' throne. "Greetings great fighters! The one, the only, the greatest highness of all highnesses, the magnificent-"
The man with the dark hair exchanged a look with Valentine. One slight nod of her and the stranger grabbed Pecker around the neck, nearly choking him before turning his attention back on Jak. Was this guy Ma'al? He glanced back at Valentine, suddenly a bit nervous about knowing she had run off so quickly to meet this guy.
After a hand gesture of Damos Valentine stepped forth, her hands in front of her as she raised her voice to be heard around the Arena. "Another round of games has begun. This is combat to the death!" Her big eyes glanced towards Jak for a moment, a look of concern flashing towards him. "Good luck, and may the best man win!"
Jak was let down again with the platform. He knew the drill by now, he just had to make sure he survived until the end. Nothing that big, especially when the Marauders were more concerned with killing each other than him. The actual amount of shots he had to fire was almost nothing as long as he took a bit of time to aim properly.
People were cheering him on. He hardly heard their comments, caught up in the heat of the battle. All that mattered now was winning and receiving his second Battle Amulet. He could do this, he knew he could. He jumped on one of the smaller square platforms, hearing someone move on the other side in one of the moments when the crowd was more subdued. He took the opportunity to glance upward. Valentine was looking down in the Arena, her hands clenching the stone railing as she did so.
Somebody stepped. Instinct kicked in as he turned around, his gun pointing in the face of whoever had thought to sneak up on him. He was met by a very familiar face.
"Sig?!" he exclaimed, nearly having a seizure when he realized he'd almost shot his friend.
"Jak? Daxter?" the man asked, lowering his gun in surprise.
Daxter jumped up instead of hiding behind Jak's back. "SIG!"
Sig raised his gun again, shooting a Marauder that got too close without a second glance. "Well don't you two look sorrier than ever." He said, a small undertone of regret in his voice.
"What are you doing here?" Jak asked, not understanding why he would run into a friend in the Arena. Sig was supposed to be back in Haven.
"Honing my skills." Sig said, his one green eye blinking nervously as he glanced up at the King's lodge. "Let's finish this."
Jak lowered his gun, not wanting to fight the man. "Woah, come on Sig. I'm not going to fight you."
"If we don't, he'll kill us both." Sig said, now looking at Damos openly. The King was leaning forward in his throne, clearly not happy about what was happening. "Rule of the Arena. Sorry, nothing personal." Sig said, powering up his Peacemaker.
The tension lasted for a few seconds, before Sig launched the shot at the last remaining Marauder. This explained why Jak had had such an easy time, Sig had been picking them off as well.
"Blasphemy!" Damos cried out, standing up. "One must destroy the other! Complete the test or face a worse fate!" the King threatened. When Valentine reached out to touch his elbow he pulled his arm back, saying something softly but intently. "Seize them!"
|Throne Room|
Jak found himself bound but standing, next to Sig. Valentine was leaning on the side of the throne with a very alarmed look on her face. Next to her Meta was lying, seemingly as alarmed as her mistress. In contrast the black-haired man was sitting on the ground as if he were perfectly comfortable with the situation. Damos walked up to them, clearly furious.
"How dare you two defile the purity of the Arena?" he demanded of them, standing two steps above them. Jak swallowed, not liking where this was going. "Sig, your time in Haven City has poisoned you. And you, newcomer!" Damos turned to Jak, any sign of benevolence gone. "You deserve no mercy."
"I should toss you both into the jaws of the desert." He threatened, stepping back up to his throne. "However, Sig. Your years as a spy in Haven have earned you a chance to redeem yourself. But only this once." Jak looked to the side in surprise. Sig looked back, shaking his head in warning.
"Father." Valentine said softly. She looked at the King from the corner of her eye, as if she had trouble looking him straight in the eye. "If you kill him, I will find myself without a guard again." She reminded him softly.
"It would serve you well for your disobedience." Damos snapped at her, clearly not in the mood to play happy father at the moment. "Perhaps it would teach you to stay put when you are told to."
She chewed her cheek for an instance. "Perhaps so, but you yourself said he shows great potential. With the Day Star dawning, can we really afford to throw away a great warrior without a second thought?"
The man with golden eyes decided to speak up. "Even so, King Valentine, King Damos cannot afford to allow disobedience to run rampant. A swift and just punishment will ensure correct behavior from all involved parties."
"This is not your nest, Ma'al." Valentine snapped back, her head whipping around. Jak could almost see the fire spitting from her eyes. Furthermore, Jak is my Bo- my bodyguard and partner. I will not have him thrown away because he refused to attack a comrade." She turned back to Damos. "As I have told you, father, I am stressing how important it is to protect your partners in the field to the children. What am I to tell them if you now kill a man for not wanting to kill a man he has fought with?"
Damos didn't look happy at Valentine's meddling, but even he had to admit he couldn't outright kill Jak for this reason. He seemed to be looking for a compromise, a way where he would still be issuing punishment without outright killing them.
"If I may?" Ma'al started, glancing at Jak as if he were sizing him up. "You were complaining about the Metal-pedes that have been harassing your couriers for some time now. Instead of myself dealing with them as you previously requested, why not ask them to do it? A task you would entrust to a King would surely be dangerous enough to form a fitting punishment for two lawbreakers?"
Damos agreed, and before Jak knew it his hands were unbound and he was being rushed towards the garage. Valentine walked in between him and Sig, taking big strides to keep up with the man. "Thanks for sticking up for me." he told her.
She looked at him in surprise. "Of course I'd stick up for you. More importantly, you two should watch out you don't get yourselves killed." She told them to look out for the special breeding pods. "Metal-pedes have an extremely short life span. If you take out the one that is hatching in the special pods it will take them months to breed new ones. Don't bother going after the grown ones unless they go after you."
She gave Sig a quick punch on the arm. "Nice to see you again, big guy. You're just in time for the celebrations."
"It's good to be back." Sig told her. "You look well, kid. Like you can finally fend for yourself."
When they reached the gate to the garage Valentine tapped Jak's wrist. He halted, ignoring the jolt he felt as she touched him. It was only a slight tap, nothing to get embarrassed over. "What's wrong?"
She looked to the side, suddenly a bit bashful. "Look, Metal nests are pretty dangerous. And it would be a shame if you were to miss tomorrow night. So...I'm just trying to say," she looked at him, suddenly giving a light tap on his cheek. "Just come back in one piece, okay?"
"Yes ma'am." He replied with a grin.
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I think Damos wants to chew me out. I almost envy you." she said, turning around to walk away.
"Hey, aren't you worried about me!?" Daxter suddenly demanded.
"You just come back safely as well, Daxter!" she shouted back with a grin.
|Moon thanking everyone again :
Special thanks to Sage Nightwing who is the official proofreader. We ran into some technical difficulties which she handled with grace while I was panicking like the idiot I am. Kudos!
LadyAmazon : I know, it's nice having Damos and Valentine together. One of the things I hadn't planned originally actually...
Dear Guest : Ah, as long as I don't actually make them fight things should be okay... I still need Spargus as a background for the story, and not a bunch of ruins.
M-Angel 05 : Just leave it to me to invent guys that prefer walking around without any clothes on. But really, I'm glad everyone seems to like Ma'al.
Actic Wolf105 : Awww, shucks... Stuff like that makes me blush you know? Though I can't say I would be opposed to having a game with Valentine in it... Extra missions and cutscenes, more background story to everything... A girl can dream.
Ayylmao : Thank you for the compliment! It's always nice to hear people like my story, makes me grin for the rest of the day! As far as talking like an alien goes, the best I got is Whaaaazzzzuuuuup. No really, that's it.
Special notice : I now have two polls up considering the story, to be sure to check those out if you can. The first one is about whether Jak or Valentine should make the first move, the second one concerns Damos. They're on my profile page, so happy voting, and thank you for reading.|
Edit : thanks to only being able to have one poll at a time on my profile, the Damos one will have to wait until the first poll has become obsolete. Forgive me.