|Haven City|
After having gotten her five minutes of rest Valentine let herself be hauled up by a willing Jak. Thanks to the exploding robot Veger's exit way had been closed off, leaving them to search for another way out. A few minutes of clearing rubble revealed another elevator leading up. Judging from the amount of discarded helmets and other implements this had been a service elevator in times when the mine was still producing Eco.
"You okay there, honey? You look kind of upset." Daxter commented to her, before he suddenly got a huge grin on his face. "And you also have a small wardrobe malfunction."
Valentine glanced down towards her pants, seeing that the leather was slowly ripping. At least the rip was going down and not up, or the guys would have gotten a lot more chuckles out of the situation. "I'm upset because Veger thought that blowing up half Haven was worth it for 'quick access to the Catacombs." She started to grind her teeth as she thought it over. "What exactly gave that religious nut the authority to do that?"
"The same coots that got us kicked out of the city." Jak commented, patting her on the shoulder. "We'll get to Veger soon enough, Val. Let's take it easy for now, and just get to Torn and the others."
She raised a corner of her mouth at the new nickname. "Val?" she asked him, a twinkle of pleasure in her eyes.
He coughed as the elevator stopped. "Well… I wanted to give you a pet name, but all of Daxter's suggestions were…" Valentine barely suppressed a fit of laughter. If Jak ever called her 'schnookums' or something equally sugary she would probably die from trying not to have a serious giggle fit.
"Val sounds nice." She conceded, feeling giddy. She was happy Jak had given it some thought.
"There is nothing wrong with the pet names me and Tess have for each other." Daxter pointed out, sounding slightly snubbed. Jak rolled his eyes at that. The constant sweetness between those two had been liable to give him tooth aches if he had listened for long enough.
The casual banter between the three was cut off when the elevators opened. Even Jak had to swallow seeing the mess, and he had been here when the Palace fell. For a moment he thought Valentine would faint seeing what had happened to her beloved Haven. "Th- this…" she blinked, not able to get out a word.
"Deep breaths." Daxter reminded her. She followed the advice, trying to make sure that she kept the oxygen going to her brain. Precursors knew that that organ could use every bit of help that was available. Small Scorpion Metals scurried away at their presence, though one or two cast them a thoughtful glance.
Valentine did what Ma'al had told her to do if a Metal ever happened to challenge her. "Send them a mental image of who you are, and how much stronger you are. In your case they should submit to your authority." With a sudden squeak the stragglers followed after the others.
They walked through the empty street, past rubble and eerie open doors clapping in the wind. Valentine felt the chill running down her spine, as if countless of eyes were watching them as they moved through the remnants of what used to be a nice street to live in. She rubbed her arms, looking around to see if there was anything looking at them. This was the first time she saw Haven so… empty.
"The place looks as bad as my old bedroom back home." Daxter commented, looking around. Valentine let out a short snort at that comment. His sleeping place back at her old home hadn't been that much better.
Suddenly a vaguely familiar voice called out to them. "Jak, over here!" As they turned to look they could see Samos waiting for them behind a screen, preventing them from following what had seemed like the only way ahead. Valentine frowned when she saw the Green Sage. Was it her, or did he look like he had aged more than the years she had been gone accounted for?
"Samos! Keira!" Jak called out, before remembering that shouting out Keira's name so loud wasn't a good idea around Valentine. When she had heard she had flinched a little bit, before pulling up the corner of her mouth as if she was mocking herself. What had she been expecting, that he would just forget any relation he had had to her? They had been friends at some point in their lives as well. Still, it stung… just a little.
As a way to show her that he knew that had hurt her, Jak placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her close to him. The gentle squeeze on her shoulder was all she needed to be reminded that he was in fact her boyfriend now.
"Ah, Samos. Still as green as the stuff between my toes." Daxter commented in what was his way of showing he was happy to see the Sage.
"See Keira? I told you I could sense Jak's energy." As the sage looked at Valentine she gave the man an appreciating nod, eyes glancing at Keira as she did so. Hell did she look like a ticked off cat at the moment! She took a shallow breath, happy that Jak had her back at the moment. "My boy, it's good to see you again. And of course young Valentine. You're looking better than I remember, the both of you!"
Jak pulled Valentine closer when he caught Keira's eyes as well. "A lot happened. But we are in fact feeling better."
We. Strange that two letter could create a warm feeling in her belly.
"I'm sorry to burst into business like this, but the city will need your help again." Samos started, eyes glancing between the two women on the scene. Did he look just a little bit relieved there was a shield between them at the moment? "Whatever is underneath the city, it is important. Both the KG and the Metal Heads are trying to get at it first, so we have to know what it is."
"So, the city needs us again. What else is new?" Jak asked, sounding just a little bit too cocky for her tastes. She knew he had been kicked out, but there was a limit at that sort of behavior. She pinched him, very discreetly of course, making him narrow his eyes. He sent her a warning look.
"Veger has turned on the force field here." Samos informed them, seemingly determined to ignore the exchange between the heroes.
"Veger is the one who attacked the Palace!" Valentine blurted out, not able to keep quiet when she heard the man's name. "The idiot wanted a quick way to get to the Catacombs."
"Well, you're just going to have to find it before he does, whatever it is." Samos told them. "But before you three get into that mad scramble, try making your way towards us first. There's a way into the sewers just over there, you should be able to get to the port and Torn from here. Then find a way north to reach us."
Valentine scrunched her nose. Of course they would be going through the sewers. And here she had been hoping to never have to smell that specific bouquet again. "Now young lady, you've been through worse than an odd smell in your life." Samos chastised her. "Woman up and support Jak here. I have an inkling the Metal Heads may have infiltrated the sewer in your absence. Well, more than they had at the moment you left any way."
Valentine smiled at that. "Yes, sir." She replied, sounding highly amused with the order. It had been a while since Samos had told her what to do.
"Jak…" Keira started, before she paused hesitantly. "Could we… talk?"
Valentine could see him looking between the two of them, feeling how he tensed up. She bit her tongue, not believing her own words. "Talk." She muttered to him. When he seemed to be taken aback by her reaction, she pointed with her chin towards her former rival. "Before I come to my senses, please."
She and Daxter moved away, just a little further where they could talk with Samos. She reminded herself that eavesdropping was a big no-no, no matter how much she wanted to know what they were discussing. "You grind your teeth anymore and you're going to break a tooth." Daxter warned her.
Valentine broke off the behavior with a popping sound, glaring at both Samos and Daxter. What, she couldn't be little bit jealous about Jak talking to his ex? "I don't want to hear a peep out of either of you." she warned them as she crossed her arms over one another.
She was surprised by Jak pressing a warm kiss on her cheek, hands slipping around her waist. "Wha-" she started to ask, before she was cut off by a quick kiss. Samos coughed, averting his eyes from the sudden scene.
Jak beamed at her, before he let her go. "Don't worry." He whispered in her ear.
She grimaced, but the gnawing feeling in her stomach had been lifted a little bit. "Then shall we be going?" she suggested.
"Run along, you three." Samos said, waving his hands in an attempt to shoo them.
With a few extra words they left Samos – and Keira – behind them. Before she could succumb to her curiosity – it was in her nature to want to know everything – Jak already told her. "She wanted to say she was sorry about how things went." Valentine and Daxter both threw him an incredulous glance. He raised his hands in defense. "That's what she said. Though I won't be counting on her apologizing to you directly."
She huffed at that. As if she had ever entertained any thought about her and Keira having a pleasant conversation. Something between them rubbed the wrong way, and it wasn't just Jak or being infected with Eco. But any thought about how she felt about Jak's former girlfriend was soon wiped from her mind when she was once again confronted by the not so badly missed odors of the sewer. Just lovely.
|Two Hours Later|
"Next date, let's plan things ahead." Valentine suggested, trying to check the damage on her pants. It didn't seem like it had gotten worse, but she doubted sewage water in an open wound was a very good idea.
Jak scrunched his face. "Sorry. I didn't think we'd get this far from home though."
She waved a hand, taking a deep breath. "It's okay. I mean, we havebeen through worse." She smiled, trying to ignore the fact that they now all smelled of sewage water. "And I am happy that you knocked that one Metal off his feet for me."
Ma'als mind trick only seemed to work on the less intelligent Metals that could be fooled into thinking she was in fact a Metal King. Anything that was intelligent enough to register she didn't look like a King but did possess Eco had a very distinctive 'attack' reaction. "Want me to make it up to you by driving a Zoomer?" she asked, half-jesting and half-serious. Now that Jak had made it clear he wanted her to learn this skill, she thought maybe she could put in a little effort.
"NO!" Daxter yelled, far more emphatic than he had been in any Metal attack in the sewers. "I uh, I meant… no, I'm not gonna lie about this one, I'd rather go back in the sewers than get on a Zoomer driven by you."
Jak shrugged, not keeping his relief much of a secret. "Well, if that is what Daxter thinks." He said, his mouth slightly quivering with amusement. "I think I'll be driving today. You don't mind too much, do you?"
Valentine shook her head. "You can drive." She noted how relieved she herself sounded. "Though I think we're standing out a little bit." She looked around her, seeing how several people were looking at them and not bothering to hide it. Some of them looked a bit angry, others just gave off a very suspicious vibe. "You'd think people have never seen Wastelanders emerge from a sewer before. Well, we are dressed like this." She said when she noticed how the guys were looking at her.
Jak patted the back seat, looking less impressed with the gawking. "Well, we are celebrities now. Or some sort of hooligans, depending on who you're talking to."
"Yeah, people used to give our boy a hard time about him losing you. And then there were the Metal Heads, and the new KG. Things were baaaaad!" Daxter exclaimed, comfortable hanging from Jak's shoulder.
As the Zoomer lifted Valentine realized she had missed the old days more than she realized. The nostalgic feeling of going around Haven, no matter how battered the city was, together with Jak and Daxter was a very nice sensation. It wasn't far to the former Hip Hog Haven, though Valentine was surprised at seeing the giant Ottsel on top of the entrance. "Impressed, aren't ya?" Daxter asked, nodding his head in a 'I know I rule' way.
"It certainly isn't what I was expecting." She replied diplomatically. How had he ever gotten permission for that thing? She stepped off the Zoomer, nearly tripping over her own feet as she stared up to the giant Ottsel shining in the starting dusk.
Jak placed his hands on her elbows, steering her towards the entrance. "Let's go say hi to Torn." He suggested, making sure she didn't bump into the heavy in and out traffic of the former bar. "I'm sure he's been dying to know how we're doing."
Valentine shook her head, clearing the thought about Daxter's 'baby' as he referred to it, out of her head. When the doors swooshed open she could see Torn standing bent over a table in the smack middle of the room. "TORN!" she shouted, running towards the man.
"Valentine? How did you- ugh!" With a grunt he was smacked against the ground by an over-eager Valentine, who nearly choked him in a hug. "Let go of me!" he ordered, struggling against her death grip. "Precursors be damned, Valentine!"
"Honey, we're home." Daxter announced a bit belatedly.
"I never thought I'd see any of you again." Torn said from the ground, eyebrows twitching as he tried to ignore how he was pinned to the ground. "Either you get your hands off me now, or I'll have you scrubbing the toilets for the next week. You smell like you've been rolling around in a sewer."
Valentine frowned, letting go with such an air of extreme reluctance even Torn seemed to be feeling a bit guilty about forcing her away. One look at the snickering onlookers was enough to bring his usual scowl back. "Listen, I'm sorry we couldn't stop Count Veger. We all are." Torn said, apologizing to Jak.
"We just saw Veger." Jak informed his former employer, pursing his lips ever so slightly when he had seen how Torn had been greeted. He himself had to worry for his life before they had made up, but Torn got knocked to the ground in a hug. Pfeh. "He's trying to get his hands on some Precursor technology, but we have no idea what.
"Figures. That guy always was one monk short from a choir." Torn said, taking some distance from the newly arrived trio. They couldn't smell that bad, right? "But we have bigger problems now. Veger sent me on a suicide attack on the port, which is why we're cut off now. Freedom HQ needs us, but we have no way of getting back there. Our forces are divided, and we are losing ground on all fronts."
Valentine shrugged. "Okay, so you need us to help out. What do you need done? And stop looking like you're going to puke, it's not that bad."
"It's bringing back memories about the old headquarters, that's one thing." Torn mumbled, refusing to pinch his nose like the rest of the people around them. "I'd appreciate it if you took a look at the communication system, since it's been lagging like crazy. On top of that we need someone to help guide a rocket through the defense gates the robots have set up."
"Well, that sounds like a job for Val." Jak said, gesturing towards her. She nodded, happy she could be of some use again.
"Communication system, maybe. But the rocket has been stripped of pretty much everything except the detonation system, and we don't have the materials to install a guiding system. Which is why I need someone small to bring it to the detonating point." Torn explained, throwing a pointed look towards Daxter.
"But before you three even thing about mingling with the other soldiers, you are getting a shower first." The man looked positively green at the moment.
"Are you sure?" Valentine asked. "Rigging up the communication system should be easy enough, I can quickly-"
"Showers. Now." Torn snarled, pointing a thumb backwards. Daxter let out a moan when he saw it, wondering about what other horrors Torn had inflicted about his sweet bar.
Valentine was about to protest when Jak swung her over his shoulder without too much ceremony. "No, wait Jak! There's technology here! Let me play with it, please! I'm begging here."
"First we are going to look at that wound on your leg." He informed her, ignoring her pleas to get her hands on some decent hardware. "Once we're clean you can go messing around with anything you can get your hands on."
Now that was interesting. Happy the guys couldn't see her grin she wondered if Jak really meant she could mess with anything she got her hands on. Behind them she could see how Torn yelled at the others in the former bar. "What's so damn funny? Anyone with a message that wasn't due three hours ago leave!" He turned towards the disappearing three before they got away completely. "There's a bunch of clothes in the closet to your left, bunks are down the stairs like the old HQ."
Valentine saluted him from Jak's shoulder, happy her boy had enough muscle to make it a not too painful ride. She actually felt a bit sorry for him putting her down, seeing as how it was a rather fun way of transport. They opened up the closet, greeted by the typical disarray that ensued when people didn't give two damns about how clothes ended up when casually tossed in there. "Well, this kind of looks like your size..." she mumbled, looking at a faint blue shirt. With relief she spotted a washer hidden underneath a pile of junk. "Though we could just look for sleeping clothes if that thing still works."
When both of them had found a sleeping attire that wasn't threadbare they headed towards the showers. Daxter had gone ahead, seeing as how he had no need for actual clothing - nor was there a pair of pants in there that would have fitted him. "Welcome, to the paradise of fungus!" He shouted at them from one of the stalls at the end.
Valentine and Jak both made a 'bleh' face at the same time, wishing Daxter could have been a bit less repulsive with his word choice. "Aaaah, army style showers." Valentine announced, happy they had at least taken the time to install some flimsy boards between each shower. They probably had the late hour to thank for the desertion, and Torn for just now having kicked out most messengers. "One of the many reasons I decided I couldn't keep living down at HQ back in the day."
She walked over to the last stall on the right, with Jak taking the one next to her. "What were the other reasons?" he asked her as they turned the water on. Daxter was singing, very off-cue, about a plate of paste beneath the full moon.
"Lack of privacy being the main reason." Valentine admitted, letting out a relieved sigh when the water hit her. Maybe taking a shower before fiddling with stuff around here was indeed the better course of action. Though the hot water stung like a bitch when it reached the wound on the back of her thigh. "Be glad you were never forced to sleep in those bunk beds in there, I swear there was someone returning from a mission every five minutes when I was trying to get some sleep. And I didn't play too well with others either. Not to mention the fact that I'd manage to scar Torn gave everyone the heebie-jeebies."
"Where did you hit him?" Jak asked, sounding curious and at the same time extremely happy to be able to take a shower as well. Spargus sand really did manage to get everywhere, and even a trip through the sewers hadn't been able to rinse it all out.
"A place he won't be showing in public." Valentine replied with a slight chuckle. It shouldn't be that funny, but it was the only time she had seen Torn go so wide-eyed. Luckily she hadn't done any permanent damage, or Ashelin would be demanding her hide by now. "Daxter, could you pass the soap?" she called out.
The soap slid through Jak's booth, landing next to her feet. "Thank you!"
"You guys mind if I slip out of for a while? I wanna go check up on Tess." Daxter shouted to them, before they could hear wet sounds indicating he was jumping up and down to get up the slippery walls to turn of the shower. Valentine closed her eyes, tracing the Eco through the pipes and shutting down his shower. At the same time she slightly heated hers up more. This trick really did have advantages.
"Why would we stop you?" Jak asked, accepting the soap Valentine slid towards him, with considerable less orange hair on it then when she'd received it from Daxter.
She listened how Daxter answered, though most of his answer was now about how wonderful Tess was. Valentine let out a faint smile when she heard the Ottsel gush about his loved one, ignoring the definite stinging of her thigh. Maybe she should ask Jak to take a look at it, just to make sure there wasn't anything too serious going on. With a sudden blush she realized he was in the shower next to her. She had to bite a finger to suppress a sudden squeal, as well as the urge to sneak a peek. She was a lady - kind of - and that kind of behavior would be unacceptable. She pressed her lips together in an excited smile, turning her shower off.
"Done?" Jak asked her, sounding as if he had just stuck his head underneath the stream of water.
Keeping as calm as possible with her heart beating twice as fast as normal she started to pat herself down. "Yeah. Rosy fresh is kind of impossible considering the equipment we have here." Back in Spargus she had scented oils and perfumes, small presents from Damos and the Council who wanted her to be as ladylike as possible. She found herself wishing for just one bottle right now, instead of smelling like neutral soap. "Would you... mind taking a look at that cut on my leg?" she asked, trying to make the request sound innocent. Sure she had a flash of an indecent plan earlier, but it wasn't like she would be able to go through with it.
It took Jak a while to respond, bringing out a muffled 'sure'. She wondered what he had been thinking, to make that answer take so long. She picked up the shirt that was just a bit too big and the gray shorts that stopped neatly above the cut. Well, at least she wouldn't have to get undressed just so he could have a look. At that thought she had to bite her tongue again. 'Get a grip, woman!' she reprimanded herself, trying to ignore the sound of Jak getting dressed.
"Let's have a look then." he said, getting out from his stall. His hair was already well on it's way of defying gravity once more, even when still damp from the shower. She also noted that he was not wearing a shirt but only the long dark green trousers they'd found in the dressing room.
Oh great gods of awkwardness, she would have to bend over to show him! Of all the damn placed to get a cut, that just had to be the one? She pointed back to her leg, not able to say anything. Jak walked over to her, placing a hand on the small of her back as he lent over to see. "Could you bend over a little bit?" he asked her.
With a blush that was so intense she was sure there was no blood left in the rest of her body she bent over more. Jak's hand felt slightly cooler than her skin, stroking slightly right next to the wound. "It doesn't look that bad." He announced. Valentine squeezed her eyes shut, not able to believe this was happening. His hand stroked down, towards the ticklish place at the back of her knee. "If you're careful it should be healed up soon enough. It's just in an awkward place." he sounded strangely choked up behind her.
She placed her hands on the low bench that divided the two halves of the room, looking back at him. "I'll be back to normal soon, doctor?" she asked, trying to sound playful. Dear, dear Precursors, his hand moved up on the outside of her leg again. Didn't he know what he was doing to her heart like this? She raised herself up, falling back in his arms thanks to his speed. She let out a gasp when he placed warm lips on her neck, his goatee slightly scratching her hot skin.
"Very soon." He promised her in a heated whisper. Warm breath stroked across her skin as he pulled her against him, arms clasped firmly around her waist. He continued to kiss her neck, making her lean back against him even more. She realized she could feel what he had been thinking while in the shower. Somehow the realization made everything more exciting. "But maybe..." His teeth stroked very gently past her skin, making her tense up and lean into him without realizing what she was doing. "Maybe I should check you all over?" he suggested.
Her breath caught in her throat. She didn't trust her voice so she just nodded, turning around in his arms, offering her mouth to him. He pressed her against the wall, her hands interlacing in his damp hair. Valentine let out a very slow moan against him, not believing her luck. One of his hands slowly rubbed her back, loath to let her go, to let her get any further from him than was necessary. She tickled his neck, pressing kisses along his cheek, trailing down his neck.
One warm finger slowly traced her back, slowly moving up. "Awkward place, hmm?" she managed to ask him. He nodded, breathless. "So this was what you were thinking." She stated, trying to gather her thoughts by talking.
He shut her up quite efficiently, kissing her even deeper. She opened her mouth for him, just enough to allow him entrance. The kiss was greedy and intense as he pushed her more firmly against the wall. Her hands ran across his bare back, feeling muscles beneath her hands as if steel had been lined with velvet. "I've been thinking a lot about you." He mumbled, pressing his lips against the hollow of her neck once more. Encouraged by a slow 'oh' he sucked the delicate spot, dissolving any rational thinking she might have had left. She could feel how his lips formed a smile, as he pressed more firmly against her.
On instinct she wrapped her legs around him, arms around bare shoulders. His warm hands started to rub her sides, going almost maddeningly slow. She felt hotter than she had underneath the shower as she tried to keep from moaning too loudly. When one hand cupped her breast she thought her heart would start beating even faster. She kissed him again, sucking on his bottom lip in sweet revenge.
"Valentine, Jak, are you trying to drown yourselves in there?" Torn's voice interrupted them rudely.
They paused, pressing their eyes shut. "Not. Happening." She brought out against Jak's lips.
"He might go away if we ignore him?" He suggested, pressing a new kiss on her cheek.
"I've got a group of scouts coming in five, so finish up your business and get your asses to bed." the gravely voice came back to haunt them.
Valentine rolled her eyes when she heard that. So much for maybe pulling Jak back into a shower and continuing their business there. "I'm going to kill Torn." She lamented against Jak's shoulder. He placed his hands around her legs, lowering her gently.
"Not if I get my hands on him first." He promised her, voice still hoarse with desire.
She nipped him gently on his bottom lip, wondering if her eyes were shining so feverishly as his were. "Better luck next time." She promised him, mentally cursing Torn for his timing. "C'mon, big boy." she took his hand with a smirk. "Let's go to sleep."
Moon's Note : I did it! Without having to rewrite it once from Sage! ^^ (Feeling very proud of myself, yes, yes ^^) Thanks for telling me it didn't suck Sage, means a lot to me ^^
Sooo, the chapter turned out slightly longer than the others, but I trust you all don't mind too much?
LadyAmazon : Yeah, that pretty much shattered the fourth wall in the game, I laughed so hard at that part. Though I always have to laugh at Jak's face when Daxter goes like 'Never fear, Jak is here' and scoots away.
Actic Wolf105 : Well, maybe I did give her the wound for some kind of purpose? :p Hahhah, but you're a sharp one, being able to see through me so easily ^^
Well, we already know Jak is the Kid, and I'm personally a fan of him also being THE Mar from the past. And I might add in a little something like that in this fic so that I could write a semi-original story with him and Valentine in there.
I actually typed in 'best lemons ever' just so I could read up for you guys, but then I ended up on a website listing the most horrible pairings and smut ever and I can't breathe when I think about it anymore xD (Just thought about it and now I'm just grinning like a madwoman over here) But veering away from smut hell, any tips are always welcome ^^
M-Angel 05 : Well, seeing as how Valentine is liable to do just that he might be chickening out a little bit. He'll tell her, after going through a lot guilt and doubt. Did I ever mention I'm a horrible person for torturing fictional characters like this? (And I don't feel guilty at all)