AN:

Damn! This chapter was hard to write XD

I changed so much when I was writing it, and I couldn't think of how to end it, but I'm pretty happy how it ended. Fitting that I released this one the day after Valentine's Day. ;)

Anyway, thank you for reading! If you liked this chapter, let me know in the comments! Go ahead and follow, and I'll see you next week!

It hadn't taken Jak long to clean the mats and put the weapons away. Before he left for Hestia's coffee shop, he checked in on Daxter. Daxter was still asleep, nestled in the pillows in a ball. Quietly, to avoid disturbing him, Jak scribbled a note and left it on the dresser. He hesitated, but he grabbed his Morph Gun. Hopefully he wouldn't need it, but it was a comforting weight in Haven.

He walked through the District, following the same route Karin had taken him earlier. Now that he wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere, he could take in the sights. He headed to the area bustling with colors and people. It seemed to be a bazaar of some sort, with people trading and bartering goods and money back and forth. There was a booth selling fabric, mostly dealing in browns and grays, but they had other fabrics in the colors of eco. Another booth was selling a cream, advertised as being free of eco. At that booth, he saw many young Ecolites with fresh tattoos eagerly buying and putting the cream on their faces, arms, legs, and stomachs, sighing with relief.

The booth that caught his eye though was selling trinkets and jewelry. The jewelry was made of Precursor metal, formed into delicate shapes. Usually, the shapes matched the Ecolite tattoos, but here and there he saw original designs.

"I don't often get Havenites at my booth. Looking for something in particular?" said the shopkeeper, an old Ecolite man wearing a sleeveless tunic that showed off his red tattoos.

"Not from Haven. I'm just looking," said Jak automatically, bending over to examine a necklace.

Rather than a single chain of Precursor metal, the necklace had many different ones, creating six U-shaped loops. At the bottom of each loop rested a different colored crystal, one for each eco color. There were other embellishments, but Jak was more interested in how the purple crystal seemed to be glowing slightly when his hand was near it.

"Oh really? Where you from? Kras City? Aeropa? The Icelands?"

Jak shook his head at all the unfamiliar names. "Sandover."

"Doesn't ring a bell," said the shopkeeper, rubbing his chin.

"Small coastal town," said Jak, crossing his arms. "But no one seems to know where it is."

"If it's a small town, I'm not surprised. Cartographers are in short supply these days. Maps with small towns get outdated incredibly quickly as Metal Heads wipe them out. But I'm sure yours is fine," he hastily added, seeing the dark look on Jak's face. "What brought you to Haven? And how did you get to Haven? The Baron's forbidden travel between cities on account of the war."

"I doubt you'd believe me if I told you," said Jak with a chuckle.

The shopkeeper's eyes twinkled. "Sounds like you've got a story. Tell me, and I'll decide whether or not I believe it."

He mulled it over for a bit before saying, "Two years ago, I traveled through a Precursor artifact. It created a portal that my friends and I were sucked into. When I fell out of it, I found myself in Haven and became a guest of the 'good' Baron Praxis."

The old man's eyes widened, and he rubbed his chin again. "That's… quite a story, young man. One that'd be hard to believe without proof."

"So you don't believe me."

"Now, I never said that," said the shopkeeper with a wry smile. He gestured at the jewelry. "Whenever I get a piece of Precursor metal scrap, I research it to make sure I'm not destroying something important. In my studies, I've heard theories the Precursors didn't disappear. They merely moved to another world. So it's completely possible you're from another world," he said thoughtfully. "Bit unfortunate that Haven was your stop though."

"Yeah. It's been a rough ride," muttered Jak, clutching his chest.

The shopkeeper gave him a sympathetic look. "Haven is a hard place to get used to. Gods and Precursors know I had a rough time of it. But that's enough chatting. You've amused an old man for long enough. I saw you had your eye on this piece?"

He held up the necklace Jak had been looking at earlier.

"You have a good eye. I made this myself, a long time ago before we all came to Haven. The crystals come from the Jagged Peaks, where my people came from originally."

"What's so special about them?" asked Jak, although he had his suspicions.

The shopkeeper chuckled. "Watch."

He held it up next to his eyes. The yellow tattoo around his eyes began to glow, and in sync, the yellow crystal on the necklace started to glow. Jak's eyes widened, and he looked at the shopkeeper.

"They react to eco!"

"Correct!" said the shopkeeper, a pleased smile on his face. He set the necklace back on its display and tapped his chin. "Normally, I'd ask for ten thousand, but it's not everyday I meet an otherworldly traveler. In exchange for your story, I'll cut the price in half."

Jak gave it a regretful look. It was at this time, he wished he had pushed Krew to give him a cut of anything he got from racing. "I appreciate it, but I don't have much money. All I have is this." He pulled out the Precursor orb he won from the Gun Course and offered it to the shopkeeper.

"Ah." The shopkeeper hesitated as he took it. Rolling it over in his hands, he seemed to decide on something. He tucked it under the table and pulled out a box. He carefully laid the necklace inside. "I'll take the Precursor orb as a down payment. 'Course, I'll still need about four thousand credits, but I'll give you a couple months to get me the credits or find me something interesting. What's your name?"

Jak cleared his throat, taken aback by the shopkeeper's kindness. "Uh, thank you. I'm Jak."

The shopkeeper scribbled something on a piece of paper and taped it to the box. He ripped off half of the paper and handed it to Jak, tucking the box back under the table.

"Thank you for entertaining an old man," he said with a smile. "If you change your mind about the necklace, let me know. I'll either give you your orb back or trade you for something of its value. Sound fair?"

"Sounds fair," said Jak, tucking the paper in a pocket. He turned to leave, but paused. "Thanks again. Uh, what was your name?"

"Ruven. Ruven the jewelsmith," he said, dipping his head to Jak. "It was wonderful to talk."

Lifting his hand in goodbye, Jak left, letting other people filter in behind him. He wandered around the bazaar for a few more minutes, before deciding to head to Hestia's coffee shop.

It was just as busy as last time. Grimacing, he looked around and didn't see Karin. However, he did see a small table open up as people left. He made a beeline for it, claiming it before anyone else could. It wasn't long before someone came to his table, placing the menu on the table. To his surprise, Hestia herself held a datapad and pen, her sleeves rolled up and hair tied in a bun. Dio was draped around her shoulders, lazily chittering away. As he saw Jak though, he got up, chittering excitedly, and leaned toward Jak.

Jak chuckled and held out a finger for Dio to sniff. "Hello, Dio. It's nice to see you too."

Dio rubbed his face against Jak's finger before curling around Hestia's neck, purring.

"Aye, 'course you'd remember him," muttered Hestia, shaking her head at her muse. "Mornin' Jak. Looks like ya got your own weapon." She gestured at the Morph Gun, frowning slightly. "Don't know why you're here."

"Uh, yeah," he said awkwardly, remembering the deal Karin made with her. He tucked the Morph Gun out of sight. "I got it from Krew for a job of his."

She tsked, distaste for the man clear on her face. "Hmph. I assume Karin also got something from him?"

He gauged her expression, hesitant to throw Karin under the bus. Hestia didn't seem too angry. Slowly, he said, "No. Karin got a Morph Staff from a Wastelander, Sig." Her eyebrows shot up at the name, and he quickly said, "You know him?"

"He's an old friend," she said, fondly looking into the distance. "But Karin has a Morph Staff? Good to know my requests to Krew won't be completely useless." She snorted at his expression. "Lots of my work requires materials only he can get. If ya workin' for him, you'll probably be gathering materials for me too."

Her face became concerned. "Be careful working for Krew, lad. He has a way of getting ya to do things ya wouldn't normally do. Just another way he tries to get ya under his thumb."

"I appreciate the warning, but I can handle Krew," he said, leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head.

Hestia gave him a doubtful look before she said, "If ya say so, lad. So, if you're not here for weapons and not here to say hello, I assume you're here for breakfast?"

He nodded, gesturing at the empty seat. "Just waiting for Karin."

"I'll start ya off with a cup of coffee then," she said, walking off. She returned with a cup of coffee, sugar packets, and creamer, placing it in front of him. "Give me a holler when you're ready."

She left him to peruse the menu. As Jak looked for something to eat, adjusting the coffee to his taste, a shadow fell over him. Karin stood over him, a smile on her face. She set her Morph Staff down and sat across from him.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to avoid my father," she said breathlessly. "I could see him holding another report."

Jak chuckled. "I'm sure it was an exciting one," he said, skimming over the menu.

"If it was an exciting one and my brother gets it, I'm going to be upset with you."

He decided on an omelet. As Hestia came back, she gave the two of them an odd look, not even lecturing Karin. She just took their orders with a raised eyebrow and left them alone, Dio chittering away.

"So, what do you do for fun?" he said, leaning forward.

"Well, sometimes I go to the library and do research… What? Haven's history is fascinating!" she said defensively as Jak started to laugh at her. "Despite Haven being the first place Metal Heads attacked, the ancient King Mar managed to create something that became this!" She gestured to the shield wall and the buildings around them. "It's amazing what he was able to do."

As Jak looked around, he let himself forget about the Baron, Erol, Eve. He saw people talking, chatting, laughing. There was a beauty to the sounds of people just existing, unbothered by the threat of the Metal Heads.

"I… never thought of it that way," he said slowly. "But what about you? Where did you come from?"

Her face and ears turned slightly pink.

"Actually… I've lived most of my life in Haven. We left the Jagged Peaks when I was five." Tracing her tattoo, she looked off into the distance. "But I remember it being warm in the spring, and snowy in the winter. The city was carved into the mountain, and in blizzards, it was the only source of color for miles around." She chuckled softly. "Can't say I miss the cold. What about Sandover?"

"It was warm, very peaceful. You did have to look out for the Lurker shark though."

"Lurker shark?"

He chuckled. "It was a huge fish, bigger than me." He widened his hands, showing the size of it, and grinned at her eyes. "Dax and I had to become very good swimmers very fast."

"And of course, you had coconuts," she said, grinning.

"Of course."

Jak told her about his and Daxter's misadventures, the times Samos yelled at them. She laughed so hard when he told her about the incident with the Wumpbee nest.

"You did what?" she said, gasping for air in between laughs. "How old were you?"

"I was nine."

They were laughing so hard, he didn't even notice Hestia had brought them their food. But when they both noticed, all conversation stopped as they devoured their food, starving from their match earlier. Jak slowed down just enough to appreciate Hestia's cooking. She had mixed everything to perfection. The egg was light and fluffy, and the vegetables were tender. It was surprising how good of a cook a blacksmith could be.

They finished and cleared their plates away, leaving their spot open. They both lifted their hand in farewell to Hestia, and started to walk toward the District gate.

"Right, so a tour of Haven?" she said, as they walked out the gate. She rubbed her chin, thinking hard. "You've already seen the Gun Course, the Stadium… There's a few bars in the Port, but they won't let me in. The Gardens were my favorite place to go, but we don't have a security pass for them." Groaning in frustration, she gave Jak an embarrassed look. "The only place I can think of going is to Main Town's library. If it's even still open."

He grinned at her and gestured to a parked zoomer. "Lead the way."

"Don't tell Daxter about this," she muttered. "I'll never hear the end of it."

He flashed a smile in response. Karin groaned as she hopped in the driver's seat and he hopped in the passenger seat. She took him to Main Town, stopping in front of a tall building that reached high into the sky.

Inside the library was just as impressive. Tall, stained glass windows let the light in, casting rainbows across the bookshelves and people browsing the shelves. Speaking of bookshelves, there were hundreds of them, and that was only on the first floor. From what Jak could see on the ground, there were four floors, all connected by a spiral staircase. Every floor had just as many shelves. There weren't just books. There were also glass display cases holding what looked like Precursor artifacts scattered around.

"This is… the library?" he said in awe, stepping forward. The only library in Sandover was in Samos's hut, but it was really just his handwritten notes on Green eco. Not the most exciting thing to read. This was… incredible.

"Let me show you my favorite section," said Karin, eyes shining.

She took his hand and pulled him through the library. Up and up the stairs they went, stopping at the top floor. He glanced around at the titles of the books and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Taxation? Really?"

Rolling her eyes, she pushed him to the edge of the railing, and gestured at the view.

From the fourth floor, he could see all the people browsing, illuminated by the light from the stained glass windows. The thousands and thousands of book spines created another rainbow, spread out across the whole building.

"Wow…" he said, leaning against the railing.

"Yeah," said Karin, taking a spot beside him. "It's still impressive, even if there are gaps now."

She pointed, and he could see large gaps in the shelves, dark areas only barely touched by the light.

"That was rhetoric. Over there was the history of Haven's royalty. And that section… was Ecolite history. We donated many of our books to Haven's library… I remember my mother and father doing the dedication… Gods, so much is gone."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

"We'll get it back. Don't worry," said Jak, determination in his eyes. He leaned in close to her, lowering his voice. "We'll make the Baron pay for what he's done."

Chuckling softly, she rested her head against his shoulder. "We'll make him regret ever wanting to rule."

As she intertwined her fingers with his, he felt his face and the tips of his ears flush. His heart pounded, wanting to escape from his ribcage. The Dark eco moved, but it didn't… move like it did when he was angry, like the ocean in a storm. It felt… warm. Like an inner sun spreading through his whole body.

"It's a promise," he said softly.