Grr, I have to write people eating food again. Why do I put myself through such hardships?

Chapter 53: Sagely Advice

Jak groaned when something pushed at his arm, as he wondered what could possibly be so urgent as to warrant waking him now that the war had ended. "Go away, Dax," he said, rolling onto his side in an effort to put his back to the one currently pestering him.

"Come on, sleepyhead! Get up! It's dinner time!"

Dinner? Already? And why was Daxter's voice distinctly feminine today?

"You don't need to wake him," he heard Keira say. "I just thought he'd be awake by now."

Jak forced his eyes open, squinting in the light, and looked back to find Tess standing on the couch behind him, her attention directed towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, but how is he gonna eat if he's sleeping?"

"I could've saved some for him later. Just leave…" Keira's face appeared above him as she stopped behind the couch, and her eyes grew wide as they took notice of someone she had believed, until just now, had still been fast asleep. "Oh, hi, Jak. You are awake already."

He blinked at her. "Yeah." He heard a soft thump from behind him as Tess dropped to the floor, her descent not creating quite as much of a racket as when Daxter did it.

"Sorry about that," Keira continued, twisting a dish towel between both hands, "We were thinking it would be nice to have a celebration dinner, but I kind of started it a little earlier than I planned on," her gaze focused on something behind him, her expression turning stern, "because someone was complaining."

Jak looked back to find Daxter sitting on the table, Tess having already joined him. "What? I was hungry. I was real busy last night." The ottsel stretched his arms over his head. "You know, with saving the world and everything."

Tess hugged him, nuzzling his cheek with her nose. "You sure were something, Daxie! I didn't doubt you for a second!"

"No one did, babe. I'm Orange Lightning." Daxter directed a big toothy grin at Jak as Tess smooched him on the cheek. "And what gives, Jak? You're always up before me."

Jak sat up, unable to suppress a yawn. He already could use another nap. Saving the world was exhausting. "I guess I must have been just a little busier than you were last night."

Daxter snorted. "Not likely. I mean, did you see how I…"

Jak coughed, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well, I, uh…you know me, I don't like to brag. I'm sure whatever it was you did last night, Jak, you did it real good."

Tess giggled. "You're so humble, Daxie."

"I know. I'm pretty much the humblest ottsel in the world."

Jak rolled his eyes and stood, his balance a bit unsteady after a late night, and he turned to find Keira heading back towards the kitchen. This would be the first dinner he's had since his dark side's gone away, come to think of it, not to mention the first in a long time where he could simply enjoy the company of his friends without having countless worries to distract him.

He took a deep inhalation of breath, the air smelling of meat and seasoning, simple, but such things were usually the most comforting of all. And maybe he was a fool to think at this moment that there wouldn't ever be another war, to feel that such strife wouldn't come to shatter their lives again in the future, but whatever happened, he, at least, had learned by now that such peace had to be enjoyed while it lasted. And he could only hope that this one would be with them for a long time.

Samos arrived from his room not long later and dinner began, a more hearty meal than usual, consisting of an entire leaper lizard roast, along with a side of some kind of mashed desert yam, and Jak found himself with much more of an appetite than he had had in a long time, taking big mouthfuls of meat, which also brought with it the added advantage of allowing him to escape any more questioning from Tess.

While her earlier demeanor seemed to indicate she had forgotten last night's conversation, quite the opposite was shown to be true once dinner began, as she tried once again to find out exactly why Jak had done what he had. With a full mouth, he was exempt from making any comments on the matter, leaving Samos to tell her there would be no such discussion until after dinner, though the Green Sage was unable to fully prevent any of Daxter's dramatic reenactments, with the emphasis on dramatic, on the stopping of the bomb, stories that included far more involvement on the ottsel's part than Jak remembered.

The Sage's efforts to silence Daxter, however, were no longer needed once dinner ended and dessert began, which involved some kind of cactus fruit candy, something quite unlike Jak had ever tasted before, but whether it was because of the sweet and tangy flavor or the comfort of their current situation, it was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten.

Once dinner had ended, he was able to put off the rest of his explaining for even longer as he helped Keira with the dishes, and it was now that he began to really think about the decisions he had made last night, which also meant that the doubts were able to creep back in again, as he hoped that he had not just put Spargus in further danger by not killing the one responsible for all their troubles. Common sense told him he had made a mistake, that the Dark Sage had to be killed, that that was the only way to keep those he cared about safe. And then there was another corner of his mind that said otherwise, that told him he had done the right thing somehow, even if he didn't understand it, and he couldn't shake the feeling that this corner of his mind was where Light Jak had recently returned to. And something also told him that he shouldn't, couldn't, ignore the urgings of his light side. He'd just have to figure out how to explain that to everyone else.

Once he had finished cleaning the dishes as best as he knew how, leaving Keira to do a few things over again that he had failed to do properly, he continued to linger in the kitchen, even if he was probably just getting in her way more than anything else at this point. In the living room, Samos was left to do some quiet thinking once Daxter stopped harassing the Sage for sitting in "his" chair, the necessary persuasion to get the ottsel to leave him alone coming in the form of a whack to the head with the Green Sage's cane. After that, Daxter settled for chatting with Tess from where the two of them sat on one of the couch armrests, the one farthest from Samos, though Jak could swear Tess kept giving him less-than-friendly glances every time he looked over.

These glances he could largely avoid while he remained by Keira's side, but once her work was done, he had no choice but to follow her to the living room, where she sat on the couch beside the ottsels, Tess's gaze following Jak the whole way over. He stopped nearby, and the ottsels grew quiet, Samos taking a break in his thinking to look up.

Jak sat down beside Keira, and though he tried to keep his gaze directed at the table before him, he couldn't help but feel that everyone's attention was now upon him, though frankly, it very well may have been all afternoon, and this was just the first time the Green Sage had allowed them to be so obvious about it.

He looked over as Samos cleared his throat. "So, Jak, my boy, I believe there is still a rather big question left unanswered from last night. Not to mention the fact that you seem to have something on your mind, as well."

Jak forced himself to lean back in his seat, feigning relaxation, and looked over at Keira, who was watching him with an unreadable expression, though this also caused him to take notice once again of Tess, her expression not so hard to read.

His eyes darted away, settling on a spot in between everyone that was safer to focus on, before he began, "Well, I guess you all probably want to know why I spared Gol."

"Yeah, and why didn't—" Tess began, crossing her arms, but her words were interrupted, thanks to Keira.

"Just let him talk, okay?" Keira turned back to him. "Go on, Jak. We're listening."

He took a deep breath, finding explaining something you yourself didn't understand to be a rather difficult thing to find the words for. All he could really do was start. "Well, I know I was planning on finishing him off, but…well, there was this…look, I don't know exactly why I did what I did, either. I just know that, when I was Light Jak, it just didn't feel right. He might be evil, I mean, he is evil, but… If Light Eco could help me, would it be possible for it to help him, as well?"

Jak looked from side to side, between Keira and Samos, the Green Sage being the first to speak up. "It may indeed be possible, though it would likely be difficult considering that Gol's been affected by Dark Eco far longer than you were, Jak," Samos said, stroking his beard in thought.

"So, is it pointless?"

The Green Sage shook his head. "Far from it. I certainly can't say what may come of it, but I believe it's worth a try."

Jak turned to Keira. "Do you think you can do it?"

She sat up straighter, eyes going wide. "Me? Jak, I'm not so sure…."

"I can only channel Light Eco while I'm under my light side's influence, but now that you're the Light Eco Sage…"

Keira gave a quiet laugh, and her eyes dropped to her lap as she fidgeted with her hands. "Oh, I don't know about that. I-I still don't think I'm a Sage yet, let alone—"

"We were just over this, Keira. You are a full-fledged Sage now," Samos said. With a grin, he added, "I would know more than anyone."

Her eyes rose to rest on those of her father's, as if they held the last thing she needed to dispel any remaining doubts about Jak's request. "Well, I'm just a new Sage, then, and…" A smile spread across her face, and her attention landed, this time, on Jak. "If you want me to do this, Jak, I'll try my best." She gave a soft laugh. "At the very least, I guess I will need all the practice channeling Light Eco that I can get."

"Thanks, Keira."

Daxter shook his head. "I still don't get it."

"And you don't need to," Samos said.

With the conversation he had been dreading all evening finally over, Jak risked one more glance in Tess's direction, his gaze retreating from her when he found her scowl to be as strong as ever. He had done what he had felt was right at the time, and that was not really something he should have to feel guilty over. It wouldn't help him any, at least. And he was sure Kass would be happy about the decision he had made, even if he still didn't know what her deal was.

Now that Jak's reasoning for what he had done had been addressed about as much as it ever would be, they all grew quiet, until Daxter broke the silence not long later, to ask for a show of hands to best count how many here thought they were done for when the bomb appeared. And from there, the focus of their conversation switched from one topic to another, with the majority of the input coming from the ottsels, Tess's earlier mood as if it had never been, and eventually they began to talk about normal, everyday things, about such things as what they had done that day (most of which took place while Jak was sleeping) and where Keira had gotten her recipes for today's meal, and even when their focus shifted back to a topic related to the war, it was only to discuss what they planned to do now that it was over. And Jak couldn't stop a smile from returning to his face, as he realized how things were finally beginning to feel normal again, like they were all living ordinary lives again, and soon they should be.

And right now, as they talked about nothing but carefree things, he almost felt like he was back in Sandover, in a way, even if the location was different and there was an extra person that they hadn't known back then. But, despite such changes, the feel was not much different, and he was almost able to forget that the war had ever happened, though he knew he could never forget about the losses they had suffered, because it would be wrong to do so. And it was at this moment that he realized that they had finally reached a time of peace again, a time without worry, and he could hardly believe it was really here, as it was something he had been hoping for ever since the war began.

Time slipped by, the day fading to evening and then to night, and the conversations died down, Samos the first to step away to his room, Daxter already fast asleep on the couch where he had landed after falling off the armrest. And then Tess left for her shared room with Keira, leaving just the two of them, Keira and him, on the couch.

Seeing the room growing empty, she stood, looking tired, but a regular kind of tired, and she looked down at him, a soft smile touching her lips. "Well, I guess I better get to bed."

He stood, as well. "You're okay with what I did, right? Letting Gol live, I mean. It's just—"

She put a finger to his mouth. "Jak, it's fine," she said and removed her hand. "I trust your judgment. And killing someone isn't always the answer. I think you've been fighting for so long, you've forgotten that."

He gave a quiet laugh. "Yeah, maybe I have." But, then his expression changed to one more serious as he continued, "I don't even know why I did what I did. There was just…this woman…named Kass. She asked me to spare him. And I just can't even begin to wrap my head around why anyone would ask for such a thing, but…" His earlier smile returned. "Maybe I'm just thinking too much into it."

Keira laughed, and if this quandary baffled her as much as it did him, she didn't show it. "I think you are, too." She stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. "Get some rest, okay? Even though you slept all day, you still must be at least a little tired from saving the world last night."

"Just a little."

With one final laugh, she brushed past him, and he turned as she went by. "And you're sure you're fine with trying to help Gol, right? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to."

She stopped, turning halfway to look back at him. "Jak, of course, I'm fine with it."

"Because, he is dangerous, and…"

"I know that, but…if I'm going to be a Light Eco Sage…I mean, if I'm going to be a good Light Eco Sage, I can't turn down something like this, now can I?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm not a Sage."

"Well, you really should be. You've been channeling Eco for longer than I have."

He shrugged. "I don't think it would be my thing."

She gave a sly smile. "No, you're probably right."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Keira laughed. "Jak, I'm going to bed now. Good night."

"Night."

The conversation finally at an end, she continued on her way, and he turned back to the couch, finding Daxter to still be fast asleep in the corner. Contemplating whether or not moving him was worth the risk, though sharing the couch with the ottsel was not really a good option, either, he looked about the room, searching for some solution to his predicament, just now taking note of how quiet the place was, how tranquil. He had spent a decent amount of time here, but he had never really given it a good look. Or maybe he had, but it just looked different now that he could focus on what lay about him instead of worrying over what the next morning would bring. It was a plain, simple place, but it was someone's home. He had one, too, back in Haven City, and now that the war was over, maybe he'd be able to rid the city of the Dark Eco that plagued it. Maybe, if Light Jak had been able to stop the bomb and the one who had built it, his light side would also be the answer to Haven City's problems, as well. He wouldn't have believed it just days ago, but maybe things really could go back to normal again. He frowned. As normal as they could be when people you cared about were gone. Even Light Eco could do nothing about that.

Deciding it would be for the best if Daxter was left alone, as the ottsel never took kindly to being woken up, Jak turned off the lamp and brought his blankets over to the chair his friend normally occupied. He sat down, a streak of light now catching his attention in the darkness. It seemed that Samos was still up.

Jak returned to his feet and dropped the blankets onto the chair, before heading for the door to the Green Sage's room. While he had done his best to explain his decision concerning the Dark Sage to his friends, nothing he had said had been able to ease the doubts that still occupied his own mind, and if anyone could shed some light on the uncertainty he still felt over what his light side had made him do, it would be Samos.

He rapped on the door with the knuckles of one hand, and when Samos bid him to come in, he poked his head into the room to find the Green Sage sitting in a chair, the lamp on the table beside him illuminating the pages of a book he held open before him.

The Sage looked up, straightening glasses that threatened to slide down his nose. "Oh, Jak, my boy, come in. Do you need something?"

Jak stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "I just…had a few more questions."

Samos nodded. "Then, you came to the right person. Have a seat," he said, indicating an additional chair in the corner.

Jak moved the chair closer to the other man and sat down as the Sage snapped the book shut with one hand and set it on the table beside him. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Well, it's about Gol…" Jak began, slumped forward as he stared at the floor, with his elbows resting on his legs and his hands clasped together. "Even though you say it may be possible to help him, I've still been wondering…is it actually worth it?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Jak looked up. "Because…because he's evil. Is it even worth trying to save someone like that? Did I make a mistake?"

"Jak," the Green Sage laced his fingers together, eyes half-lidded, taking on as sagely of an appearance as any Sage could, "I think there is one very important thing that you are forgetting."

Jak blinked at the man across from him.

"I just happen to be of the mindset, believe it or not," the Sage continued, "that everyone is worth saving. Gol and his sister were fools to allow the Dark Eco to corrupt them, especially after I warned them countless times that this very thing would happen. Nevertheless, just because they ignored my advice, that doesn't mean no one should try to help them if given the chance." Under his breath, he added, "If that were the case, there wouldn't be hope for anyone."

"But, the Dark Eco's not completely to blame for everything they did. They still knew what they were doing, didn't they? They still should be punished for—"

"Maia's already been punished as much as she possibly can be, and I'm sure Gol's come pretty close."

Jak grew silent and sat up straighter as his hands went to his lap. It wasn't that simple, though. What about Haven City? What about Torn? He opened his mouth, but Samos spoke over him.

"Technically speaking, Gol and Maia are at fault for everything they did, but only because the Dark Eco warped their personalities, and while a bit more commonsense, not to mention the willingness to listen to advice from their elders, could have prevented such a thing, I suppose they are at much at fault for the decisions they made after they went insane as Daxter is to blame for being short and shedding just a bit too much. You do remember when I warned you and Daxter not to go to Misty Island, don't you? You two didn't listen to me, either, and look where it got you."

"Yes, Samos, I know."

"And don't you roll your eyes at me like that!"

"I didn't!"

"No, but you were thinking about it!" Samos paused to clear his throat. "As I was saying, I don't know if Light Eco could help Gol or not. He's been under its influence for so long, it's quite possible it would simply kill him rather than return him to normal. But, it's worth a try. It helped you when you needed it, and your situations were not really so different."

Jak winced. "I really don't think our problems were that similar. I didn't become corrupted by Dark Eco on purpose. He actually chose to study it."

"And he can't be blamed for his curiosity, even if his way of going about it was foolhardy. Maybe the ways in which you both became influenced by Dark Eco were different, but your situations were more similar than you think. In the end, you both were made to do things you wouldn't have done otherwise, except in your case, you were healed, and he hasn't been yet."

"Well, it's still not quite the same thing. The Dark Eco didn't entirely change who I was. I was still myself most of the time."

Samos sighed. "And that's the problem."

"Hmm?"

"I knew Gol and Maia before the Dark Eco changed them, and they were very different people back then. Stubborn and reckless, and they didn't feel they needed to take advice from others, but they certainly weren't evil." Samos grinned. "Sound like anyone else you know?"

"Very funny."

"But, they were no worse than anyone else. Maia was friendly and kind; I know, it's hard to believe, and Gol, while being the more reserved of the two, actually tried to help others with his knowledge of Dark Eco. He was able to heal many who were injured by the stuff, the only one I had ever heard about able to do so. It's a shame things had to go the way they did."

Jak frowned. "But, if they were good once, why did they let the Dark Eco change them so much? Why did they even allow that to happen in the first place?"

"People don't allow themselves to be corrupted, Jak, it just happens. And by the time the changes become too severe, it's usually too late to do anything about it." The Sage's voice grew softer. "Jak, I'm proud of you for sparing Gol's life, even if it may have gone against your better judgment. It's too late for Maia, but maybe it's not too late for him. Keira will just have to do what she can, and we'll see what comes of it."

Jak nodded, though it was more in submission than in actual agreement. "Yeah, I guess so."

They grew silent, and Jak went over Samos's words in his mind, though he couldn't say if it changed how he felt about the Dark Sage, as it wasn't easy to forget the crimes of someone who had caused as much devastation and suffering as Gol and his sister had, whether it was all truly their fault or not. The original Gol that Samos had once known was long gone, dead, for all they knew. If that Gol never came back, then what? And even if he did, it wouldn't change what had happened. Even if Dark Eco had made him do things he wouldn't have normally, the things he had done were still unforgivable.

Jak looked up from his thoughts when the Green Sage stood, rubbing his back. "Well, unless you have any other questions, I'm going to bed."

Jak rose to his feet, as well, as Samos shuffled towards his bed, showing his age at this late hour.

"Thanks, Samos."

"You just remember what I said and don't be so quick to jump to conclusions," the Green Sage said, shaking a finger at him. "You were in a very similar circumstance yourself not so long ago."

Jak nodded and bid the Sage good night, returning back to the living room, completely black now that his eyes had become used to the light of Samos's room. He felt along as his vision adjusted, eventually grasping what he was pretty sure was the chair. He sat down, jolting to his feet again when the seat didn't feel quite the same as he remembered, as a yell split the air.

"Hey, whaddya think you're doin'?"

Jak's knee hit the edge of the table nearby as he staggered about in his search for the lamp that almost fell off the table he had bumped into, gasping in pain as he turned the lights back on to illuminate a rather peeved ottsel that was right where his back end had just been.

"I'm sorry, I thought—"

Daxter jumped to his feet. "You thought you could squish an ottsel, that's what! And with your big, bulky butt, of all things! I'm shocked at you!"

"It was an accident! Really! I thought you were still on the—"

The ottsel squinted at him. "That's what they all say, Jak."

They both looked over as the door to Samos's room opened, the Green Sage glowering out at them. "Would you keep it down! Not everyone's as impressed with your nonsense as you two are!"

They stared at the Sage until he disappeared from sight, and then Daxter started up again in a near-whisper. "I bet that was your plan all along."

"Yep, you caught me."

The ottsel plopped back down into a sitting position. "You can't get nothin' past Orange Lightning. You remember that, Jak. I'm onto you," Daxter said, wagging a finger at him.

"I don't even know what you're talking about at this point. And these," Jak grabbed the corner of the blankets currently tucked under his friend, "are mine."

Daxter jumped up again with a squeal as Jak tugged his blankets out from under him, the two friends glancing once more in the direction of Samos's room to make sure that the old Sage wouldn't emerge again. Once it was confirmed that the Sage wasn't going to reappear, Daxter's attention shot back over to his friend. "Hey, what's the deal?"

"You see," Jak said, moving to sit on the couch, "this was all an elaborate scheme to get my blankets back."

"I knew it."

"Go to sleep, Dax," Jak said, lying down as he turned off the lamp.

"I don't know if I can now. I'm just too upset."

"Then, don't."

"Hey, you can't tell me what to do! I'm goin' to sleep, Jak, and there ain't nothin' you can do to stop me!"

Jak chuckled to himself, and it wasn't long before sleep met him, rest coming easier than it had in a long time, now that there were no longer any worries, not really, to keep it from him.

That was quite a lot of Samos dialogue today. The cantankerous, old Sage is quite fun to write for. Daxter was pretty fun at the end, too, but isn't he always? Please review.