The next morning, I woke up right as the sun seemed to be peeking over the horizon. Whether this was because I went to bed so early, or because Keira was normally an early riser, I couldn't be sure. But I knew one thing, back in my old life, I wouldn't be caught dead being awake at this hour! However, my head was now feeling much better, and not wanting to look a gift yakow in the mouth, I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to make a game plan for how I was going to deal with the situation placed before me.
I rose and stood in front of Keira's bedroom mirror to get a look at what I had to work with. The normal first step to starting a game would be character creation. However, in this case, it looked like I was getting stuck with the default design to begin.
Not the first time I'd played a game like that, but usually you'd get the opportunity to customize as you progressed the story. And as the girl in the mirror peered back at me, I decided that she needed some serious work, starting with the outfit. Suspenders were extremely lame, and I was not at all comfortable with how much bare midriff was currently visible!
As I dug through the drawers of the conveniently located dresser, I began to realize that this felt a lot like an Isekai anime. Only, in those, the main characters got to replace their player character. I don't remember ever seeing one where an already existing character got replaced like this. Also, normally in those shows, they got to come into the world with a host of powers and abilities that they'd unlocked, to the point where they'd end up being OP AF!
I, on the other hand, seemed to have not been so lucky. I mean, what could Keira really do? What skills did she have? She was – a mechanic. That's pretty much the only skill I remember the games giving her.
Well, that didn't mean that I couldn't try and learn some new things while I was here. Seeing how, if someone as silly as Ottsel form Daxter could be helpful to Jak, surely there was more that I could do to be useful. It is what I'd been boasting about earlier, after all.
Speaking of which, I was a little surprised to see that Daxter was still in his elf-eared, human form. Did that mean that I'd been brought here before the start of the first game? Both boys looked pretty much like they had in the opening cut scene. Maybe that meant that the events of the game would be starting soon? Guess I was just going to have to wait and see.
Throughout my rummaging, I managed to find a tunic top that was the same shade of purple as the Capri's I was currently wearing. It had a black and cream, lacy band around the middle, with capped sleeves and a matching texture along the bottom, making it look like something you'd see at a Renaissance fair.
Oh my gosh! This is so cute! Why doesn't she ever wear this? I had to wonder.
Maybe it was some sort of scrapped, alternate outfit that the designers decided against. Although, I quickly realized that I really didn't need to ask why they ultimately decided on the skimpier clothing option for Keira. At the end of the day, I needed to remember that the targeted age demographic for this game, was teenage boys!
Well, they weren't the ones calling the shots anymore! I was! And while I decided that I didn't actually mind the breeches so much, the suspenders absolutely had to go! I quickly removed them and slipped on the form fitting, but much more modest top. It was an instant improvement!
I spun in front of the mirror a few times, admiring how well it matched the rest of the outfit, before I redirected my attention to the hair. What even was this hairstyle? It looked like some kind of badly cropped mullet! Too long in the front, but not quite long enough in the back, it made me really hope that the character's hair would grow over time. Jak's seemed to, anyway.
In the meantime, I removed the bandage, and managed to locate a pair of scissors that I used to give myself more distinguishable bangs, which I promptly pulled down over my brow line. Now they hung just below the eyes, slightly obscuring my vision, but helping to hide all that glaring forehead. It felt like a forehead that could rival Sakura's!
I also pulled out whatever magically seemed to be holding the rest of the hair back, fluffing it up to give it a bit more body around my face and neck. Better, but I still thought that it would look much prettier long, especially with this crazy coloration.
Like mermaid hair, I decided excitedly. In the meantime, this seemed to be about the best I could do, all things considered.
With the 'getting ready' portion of my day accomplished, I then decided that the next order of business was to figure out where exactly I was in the timeline. What sequence of events needed to happen in order to get things started? I was about to head out of the bedroom, when there was a sudden knock on my windowsill.
I flipped around with a bit of a jolt to find Jak leaning against it, looking smug. I realized I really shouldn't have been surprised. Who else could it possibly be? There were like, only a handful of other people in this village! A moment later, and Daxter's rodent-like face popped up next to Jak.
"Hey, Keira! Ready to go?" he wondered anxiously.
"Go? Go where?" I wondered in utter confusion.
Both of their faces immediately fell, Jak looking extra disappointed. What was with that? It was hardly fair! I'd just sustained a rather significant head injury, that they seemed to be conveniently overlooking!
"We were gonna go to the beach to look for precursor stuff today. Don't you remem –" Daxter got about half-way through the word before cutting himself off. "Ah, oh. Oh yeah, uh – how's the head?" he asked sheepishly.
"Oh, right! How, uh, silly of me to forget," I attempted to exaggeratedly brush it off to spare their feelings. "My head feels much better. Thank you for asking, but – uh," I paused for a moment, glancing back at the bedroom door.
"Samo – I, I mean, my dad?" Boy that was really weird to say! "He kinda told me yesterday that he didn't want me hanging out with you guys anymore. So. . ." I trailed, and they waited expectantly to see how I was going to react to the statement. "We better get going before he wakes up!" I concluded, making a bee-line for the pane-less window.
The boys immediately broke out into huge grins at the mischievous behavior, Jak wasting no time in helping me up over the windowsill and out into the waiting village. I had my doubts that the old Keira would ever be this disobedient, but fortunately for them, they were now dealing with the new and improved version!
As we made our way out to Sentinel Beach, I couldn't help but feel giddy with anticipation. I was going on an adventure with the one and only Jak and Daxter duo! How crazy cool was that? Okay, well, maybe not so much an adventure at the moment, but even just walking along next to them had my stomach doing flip-flops!
"Man! After what you said, I didn't think you were gonna come with us! I'll bet old log-head's gonna be real peeved when he wakes up and you're not there!" Daxter told me with a laugh.
And yet, he did have a point. I needed to manufacture a believable excuse to tell Samos once he figured out where I was, but I would just have to cross that bridge when I came to it.
I turned to see Jak fixing me with a quizzical eye. Once my attention was on him, he began motioning towards his hair before pointing at me. Daxter picked up on the unspoken message real quick.
"Yeah, good question. You do something different with your hair?" he wondered for them both.
"Uh, yeah. I just, kinda felt like going for a new look this morning. Do you like it?" I tried to ask casually, but the truth was, I was actually feeling rather nervous on how they would answer.
What if Jak was somehow partial to that ugly style she had before? To my immense relief, he smiled at me and nodded.
"Meh, it looked fine before too. I just thought you didn't like it in your face, because it'd get in the way of your work," Daxter mentioned.
Well that certainly sounded like Keira, ever practical.
"I can still pin it back when I'm working. Sometimes a girl just wants to feel pretty, ya know?" I offered, but was immediately met with confused, skeptical looks. Guess that wasn't a normal 'Keira' thing to say, either!
"Since when?" Daxter questioned dubiously.
"Since, today, I guess?" I replied lamely.
The boys just glanced at each other for a moment, before Daxter's expression shifted into a mischievous smirk and he sidled up to me.
"Well, if that's the case, I can make you feel pretty, baby," he attempted to flirt.
I simply rolled my eyes and groaned before promptly shoving him away from me. He stumbled a bit before landing on his bum in the sand, and Jak silently laughed at his crash and burn as we continued walking. At least that was one thing Keira and I had in common, neither of us were real fond of Daxter's cheesy pick-up lines!
"Hey! Wait for me!" he called out, scrambling to his feet to hurry and catch up.
After several minutes of scanning the coastline, Jak managed to spot something metallic-looking poking up out of the sand. He hurried over and pulled it out, brushing it off before bringing it back to me. He handed it over with a big grin. I hesitantly took it, studying the piece.
It looked like a part of a broken gear. It was all rusted and had a few strange symbols scrawled across it. Is this really the kinds of things we were trying to find? It looked like garbage.
"Uh, thanks? I'm not – really sure what I'm supposed to do with this, though," I voiced my concern as delicately as possible.
Jak stared back at me with utter bewilderment written across his face. What did that mean? Was Keira normally able to use stuff like this for something?
"What?! What are you talking about? You usually go nuts for stuff like this when we manage to find it," Daxter protested, as he shifted his gaze back and forth between me and the broken precursor piece in my hand.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he wondered, his voice now tinged with actual concern.
Oh no. This wasn't going well at all! It was obvious I was acting way too differently from Keira, and they were starting to pick up on it. I wanted to shake my head and slap my face, tell myself to get it together, that I could do this. However, since that would look very strange in front of the others, I had to settle for a mental slapping. I'd played plenty of role assuming games before, I just had to remember that I was Keira now, except. . .
I was suddenly and painfully struck with the realization that, while I'd played these games plenty to know them backwards and forwards, I didn't really know all that much about Keira specifically. It was becoming rapidly apparent how little she actually appeared in the series! Especially in each subsequent sequel. How was I supposed to take on the role of someone I knew virtually nothing about?
At least in the Isekai animes, they'd come in with more of a blank slate, or take on the role of a character that they'd built themselves. I, on the other hand, was at a distinct disadvantage, taking on the mantle of a character that already had a backstory and set personality traits, but that had never been super fleshed out.
What did Keira do in her free time? How did she act in casual conversation? What had her day to day life been like up until this point? These were all questions I had no answers to.
Meanwhile, Jak and Daxter were both still waiting on a response from me. Guess I was just going to have to roll with it for now until I could come up with a better solution.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just, you know. . ." I trailed, frantically scrambling to come up with an excuse for the sudden change in behavior. I stared down at the pathetic part in my hand. "Finding old and broken pieces like this – it's getting kinda lame," I reasoned.
Keira might get excited over it, but I knew for certain that there was better stuff out there.
In fact, I felt my gaze wander over to the mist-shrouded island a ways across the sea, barely visible in the distance. Isn't that where all these things were washing up from? I realized.
The boys followed my searching eyes, spotting what I was staring at a moment later. And while Jak put a hand to his chin, seemingly considering the implications, Daxter immediately began to recoil.
"Wait. Wait!" he cried, putting his hands out and shaking his head as his eyes darted back and forth between us and the Island. "You're not actually thinking. . ." he trailed.
However, Jak turned back toward me with a grin, and thumbed over his shoulder in the direction of the island.
"Well, there'd definitely be precursor stuff over there that's better than this junk," I mused, chucking the gear bit over my shoulder.
Jak's eyes suddenly sparkled with an excited, wild luster, before he motioned for both of us to follow him. Daxter and I simply glanced at each other before giving chase.
Several minutes later, and I found myself gazing down at a very familiar looking pontoon boat. Jak wasted no time in hopping down into it, smiling and pointing at the island off on the horizon.
Wait a second, what was happening? Had I just – inadvertently triggered the opening events of the game?
"You, you wanna go to Misty Island? Right now?" I questioned.
Jak nodded.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Jak," Daxter warned hesitantly, but the other boy just rolled his eyes in response.
It was then that something occurred to me that I hadn't really thought of before.
"Isn't this the fisherman's boat?" I asked.
Jak gave me a knowing look and shrugged.
"Wouldn't be the first time we've 'borrowed' it," Daxter added slyly.
"Uh huh," I commented dubiously, before making a move to join Jak in the boat.
Only, he suddenly threw his hands up with surprise, halting me from climbing in.
"What?" I wondered in irritation.
"You wanna come too? Are you crazy? Your dad'll blow his top if he finds out! He's already gonna be mad enough when he figures out you've been hanging out with us. Plus, who knows what we're gonna find out there," Daxter tried to reason, but I wasn't having it.
I knew it wasn't cannon. Keira wasn't supposed to be there during the opening cut scene, but I didn't want to get left behind! Not to mention, I really didn't want to miss out on hearing one of my most favorite lines in person!
"Of course I'm coming too! No way am I letting you guys go on an adventure without me!" I protested, this time ignoring Jak as I took my place in the boat beside him.
"Are you sure? It could be really dangerous," Daxter continued in a more dramatic tone.
I humphed smugly, casually plopping down along the edge of the pontoon.
"Danger? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger!" I joked.
Jak raised a skeptical brow at me.
"Besides, there's nothing to worry about with Jak around," I added more seriously.
He considered me for a moment before shrugging again. I took this as a sign of his consent as he joined me in the bottom of the boat, reclining back along the bow. He glanced up at Daxter expectantly, who simply stared into the boat, nervously.
"Well, if you're so sure about it, then maybe you two can go together, and I'll just –" he stopped short and began slowly backing away.
At seeing this, I felt my heart start to quicken in a panic. Wait! No! What was happening? Why was he suddenly deciding not to come? I began to wonder if maybe I was already interfering too much. Daxter needed to be there! It was him turning into an Ottsel that kicked off the whole plot, after all! Without it – I didn't really want to consider the implications. I had to do something, and fast!
"What's the matter, Daxter? You chicken?" I taunted haughtily.
He flinched in response.
I felt kinda bad after saying it. I didn't usually enjoy being purposefully cruel. I just couldn't think of any other way to override his cowardice than to threaten his ego. And if I knew anything about Daxter, it's that he had a great, big ego!
It seemed to do the trick. His face contorted into a scowl and he marched back over towards the boat with determination.
"No way! I ain't scared!" he defended, trying to carefully climb in with us. "But just for the record, I'm only doing this to look out for you two, since Jak's so determined to look for precursor stuff for yo–" he didn't get a chance to finish before slipping off the dock in his failed attempt to make it into the boat.
Jak sat up in alarm at the sound of the splash. We both watched as Daxter's hand appeared over the side, gripping the boat and pulling himself back up. He spat out a considerable amount of water, smiling sheepishly.
Jak just rolled his eyes at the antics, offering a hand to help his friend into the boat, which he readily accepted. Only Jak struggled helping him up, and then both ended up falling back into the boat's bottom, laughing as they did so.
Just like in the game, I thought with a head shake.
I pulled the ropes off the boat that were keeping it tethered to the dock as Jak started the engine. A moment later, and we were on our way, I guess to look for precursor artifacts?
Come to think of it, the game didn't really go into much detail about why the boys decided to come out here in the first place. Did Jak have Keira in mind all along, or was he doing this for me because I happened to mention it?
More questions that had unattainable answers. Either way, the wind in my hair as we sped along the open water was exhilarating. I was feeling both nervous and excited at the thought of what I knew we were about to discover!
"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" I sang merrily as we bounced along the waves.
Jak's expression crinkled into a frown of confusion as he seemed to study me for a long moment. I caught him staring, but instead of being embarrassed and quickly looking away like most people do, he moved over to sit next to me. He then began to curiously gesture at me, waving his hand at my face and then moving down to point at my chest. He shook his head before cocking it quizzically.
At first, I wasn't totally sure about what he was trying to say. Something about, my heart being wrong? Luckily, I didn't have to wait long before Daxter chimed in, helping to clear things up.
"He's got a point, Keira. I mean, ever since you fell off the zoomer and hit your head, you haven't exactly been, you. The Keira I know would have lectured us about taking the fisherman's pontoon, not volunteered to come with us. What's up with that?" he inquired.
That caused the understanding to click in my head of what Jak's attempted message was: that I might look like Keira on the outside, but I wasn't Keira on the inside, at least, not anymore.
This isn't working, I realized with a sigh.
No matter what I did, these guys were able to see right through me. The fact of the matter was, I just didn't know enough about Keira to convincingly be her.
But that's when it hit me, wasn't that the whole point? I wasn't supposed to be acting exactly like she did, making the same mistakes she did, being as – terrible a character as she was! I'm the one who made a big deal bragging that I could do better, right? Guess it was time to start proving it, beginning with convincing the others that this new version was also improved as well.
"Look, I. . ." I hesitated, searching for the right words. "The truth is, I haven't exactly been completely honest with you guys. Ever since I woke up after the accident yesterday, I haven't been able to really remember much at all about who I am," I confessed.
Jak appeared instantly distressed at this news. Reaching out towards me with concern, but Daxter's instant exclamation stopped him from doing anything further.
"What?! Why didn't you –" he began, but I stopped him, since I already could tell what he was going to ask.
"You both just seemed so sad that I couldn't remember, I just – I didn't want everyone to worry, and I don't want you guys feeling bad and blaming yourselves, because I realize it was an accident. I've just – I've been wracking my brain, trying to remember, but nothing's coming! I mean, I honestly don't feel like anything's wrong with me. Like Samos – I mean – like my dad said before. I know who you guys are and where I am, and everything. I just – can't seem to remember much about, me," I explained as delicately as possible.
"Okay, that makes sense, I guess, but – where do we go from here? What do we do if you're not, you anymore?" Daxter wondered, sounding dispirited, which wasn't like him at all!
I suddenly felt the need to backpedal to try and lift the mood.
"Hey! Don't talk like that! It's not like I'm gone, I'm still Kat–" I cut myself off, sucking in a hurried breath as I stumbled to recover from my mistake. "Keira," I quickly corrected. "It's still me. I might just, be a little different now, is all," I offered with a small shrug, but they still didn't seem convinced.
"I uh – I don't know, if maybe, you liked the old Keira better, but – it's only fair to warn you now that, I – I honestly have no idea if I'm ever going to get my memories back. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you think there's any way that, you'd be able to accept me as I am now, and still want to be friends, even though I'm, not exactly like how I was before?" I requested slowly, and then waited with bated breath to see how they would answer.
This was the moment of truth!
Both of the guys glanced at each other before coming back to me. Then to my immense relief, Jak nodded and smiled, placing a reassuring hand on my arm. I felt my skin prickle underneath his touch, and I had to resist the urge to jump on him. That might, be a bit much at this point, I realized.
"Of course we'll still be your friends! What kind of crazy question is that?" Daxter demanded with mock indignation. "In fact, if we're being all, open and honest here, I think I like the new Keira better. She's already way more fun!" he teased with a smirk and a wink.
I felt my face warm at his words, and I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly.
"Thanks guys, that really, means a lot to me," I told them, surprising myself with how truthful those words really were.
Being the nerdy, antisocial type, I hadn't had a whole lot of friends back in my old life. It was, really nice to hear someone saying they actually liked me for me.
Except, the touching moment was not to last, as we finally arrived at the shores of the mysterious Misty Island. With it's dead trees and skeletons of unidentifiable creatures, the dark, spooky cove loomed over us forebodingly as we cautiously climbed onto it's black beach.
But since nothing immediately jumped out to attempt to eat our faces, Jak decided that it must be okay and began to merrily scale the cliff side. I was right behind him. However, when we reached the top, I turned to find that Daxter was lagging behind a bit. He ducked from cover to cover as he attempted to keep pace, looking rather uncomfortable.
"Hey, uh, guys! I know you're all gung ho 'bout adventuring an all, but don't you think there might be a good reason that old 'green stuff' told us not to come here?" Daxter hissed, sounding surprisingly rational. At least, for him anyway.
"Well, I guess we're gonna find out," I replied nonchalantly.
Daxter just narrowed his eyes at me.
"That's none too reassuring," he complained, a spooky cawing causing him to jump and glance around nervously.
He kept right on our heels as we continued forward.
Firelight and the sound of voices inevitably drew our attention to what appeared to be a clearing in the distance, but the view was currently being blocked by a large boulder. The three of us managed to hop up onto it and slowly peek over to find out what was going on. And just as I was expecting, there was Gol and Maia, in the flesh, and busy addressing their lurker minions.
"Continue your search for artifacts and eco. If the locals possess precursor items, you know what to do," Gol was saying.
"Deal harshly with anybody who strays from the village. We will attack it in due time," Maia added darkly.
Jak turned towards me with a concerned expression, which I reciprocated. I knew hanging out here was a bad idea, so I gestured with my head that we should move away. He nodded that he agreed. I flinched as I heard Daxter making more noise than necessary as we shimmied down the rock, but ultimately I knew it was inevitable.
"You guys still think it was a good idea to come here?" Daxter whined as we put some distance between us and the group of lurkers. "This place gives me the creeps!"
"I think I'm starting to have second thoughts. What was all that about, anyway? What did that lady mean that they were going to attack the village?" I wondered, feigning ignorance.
"I don't know, but if you ask me, we should get outta here while the gettin's good!" Daxter exclaimed.
A second later, and he managed to trip over a piece of the precursor tech that was haphazardly scattered around. Both Jak and I glanced back when we heard him fall. Jak just chuckled at him. Daxter pushed himself up before glaring back at the object that made him trip. He picked it up to get a closer look.
"Stupid precursor junk!" he moaned in disdain.
"Hey! Nice find! You should hang onto that," I encouraged.
Daxter rolled his eyes, but kept his grip on it all the same.
The pool of dark eco that I'd been expecting to see suddenly halted us in our tracks. We all collectively leaned over to peer inside curiously.
So, this is the infamous dark eco, I thought to myself.
There was a strange kind of heat coming off of it, and it smelled pretty funky. It felt to me like just being near the stuff was causing my hair to stand on end. I wasn't particularly enjoying the sensation and couldn't stop the urge of wanting to back away from it.
"Ick! What is that dark ooze? It sure don't look friendly," Daxter commented, his voice echoing into the well.
"It doesn't smell very friendly, either," I added as I recoiled away, holding my nose and waving at the air.
Daxter blew on the precursor artifact he was clutching, brushing the remaining dust particles away.
"Your dad is always yapping on about the precursors who built this place all the time," he said, inclining his head towards me. "Where did they go? Why did they build this crap?" Daxter joked in a mock-sagely voice as he tossed the artifact to Jak.
I snorted and giggled when he said the line. Gets me every time, and to my delight, I found it was even better in person!
"That's a dead ringer," I piled on, but my attention suddenly shifted as the artifact began to glow in Jak's hands. "Whoa. . ." I trailed in amazement.
Even though I knew it was going to happen, I didn't remember it shining that brightly before. Jak gave me an excited grin as he held the object closer for me to get a better look.
"Ya think?" Daxter questioned smugly before continuing. "Not that I don't like precursor orbs and power cells as much as the next guy, but if ya ask me, they must've been real lose–" he cut himself off once he finally turned and noticed the glowing from the artifact.
"Wow! How didja do that?!" he exclaimed.
Jak shook his head that he didn't know as he stared at it.
That is, until a blue lurker donned in bone armor suddenly landed near us with an imposing thud. We all instantly flipped around and instinctively began to back away, Daxter taking up refuge behind his best friend.
"Guys, I think we're in trouble!" Daxter screamed in terror, pointing at the lurker.
"Really? What was your first clue?!" I couldn't help but snap back.
These things looked a lot scarier when they were up close and less – cartoony! It swung it's club around menacingly as it began to advance.
It only took Jak a moment to glance down at the artifact he was holding to come up with an idea. He glared at the creature with determination, before running up and lugging it at the monster as hard as he could. It burst in a cloud of energy, the force pushing us all back.
And unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your view point. There was only so far back Daxter could go, and when Jak bumped into him, it managed to push him over the edge and into the menacing looking pool, just like clockwork.
The lurker being dispatched for the time being, Jak and I leaned into the silo where Daxter had disappeared, the boy next to me looking extremely distressed. I was about to say something, but didn't get the chance before Daxter suddenly shot back out and onto the stone behind us.
Except, instead of the boy who'd originally fallen in, there instead sat the iconic, furry orange Ottsel. As we flipped around, it was amusing to watch Jak's mouth drop open in shock.
"Man, that stung!" Daxter snapped, before rounding on us. "I told ya we shouldn'ta come here!" he lectured, thrusting an accusatory finger at Jak. "But you didn't listen –" he stopped mid-sentence once he realized how Jak was gawking at him.
"What?!" he demanded, before finally getting a good look at his hands.
Daxter managed to twitch a bit, before suddenly erupting with screams of horror! He flailed around on the ground in a panic.
"Daxter! Wai–" I tried telling him, but he didn't give me a chance to finish.
"Okay! Okay. I'm fine! I'm fine," he tried to reassure us, or maybe just himself, but then he glanced down to see his hind paws and new tail, and the horrified screaming resumed again.
This time, he leapt up and clung to Jak in desperation.
"Daxter, buddy! Calm down! Don't panic!" I yelled at him over his caterwauling.
He finally stopped and turned toward me.
"Don't panic?" he asked with mock-calm. "Don't Panic!" he then yelled again at me. "That's easy for you to say! You're not covered in fur!" he barked, and then slowly narrowed his eyes. "Oh, wait a minute. This is all your fault! We wouldn't have come here at all if it weren't for you!" he accused.
Well, I hadn't seen that twist coming! A part of me was tempted to inform him that he was, in fact, sadly mistaken, but then that would have ruined my character's credibility. Now I needed a way to convince Daxter not to be mad at me. Maybe by appealing to his more sensitive side?
"I'm telling ya Jak, women are nothing but trouble!" he finished with a humph, dramatically sticking his nose up in the opposite direction.
"Aw, come on, Dax. I'm sorry! Do you think you could ever forgive me?" I pleaded, mostly just to humor him, but he remained unmoved.
Jak tried to tap him to get him to turn around, but he just shook his head. Jak gave me a sympathetic look and shrugged. Alright, that didn't work. Then how about a bit of mild, coercion?
"Okay, I mean, I was going to try talking to my father for you to see if I could convince him to help change you back, but if you really don't like me anymore–" I teasingly taunted, but Daxter interrupted me before I could finish.
"No! Wait!" he finally turned to me, frantically waving his arms. "I – I mean, I might consider forgiving you, if you'd be willing to butter up your dad for me," he mumbled, trying to sound like he didn't really care either way.
I caught Jak's eye and gave him a grin and a wink. He just shook his head at me with a smirk.
"Uh, but – won't the green man get cheesed off when he figures out where we've been?" Daxter realized with dismay.
"Oh, probably. But don't worry, like I said, I'll talk to him. If it makes you feel better, you can just blame me," I reassured the little Ottsel boy.
"Really?" he asked, looking almost teary-eyed.
"Yeah, it'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?" I reasoned.
"Thanks Keira!" Daxter told me as he leapt from Jak onto me, sounding legitimately grateful.
It almost made me feel bad that I already knew he wasn't ever going to change back – almost.
"Sure, no problem," I replied, and on the bright side, at least it looked like we were friends again.
Poor Daxter! He's so much cuter as an Ottsel tho! :P