After a few minutes, Keira tossed the pillow onto the couch and stood, wiping her face and returning to her coffee. She touched the cup. Dammit, it went cold. Keira scowled, but carried the cup with her behind the curtain that concealed the Rift Rider. She would drink it anyway. Cold coffee is better than no coffee, she thought as she drank a gulp and flipped down her welding mask. She drew the curtain, obscuring anyone's view of her personal project. Keira managed to work for a good hour before hearing another set of footsteps enter her shop. By the freakin' Precursors, can I not have one day without some bullshit?
"We destroyed Krew's cargo." It was Krew's errand boy. Fan-fucking-tastic.
"GREAT. I'll send you a medal. Now if you don't mind, I'm on a deadline, so scram." The words rolled with annoyance out of her mouth. Keira heard the exasperation in the guy's voice.
"Are you always this difficult?"
"Lemme handle this, Jak!" An annoying voice spoke that Keira hadn't heard with the errand boy before. "LISTEN, lady! We beat your stupid course! And we can outrace ANYONE in this city!" Keira's hands froze in space for a moment before flipping up her visor. Wait…That voice…. It kept ranting.
"Now there's just two things you need to know! One! We don't WANNA join your stinkin' racing team! And TWO! You just lost a DATE with Orange Lightning! Let's go Jak."
Keira bolted up from her stool and threw the curtain back. She gasped, seeing the faces on the other side of the curtain.
"Daxer! It is you!"
"Keira!?"
Keira couldn't help herself! She knelt down and grabbed his cheeks. "Ohh I never thought I'd be so glad to see your furry mug!" She stood up, excitement bubbling at her cheeks, ready to see the face of her childhood friend. "And Jak! You look….." Her hand reached her mouth. Was…was this Jak? He had the blonde hair, sure. And he looked older, of course. But it was more than that difference. There was a darkness there, right under the surface of his skin. His eyebrows were furrowed, deeply knit into a V. She'd seen a similar look on her best friend's face before, but it was different now. Back then, in their childhood, it had been determination, stubbornness, but it was (mostly) honorable. The stubbornness remained, but now, there was also anger, revenge. Keira refrained from embracing her friend. She even found herself a little afraid of the person who stood before her. "...different."
Daxter began to talk about Baron Praxis's Dark Eco experiments, but Keira stopped him. She walked to the garage door, pulling it down and locking it, to lessen the risk of eavesdroppers (particularly Erol). They continued their discussion, covering everything that had happened, every development, every scrap of information gathered since they'd been separated. Keira told them about her work on the Rift Rider and the world they now lived in, the "future" in reference to before entering the portal. Jak shared that they had found a younger version of her father, Samos, working with the Underground, and he encouraged Keira to go see him.
Jak shared details of what Praxis and Erol had done to him during the Dark Eco experiments. Keira and Daxter were both disgusted by the stories he told them, and seeing the pain in Jak's eyes convinced Keira that he was, indeed, still human. He spoke of revenge, yes, but also justice for the people of Haven City. She and Daxter were determined to help their friend any way they could. He insisted he needed to get to the Baron, and together they formed a plan: The Class One Racing Championship winner always got to meet personally with the Baron in the Palace. Jak and Daxter would join Keira's racing team and, despite all odds, they had to win.
Keira had gone through a pot of coffee during this time. After brewing a second pot, she offered her friends each a cup. Jak was hesitant with the unfamiliar brew, and when he saw Keira drink hers immediately, he followed suit. He cursed loudly upon burning his lips, and Keira couldn't help but laugh a bit. Daxter blew on his coffee for a while until it was an acceptable temperature, then he downed his drink. After a moment, he sprang up, laughing and scampering around the shelves, tables, and workstations in response to the unexpected caffeine high. Keira had to knock him down with a broom she kept in the corner, but he was only out for a minute before he was shaking his fist at her. Keira and Jak laughed.
For a moment, it felt like it had when they were kids. For an instant, they were back in Sandover Village, laughing and "causing a ruckus," that's what Old Samos had always said. Three friends, always promising to never be apart. And though they had been separated, they'd found their way together again.
