Time for Razer's Mid-Life Crisis Party!!

[brynkitten]

Characters: EVERYONE EVER
Location: Deck 20
Date: December 10th
Rating: PG-13 for Booze idk. It's a party

Comments

[shadesofeco]

The party's not quite his idea of fun, but there is booze and racing involved, and those are two of Jak's favorite things ever. Not to mention he's sulking since Keira blew him off, so he trudged down to the party to see who else would be there.

[meantthecar]

She isn't surprised when she sees Jak here. Didn't he mention to that Blitz guy that he might go? He stands out a little, too.

Well, it's tomorrow. She's calmer, determined to be composed. And this place was as good as any. Semi-public.

She's a little cautious as she sees him from a distance and starts approaching. "Jak?"

[shadesofeco]

Jak had, surprisingly headed straight to the drinks when he arrived, and he was in the middle of pouring himself one when he heard his name called out. That voice.

His ears twitched and he turned, eyes lighting up. She might be years behind him and they might bicker, but she was one of his best friends from childhood.

"Keira ..."

[meantthecar]

Keira eyes the alcohol. She doesn't really like it too much. Wine is nice, the bubbly kind - champagne? It doesn't really surprise her that Jak seems to have taken up the habit.

But she sees his face light up as he heads her way. Maybe it's just for that moment, but she can see Jak - her Jak - again. He's still in there. It's still Jak, even if...

It's hard for her to be unhappy with him when he looks at her like that.

She's quiet as she draws nearer, though. Studying him. He looks different. Older. His hair is different. Other things too -- had he gotten taller?

"...Jak."

[shadesofeco]

Jak's smile faded at the serious look, and suddenly he was very aware of being scrutinized.

He fidgeted slightly, then shrugged one shoulder to try and diffuse his awkwardness. "A lot happened since I last saw you."

And she ... Keira hadn't changed at all. She looked so young, so much smaller than he remembered. Had she really been working in the Haven Stadium garage all by herself at that age?

It was a wonder any of them had survived, split up like they were.

[meantthecar]

"Y... Yeah." It takes her a little while to process this information. He'd changed even more. But... he didn't seem as angry and volatile as he had. That's a good thing.

"You had a lot to tell me, right?" One arm limp at her side, she rubs it with her free hand. This is more awkward than she thought it'd be. She didn't know much about what happened to him those two years. Just about the dark eco. "It's been a rough ride." He had said. But that was all she knew.

"Let's sit."

[shadesofeco]

Nodding once, he was starting to feel a little guilty for sulking so much initially. This had to be a shock to her, and who knew what Erol had told her. Even with their time travel from Sandover to Haven, coming to the Elegante was unexpected.

Reaching to snag his cup from the table, he paused and grabbed another, looking for something he thinks Keira would like, trying to recall what she drank at their celebration party after Kor was taken care of. Finding an already-open bottle of champagne, he poured her a cupful and grabbed his own drink, gesturing to some secluded seats.

"We can talk over there."

[meantthecar]

Yeah, that was it! She wouldn't mind having a glass of that. She raised an eyebrow. Was he being a gentlemen? Oh wow. She has to smile at that.

"Okay." She follows him, glancing around. Most of the people she doesn't recognize - she thinks she sees Razer, but she isn't sure. Maybe she'll go wish him a happy birthday later.

"This is the biggest boat I've ever seen... how many decks are there?"

[shadesofeco]

He can do that sometimes. Occasionally. Just don't expect him to make a habit of it.

"Uh, nineteen that we can access. We found some others once, deep in the boat. And there's the brig." Jak sat down and handed her the cup. "It's a big boat."

[meantthecar]

It's a nice surprise. She takes the cup. "Thanks." And sits.

At this point, she's really not surprised. There are still some things about this boat she just can't swallow, though.

And on that subject - she takes a sip of the champagne. It's good. She's relaxing a little.

"You've been here for a little while, huh?"

[shadesofeco]

"Over a year now."

Jak tilted his cup and took a drink of his rum. He'd grown rather partial to it since he'd arrived on board. He rubbed his thumb over the rim of the cup, then looked aside at Keira.

"The last thing I remember, the war was almost over. The Metal Head Leader was dead, Erol and Praxis were dead ..."

And then he fell silent. Getting banished was still a sore spot for him.

[meantthecar]

"A year?!" Okay, shocks her. Was it really possible to be trapped here so long? She bites her lip. That's a long time. Without her, or Daxter, or daddy...

She starts to reach out towards him. Awkwardly. But... She doesn't know what to do, how to help, so instead she goes back to her cup and looks in it. Until his next words.

"Baron Praxis? And Er-" Erol died? No, they weren't going to discuss Erol. She doesn't want to fight with Jak again.

He fell silent after that. Is there more?

"And then... you came here?"

[shadesofeco]

"There was more. Metal Heads got into the palace, the city --"

The paper cup crumpled in his fist, and Jak looked surprised for a moment, then let out a breath. Getting a little emotional there, buddy. He tilted the ruined cup and drained it, then balled it and tossed it aside.

"They blamed me. Banished me into the Wastelands." A shrug, as if it didn't matter. "I came back. So did Erol." And he fixed Keira with a look. "He tried to destroy Haven City."

[meantthecar]

"Jak..."

She reaches out to him, awkwardly - but pulls her hand back, uncertain. She doesn't know what to tell him. Her mind's drawing a blank.

Them. Who banished him? Did she... was she... no, she'd never support Jak being banished. Even if he'd changed. He was still Jak.

"Well, they're..." She's not often unsure of what to say, but this is one of those times. "That's awful. There's no way you could be responsible for something like that. And you were fighting Metal Heads anyway, weren't you? How could they..."

She tries to reach out for him again - but feigns reaching for her glass as she backs out again.

Erol came back? Wasn't he - No, she doesn't want to have this argument again. "Jak!" she says, a little sharply. "We said we weren't gonna talk about Erol."

She's still being stubborn. But still, there is a small seed of doubt planted...

[shadesofeco]

Jak does his best to look like he doesn't care, but the familiar anger and resentment churns deep inside him.

"They said my connections to Krew let the Metal Heads into the city. Maybe they did." He glances sideways at her, his eyes showing the rage and sadness that he wouldn't let his voice carry. "It was Veger. He was the one--"

Wait. Maybe he shouldn't tell her about Damas just yet. He sighs and scrubs at his hair, then winces and manages a small smile. "Heh, sorry."

[meantthecar]

He's trying to pass it off, but she can see how much it bothers him. It bothers her too. Krew was a total creep, and shady to boot - it still bothers her that Jak worked for him - but....

"No. Krew..." she makes a face when she recalls him. Not a fan by any means, "For one, Krew wouldn't deal with the Metal Heads. he was slimy, but he wasn't crazy." As far as she could see, Krew loved to be comfortable.

"And most importantly..." slight pause. Jak is still Jak. She may not like the radically way he changed from who she knew him to be to the person she saw in Haven - he may still scare her, but he's Jak. And this Jak isn't as angry as brooding as he was in Haven City - she can see the old Jak in him, too. Besides, no matter what she may say about Jak's character, she still gets prickly when other people make such comments about him.

"...You could never be responsible for something like that." When Keira was in Haven City, she had heard about the Wasteland. Being banished there was a death sentence. The name Veger sounds familiar.