Desman's Paying, Obviously!!

[Jak Mar]

While Ash and Desman argued, Jak felt sweat run down his neck as he compared thme to an actual married couple. He didn't like the idea of the demon paying his half, but felt good about being honest when she'd told him to not say anything. His father would be proud.

With his father on his mind, Jak quickly turned to his phone where he casually scrolled up to his father's saved number. He held the communicator he used to speak with him a while back and wondered if he should call him. Would the man even answer? Was he still alive in the ruins of Nippur? He hovered his thumb across the button, trying to find a reason to not call him.

As if reading his hesitation, the phone lit up and the screen for calling someone pops up, his father's picture in the center and the icon for the phone being picked up as it waited for the other person to do so. A slow ring could be heard over the phone despite it not touching his ear. He watched the screen instead, too stunned to do anything besides.

The ringing turned murky a few times, before the clear purr of the phone could bea hear once again. It went on for almost an eternity and Jak was starting to give up hope of hearing from him today when suddenly it picked up. "Hello?" Damus' voice was already being heard. "Helloooooo?" He said, imaptiently. Jak tensed up and instantly clamped up. But Ash had no reason to be quiet. "Jak! I hear something!! PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE, boy!!"

Jak's face turned red, and he tried to think of how to respond.

"Who's that?" Damus asked, responding to the voice that he could make out. "Is that a girl I hear?" This brought a fierce fire to Jak's cheeks. Damus could hear another voice, Desman was talking. He thne heard another voice, one he hasn't hearn in some time...

"Damus?" Ashelin called to him after recognising the voice.

"Ashelin, what are you doing there?" He answered.

At this point everyone has turned to see Jak trying to fiddle with his phone while there was a conversation being had. He finally answered. "D-Dad.. I butt dialed you by accident. I-"

"Don't give me that bull, wastelander! You know your old man is living out inthe freakin... Nippur Wastelands and ye-"

"Dad, you are on speaker phone." He warned his father, still trying to find the button that turned that off while he hoped the samurai nor the ninja would chop his phone in two. In the corner of his eye he could also see Ash motioning. He saw her nails cutting at her throat as if to warn him. They had made so much progress towards the lie that Ashelin and him were married.

He finally hit the right spot on the phone and turned the speaker off so he could put it next to his ear. "We are in Vasty Deeps, enjoying the beach." He lied through his teeth. That's how this happened, but not why Ashelin was there. He couldn't really admit that to anyone, to be honest.

"You are off on the beach with Ashelin while I am still here stuck in the middle of no where!" Demus sounded upset, but it wasn't easy to decide if that was true or not. He began to go on about his tired feet and achey bones, but it all blurred together for Jak as the hangover was still pounding at his head. "I.. Yes, I know. No, I-" This went on for a few moments before he realized the others were waiting on him. He covered the reciever with his hand and spoke to Ash and Des. "Sorry Guys.. I really should take this.."

Without a word though, Ash and Desman gave him an 'okay' sign with their hands at the same time. As if saying 'it is okay'. Jak smiled at his friends and walked back through the penthouse towards the balcony. He was greeted with the sun rising in the sky and the wind blowing through his hair.

The crowd of folks began to move toward the doors as Jak and Ashelin stayed behind to figure things out with Damus. Besides she knew Jak, she didn't know the rest of them.

Jak was pacing around, muttering to Damas "Yes, dad. I know you are in the destruction of Nippur. Can you get back to the Deeps?"

Damus frowned "I can rebuild here, Mar. I can rebuild spargus."

Jak blinked "By yourself?"

"I'd love it if you came and help me, Mar." The father replied.

Jak frowned "Look, Damus, This is a bad moment for me. You guys are the only two I have left of my past." Jak paused, to sigh and attempt to clear his head, but it only got foggier. "I lose you two and I lose my only way to remember my past."

There was silence again, confusion hung in the air. Ashelin opened her mouth to say something. "Jak.."

"Daxter and Torn are GONE! Don't you understand that?" Jak exploded!

Damus, the former wastelander King was quiet. "What...when was this?"

"A week ago.." The broken man muttered. Clamping his eyes shut to try to forget again. "I DON'T want to bring it up again."

Ashelin had been going to touch his shoulder, but yanked it back when the man yelled. This was a side of Jak she'd never seen. Then again, she'd never heard of the stories about Dark Jak.

Jak growled "I can't have a normal life in the Omniverse without losing someone else, I don't want to lose anyone else on my watch, ok!?"

The tears began to form, and fall over his cheeks. It has been a long time since he'd cried before this morning, and now that its happened once it was hard to stop.

Jak's fist hit the wall with a growl that his father could hear over the phone, frustraition and pain as pure as it could be in Demus' ears. And he could do nothing.. "WHY DOES THIS SHIT HAVE TO-" The eco-worrier choked on his own pain. "..to me..."

Ashelin almost seemed afraid of this Jak, she knew she should say something. "Look Jak.. It's going to be okay..." She said.

The voice seems pretty quiet on the other side of the map: "Mar?"

"NO DAD!!" He said with such violence, and yet it wasn't enough. He threw the phone instead of hanging up. It crashed against the wall and fell to the ground. Surely it was broken after that!

The uncontrollable anger and pain erupted from his thraot in a blood chilling roar. Lightning began to form around him and create haunting shadows across the walls of the penthouse enterior.

Ashelin was actually afraid of saying anything, almost afraid to breath. She watched the man she once was involved with fall to his knees and scream again, tears steaming down his face. Out of fear and uncertainy of what to do, she ran. Throwing herself against doorway before the elevator, and as her heart pounded she stared up at the numbers that indicated where the elevator was at that moment. Half-way to the bottom already..

-
Meanwhile; the robot, the demon, the samurai, and the ninja all get on to the elevator. Barry made a point to stand between Desman and Ash.

It wasn't even that big of a deal, as Desman and her weren't really engaged, but it was annoying regardless. She wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or just so he could a stare the ninja down from between his lord and lady.

They road in silence, except the boring tropical version of elevator music. Each floor ticked by, apparently no one was getting on or off at any of the floors between theirs and the first. They found to basement buttons, but Ash suggested they might have a seperate elevtor. Either way they had to stop at the first floor so Desman was preparing how to drop the cred stick off.

As they reached the last floor, Brian held up a chess piece, or at least a smoke bomb that looked like one. Desman looked confused, Barry looked as surprised as a silent man could, and Ash looked bored. The peice was tossed as soon as the doors began to open, and while the space directly in front of the elevator and the elevator itself was filled with smoke.

When it was fanned away, instead of the ninja they were riding with Arin stood at the door, his sword already out and prepared to take whatever shadow was lurking behind the smoke. Only to find his lord, his lady, and his partner. "There you are!" He said to Barry, sheathing his weapon. "And you." He said to Desman. When he turned to Ash, he looked far more upset than he had been, but bit back his tongue.