#Also Damas: hovers anyway

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Free Day Thursday

My writing brain is on a roll with the Meddling Mar au, so that's what y'all are getting once again lol (Faulty Info has been Fighting Me, but I'm finally in the home stretch for chapter 10)

Part One, Parts Two and Three, Part Four, Part Five

The second day was the hardest. 

It was the first time Jak remembered waking up, not that he was awake for all that long.

There was an itch in the crook of his right arm, but he couldn’t even muster the strength to lift a finger, let alone scratch at the offending sensation. He couldn’t open his eyes. He couldn’t move his limbs.

The smell of antiseptic permeated everything.

If he'd had anything in his stomach, he would have vomited.

Seconds, minutes, hours- Jak had no way of knowing how much time was passing. Or if it was even passing at all. One moment he would hear voices near him, the next there would be nothing but the whirring of fans and an ever-present, infuriating beeping. 

He hated the beeping.

As if it somehow knew that, the sound would get faster the angrier he got. But being angry was as exhausting as everything else, and soon enough the beeps would slow down as everything spun into nothingness again.

Jak dreamed -- though what he'd dreamed, he couldn't have said afterwards. There were only impressions of colors and voices and an endless sea. 

Sometimes he woke to something blessedly cool resting against his head. Mostly he wasn't awake long enough to pin down any specific sensations at all.

He woke periodically through the night, each time expecting Daxter to be there.

He never was. There were only solemn, painted faces looming over him and chanting prayers. 

Jak decided he was still dreaming.

The longest he was awake was the moment they took out the IV. Until then, he hadn't even known there had been a needle. Jak remembered screaming, yanking his arm away from the old woman. It was more movement than he'd been ready for, and he'd collapsed against the pillow, out of breath. 

The woman didn't scold him for making her job more difficult. Instead she had cooed and apologized -- apologized!! -- to him for hurting him. Hurting him!

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, dear," she'd clucked, wrapping a bandage tightly around his elbow. "I know that stung. I'm sorry. That was the last one, promise."

That was how Jak found out he'd been hooked to electrolyte solutions for two days after collapsing in the desert. He'd panicked again, looking around frantically for his companions. 

He was alone.

The old woman squeezed his hand and propped a pillow up behind his back. The gentleness of it all very nearly brought him to tears. 

She wouldn't if she knew I was an eco freak.

She wouldn't be so kind if she knew I was just the Precursors' spare key.

"Mm-" Jak's voice was rusty with disuse, cracked and no louder than a whisper. "Mm-y b- bro-ther-?"

A calm smile split the woman's leathery pink face, and she patted his hand comfortingly.

"We released him to the convalescing ward just last night, love. You know, you probably saved his life, wrapping him up like that."

She nodded with approval.

"That was a very brave thing you did."

Jak wet his lips and tried to ask about Daxter. Fear held his lungs in icy claws, threatening that he didn't want to know the answer.

He slept again. 

The next time he remembered being awake, it was night, and a man with glasses was writing something on a datapad at his bedside. He stared at the man and gripped the thin sheet that had been draped over him.

The man looked up and blinked in surprise.

"Oh! Bless me, you're awake! Hello there, young warrior. You've certainly had a close call, haven't you?"

 "Where am I?" Jak tried to ask, but all that came out was, "Where-?"

"Emergency clinic," the man answered. "My name is Petros, I'm a pediatrician."

A what now? Jak had never heard that word before. His confusion must have been somewhat obvious, because the thin man clarified, "a doctor who treats kids under eighteen."

Under eighteen? 

Well. Jak had always known he didn't actually have an autumn birthday like Daxter, but he would've thought he'd be at least eighteen by now. The doctor was probably assuming he was younger because he was short. Those dark eco experiments had really messed with his growth.

Deciding to humor the man -- because he couldn't think of anything else to do -- Jak slowly accepted a tin cup from him. The water had a slightly metallic taste, but it was far cleaner than anything he'd had in Haven. It felt like heaven, cooling his dry throat and clearing his head. Was it because it was clean? Jak examined the bottom of the cup warily.

"Just a bit of green eco mixed in," Petros said, a little too cheerfully for Jak's taste, "We already reversed the organ damage with the high-grade stuff. This is just to soothe your throat a bit."

"Or- organ damage?!" Jak's fingers tightened on the cup. 

"Now," the doctor said briskly, ignoring him, "You've still got a long recovery ahead of you. Judging by the bone scans we did, you've been through quite a lot, and your body is still playing catch-up."

He stood up, groaning as his knees crackled and popped, and slid his notes into his pocket. 

"I'm going to bring you some more water, and a little broth -- slow sips, mind you. Let's not have you making yourself ill -- and when you've finished, you're going to take a cool bath."

Jak shifted uncomfortably in the cot. "What's the cost?" he demanded, "Nobody does this for free."

Petros leaned back as if startled. His eyebrows climbed so high they almost vanished into his receding hairline. For a few seconds he said nothing. Then, he sagged, looking as if he'd aged a few more years with the space of a breath.

"Ah," he said, almost sadly, "I see. Been that sort of life for you, has it? Well I don't charge minors, so you don't need to worry about that. If you and the little one end up being assigned a temporary guardian to help you transition into city life, they'll deal with the cost."

Then, seeing that Jak wasn't convinced, he pasted on a small smile and shrugged. 

"But, when you've been deemed to be sufficiently recovered, you can always bring me some medicinal herbs from the clifftop farms, like the other children usually do."

"I'm not a child," Jak muttered with a scowl.

Petros took this in stride. "Adolescent, then. Still got a couple years before you'll be allowed to pitch in with any of the heavier work around here, at any rate. But you can discuss that with Damas once the monks let you out of convalescence."

"What," Jak said slowly, "does that even mean?"

The doctor smiled blandly and began to walk away. "Later. Right now, we get food in you. Then you wash off the paint and get some rest. Before dawn tomorrow, you'll be moved to the convalescing ward with your brother."

Paint? What paint?

Jak frowned and, for the first time, realized that his cheeks felt a little stiff even after the water. Cautiously, he reached up and touched two fingers to the skin. A flake of white came back on his fingertips, and his eyes widened.

He held the tin cup close to his face and stared at the reflection.

A broad, red stripe had been painted in an arc over the bridge of his nose and down to his jaw, ending in an old pictograph for "peace" on his throat. The rest of his face had been painted bone-white.

They had shaved him to make the paint lay even on his chin. 

He looked like a little kid like this!

"Oh what the-?!"

Petros paused and looked back. He grimaced.

"Ah. It's...well son, I don't want to scare you, but we almost lost you the night you came in. The monks started giving you last rites before the eco kicked in and your body really started fighting."

"Last rites?!" 

Jak's breathing quickened, and his chest felt constricted.

They'd touched him while he slept. Took a blade to his face. What else had they done? How much had they seen?

He resisted a sudden, overwhelming urge to check the pocket Tess had sewn into the lining of his pants, just to make sure his and Mar's seal was still there. 

"Wh- where's my brother? Where's Daxter?"

We need to leave.

Petros tilted his head. "Daxter? That's your brother's name?"

The misunderstanding was just weird enough to let Jak get a full breath before the panic settled into something more manageable. 

"What? No? He's-"

"He's Mar" almost slipped out of Jak's mouth, but he stopped himself just in time.

He didn't know where they were, or how far from Haven they'd gotten. He wasn't going to risk word getting back to the Council.

"He's the orange guy," he amended quickly. "Where is he?"

The understanding on the doctor's face was a welcome relief. He knew what Jak was talking about. That had to mean Daxter was okay, right?

"Oh yes!" Petros nodded. "Last I heard, that little fella has been standing guard over your little brother. He's bitten at least one monk so far."

Jak fell back against the pillow, feeling as though he'd just run a marathon. 

"He's okay," he gasped. "They're okay."

"Thanks to you, yes. They're okay."

Petros assured him. Then he was all business again.

"Now: no more stalling! Soup, and then bath. And don't even think about trying to sneak out of that bed! I've been doing this for twenty-five years, and I've got a sixth sense for teenagers sabotaging their own recovery!"

He shuffled off, leaving Jak worn out and thoroughly bewildered.

Who are these people?!

________________________________,_________

Mar was bored. 

Incredibly, infuriatingly, bored.

He wasn't hooked up to the beeping box anymore -- the one the doctor lady said measured his heartbeat -- but that didn’t mean he was free to run around. For the first day after the needle came out, he'd been too tired to move at all. Now he still got tired easily, but he didn't want to sleep! He wanted to find Jak!

But every time he got out of bed, one of the people with the colorful face paint would find him and take him back!

Once, a man with spikes in his head had found Mar, halfway up a staircase where he'd run out of breath. He had given him a very strange look, and then the next thing Mar knew he was being carried back to bed.

At this point, he was pretty sure the horned man was the painted people's guard, to make sure he didn't escape. Because now every time he made it to the door, the horned man was somewhere nearby. All he had to do was give Mar a Look, and it was enough to send him scurrying back to bed.

At least Daxter was here. Mar didn't think he could've endured it if neither of his big brothers was present.

"Do you think Jak’s okay?"

Mar pulled his knees up to his chest and frowned at the curtains around his bed. He'd seen grown-ups in the other beds when he'd tried to sneak out before, usually with casts on limbs or sleeping. They weren't mean or scary, but they usually ignored him.

Generic adult behavior. 

If Jak had been in one of the other twelve beds, he would have come to check on Mar by now.

Daxter stretched to peer through a gap in the curtains. Then he sighed and returned to carding through Mar's coily hair with a comb that had been left unattended.

"I...I dunno, kiddo. The last time I saw him he-"

Daxter swallowed and forced the words out.

"He wasn't lookin' so good."

Mar's stomach clenched with worry. He gnawed a thumbnail for a few seconds, then asked in subdued signs, "What do we do if he- if something happened to Jak?"

The ottsel let go of the comb -- leaving it vertical in the boy's hair -- and scrambled around to take Mar's face in his hands.

"I'm gonna stick by you, that's what. It's you, me, and Jak, to the end of the line." He squeezed Mar's cheeks to punctuate his words. "I p- I promise, kiddo. One of us is always gonna be here to look out for you."

With a sniffle, the little boy suddenly reached out and dragged Daxter into his arms. He clung to him like a lifeline -- like Jak used to when they were very little. And just like with Jak, Daxter didn't need to see Mar's hands to know what he was saying.

I'm scared, Daxter.

Daxter wrapped his arms around the kid's neck and sighed. "Me too, kid. Me too."

You'd better be okay, Jak.

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (Feb. 9, 2017 episode review)

Episode 149

Recap:

The Second Saga

The story of the gods

Many years have passed, Encantadia is very much at peace.

Alena and Imaw arrived at Cassiopeia’s island and found the ancient diwata doing a “pamamanata,” Alena informed that the test for the diwanis was about to begin, Cassiopeia immediately left to give the said tests to the princesses. Alena wondered why Cassiopeia came back to her island and why she was doing a “pamamanata,” Imaw explained that it is her way of keeping her heart pure and fair as a part of the process of becoming a bathaluman (goddess). Imaw told Alena a brief story of how Encantadia was created, about a group of deities who remained neutral during the celestial war between the “light/good” and “dark/evil.” These deities created the world of Encantadia and lived there in peace with the creatures they brought to life, but some of the deities became weary and decided to leave Encantadia and the gods Emre, Arde and Ether who were left swore to never leave the realm, but because of greed and jealousy, Arde and Ether attempted to take down Emre in order to gain his power, but Emre defeated both of them, he punished both gods. Despite of this, there were denizens who were still in awe of Ether’s power and ended up worshipping her, thus the Kingdom of Etheria was established. For a long period of time, the Etherians led by Queen Avria terrorized other races. But the once powerful kingdom crumbled into dust when Emre appeared and gave the mother gem to Cassiopeia, this gem was the key to the downfall of Etheria. The fact that Cassiopeia is the oldest living diwata, the first keeper of the mother gem and the first ruler of the diwatas made it possible for her to become a goddess in the future. She has been through many tests and has proved herself powerful enough to defy all odds, now she is on the final process of becoming a bathaluman herself, the answer was yes, it is possible for anyone to become a deity. Alena hoped for Cassiopeia’s success.

In memory of Hara Amihan

Danaya and the diwatas paid their respects and remembered Amihan once again. Hara Danaya was grateful for everything that Amihan did to restore peace in Encantadia, her sacrifice was truly something to be thanked for, but deep in their hearts, they were still longing for their beloved Hara. Muros comforted Danaya and reminded her that Amihan wouldn’t want to see her loved ones still mourning for her, instead, they should look at the bright side, the prizes of her sacrifice. Pirena continue to become a compassionate and kind diwata and at the same time a good ruler to Hathoria, Sapiro has become more progressive thanks to Rama Ybrahim’s wise leadership, everything Amihan did was truly worth it.

The road to becoming a sang’gre

King Ybrahim went to Lireo to visit his daughter, Danaya informed her that she and Mira were going through a test made by Cassiopeia, the queen assured him that the diwanis will be able to surpass their tests, Danaya invited Ybrahim to the guest room while the king waited for Lira. When Danaya and Ybrahim left, Alena showed up with Muyak, the pixie knew Alena hasn’t gotten over with Ybrahim (me: are you fuckin’ serious?!), Alena chose to avoid Ybrahim as much as possible to avoid tension or awkwardness between the two of them (me: somebody get me chocolate to calm my nerves please!).

Lira and Mira, riding a flying pashnea, hovering over a deserted place saw Awoo being attacked by insects. The princesses did not hesitate to land and help their old friend. Lira tried to swat them off but got stung by the insects, Mira tried to use her sword but it was useless, Lira then used her powerful voice in an attempt to help Awoo, the diwani successfully sent the insects away, truly, she has mastered how to use and manipulate her singing voice thanks to Alena’s tutelage. Lira and Mira bid goodbye to Awoo. Mira was happy to see her cousin and best friend smile again, Awoo is Alena and Amihan’s favorite pashnea, and Lira admitted that everytime she sees Awoo, she remembers Amihan. To prevent Lira from mourning for her mother again, Mira immediately dropped the topic. Not long after, a strange looking creature appeared, Lira tried to talk to the creature but the latter hurt her, thus it was time for Mira to act quickly and defeated the beast. The test was a piece of cake for both girls. But there was one test left, a pile of stones suddenly moved and turned into a beast, Lira remembered Hitano’s story and recognized the monster, the Mancao from Balaak. The diwanis attempted to defeat the Mancao using Lira’s power, then Mira’s skill in combat alternately, both had no effect against the creature. Lira and Mira decided to combine their forces and successfully took down the Mancao. Then the monster transformed, it was Cassiopeia in disguise all along. Cassiopeia spoke in En-chan and congratulated the diwanis for passing her test. Lira is now fluent in En-chan and even spoke to Cassiopeia in that language, the diwanis thanked Cassiopeia and went back to Lireo.

Through Imaw’s cane the elders saw how Lira and Mira passed their test, Hara Danaya commended her nieces Mira, now addressed as diwani of Hathoria, and Lira of Lireo for their hard work. As proud parents, Queen Pirena and King Ybrahim granted their daughters new shields as reward. Hara Danaya prepared a feast to celebrate the diwanis’ accomplishments.

The return of Queen Avria

It was about time.

Through Ether’s blood Avria was brought back to life, the Queen of Old Etheria still haven’t regained her full strength yet but Ether assured that she will once her “task” with Cassiopeia is done. Meanwhile, Evades visited Cassiopeia and warned her about his dream, about how Cassiopeia turned into a terrifying image of Ether, taking this as a bad omen, Cassiopeia must be more cautious now that she’s close to becoming a goddess herself. Back in Lireo, a dama found Alena watching over the mother gem and informed her that the diwanis has returned, Alena immediately left to welcome her nieces back. What they didn’t notice was a cloaked Encantada successfully entered the room and is attempting to get the mother gem.

Raves:

💎 YES! To the upgraded looks of the cast! I looooove the sang’gres’ new royal garments, they look more mature now which is appropriate in this timeline since Lira and Mira are most probably in their early twenties and the sisters and Ybrahim are most likely in their late 30s to early 40s (they were very young when the diwanis were born remember?). Loving the long hair of Ybrahim and his gold and brown garment, he kind of reminds me of a Korean king but it suits him really well, so excited of what’s gonna happen in this new season, and Jake Vargas will be joining the team pala. Also looking forward for Deshna’s first appearance!

🕸 Guys! I still have no idea who’s going to play Avria, I was expecting that they will reveal her now but damn, even if I take a closer look at her I still couldn’t figure out who she is!

💜💗 Cheers to our diwanis! They are still adorbs even as young adults, although I still see some hints about Lira still longing for her mom, glad that her sense of humor is still there, or…is it her defense mechanism to cope up with the pain? Also I loooove that black and silver color palette of Lira’s new warrior costume, it looks much lighter and I feel like Mikee is able to move more freely compared to her original purple and gold costume. That aside, it’s also twinning with Ybrahim’s kalasag, although I do not like her cape because it looks kinda off to me with all these black and silver colors, I would prefer a black cape instead of a blue green (or whatever that color is, I’m not good at describing colors sorry!) or they could have just simply excluded it. And Mira’s costume seems to be more Hathorian now, very fiery and badass just like her, and the concept seemed to be taken from Pirena 2005’s costume. Cheers to Lira for that powerful voice and kame-hame wave, while Mira slays in combat! Great job diwanis!

💚 Do you guys think Alena is interested on becoming a goddess? I’m quite curious, or is she thinking that Amihan could possibly become a bathaluman?

Rant:

😳 Oooookaaaaaay! So here’s the thought that has been bugging me: Danaya will vow to never conceive a child to give way for Lira to become queen, and since Mira is more likely to succeed mommy Pirena as queen of Hathoria in the future (unless Deshna claims her birthright), the Sapirian council will become worried that there will be no heir to the Sapirian throne thus they will pressure Ybrahim to marry in order to sire an heir, Ybrahim will be forced to get married (most likely Alena) and ta-daaa! Unhappy marriage. That’s my assumption, I am glad that Alena is trying to stay away from Ybrahim because Rama isn’t interested with her anyway, and god forbid if the AB story will take this route I will really, really be pissed! First, it’s unfair for both Ybrahim and Alena, second, it’s downgrading for Alena’s character, come on! A lot has changed in this version so why not change Alena’s story into a more inspiring and realistic one instead of an overly melodramatic and not to mention too cheesy story, it’s not gonna work except for the die hard fans. But for the rest of the Enca community it will be very irritating af. Alena’s pain has been long overdue, she has gotten over Kahlil’s death, why can’t she get over Ybrahim to think that their story lacked depth, even Kahlil’s conception was more of an “accident” than fated, I can’t even consider Kahlil as the fruit of AleBarro’s love since both parents were passed out when the boy was conceived, anyhoo, I just hate how they are writing Alena’s story in general, she can give so much more, she is a good mentor to Lira, and a strong pillar of Lireo, why can’t the writers focus on that aspect instead of her taking the same old first love never dies pattern?

Best performers for this episode: Mikee Quintos ⚡️

Kate Valdez 💥

Rating: 9 out of 10💎s

Photo credits: From Twitter: @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia 2016-2017 official twitter acct) @gmanetwork (GMA network); official website: gmanetwork.com @GMADrama (GMA Drama)

From Facebook: Encantadia 2016

Video credits: GMA Network via YouTube & dailymotion

[pixelatedperils]

#Damas: 'I know he's not Mar. I'm not gonna hover.'#Also Damas: hovers anyway

Fic Prompts: Free Day Thursday

My writing brain is on a roll with the Meddling Mar au, so that's what y'all are getting once again lol (Faulty Info has been Fighting Me, but I'm finally in the home stretch for chapter 10)

Part One, Parts Two and Three, Part Four, Part Five

The second day was the hardest. 

It was the first time Jak remembered waking up, not that he was awake for all that long.

There was an itch in the crook of his right arm, but he couldn’t even muster the strength to lift a finger, let alone scratch at the offending sensation. He couldn’t open his eyes. He couldn’t move his limbs.

The smell of antiseptic permeated everything.

If he'd had anything in his stomach, he would have vomited.

Seconds, minutes, hours- Jak had no way of knowing how much time was passing. Or if it was even passing at all. One moment he would hear voices near him, the next there would be nothing but the whirring of fans and an ever-present, infuriating beeping. 

He hated the beeping.

As if it somehow knew that, the sound would get faster the angrier he got. But being angry was as exhausting as everything else, and soon enough the beeps would slow down as everything spun into nothingness again.

Jak dreamed -- though what he'd dreamed, he couldn't have said afterwards. There were only impressions of colors and voices and an endless sea. 

Sometimes he woke to something blessedly cool resting against his head. Mostly he wasn't awake long enough to pin down any specific sensations at all.

He woke periodically through the night, each time expecting Daxter to be there.

He never was. There were only solemn, painted faces looming over him and chanting prayers. 

Jak decided he was still dreaming.

The longest he was awake was the moment they took out the IV. Until then, he hadn't even known there had been a needle. Jak remembered screaming, yanking his arm away from the old woman. It was more movement than he'd been ready for, and he'd collapsed against the pillow, out of breath. 

The woman didn't scold him for making her job more difficult. Instead she had cooed and apologized -- apologized!! -- to him for hurting him. Hurting him!

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, dear," she'd clucked, wrapping a bandage tightly around his elbow. "I know that stung. I'm sorry. That was the last one, promise."

That was how Jak found out he'd been hooked to electrolyte solutions for two days after collapsing in the desert. He'd panicked again, looking around frantically for his companions. 

He was alone.

The old woman squeezed his hand and propped a pillow up behind his back. The gentleness of it all very nearly brought him to tears. 

She wouldn't if she knew I was an eco freak.

She wouldn't be so kind if she knew I was just the Precursors' spare key.

"Mm-" Jak's voice was rusty with disuse, cracked and no louder than a whisper. "Mm-y b- bro-ther-?"

A calm smile split the woman's leathery pink face, and she patted his hand comfortingly.

"We released him to the convalescing ward just last night, love. You know, you probably saved his life, wrapping him up like that."

She nodded with approval.

"That was a very brave thing you did."

Jak wet his lips and tried to ask about Daxter. Fear held his lungs in icy claws, threatening that he didn't want to know the answer.

He slept again. 

The next time he remembered being awake, it was night, and a man with glasses was writing something on a datapad at his bedside. He stared at the man and gripped the thin sheet that had been draped over him.

The man looked up and blinked in surprise.

"Oh! Bless me, you're awake! Hello there, young warrior. You've certainly had a close call, haven't you?"

 "Where am I?" Jak tried to ask, but all that came out was, "Where-?"

"Emergency clinic," the man answered. "My name is Petros, I'm a pediatrician."

A what now? Jak had never heard that word before. His confusion must have been somewhat obvious, because the thin man clarified, "a doctor who treats kids under eighteen."

Under eighteen? 

Well. Jak had always known he didn't actually have an autumn birthday like Daxter, but he would've thought he'd be at least eighteen by now. The doctor was probably assuming he was younger because he was short. Those dark eco experiments had really messed with his growth.

Deciding to humor the man -- because he couldn't think of anything else to do -- Jak slowly accepted a tin cup from him. The water had a slightly metallic taste, but it was far cleaner than anything he'd had in Haven. It felt like heaven, cooling his dry throat and clearing his head. Was it because it was clean? Jak examined the bottom of the cup warily.

"Just a bit of green eco mixed in," Petros said, a little too cheerfully for Jak's taste, "We already reversed the organ damage with the high-grade stuff. This is just to soothe your throat a bit."

"Or- organ damage?!" Jak's fingers tightened on the cup. 

"Now," the doctor said briskly, ignoring him, "You've still got a long recovery ahead of you. Judging by the bone scans we did, you've been through quite a lot, and your body is still playing catch-up."

He stood up, groaning as his knees crackled and popped, and slid his notes into his pocket. 

"I'm going to bring you some more water, and a little broth -- slow sips, mind you. Let's not have you making yourself ill -- and when you've finished, you're going to take a cool bath."

Jak shifted uncomfortably in the cot. "What's the cost?" he demanded, "Nobody does this for free."

Petros leaned back as if startled. His eyebrows climbed so high they almost vanished into his receding hairline. For a few seconds he said nothing. Then, he sagged, looking as if he'd aged a few more years with the space of a breath.

"Ah," he said, almost sadly, "I see. Been that sort of life for you, has it? Well I don't charge minors, so you don't need to worry about that. If you and the little one end up being assigned a temporary guardian to help you transition into city life, they'll deal with the cost."

Then, seeing that Jak wasn't convinced, he pasted on a small smile and shrugged. 

"But, when you've been deemed to be sufficiently recovered, you can always bring me some medicinal herbs from the clifftop farms, like the other children usually do."

"I'm not a child," Jak muttered with a scowl.

Petros took this in stride. "Adolescent, then. Still got a couple years before you'll be allowed to pitch in with any of the heavier work around here, at any rate. But you can discuss that with Damas once the monks let you out of convalescence."

"What," Jak said slowly, "does that even mean?"

The doctor smiled blandly and began to walk away. "Later. Right now, we get food in you. Then you wash off the paint and get some rest. Before dawn tomorrow, you'll be moved to the convalescing ward with your brother."

Paint? What paint?

Jak frowned and, for the first time, realized that his cheeks felt a little stiff even after the water. Cautiously, he reached up and touched two fingers to the skin. A flake of white came back on his fingertips, and his eyes widened.

He held the tin cup close to his face and stared at the reflection.

A broad, red stripe had been painted in an arc over the bridge of his nose and down to his jaw, ending in an old pictograph for "peace" on his throat. The rest of his face had been painted bone-white.

They had shaved him to make the paint lay even on his chin. 

He looked like a little kid like this!

"Oh what the-?!"

Petros paused and looked back. He grimaced.

"Ah. It's...well son, I don't want to scare you, but we almost lost you the night you came in. The monks started giving you last rites before the eco kicked in and your body really started fighting."

"Last rites?!" 

Jak's breathing quickened, and his chest felt constricted.

They'd touched him while he slept. Took a blade to his face. What else had they done? How much had they seen?

He resisted a sudden, overwhelming urge to check the pocket Tess had sewn into the lining of his pants, just to make sure his and Mar's seal was still there. 

"Wh- where's my brother? Where's Daxter?"

We need to leave.

Petros tilted his head. "Daxter? That's your brother's name?"

The misunderstanding was just weird enough to let Jak get a full breath before the panic settled into something more manageable. 

"What? No? He's-"

"He's Mar" almost slipped out of Jak's mouth, but he stopped himself just in time.

He didn't know where they were, or how far from Haven they'd gotten. He wasn't going to risk word getting back to the Council.

"He's the orange guy," he amended quickly. "Where is he?"

The understanding on the doctor's face was a welcome relief. He knew what Jak was talking about. That had to mean Daxter was okay, right?

"Oh yes!" Petros nodded. "Last I heard, that little fella has been standing guard over your little brother. He's bitten at least one monk so far."

Jak fell back against the pillow, feeling as though he'd just run a marathon. 

"He's okay," he gasped. "They're okay."

"Thanks to you, yes. They're okay."

Petros assured him. Then he was all business again.

"Now: no more stalling! Soup, and then bath. And don't even think about trying to sneak out of that bed! I've been doing this for twenty-five years, and I've got a sixth sense for teenagers sabotaging their own recovery!"

He shuffled off, leaving Jak worn out and thoroughly bewildered.

Who are these people?!

________________________________,_________

Mar was bored. 

Incredibly, infuriatingly, bored.

He wasn't hooked up to the beeping box anymore -- the one the doctor lady said measured his heartbeat -- but that didn’t mean he was free to run around. For the first day after the needle came out, he'd been too tired to move at all. Now he still got tired easily, but he didn't want to sleep! He wanted to find Jak!

But every time he got out of bed, one of the people with the colorful face paint would find him and take him back!

Once, a man with spikes in his head had found Mar, halfway up a staircase where he'd run out of breath. He had given him a very strange look, and then the next thing Mar knew he was being carried back to bed.

At this point, he was pretty sure the horned man was the painted people's guard, to make sure he didn't escape. Because now every time he made it to the door, the horned man was somewhere nearby. All he had to do was give Mar a Look, and it was enough to send him scurrying back to bed.

At least Daxter was here. Mar didn't think he could've endured it if neither of his big brothers was present.

"Do you think Jak’s okay?"

Mar pulled his knees up to his chest and frowned at the curtains around his bed. He'd seen grown-ups in the other beds when he'd tried to sneak out before, usually with casts on limbs or sleeping. They weren't mean or scary, but they usually ignored him.

Generic adult behavior. 

If Jak had been in one of the other twelve beds, he would have come to check on Mar by now.

Daxter stretched to peer through a gap in the curtains. Then he sighed and returned to carding through Mar's coily hair with a comb that had been left unattended.

"I...I dunno, kiddo. The last time I saw him he-"

Daxter swallowed and forced the words out.

"He wasn't lookin' so good."

Mar's stomach clenched with worry. He gnawed a thumbnail for a few seconds, then asked in subdued signs, "What do we do if he- if something happened to Jak?"

The ottsel let go of the comb -- leaving it vertical in the boy's hair -- and scrambled around to take Mar's face in his hands.

"I'm gonna stick by you, that's what. It's you, me, and Jak, to the end of the line." He squeezed Mar's cheeks to punctuate his words. "I p- I promise, kiddo. One of us is always gonna be here to look out for you."

With a sniffle, the little boy suddenly reached out and dragged Daxter into his arms. He clung to him like a lifeline -- like Jak used to when they were very little. And just like with Jak, Daxter didn't need to see Mar's hands to know what he was saying.

I'm scared, Daxter.

Daxter wrapped his arms around the kid's neck and sighed. "Me too, kid. Me too."

You'd better be okay, Jak.