Question You Don't Know Jak

Yikes, those lyrics are a bit depressing, I hope they don't bode bad things for Alex.

October 8th, 2007
Penthouse, The Stratford Building, 1385 York Ave, New York, NY

Alex feeling out of sorts due to now hosting Jak, I wonder what is in store for him. I hope Alex's appetite calms down soon or his parents might need to take a loan with how much he is eating. The old spirit in the mirror trick, a good way to communicate but warn the kid first. Those are a lot of changes in a short amount of time, kind of obvious he is a mutant to anyone who knows him.

At least Jak is a voyeur for Alex's sake, talk about performance anxiety if he was. Gah, I just knew Jak would pull something like this, give a teenage boy a pair of breasts and think it's no big deal. And Alex is a girl, way to go Jak, ease the kid into your power of shapeshifting instead of diving into the deep end first. Back to a boy, Alex definitely has an interesting journey ahead of him learning about the powers Jak is sharing with him.

Edwin cooking something up in the kitchen, a butler who is a good cook is a treasure. Bubble and Squeak, sounds interesting.

“A hearty provision, comprised of mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and the moribund scraps American butchers deign to call bacon crowned with a single egg and, of course, the requisite confidential blend of spices.”

*starts to drool* And his mother has deadlines so Edwin has to take him to the train station, aww. Didn't leave his side for 4 days, his mother definitely cares about him. Uniforms ready by Miss Claire and with Tansy as his cousin things are going to be very interesting for him at Whateley.

Acela Express 2158 En-route to Concord, New Hampshire

A private compartment for a 4-hour trip, you will be grateful for that when the trip is done, Alex. Sounds like Jak pulled Alex into the Dream Space, unicorns grazing, never let Jade know or Misty know. Interesting, a spirit pointing out it isn't the body but the soul which is you.

Well, that is interesting, suppressing his dreams so he won't consciously remember them, curious why now. Leaving Alex alone to explore his new body and what he can change into, certainly a relaxed, laid back spirit Jak is.

Wild conspiracy theories, secret societies, cabals of homosexual amphibians and mystics offering to sell the secrets of the cosmos for the low, low price of $19.95 plus shipping and handling were the order of the day.

So Whateley Universe's internet is even worse than ours with those, yikes.

“The western occult tradition traces it's linage to Charlemagne and his Codice Iuris, by which the legal foundation of the tradition was laid and is recognized as the first step in moving the practice of magic from hedge practice and mystic trapping to a legally recognized profession,” he read, furring his brow as he scrolled through the somewhat dry historical summary. “What does that have to do with Solomon?” he asked, clicking a few links fruitlessly.

Finally a new page opened that caught his interest. “Solomon, King of Israel or Solomon the Wise was a noted magician and ruler (c)970-931 BCE and the author of the Contract with the metaphysical world that bears his name, governing the interactions with spirits and beings not native to the Prime Material Plane. What is...? Oh,” Alex muttered, following a link then back. “Use in warfare...Forbiddance of Attainder...Primacy of Cost? What the devil is...”

“Primacy of Cost?” a familiar voice asked. Alex looked up to find Jak sitting across from him again. “It means I can't give you something for free. And I can't take from you without offering something in return. Call it the 'no free lunch' rule,” the Spirit declared. “Not exactly what I would call erotic reading there, kiddo.”

Ooo, more details on the Contract, very interesting, especially that Primacy of Cost part.

“First and foremost, you are in what the highbrow types call the Prime Material Plane and it is where essence is generated. The stuff of life itself. That is what we spirits feed on, the way you humans need air and food and water. You suck it up and fritter it away in day dreams or fantasies your whole lives. From addicted gamblers fervently hoping for their big break to grandma's prayers to the Creator, it's all essence. We can only collect it in our hallow and to stay in our hallow all the time is dangerous. We can be captured and subjugated, just like you read about Solomon rounding us up and binding us to any and everything he had laying around. Until the Contract.”

So essence isn't just for magic, it is the thing which spirits need to keep existing, very interesting. Don't know if this was detailed before and I just forgot, heh. And with what Jak just said, does that mean Djinn aka Genies were just spirits bound to objects to be slaves? And using spirits to power magical items, ugh.

Heh, when Alex was first making the deal with Jak I was a bit worried. Now he just seems like a spirit who wishes to help out the kid and benefit from him for the long run. Jak shifting like that and leaning forward into Alex's face is going to give him a complex at this rate.

She leaned down, nose to nose, a fire dancing in her blue eyes. “You don't know me very well yet, so I'll let your former comment slide, this time. If some little miss out there wants a memory, well me taking care of my host is win/win for everybody. But compelling is cheating. There's no sport in making anyone do anything. You, of all people, should know that.”

And at the rate Jak is pestering Alex about it the boy won't arrive at Whateley still a virgin. Jak seems almost like Jessica Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, and an 80s teen movie protagonist all rolled into one.

Amtrak Berlin Station, Berlin, New Hampshire

Guess coming from New York a train station and town that small don't seem like much. That description, they sent Wyatt to pick the Alex up and he thinks he is going to have to deal with a jock bully just from how Wyatt appears and is dressed, is he in for a surprise. And Alex is lucky it is Wyatt, someone who knows his cousin Tansy so well, hehe.

Finding out Wyatt is a Senior Emeritus due to his new power and being held for another year, Wyatt isn't even the biggest guy at Whateley I think. Wait until Alex sees Razorback. Pointers on having a spirit from Tansy plus Wyatt to go to as well, Alex is off to a good start at Whateley and not even on the school grounds yet. Sparring with Wyatt, that would scare some of the senior students to even think about.

Not a fan of chocolate bars, blasphemy! And the gargoyles send a shiver up another one's spine as they enter Whateley for the first time. And seeing all those buildings for the first time, wait until he gets inside the Crystal Hall. And meeting Elaine Claire, just hope his first time meeting Ms. Hartford is on good terms. Twain Cottage, Alex is going to get used to seeing some of the more unique students at Whateley quick living there.

Mr. Lord, I forget what we know about him right now, I hope he is one of the good student advisors. Trying out of the tennis team so put in Twain, interesting reason for it.

Behind the door was an extremely fit older man, somewhere around six feet or so, in a shirt like the one Wyatt was wearing with a whistle on a lanyard around his neck. He had a tanned, weathered face which was square shaped with a sharply defined jaw.

I think, not sure, this is the first time we've had a good physical description of Mr. Filbert. Rooming with Adam, so Alex is who Adam's new roommate is, nice.

And learning he needs a codename before he gets stuck with one, though Adam should know not to call Lanie Loopy, she hates that nickname. Yikes, I remember this scene very well, when Adam confronted John about how he treats others, including not calling them by their names. Run along now and let Adam work this out for himself.

At the Crystal Hall and just the smells alone already have Alex impressed. Introduction to Maria and he can speak Spanish, wonder what he said to get her to blush and say that back to Alex. A guest at the Alpha dais, lucky kid. Dang, the poor kid is taken in at how beautiful Tansy is in that outfit and being herself now, even though they are cousins. And it seems her father didn't warn her Alex was coming to Whateley as a student.

At least Alex knows Lanie is off-limits, smart kid. Rats, Jak wants to keep the Indian Cave a secret. I wonder if he is a spirit that Grizzly and Kodiak have had bad dealings with in the past. And lying about his powers, that won't help him in the long-run when powers testing happens. At least Tansy is happy he is there.

General Classroom 206, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy

A club of teachers who all have ascended Mt. Everest, I can believe that at Whateley. Richard Lord, interesting advisor for him to have, didn't know there was a Roof of the World Club. Jak didn't want Alex to tell about his shapeshifting even though he told Mr. Lord, just what are you keeping secret about yourself Jak? England through the Lens of Shakespeare, now that sounds interesting.

Oh great, already dealing with bullies who think he is gay just because of his build and wearing loafers. Knee to Dump Truck's groin, then Alex gets sucker-punched and trips over Thatcher onto the ground, then gets kicked in the kidney. Jak isn't letting Alex go down like this, takes control it seems and forms claws before he tears into one of his attackers, almost going for the throat before Wallflower traps him in an opaque bubble. Yikes, Code One, these bullies picked the wrong person to mess with.

And of course, Alex is in Mrs. Carson's office, oh boy. Handcuffed but Bardue removing them now. Yikes, being made to look into Carson's eyes when she is this angry, scary doesn't cover it. Ouch, a new record for being brought before Mrs. Carson for getting in trouble on campus, there goes his good time at Whateley. Oh boy, upset because he is the second Walcutt to get in trouble on their first day at the Academy, no breaks for Mrs. Carson.

*eyes bug out* No wonder Thud freaked out when he shapeshifted, monstrous half-man, half-fox, Jak just had to push him. Poor Alex, not used to dealing with an administrator who just punishes him along with the bullies and no idea what to do when dealing with Mrs. Carson.

“I've been bullied my whole life!” he shouted at her, confused and more than a little frightened by this strange conversation. In his experience, head masters didn't act this way. They prattled on about traditions and learning and then handed out punitive tasks. Elizabeth Carson seemed to want into his head and that terrified him. “You think I didn't know what was coming when they surrounded me? That I wasn't about to be beaten to a pulp?!”

When you deal with that your whole life and suddenly have the power to make the bullies pay it would be hard to hold back. And Alex learned one major lesson about having a spirit, giving them control when you don't know what they will do is a bad idea unless it is a true life or death situation.

Genuinely confused, Alex asked, “What should I have done, Doctor Carson?”

The stern left her features and she almost smiled in a way that had him feeling warm all over. “Well, perhaps I will finally get some benefit from all these odds manglers attending my school and get a Walcutt who can be taught.”

Now this is priceless, about time she got some benefit from all the odds manglers going to Whateley. Be aware of your surroundings, good advice and I know it from experience from years of being bullied myself. Knowing his way around campus top priority, I hope he gets help when it comes to learning the tunnels at least.

Many spirits overreact when it comes to protecting their host, I think we've seen that more than once over the years in the stories.

“So, you have a laptop?” she asked and waited for his nod. “Tonight, you will write a one thousand word plan for how you intend to learn from this encounter and steps you will take for corrective action, on my desk first thing tomorrow morning.”

He got off light, I think him asking Mrs. Carson what he should have done went a long way to show he wishes to learn and not keep making this same mistake. Wish more school administrators were like her.

Room 112 of Twain Cottage, and it figures Adam has that poster from Venus Inc., funny and sexy at the same time. Is Jak dressed like Link or Robin Hood? Alex really doesn't want to upset Mrs. Carson again, and Jak needs to learn to take things seriously sometimes. With that one quote, I'm guessing Jak is made up like Robin Hood.

Alex sighed as he looked at the strange creature and scratched his head. “Are you always so bent on getting even?”

With melodrama dripping off his form, the fox pantomimed shock so as to make a silent film star blush. “Oh 'tis ignoble death and mummery that consigned to the doom of fickle fame should I be reduced to this!”

Bwahaha! Using a quote from a tale he is in, Reynard the Fox is a tricky one. Sir Reynard, Reynard the Fox, Whiskey Jak, oh boy, just what has Alex gotten himself into. I figured who Jak was from Alex's origin tale, but I hope Reynard doesn't have some of his darker elements.

Making fools of DT, Thud, and Thatcher, as long as he doesn't hurt them that sounds like fun.

The Fox's eyes gleamed. “That makes it fun! Now, nothing makes a man stop thinking faster than the sweet coo of a woman's voice, and those three don't have a single brain to share between them.”

“You want me to change into a girl?” Alex asked hesitantly.

“Patience my skeptical host!” the fox soothed him. “First, to practice the feminine wiles, you'll need a teacher. And I know that cousin of yours is la femme fatale of the first rank. Let's pay her a visit and see if she knows blood is thicker than water.”

Being taught feminine wiles by his cousin, well this just hit an 11 on the awkward scale.