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icarusThe Walls of Jericho - 16 (from part 1 here)
by Icarus
After a bath -- he made Carter wait and Daniel leave -- Jack stepped into his bedroom to find two of the aliens waiting there. He wrapped his towel tighter about his waist. Funny, he didn't remember ordering room service.
He decided not to say that out loud, because if there was one thing he'd learned about these people, it was that they had no sense of humor. Worse than the Goa'uld, 'cause the Goa'uld at least laughed when they were killing you.
"Good morning," he said as politely as he could, wishing Daniel would get his butt out here. Now. The long-faced guys bowed slightly, their eyes just a little too big and a little too dilated to make Jack comfortable. He adjusted his shoulders. "What may I do for you?"
There. That was worthy of Major Davis.
"You are invited to attend the morning gathering," the taller big-eyed alien said. "You may wear this if you prefer," he gestured to Jack; his slight cynical undertone suggested that Jack would wear what he wanted anyway.
"No, I think I'll try clothes if it's all the same to you." Jack clenched his fist. Damn. Why did they even send him on diplomatic missions? Frick and Frack nodded again, perfectly polite, and left, almost gliding in those long robes.
Of course that's when Daniel showed, buttoning his shirt as he peered in from the bathroom.
"What was that?" he blinked.
"We're invited to the morning's entertainment, whatever it is," Jack said. "Oh -- and you can wear your towel."
Daniel gave him a funny look.
~*~*~
The entertainment turned out to be just breakfast, as formal as the other night in the same high-ceilinged hall, except that they weren't at the main table and aliens came and went. Red robes had not been provided for them this time, so they were in their SGC uniforms. Apparently everyone had heard of them however, word spread fast in small towns, because the locals wouldn't look at them, and seemed extremely uncomfortable. No one sat at their table until the hall was completely full and there weren't other options. Sam looked up from her bowl, and her eyes said uh-oh; this isn't good. Only Teal'c was completely cool with it; being Teal'c.
Jack started to feel a little vindicated however, as Daniel attempted to chat up the aliens, showing increasing signs of frustration.
"So this... this lava. You can shape it," he opened.
"All things have shape and form," the alien said gravely.
"But you can choose that form, direct it," Daniel tried again.
The alien shook his head. "No. No one can do that."
Daniel took a deep breath and deliberately ignored Jack's smug smile. Daniel's hand circled a little. "So there are other forces at work that... shape the lava."
The alien said delicately, "It has shape and form."
Daniel's eyes slid to the side. "Mmm...yeah. So does the lava shape itself? Make these different forms," he gestured at the tall pillars, "these pillars, this art? I saw somebody do that," he explained.
The alien looked startled. "Create the great hall?"
"No, shape some lava into this little... work of art. This bird-like thing, it was about this tall, it swirled around." More gestures. The alien looked confused. Daniel admitted, "I saw someone make the lava do what they wanted."
The alien tipped his head gently. "The, what you call lava, has form."
"So. Are you saying that the shape already exists within the lava and you... bring it out?"
And on and on in a circle. Jack rolled his eyes.
On the walk back Daniel said, flinging his hands up in consternation, "I can't tell if they're being deliberately obtuse and stone-walling me, or if these words mean something completely different to them, or if I'm just so far from the concept of how this is done that I can't even ask the right questions."
"I'm sure they're stone-walling us," Jack said in a cynical tone, scanning the aliens as they went about their daily lives, doing... whatever it was they did. The aliens avoided looking at him.
"What did they say to you anyway?"
"What?"
"Earlier, when they invited us to breakfast?"
Jack shrugged. "Just suggested I could come in my towel."
"Why?" Daniel frowned. "They provided the towels, obviously they don't wear them to breakfast."
"They were just saying we could wear whatever we want. He - it - was being a little snide if you ask me," Jack said sourly.
Daniel looked confused.
Sam took a breath and broke in, "The Colonel didn't exactly conform to the dress code last night." She shot him a look, and Jack was grateful she left it at that.
"So they said we could wear towels?" Daniel looked astounded. "Guys, they just equated our usual clothes to going half-naked."
The light went on in Carter's eyes and she swallowed. "So we just went to breakfast in our underwear?"
"I think so."
"In public?" she winced, looking distressed.
Jack tipped his head and kept walking. "Everything's covered from where I stand."
The next part, 17, is finally up, right here.
by Icarus
After a bath -- he made Carter wait and Daniel leave -- Jack stepped into his bedroom to find two of the aliens waiting there. He wrapped his towel tighter about his waist. Funny, he didn't remember ordering room service.
He decided not to say that out loud, because if there was one thing he'd learned about these people, it was that they had no sense of humor. Worse than the Goa'uld, 'cause the Goa'uld at least laughed when they were killing you.
"Good morning," he said as politely as he could, wishing Daniel would get his butt out here. Now. The long-faced guys bowed slightly, their eyes just a little too big and a little too dilated to make Jack comfortable. He adjusted his shoulders. "What may I do for you?"
There. That was worthy of Major Davis.
"You are invited to attend the morning gathering," the taller big-eyed alien said. "You may wear this if you prefer," he gestured to Jack; his slight cynical undertone suggested that Jack would wear what he wanted anyway.
"No, I think I'll try clothes if it's all the same to you." Jack clenched his fist. Damn. Why did they even send him on diplomatic missions? Frick and Frack nodded again, perfectly polite, and left, almost gliding in those long robes.
Of course that's when Daniel showed, buttoning his shirt as he peered in from the bathroom.
"What was that?" he blinked.
"We're invited to the morning's entertainment, whatever it is," Jack said. "Oh -- and you can wear your towel."
Daniel gave him a funny look.
~*~*~
The entertainment turned out to be just breakfast, as formal as the other night in the same high-ceilinged hall, except that they weren't at the main table and aliens came and went. Red robes had not been provided for them this time, so they were in their SGC uniforms. Apparently everyone had heard of them however, word spread fast in small towns, because the locals wouldn't look at them, and seemed extremely uncomfortable. No one sat at their table until the hall was completely full and there weren't other options. Sam looked up from her bowl, and her eyes said uh-oh; this isn't good. Only Teal'c was completely cool with it; being Teal'c.
Jack started to feel a little vindicated however, as Daniel attempted to chat up the aliens, showing increasing signs of frustration.
"So this... this lava. You can shape it," he opened.
"All things have shape and form," the alien said gravely.
"But you can choose that form, direct it," Daniel tried again.
The alien shook his head. "No. No one can do that."
Daniel took a deep breath and deliberately ignored Jack's smug smile. Daniel's hand circled a little. "So there are other forces at work that... shape the lava."
The alien said delicately, "It has shape and form."
Daniel's eyes slid to the side. "Mmm...yeah. So does the lava shape itself? Make these different forms," he gestured at the tall pillars, "these pillars, this art? I saw somebody do that," he explained.
The alien looked startled. "Create the great hall?"
"No, shape some lava into this little... work of art. This bird-like thing, it was about this tall, it swirled around." More gestures. The alien looked confused. Daniel admitted, "I saw someone make the lava do what they wanted."
The alien tipped his head gently. "The, what you call lava, has form."
"So. Are you saying that the shape already exists within the lava and you... bring it out?"
And on and on in a circle. Jack rolled his eyes.
On the walk back Daniel said, flinging his hands up in consternation, "I can't tell if they're being deliberately obtuse and stone-walling me, or if these words mean something completely different to them, or if I'm just so far from the concept of how this is done that I can't even ask the right questions."
"I'm sure they're stone-walling us," Jack said in a cynical tone, scanning the aliens as they went about their daily lives, doing... whatever it was they did. The aliens avoided looking at him.
"What did they say to you anyway?"
"What?"
"Earlier, when they invited us to breakfast?"
Jack shrugged. "Just suggested I could come in my towel."
"Why?" Daniel frowned. "They provided the towels, obviously they don't wear them to breakfast."
"They were just saying we could wear whatever we want. He - it - was being a little snide if you ask me," Jack said sourly.
Daniel looked confused.
Sam took a breath and broke in, "The Colonel didn't exactly conform to the dress code last night." She shot him a look, and Jack was grateful she left it at that.
"So they said we could wear towels?" Daniel looked astounded. "Guys, they just equated our usual clothes to going half-naked."
The light went on in Carter's eyes and she swallowed. "So we just went to breakfast in our underwear?"
"I think so."
"In public?" she winced, looking distressed.
Jack tipped his head and kept walking. "Everything's covered from where I stand."
The next part, 17, is finally up, right here.
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Date: 2005-01-03 09:32 am (UTC)The chapters are too short -- the original theory was to write a drabble series with chapters short enough I don't have to put them in a cut-tag. It's sort of having an odd freeze-frame effect on the story.
I do know where the story is going, but the story keeps sprouting and shifting. Jack and Daniel were uncooperative and made up very quickly, more quickly than they were supposed to, so the alien!plot has had to step in and drive the tension to a greater extent than I intended. Partlet 19 is up.
Icarus