One Man's Dinner…
By
Denise
I follow O'Neill through a staggering array of possibilities. This market is far different than the ones I have been in before. This place is not the brightly-lit, filled with music supermarkets I have visited with my friends. The tile floors are scuffed and well worn. The shelves are small and cramped. They are stocked with the same items I have seen before but in a smaller overabundance than I am used to. I wonder if the Tau'ri know just how much of things they have. Just the supplies in one of their markets would feed the outcasts on Chulak for a month. And they pick and choose with a disdain almost suited to the false gods.
This market has something I have not seen on Earth before. Tanks and cages of living creatures dominate one corner of it. Curious I wander over. I see aquatic vertebrates and crustaceans of several species, tanks of invertebrates and insect larvae sitting aside containers of tiny amphibians. This is most curious. The Tau'ri seem to prefer their food wrapped, sanitized and processed almost to the point of it being unrecognizable.
This is the first time I have seen live creatures sold in Tau'ri markets. Perhaps this tiny shop is a specialty store. Perhaps the selling of live creatures is a rural tradition; one no longer practiced by urban dwellers.
O'Neill follows me over and makes some selections from the tanks. I watch as the proprietor packages the purchases, taking great care to assure the creatures remain alive.
I can only assume these creatures play a part in a ritual of some sort. Perhaps they are sacrifices or delicacies. I have witnessed the Goa'uld ingest countless varieties of odd things in the name of cuisine.
If these creatures are to be part of a ritual, it must be an important one for O'Neill to wish to partake in it. Having witnessed his impatience with rituals it must be extremely important to him. I am honored he will share it with me.
He finishes with his selections, pays for the purchases and we leave the market.
We drive down a series of roads, each narrower than the one before until we come to a small cabin perched on the shores of a tranquil lake.
We efficiently unpack our supplies, opening windows as we do to banish the mustiness in the air. It is obvious this dwelling has not seen occupation for a length of time.
The unpacking finished, we go for a walk. I enjoy the peacefulness of the surroundings while O'Neill regales me with tales of his childhood spent at this lake.
With the dusk we retreat inside. O'Neill starts a fire to eliminate the dampness and instructs me to set out food.
Thinking he would wish to perform the ritual as a blessing or cleansing of the cabin, I set out the containers of the live creatures.
"Teal'c…What the hell are you doing?"
I turn to see O'Neill standing behind me, a look of puzzlement on his face. "You instructed me to set out food," I explain. Though it is odd, I will eat these creatures if he wishes me to. I have eaten far worse in my life.
He crosses to me and starts to return the creatures to the refrigerator. In their place he pulls out a package of ground meat. "Aah…Teal'c…if aah…if you really want to you can eat it but…well I was sorta planning to use the bait to catch dinner tomorrow."
Is another Man's bait.
fin