"You're shitting me..."
It was a few minutes after Y'soa had made his farewell and vanished, and Jack had immediately woken up the others, knowing that even though he didn't have a clue what the two of them had discussed during their unintelligible conversation it was probably something Daniel should know about.
Jack shook his head, grinning despite himself. Daniel rarely swore like that, and it was fun when he did. Especially when he caught a glimpse of Teal'c's reaction to that statement.
"Nope. He popped in out of nowhere behind me and Jaffer, stopped long enough to introduce himself and babble at me for a minute, gave me this bag of... stuff... and then popped out of sight – right in front of me, thank you very much."
"Wow." Sam was looking in the bag, and had scooped a small amount of the salve. "This is the balm that was smeared on you and Jaffer?"
"It looks the same, and smells the same."
"It is most likely the same, then," Teal'c said.
"Yup."
"What did he say to you?" Daniel asked.
"He babbled, Daniel." Jack said, shrugging.
"Try to remember at least some of it, Jack. Please?"
Jack scowled.
"It was babbling, Daniel. It didn't make any sense to me. He said Jaffer's name, and it hardly sounded like it. When he said my name it had more than one syllable. It sounded like 'Ja-ack', or something like that."
Daniel was staring at him, frustrated, and Jack felt sorry for him. As much as he had wished Daniel had been there during his talk with Y'soa, he knew Daniel wished it even more.
"His name is Y'soa." Jack said, giving him the only piece of information he really knew. "I think."
"Y'soa?"
Jack shrugged, "I think... something like that, anyways. Hopefully we can get him to come for another visit."
"These people seem to be shy," Teal'c said. "They have yet to show themselves to anyone except for yourself and Jaffer."
"I think they like Jaffer," Jack said, remembering the way he'd heard the little girl voice and saw the hand petting his dog. He shrugged, "Maybe we can use that to our advantage."
"How?" Sam asked.
"They have to materialize in order to pet Jaffer. When they materialize, we can see them, and hopefully Daniel will be able to talk to them. Or at least do a better job than I did."
"I'm sure you did the best you could," Sam said, smiling. She wished she could have been there, too, if only to see Jack trying to have a conversation with someone babbling at him.
"Yeah." Jack shrugged again and looked at the others. It was still early – there were a few more hours before the sun was going to come up, but he was certain Daniel wasn't going to go back to bed. "Why don't you and Teal'c go back to bed? I'll keep watch, while Daniel gets started on the walls. Hopefully, he can learn something about these people, and even better, maybe one of them will come back and chat with us again."
"I shall remain with Daniel Jackson, O'Neill." Teal'c decided. He was rather hoping that one of the natives would make an appearance.
"I'm not tired, either," Sam said. She was awake, now, and it didn't make much sense to try and get back to sleep.
Jack shrugged. They were grownups, and didn't need his permission to stay up. He took the bag of salve from her, and put it to his nose again, enjoying the smell.
"I'm going to doctor Jaffer."
"Want me to do you?" Carter asked.
He grinned, and Carter rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I know," Jack said. But it was so much fun to tease her! "And yes, if you'd do me, I'd appreciate it."
They watched as Teal'c and Daniel headed back to the ruins, Teal'c carrying his staff weapon in one hand and a couple of lanterns in the other, and Daniel carrying the folder of notes he'd taken on the bark chips. Then Sam took the bag of salve back from O'Neill, and ordered him to take a seat near the fire so she could take care of the scratches. Jaffer came over and sat next to Jack, and O'Neill rubbed his face and ears while Carter's gentle fingers massaged the scented salve into the deep cuts on his neck and lower back.
Then she sat and chatted with him while Jack used the same salve on Jaffer's cuts – which were already looking far less red and nasty than they had earlier that day.
"This stuff really seems to work," Jack murmured, looking at his fingers while Sam wrapped bandages around Jaffer's belly for him.
"We'll have to let Janet take a look at it."
"Yeah."
He stood up and went to his tent and pulled out a shirt. The air was getting pretty chilly, and the salve just made him that much colder.
"We might as well make breakfast, since no one's going to go back to bed."
"Daniel won't want to stop to eat."
"Too bad."
She smiled and shook her head, then reached for their cooking skillet. Since they had nothing but time, they might as well make something better than MREs.
...................
Author's note: We'll probably learn something about the floating hand people in the next chapter... if not then the one after!
It was a few minutes after Y'soa had made his farewell and vanished, and Jack had immediately woken up the others, knowing that even though he didn't have a clue what the two of them had discussed during their unintelligible conversation it was probably something Daniel should know about.
Jack shook his head, grinning despite himself. Daniel rarely swore like that, and it was fun when he did. Especially when he caught a glimpse of Teal'c's reaction to that statement.
"Nope. He popped in out of nowhere behind me and Jaffer, stopped long enough to introduce himself and babble at me for a minute, gave me this bag of... stuff... and then popped out of sight – right in front of me, thank you very much."
"Wow." Sam was looking in the bag, and had scooped a small amount of the salve. "This is the balm that was smeared on you and Jaffer?"
"It looks the same, and smells the same."
"It is most likely the same, then," Teal'c said.
"Yup."
"What did he say to you?" Daniel asked.
"He babbled, Daniel." Jack said, shrugging.
"Try to remember at least some of it, Jack. Please?"
Jack scowled.
"It was babbling, Daniel. It didn't make any sense to me. He said Jaffer's name, and it hardly sounded like it. When he said my name it had more than one syllable. It sounded like 'Ja-ack', or something like that."
Daniel was staring at him, frustrated, and Jack felt sorry for him. As much as he had wished Daniel had been there during his talk with Y'soa, he knew Daniel wished it even more.
"His name is Y'soa." Jack said, giving him the only piece of information he really knew. "I think."
"Y'soa?"
Jack shrugged, "I think... something like that, anyways. Hopefully we can get him to come for another visit."
"These people seem to be shy," Teal'c said. "They have yet to show themselves to anyone except for yourself and Jaffer."
"I think they like Jaffer," Jack said, remembering the way he'd heard the little girl voice and saw the hand petting his dog. He shrugged, "Maybe we can use that to our advantage."
"How?" Sam asked.
"They have to materialize in order to pet Jaffer. When they materialize, we can see them, and hopefully Daniel will be able to talk to them. Or at least do a better job than I did."
"I'm sure you did the best you could," Sam said, smiling. She wished she could have been there, too, if only to see Jack trying to have a conversation with someone babbling at him.
"Yeah." Jack shrugged again and looked at the others. It was still early – there were a few more hours before the sun was going to come up, but he was certain Daniel wasn't going to go back to bed. "Why don't you and Teal'c go back to bed? I'll keep watch, while Daniel gets started on the walls. Hopefully, he can learn something about these people, and even better, maybe one of them will come back and chat with us again."
"I shall remain with Daniel Jackson, O'Neill." Teal'c decided. He was rather hoping that one of the natives would make an appearance.
"I'm not tired, either," Sam said. She was awake, now, and it didn't make much sense to try and get back to sleep.
Jack shrugged. They were grownups, and didn't need his permission to stay up. He took the bag of salve from her, and put it to his nose again, enjoying the smell.
"I'm going to doctor Jaffer."
"Want me to do you?" Carter asked.
He grinned, and Carter rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I know," Jack said. But it was so much fun to tease her! "And yes, if you'd do me, I'd appreciate it."
They watched as Teal'c and Daniel headed back to the ruins, Teal'c carrying his staff weapon in one hand and a couple of lanterns in the other, and Daniel carrying the folder of notes he'd taken on the bark chips. Then Sam took the bag of salve back from O'Neill, and ordered him to take a seat near the fire so she could take care of the scratches. Jaffer came over and sat next to Jack, and O'Neill rubbed his face and ears while Carter's gentle fingers massaged the scented salve into the deep cuts on his neck and lower back.
Then she sat and chatted with him while Jack used the same salve on Jaffer's cuts – which were already looking far less red and nasty than they had earlier that day.
"This stuff really seems to work," Jack murmured, looking at his fingers while Sam wrapped bandages around Jaffer's belly for him.
"We'll have to let Janet take a look at it."
"Yeah."
He stood up and went to his tent and pulled out a shirt. The air was getting pretty chilly, and the salve just made him that much colder.
"We might as well make breakfast, since no one's going to go back to bed."
"Daniel won't want to stop to eat."
"Too bad."
She smiled and shook her head, then reached for their cooking skillet. Since they had nothing but time, they might as well make something better than MREs.
...................
Author's note: We'll probably learn something about the floating hand people in the next chapter... if not then the one after!