Author's Note: This would be going faster if the floating hands people spoke English, but it wouldn't be very realistic, so until they figure out how to express themselves to each other, you'll have to bear with me!
.......................
"So what happened?" Jack asked, watching as Jaffer walked over to greet Daniel, sniffing his empty breakfast plate, and then sticking his nose into the archeologist's hand so he'd have to pet him. Daniel complied, scratching the dog's ears as he shrugged.
"I haven't found out, yet." He pointed to the walls around him with his free hand. "It's all right here, though. I don't think this area was a place for worship at all. I think it's a place to tell their history."
"Tell who?"
Daniel shrugged. "At the moment, us."
"So what are these people called?"
Daniel shrugged again.
"Is that all you know so far?"
"Sorry." Daniel sounded far more frustrated than Jack did, and O'Neill knew that he was doing his best, and that was saying something.
"Nah, you're doing great, Daniel. Is there anything we can do to help you?"
"Just leave me alone, Jack."
Jaffer sneezed, spraying dog snot all over Daniel.
"And take Jaffer with you."
"Teal'c? You need a break? I'll take over guard duty."
"Thank you, O'Neill."
Teal'c didn't mind being the guard. He was very well suited for it, after all. However, he was ready for a break, and maybe a chance to grab a bite to eat.
"Why don't I stand guard?" Sam asked, smiling at the look on Daniel's face. If Jack were to remain, Daniel knew he wasn't going to get anything done. And it showed.
"It's my turn, Carter."
"You can take Jaffer for another walk. Maybe go see if you can get someone to come and say hi."
"That's a great idea, Sam." Daniel agreed, looking at Jack hopefully.
Jack scowled. He wasn't dumb. He knew what they were doing.
"I don't want to go for a walk."
Daniel sighed, and Jack remembered that he was supposed to be helping, not being a pain in the butt.
"Fine. Sam, you stand watch. When you get tired of listening to Daniel mumbling to himself, give me a call and I'll take over."
Carter smiled, and nodded, and Jack called Jaffer to his side and walked off.
"I don't mumble..." Daniel mumbled, more to himself than to Sam. He didn't see her smile as he turned his attention back to the wall he was translating.
.......................
"Come on, Jaffer," Jack grumbled, looking down as the big black lab came over to walk next to Jack in a perfect heel. "We'll go see if ole Y'soa will come and talk to us." Wouldn't that just put a burr under Daniel's saddle? Thinking that he should return the favor of Y'soa giving him the salve to use on himself and Jaffer, Jack stopped at his tent and rummaged through his personal pack, looking for something that might be useful to a guy that could disappear into thin air at any time.
He toyed with the notion of giving him a knife, but decided that something less pointed might be better. It was one thing for them to give him a spear to protect himself with, but it was another for him to give Y'soa a razor sharp knife that was definitely not designed as a tool. Instead, Jack pulled out a small, square, metal tin that held something no one knew Jack took with him on missions. (Except Jaffer, who knew everything). With the tin in one hand, and his P-90 in the other – since he had no intention of gaining another set of feline scratches – he waved a goodbye to Teal'c, and he and Jaffer headed out into the forest.
...............
"Y'soa!"
Jack's call echoed through the woods. He and Jaffer had been walking for about twenty minutes – far enough out into the woods that his calls wouldn't bother Daniel, and hopefully would reach the floating people – if not Y'soa himself.
He didn't really expect to be answered. Not really. If he had, he would have taken Daniel with him. It was just a way to kill time, and maybe let the floating hand people at least know that he was interested in continuing their relationship.
"Y'soa!"
"Ja-ack."
They whirled at the soft voice behind them, and Jack barely managed to keep from bringing his gun up – which was an automatic thing when someone sneaked up behind him. It would have been bad form, of course, even if Y'soa didn't know the P-90 was a dangerous weapon.
Sure enough, the same guy was standing in front of them. Complete with the same brightly colored skirt and sash. Jack wondered if all his people wore sashes, or if it meant he had some kind of rank.
"Uh... hi." Jack raised his hand in greeting, pretty surprised that he'd been answered – especially so quickly.
The hand up in greeting was a fairly common symbol of greeting, and even Y'soa understood that one. He raised his hand as well.
"Kique, Ja-ack." The man looked down at Jaffer, who was wagging his tail and looking cheerfully up at the smaller man, friendly now that he knew there was no threat. The cheerfulness in his brown eyes was so infectious that Y'soa smiled in response. "Kique, Ja-fer."
Jaffer ambled up to him and stuck his nose into Y'soa's hand (Jack was grateful he didn't do the whole nose in the crotch thing) and Y'soa's smile grew bigger. He stroked the lab's nose cautiously – after all, he'd seen what those teeth could do when the dog was fighting the feline – but Jaffer was all for being petted, and his tail wagged even harder.
"Ja-fer wersijid bu'kilsis!"
The delight on Y'soa's face made O'Neill smile, even though he didn't have a clue what was being said. He shrugged, and gave the man a chance to pet Jaffer for a moment, then decided to try another bit of conversation.
"Y'soa?"
The man looked up from Jaffer, and saw Jack holding the small metal tin out in his hand, obviously offering it to him. He walked over, looking at it with obvious confusion, and Jack grinned, and took the lid off, doing it slowly as a demonstration.
"Selicwe?"
"They're for you." Jack said. Taking one of the Oreo cookies out of the tin and holding it out to Y'soa, who took it, and looked at it as if unsure what to do with it.
"You eat it."
"Sel?"
Jack took a cookie out of the tin, held it up so Y'soa could see it was the same thing, and then took a bite.
"You eat it." He repeated, chewing, then gestured for Y'soa to do the same. "Try it. You'll like it."
Cautiously, like a kid trying a new vegetable for the first time, the man sniffed the cookie, and then took a small bite. It was obvious what he thought of it, since his face lit up immediately, and the next bite he took was far more enthusiastic.
"Ja-ack! Hed'ipli ouf sihiduy!"
O'Neill grinned.
"I know. Too bad you don't have a glass of milk to dip it in."
He handed the tin over to Y'soa, who took it with a deep bow, and a huge grin.
"Dr'iserf al lidut, Ja-ack."
With that, the man vanished again, taking the tin of cookies with him, and leaving Jack and Jaffer to stare at empty space once more.
"Huh."
.......................
"So what happened?" Jack asked, watching as Jaffer walked over to greet Daniel, sniffing his empty breakfast plate, and then sticking his nose into the archeologist's hand so he'd have to pet him. Daniel complied, scratching the dog's ears as he shrugged.
"I haven't found out, yet." He pointed to the walls around him with his free hand. "It's all right here, though. I don't think this area was a place for worship at all. I think it's a place to tell their history."
"Tell who?"
Daniel shrugged. "At the moment, us."
"So what are these people called?"
Daniel shrugged again.
"Is that all you know so far?"
"Sorry." Daniel sounded far more frustrated than Jack did, and O'Neill knew that he was doing his best, and that was saying something.
"Nah, you're doing great, Daniel. Is there anything we can do to help you?"
"Just leave me alone, Jack."
Jaffer sneezed, spraying dog snot all over Daniel.
"And take Jaffer with you."
"Teal'c? You need a break? I'll take over guard duty."
"Thank you, O'Neill."
Teal'c didn't mind being the guard. He was very well suited for it, after all. However, he was ready for a break, and maybe a chance to grab a bite to eat.
"Why don't I stand guard?" Sam asked, smiling at the look on Daniel's face. If Jack were to remain, Daniel knew he wasn't going to get anything done. And it showed.
"It's my turn, Carter."
"You can take Jaffer for another walk. Maybe go see if you can get someone to come and say hi."
"That's a great idea, Sam." Daniel agreed, looking at Jack hopefully.
Jack scowled. He wasn't dumb. He knew what they were doing.
"I don't want to go for a walk."
Daniel sighed, and Jack remembered that he was supposed to be helping, not being a pain in the butt.
"Fine. Sam, you stand watch. When you get tired of listening to Daniel mumbling to himself, give me a call and I'll take over."
Carter smiled, and nodded, and Jack called Jaffer to his side and walked off.
"I don't mumble..." Daniel mumbled, more to himself than to Sam. He didn't see her smile as he turned his attention back to the wall he was translating.
.......................
"Come on, Jaffer," Jack grumbled, looking down as the big black lab came over to walk next to Jack in a perfect heel. "We'll go see if ole Y'soa will come and talk to us." Wouldn't that just put a burr under Daniel's saddle? Thinking that he should return the favor of Y'soa giving him the salve to use on himself and Jaffer, Jack stopped at his tent and rummaged through his personal pack, looking for something that might be useful to a guy that could disappear into thin air at any time.
He toyed with the notion of giving him a knife, but decided that something less pointed might be better. It was one thing for them to give him a spear to protect himself with, but it was another for him to give Y'soa a razor sharp knife that was definitely not designed as a tool. Instead, Jack pulled out a small, square, metal tin that held something no one knew Jack took with him on missions. (Except Jaffer, who knew everything). With the tin in one hand, and his P-90 in the other – since he had no intention of gaining another set of feline scratches – he waved a goodbye to Teal'c, and he and Jaffer headed out into the forest.
...............
"Y'soa!"
Jack's call echoed through the woods. He and Jaffer had been walking for about twenty minutes – far enough out into the woods that his calls wouldn't bother Daniel, and hopefully would reach the floating people – if not Y'soa himself.
He didn't really expect to be answered. Not really. If he had, he would have taken Daniel with him. It was just a way to kill time, and maybe let the floating hand people at least know that he was interested in continuing their relationship.
"Y'soa!"
"Ja-ack."
They whirled at the soft voice behind them, and Jack barely managed to keep from bringing his gun up – which was an automatic thing when someone sneaked up behind him. It would have been bad form, of course, even if Y'soa didn't know the P-90 was a dangerous weapon.
Sure enough, the same guy was standing in front of them. Complete with the same brightly colored skirt and sash. Jack wondered if all his people wore sashes, or if it meant he had some kind of rank.
"Uh... hi." Jack raised his hand in greeting, pretty surprised that he'd been answered – especially so quickly.
The hand up in greeting was a fairly common symbol of greeting, and even Y'soa understood that one. He raised his hand as well.
"Kique, Ja-ack." The man looked down at Jaffer, who was wagging his tail and looking cheerfully up at the smaller man, friendly now that he knew there was no threat. The cheerfulness in his brown eyes was so infectious that Y'soa smiled in response. "Kique, Ja-fer."
Jaffer ambled up to him and stuck his nose into Y'soa's hand (Jack was grateful he didn't do the whole nose in the crotch thing) and Y'soa's smile grew bigger. He stroked the lab's nose cautiously – after all, he'd seen what those teeth could do when the dog was fighting the feline – but Jaffer was all for being petted, and his tail wagged even harder.
"Ja-fer wersijid bu'kilsis!"
The delight on Y'soa's face made O'Neill smile, even though he didn't have a clue what was being said. He shrugged, and gave the man a chance to pet Jaffer for a moment, then decided to try another bit of conversation.
"Y'soa?"
The man looked up from Jaffer, and saw Jack holding the small metal tin out in his hand, obviously offering it to him. He walked over, looking at it with obvious confusion, and Jack grinned, and took the lid off, doing it slowly as a demonstration.
"Selicwe?"
"They're for you." Jack said. Taking one of the Oreo cookies out of the tin and holding it out to Y'soa, who took it, and looked at it as if unsure what to do with it.
"You eat it."
"Sel?"
Jack took a cookie out of the tin, held it up so Y'soa could see it was the same thing, and then took a bite.
"You eat it." He repeated, chewing, then gestured for Y'soa to do the same. "Try it. You'll like it."
Cautiously, like a kid trying a new vegetable for the first time, the man sniffed the cookie, and then took a small bite. It was obvious what he thought of it, since his face lit up immediately, and the next bite he took was far more enthusiastic.
"Ja-ack! Hed'ipli ouf sihiduy!"
O'Neill grinned.
"I know. Too bad you don't have a glass of milk to dip it in."
He handed the tin over to Y'soa, who took it with a deep bow, and a huge grin.
"Dr'iserf al lidut, Ja-ack."
With that, the man vanished again, taking the tin of cookies with him, and leaving Jack and Jaffer to stare at empty space once more.
"Huh."