"So?"
"Don't rush me, Jack."
Jack, Sam and Teal'c were looking over Daniel's shoulder. The archeologist was crouched near the two symbols that Y'soa had put into the dirt, and was thumbing through his notebook, looking for the matching symbols.
"I'm not rushing you..."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Are."
"Aren't."
Sam smiled.
"Well, this one means 'return' or something similar," Daniel said pointing at the first symbol.
"Return what?"
Daniel looked up from flipping through his notebook. "What?"
"What are we returning? The dishes?"
"Jack... sometimes you amaze me." He didn't sound amazed, though, and Jack scowled, wondering why Daniel was so annoyed. Maybe because Jaffer had finished his breakfast?
"Yeah. I amaze myself sometimes, too."
Daniel scowled, but it wasn't his annoyed scowl, it was the confused one. The one he wore a lot when he was talking to Jack. He shook his head, and went back to his notes.
"This one means 'we will' or possibly 'I will'."
"So he's just saying they'll be back?" Sam hazarded, before O'Neill could say anything.
Daniel nodded.
"Maybe they're coming to get the dishes." Jack said, sitting down next to the fire once more, and reaching for his mess kit bowl so he could dish himself up a new batch of the fish stew.
"Perhaps they simply wished to introduce themselves to the rest of us, and to allow us the opportunity to meet a few other members of their people." Teal'c said.
"No better time to make introductions than after feeding you a warm breakfast on a cold morning," Sam said, nodding her agreement.
"So they'll be back, eventually," Jack said, shrugging. "Good. I kind of like them."
"You do?" Daniel looked surprised. Jack rarely liked anyone immediately.
Duh. They obviously liked Jaffer, and anyone who liked Jaffer was automatically someone Jack could like. What was more, Jaffer liked them. Which said a lot about what kind of people they were. Even more than making Jack and the others breakfast and providing them with a warm canopy thing ever could.
O'Neill shrugged.
"They're snappy dressers."
"So what should we do while we wait?" Sam asked, looking out at the rain, which was falling at least as hard as it had been the night before – although the driving wind wasn't present.
"I'm going to go to the wall and try to translate more of their story," Daniel said.
"Better take an umbrella."
"I'll make notes of the symbols and bring them back and translate them here." Daniel wouldn't dream of risking his precious notes in the rain.
"I shall accompany you, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c informed him.
"Me, too, Daniel." Sam said. "We can copy the symbols onto paper for you, even if we don't know what they say."
"True."
"Have fun, kids."
Sam looked at O'Neill, who was blowing on a spoonful of the stew to cool it before eating it.
"You're not coming?"
"I'll clean up breakfast and get things organized around here," Jack told her.
Besides, the damp cold weather was wreaking havoc on his knees, and he didn't want to move around anymore than necessary.
"Letting Jaffer lick the bowls out is not cleaning them," Sam reminded him.
"I know, Sam."
"Just making sure..."
Jack gave her a smile that lit up his dark eyes, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Wear warm clothes, and try to stay as dry as you can, okay?"
"We will."
Of course, none of them had thought to bring an umbrella, but they could improvise with pieces of canvas they'd brought for ground covers they hadn't needed. The three of them went to their tents and changed into warmer clothing, and grabbed paper and pens – which were immediately tucked under jackets to keep them dry – and with a wave to Jack, they headed out, holding the weatherproof materials over their heads to stay dry.
"Alone at last," Jack said, taking another bite of the stew. He wondered how he'd be able to get the recipe for it. Hell, he didn't even know if the stuff in it was available back home. For that matter.... He wasn't really sure he wanted to know what was in it.
.....................
He didn't slack like they probably thought he was going to. Yeah, he relaxed while he finished off his breakfast, but after that, he actually got to work. Jack was experienced at camping, and at taking care of a camp. He knew what needed to be done, and knew that they wouldn't want to do it when they returned. They were going to be cold. And wet.
He went to the stream with all the canteens, and with the large pot they used for cooking. He filled them, and toted them back to the fire where he set the large pot to heating, and then returned with the coffee pot and set that to brewing as well. The floating hand people made an okay tea, but Jack wanted coffee, and he knew the others would want it as well.
He pulled all the firewood out of his tent and stacked it by the fire, then used the now hot water in the large pot to wash the dishes, including the wooden bowls and the ceramic cooking pot the stew had been in. He straightened everything up, then filled the canteens with coffee, and scowled at the rain as he headed out into it. Yeah, like scowling at it was going to make it stop raining.
"Don't rush me, Jack."
Jack, Sam and Teal'c were looking over Daniel's shoulder. The archeologist was crouched near the two symbols that Y'soa had put into the dirt, and was thumbing through his notebook, looking for the matching symbols.
"I'm not rushing you..."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Are."
"Aren't."
Sam smiled.
"Well, this one means 'return' or something similar," Daniel said pointing at the first symbol.
"Return what?"
Daniel looked up from flipping through his notebook. "What?"
"What are we returning? The dishes?"
"Jack... sometimes you amaze me." He didn't sound amazed, though, and Jack scowled, wondering why Daniel was so annoyed. Maybe because Jaffer had finished his breakfast?
"Yeah. I amaze myself sometimes, too."
Daniel scowled, but it wasn't his annoyed scowl, it was the confused one. The one he wore a lot when he was talking to Jack. He shook his head, and went back to his notes.
"This one means 'we will' or possibly 'I will'."
"So he's just saying they'll be back?" Sam hazarded, before O'Neill could say anything.
Daniel nodded.
"Maybe they're coming to get the dishes." Jack said, sitting down next to the fire once more, and reaching for his mess kit bowl so he could dish himself up a new batch of the fish stew.
"Perhaps they simply wished to introduce themselves to the rest of us, and to allow us the opportunity to meet a few other members of their people." Teal'c said.
"No better time to make introductions than after feeding you a warm breakfast on a cold morning," Sam said, nodding her agreement.
"So they'll be back, eventually," Jack said, shrugging. "Good. I kind of like them."
"You do?" Daniel looked surprised. Jack rarely liked anyone immediately.
Duh. They obviously liked Jaffer, and anyone who liked Jaffer was automatically someone Jack could like. What was more, Jaffer liked them. Which said a lot about what kind of people they were. Even more than making Jack and the others breakfast and providing them with a warm canopy thing ever could.
O'Neill shrugged.
"They're snappy dressers."
"So what should we do while we wait?" Sam asked, looking out at the rain, which was falling at least as hard as it had been the night before – although the driving wind wasn't present.
"I'm going to go to the wall and try to translate more of their story," Daniel said.
"Better take an umbrella."
"I'll make notes of the symbols and bring them back and translate them here." Daniel wouldn't dream of risking his precious notes in the rain.
"I shall accompany you, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c informed him.
"Me, too, Daniel." Sam said. "We can copy the symbols onto paper for you, even if we don't know what they say."
"True."
"Have fun, kids."
Sam looked at O'Neill, who was blowing on a spoonful of the stew to cool it before eating it.
"You're not coming?"
"I'll clean up breakfast and get things organized around here," Jack told her.
Besides, the damp cold weather was wreaking havoc on his knees, and he didn't want to move around anymore than necessary.
"Letting Jaffer lick the bowls out is not cleaning them," Sam reminded him.
"I know, Sam."
"Just making sure..."
Jack gave her a smile that lit up his dark eyes, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Wear warm clothes, and try to stay as dry as you can, okay?"
"We will."
Of course, none of them had thought to bring an umbrella, but they could improvise with pieces of canvas they'd brought for ground covers they hadn't needed. The three of them went to their tents and changed into warmer clothing, and grabbed paper and pens – which were immediately tucked under jackets to keep them dry – and with a wave to Jack, they headed out, holding the weatherproof materials over their heads to stay dry.
"Alone at last," Jack said, taking another bite of the stew. He wondered how he'd be able to get the recipe for it. Hell, he didn't even know if the stuff in it was available back home. For that matter.... He wasn't really sure he wanted to know what was in it.
.....................
He didn't slack like they probably thought he was going to. Yeah, he relaxed while he finished off his breakfast, but after that, he actually got to work. Jack was experienced at camping, and at taking care of a camp. He knew what needed to be done, and knew that they wouldn't want to do it when they returned. They were going to be cold. And wet.
He went to the stream with all the canteens, and with the large pot they used for cooking. He filled them, and toted them back to the fire where he set the large pot to heating, and then returned with the coffee pot and set that to brewing as well. The floating hand people made an okay tea, but Jack wanted coffee, and he knew the others would want it as well.
He pulled all the firewood out of his tent and stacked it by the fire, then used the now hot water in the large pot to wash the dishes, including the wooden bowls and the ceramic cooking pot the stew had been in. He straightened everything up, then filled the canteens with coffee, and scowled at the rain as he headed out into it. Yeah, like scowling at it was going to make it stop raining.