"I feel like I'm in some kind of whacked out porno movie..."

Mitchell snorted, almost losing her grip on Kale's furry, warm back, and shot a look over at Sheppard, who was looking around the room they'd just been escorted into. She could understand what the Major meant; the room was a large one, filled with a bunch of the straw-filled bags that obviously these people used instead of chairs, and everyone in the room seated or standing was naked.

"What is a porno?" Teyla asked John.

From behind them, Ford snickered, and Sheppard flushed a little and looked over at Mitchell, who shook her head.

"Oh, no... I'm not the one who made the comment, I'm not going to tell her..."

"It's... um... a... thing-"

"Major? Colonel? Please, come sit over here..." Aron had been walking close to Sheppard as well, and gestured to a group of the 'chairs' that were lined up in front of a group of light ones who were all looking their direction.

The crowd of aliens parted to make room for Kale and Mitchell to go first, and two other light ones stepped forward once the Colonel had reached the 'chairs' and eased her down into one, pulling another over to prop her leg up on.

They certainly are pampering you, aren't they?

Beats being tortured or something.

True

Kale moved aside and changed back into 'human' form, while the other members of Melony's group came over and sat down, Sheppard seating himself beside her, and watching the aliens they were sitting across from. The light ones were, in their turn, also watching the newcomers, their interest obvious and their pale eyes constantly returning to look at Mitchell.

"Do I have something in my teeth?" She murmured to Sheppard after a few minutes of being stared at.

He smiled, and Aron came over and sat next to him while Kale settled himself on the other side of Mitchell. Obviously they had some sort of role to play in this Council thing, but neither of them said anything. Melony looked over and saw that each of the other members of the team had one of the light ones sitting next to them as well.

The ones that carried them in, maybe? Talon hazarded.

Maybe.

It was as good a guess as anything.

One of the light ones across from them raised her hand, and all of the quiet conversations in the room ceased as everyone came over to sit on one of the 'chairs' or to stand close at hand.

"I am Council member Lora," she told the Atlanteans. Her voice was just as heavily accented as the others Melony had heard speaking, but it wasn't impossible to make out what she was saying if you paid attention. "We would hear of you."

"Hear of us?" Melony asked.

"Your story," Kale murmured to her.

"My..."

"You want to know why we're here?" Sheppard asked.

Lora nodded, as did the other four members of the Council.

"We would know why you are here, yes."

"We were walking along a cliff and suddenly got-"

"Not why you are here," Lora corrected with a slight smile of amusement on her face. "We would know why you have come through the gate."

"We're looking for foodstuffs," Sheppard said. "We were hoping to find people to trade with."

"Why were you near the sacred city?" Lora asked. "There are no farmers in that area."

"The farmers told us there were rumors of a city to the south of them. An ancient city. We were hoping to discover something that might help my people in their fight against the Wraith."

"The Wraith sleep," another of the Council members said.

Sheppard shook his head, looking chagrined.

"No... they're awake."

"You've seen them?"

"Yes. We all have."

There were quiet murmurings all around them, but they subsided when Lora raised her hand for silence.

"The Wraith do not come here. There are too few humans for them to bother with, and they find us to be far too difficult to catch."

"Is there anything in your city that can help us?" Mitchell asked.

Lora shook her head.

"The city is sacred to us only because it is where we all lived before the Sundering. But there is nothing more advanced there than you would find here – and nothing you could use in your battle with the Wraith."

"What is the Sundering?" Teyla asked, curious.

"It is the time in our history when our people were split between Light and Dark," Lora said. "When those who angered the Gods lost their Gift of Change."

"Oh."

"We are satisfied that you are not here to cause trouble," Lora told them. "You are welcomed to remain here as our guests for as long as you desire – and when you are ready to return to the Stargate some of our people will go with you to assure your safety."

"We need to go back to the farmers, first," Mitchell said. "They're looking through their surplus to see if they have anything to spare for trade."

"Then we will take you there," Lora said, nodding. "When you are ready. Now, if you wish."

The last thing Melony wanted to do just then was go anywhere. But she wasn't the one with the broken and unset wrist. It would be up to Sheppard when they left and with a look over at him, she let him know just that.

"The last thing those farmers need is us coming in on them in the middle of the night," John said. "We'll stay the night, if you don't mind, and then set out first thing in the morning."

Lora smiled, and Mitchell saw that she wasn't the only one on the Council to do so.

They said they didn't get a lot of visitors, Talon reminded her. It's probably nice to have fresh people to talk to

True

"Then you must join us for dinner, and we will have a chance to get to know each other better."

Sheppard shrugged.

"Sounds great."