Yes, second chapter! Sorry it's taken so long, but I've been having problems with my computer lately, and been busy with college stuff. I have an immense amount of ideas though, and so I'll be updating again as soon as possible. Not a massive chapter, more just one to lead into the next one, but enjoy anyway.
Elizabeth sat down at the low table, her gaze sweeping around the small hut with curiosity. The description 'quaint' entered her head, but she immediately dismissed it. Really it was a horrible word, and detracted from the value of her surroundings. It was typical of this technological level of course; wooden huts, little furniture. But despite the basic level, she found herself smiling.
"I see your man is enjoying the bounty we have brought before you."
Elizabeth's gaze automatically darted to Rodney, and she found a blush rising at just how Telana had described him. It took a moment for her to realise that was how the Alonin leader perceived their relationship, and she put forward a soft chuckle. "Yes, well, he likes to keep his appetite up."
Rodney sent Elizabeth a light scowl, but still mumbled something about the food being 'really good' between mouthfuls.
As the other members of the team began to sample as well, Elizabeth nibbled on some fruit, her gaze averting to the front. She was surprised to find that Telana was watching her curiously, and Elizabeth smiled to her. Swallowing the food, she then ventured. "This fruit is very nice. It's very similar to a fruit we call a melon."
"I see." Telana replied simply, tilting her head as she watched her curiously. Suddenly then she rose from the table, taking hold of her staff. "Please come with me, there are some things I wish to discuss with you."
Evidently surprised at the swift change in situation, Elizabeth merely nodded, rising from her cross-legged position. "Eh, of course. Perhaps Teyla would like to-"
"No." Telana cut in sharply, her gaze shooting back to Elizabeth. "I only require the leader. That is you isn't it?"
For a moment Elizabeth thought she saw Telana's gaze flicker over to John, and it caused pride to well up inside her. "Yes. I am the leader."
"Then you do not need anyone else. Come."
As Telana strode off, Elizabeth moved to follow her. She ignored the curious looks of her team, and left them to their feast.
Telana lead her out of the hut and through the small village grounds into a slightly taller hut. Two women stood on either side of the entrance, staring ahead. Resisting the urge to see if they were actually alive, Elizabeth instead followed Telana further. The bareness of the eating hut had led her into a false sense of how the Alonins decorated, and so it was with wide eyes that she surveyed the hut. As small as it seemed from the outside, inside it was adorned with beautiful headresses, colourful decorations, and various tools and trinkets. In one corner was fixed a low, wide hammock made of netting and large leaves.
"Not what you had expected?"
Telana's calm enquiry brought Elizabeth from her analysis, and with a nervous smile she found she had to admit her mistake. "Yes, I guess you could say that. It's very..."
"Personal?"
Elizabeth blinked at the accuracy of Telana's guess, and sent her a smile. "Yes, that's what I was going to say. I suppose, living in technology as we do, I'd forgotten that you can make a place your own without those aids."
"Indeed." Telana replied in a strangely quiet tone, before she gestured to a large mat near a small stone cooking block, currently occupied with some wood and a makeshift pot above it. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I shall prepare some tea."
Elizabeth did as she was instructed, her gaze wandering the hut once more. It was surprising how cool it was inside, not to mention the quiet. Living in Atlantis, was sometimes like living in a large city. There was always some sort of noise, some activity. The only activity right now was the occasional movement of a darting animal, or the shifting shadows of the guardswomen outside. A tantalising aroma awoke Elizabeth's senses, and she glanced over to the block. It suddenly struck her then the strangeness of the situation. Somehow she hadn't expected Telana's people to be doing things like making tea. As Telana made her final preparations, Elizabeth lowered her gaze to her hands. Had she perhaps come here with lower expectations then she should have? Certainly, Rodney had likened their technological level to a very primitive one. But did that mean that they weren't once better then that? It had been known for civilisations, granted alien ones, to return to simpler ways of old.
"We call it Takral tea. It is the mildest of our brews." Telana set the small bowl before Elizabeth, before seating herself opposite her. As the staff was laid beside her, Telana took a small sip, and then settled into a quiet watchful pose. Taking her cue, Elizabeth too took a small sip. The woody aroma mixed with the tang of the leaves caused her eyebrows to rise a little. "Maybe I should take some of this back to Atlantis." Elizabeth murmured softly, before glancing to Telana.
"You are most welcome too." Telana admitted with a light smile. "You and your team shall become most accustomed to it after three days here."
Elizabeth frowned a touch and settled the bowl in front of her. "Yes, about that Telana... is it really necessary? You said yourself, Teyla has told you of how trustworthy we can be..."
"Indeed she has. But believe me when I say that without that recommendation, we would not even be considering you for a treaty."
Obviously surprised at that, Elizabeth glanced to her. "May I ask why?"
Telana scrutinized her for a long moment, her long tanned fingers tapping her leg. With a sigh then she leaned back. "I believe you already know the answer Elizabeth. You knew the difficulties when you came here."
Feeling frustration rise within her, Elizabeth bit it back, reminding herself of the Alonin's beliefs. Telana raised an eyebrow idly, and Elizabeth felt a frown forming. Obviously Telana could tell her frustration before she'd even said a word. "I can only assume..." She finally ventured, licking her lips. "That it has something to do with a certain half of my team?"
"See!" Telana suddenly exclaimed, leaning forward with a wide smile. "I knew that you knew."
Elizabeth frowned even more at Telana's jovial attitude, feeling as if the Alonin leader was playing with her somehow. She reached for the tea as a way of giving her time to collect her thoughts. Telana didn't make any effort to fill the gap, simply waiting for Elizabeth to reply. Eventually she sighed, and set the tea back down. "Teyla has told me of your beliefs, and we as a people respect those of others. But I can assure you, my men are under my leadership, and will do whatever I tell them too."
"Will they?" Telana watched her once more, her gaze unwavering. Automatically images of the attitudes of Beckett, McKay and Shepherd ran through Elizabeth's mind. Carson's stubbornness when it came to medical matters, John's doggedness and friction with her in the past, and McKay's own brand of stubbornness and special ability to let his mouth open before his brain was even awake. Despite all that, Elizabeth steeled her own gaze, and nodded. "Yes, they will."
"I see." Telana murmured softly, leaning back once more. "But there are of course differences in any group are there not? There are those here for example, who thinks that I should not have even let you come to this world, even if you came with just Teyla and Jane. You see Elizabeth..." Telana suddenly leaned forward, placing her hands firmly on her staff. "There are those here that believe the fact you interact with men at all, has tainted you."
Elizabeth found a smirk coming to her lips despite herself. "I know quite a few women who wouldn't disagree with you. But I understand what you're saying." The smirk faded, and Elizabeth's normal calm countenance returned. "Right now, we need as many friends as we can get. So we'll stay here for the trial. It would be good for my team to get back to basics... as it were."
Telana showed no offence at Elizabeth's description, instead smiling broadly. "Perfect! Then we have lots to discuss. The first, being the pairings."
"Pairings...?" Elizabeth's voice drew out with more then a little dread.
"Of course." Telana replied, seeming surprised at Elizabeth not thinking of it. "Do you really think I could allow men to roam through the village alone? There are already those in my Clan who are looking for another mistake. The incident with the Kolya man has made many nervous, and trust must be regained."
"So you're suggesting that each of my men has an escort?"
"If you are not willing to do so with your own team, then I will simply have to order some of my Clan to watch over them, and they will not be as... welcoming."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow lightly, before allowing a sigh to pass her lips. "Very well. I suppose my team choice was good in this case." Gingerly licking her lips, she then asked. "Would this be an escort at... all times?"
Telana nodded to that. "That is why I wished to discuss the living quarters. Normally a hut is built for one woman; however there are a few who choose to share within the Clan as... families. I believe there should be three huts available, for three pairs. You may choose to share one with three persons, but I would prefer it, if there was not one woman escorting two men."
"I see." Elizabeth could already feel where this was leading too, and she was trying to figure out in her head if it was a good idea. She could easily call it off, tell Telana that it was too much, and head back to Atlantis. But she knew it was only her personal feelings that were getting in the way. A few weeks ago, it wouldn't have even bothered her. "Very well, if that's everything, then we should probably return and I can inform my team."
"Actually, I have some things to attend too." Telana replied with a soft smile. "But you are free to return. I will see you in the morning, at the dawn meeting."
"Dawn?" Elizabeth asked with a light grin as she rose from the mat.
"Yes, of course. There is much work to be done, and your trial shall begin from tomorrow."
"Right, well, I'll see you tomorrow." Nodding her head, Elizabeth rose and left.
Telana watched her go curiously, before she rose herself with a deep sigh. Moving to the front of the hut, she glanced upwards, noting the onset of evening. Soon it would be night, followed by a new morning. With a nod to her guards, she lowered the door of the hut, and sat back on her hammock. Clasping her hands together, she stared at the gradually fading light of the cooking fire. Her judgement was failing her, it was obvious. The Kolya incident had been so obvious, and yet she'd let her hope get the best of her. Hope that perhaps after so much time, it would be safe to have men return once more. Even though these people were good, after all they now lived in the Ancient city; there was still all the tension between them. The fire between their leader and the man who ate so much, that was dangerous, and would have to be watched. The silent one, he kept so much hidden, and Jane. "Jane." Telana mulled the name over in her mind as she lay back in her bed. There was so much there that needed to be sorted, and somehow Telana had this dread that it would be sorted within her home. Surely, change would come soon, change she could not prevent.
-
Elizabeth strolled back into the feeding hut to find the unbroken peace that she'd left. While most of the food and drink had been consumed in her time away, the air of joviality still remained. Perhaps Telana had simply been over exaggerating. From her viewpoint, the Alonins seemed to be friendly, and although of course wary of the men, they were at least being polite. Her gaze sought out Rodney, only to find him near her, watching her curiously. Blushing at the fact he'd noticed her so easily, she moved over to him with a smile. "Did I miss anything?"
"Not much." Rodney admitted, looking slightly more sullen then usual. "I wasn't listening much anyway. Teyla's been really good, getting some of the Alonins to interact with us."
"Glad to hear it." Elizabeth replied with a warm smile. The strange conversation with Telana was already fading from her mind, and she glanced around the hut. "I think these next few days might be good for us you know. We've spent so much time around Atlantis, and its technology, it'll be good to have peace."
"I didn't come to Atlantis for peace." Rodney muttered, nudging the soil beneath him with his foot.
"You're saying you came for war?" Elizabeth replied then, surprised at his murmur.
"Well, no, of course not." Rodney stuttered back, now aware of how bad his words had sounded. "I mean, the whole point of coming to Atlantis was technology. If I wanted to go on a hiking retreat, I would've stayed in Canada."
Elizabeth frowned obviously at that, her voice tense as she snapped back. "Well no-one said you had to come."
"Actually, you did." Rodney replied with a light smirk.
Elizabeth paused, remembered, and then shot him a glare. "Well I never said you had to stay. But if you even care one ounce about me, or this mission, then you'll stop whining and damn well start enjoying yourself." As the hiss passed her lips, she shot him another glare, and then strode over to the others.
Their quiet conversation had passed unnoticed, and it was only Rodney who stood watching her go with an open mouth. With a sigh he lowered his head. As usual, he'd let his own feelings overrun others. Truthfully, the only reason he was finding faults with the place, was because of the people and not the actual area. It wasn't even the Alonins, it was his own team. He was still hurt by what Jane and Carson had done. Maybe if they'd gotten together, it would've been better, because then it would have been for a good reason. But they hadn't. They were just avoiding each other. But even that wasn't the worst part; the worst part... was that he missed Elizabeth. He leaned against the hut wall lightly, and watched her speak with Teyla, and Telana's assistant; Aranis. Like a coward he'd avoided Elizabeth all week, while trying to ignore the fact that each day he didn't speak with her added to the hurt building inside him. He'd buried himself in work, and gotten frustrated with assistants because they were pointing out his obvious mistakes. His worst mistake though, was saying what he had to Elizabeth. Of course he could be with her, he'd just been scared. And now he'd realised it was too late, because she was already forgetting about him. The worst thing of course being, that it was his fault.
It was then that Rodney had to store away his thoughts, as Elizabeth gestured for the team to assemble. In Rodney's eyes, she seemed nervous, and he began to wonder if she was avoiding his gaze on purpose.
Elizabeth sighed softly to herself, before clasping her hands together and beginning. "Well, as you know, I've just had a conversation with Telana. There were many things we discussed; most importantly, the sleeping arrangements."
There was an immediate sense of increased attention, the other members of the team straightening up a little. If she didn't think it was such a paranoid thought, for a moment she would've noted that John and Teyla seemed to draw a little closer together. Shaking that away mentally, she continued. "I believe that Telana has been very welcoming, not to mention lenient. She could have easily said that we had to split up, and only have three of us stay. However, she's willing to give us a chance, and so I don't want to let her down. The rule is, one woman, with one man. Now, I believe Aranis here will be showing us to our quarters, and from what Telana's said…" A light smile formed on Elizabeth's lips. "We'll be starting bright and early. So, let's get going." With a nod then, Elizabeth took a deep breath. As expected, John and Teyla immediately drew together, which only left the three awkward ones. Sensing a problem already, Elizabeth approached.
"Well now, who are you sharing with Jane?"
"Well, um…" Her gaze drew to Carson, and he immediately shrunk back. "No, no way!"
"Use your brain Carson, she can't share with me." Rodney suddenly shot in, sending Carson a look.
"Why tha hell not? She ain't tryin to do anything with you."
"Excuse me!" Elizabeth cut in with, orally and physically as she stepped between them. "We do not have time for this. What kind of impression do you think this is setting?" She sent a nod over her shoulder to the nearby Aranis, who was waiting with a scowl on her features. "Now, please, can't we at least be professional about all this? I suggest… that Carson shares with Jane, and I share with Rodney. That way there will be less… antagonism."
"Why can't Jane share with John?" Rodney suddenly muttered then, kicking the ground with his foot.
"Woah, hey, I don't want any part of this thank you."
"It's only because you want to share with Tey-"
"PEOPLE!" Elizabeth shouted suddenly, eyes wide. "What ever happened to being professional? We're going to be up at dawn, which means we won't even be in those huts for very long. Not to mention, they're not exactly tiny. You'll have plenty of space. Now, I'm the leader, and this is my final decision. I'll be Rodney's watcher, Teyla can be John's, and Jane will be Carson's." Shooting a look to all of them, she added. "There will be nothing; I repeat nothing, unprofessional about these arrangements. " Here she raised her hand to stop Rodney from making a comment. "Because that is the way of the Alonins. From tomorrow morning, we will be honorary Alonins, for three days. I expect, that honour, to be worth something to all of you." As her eyes swept the now quiet group, she took a deep breath, and then asked. "Is that clear?"
"All clear with me!" John piped up with a wide grin, before nudging Teyla. "Come on then, let's go and find our hut."
Carson trudged off with a sullen look, Jane running to dart in front of him. "Remember, you have to walk behind me Carson."
Carson just scowled at her, muttering back. "This doesn't mean ya can do anything with me y'know, I've still got some control."
Jane sent him a 'we'll see' look, before grinning to him.
Elizabeth took hold of Rodney's arm gently, and gestured for him to follow. For the moment, she didn't say anything. With Rodney so quiet and sullen, she was afraid of what she might start. Instead she approached Aranis, nodding politely to her. "Aranis, we have arranged our pairs, as Telana asked. She told me that you would be showing us to our huts?"
Aranis sent the men a rather pointed look, before nodding. "Yes. You will follow. The huts are in a small cluster at the back of the village, so you may socialise as you wish." As she led them out of the feeding hut, she continued. "However, there will be rules. Men shall not be alone. Ever. Especially not with other man. Man must be watched at all times by woman." Here she glanced to Elizabeth. "If these rules are not kept, you shall be evicted from our place, and not allowed to return. Do you understand, leader?"
Elizabeth paused then for a moment. She couldn't help but notice the lack of warmth that Telana's deputy had when compared to the leader. But then she'd met quite a few deputies like that before. "My name is Elizabeth, and yes, I understand."
Aranis made no attempt to correct her mistake, simply pointing to Jane. "You, come now with your male. I will show you yours first." While the others stayed outside, Jane followed Aranis into the hut. A warm smile came to her features as she surveyed the interior, resisting a strange urge to rearrange things. Glancing to Carson, she grinned. "Isn't it lovely? I'm sure we'll be very happy here Carson."
Carson's eyes widened and he sent a pleading look to Aranis. A look that Aranis killed on the spot. With her natural brisk attitude, she gestured around the place. "Hammock for sleeping. Mat for sitting. Stove for cooking. The rest you may do as you wish with."
"Uh." Carson suddenly piped up with, glancing between the two women. "There's only one hammock."
Aranis sent him a questioning look, before sneering softly. "You find a problem with this man? The hammock is for the woman, lower then woman, sleep lower down."
Carson's gaze followed Aranis's to the floor, and realization dawned. "Ah, I see, yes of course."
"It's okay Carson." Jane smiled sweetly to him, patting his arm. "Maybe we could share the hammock?"
Aranis winced obviously at that, even stepping back from Carson. Carson didn't seem too keen on the idea either, retreating from Jane's reach. "I, eh, think perhaps I should respect tha beliefs of tha Alonins. I'll sleep on the floor."
Aranis took her leave quickly then, allowing a light shudder to pass her body. The mere thought of sharing such close quarters with a sinner; it made her wish Anyana was here to put things right. Her gaze shot then to the other two pairs, and she gestured to Teyla. Here there was a slight smile. After all, Teyla was a friend of the Alonins, although Aranis couldn't fathom why she would agree to such a thing with these men.
Teyla followed; a wide grin on her face as John trailed dutifully behind. "Aranis. I know this may seem strange to you."
"That would seem to be something of an understatement." Aranis replied quickly, her eyebrows raising a touch. Ignoring John for the most part, she led them into the hut. "As a friend of the Alonins, I give you the biggest of the three Teyla. You will be sure to have enough space to escape from any… dangers." An obvious glance was sent to John then.
Teyla laughed softly, patting her backpack to which her normal sticks were attached. "Fear not Aranis, if my man should try to disobey me, I have ways of disciplining him."
Aranis nodded with approval, while John's eyes widened with fear. As Aranis moved to leave, John nudged Teyla. "That was just a show right? I mean, you wouldn't really 'discipline' me."
Teyla just looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before replying seriously. "As long as you are good, no."
Aranis approached the last remaining partnership. With the leader. She couldn't help the sneer that formed on her lips. How could such a leader agree to anything like this? Again thoughts of Telana's own mistakes rose in her mind. And yet, her sisters still wished her as a leader. The hold was strange, perhaps there was something she was missing… dismissing those thoughts as she approached them fully, she gestured to the final hut. "Your hut, leader. Not as good as our own leader's, but you are not even a member of our tribe yet."
"I understand." Elizabeth replied with a soft smile, tugging Rodney along behind her, he still as sullen and quiet as before.
Aranis watched curiously as they followed her. The others of the woman's team certainly respected this leader, and yet Aranis could not believe all the tales of her. She seemed so quiet, so friendly, no spirit at all. Most surely, there were either flaws in the tales, or she was good at hiding things.
"Similar to our own leader's hut." Aranis continued with then, gesturing with her hand. "You will know how to use everything, as I am sure she showed you during your 'discussion'. I will leave you now; I have things to attend too."
Waiting until Aranis had left fully, Elizabeth then turned to Rodney. "Come on then, what's bothering you?"
Rodney awoke from his thoughts, surprised at Elizabeth's eagerness to know what was wrong. "Nothing's bothering me." It was an obvious lie, but then it bought him some time at least.
Elizabeth just rolled her eyes. "You expect me to believe that? Rodney, I know there's something wrong. There has been ever since we talked in the hut, more then what's happened. Now I'm sorry I snapped at you, I guess I've just been a little stressed with this meeting."
Rodney bit his lip a little, his arms folding. He silently pondered if he could just pass it off as being mad that he'd been snapped at. But then he realised Elizabeth knew him more then that. "It's just… this whole thing with Jane and Carson. I feel somewhat guilty."
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth's surprise was evident, and she idly perched on the hammock, swinging gently.
"Because I went into that relationship pretty much knowing that it wouldn't last long, we both did. If I hadn't allowed myself to get into it, then maybe Jane and Carson would've had a chance." While the excuse had started off as just that, Rodney found that it actually held some semblance of truth. It couldn't have stopped the hurt from everything with Elizabeth, but then maybe Carson wouldn't feel guilty about pursuing a relationship with Jane so much.
"I see." Elizabeth replied softly, before her gaze drifted to his. "Well I'm sorry Rodney, but there's nothing I can do. You're going to have to talk this through with Carson, if you want to resolve things."
"But I'm afraid I'll say something I shouldn't." Rodney sighed softly then, joining Elizabeth on the edge of the hammock. "Me and Carson, well we're similar, in a lot of ways. I thought he understood me, I thought we were like… losers, but together. Then he went and did something like this…"
Elizabeth watched Rodney with a soft frown. She couldn't help the instincts rising within her that Rodney was only letting her see the surface of the pain within him; the only problem then being how much far she could dig. As she sat and watched him, Elizabeth felt uneasiness rising within her; so she squeezed his shoulder, and then playfully nudged him. "Anyway, time for some sleep. Man sleeps on floor, from what I can tell."
Rodney blinked back to her. He'd been so sure she would've probed more. There was even a tinge of hurt that she hadn't. But he brushed that aside and nodded, pulling the nearby mat a little closer to the hammock. "Is this proximity good enough oh fair leader?"
Elizabeth smiled at the sarcasm, and sent a regal wave. "Quite close enough yes, thank you. Now be a good man and blow out those torches will you?" Deftly she slipped into the hammock, settling back with her hands clasped over her stomach. As darkness filled the hut, she told her muscles to relax, and listened to the sounds of Rodney stumbling over things in the dark. Managing to muffle her snigger, she shifted a little, her eyes seeking him out in the darkness. Secretly, Rodney had shifted the mat a little closer to the hammock. If Elizabeth fell out of bed, it wouldn't take much to be right on top of him. As that thought struck, she gingerly licked her lips. Those thoughts were certainly dangerous, and a note of panic rose up in her mind. With the continual dreams ever since last week… would they recur? And would Rodney realise what they meant? With a roll of her eyes, Elizabeth settled back. Defiance rose, and she reminded herself that Rodney had been the one to say no. He knew how she felt. If she was dreaming, then there was nothing she could do to prevent that surely. Even so… she eventually gave in, and returned her gaze to Rodney's now still form. Three days. It was a long time. And right now, she felt as if it was just her and Rodney. Whether that was a good thing, even she couldn't know, until it had all finished.
