You reminded me what it was like to hope.

-E-

She pushed the food around on her plate. Some sort of long green bean, potatoes that were creamed with a sauce on them, a type of berry, and a... sandwich? She was pretty sure that's what Mckay had referred to it as. A turkey club.

Whatever that meant.

The potatoes were enjoyable, if a bit softer than she was used to. She usually dug them out of the ground and roasted them over a fire. This meal was luxurious by her standards.

So the fact that she'd barely eaten any of it was surprising.

Perhaps not, considering all the awkward attempts to sit with people. Mckay had been on his way out with a tray full of food when she'd arrived. He stalled long enough to give her the rundown, plop a tray in her hands, and tell her that the orange juice was bad. After filling her tray, she'd chosen a seat near the window, at the smallest table she could find.

After that, the introductions had started.

Nothing sapped her hunger faster than chit chat.

Major Lorne had introduced himself, stood awkwardly at the edge of her table, peered around the room and left. She belatedly realized he might have been waiting for her to ask him to sit down. It'd been easier when passing through villages to engage, because everyone typically treated her with an air of hostility and weren't really interested in getting to know her. They didn't mind that she said very little and left without saying goodbye.

Next Doctor Heightmeyer had briefly stopped at her table. The woman's eyes made her skin crawl, as if she was looking at prey. It had been disconcerting, and Eva was only slightly ashamed to admit that she'd been rather terse regarding Doctor Heightmeyer's thinly veiled attempts to get her to open up. She got the distinct feeling the Doctor regarded her as something that was broken and needed to be fixed.

The implication pissed her off.

Doctor Heightmeyer didn't stick around. Sheppard and Teyla both stopped by, but since her table only had enough room for two, they continued further down. Eva regretted her seating choice at that moment, because she was beginning to feel like an object on display, sitting alone, silhouetted by the window. Others stopped long enough to introduce themselves, ask her name, maybe comment on the food, but when it became apparent that Eva royally sucked at small talk, they left to go talk to more interesting parties.

She hoped this would pass. Perhaps she'd eat dinner in her room tonight. Or find a nice secluded balcony somewhere, overlooking the ocean. She shoved a bean in her mouth and stared out the window. The piers might be a nice place, but quite a walk from the mess hall.

She didn't get to see many oceans. Now she lived on one. She found the waves calming, the sound of the water crashing against the hull peaceful. She'd left her window open in her room, letting the sound filter in and crash over soul as she slept. In a real bed, with real blankets. Teyla had greeted her at dawn, quietly knocking on her door, with some clothes. Aside from the height difference, they were largely the same build. She'd modified a pair of pants to fit Eva's height, something that stunned her. Eva had been at loss for words.

Fortunately, Teyla didn't need to hear them. She gracefully departed, leaving Eva to decide what to wear. A problem she hadn't had since she was 15.

A thud broke her out of her reverie, as someone slid into the chair opposite her.

Ronon glanced at her briefly, then dug into his food. He had a huge pile of the potatoes and 2 sandwiches. She picked up hers with one more glance at the ocean, and bit into it.

Years of scrambling for food had taught her to not be discerning. She'd eaten all sorts of bugs, vegetation, animals, etc. If the sandwich had tasted like dirt mixed with acid, she would have wolfed it down and considered herself fortunate to have something to tide her over for the next few days should the next meal never come. Instead, flavors exploded across her tongue, and it was hard to prevent her eyes widening as she took a second bite.

She relaxed in her chair, leaning back ever so slightly to allow the chair to support more of her weight. She finished off her sandwich and only slightly regretted not getting a second one.

She looked at the man sitting across from her, discarding the small box his second sandwich came in. Even sitting down, he was lot taller than she was. Possibly the tallest person she'd ever met. He had a tattoo on his left arm, but it wasn't intricate enough to be a clan marking. If his planet had clans. She realized she didn't know where he was from.

Not that it really mattered, she thought ruefully. His planet was dead, same as hers.

Didn't mean he didn't still uphold his customs though. Just as she upheld hers. Despite years of running, she still paid her respects on the Day of the Ancestors, practiced the evening meditation on the anniversary of her family's death, and attempted the Day of Reflection. That last one was determined by whether or not the Wraith had been trying to skin her alive.

She stabbed her fork on her plate... and realized it was empty. She hadn't even noticed she'd finished. So had Ronon. He wiped his hands and raised his eyes to meet hers. "I eat dinner at 6:00."

With that, he nodded and left. She watched him go, and realized they'd been silent the entire time he'd sat with her. She hadn't felt pressured to talk to him while he was there. Silence had felt like the most natural thing in the world, next to breathing.

Perhaps she wouldn't eat alone tonight after all.

AN: Wasn't planning on uploading this day, but I got so impatient! So this is for you guys :) Enjoy!