[Stargate: Fiction] "Birds of a Feather" [G]
Title: Birds of a Feather
Author: Ami Ven
Prompt: writerverse phase 21, challenge 28, prompt 11 “There’s no point in being grown-up if you can’t be childish sometimes.” (The Doctor, Doctor Who)
Word Count: 1,065
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Character(s): Jack O’Neill, Teal’c, Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson
Setting: vaguely early seasons
Summary: “What’s a duck? What’s a goose?”
Birds of a Feather
The people of P62-557 were happy to show SG-1 their sustainably-powered Hall of Learning.
Jack had stopped listening around the time Derzin, their local guide, had started using phrases like ‘pictoral history’ and ‘geo-thermal energy’, but snapped back to attention when confronted by identical pleading expressions from two of his team.
“Sounds fascinating,” he said, falsely bright. “Carter, Daniel, stick together..”
“Yes, sir,” said Sam, who was more than smart enough to recognize the implied order not to let Daniel wander off alone.
“Excellent. Teal’c and I will… take a stroll.”
Daniel arched a skeptical eyebrow, probably at his use of the word ‘stroll’, but their guide beamed.
“We are honored to welcome you, colonel,” said Derzin. “Please note the beautiful decorations on all the houses as you walk - our village is well known for its skilled woodcarvers.”
“Thanks for the tip,” said Jack, settling the bill of his cap over his eyes. “You kids have fun.”
He could hear Daniel start with the questions even before they’d rounded the corner.
“So, T, what do you think of this place?”
“I observed the woodcarvings on several dwellings as we entered,” he said. “And they do show great skill, O’Neill.”
“Was that a joke?”
Teal’c ignored him. “I believe these people are as they claim. They appear to be cautious, but not secretive. They have allowed us to walk freely, without escort.”
“Without surveillance?” asked Jack.
“Indeed. Those who are staring seem merely curious.”
“Well, that’s a point in their favor, letting us wander. And there’s another.”
In the center of town was an open space, not really a park, but more of what a playground would look like if it had rocks and logs instead of swing sets and monkey bars. About a dozen kids were playing there, ranging from a few who could only just toddle to bigger ones of maybe five or six, all of them screaming and yelling and running around.
There were a few adults clearly watching them - a woman selling vegetables in a stall, a man mending tools, an older girl with a thick book in her lap - but overall the children were on their own.
“That they have children?” asked Teal’c.
“That they let them run loose,” said Jack. “They’re generally less likely to be evil.”
“Indeed.”
They reached the edge of the playground - and another good sign, that most of the kids ignored them and the ones that didn’t clustered at a cautious distance.
“Who’re you?” asked a girl, who must have been about four.
“I’m Jack,” he said. “And this is my friend, Teal’c.”
“Greetings,” said Teal’c.
“Did you come through the stone ring?” asked an older boy.
“Yes, we did,” said Jack. “From a place called Earth.”
“Why?” asked a second boy.
“Wasn’t it nice there?” put in another girl.
“It was nice,” said Jack. “Some parts nicer than others. But we’re explorers, and we wanted to see what your world was like.”
“Do you like it?” asked a kid of indeterminate gender.
“It is very pleasant,” said Teal’c, solemnly.
“Great woodcarvings,” added Jack.
One little boy brightened. “My mama does wood carving. Hers are the prettiest.”
“No, Uncle Gervin’s are,” insisted a girl.
“Well,” Jack interrupted, loudly, “all the carvings I’ve seen here have been very nice.”
“Indeed,” said Teal’c.
The kids were all quiet for a moment, then one of the medium-sized ones asked, “Do you have games on Earth?”
“Oh, lots,” said Jack. “All kinds.”
“Will you teach us one?” asked a girl.
There was an instant clamor of agreement.
“Yeah, okay, sure,” said Jack, until they quieted down a bit. “Let’s see. It’s not cold enough for hockey. You guys are a bit young for charades. And we don’t have enough cards for poker. Looks like it’ll have to be duck, duck, goose.”
“What’s a duck?” asked one kid.
“What’s a goose?” asked another.
“Excellent questions,” said Jack. “They’re types of birds. But that has nothing to do with this game. For this, all you need to know is how to run. Right, T?”
“I am unfamiliar with this game, O’Neill,” said Teal’c.
Jack grinned. “You’re never too old to learn.”
*
“We will look forward to the arrival of your scholar team,” said Derzin. “Our peoples have much to learn from each other.”
“We certainly do,” Daniel agreed. “It will take us a few days to gather personnel and supplies.”
“We will also prepare,” Derzin said, as they stepped outside.
Just past the rows of house beside the Hall of Learning was an open space - and two familiar figures, sitting in a circle of about two dozen giggling children. As Sam and Daniel watched, one of the kids walked around the outside of the circle, touching each of the others on the head and murmuring something they couldn’t quite hear. Then, he smacked tiny fingers against Teal’c’s temple, shouted “Goose!” and took off running.
The Jaffa rose smoothly, chasing after the kid with much less speed than necessary, until the boy plopped down into Teal’c’s vacated seat.
“You’re it!” a girl giggled.
“Indeed,” said Teal’c, then proceeded around the circle himself. “Duck, duck…”
“Oh, boy,” muttered Daniel, but Derzin was grinning.
“I have never seen the children playing this game,” he said. “Is it from your Earth?”
“Yes, it is,” said Daniel.
“I know you are expected back on your world, but might you stay a little longer? I would love to learn a real Earth game from real Earth people.”
“We can stay for a few more hours,” said Sam, then raised her voice a little, “Room for three more, sir?”
Jack grinned. “Red rover, red rover, let Carter come over.”
“That isn’t a standard greeting,” said Derzin, with great interest. “Is that another Earth game?”
“We can play that next,” Jack promised, as the circle wriggled a little larger to admit them. “T, you’re still it.”
Teal’c walked almost completely around the circle, before his fingers brushed against Sam’s hair and he said, “Goose,” with the same blank tone as all the previous ‘ducks’.
Sam scrambled to her feet, but Teal’c was faster - the children shrieked with laughter as he claimed her empty seat.
“You are now ‘it’, Major-Carter,” he said.
She shot a sideways glare at Jack and Daniel, who were not even trying to hide their grins, then began to walk slowly around the circle.
“Duck… Duck…”
THE END
Current Mood:
blah
Author: Ami Ven
Prompt: writerverse phase 21, challenge 28, prompt 11 “There’s no point in being grown-up if you can’t be childish sometimes.” (The Doctor, Doctor Who)
Word Count: 1,065
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Character(s): Jack O’Neill, Teal’c, Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson
Setting: vaguely early seasons
Summary: “What’s a duck? What’s a goose?”
Birds of a Feather
The people of P62-557 were happy to show SG-1 their sustainably-powered Hall of Learning.
Jack had stopped listening around the time Derzin, their local guide, had started using phrases like ‘pictoral history’ and ‘geo-thermal energy’, but snapped back to attention when confronted by identical pleading expressions from two of his team.
“Sounds fascinating,” he said, falsely bright. “Carter, Daniel, stick together..”
“Yes, sir,” said Sam, who was more than smart enough to recognize the implied order not to let Daniel wander off alone.
“Excellent. Teal’c and I will… take a stroll.”
Daniel arched a skeptical eyebrow, probably at his use of the word ‘stroll’, but their guide beamed.
“We are honored to welcome you, colonel,” said Derzin. “Please note the beautiful decorations on all the houses as you walk - our village is well known for its skilled woodcarvers.”
“Thanks for the tip,” said Jack, settling the bill of his cap over his eyes. “You kids have fun.”
He could hear Daniel start with the questions even before they’d rounded the corner.
“So, T, what do you think of this place?”
“I observed the woodcarvings on several dwellings as we entered,” he said. “And they do show great skill, O’Neill.”
“Was that a joke?”
Teal’c ignored him. “I believe these people are as they claim. They appear to be cautious, but not secretive. They have allowed us to walk freely, without escort.”
“Without surveillance?” asked Jack.
“Indeed. Those who are staring seem merely curious.”
“Well, that’s a point in their favor, letting us wander. And there’s another.”
In the center of town was an open space, not really a park, but more of what a playground would look like if it had rocks and logs instead of swing sets and monkey bars. About a dozen kids were playing there, ranging from a few who could only just toddle to bigger ones of maybe five or six, all of them screaming and yelling and running around.
There were a few adults clearly watching them - a woman selling vegetables in a stall, a man mending tools, an older girl with a thick book in her lap - but overall the children were on their own.
“That they have children?” asked Teal’c.
“That they let them run loose,” said Jack. “They’re generally less likely to be evil.”
“Indeed.”
They reached the edge of the playground - and another good sign, that most of the kids ignored them and the ones that didn’t clustered at a cautious distance.
“Who’re you?” asked a girl, who must have been about four.
“I’m Jack,” he said. “And this is my friend, Teal’c.”
“Greetings,” said Teal’c.
“Did you come through the stone ring?” asked an older boy.
“Yes, we did,” said Jack. “From a place called Earth.”
“Why?” asked a second boy.
“Wasn’t it nice there?” put in another girl.
“It was nice,” said Jack. “Some parts nicer than others. But we’re explorers, and we wanted to see what your world was like.”
“Do you like it?” asked a kid of indeterminate gender.
“It is very pleasant,” said Teal’c, solemnly.
“Great woodcarvings,” added Jack.
One little boy brightened. “My mama does wood carving. Hers are the prettiest.”
“No, Uncle Gervin’s are,” insisted a girl.
“Well,” Jack interrupted, loudly, “all the carvings I’ve seen here have been very nice.”
“Indeed,” said Teal’c.
The kids were all quiet for a moment, then one of the medium-sized ones asked, “Do you have games on Earth?”
“Oh, lots,” said Jack. “All kinds.”
“Will you teach us one?” asked a girl.
There was an instant clamor of agreement.
“Yeah, okay, sure,” said Jack, until they quieted down a bit. “Let’s see. It’s not cold enough for hockey. You guys are a bit young for charades. And we don’t have enough cards for poker. Looks like it’ll have to be duck, duck, goose.”
“What’s a duck?” asked one kid.
“What’s a goose?” asked another.
“Excellent questions,” said Jack. “They’re types of birds. But that has nothing to do with this game. For this, all you need to know is how to run. Right, T?”
“I am unfamiliar with this game, O’Neill,” said Teal’c.
Jack grinned. “You’re never too old to learn.”
*
“We will look forward to the arrival of your scholar team,” said Derzin. “Our peoples have much to learn from each other.”
“We certainly do,” Daniel agreed. “It will take us a few days to gather personnel and supplies.”
“We will also prepare,” Derzin said, as they stepped outside.
Just past the rows of house beside the Hall of Learning was an open space - and two familiar figures, sitting in a circle of about two dozen giggling children. As Sam and Daniel watched, one of the kids walked around the outside of the circle, touching each of the others on the head and murmuring something they couldn’t quite hear. Then, he smacked tiny fingers against Teal’c’s temple, shouted “Goose!” and took off running.
The Jaffa rose smoothly, chasing after the kid with much less speed than necessary, until the boy plopped down into Teal’c’s vacated seat.
“You’re it!” a girl giggled.
“Indeed,” said Teal’c, then proceeded around the circle himself. “Duck, duck…”
“Oh, boy,” muttered Daniel, but Derzin was grinning.
“I have never seen the children playing this game,” he said. “Is it from your Earth?”
“Yes, it is,” said Daniel.
“I know you are expected back on your world, but might you stay a little longer? I would love to learn a real Earth game from real Earth people.”
“We can stay for a few more hours,” said Sam, then raised her voice a little, “Room for three more, sir?”
Jack grinned. “Red rover, red rover, let Carter come over.”
“That isn’t a standard greeting,” said Derzin, with great interest. “Is that another Earth game?”
“We can play that next,” Jack promised, as the circle wriggled a little larger to admit them. “T, you’re still it.”
Teal’c walked almost completely around the circle, before his fingers brushed against Sam’s hair and he said, “Goose,” with the same blank tone as all the previous ‘ducks’.
Sam scrambled to her feet, but Teal’c was faster - the children shrieked with laughter as he claimed her empty seat.
“You are now ‘it’, Major-Carter,” he said.
She shot a sideways glare at Jack and Daniel, who were not even trying to hide their grins, then began to walk slowly around the circle.
“Duck… Duck…”
THE END
Current Mood:
blah