Skirt Challenge: Of Fighting and Philosophy
Title: Of Fighting and Philosophy
Author: featherjean
Rating: PG (minor language)
Characters: Teyla, OC
Pairing: Suggestion of Ford/Teyla; otherwise gen
Spoilers: None
Summary: Teyla gets a lesson in the men of Atlantis.
A/N: Captain Colette Moraine belongs to spacefiend and me. She was created for The Blessing, our AU, which can be found at blessing_jsew, but this fic stands completely on its own.
The men had gathered to watch again. Only a few this time, and Teyla shooed them off with her customary grace, but her current sparring partner, Captain Colette Moraine, thought she heard a hint of irritation in the Athosian woman’s voice. When they began sparring, she knew she was right - there was an edge to Teyla’s posture, an added emphasis to her attacks, that spoke volumes. Colette gave her a few minutes, letting her work out some of her frustration, and then she stepped back, halting the practice.
“You seem a little distracted today. Something on your mind?” She kept her voice light, acting like she’d just stopped to catch her breath and was merely making conversation. Giving the other woman an out if she didn’t feel like discussing it.
Truth be told, Colette wasn’t sure how much Teyla trusted her. They didn’t spend much time together, since their teams went off-world at different times. They’d recently found that they were on a level for unarmed sparring, though, and so joined up for practice whenever the opportunity presented itself. Trust was formed and nourished in the sparring ring, but it was of a different sort than the one that inspired confidences. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask the question.
Teyla looked aside, then gestured with her chin to the window bench where the men had been sitting. “Why do they wish to watch us?” she asked, frustration making it a demand for information. “I believed it to be a sign of respect until I heard some of their comments.”
Colette nodded slowly. “I know the comments you mean.” She was surprised they’d been said in Teyla’s hearing, though. She seriously had to question the survival instincts of the men in question.
Teyla narrowed her eyes. “They say the same things about you, then?”
Colette had to shake her head. “Once in a while, but probably not as much.”
Teyla’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “Because I am different.” She had had some unpleasant encounters with various members of the expedition who either despised her or were unduly fascinated with her because she was, to them, exotic. Most of them had been dealt with by now, but she was still wary.
Colette cocked her head, considering her words. “Yes, but… not entirely in the way you’re thinking.” She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of how to put it. “Look, there are a few reasons they want to watch. It’s partially the typical male desire to see two women getting hot and sweaty and flashing skin. It’s the same reason some of the female scientists watch the men playing basketball. It’s about sex, to put it bluntly.
“But when it comes to you, Teyla, there’s more to it. You get more people watching, more comments being made, because, as you said, you’re different. Exotic, yes, but it’s more than that. You’re something they’ve never encountered before: a woman who can stand with them as a full equal while still being a woman.”
Teyla blinked. A frown stole across her features. “I… don’t understand. You are their equal as much as I am, and you are a woman.”
Colette tilted her head. “Why do you wear a skirt to practice?”
The other woman looked puzzled at the apparent non sequitur, but she answered. “It allows me more freedom of movement. It allows more heat to escape, keeping me cooler. Occasionally the movement of the fabric distracts my opponent long enough to give me an advantage…” She let her voice trail off, looking at Colette expectantly.
Colette nodded. “Good reasons, all of them. Have you ever wondered why I don’t wear one?”
Teyla hesitated. “I thought it was simply a matter of preference.”
Colette shrugged. “A little. But mostly, it’s because if I want to be taken seriously by the men I work with, I can’t wear one. The sad truth is, I’m only efficient if I can get them to forget that I’m a woman.”
“Why would you have to do that?” Teyla looked even more confused and not a little offended at the thought.
Figuring that practice wasn’t going to start up again anytime soon, Colette sat down cross-legged on the floor. Teyla followed suit a moment later, sitting a couple feet away.
The captain put her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands, looking at her companion. “You’re the leader of your people, right?” At Teyla’s nod, she continued. “The leader of my people, my country, is called the president. In more than 200 years of history, we’ve never had a female president. And we’re the rule, not the exception. Most countries on Earth are ruled by men. Not just ruled; dominated. Until recently, a woman’s place was considered to be in the home, cooking dinner and having babies. A woman who had a job was looked down on. A woman in the military was completely unheard of.”
She grimaced. “Things have changed now, but it’s far from perfect. The men are still getting used to the idea that women can fight. A lot of them will never truly accept us. They still think of us as women first, officers and soldiers second. In combat, that kind of thinking can get people killed. At best, they’ll try to protect me. At worst, they’ll disobey my orders because they think I don’t know as well as they do - despite the fact that I’ve got more brains in my little finger than they have in their heads.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s stupid and it’s dangerous, and the only way around it is to make them think of me as a soldier, not a woman.”
Teyla shook her head slowly. “I understand how difficult it is to change the traditional mindset of a culture, but it is still unjust.”
Colette looked down for a moment. “It is,” she said, looking back up, “but I’m used to it. More, I think it’s worth it, because it lets me do what I love.”
She sat up, deciding it was time to get back to the original subject. “Now, you’ve never had to deal with any of that. You don’t have to hide who you are. The skirt you wear proves that you don’t see any conflict between being a woman and being a fighter. And that fascinates the men, because they’ve never seen that sort of attitude before.”
Teyla grimaced. “The comments I heard were not fascinated, Captain.”
Colette shrugged. “Fascinates, intimidates, maybe even offends some of them. You routinely kick Sheppard’s ass and look good doing it. Hell, that offends some of the women, because they’d love to be able to do that. The point is, when people don’t understand something, they automatically try and make it something they can understand. Unfortunately, it usually comes out mean or degrading.”
She eyed her companion and finally gave her the advice she’d been given by mentor back at school. “Keep kicking their asses, don’t sleep with any of your sparring partners, and they will come to respect you. It just takes time, and a lot of blows to the head.”
Teyla laughed. “I would much rather deal those blows than take them to my bed, I assure you.”
It was good to see her grinning again - she had been so tense when they started talking. Colette couldn’t resist taking advantage of the change in mood. “Even a certain young lieutenant?” she teased.
Teyla gave her an arch look, her lips twitching in an attempt not to smile. “I do not know who you are talking about.”
Colette laughed. “Of course you don’t.” She leaned back, stretching her arms out behind her to prop herself up. “You can do what you want, obviously. This is just my…” she almost said “two cents” but caught herself before using the idiom. “My opinion,” she finished.
Teyla sobered, nodding. “And I thank you for it.” She looked away, gazing around the room. “It has been harder than I expected, living among you. There are so many differences in our cultures…”
Colette nodded ruefully. “And some of us haven’t made it very easy for you to adjust, I know.”
“My friends have been very helpful. I have been quite grateful for that.” Her smile included Colette in the category of “friend.”
Colette grinned back, flattered. “Yeah, I guess we’re not all bad.” She glanced around the room, recalling why they were there in the first place. “So. Practice?”
Teyla smiled, rising to her feet. “Yes. I will be less distracted now, so you will get a better fight than earlier.”
Colette groaned. “I should have taken advantage of it! You’re hard to beat when you’re on your game.” She grinned and climbed to her feet as well.
Teyla shook her head. “Winning is not the point,” she said with mock-solemnity. “And you are too honorable a person to take advantage,” she added with a smile and a quirk of an eyebrow.
Colette grinned. “Oh, I just like making sure I get a good fight.” She nodded to the other woman. “Ready?”
Teyla’s smile turned feral, her eyes gaining intensity. “Always.”
Author: featherjean
Rating: PG (minor language)
Characters: Teyla, OC
Pairing: Suggestion of Ford/Teyla; otherwise gen
Spoilers: None
Summary: Teyla gets a lesson in the men of Atlantis.
A/N: Captain Colette Moraine belongs to spacefiend and me. She was created for The Blessing, our AU, which can be found at blessing_jsew, but this fic stands completely on its own.
The men had gathered to watch again. Only a few this time, and Teyla shooed them off with her customary grace, but her current sparring partner, Captain Colette Moraine, thought she heard a hint of irritation in the Athosian woman’s voice. When they began sparring, she knew she was right - there was an edge to Teyla’s posture, an added emphasis to her attacks, that spoke volumes. Colette gave her a few minutes, letting her work out some of her frustration, and then she stepped back, halting the practice.
“You seem a little distracted today. Something on your mind?” She kept her voice light, acting like she’d just stopped to catch her breath and was merely making conversation. Giving the other woman an out if she didn’t feel like discussing it.
Truth be told, Colette wasn’t sure how much Teyla trusted her. They didn’t spend much time together, since their teams went off-world at different times. They’d recently found that they were on a level for unarmed sparring, though, and so joined up for practice whenever the opportunity presented itself. Trust was formed and nourished in the sparring ring, but it was of a different sort than the one that inspired confidences. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask the question.
Teyla looked aside, then gestured with her chin to the window bench where the men had been sitting. “Why do they wish to watch us?” she asked, frustration making it a demand for information. “I believed it to be a sign of respect until I heard some of their comments.”
Colette nodded slowly. “I know the comments you mean.” She was surprised they’d been said in Teyla’s hearing, though. She seriously had to question the survival instincts of the men in question.
Teyla narrowed her eyes. “They say the same things about you, then?”
Colette had to shake her head. “Once in a while, but probably not as much.”
Teyla’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “Because I am different.” She had had some unpleasant encounters with various members of the expedition who either despised her or were unduly fascinated with her because she was, to them, exotic. Most of them had been dealt with by now, but she was still wary.
Colette cocked her head, considering her words. “Yes, but… not entirely in the way you’re thinking.” She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of how to put it. “Look, there are a few reasons they want to watch. It’s partially the typical male desire to see two women getting hot and sweaty and flashing skin. It’s the same reason some of the female scientists watch the men playing basketball. It’s about sex, to put it bluntly.
“But when it comes to you, Teyla, there’s more to it. You get more people watching, more comments being made, because, as you said, you’re different. Exotic, yes, but it’s more than that. You’re something they’ve never encountered before: a woman who can stand with them as a full equal while still being a woman.”
Teyla blinked. A frown stole across her features. “I… don’t understand. You are their equal as much as I am, and you are a woman.”
Colette tilted her head. “Why do you wear a skirt to practice?”
The other woman looked puzzled at the apparent non sequitur, but she answered. “It allows me more freedom of movement. It allows more heat to escape, keeping me cooler. Occasionally the movement of the fabric distracts my opponent long enough to give me an advantage…” She let her voice trail off, looking at Colette expectantly.
Colette nodded. “Good reasons, all of them. Have you ever wondered why I don’t wear one?”
Teyla hesitated. “I thought it was simply a matter of preference.”
Colette shrugged. “A little. But mostly, it’s because if I want to be taken seriously by the men I work with, I can’t wear one. The sad truth is, I’m only efficient if I can get them to forget that I’m a woman.”
“Why would you have to do that?” Teyla looked even more confused and not a little offended at the thought.
Figuring that practice wasn’t going to start up again anytime soon, Colette sat down cross-legged on the floor. Teyla followed suit a moment later, sitting a couple feet away.
The captain put her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands, looking at her companion. “You’re the leader of your people, right?” At Teyla’s nod, she continued. “The leader of my people, my country, is called the president. In more than 200 years of history, we’ve never had a female president. And we’re the rule, not the exception. Most countries on Earth are ruled by men. Not just ruled; dominated. Until recently, a woman’s place was considered to be in the home, cooking dinner and having babies. A woman who had a job was looked down on. A woman in the military was completely unheard of.”
She grimaced. “Things have changed now, but it’s far from perfect. The men are still getting used to the idea that women can fight. A lot of them will never truly accept us. They still think of us as women first, officers and soldiers second. In combat, that kind of thinking can get people killed. At best, they’ll try to protect me. At worst, they’ll disobey my orders because they think I don’t know as well as they do - despite the fact that I’ve got more brains in my little finger than they have in their heads.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s stupid and it’s dangerous, and the only way around it is to make them think of me as a soldier, not a woman.”
Teyla shook her head slowly. “I understand how difficult it is to change the traditional mindset of a culture, but it is still unjust.”
Colette looked down for a moment. “It is,” she said, looking back up, “but I’m used to it. More, I think it’s worth it, because it lets me do what I love.”
She sat up, deciding it was time to get back to the original subject. “Now, you’ve never had to deal with any of that. You don’t have to hide who you are. The skirt you wear proves that you don’t see any conflict between being a woman and being a fighter. And that fascinates the men, because they’ve never seen that sort of attitude before.”
Teyla grimaced. “The comments I heard were not fascinated, Captain.”
Colette shrugged. “Fascinates, intimidates, maybe even offends some of them. You routinely kick Sheppard’s ass and look good doing it. Hell, that offends some of the women, because they’d love to be able to do that. The point is, when people don’t understand something, they automatically try and make it something they can understand. Unfortunately, it usually comes out mean or degrading.”
She eyed her companion and finally gave her the advice she’d been given by mentor back at school. “Keep kicking their asses, don’t sleep with any of your sparring partners, and they will come to respect you. It just takes time, and a lot of blows to the head.”
Teyla laughed. “I would much rather deal those blows than take them to my bed, I assure you.”
It was good to see her grinning again - she had been so tense when they started talking. Colette couldn’t resist taking advantage of the change in mood. “Even a certain young lieutenant?” she teased.
Teyla gave her an arch look, her lips twitching in an attempt not to smile. “I do not know who you are talking about.”
Colette laughed. “Of course you don’t.” She leaned back, stretching her arms out behind her to prop herself up. “You can do what you want, obviously. This is just my…” she almost said “two cents” but caught herself before using the idiom. “My opinion,” she finished.
Teyla sobered, nodding. “And I thank you for it.” She looked away, gazing around the room. “It has been harder than I expected, living among you. There are so many differences in our cultures…”
Colette nodded ruefully. “And some of us haven’t made it very easy for you to adjust, I know.”
“My friends have been very helpful. I have been quite grateful for that.” Her smile included Colette in the category of “friend.”
Colette grinned back, flattered. “Yeah, I guess we’re not all bad.” She glanced around the room, recalling why they were there in the first place. “So. Practice?”
Teyla smiled, rising to her feet. “Yes. I will be less distracted now, so you will get a better fight than earlier.”
Colette groaned. “I should have taken advantage of it! You’re hard to beat when you’re on your game.” She grinned and climbed to her feet as well.
Teyla shook her head. “Winning is not the point,” she said with mock-solemnity. “And you are too honorable a person to take advantage,” she added with a smile and a quirk of an eyebrow.
Colette grinned. “Oh, I just like making sure I get a good fight.” She nodded to the other woman. “Ready?”
Teyla’s smile turned feral, her eyes gaining intensity. “Always.”