Meatslop: It's what's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner [Open]

[aboutthatevac]

It had been months since Stacy had released Sarah Kerrigan but the meatship hadn't seen very much of her. It wasn't because she preferred to spend her days alone, at least not solely. It was safer this way. For her and for everyone else on the ship. She had come clean to the Captain, given him a short explanation of her reign as the Queen of Blades

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[hi_there_aliens]

The one bad point to shore leave, aside from Land of the Pharaohs... or nearly getting detained because of Vala, banned or just about everything else, was that once you had a taste of actual food, it was hard going back to the slop Stacy insisted on. Just as you thought you might get used to it, you got a moment's break, tasted something so much better, and then you were expected to go back to mediocrity.

Daniel sat down at a table and stared at it. Even the almost-tagin was much better looking. It certainly tasted better. Looking at his plate, Daniel was more than willing to pay an arm and a leg for the tagin again. He looked at the woman across from him out of the corner of his eye.

"You'd think it'd get less terrible the more we got eat it," He said. She didn't seem inclined to talk. That never stopped Daniel before. Maybe if he talked, it would distract them both from just how unappetizing this was about to be.

[aboutthatevac]

No, Kerrigan wasn't inclined to talk and no, that didn't stop anyone. It made her long for the days when she ripped out someone's tongue if they said something she didn't like. That brief moment of longing horrified her.

If she were smart she would leave and never talk to this man again. Or maybe that wasn't smart. Maybe she'd done enough avoiding. No one can run forever, not even Kerrigan. Especially when the person she was running from was herself.

"Getting used to it doesn't mean you lose your tastebuds." Kerrigan didn't look at Daniel as she replied but she did finally take a bite of her slop.

[hi_there_aliens]

"Well, no, but it'd be nice to build up a tolerance. Then you'd wouldn't notice it as much." Like staying too long on a dig, no showers or baths, crammed along with people who were just as un-showered or bathed. It probably smelled horrific, but after awhile you got used to it. Barely even noticed it. Then you stepped away, got showered, came back and it was like being hit with a wall of body odor and sand. Daniel swirled the utensil in the slop. Right now, he'd rather take the too-many-people-on-a-dig option than eat this. He watched her actually take a bite and felt his stomach want to retreat somewhere far, far away.

Daniel started to hold out his hand, then hesitated. What if they didn't use hand shakes where she came from? Or they did something else? It was too late to draw it back by now, so Daniel just went with it.

"Daniel Jackson, by the way," he said.

[aboutthatevac]

Kerrigan wanted to laugh at the gesture but at the same time something burned inside her. A memory of the last time someone had offered her his hand, although not for a handshake but simply to hold.

She shook Daniel's hand. She tried to make sure her grip was loose but not hard enough as it was still firm. "Sarah Kerrigan."

[hi_there_aliens]

"Nice to meet you." This strategy of his, to talk until he didn't notice he was eating, wasn't actually looking so good when Sarah (or did she prefer Kerrigan?) did the efficient thing and stuck to the bare minimum. Kinda like Teal'c. Not much of a talker, was she?

Daniel tried a bite and made a face. Even Vala's hamburger sounded amazing just about now. Someone needed to talk to Kennedy or Stacy about the slop. Didn't Kang say something about supplies, produce? The second bite didn't go down much better.

"So. How was your shore leave?" Daniel asked. Mine... wasn't fun. Parts of it were okay, but mostly, Daniel thought, it was a constant trial on his sanity as an Egyptologist. Vala tuned him out when he tried to fill her in on exactly what was wrong with just about everything in the park, and she wanted to hang around him for some reason. Sarah, as a stranger, probably didn't give a damn about the intricacies of Egyptian religious figures.

[aboutthatevac]

Ah, he was making an effort. Kerrigan supposed she should say more if only so she wouldn't have to spend the next few minutes listening to him flail awkwardly from topic to topic.

"I didn't go." She said simply. "I have no desire to go to an amusement park of any kind. Too many people and not my idea of a good time." Not that she had any idea of what she considered a good time anymore aside from killing. "Did I miss out on much?"

[hi_there_aliens]

He thought back on it. The shops were okay, but ultimately, he'd rather have spent the day with his artifacts.

"Not really. Well, the food was better than this," Daniel added, sounding sheepish. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up shore leave. It was only highlighting what they were eating and that there was better out there. And they weren't having it. So much for his strategy. Daniel messed with his food, creating a small swirl in it. It might be more palatable if the color was different. Not by much, but it might be easier going down if it wasn't so pink.

"What did you end up doing?" he asked, then it occurred to him, just a little belatedly that it might not be any of his business. Or it fell into the TMI/don't really want to know category. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Maybe there was something better than getting dragged to 'Land of the Pharaohs.'

[aboutthatevac]

"You can ask but I don't know if you'll like the answer. I spent the time honing my skills, which is a nice way of saying I spent time killing simulated opponents, mostly Ohm." She had spent time killing zerg but she had to stop after a while. It had been wonderful therapy at first but then she was able to properly identify the sinking feeling in her stomach. It wasn't fear or anger but pity and regret, like she'd been killing her family.

[hi_there_aliens]

Uh. Daniel's pause spoke volumes. That wasn't exactly what he'd expected. Target practice on pieces of paper was one thing, but deciding to spend your time taking out sensorium opponents was a little different. They weren't real, sure. However, Daniel had seen how realistic they could get. Even thought Jayne's sensorium had been obviously a fantasy, the people in the fantasy had looked and sounded incredibly real.

"At least you decided to be productive," he fumbled.

[aboutthatevac]

Kerrigan smiled at his discomfort. It made her wonder more what the Daligig thought they were doing by bringing aboard a mass murderer alongside soft, naive people like Daniel.

"We are in a war. You should try be more productive if you want to stay alive. If you're not willing to do that then my advice is to stay far, far away from the action. But even then you're not safe."

[hi_there_aliens]

Oh, right, like he hadn't been stuck on Galilee fighting alongside everyone else. He must've imagined it, or nearly getting shot a few times. The only reason he'd taken up a gun in the first place was to protect the people he knew, but the truth was, they could've possibly solved the conflict if they'd been given more time, and if people had kept a cooler head. They didn't know nearly enough details on both sides, not even now, to form a complete picture.

He got the feeling the GIA didn't give a damn. They only wanted the technology. That left them to either defend themselves or get killed. Daniel couldn't stand feeling like he'd been backed into a corner.

"I need to retain my sanity somehow, and so do other people. Whose war here anyway? We don't even have all the facts. Just the Daligig's word."

[aboutthatevac]

Ah, this was good. This was infinitely better than smalltalk. They were on familiar grounds now. "Glad to hear you're not completely stupid. As far as I'm concerned the Daligig are as bad as the Ohm. That doesn't change the fact that the Ohm are out to kill us all. Am I wrong to assume you weren't at Lirath?"

[hi_there_aliens]

Oh gee, thanks for the vote of confidence and the moral support. Glad to know he passed your test. Daniel gave her a tight lipped smile.

"Thanks. I try," he said dryly. "At least you're asking questions. There's a lot of people who are itching to fight, no questions asked." He looked up from the gruel, considered her for a second. "No. I was on the ship when the terrorists detonated the bomb."

[aboutthatevac]

Kerrigan did not return the smile. She continued to stare back at him.

"And you managed to survive that. Good." You're not completely hopeless, she managed not to say. "And people aren't asking questions because they're mad. What do you think happens when you take someone away from their homes, their universe even. If someone gives them weapons and a way to get back the majority of people will take it, no questions asked. They'll do anything it takes to get even. Never underestimate the need for revenge."

[hi_there_aliens]

He could read between the lines to know when he was being treated like an inept civilian. Daniel met her gaze steadily. He didn't need her approval to get through the day, but it'd be easier to finish his meal if he didn't have her looking down her nose at him for its duration.

It sounded like she knew a thing or two about the need for revenge, intimately.

"Believe me, I think I've learned a thing or two about what people will do if they get the chance," he said uncomfortably. It wasn't that long ago that Eva had a field day on the terrorist's face in front of him. "So you're just practicing for defense?"

[aboutthatevac]

Don't take it personal, Daniel. She thought that about a lot of people, including hardened soldiers.

"Does it really matter? Defense or offense, either way I'm taking out as many enemies as I can. And if it's my day to die they'll overwhelm me in the same way." She'd been through enough battles to know she wasn't going to die from a lucky shot. If she was going to die it would be like it was that day at New Gettysburg, overwhelmed by a zerg swarm.