Defining Coffee (PG)
This is the third 400-word ficlet, for lord_spyridon, who asked for Daniel and Sha're. I quite agree that there's never enough fic about them.
Shameless Daniel/Sha're sappiness ahead! Rated PG for a little banter.
Defining Coffee
"Kho'fee," Sha're pronounced carefully, eyeing the dark liquid in the small earthenware bowl.
"Close enough," Daniel told her.
Leaning foward, she breathed in the steam, her nose wrinkling slightly. "The smell is sharp. Does its taste bite the tongue?"
"Some people think so. They dull the bitterness with sugar or milk."
"But you do not," Sha're concluded. She sniffed again. "This drink gives you pleasure?"
"I drink it as a stimulant, but -- well, yes, it does give me pleasure. I enjoy its taste and its effects."
"What effect does it stimulate, Danyel?" Her eyes went half-lidded as a smile curled her mouth.
He grinned. "Not the kind of stimulation you give me," he assured her, tracing that smile with a gentle finger. "It delays the need for sleep and increases alertness."
"Like the seeds and leaves of k'sub'ra," Sha're nodded. "It is a spice, but also has many other uses."
Daniel's head tilted slightly, brows drawn together as he tried to unravel the unfamiliar word. Casting his mind back to Ancient Egyptian herbology, he rolled the syllables around his tongue. "Oh! Of course. Coriander. A stimulant, yes, and an antidote for poison. Stomach upsets. Helps speed healing of sores." When they don't turn septic, he added mentally.
"And this kho'fee, it too can heal?"
Daniel chuckled. "Many like to think so, but no. It has its benefits, but it has drawbacks, too." He thought for a moment, remembering a furtive offer from Skaara that had ended with Sha're's furious shout and Skaara's scurried footsteps fleeing their tent. "It is not as enslaving or harmful as qar'kah root," he said, "but once a person begins drinking it, the body continues to crave it. It is difficult to stop. It can also interfere with sleep even when a person is weary and desires it."
"And yet, my husband, you wish to drink this?" Sha're dipped a cautious finger into the earthenware bowl, ignoring the heat, and licked. Her eyes widened. "You like this?"
Daniel laughed, curving his own fingers around the bowl. "Just three packets left from the Air Force rations," he said. "I might as well enjoy it while I can."
Sha're frowned. "You miss this piece of your world, then."
"I'll miss it when it's gone," he conceded, even as he drew her close. "But I promise you, Sha're: even without coffee, I'd much rather be here with you."
Shameless Daniel/Sha're sappiness ahead! Rated PG for a little banter.
Defining Coffee
"Kho'fee," Sha're pronounced carefully, eyeing the dark liquid in the small earthenware bowl.
"Close enough," Daniel told her.
Leaning foward, she breathed in the steam, her nose wrinkling slightly. "The smell is sharp. Does its taste bite the tongue?"
"Some people think so. They dull the bitterness with sugar or milk."
"But you do not," Sha're concluded. She sniffed again. "This drink gives you pleasure?"
"I drink it as a stimulant, but -- well, yes, it does give me pleasure. I enjoy its taste and its effects."
"What effect does it stimulate, Danyel?" Her eyes went half-lidded as a smile curled her mouth.
He grinned. "Not the kind of stimulation you give me," he assured her, tracing that smile with a gentle finger. "It delays the need for sleep and increases alertness."
"Like the seeds and leaves of k'sub'ra," Sha're nodded. "It is a spice, but also has many other uses."
Daniel's head tilted slightly, brows drawn together as he tried to unravel the unfamiliar word. Casting his mind back to Ancient Egyptian herbology, he rolled the syllables around his tongue. "Oh! Of course. Coriander. A stimulant, yes, and an antidote for poison. Stomach upsets. Helps speed healing of sores." When they don't turn septic, he added mentally.
"And this kho'fee, it too can heal?"
Daniel chuckled. "Many like to think so, but no. It has its benefits, but it has drawbacks, too." He thought for a moment, remembering a furtive offer from Skaara that had ended with Sha're's furious shout and Skaara's scurried footsteps fleeing their tent. "It is not as enslaving or harmful as qar'kah root," he said, "but once a person begins drinking it, the body continues to crave it. It is difficult to stop. It can also interfere with sleep even when a person is weary and desires it."
"And yet, my husband, you wish to drink this?" Sha're dipped a cautious finger into the earthenware bowl, ignoring the heat, and licked. Her eyes widened. "You like this?"
Daniel laughed, curving his own fingers around the bowl. "Just three packets left from the Air Force rations," he said. "I might as well enjoy it while I can."
Sha're frowned. "You miss this piece of your world, then."
"I'll miss it when it's gone," he conceded, even as he drew her close. "But I promise you, Sha're: even without coffee, I'd much rather be here with you."