Waking to Another Sky Ch4 bit – Second Impressions

~ crossovercreativechaos

“Would it not have been wiser to lead him on, and uncover what they might be planning?”

“What, and let ‘em know something was going on here?” Rob Flint waved it off. “Not a chance. I’m a vet, not a spook. From Jersey. Can’t do the whole wilderness of mirrors schtick. Leave that to you guys.” He sobered. “’Sides, no offense, but I got my daughter to think about, you know? If they think I’m some loose cannon who hates their guts, they’ll go find some other guy to play with.” His face softened as he glanced back into the room. “Aww, poor baby….”

“Chrrrl! Chirrr….”

Teal’c stepped over to the aviary, where one determined sky-feathered creature was testing every hinge and wire it could hover near with claws and teeth. Systematically. “That one was within NervGear?”

“She was, with a couple others,” the vet nodded. “That cage was way too small to fly in, and you know they’re social. Really social, like parrots. So we moved them in with the rest of the flock.” He sighed. “Not sure that’s working out for her. She checked out the others a little, and nobody’s acting like they want to start a fight. But all she seems to want is out.” He shrugged. “Eh, it’s only been a few hours… what?”

Teal’c held up a hand for silence. There was… something. Not a sound. Not a scent. Only a surety, as Tekma’teh Bra’tac had, of a presence with the potential for violence. A presence that-

Whatever I sense… senses me.

“When honorable warriors recognize one another’s presence,” Teal’c called out, “it is reasonable for them to speak, to determine if there is true need for blood to be shed.”

“Blood? Shed?” Rob Flint’s voice rose, blue eyes wide as he stared at the door. “Whoa, wait a minute! Hanging up is one thing; if somebody got in here, we should be calling security-”

“We will not,” Teal’c said bluntly. “No one has gotten in, Rob Flint. And if there is no threat, there is no need to call security.”

One breath. Two.

The door opened.

Teal’c inclined his head. “Kirigaya Kazuto. Or do you prefer Kirito?”

“Murray.” The black-haired teen returned the honor. “Or would we be wrong to name you Teal’c?”

Ah. Asked and answered. “Teal’c is indeed preferable,” he allowed. “Do your companions wish to enter? I have been informed by the caretakers that certain creatures here are tropical, and sensitive to drafts.”

24 thoughts on “Waking to Another Sky Ch4 bit – Second Impressions”

  1. Aww, Pina wants her human. At least she doesn’t have to wait long.
    I have a funny feeling that Teal’c is no more immune to fluffy reunions then the rest of us, though much better at hiding it.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  3. Teal’c has got good instincts. And the good sense not to get in unnecessary fights.

    I notice that Kirito didn’t answer his question . . . either isn’t sure himself or wanted to see if Teal’c would try to pretend that wasn’t his name if confronted about it or both . . .

    Hmmm wonder if Kirito and some of the others after they get a better look at Teal’c without the hat will recognize the Jaffa symbols on him.

    Through I am waiting for the day that some Tok’ra discovers that some of the players do understand and can speak Gao’uld and that perhaps they should have been more careful about running their mouths and how it is not a good idea to assume that no one around understands what you are saying . . . through they probably make that mistake quite a bit. And forget that just because someone doesn’t understand exactly what you are saying, doesn’t mean they won’t know when you are being insulting. Tone of voice, expression, and body language can communicate quite a bit.

    Not that most Tok’ra would care that they are being rude.

    Maybe I’m just waiting for someone to not only have very little tolerance for their arrogance and rudeness but can smack them for it in a way that actually hurts and/or counts.

    Of course, I’m also looking forward to them re-learning in this and Around that just because the sharp pointy thing is primitive doesn’t mean it cannot kill you just as dead. It’s like they have forgotten that a lack of advanced weapons did not stop humans from driving them off Earth.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Maybe it’s mean but I for them getting the info largely piece-meal. Often after they made assumptions. Assumptions that proceeded to bite them in the butt sometime afterward.

        “Why didn’t you mention X before?”

        “You didn’t ask.”

        *innocent blink* “I thought you knew?”

        Liked by 1 person

  4. >“Not sure that’s working out for her. She checked out the others a little, and nobody’s acting like they want to start a fight. >
    This is interesting because it indicates that whatever Kayaba did (if anything) to the various tamed animals in game, the rest of their kin don’t consider them ‘off’ in any way. I’m betting Pina isn’t any more intelligent then the rest of her species. How intelligent they are will be interesting to see,

    >testing every hinge and wire it could hover near with claws and teeth. Systematically.>
    She just has a different priority right now. Namely getting out of the cage and finding her peanut provider. Who knows what that silly little human could be getting up to if she isn’t around to keep an eye on her?

    >Ah. Asked and answered.>
    Nicely done and Teal’C seems to have picked up the subtext there. Because not only do the players seem to know about this level, they also found out his real name. Considering what else they might know, best to start a peaceful dialog.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Actually, they’ve known about the name since Jack used it in their hearing.

      I’m pretty sure that Pina feels that Silica is near somehow, and Silica was kinda showing withdrawal or grief symptoms earlier. It wouldn’t be surprising if the attachment were mutual.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. >Actually, they’ve known about the name since Jack used it in their hearing.>
        Sure but Teal’C doesn’t know if they learned if from there.

        Liked by 2 people

    2. It’s possible that virtual peanuts may be fine, but that feathered dragons would be allergic to real ones. But I don’t think Vathara is that cruel.

      I suspect a lot of players are going to miss the foods availiable in Aincrad (the author of the LN has a thing for food porn), and especially being able to eat what they like without having to worry about calories.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

      1. Hey, an army marches on its stomach. Or, food *is* morale. Still, the energy requirements of athletes is really high, even in a resting state. It’s my theory that that’s why the body starts breaking down muscle into fat so quickly if it’s not in consistent use, the energy cost is too high to sustain without need.

        Two years of Nano- and gengeneering later, the survivors haven’t collapsed from hunger yet. Their bodies have *gained* muscle mass and twitch reflexes. Too many calories isn’t going to be a problem, too few are. To quote a Buffy fic, ” you’ll never see a fat Slayer. What you will see is a Slayer eating everything in sight and still starving to death.”

        Liked by 2 people

    3. On PIna’s intelligence? Now I’ve got an image stuck in my head, of her narrating the standoff between TEal’c and Kirito like David Attenborough in a nature show. “And here we have two Alpha Clothed Apes in a tense stand off as one, the Black Juggernaut, seeks to negotiate safe passage with another, the Serene Mountain. Apparently the Juggernaut is once again protecting the juvenile ‘Peanut Gather’ that imprinted on me. Gatherer seems to have been seeking my presence since we both awoke.”

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

  5. To be fair, I’m reasonably certain that heightened senses are the reason they picked up the conversation with the name drop. Also, Pina is determined to get out, and the shriek when she sees Silica will be so pleased. The interesting thought is, are the tamed beasts also genegeneered? I’m thinking not because there’s little possibility that Kayaba would be able to get his hands on enough info to be able to be confident his gengeneering would stick, which would be a point of pride. The fact he might irrevocably screw them up and kill them wouldn’t be something he worried about, given what he did to his own species.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. Likely.

        But there is the Law of Unintended Consequences.

        Just because he didn’t try anything doesn’t mean something didn’t happen. The nanites are alien tech after all – he might be a genius but he probably doesn’t entirely understand every nuance, problem, or quirk of their operations. He understands a lot of it, more than enough for his purposes but he likely doesn’t know everything and that is what might bit someone in the behind.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. >The fact he might irrevocably screw them up and kill them wouldn’t be something he worried about>
      I agree that them ending up dead is not something that would keep him up nights, but I think their genetics getting screwed from his tampering, as opposed to “improved”, might be a sticking point for him, to go back to that pride thing.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

Leave a comment