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Entry tags:
Fic: Forms of Friendship, SGA/BtVS
A sequel to Something New Under the Sky. PG-13, slightly slashy (well, we are talking about Faith here), ~2480 words.
Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
torakowalski for beta duty.
"Hmm. That smile is worrying. Perhaps, before I gave away all my fighting secrets, I should have asked if you were evil?" Teyla said lightly and saw Faith's mouth twist into a sharp grin.
"Not anymore. You scared?" she asked
Forms of Friendship
The afternoon after Teyla's encounter in the graveyard, she found herself once again making her way to one of the few open spaces in the town, this time to meet up with Faith on purpose.
Teyla had found herself at a loose end and, when she called the number Faith had given her, the other woman had suggested meeting in a park to spar and Teyla had readily agreed. She carried two sets of bantos rods in a bag slung over her shoulder and tucked her hands into her pockets, glad of her warm jacket as the weather was beginning to cool and the leaves on the trees were turning.
The park was large but there were few people making use of it and it looked like they would be able to find an undisturbed area fairly easily. Teyla followed the main path east and then quickened her pace as she recognised the figure leaning against a tree, as nonchalantly as John had ever managed.
"Hey there," Faith said, standing up as Teyla neared and Teyla answered Faith's smirk with a friendly smile of her own.
"Hello."
"Come on, I found a place off in the trees where we won't get any peeping toms," Faith said, jerking her head for Teyla to follow and starting to walk. Teyla fell in beside her easily and studied her as they moved deeper into the park, leaving the paths behind. The warrior's energy and alertness Teyla had seen the previous night were still there, and it was clear that Faith was as aware of their surroundings as Teyla herself was.
She had the impression that it was unusual for such a young woman on Earth to have those qualities but she hadn't had a chance yet to discuss what had happened with John or Rodney and find out if that was correct or to ask them if their monster movies had been based on fact. The title of Slayer also seemed unusually direct from what she knew of their culture and Teyla wanted very much to ask Faith what being a Slayer meant, why she and Andrew had thought that Teyla was one and to find out more about the creature she had killed the previous night. But she was also aware that asking would leave her open to questions from Faith in her turn and she was constrained from being open with the truth by the secrecy that blanketed the SGC's existence. It would be unfair to expect openness without giving the same in return, and that left her in an unfortunate position for satisfying her curiosity.
Faith abruptly turned her head, catching Teyla's scrutiny, and smiled wryly. "Okay, here's the thing," she said. "The guys I work with, they're kind of… nosy. Like IRS audit kind of nosy. And you've got them all kinds of curious, like how you're apparently not a Slayer, but weren't freaked by the freakshow," Faith went on, stopping as they entered a good sized glade in the trees and gesturing towards Teyla. "I mean, Andrew talked my ear off the whole night, and I swear every theory he had was wilder than the last. Plus I got to admit, I'm pretty damn curious myself."
"Ah. I see," Teyla said and hesitated, wondering how to negotiate past this without breaking the classification everyone at the SGC seemed to feel was so important. "And I'm sure you realise that I too have questions?"
"Uh huh. Of course, the problem is, with you being such an unknown quantity and all, they don't want you finding out much about us until we know everything about you," Faith went on with a slightly exasperated shrug. "You know, just in case you're evil and out to destroy the world, yadda yadda."
"Well, I can assure you that I am not," Teyla said, smiling.
"Yeah, I didn't think so," Faith said with a grin, "I've met plenty of evil in my time and you don't vibe that way at all. But I'm guessing you've got your own secrets, right?"
"That is an accurate guess," Teyla admitted. "It leaves us at a bit of an impasse, does it not?"
"Yeah. Well, as long as 'impasse' means 'stuck like we've been superglued' anyway," Faith said frowning a little.
"Essentially, yes," Teyla said with a rueful sigh, but she found herself amused that they had at least both been honest about having to keep secrets and when Faith caught her eye they both laughed.
"This is so stupid," Faith said, still grinning as she shook her head, "but I'm trying to play by the rules these days, so… how's this for a deal? We say what we can, no details, no pushing and it all stays between the two of us anyway. You in?"
"Do you not have to tell your… guys? Andrew?" Teyla asked.
"I'll tell them you're not a big bad, anything else is none of their business," Faith shrugged, "and if you'll play it the same, we're five by five."
"Agreed," Teyla said, and when Faith stuck out her hand she shook it firmly, feeling the strength in Faith's grip with little surprise.
"Cool," Faith said, and shrugged out of her jacket, dark eyes scanning the glade they were in appraisingly. "I figure this will do for some action. So what you got in the bag?" she asked and Teyla smiled, placing it on the ground and going down to one knee to open it.
"These," she replied, pulling out her own rods and the spare set she had brought for John to use when they were all once more at leisure. She handed the spares to Faith, who twirled them in her hands appreciatively.
"Nice. I bet these babies can do some damage."
"I can show you the forms that we use to learn their use if you like," Teyla offered, noting that Faith had already instinctively found the correct grip and settled into what was obviously a ready stance.
"Yeah, I like," Faith agreed, still flexing her arms to test the balance of the rods and Teyla raised her eyebrows, suddenly wondering what moves Faith might come up with for them if left to her own devices. It was very clear that she would be more than capable of using even such a new weapon to 'do some damage' as she put it.
"Let us begin then," Teyla said and moved further into the middle of the space. She centred herself and began to move through the forms, demonstrating the different blocks and strikes that were so familiar to her. Faith simply watched the first time, her eyes intently focused on every movement Teyla made and not missing much, if anything.
When Teyla came to a halt in the rest position, Faith gave her a smile and then moved around behind and Teyla began again, hearing Faith copy her actions. They eventually went through the whole set five times, and though Teyla had expected Faith to be good, she was amazed at just how fast the other woman picked up the fighting style.
"I think you have it," she said at the end of the set, unable to stop a little of her surprise from coming through in the tone and Faith cocked her head and smirked at Teyla, amusement lighting her eyes.
"Yeah, that last one felt pretty good. So, you want to spar now?" she said, her smile turning wicked as she backed off to give them both more room to move.
"Hmm. That smile is worrying. Perhaps, before I gave away all my fighting secrets, I should have asked if you were evil?" Teyla said lightly and saw Faith's mouth twist into a sharp grin.
"Not anymore. You scared?" she asked, the challenge unmistakable, and Teyla shook her head with a smirk of her own, already moving forward to attack.
For the next long while, Teyla had no time to consider anything other than defence, balance and movement. She was holding her own, but to her chagrin Teyla had a suspicion that was because Faith was holding back and not fighting to her full ability. Even at that Teyla was stretched to her limit in a way that she had very seldom experienced; Faith was both faster and stronger and she fought with a mix of styles and a vicious grace that Teyla suspected would be beautiful to watch if she were not so busy trying to counter it.
It was exhilarating to spar against such an opponent, overmatched or not, and Faith seemed to feel the same judging from her gleeful grin whenever Teyla managed to land a strike and the way she was prolonging the fight, as Teyla knew there had been moments when the other woman could have ended it if she had wished. But the clack of the rods against each other continued as they spun about the glade, filling it with sound and motion.
Finally, Teyla mistimed her attack and Faith pounced, sweeping Teyla's legs out from under her as her rods were knocked wide, and she landed on her back with Faith's rods holding her down. Faith was hovering over her, still grinning, and when Teyla got her breath back she shook her head and laughed in response. "You win."
"Sweet," Faith said, and pulled back to lounge on the grass as Teyla sat up. "You're real good."
"And you are incredible," Teyla said, earning a smile and raised eyebrows from Faith, "Is that because you are a Slayer, as Andrew said?"
"Yeah, part of the whole gig. Strength, speed, insane reflexes, and a really early checkout date," Faith said with a shrug.
"Checkout?"
"No Slayer has ever lived past twenty-five," Faith explained, her face serious for once and Teyla nodded acceptance. "You don't seem too shocked by that," Faith added in a curious tone.
"There is always a price for difference, is there not? And besides… where I am from, violent early death is all too common," Teyla replied, her voice weighted with remembrance of losses old and new.
"That sucks."
"Yes," Teyla agreed, mouth twisting at the irony of the description. "What else does being a Slayer mean?"
"Oh, being chosen by some mystical power to protect people, fight evil that normal everyday folks can't deal with, kill vampires, the usual. It's kind of a package deal with the other stuff. And we're working on the whole life expectancy thing," Faith said lightly.
"Vampires," Teyla repeated. "I believe I have seen movies with those; is that what the creature last night was?"
"Uh, yeah, you have to ask?" Faith said, frowning and looking slightly confused.
"I was told by my colleagues that they were fiction. That they had never existed on this world, and the ones in the movies did not look the same as the one last night," Teyla said.
"Your colleagues told you? And wait, this world?" Faith asked, sitting up. "Just where are you from, Teyla, anyway?"
"Very, very far away," Teyla conceded after a moment's thought.
"For serious?" Faith said incredulously. She blinked once at Teyla's nod and then fell to studying her speculatively.
"I do not have tentacles," Teyla said pointedly after a moment.
"Whoa, sorry," Faith said, putting her hands out defensively, "didn't mean to be rude. It's just… I was expecting you were, you know, half demon or something, not E.T. Not that you seem that different anyway."
"Well, I am human," Teyla said, shrugging and Faith blinked again and shook her head, laughing.
"Man, this is wild," she said.
"And you fight things that no-one else here would believe in. Wild indeed."
"Point," Faith admitted. "I guess you can't tell me much else, huh?"
"No, I'm afraid not," Teyla said. "Not in any detail, anyway."
"Okay. So let's go get some coffee or something," Faith said, standing up, "and you can tell me more about these colleagues who show you horror movies and sulk like Andrew. Gossip's fairly safe, right?"
"Indeed. And I would be glad to hear more of the people you work with also," Teyla said amiably, gathering the two sets of rods back into her bag and following Faith back through the trees.
They found a café not far from the park and settled in for a very pleasant hour or two. Even with all that they couldn't say, there was much that they could and Teyla enjoyed hearing about the people Faith knew and fought beside, and she skirted the edges of the secrecy act she had signed to tell tales of her team and their bravery and occasional insanity. It was also enjoyable to talk of being the leader of her people with someone who understood as a warrior in a way that even Elizabeth could not. She thought that Faith would be a good leader: the sharp edges of her manner and spirit combined with a kind of peace that Teyla felt came from knowledge of self, gave her strength of character that was unusual.
Teyla was reluctant to leave and end the encounter, but she was meeting the rest of the team for dinner and the next day they were all free and heading into the mountains. Faith said that she and Andrew were also moving on in the next day or so, meaning that they would likely not meet again.
"See you around, Teyla. It's been a trip," Faith said outside the café.
"Yes, it has," Teyla agreed. "If I may…" she added hesitantly, "my people have a way of saying farewell to friends?" and when she reached slowly for Faith's shoulders, Faith tilted her head but then smiled and stood still.
"Sure, go ahead," she said and Teyla smiled back and leaned in to touch their foreheads together for a moment.
"Huh. That's not what I thought you were going to do," Faith said, sounding amused, and when Teyla pulled back Faith moved in and kissed her, softly but not at all chaste and Teyla responded happily until they were forced to part to breathe.
"Damn," Faith said, shaking her head, "You've really got to go, huh?"
She sounded rueful but resigned, matching Teyla's feelings perfectly, and she nodded. "I am afraid so," she said reluctantly.
"Life's a bitch sometimes. Look after yourself, okay? And maybe we'll get lucky another time," Faith said, with a salacious grin and Teyla laughed.
"You too. Be safe, my friend," Teyla said. Faith gave her a sharp nod, looked her up and down a last time and then spun abruptly and started to walk away.
Teyla watched her go for a moment and then began her own walk back, smiling. More time would have been very welcome, but she would return to Atlantis with the memories of a new friendship well begun, as well as the tantalising possibility of something more.
And she had Faith's email address in her pocket.
They would meet again.
(Prompt 064: Fall)
Many thanks to
torakowalski for beta duty."Hmm. That smile is worrying. Perhaps, before I gave away all my fighting secrets, I should have asked if you were evil?" Teyla said lightly and saw Faith's mouth twist into a sharp grin.
"Not anymore. You scared?" she asked
Forms of Friendship
The afternoon after Teyla's encounter in the graveyard, she found herself once again making her way to one of the few open spaces in the town, this time to meet up with Faith on purpose.
Teyla had found herself at a loose end and, when she called the number Faith had given her, the other woman had suggested meeting in a park to spar and Teyla had readily agreed. She carried two sets of bantos rods in a bag slung over her shoulder and tucked her hands into her pockets, glad of her warm jacket as the weather was beginning to cool and the leaves on the trees were turning.
The park was large but there were few people making use of it and it looked like they would be able to find an undisturbed area fairly easily. Teyla followed the main path east and then quickened her pace as she recognised the figure leaning against a tree, as nonchalantly as John had ever managed.
"Hey there," Faith said, standing up as Teyla neared and Teyla answered Faith's smirk with a friendly smile of her own.
"Hello."
"Come on, I found a place off in the trees where we won't get any peeping toms," Faith said, jerking her head for Teyla to follow and starting to walk. Teyla fell in beside her easily and studied her as they moved deeper into the park, leaving the paths behind. The warrior's energy and alertness Teyla had seen the previous night were still there, and it was clear that Faith was as aware of their surroundings as Teyla herself was.
She had the impression that it was unusual for such a young woman on Earth to have those qualities but she hadn't had a chance yet to discuss what had happened with John or Rodney and find out if that was correct or to ask them if their monster movies had been based on fact. The title of Slayer also seemed unusually direct from what she knew of their culture and Teyla wanted very much to ask Faith what being a Slayer meant, why she and Andrew had thought that Teyla was one and to find out more about the creature she had killed the previous night. But she was also aware that asking would leave her open to questions from Faith in her turn and she was constrained from being open with the truth by the secrecy that blanketed the SGC's existence. It would be unfair to expect openness without giving the same in return, and that left her in an unfortunate position for satisfying her curiosity.
Faith abruptly turned her head, catching Teyla's scrutiny, and smiled wryly. "Okay, here's the thing," she said. "The guys I work with, they're kind of… nosy. Like IRS audit kind of nosy. And you've got them all kinds of curious, like how you're apparently not a Slayer, but weren't freaked by the freakshow," Faith went on, stopping as they entered a good sized glade in the trees and gesturing towards Teyla. "I mean, Andrew talked my ear off the whole night, and I swear every theory he had was wilder than the last. Plus I got to admit, I'm pretty damn curious myself."
"Ah. I see," Teyla said and hesitated, wondering how to negotiate past this without breaking the classification everyone at the SGC seemed to feel was so important. "And I'm sure you realise that I too have questions?"
"Uh huh. Of course, the problem is, with you being such an unknown quantity and all, they don't want you finding out much about us until we know everything about you," Faith went on with a slightly exasperated shrug. "You know, just in case you're evil and out to destroy the world, yadda yadda."
"Well, I can assure you that I am not," Teyla said, smiling.
"Yeah, I didn't think so," Faith said with a grin, "I've met plenty of evil in my time and you don't vibe that way at all. But I'm guessing you've got your own secrets, right?"
"That is an accurate guess," Teyla admitted. "It leaves us at a bit of an impasse, does it not?"
"Yeah. Well, as long as 'impasse' means 'stuck like we've been superglued' anyway," Faith said frowning a little.
"Essentially, yes," Teyla said with a rueful sigh, but she found herself amused that they had at least both been honest about having to keep secrets and when Faith caught her eye they both laughed.
"This is so stupid," Faith said, still grinning as she shook her head, "but I'm trying to play by the rules these days, so… how's this for a deal? We say what we can, no details, no pushing and it all stays between the two of us anyway. You in?"
"Do you not have to tell your… guys? Andrew?" Teyla asked.
"I'll tell them you're not a big bad, anything else is none of their business," Faith shrugged, "and if you'll play it the same, we're five by five."
"Agreed," Teyla said, and when Faith stuck out her hand she shook it firmly, feeling the strength in Faith's grip with little surprise.
"Cool," Faith said, and shrugged out of her jacket, dark eyes scanning the glade they were in appraisingly. "I figure this will do for some action. So what you got in the bag?" she asked and Teyla smiled, placing it on the ground and going down to one knee to open it.
"These," she replied, pulling out her own rods and the spare set she had brought for John to use when they were all once more at leisure. She handed the spares to Faith, who twirled them in her hands appreciatively.
"Nice. I bet these babies can do some damage."
"I can show you the forms that we use to learn their use if you like," Teyla offered, noting that Faith had already instinctively found the correct grip and settled into what was obviously a ready stance.
"Yeah, I like," Faith agreed, still flexing her arms to test the balance of the rods and Teyla raised her eyebrows, suddenly wondering what moves Faith might come up with for them if left to her own devices. It was very clear that she would be more than capable of using even such a new weapon to 'do some damage' as she put it.
"Let us begin then," Teyla said and moved further into the middle of the space. She centred herself and began to move through the forms, demonstrating the different blocks and strikes that were so familiar to her. Faith simply watched the first time, her eyes intently focused on every movement Teyla made and not missing much, if anything.
When Teyla came to a halt in the rest position, Faith gave her a smile and then moved around behind and Teyla began again, hearing Faith copy her actions. They eventually went through the whole set five times, and though Teyla had expected Faith to be good, she was amazed at just how fast the other woman picked up the fighting style.
"I think you have it," she said at the end of the set, unable to stop a little of her surprise from coming through in the tone and Faith cocked her head and smirked at Teyla, amusement lighting her eyes.
"Yeah, that last one felt pretty good. So, you want to spar now?" she said, her smile turning wicked as she backed off to give them both more room to move.
"Hmm. That smile is worrying. Perhaps, before I gave away all my fighting secrets, I should have asked if you were evil?" Teyla said lightly and saw Faith's mouth twist into a sharp grin.
"Not anymore. You scared?" she asked, the challenge unmistakable, and Teyla shook her head with a smirk of her own, already moving forward to attack.
For the next long while, Teyla had no time to consider anything other than defence, balance and movement. She was holding her own, but to her chagrin Teyla had a suspicion that was because Faith was holding back and not fighting to her full ability. Even at that Teyla was stretched to her limit in a way that she had very seldom experienced; Faith was both faster and stronger and she fought with a mix of styles and a vicious grace that Teyla suspected would be beautiful to watch if she were not so busy trying to counter it.
It was exhilarating to spar against such an opponent, overmatched or not, and Faith seemed to feel the same judging from her gleeful grin whenever Teyla managed to land a strike and the way she was prolonging the fight, as Teyla knew there had been moments when the other woman could have ended it if she had wished. But the clack of the rods against each other continued as they spun about the glade, filling it with sound and motion.
Finally, Teyla mistimed her attack and Faith pounced, sweeping Teyla's legs out from under her as her rods were knocked wide, and she landed on her back with Faith's rods holding her down. Faith was hovering over her, still grinning, and when Teyla got her breath back she shook her head and laughed in response. "You win."
"Sweet," Faith said, and pulled back to lounge on the grass as Teyla sat up. "You're real good."
"And you are incredible," Teyla said, earning a smile and raised eyebrows from Faith, "Is that because you are a Slayer, as Andrew said?"
"Yeah, part of the whole gig. Strength, speed, insane reflexes, and a really early checkout date," Faith said with a shrug.
"Checkout?"
"No Slayer has ever lived past twenty-five," Faith explained, her face serious for once and Teyla nodded acceptance. "You don't seem too shocked by that," Faith added in a curious tone.
"There is always a price for difference, is there not? And besides… where I am from, violent early death is all too common," Teyla replied, her voice weighted with remembrance of losses old and new.
"That sucks."
"Yes," Teyla agreed, mouth twisting at the irony of the description. "What else does being a Slayer mean?"
"Oh, being chosen by some mystical power to protect people, fight evil that normal everyday folks can't deal with, kill vampires, the usual. It's kind of a package deal with the other stuff. And we're working on the whole life expectancy thing," Faith said lightly.
"Vampires," Teyla repeated. "I believe I have seen movies with those; is that what the creature last night was?"
"Uh, yeah, you have to ask?" Faith said, frowning and looking slightly confused.
"I was told by my colleagues that they were fiction. That they had never existed on this world, and the ones in the movies did not look the same as the one last night," Teyla said.
"Your colleagues told you? And wait, this world?" Faith asked, sitting up. "Just where are you from, Teyla, anyway?"
"Very, very far away," Teyla conceded after a moment's thought.
"For serious?" Faith said incredulously. She blinked once at Teyla's nod and then fell to studying her speculatively.
"I do not have tentacles," Teyla said pointedly after a moment.
"Whoa, sorry," Faith said, putting her hands out defensively, "didn't mean to be rude. It's just… I was expecting you were, you know, half demon or something, not E.T. Not that you seem that different anyway."
"Well, I am human," Teyla said, shrugging and Faith blinked again and shook her head, laughing.
"Man, this is wild," she said.
"And you fight things that no-one else here would believe in. Wild indeed."
"Point," Faith admitted. "I guess you can't tell me much else, huh?"
"No, I'm afraid not," Teyla said. "Not in any detail, anyway."
"Okay. So let's go get some coffee or something," Faith said, standing up, "and you can tell me more about these colleagues who show you horror movies and sulk like Andrew. Gossip's fairly safe, right?"
"Indeed. And I would be glad to hear more of the people you work with also," Teyla said amiably, gathering the two sets of rods back into her bag and following Faith back through the trees.
They found a café not far from the park and settled in for a very pleasant hour or two. Even with all that they couldn't say, there was much that they could and Teyla enjoyed hearing about the people Faith knew and fought beside, and she skirted the edges of the secrecy act she had signed to tell tales of her team and their bravery and occasional insanity. It was also enjoyable to talk of being the leader of her people with someone who understood as a warrior in a way that even Elizabeth could not. She thought that Faith would be a good leader: the sharp edges of her manner and spirit combined with a kind of peace that Teyla felt came from knowledge of self, gave her strength of character that was unusual.
Teyla was reluctant to leave and end the encounter, but she was meeting the rest of the team for dinner and the next day they were all free and heading into the mountains. Faith said that she and Andrew were also moving on in the next day or so, meaning that they would likely not meet again.
"See you around, Teyla. It's been a trip," Faith said outside the café.
"Yes, it has," Teyla agreed. "If I may…" she added hesitantly, "my people have a way of saying farewell to friends?" and when she reached slowly for Faith's shoulders, Faith tilted her head but then smiled and stood still.
"Sure, go ahead," she said and Teyla smiled back and leaned in to touch their foreheads together for a moment.
"Huh. That's not what I thought you were going to do," Faith said, sounding amused, and when Teyla pulled back Faith moved in and kissed her, softly but not at all chaste and Teyla responded happily until they were forced to part to breathe.
"Damn," Faith said, shaking her head, "You've really got to go, huh?"
She sounded rueful but resigned, matching Teyla's feelings perfectly, and she nodded. "I am afraid so," she said reluctantly.
"Life's a bitch sometimes. Look after yourself, okay? And maybe we'll get lucky another time," Faith said, with a salacious grin and Teyla laughed.
"You too. Be safe, my friend," Teyla said. Faith gave her a sharp nod, looked her up and down a last time and then spun abruptly and started to walk away.
Teyla watched her go for a moment and then began her own walk back, smiling. More time would have been very welcome, but she would return to Atlantis with the memories of a new friendship well begun, as well as the tantalising possibility of something more.
And she had Faith's email address in her pocket.
They would meet again.
(Prompt 064: Fall)
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Yeah, there was a moment of insanity there. But fortunately there is no time limit on the challenge or I'd really be stuffed!
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I love the difference in their speech patterns
Oh, fantastic - it was so hard going backwards and forwards between Teyla and Faith because the way they talk is so different!
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I suspect I have now given this too much thought...
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ETA: are your stories archived on any of the fic sites? I don't plant to have a paid LJ account since I moved over to Dreamwidth and my notifications list is overfull already, but I would love to be able to find out when you post new goodies in any of the fandoms I read!
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All my fic (bar some drabbles) are at AO3 here (http://archiveofourown.org/users/janne_d/pseuds/janne_d). Anything new (and be warned that I haven't written a word for about 2 years) would go up there for sure.