fateandfortune | Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

Rogue shrugged, well aware that the group was more likely to attack the food than her. She'd spent years around hungry, hormonal teenagers with superpowers - she could handle a few Wraith, easy. "They can stay if they're willing to be put to work," she offered, not sure if any of them might actually volunteer for such a task. "But otherwise, a crowd will just slow things down." And none of them were likely to want that.

She didn't wait to see who might decide to stick around. Returning to the pantry, she started with the spices, the necessity for any successful cooking venture. One jar was open, sniffed, and then another. They smelled familiar, maybe a little different from what was on Earth, but fairly similar to oregano and marjoram. Excellent.

"I can work with this," she said to herself with a nod and a growing smile. "How many servings do we need?" she called a little louder, grabbing a few things to carry out to the island. Some of the vegetables, the butter, the meat. Todd hadn't eaten much before, so these supplies could easily be stretched to last them the trip.

"Ten, including myself." Todd answered.

His second and two others remained, the other six would have made too many in the kitchen so they'd learn next time and for now stayed in the "dining room", quietly conversing with one another.

Pots and pans were under the island, plates and bowls in the cabinets, there was a drawer of utensils of various kinds from wooden to tarnished silver, and another drawer of knives.

The second and other two stood opposite Rogue, Todd to her left but gave her some room so that he wasn't in her way. The whole situation was quite a sight, but wraith liked to learn, and this was a skill-set they needed to be knowledgeable of if they didn't want to spend the rest of their days eating plain raw food.

If someone had told her even a week ago that she'd be giving cooking lessons to a bunch of aliens, well, stranger things had happened in her life, but it was still a completely surreal experience.

It was an easy atmosphere once they began, any nervousness she might have felt disappearing as her old teacher persona kicked in. She explained about washing the ingredients not only for safety but to preserve taste, about which knife was best for cutting which type of food, and how different degrees of cooking would change the taste. They might have a finite number of ingredients to work with, but there could be plenty of variation if they mixed up the spices and combinations.

Each of her 'students' was given a task, one chopping the vegetables, one slicing the meat, one melting butter in a set of pans, another measuring out the spices they'd need. After the prep work was done, she showed them how to actually cook each thing - how to tell when the meat was fully cooked through to avoid illness (but pointing out that each type of meat tended to be different), how to keep the vegetables from getting mushy, and when to begin adding the spices for tasting.

By the end of the lesson, they had a somewhat Mediterranean style meal, though the flavor of the vegetables made it a little more Turkish than the Greek she'd been going for. Not that they would understand any of that. The portions that were served on the plates were kept small but filling, and she loaded them up with the plates and utensils and sent them out to their companions in the dining room, staying behind to start on the cleanup.

The wraith did as they were directed, those chopping and slicing were especially good at their jobs, but then again they all knew their way around a knife.

"Fine work" Todd praised Rogue as the last of his underlings joined the table with their portions. He stood at the island with her to eat his own. The meal was hot and far more rich than the MREs had been, and, needles to say, quite good. But he wasn't just praising her for the meal, but also grabbing the attention of his underlings in a way that perhaps even he couldn't. Rogue was the only female on board directing them about.The only difference between her and a queen was species really.

"I think between this and sparring in the arena you shouldn't find yourself too bored." he chuckled

Rogue smiled at his praise, understanding that it wasn't just for the quality of the meal. She'd noticed the way the others had responded to her instruction, following without question and giving her their full attention, and she wondered if that was how they were with the Queen of the Hive, when there was one. She had been firm in her direction, but hadn't spoken down to any of them, as that would have been a slight to their obvious intelligence, and if they were with Todd's Hive, she had no doubt that they were highly capable.

"I'm glad of it," she told him, gathering up the dirtied dishes, pans, and knives and depositing them in the sink in between bites of her own portion of the meal. "I've always enjoyed cooking. I helped out at the mansion because I enjoyed it, but it also gave me a good excuse to get rid of my gloves for a while. There weren't usually many others in the kitchen, so I didn't have to worry about hurting anyone on accident."

Since she'd been mostly giving brief demonstration and then instructing the others, she'd kept her gloves on for the cooking, not wanting to take any chances with his crew's safety. Now, though, she tugged them off and left them beside her plate so she could continue cleaning.

The wraith at the table talked quietly among themselves, discussing the meal and how this new diet wasn't so bad at all.

Todd listened to both his crew and Rogue. A shame she'd be leaving, but he doubted she'd want this as a full time job. Besides, she'd jump at the chance to return to her world if Atlantis can provide.

"Well, we're fast learners, I expect you'll have the whole crew trained before we reach Atlantis, if you're up to the challenge of course."

If it came down to it, doing this full time wouldn't be so bad for Rogue. A relatively safe place with people who could appreciate at least some of her skills. But the idea wasn't on the table, so she didn't even consider it.

The smile she'd been wearing faded at his words, her demeanor noticeably changing like a shadow had fallen over her in the dim light of the ship. She went very still for a moment, a well of sadness threatening to overwhelm her despite the strong presence in her mind trying to push through it. A deep breath and she forced a smile to return, turning fully toward the sink so she didn't have to keep up the façade for long.

"I love a good challenge," she informed him over her shoulder, and it was true that she looked forward to doing this again in the days to come. It was just that his phrasing had brought up terrible memories of a grief she still hadn't come to accept.

Todd wasn't sure what had brought about this sudden change, but then again, humans could be very emotional. She was probably homesick.

"Good, also we can try sparring together again tomorrow." he said before he joined his crew near the table to let her have a moment to herself, and to talk to them about what he and the other commanders had discussed.

She was grateful for the space, even if she couldn't say it. The time was spent washing the dishes, using as little water as possible because he'd essentially said there wasn't much on the ship, and putting things away. Dishes were returned to their cupboard, knives to their drawer, spices to the pantry. It was methodical, easy, and gave her time to pull herself together.

She lingered a little at the spices, investigating the ones she hadn't tried earlier. Some she didn't recognize, some where identical to spices from Earth, including... cinnamon. Wonderful, pure cinnamon, sweet like candy with a familiar aroma that made her eyes sting with tears she refused to let fall.

Remy had loved cinnamon. He'd always been sneaking it into her baking, their coffee, anything he could get away with. She shut the jar tight, clutching it between her hands, and whispered to the air, "God, I miss you, sugar." Whispered it to the echo in her mind, the one that was him and wasn't, that was both a comfort and a painful reminder of just how much the war had cost her.

When she stepped out of the pantry and closed it up behind her, Rogue was fine again, as fine as she ever was. Her heartache had been pushed back to where it was normally kept, and she finished her meal amid what she could hear of the conversation from the other room.

As she was eating, several of the wraith had already finished, so when the rest were done, they took them to the sink. But instead of dumping them on her to clean up, they washed and put everything away, perhaps having watched her do it.

After their commander finished elaborating upon what had been discussed, the group broke up, several nodding to Rogue as they left, in thanks.

When it was just the two of them, he said, "I think you've won them over" he grinned.

Edited 2015-11-26 01:14 (UTC)

She answered his grin with one of her own, "Well, that's nice to hear. I wasn't sure what they'd think of me, being human and all." Even if she wasn't entirely human, as he'd put it, she wasn't Wraith, and from what she'd seen, that meant something.

"I like them," she told him, speaking truthfully. "Your second in command, especially. He handles himself well."

The whole group had been wonderful to deal with, much better than a bunch of rowdy teenagers. That they'd cleaned up after themselves had earned them all gold stars in her book, and she was already planning a way to thank them for it. Dessert was going to be part of the next meal; they'd be finding out soon whether Wraith had a sweet tooth among those sharp ones.

"They've been on the new diet awhile, so their view of you is somewhat less of that of a meal. We'll see how things are when the rest of the crew are given the serum."

He put the last of the dried utensils away and chuckled at that.

"Yes, he's still young, follows protocols a little too strictly for my liking, but he'll be a great commander one day." he said, then added. "Sheppard gave him the name Kenny."

"Kenny?" she repeated with a laugh. "I'm kinda looking forward to meeting this Sheppard, he seems like a very... unique person."

She was worried about going to Atlantis though. About what they would think of her. Something gave her the impression that winning over the Wraith was going to prove leaps and bounds easier than winning over the people of Atlantis.

Crossing her arms, she chewed on her lip for a moment, considering and then finally asking, "What will happen to me if Atlantis doesn't want me there?"

"Either they'll take you or they'll contact some of their allies. Or perhaps even allow you to stay on Earth." he reasoned. "I highly doubt they'll reject you entirely. They're not that sort. Except when it comes to Wraith." he added.

They left the kitchens and headed back to his chambers.

But what if they did say no entirely?

In a few years the new queen will be old enough to settle into the hive, and he'd no longer be able to keep an eye on Rogue, perhaps the queen would even kill her for being too much of a hazard.

"But I can be as deadly as the Wraith," she reminded him softly as they walked. "And while Wraith can control it, I can't."

She tugged her gloves back on, shaking her head in frustration. "If there aren't mutants in this dimension, there's no way I can go to Earth. Someone would lock me away in a lab, there'd be no avoiding it. It's just what humans do." Especially when they were afraid.

When they reached his quarters, she stepped inside and then turned to face him, her expression somber, serious. "If they do reject me, could you find me somewhere to go? A planet somewhere, without other people?"

He had star charts, he knew this galaxy. There had to be somewhere habitable, maybe somewhere with elements just a little too harsh to comfortably host a human settlement, but where she could find a way to exist.

Edited 2015-11-26 03:05 (UTC)

Yes, she could indeed.

And no, she couldn't control it, but perhaps with time and patience, she could.

A planet to herself. She'd die from lack of any social contact before running out of supplies most likely. There were several worlds uninhabited, largely thanks to the wraith culling everyone there, so finding a suitable one wouldn't be too difficult. If that was her choice...

He nodded with a chuff, "If that is how you wish to live the rest of your days, then so be it."

"Thank you," she said with a nod before turning to go to the desk and gather up the books she'd been studying.

"It's not exactly my ideal retirement plan," she continued, trying to make a joke out of what would probably be the worst case scenario for her, and one of the more likely ones in her opinion. "But at least I'd never run out of people to talk to. There's over two hundred of them hanging out in my head. Some of them aren't too pleasant, but most aren't so bad."

It wasn't the same as having real people around, but she'd lived most of her life in relative isolation. This would just be... a new challenge. If it came down to it.

He offered her no advice nor tried to talk her out of it. It was an awful choice but if Atlantis couldn't help her then he doubted she'd like to be cooking for him and his crew for the rest of her life, even if he managed to convince his new queen of her usefulness.

Todd spoke no more of it for the night, instead settled in his chair to read a little while.

"Manage to translate any of them?" he asked indicating the books she was putting away.

Rogue actually laughed at that. "Not even close," she informed him with a grin. "But I did figure out the city on the water is Atlantis. I considered that a small victory."

She replaced the books in the hidden shelf where she'd found them and slid the panel closed again. It had only been a few days, but she could already say she would miss this place when she left. Even with its shadowy, slightly creepy atmosphere, there was something calming about it, and she honestly wouldn't mind spending more time here, even the rest of her life. Todd was good company, and she did like the wraith she'd met at dinner. But she had to go, for a number of reasons, and she didn't have an invitation to stay.

Edited 2015-11-26 03:43 (UTC)

"I can write out our alphabet in English if you like." he offered. "Wraith is akin to Lantean but as you don't know either I imagine it'll be impossible to read anything. Other than the pictures of course."

He'd learned how to read and write English while on Atlantis during his time working with Doctor McKay some years ago. The slang and double and triple meanings still occasionally hung him up but now he could read it with little problem, even having borrowed Sheppard's copy of War and Peace when he'd been in the hospital thanks to some nasty side effects of the gene therapy.

He didn't understand fiction, he found it a bit strange that one would write about people and places that didn't exist. But then again he lived in a galaxy where only the most advanced civilizations that slipped through Wraith radar created books, and most were historic or the like.

Edited 2015-11-26 04:02 (UTC)

"That would be very kind of you, and I'd greatly appreciate it." She hadn't expected him to offer anything like that, the idea wouldn't have even occurred to her, but it was very kind. And it made her like him even more.

She plopped down into the desk chair and leaned back, curling her legs up into the chair. It was a tight fit, but not uncomfortable. "If I can actually manage to read some of those books, I'll have plenty to keep me busy on this trip, in between cooking and you kicking my ass in the arena." Because she was pretty sure that was going to continue for a while.

A chuckle at that, "I'm pretty sure you came out on top that last round." he said, setting his book aside and coming over to the desk. No reason not to do it now. He pulled some blank paper from one of the top holes in the wall, grabbed a quill and shooed her out of the chair so that he could write out the key for her.

His English text was stiff and all in capitals but the Wraith, for obvious reasons, flowed better over the paper.

But it wasn't just an alphabet, there were several characters that meant certain things, shorthand instead of spelling them out. Like "Queen", "Hive", "Atlantis" and a few others.

By the time he was finished, his fingers were stained black with the ink.

Rogue watched over his shoulder as he wrote out the English and Wraith scripts, recognizing a few of the foreign characters from the books she'd been pouring over. This key really was going to make things much easier for her.

She noticed halfway through the list that ink was beginning to cover his fingers, one of the hazards of using quills, she supposed. Stepping away for a moment, she retrieved a small cloth from the bathing room and set it on the desk beside him. If he decided not to use it, she'd just put it back where she found it, but he was being kind and so she wanted to return the gesture. As he was finishing, an even better way to repay that kindness occurred to her.

"Your English is really good," she complimented him, reaching out to pick up the top piece of paper to get a closer look. "It's completely legible, which is more than I can say for most humans." Grading the homework of teenagers was a special sort of torture that she didn't miss in the slightest.

She returned the page to the stack and leaned her hip against the edge of the desk. "You know, there's another script we use in English sometimes, mostly in personal handwriting, where the letters are more curved and connected to each other. If you're going to be working with humans in the future, you might come across it on paper - if you're not familiar with it, I'll write it out for you with some examples. A lot of the characters are the same, but they can look pretty weird in combination, especially if someone has messy handwriting." Doctors were notorious for it.

Todd looked up when she left for the bathroom but when she returned his eyes were on the page, finishing up what he was writing, though he did glance at the damp cloth once.

After he'd finished, he cleaned off his fingers as best he could with the cloth, though it'd take a scrubbing to rid his claws of it all.

He chuckled a bit at the praise but said nothing of it, though did get up to allow her to sit again. "Indeed? Show me." he said, giving her a fresh piece of paper to show him this other English.

Rogue did as she'd promised, removing her gloves before first writing out the alphabets side by side, print and cursive, capital and lowercase letters, as they were learned by children in school. Then she wrote out a few words, illustrating how the letters were joined together to make the writing more fluid.

"Someone who's younger will probably have a fairly simple style of writing," she explained, "if the Earth in this dimension has progressed as mine has. Most people use this script," a finger tap on the key he'd written for her, "but the older generations tend to prefer this. And any older documents will be in some form of this script as well."

Then she showed him different styles of handwriting, how some people wrote with barely any height to their letters, or crammed them into each other so it was difficult to discern some of the more similar ones. Some were characters by extra loops and others by blocky lines. A dozen variations were easily pulled from the people in her mind, the ones who were always helpful. When she was done, her own hands were as covered with ink as his had been. She'd tried to minimize the damage, but writing with the quill had been a lot more difficult than she'd imagined.

"That one's my handwriting," she pointed out with a smirk, indicating where she'd signed her birth name, Marie D'Ancanto, the signature precisely curved because of how rarely she wrote it anymore.

logical and hilarious! <3

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