The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Posted on Sun Apr 7th, 2019 @ 9:20am by 1st Lieutenant Hunter Williams & Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Corvus & Civillian Shae

Mission: Interlude 1
Location: Cheyenne Base - gym
Timeline: Wednesday Afternoon

Hunter stood in the middle of the room waiting for the two wayward children to arrive. He'd been contacted by Shae who indicated she wanted to try to repair team cohesion and maybe put some things to right. Hunter agreed it was a good idea but that it would probably also require a mediator. He would be the mediator and, if necessary, he had plans to get the two of them to stop yelling at each other and start working together.

He doubted that Crow - it was amazing how quickly that nickname stuck with him - would like the setting and ideas much, but he was Air Force and Hunter had an entire pocket of the damn he gave over that. Honestly, the other side pocket was as equally full for Shae's consideration. She started this ball in motion and she was on the team, therefore under his authority, so she'd do it as well.

He glanced at his watch, noting that his deadline was only a few minutes away. Just as he looked up, he saw Crow entering the doorway, and in his full SGC uniform, as he should be. He was still on restricted duty, so he didn't carry the sidearm, but he wore his tac vest as per standing orders.

"Staff Sergeant Corvus," Hunter said, watching the young man shake his head as he walked in and saw the items behind Hunter.

"What did I do this time?" Jeremy asked as he came to stand before Hunter. His foot was hurting but he'd switched from the narcotics to the eight hundred milligram of ibuprofen. It didn't kill the pain as much, but it did clear up his head. A lot more.

"That, Crow, will be determined when our other guest arrives," Hunter said. "Where're your crutches."

Jeremy started to shrug but then remembered he was talking with an officer. "Quarters, Lieutenant. Doctor's orders are to go without them as much as possible." Jeremy glanced behind Hunter, shook his head again. "They glued me this time, instead of more stitches."

Hunter only stared at him. "Good," he said, dispassionately. Though, he was glad the sergeant wasn't more severely injured after their 'talk' yesterday. He was about to say more when he saw the door open.

Shae wasn't entirely sure what she was doing here, but she knew it had something to do with talking to Corvus. The man she had met the other day, who was now part of the team and Asher's second in command, had asked her to come here at this time, but she wasn't sure what was planned. All the same, Shae had some plans of her own. In her hands was a small bundle secured with a small square of flannel with a cheerful sunshine print.

"I am here as you requested," Shae said politely as she bowed slightly to Hunter, then she looked to Corvus and smiled. "I am so glad you are well, Corvus! I heard that they almost had to remove your foot, and I wanted to come visit you to see if there was anything I could do to help, but I did not think you would appreciate my presence during that time... But, I am here now and I'm so happy to see you walking! Oh, and I brought you something," she said, then held out the bundle for him to take. Inside the flannel was a plastic food container, and in that was some steamed buns, her attempts at a peace offering. She had made them herself while she was at Asher's house, and while she thought these buns were pretty tasty, they weren't fresh so they weren't as good as the ones they'd shared on Hen Da Ye Huihe, but she hoped he would find them acceptable; acceptable to eat, not in any way a substitution for the apology she wanted to give.

"Well damn," Hunter muttered, "this may go better than I thought."

Jeremy snorted as he shook his head. He ignored Shae and looked at Hunter. "What's this supposed to be about?" he asked as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small notepad and pen. He scribbled in it as he continued to speak. "What are my orders here?"

Then he had to go open his mouth and ruin it, Hunter sighed. "I think Shae is trying to be nice, Sergeant, is that a problem?"

"May I speak freely, Lieutenant?" Jeremy asked, sure he was about to be told no. Just like every other time he's asked.

"By God, yes!" Hunter said, exasperated. This entire thing was set up as mediation. He wasn't sure when the last time he meet a more thick headed dumbass.

"Then, I don't give a damn that you didn't come to see me," he said, not glaring at Shae, not even looking at her. "You've threatened to piss all over me, threatened to bite me, cried to Asher about how I lied to you and then feel nothing about lying to me in return. Quite frankly, if you hadn't decided to go running off crying again then I could have talked to Asher about the problem with the CDC people, but no. You just do whatever the hell you want and when someone else has a problem with it, you just go off crying to Asher and everyone else is in trouble around you. Honestly," he said, finally looking at her, "if you could maintain some sense of teamwork and discipline then I wouldn't have been in the damned hospital to begin with because we would never have been attacked!" His body tensed the more he spoke, but he seemed to be finished, and upset, and wrote furiously in the notepad.

Shae's eyes widened; she'd had no idea he felt this way! She drew back her outstretched arms with her gift untouched and held the flannel-wrapped parcel to her chest. "Sumimasen," she said softly, then bowed deeply. Then with her head still bowed slightly, she continued. "I did not mean for my actions to cause you such distress. When we first met, I was still in shock from the chocolate sickness and overwhelmed by how different things are here. Truth be told, I think I am still suffering from what you might call 'culture shock', but I am trying to adapt. As for my actions on the world of the Lost Children, I did not mean to cause more problems with my absence, but I did not go off crying, I just needed some time alone to think about things, and then I... I couldn't help that I attracted those wolves, I could not control what was happening to me because of the sickness!" Her cheeks grew quite red talking about her heat, but it was important that she tried to own up to as much as she could. "Even still, I shouldn't have wandered off; it's just that I'm not accustomed to working as part of a team, I am still learning and I am trying! And I hated that I lied to you on Hen Da Ye Huihe! I felt awful about that and I have been wanting to come apologize ever since our confrontation in the hall, but I have felt such shame... I am sorry that I did not come forward sooner, sumimasen." Again, her head dipped into a lower bow and she remained that way until she heard his response.

"Yeah, of course you didn't think it would cause any of us problems because you don't think of anyone but yourself! You never have! Did you ever stop for any part of a second how I must have felt that first day? I told you I felt like a monster, you didn't care you just made me feel like I was one. I told you I was going to be banished to another planet! Away from my family, my friends, everything I've ever known! What did you care? That it might possibly happen to you! Not that I though I was losing everything! Even now, all you give a damn about is making sure Asher comes sniffing around you and to Hell! with what anyone else needs!" He was worked up, so much so that the curse slipped out of him unbidden and unnoticed. You hate me, I get it, and I'd be okay with it if you didn't have Asher on my ass every moment of the day and twice every moment during the night! But you claim you like O'Connor, yet you make sure she's ignored and cast aside as well. So is everyone else that isn't catering to making you feel special!"

Shae's head shot up and she looked at him with anger and rage, but she didn't do the first thing that popped into her head, otherwise Jeremy would be on the floor and in pain. Instead, she straightened up and took a deep breath. "I made you feel like a monster? I was scared and had no control over my reaction to the chocolate, I did not make you pick up that chair, I did not make you try to hurt me with it!" Shae barked back. "And I know exactly what it feels like to be forcibly separated from my family, which was precisely why I was so terrified of being left alone again! I was already scared because you kept talking about killing and being a monster and I did not want to be seen as a monster because I've had to kill to survive, and I did not want to be left alone again, and you can keep Asher out of this because this is just you and me! I don't hate you, Corvus; I don't like you but I don't hate you either, and not liking you hasn't stopped me from worrying over how your recover, and it wouldn't stop me from giving my life to protect you! Although I think I am finally starting to understand what this 'head up ass' thing that people keep talking about because you are being obstinate beyond reason! Your world and your people are supposed to be civilized, you're supposed to be better than this!"

"Enough!" Hunter growled as he took a step forward. "You've both had a chance to show how far up your ass your heads are and that's done and over with. I've already done some checking and this shit between the two of you is a major source of the problem for this team, and it will be settled before we leave this room, or so help me, you both will be kicked off the team and I swear to you I'll find a reason to have you both court martialed! Understood?"

"No, Lieutenant! I made my mistakes, I went to her and honestly apologized for what I did, who I turned out to be! I'm done with her and Asher and all the crap I put up with for the last week. You want to throw me off the team, fine!" Jeremy said, "Just do it and leave me alone!" He turned on his heels and headed for the door. Sure, his time here was done. He'd never step foot on another planet, see the mysteries this universe had to offer but...he was wrong. This wasn't worth it.

"Sergeant!" Hunter said.

"No, Lieutenant!" Jeremy said, half turning. "I'm not going to be forced into apologizing to her or groveling anymore!"

"Not you, buttmunch," Hunter said, "Him."

The door opened. Bellows stepped in, frowning all around.

"Sergeant Bellows, what are your orders right now?"

"To guard this door and take into custody anybody leaving without your express permission, Lieutenant."

"Thank you," Hunter said. "You want to go to a cell and wait for your court martial, Sergeant, or do you want to show that you can be the guy you told me you were yesterday? Cause yeah, getting kicked off the team means facing prison time. Or, you can be the guy I vouched for, that I believed was better than he's been. Which is it?"

Jeremy shook his head as he let out a deep sigh. "Fine, Lieutenant," he said, not sounding happy.

"How about you, Shae? You said you wanted to apologize, that you wanted to make amends. Those just words or are you willing to put in effort?"

Now she was offended, but Shae remembered what Asher said about swallowing her pride for the greater good, and with a nod and gritted teeth, Shae lowered herself to her knees and and bowed low with her head to to the floor.

"I am sorry that I reacted poorly that first time in the infirmary; I have been alone for a very long time, so I am new to being 'social' and I did not know how to deal with everything that was happening in that moment, and I never meant to belittle your feelings," Shae started softly. "I do often think only of myself, because that's all I've had to rely on since I was very little; I've never had a team to watch out for me and keep me safe, never had people that I wanted to protect... so I'm sorry that I could not be born a human on Earth like you," she continued, unable to keep the bitterness out of her tone with that last line, nor the tears out of her eyes. She paused to wipe her eyes, then resumed her prostrated state before Jeremy. "But I am not selfish! I was thinking of you when I lied on Hen Da Ye Huihe, because I thought I was doing you a kindness. I realized later when we talked that what I did was wrong, but I did not know how to make it right. I tried, but you would not hear me, and I wanted to apologize but I thought you wouldn't listen. But the failing was mine, I should have tried harder. But I swear, I never hated you, and I never meant to leave you unprotected at camp with the Lost Children! I just went away far enough to think about some things; we were both being affected by the sickness, we were both behaving in shameful ways, and I just needed a moment to think! I didn't know about the medical people being there until Asher came to find me and then I lost control of my transformation. And I'm sorry if that moment affirmed the feeling that you had, that I always run to Asher and that I am somehow vying for his attention or that I am trying to turn him against you, but I'm not doing that, I swear, I'm not! We just always seem to end up near each other, and I don't know how to explain how I feel other than the fact that he makes me feel safe, and that is something I have never felt before, and I am sorry if wanting to feel that more often makes you feel bad somehow, but I am not trying to hurt you by being near him."

Shae felt humiliated for feeling like she had to apologize for things which she had no control over, for things she didn't feel like she should have to bear the responsibility; it wasn't her fault that Jeremy felt she was making Asher be mean to him! But she was tired of this tension always hanging over their heads, she wanted this to be done, so once again she swallowed her pride.

"I'm sorry for anything else that I may have done to upset you. I am still learning how to be part of a team, and I am sorry that I require so much patience. Please forgive me," she said in conclusion, then closed her eyes to wait for his next obstinate rampage.

"What are you doing?" Jeremy asked. "Stop that. Get up." He sounded odd, even to himself. Uncomfortable, he was very uncomfortable "Stop it. Lieutenant, make her stop."

Hunter shook his head as he folded his arms across his chest. "Don't think I can," he said, even though the display made him uncomfortable as well. But his discomfort was from a Western person seeing a display such as this, it went against the grain. He, however, didn't feel guilty. Not like the young staff sergeant who brought this on himself.

"Shae, stop that," Jeremy said taking a step forward. Then stopping again. "Please, get up," he whispered it this time, choking back guilt and emotion. "C'mon get up, please."

Shae looked up when she heard the tightness in his voice, and she was confused when she saw how upset he was. She looked to Hunter, her confusion growing. "Did I do this wrong? Was I not showing enough respect?" she asked, sitting back on her feet. She sounded frightened, and for a moment she was afraid that her apology would not be accepted and that it might be her that was doomed to be removed from the team and imprisoned. But no, surely there would be no reason for imprisonment, if she truly insulted Jeremy with her inferior apology, then she would simply be banished back to Lethuan. Right? "I did not mean to upset you again! Please, tell me what I must do and I will do it, I just don't want you to be mad at me anymore," she said to Jeremy.

"Well, Crow, wanna tell her what she did wrong? I mean, you're still angry at her right?" Hunter said, trying not to smile at the man's discomfort over what was a common display among Japanese culture here still, which is what Shae's own culture was was analogous too. But, obviously the staff sergeant didn't spend time in Asia or Japan and wouldn't know.

"Don't do that," Jeremy said, taking another step closer, his hand going out to offer her help standing. "You shouldn't have to do that to anybody."

Hunter sighed as he took several quick steps and squatted next to Shae so he could whisper to her. "This is another cultural difference. For him, and a bit for me, to see someone on the ground like this is to be seen as acknowledging an inferior status, the lowliest of the low. That he wants you to stand up means he feels bad that you don't consider yourself worthy of being, at least, an equal to him. It's your call how you want to proceed, you can make him squirm for a bit, but there may be some leftover resentment. Right now, though, he's feeling bad that he's made you do this. Again, your call."

"Lieutenant?" Jeremy said, confused why Hunter was whispering to her and not ordering her to stop playing around. Then, he spotted the pugel sticks and crossed the room to grab those. "C'mon, Shae stop that. Here, take one of these and beat me up if you can."

Shae's eyes widened in comprehension. "So, you do not understand..." Shae said softly as she looked over at Jeremy. She rose and took the sticks from him, only to put them away so she could take his hands. Her fingers were rough against his hand, the raw and cracked damage from her punishing bout of target practice over the weekend was still healing.

"It's true that one who is below another is to bow lower to show respect to their betters, but I know this is not really done here, so I usually only show this kind of respect to the Wolf General, the rest of the time I am simply bowing to be polite," Shae started to explain softly. "But make no mistake, we are not equals; you are the soldier and I am the outsider, but I do not begrudge you this, nor was this why I was bowing so low. It truly is about respect and the depths of my remorse; otherwise, how would you know I was sincere? And I do respect you, Corvus. I may not be fond of you personally, but I recognize and respect your intelligence and bravery; why else would I remind Asher of these traits in the hopes that he would give you another opportunity to improve?"

Shae let go of his hands, letting her hands rest on her legs and then she bowed again. It was not the low bow that had made him so uncomfortable, just a mere lowering of her head, but she hoped this more subtle posture and apology would be more acceptable to him now that they were standing at the same level before one another. "I am sorry if my actions have caused you any harm. Please forgive me," she said.

Jeremy pulled away, backing away from her. He put his hands behind his head as he turned around, away from them. He walked in a circle for a moment before his legs gave out and he fell to the floor. Pulling his knees to his chest he lowered his forehead until he was able to hide his face. "I was scared," he said. "And I reacted badly and stupidly. And have been since then. I've been doing so many things wrong," his body shook. "I just wanted someone to talk to, someone to get advice from and all he's done is ignore the rest of us." He looked up, trying hard not to let the tears fall. He'd been crying too much lately, far too much. He was worried there was something very much wrong with him. "I'm scared," he said, not screaming but so much fear in the voice. "Scared of screwing up, which I shouldn't be, I'm doing it a lot. I'm scared of what's out there. Scared that being afraid makes me weak and ineffective. I've needed someone to talk to and he just doesn't care. Except about you."

Hunter forced himself to hold back. One thing he knew was that Corvus was going to take some handling to help him pull through but, he had to wait to see what happens.

"I don't hate you, just that the rest of us don't matter. Lieutenant made me realize just how much of an idiot I'm being. Neither one of us on the planet were doing ourselves any good, much less the rest of us. I mean, O'Connor was staring to think she wanted to have intimate relations with me, for crying out loud."

Shae just stood there blinking at him in surprise; this she had not expected! But she understood his reaction, she had felt like doing much the same with how overwhelmed she was with Earth culture. Shuffling around, she sat next to him and then she reached out to pat him on the shoulder in an attempt to offer comfort.

"I know what it is like to be so afraid," Shae said softly. "I am often very afraid of doing the wrong thing and being rejected. Asher has been teaching me many things to help me feel more comfortable on your world, but there is a lot to learn, and I am sorry if this has consumed so much of his time. But truth be told, he does not spend as much time with me as you may think; since he gave me a tablet, I have been able to learn many things on my own, so he has not needed to give me constant attention. I cannot speak to his intent, so I do not know why he is not providing you with the attention that you feel you need, but I do know that he does care. Is it possible that he simply did not know that you needed help? Have you told him how you feel? And I know that there has been much tension between us, but you could have come to me with questions about what is out there, I would have answered them; that is, after all, what I am here for." As she spoke, she started to run her fingers over his hair in the hopes that this would soothe him.

Jeremy jerked away from her touch, scooting a few feet away. "What are you doing?" he asked, shocked. "Asher is interested, not me. And if I was...he's...I don't want that complication."

"I was trying to be nice, you big dummy," Shae replied with a roll of her eyes, then rose to her feet to return to where she had been bowing before to pick up her peace offering that she'd left there. "My mother used to stroke my hair to calm me as a child, so forgive me if I thought you might find it soothing. Perhaps this would be more to your liking?" And with that, she set the wrapped container full of porky bun goodness on his chest. "Or if you prefer, I can go get the sticks and beat you senseless as you requested earlier," she offered, remaining in a squat next to him as she watched and wondered what he'd do next. If nothing else, he was amusing to observe.

For his part, Hunter was laughing quietly. "Buttmunch," he muttered. "Shae, in our culture, that's a very intimate gesture between people who are intimate with each other. It's considered sexual behavior by Corvus. Though, I'm up for a good pugel stick match. What about you, Crow?"

"I'd rather go a day without seeing a doctor," Jeremy said, but it was good that he wasn't feeling as pained as before. "What are these?" he asked, looking at the container. Then, without waiting for the answer, he broke the seal and his eyes lit up. "Dim sum buns?" Again, without waiting, he grabbed one and took a large bite, almost half the entire bun in one go. "oh man, dese are delishous" he said, still chewing.

"Really?" Hunter said, bending over to take one.

Jeremy almost growled as he covered them up and protected them. Then, very, very, reluctantly, he loosened up and offered the container to Hunter, not wanting his parents to learn that he was selfish and refused to share with coworkers.

Shae chuckled as she watched Jeremy eat. "You are just like this little lost wolf pup I once found; I have now fed you, does that mean I can keep you?"

Jeremy shrugged as he swallowed the last of the first bun. He wanted to take a second, but that would be...impolite...at the moment. "Not if I have any chance to work things out with Major. I mean, even joking like that could cause more problems than I've already created. And," he looked down and away from her. "It might create problems for you. Jealousy's a terrible thing. I know."

Shae tilted her head curiously. "I fail to see how Asher would become jealous if we were friends; would that not improve the performance of our team?" she asked, then smiled. "And we have made nice, so we are now friends. You are not allowed to refute this because I have decided that you do not have a say in the matter, so you're stuck with me, and Ree too." He hadn't actually apologized, but seeing him so afraid earlier made her decide that trying to force an apology from him just wasn't worth it; they didn't hate each other now and they would continue to work together on the team, so that was as good as friends in Shae's mind.

"Friends is fine," Jeremy said, slowly, trying to work something out in his own mind. "But you can't 'keep' me. That would be beyond friends."

"You're a silly man," Shae remarked, picking up a bun and setting it in Jeremy's mouth. "Oh, and I am glad that you are better now, so maybe you can be the one who takes my blood for tests; the doctor thinks I need some medicine, these vak-sheen things, but he has been talking with the animal doctor to decide if I need human or dog medicine, and the nurse who takes my blood is very poke-y, she makes my arm bruise when she takes my blood; I like the way you do it better."

"I would, but I don't want to get peed on," Jeremy said, chewing on part of the bun. "But your vein isn't in the right place for a complete human. It's slightly moved because of your fox form. If it were in the right, human place, it'd tear open every time you changed."

"C'mon guys, we still got pugel sticks here!" Hunter said, shaking his head. "We can still beat up on each other, instead of touchy feely anatomy crap."

"I never said I would pee on you, only that I wouldn't leave it in a cup! And I am not mad anymore, so such a threat is now simply a joke that I have no intent to follow through," Shae said in her defense. "So what do you think? Maybe we could get the sticks and team up against the Lieutenant; I believe your people call that 'character building'."

"He's going to kick our ass, I've already been there and did that. It wasn't pleasant," Jeremy said, taking a third bun as he recovered the container and set them aside. "But, I really don't want to go back to studying or physical therapy so, why not?"

"Works for me," Hunter said with a smile, twirling one of the large, sticks with the large foam ends easily.

Shae hopped up, then offered Jeremy a hand up. "Is it cheating if I go fox and bite him as a distraction so that you can escape to go do other things?"

"I wouldn't do it, the first time he needs a rabies shot, he'll shoot you," Jeremy said, rubbing his arm. "At least they're not in the stomach anymore. That'd hurt a lot worse." He caught the stick Hunter tossed at him then glanced to Shae. "We, who are about to get bruised..."

Shae did not understand the reference, but there was something about his tone that she understood quite well, and she suddenly regretting making this decision. Taking a stick of her own, together they faced off with their superior.

It was a massacre! Jeremy and Shae were both in fit shape and more than capable in terms of combat, but against Lieutenant Hunter Williams they didn't stand a chance. After an hour of trying to fell the elder soldier, Shae collapsed on the mat, her stick rolling from her hand in defeat.

"My tail hurts! I don't even have a tail right now, how is this possible!" the Kitsune said with a canine sounding whine.

Jeremy, who debloused before they started, sat against the wall, grimacing while trying to peel the sweatsoaked shirt from his chest and shoulders. "Because of how many times you were knocked to your backside," he said. "My tail hurts and I never had one." He was kidding about that, but his foot was hurting. A lot. And he left his medication back in his quarters. Not that he could take any now anyway, there was still a couple hours left on last time.

"Nice try, the both of you," Hunter said, casually buttoning his uniform blouse before putting on the tacvest. He nodded as the door opened and Bellows brought a set of crutches into the room.

Jeremy took them and leaned them against the wall. He didn't intend to move again for several days. Or months. He was still sore from yesterday for crying out loud!

"I have been tortured with less pain than this," Shae remarked as she managed to pull herself to her hands and knees and then finally stood. The upper half of her utility jumpsuit had been unzipped with the arms tied around her waist, and the black t-shirt she wore underneath had been completely soaked through with sweat. "Who needs enemies with friends who will do this to each other," she said as she picked up the container of buns and hobbled over to Jeremy. "Come, I will see to it you make it to your quarters safely," she offered.

"Thank you," Jeremy said, glaring at the crutches. With Shae's help he stood up, looking forward to getting a nice, soothing hot shower. Well, as soothing and hot as he could get in the barrack showers. But, he grabbed both sets of crutches in one hand and was determined he'd get to his quarters, showered and back to his quarters again before using the effable things again.

"Here, let me help you," Shae said as she offered her arm to support him since he seemed to not want to use the crutches to walk. "Are... are we okay? I mean, is everything okay between us?" she asked warily as they walked along.

"Shae," he said. "We're from different worlds and different cultures. We don't even speak the language the same. We're going to have misunderstandings between us no matter how hard we try. We just have to try to handle it without wanting to beat the other to death with a chair or threatening to pee on people." He gave her a smile at the poor attempt at humor. "We just need to try to be more patient with each other. Oh no!" He turned suddenly, setting the crutches against the wall and hobbling quickly back toward the room they'd just left. "I forgot everything!" In truth, though, he cared most about the pork buns.

"Stop, don't hurt yourself, what did you forget?" Shae asked, then remembered the pork buns under her arm. "Did you mean these?" she then said, then held out the container.

"Oh, well, yeah," Jeremy said, as they kept walking. "But also my shirt and vest," he said, plucking at his t-shirt. "I just wanted to get out of there before Williams decided breaktime was over." He grabbed his equipment, slipping into the vest and slinging the shirt over his shoulder. Hopefully he didn't run into Williams or Asher before he could shower and change into a fresh uniform. "Okay, back to quarters. I need to change, I probably smell like complete crap to you."

"I have heard some people apologizing to me for their sweat, but really it is not bad," Shae said, then offered her arm to him once again and they were on their way. "There are some people who do smell bad when they sweat, but mostly people just smell like themselves when they sweat, there's just more scent. It's only when people leave the sweat on their bodies for days that it becomes offensive," she did her best to explain. "As for what we were talking about before, I know we will probably have misunderstandings, I just wanted to make sure that we were okay for now, because when we're upset or angry at each other it's harder to overcome those misunderstands."

"Yeah, I hate it when I can't shower everyday. Patrols in Afghanistan were horrible for hygiene. By the time we got back I couldn't stand smelling myself. Captain usually let us hit the showers and change before we did a debrief with chow that isn't another MRE, then we got to hit the racks until duty the next day." He realized he was rambling. "Just let me know if I seem to be getting stupid over you and Major. That's my main problem with you. That I'm being incredibly stupid over something you don't even do."

"Showering everyday is actually something I am having a fair bit of difficulty adjusting to," Shae admitted. "On Lethuan, it requires a lot of firewood to melt enough snow to bathe in, and then get the water hot, and then keep the cabin warm enough that I do not freeze afterwards... Here, if I do not have a reason to bathe, I forget to. Needless to say, I have a reason to bathe today!" she said, ending with a chuckle. "And try not to worry about me and Asher; I have told him that when we are on base that I do not want the extra attention because I do not want things to be made complicated when we are trying to work." His comment was innocent enough, and so she tried to make her response as equally vague so that she would not give away that she was sleeping with Asher; she barely understood these feelings between the two of them, and she had enough trouble talking about it with Asher, she wasn't ready to talk to other people about this budding relationship.

Jeremy stopped so he could face her. "I don't think that's going to happen. And it shouldn't. I keep expecting you to act in line with us. But you don't have our indoctrination and training, so you won't. And...honestly...Major shouldn't stop how he feels about you just because of us. Yeah, he should check in with us every so often, make sure we're doing okay. But that doesn't mean try to stop being crazy about you." Of course it never occurred to the young sergeant to think that maybe Asher hasn't expressed his feelings for the Kitsune woman and, if not, then Jeremy just blamed secrets that weren't his.

Shae blushed; so much for not talking about her relationship with others... "Thank you, that is... thoughtful of you," Shae said. She was having a hard time looking at him because she was a little embarrassed with how warm her cheeks felt. "I just wanted to be sure there were boundaries for when we are supposed to be working, but off base, like when he took me to his home, that is different. And he was okay with this."

"Oh," Jeremy said then when what she said actually set in, "OH! Yeah, uhm, uh..." he started to turn crimson himself. "So...uh...have you," he cleared his throat, desperate to change the subject. "Have you heard anything about...have you met the new lieutenant yet?"

Her cheeks darkened in color when she realized that he figured out that her relationship with Asher was more than him being crazy about her, but then when Jeremy tried to change the subject, Shae was left blinking at him in bemusement. "The Lieutenant? You mean the one who spent the last hour or so beating us senseless?" she asked to clarify. "Come, I think you may need to lay down," she suggested, then urged him to keep moving.

"Uhm...yeah...Lieutenant Williams, yeah he...yeah," Jeremy said, hurrying along so that he could hide in his quarters over being so stupid. Of course they'd been intimate. Of course they had. He was very much affected on the planet and...well...if anybody had really been willing then maybe he would have as well. "I've always heard that...'complicated'...actually makes people more relaxed and nicer." He dug out the key to the door. Somehow, part of him really hoped that Asher was chilled out, then, if he and Shae were 'complicated'.

"I do not understand what that means," Shae said softly, then followed him inside to set the container of pork buns on his bed. "Well, I'm sure you can manage things from here, so I will return to my quarters now. If you ever need anything, or if you just want to talk about what's out there, I'm always available," she offered.

"Thank you," he said, dropping his sweaty uniform shirt into the small hamper. He was going to try to explain what he meant and how he hoped it meant maybe now Asher would stop riding him so hard if he's becoming more 'chill'. But, he didn't want to spend that time explaining it. He was contemplating grabbing another ibuprofen even though it would be hours early. "I can't tell you much of anything, except about Earth and what's here. And what's come before with the previous Stargate command. Hey, I heard you were still trying to study the language of the machine?"

Shae nodded. "Yes, but I haven't made much progress identifying the symbols," she replied. "But I'll keep trying, and I have plenty of other things to study in the meantime, and breaks are always nice, so anytime you want to come around to tell me about Earth, I would appreciate that. Ree comes around and tells me about where she's from and things about her family, but I think she realizes that I find how energetic she is to be exhausting since I'm not used to socializing, so she's always finding excuses to leave quickly when she's particularly excitable."

"Ree?" He started to ask but shoved it aside. He had no idea what friends she made on base and, at the moment, didn't care. He wasn't even sure he was going to go shower or just crawl into bed and get some sleep. After he dug out some of the painkillers he still had. "Do you know what cultural drift is?"

"No, I don't," Shae replied. "I mean, I understand the words separately, but I do not understand they mean together."

"It's basically a term that explains how," he frowned for a moment as he tried to remember how his mother used to explain this when they discussed her work. "Like how things change over time. They stay the same, but the meaning changes. Like how 'awesome' is now just some random expression of excitement but it originally meant that something was extraordinary and great. Maybe the language we know now has the same cultural drift and that's why you're having such a hard time with it."

"Ah, yes, I have experienced this with the Japanese culture and language," Shae said with a nod. "I was thinking of getting a new kimono, so Ree was helping me look for one, and the styles have changed so compared to what I am used to, and the language has changed so much as well, so in addition to studying your English, I have added the modern Japanese to my studies."

"I can only help with English, both my parents were pretty fascist about our papers in school. Mom cause she's a college professor and didn't want us to reflect poorly on her and dad because he said that's the way we get convictions. We can do all the arrests we want, but if we write crap reports, nothing will ever happen. But, if you need help, maybe later?"

Shae wasn't entirely certain what he meant about arrests and convictions and what that had to do with English, but she gleaned from this that because of what his mother and father were to him that he was very good with the English language. "Yes, maybe later," Shae said with a smile. "Well, enjoy your shower and your rest," she said with a polite bow to excuse herself.

Once the door shut after Shae left, Jeremy dropped his tac vest and uniform blouse on the floor then rolled onto the bed. It took a bit of doing, but he was able to remove his boots as well. Then, fluffing the pillow he closed his eyes and did his best to give into the tiredness, hoping when he woke again, he might be stiff and sore, but not in pain.

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