Meddling to Make it Better

Posted on Fri Aug 2nd, 2024 @ 1:06pm by Ensign Mercy Mourne & Ensign Duncan McManus

Mission: Remnant
Location: Mess
Timeline: 407 - Breakfast
3106 words - 6.2 OF Standard Post Measure

The morning after Madi's impromptu sleepover found Mercy feeling especially tired. She had a burning need for a cup of tea and so had made her way to the mess hall early before her shift. Tea and breakfast sounded good. As she joined the que she stifled a yawn, the noise it made sounded like some sort of wounded created, ending on an embarrassingly loud squeak that had her ducking her head. "Ah sorry! Late night." She said to the person in front of her. "Oh Ensign MacManus! Just the person I was hoping to see!" She gave him a knowing look. "And how was your night? How about you join me for breakfast and you can tell me all about it." Mercy knew her brand of cheerful optimism was often very hard to say no too, and this morning, she was definitely on a bit of a mission, so no was likely not going to be an answer.

"Tell me about it." He mumbled in response to her comment about a late night. He was still not sure exactly how he had ended up asleep, awake, in a weird situation and then back to sleep in under an hour but it had dislodged his routine enough that he was tired and it showed. "Yeah sure... let me grab some food." He mumbled, his accent thick that early in the morning.

Mercy gave Duncan a sympathetic smile. “Of course. Good sounds like just what is needed. I’m going to get a cup of strong tea, you want a coffee or something?” She then looked around. “I can grab you some food and a drink if you want to nab us a quiet table in the back?” Divide and conquer, and she felt Duncan’s tiredness keenly herself, so wanted to give him a small break knowing his job was more physically demanding than hers.

Duncan raised an eyebrow and quickly shook his head. He did not know the woman properly as they worked different areas of the ship and most of the time different shifts. “I am capable but thank you. I’ll find you.” He said quickly. It was a friendly tone but he did not want anyone picking his food or worst making his coffee.

Mercy gave him a small nod, then went to grab her own food. Something like cereal and a hot, very strong cup of tea, no milk in either. Then she went to find a table, tucked away at the back of the mess. Taking her seat she began to each the cereal, crunching on it absentmindedly as she went over her ever growing to-do list in her head. They all needed a break, she thought as she looked around at tired faces. Since the fuel crisis had become common knowledge there was a tension to everyone on board. It was almost like everyone carried that 100 days as a counter over their heads. Or maybe she was the only one who felt that way and people just needed some down time in general.

Duncan soon joined her carry his coffee in a much larger mug than was standard and a plate of toast and bacon that he was going to make into butty’s. “Morning by the way.” He offered finally as he sunk into the chair and got comfortable.

Mercy was brought out of her musings by Duncan arrival, a fact she was truly quite grateful for. She tried to swallow the dry cereal as quickly as she could, taking a sip of the tea to help it along, only to realise it was still too hot. There is a moment where she struggles with not knowing whether to swallow or spit, where her face morphed into a funny expression. "Ah fuck, still to hot." She said at last when she managed to get it down. "M-morning, sorry. I would say I'm usually more graceful but my grandmother didn't raise a liar." She grinned at him, trying to shift her embarrassment with a small joke. "So..." Mercy then hesitated, perhaps realising just how little she actually knew about the Scottish engineer. She winced, and then bit her lip as she thought about how to proceed. "So we haven't really spent that much time together huh?"

"I am an engineer swearing does not effect me. Should have heard the language on the docks." He advised moving the built sandwich to his mouth and took a bite as he listened to her question. "We have not but that is mostly as very different departments and shift patterns. I have invited you to game nights several times though." He teased trying to be good-natured about it all.

Mercy laughed slightly at that. “Is that a pre-requisite for the role?” She then ducked her head slightly bashful. “Ah sorry, I know I’ve not been making much effort, think I was a little in denial. But I will come to the next one if shifts allow. Madi and Kiyara both were sweet enough to invite me too. Guess I need to stop being a hermit huh?” She grins at Duncan, clearly happy in her resolution to be more sociable.

The man was sure it was a prerequisite for the role but others might not see that so he simply shrugged. It was his route from the Rosyth Dockyard to Earth Starfleet. He chuckled and returned to his meal smiling a little.

“Hey Duncan, can I be blunt with you?”

Duncan looked up from his mouthful of bacon butty and indicated she could as he suspected she was going to be blunt anyway no matter if he gave permission or not. He swallowed his food quickly to actually add some words. "Sure." He assured her just to make sure that she knew what he meant.

“I think you need to speak to Madi.” Mercy said, keeping her voice low. “I don’t know exactly what happened between the two of you, and I’m not normally one to meddle but I bumped into her after she left your quarters and she… well it’s probably not my place to say more than that.” Mercy studied Duncan, her blue eyes rather piercing as she tried to suss him out.

The man took a deep breath and sighed putting his sandwich down and winced. "I tried to speak to her which was why I was offering her to stay and she freaked out and left after waking me up." He said quietly not wanting anyone to know Madison's business. He did not care about his reputation as he was the man who created the still that had the booze.

Mercy sighed and nodded. “Yeah I gathered that much from her. Do you have any idea why she might have freaked out?” Mercy of course had a strong idea, but it was more her style to help get others to arrive at a conclusion than force them there if she could.

Duncan blinked at her and shook his head. "Not in the slightest." He admitted. It had been something he was going to tackle that evening after trying to solve another power drain that would be effecting the fuel consumption. "I know I like I know things all the time but sometimes I am clueless and this is one of those occasions."

Mercy bit the inside of her cheek so she didn’t laugh at the poor man’s slightly clueless response. Perhaps he and Madi were quite a match in some ways? “Well, have you tried putting yourself in her shoes? Maybe work backwards? She got upset right? After you asked her to stay the night? Why do you think that would upset her? People don’t usually react strongly because something doesn’t mean anything to them right?” Mercy tried to gently walk the man through it.

"She was already upset before that because she was not sleeping. I offered her company and only that which I made very clear despite her avoiding me since I survived the base." The man said giving up on his sandwucg for now as it was pointless trying to eat it when he was having to justify himself.

Mercy looked at Duncan almost excited, as if she was watching an experiment on the verge of completion. She waited a few moments, giving him a small eager look. “And? That means?” She prompted him when he didn’t seem to be reaching the same conclusion as her.

"I know what it means. She likes me and I like her and she's terrified so no matter what I do I am going to be in the wrong right now." He sighed rubbing his eyes. He really did not need this conversation despite the fact he knew that she was looking out for the woman.

"For what it is worth, I don't think she blames you for anything... well maybe a little for the whole sleeping together thing. I think in your quest to be a gentleman, you might have confused her. But she does know you care at least, and that you are trying your best. She wouldn't have been so upset about having made a hash of things otherwise. I think perhaps... she's having a crisis of identity, and you might have been collateral damage in that. But you're right, I think she cares about you a lot." Mercy gave Duncan and encouraging smile.

“Of course I am.” The man said with a roll of his eyes. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t and neither was something that he relished. “Well I can’t do much about it right now I have tried I need her to come and talk to me properly and accept actually being in my presence for more than a moment.”

“Yes of course. You will have to forgive me for prying Duncan, I guess I was just worried and wanted to see you both work it out.” She gave him an apologetic smile, she really did appreciate what a prickly they were both in. “Ah perhaps I should leave you to your breakfast, having meddled quite enough where I am likely not needed hmm?” She said the words with typical good humour, at least self-aware enough to recognise she had likely overstepped.

He was frustrated around the whole conversation when he had tried his best the previous night to not leave thing the way it had ended. The man grunted a little and indicated for her to continue her food. He was not going to make her leave or stop eating but he wanted to finish his food. He took several bites of the butty before he s as poke up. “You over stepped but I really did try my best.” He sighed.

“I know you did.” Mercy began to eat her breakfast again, letting silence settle for a moment as she chewed thoughtfully. “I really didn’t mean to imply you did anything to the contrary. In fact, as badly as it may have seemed, I even think Madi was trying her best too, it’s just… we all put pressure on ourselves when someone really matters to us right? But like I said to her last night, relationships aren’t made or broken in a single moment. Sometimes we have to go back to a difficult conversation when it doesn’t end well. I suppose I am just worried she might not have the courage to try again. She’s extremely hard on herself, particularly in areas where she feels like she is somehow failing. So I hoped to appeal to your calm and patient nature.” Mercy then huffed. “Although she might not be happy with me for doing so, she’s also a little sensitive about being coddled right? But I figure my worry outweighs any personal cost so… well… it is what it will be.” Mercy finished it all by taking a refreshingly large gulp of her tea.

“Feel free to tell me I’m a pain in the-ahem. This tea is quite good today.”

“You are a pain in the ass but your heart is in the right place.” He said without a hint of sarcasm despite how gruff he might sound. He was fully aware of how Madison acted and thought which was why he had been trying to get her to rest. “Food is not bad either.” He added moving the conversation along.

Mercy chuckled and nodded, not disagreeing with Duncan even a little. “Worse things have been said about me so I’ll take it! You got any favourite meals from back home?” Mercy asked, happy to accept the change of topic. She resisted the temptation to tease him about haggis. She was quite sure he, like every Scottish person ever, had heard every joke and then some on the subject.

“You expect me to say the H word but whilst it is good I prefer fish and chips. Fried in golden, crispy batter with thick-cut chips…” he stared off thinking about the Fish and chips he had, had on Relea. It had not been quite as good as the one back home but the potato substitute had not been bad at all. It would tie him over to their potato stores were restored enough for random attempts to make things.

“I wasn’t expecting anything!” Mercy protested her innocence however the teasing grin said otherwise. “Fish and chips? Oh man, yeah. That would be real good. You ever have a really dirty plate of loaded fries? Not literally dirty, but just with like everything on them. Replicated bacon bits, cheese, salt, vinegar, maybe even a bit of gravy? In Tycho city, it could be called a garbage plate. There was this little diner that used to do them dirt cheap.” Mercy heaved a wistful sigh. “Pretty sure it was the kind of food that sticks to your ribs you know? But man I miss it.”

"Cannot say I have ever tried it like that but I am sure once the potato stores are better we can try." He said thinking that it sounded like a really idea in his opinion. Bacon bits, cheese, salt, and vinegar all sounded awesome on food alone let alone added to chips. "There was a good place on Relea but it did not get close to this place that was near the docks."

“Nothing ever beats the perfect place when you find it.” Mercy said, thinking of her own hometown diner. “Sounds good. I’ll make some for a game night maybe? When we’ve got the potato and energy to spare. Until then there’s always the memories. You got a busy day ahead of you?”

The man nodded. Nothing would ever beat the taste of home but he wa trying to find new things in his new home which would pass the time. “I always have. A busy day. I’m an engineer on a vessel that is not designed for what we are going.” He said with a wink.

Mercy laughed at that and quirked an eyebrow, clearly amused by Duncan’s sarcasm. “Yeah? Here’s me thinking you guys just fiddled with spammers and jeffery tubes all day to look busy.” She gave him a cheeky smile then seemed to remember something. “Oh actually, that reminds me. Do you know if anyone has started working on Deuterium extraction and storage yet? For if-I mean when we find a source? I think I committed to linking in with the engineering department about it once we had some viable places to look.”

Duncan shook his head as she quickly tried to eat the last of his food to get to team briefing on time. He gulped the last of it with his warm coffee before he answered. “Not at all. Best person to ask is Rhodes.” The man was doing other jobs to keep the engines going that was not at all connected to the ongoing fuel issues.

“Rhodes huh? Okay I’ll see if I can find him later and see if he has started to think about it. I know there’s a lot going on just trying to get fuel consumption as efficient as possible so I wouldn’t blame him if he hasn’t gotten around to it yet.” Mercy made a mental note to check in that day. There was a lot to do, many spinning plates, and it would mean stepping out of the comfort zone that was the science lab and heading over to engineering. “I uhm… you’ll probably laugh at me but I always find engineering a little intimidating.” She confessed in-between bites of her breakfast.

“Well he is the chief engineer.” Duncan grinned as she confessed her fear of engineer. The man could not blame her it was a big space with a lot of energy filling it before you added the personalities and smarts. “You ensign Mourne with that big brain of your scared of engineering?” He challenged.

Mercy blushed and then ducked her headband, rubbing a cheek and getting some of her breakfast on her face by accident. “Yeah. Big brain and a mouth wide enough to easily put my foot in it. Plus compared to all you in engineering, it’s hardly that big. You guys are always so practical and useful. I tend to more know a lot about some very obscure things, and the rest is just real search and number crunching until the computer spits out the answer for us.”

“Different kid of smarts.” He assured standing to gather everything that he had brought to the table. “We are practical but you have tons in that head.”

“True enough.” Mercy said, sending there was perhaps no point pressing the issue when she had already pressed the man quite a lot, and they had only just finished breakfast. Her natural instinct was to offer to tidy away the tray for him but then Darru’s words came back to her about I being undignified so she stuck to simply grabbing her own things.

The pair moved to the area for protein resequencing together and Duncan took her stuff without argument to chuck into the device before putting the trays away to be cleaned. “Have a good day.” He offered. “And thank you for caring enough to meddle.” He added with a wink.

Mercy blushed and gave Duncan a small nod. "Yeah you too, thanks for not holding my meddling against me!" She then ducked her head with a small laugh and scurried off towards the science labs.