Mischief Managed

Posted on Wed Jan 22nd, 2025 @ 11:27pm by Ensign Madelyn 'Madi' Moore & Ensign Mercy Mourne

Mission: Remnant
Location: Science Labs
Timeline: Day 408 PM
1803 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

"Didn't your shift end about two hours ago?"

To be fair, it was an accusation that could have been levelled at half the crew at the moment. It had taken Madelyn a little while to figure out why everyone seemed in a frantic hurry to get things done but once word had got around that the scans for a viable fuel source had actually started in earnest, it was difficult to ignore the injection of hope the swift response to the impending crisis had produced. Madi wasn't immune to it, though her recent mental state left her more cautious about elevating expectations too high and she'd opted instead to just quietly enjoy everyone else's good mood. The day had passed without further update, however, and though she hadn't gone looking for Mercy with that particularly topic in mind, the younger scientist could see that it might need to be the first item on the agenda regardless. Mercy certainly looked absorbed in something, in any case, enough that standing in the doorway for a few awkward seconds hadn't been deserving of acknowledgement. A cleared throat, accompanied by the well-meaning tease, aimed to improve the odds.

Mercy jumped as Madi's voice registered, lost in the additional work she had picked up from Lieutenant Rhodes. "Oh sh...shoot. Sorry Mads I didn't see you there." She rubbed a hand through her messy hair and blinked at Madi. She had the look of a woman who had been pulled back forcefully from a far off place. "What time is it?" Mercy looked at the time at her station and then let out a soft groan. The noise increasing as she straightens a little from where she had been hunched over, something clicking back into place. When she had done stretching she looked to Madi with a little more awareness and cheer.

"How's your day been?"

"Not as eventful as yours, by the look."

Crossing to pull up a chair seemed kinder than making Mercy continue to twist around, and also heralded a slight shift in focus that was far more reminiscent of the 'usual' Madi, whoever that might actually be. For once, at least, she didn't use the question as a means to dwell on her own situation and seemed genuinely intrigued by whatever had the other woman so utterly absorbed. Settling to sit with one foot perched on the edge of the seat, her knee hugged towards her chest, Madelyn lifted her head to peer over at what Mercy was doing. "Did you even go to dinner?"

Mercy opened her mouth to answer and then her stomach gurgled loudly. She shut her mouth with an audible click of her teeth and blushed. “Ah not so much, but I did have a big lunch.” Mercy rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “You seem a little brighter than when we last spoke?” Mercy asked, prodding to see if the woman wanted to talk about her own issues.

For a split second, Madi considered denying the other woman the opportunity to change the subject, but it occurred to her that she'd tracked Mercy down specifically to provide some kind of update, if not offer proper thanks for the unsubtle prod in the right direction. Leaning forward, she propped her chin up on a hand and tried nonchalance on for size. "Getting an entire night's sleep helps," Madi started, reaching up with her free hand to chip a thumb nail away at an invisible piece of gunk, her gaze flicking upwards briefly. "You should try it some time."

Mercy huffed a small laugh, then shrugged. “Yeah? Sleep you say? Maybe I should give that a go. That’s where you lie still in the dark and try not to worry right?” She gave Maddi a wry look. “Joking aside, I am glad you have been sleeping better. What helped?”

"You did."

It was a heartfelt and genuine response, though not without a degree of awkwardness to admit. A sheepish half-smile conveyed the hint of bashfulness that Madi had pushed aside to ensure she gave the other woman the credit Mercy deserved. The problems hadn't changed so much as Madi's perspective had shifted just a bit to release the nerve she'd been crushing and there was relief, however moderate, in at least having things out in the open. "I know they say talking about things is better than bottling it up but I guess you don't understand how much until you're bunked out on someone's floor mid-crisis. I, um, I spoke to Duncan too. I think things are a okay again there."

Mercy gave Madi a warm, genuine smile. “Oh well, I am glad I could get something right. And I am glad you talked to Duncan too. How did you leave it with him?” Mercy was sure the man would have been perfectly gentle and sweet about the whole thing but it never hurt to check. Plus after her possibly unwelcome interference she wanted to make sure she hadn’t made things awkward between the two of them.

"Better, I think." At the very least, she hadn't fled from his company as a direct insult to his intentions. It was a peace that felt precious, fragile even, and though letting Mercy know that her advice had been acted on had felt important, Madi now felt the urge to tuck the situation with Duncan away into the privacy of the background, at least until she'd gone several days without messing things up again. "I didn't wake you up in the middle of the night about it at least, right?" A slight dimple appeared as Madi smiled in self-deprecation.

Mercy chuckled and shook her head. “No you didn’t but that needed be the marker of success or failure. Either way I am glad you are talking with him again. My grandmother used to tell us there was nothing that couldn’t be solved by sticking with an uncomfortable conversation.” Mercy then gave Madi a warm smile. “And if you need to wake me up in the future you can. Always here if you need a chat, although my sleep schedule would appreciate breakdowns to occur during waking hours, I know it doesn’t always work like that.”

"A lot of things don't work out the way we'd prefer them to." Given what she'd already divulged to the other woman, Madi's comment was more a moment of acknowledgement than disclosure and, certainly, her tone held a stronger note of acceptance than she'd mustered in previous conversations. "And yet, here we are. Speaking of which," the brunette continued, "how serious were you about wanting to help out in hydroponics? I ask because apparently O'Connery is working with Dr. Hughes on some sort of skill-share system. She was in talking to Finn about it today," Madi added. "Apparently upskilling people on how to grow food is considered a good idea." She bugged her eyes in exaggerated surprise. "Who'd have thunk it."

“Oh yes, I was serious. I have a a whole dissertation on eco-botany and convergent evolution so it would be nice to get some more practical skills.” Skill share seemed like a great idea, the longer they were out here the more necessity would force them to operate outside of their designated roles. “Plus I used to help my grandma in her garden all the time. Weird as it sounds I miss feeling dirt under my nails.”

"You should chat to Finn about it. Now that we're facing power cuts, there's pretty much no turning away any half-decent idea for making sure everyone stays fed."

On the matter of her own career options, Madi remained quiet. As much as it had been sweet of Mercy to suggest some kind of mutual exchange, there didn't really seem much benefit from at least a departmental standpoint of her trying to fill Mercy's shoes. She hadn't been joking, however; the pressure to maintain food supply in the midst of a fuel crisis didn't leave a lot of room for self-pity and Madi strongly suspected Mercy's expertise would be needed before the situation improved.

Mercy nodded and gave Madi a warm smile. “Sure, I’ll have a think and speak to Jones, but maybe once this whole fuel crisis is averted. In the meantime you should speak to the Captain.”

Without any context, Madelyn struggled to arrive at an explanation that didn't make that suggestion sound ominous. She shifted her weight in her seat, caught herself just in time to avoid squirming nervously, and tucked her hands underneath her to avoid picking at her nails. "Is there something wrong?"

“No no, why would there be something wrong?” Mercy gave the woman a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You should speak to her and see if you can have some responsibilities outside of the hydroponics lab.” She tilted her head. “And the Captain might have a few ideas of what that looks like.”

As much as it sounded like a reasonable assumption, Madi had spent just enough time with the zealous scientist over the past couple of weeks to suspect something hidden behind Mercy's nonchalant certainty. "Wouldn't it be standard procedure for me to talk to my direct superior?" There was playfulness to the young ensign's mistrust as she fixed her friend with slightly narrowed eyes. In many respects, speaking to Leroux was at least as appealing as approaching Darru but the suggestion to circumvent chain of command told a story.

Mercy grinned, her eyes glinting with a little mischief. “Why not both? Speak to Darru and then speak to the Captain?” Mercy patted Madi on the shoulder in an encouraging way. “Maybe the Captain just looks like she might need a little more help lately. Maybe help from a smart, capable, ambitious ensign who feels a bit overlooked?” She nudged Madi. “And maybe say that to Darru too, if you haven’t already. Because you know he will listen to you. His face won’t let on but that Brian of his will be whirring away trying to find a way to help. That’s just how he is.”

"I suppose so." As unconvinced as Madi sounded, she wasn't the type to push, at least until she knew a person better. It didn't stop her from fixing Mercy with a dubious stare as she pushed back her stool and slipped to the ground. "Maybe when this fuel situation is over. I can't imagine either of them have the time right now. Speaking of which..." Her features relaxed into an apologetic smile. "I should let you get back to work. Or rather, let you leave work like you were supposed to 2 hours ago. Rest is important," Madi added quietly. "You need to look after yourself as much as you try to look after everyone else."

 

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