Knowing How Gregnol Feels

Posted on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 @ 5:29pm by Jeassaho Kea (*) & Executive Officer Jake Ford
Edited on on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 @ 5:30pm

Mission: Mission 15: Adrift
Location: Cargo Hold
Timeline: MD 04 22:00
1558 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Jeassaho slid up to Jake and held out a tumbler of punch to him. She had not been able to catch up with him until then when pretty much everyone was practically asleep or having quiet conversation now that the music was off. It was nice to just have some silence again in the space. It was making her appreciate the silence that she was used to or at least not having people in her space constantly.

“Interesting night I see? You good?” She commented taking a sip of the concoction in her tumbler and winced. It tasted strong but not the strong that she liked at all. She liked the strong where it had a smooth burn, not an intensely sour taste but who was she to judge when everyone was drinking it.

"I am," he nodded, having been staring into space for a little while already before she had interrupted him. It certainly had been an interesting night, and yes - he was 'good'. Most of his attention had been on Cassie, but he'd let himself get lost in that without worrying about everything else. She'd been a little bit of an oasis, personally speaking, amid this entire situation. "And you?" he asked, peeking at her.

The woman had noticed him drifting and smiled patiently waiting for him to come back to the there and then instead of being far away. “Not bad. Bored which makes me worry a little bit but I am sure you would tell me if the shit was about to hit the fan.” The woman stared him down waiting for some type of confirmation.

"Bored? At a party?" he chuckled. "When the cat's away..." he shrugged, reminding her that Reuben wasn't around. Maybe that was part of the reason she wasn't so lively.

"In general." She admitted. "Ran out of engineering tasks." She laughed. "The party is nice but I do worry about the crew in the morning." She laughed trying to stay level now that she had gotten a chuckle out of him.

"I'm sure you can keep yourself busy with other things that are not engineering-y," he noted, feeling a little distant as he considered the next couple of days. There was a lot that could still go wrong. 80%, Liha had reminded him, wasn't as comfortable a margin as anyone would have liked.

“You look lost in thought?” She offered finally as she listened to him.

"Lost? Not really. I think..." he fumbled with his wording. "Happy. Strange, right? Cassie - she's like a breath of fresh air. Nowhere near as complicated as..." he didn't say her name out loud, but he continued all the same. "I guess if I have a type it's the woman out of time, right?"

"Oh totally. And I imagine Reuben will have lots to say over that development." Jeassaho could not help but agree to his type. Eden had been nice enough but she was the type of officer that Jeassaho had avoided whilst in Starfleet as they were to flighty and controlled by their emotions. "Maybe you just got the wrong girl the first time around." She offered.

"Maybe." That was the easy answer. Probably not entirely wrong, they'd sort-of just fallen into it. "Nothing to say it's not the wrong guy that's the problem," he added.

"I think you are good for her. I saw her talking to Beya, I have seen her actually smile and she is not overly keeping herself isolated. I do not think you can be the right guy right now." Jeassaho offered. "Eden had a lot on her plate having jumped from being married in 2246 to the present time and you... that is complicated and yes do not get me wrong Cassie is complicated with the issues that have happened but I think she processed it a lot more to move forward. She doesn't need you if that makes sense, you aren't her knight in the shiny armoury." She teased nudging his shoulder.

"Very funny." He'd left the armoury behind months ago, so although it was a smart pun it also felt a bit loose. "I know, I know, my style is to try to help and protect everyone. I get it. And maybe you're right, maybe she doesn't need protecting. But if I want to protect her..." he shrugged. "That's got to be a good thing too."

"Oh completely a good thing but she is not Eden. Eden needed you, Cassie doesn't." Jeassaho hoped he understood what she meant. They were two completely different women, one able to fly a starship and the other a genetist at the top of her field. Both fantastic but very different personalities.

"Just so I'm not completely misinterpreting this conversation," he replied, "You're not telling me that she's better off without me, right? Because if you think that's true I'll fight you right now." He said the last part jokingly, but also with a faint hint that he was serious too. This connection with Cassie might be new, but there was no way Jea could ward him off it. Not like that.

“Such a human male. You and Reuben both are both of the dum dum club.” The woman commented with a roll of her eyes. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and shook her head. “What I am trying to say it’s a bit more mutual.” She explained patiently. She was pretty sure she could put fight Jake but she dared not express that aloud to him, dum dum club members did not like being told that in her experience.

"Right." He frowned a little, not quite getting her 'dum dum' reference; maybe it was a Reuben thing. "Anyway...you're probably right. It does feel different, in a good way." He cleared his throat, moving quickly on from dwelling too hard on his own things. "How are you doing? Anything we need to be aware of aside from the impending doom of an ion storm?"

The Betazoid grinned at him seeing the confusion all over his face. Why did she always end up being the one to discuss emotions and relationships with human males? She did not discuss people's own things, goddess knows she did not have much to share of her own thing. “Talk to Reuben he will tell you I am right about most things.” Jeassaho shook her head. “I know nothing more than you do.” She assured quickly.

"Which isn't much," he admitted. "I hate this feeling - being blind and deaf and dumb. We don't even know exactly when the storm will hit. And we don't even know if the life support systems will last. Plenty that can go wrong before we get to that asteroid...and then we actually have to get the supplies we need..."

"It will be soon. Can feel the ship rocking every now and then." Jeassaho could feel it beneath her feet every now and then in the way it lurched. "We will need to prioritise things and bring everyone further into the group no matter how much of a loner they are." She could think of several people who would need to be forced to bunkered down and one of them was her own brother.

"People are going to have to be told," he agreed. "I don't know if we draw lots, or order them into it?" he wondered. It would be like a puzzle trying to get people to be willing to be bundled up close. Then again, it might be what some people needed to keep their spirits up too. "Anyone coming to mind?" he asked, firing the question at her first.

“Our Vulcanoids are the ones that spring to mind first of.” Jeassaho downed the last of the liquid in her glass putting it to the floor out of the way now it was empty. Some of them would be easier than others.

"Hmph." He didn't relish the prospect of trying to explain to the least touchy-feely people on board that they needed to huddle down close. "Maybe if they kill each other the victor can wear the other as a scarf or something..." he grumbled, but quickly raised his hand to assure her he was joking. "I know, I know. I'll have a chat with Nollel and Burnie in the morning. We'll figure something out."

Jeassaho knew he was joking but others might not think him joking despite how obvious it was. "Good now, are you going to go and get some rest?" Jeassaho wondered hoping this would not lead to an argument where the woman was going to have to force him to rest. It would be typical of this ships captain but even so she did not want to do it when her own bed was calling.

"Now I really know how Reuben feels," he grumbled. "All right, all right. Don't kill me. I'm going..."

“You know you appreciate the nudge towards bed. Give yourself a chance to unwind and get something of some type of rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.” She hinted at wondering who she was going to nab to keep herself warm as Reuben was not there. She had limited options but she was the safe option for everyone. Maybe she would be inundated with offers to avoid trouble.