Keeping Warm

Posted on Thu Sep 8th, 2022 @ 3:35am by Chief Engineer Michael Burnstein & Nollel Livaam (*)

Mission: Mission 15: Adrift
1665 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Nollel had to admit even in the layers that she was wearing and the porridge that she had eaten that she was cold so others had to be cold now. She crawled into the area she had sheeted off to give a little privacy and shook Michael’s shoulder to wake him. She had put it off for as long as she could. “Hey. It’s getting a lot colder. Which Vulcanoid would you like to bother Cassie or Liha. You get to pick.” She said deciding to let him pick as they were both more his friend more. She just forced them to like her too whether by sheer force of personality.

"Unn..." he replied drowzily, then wiped a hand over his face and blinked a couple times. The cold outside the blankets added a bit of a slap, helping him get to awake enough to begin to process thoughts without coffee. "I think I agreed to work on Liha before. Besides, Jake should be keeping Cassie warm, shouldn't he?"

Nollel waited patiently until he was roused enough to sort his thoughts out. "Why would he be keeping Cassie warm?" She asked not knowing about their relationship nor the changes to the plan since breakfast. She looked confused at him waiting for him to explain what he meant before her eyes grew wide as she understood something now. "Oh..." Was all she said now seeing what she had seen but it down made sense.

Burnie chuckled at the 'Oh...' - usually he was the one slow to pick up on social stuff. "I thought you knew. Anyway, I think she might try to talk to Liha too. You know, vulcanoid to vulcanoid. But I should talk to Liha. She's gets her back up about anything where it seems like someone's saying she has a weakness, but I can usually manage to get away with it." He flashed a wry grin. "Probably because she knows I know she's tougher than I am when it comes to most things."

“I saw them going out the damage control locker but I did not think…” Well that was a certainly a plot twist but not one she thought wrong or out of place. “Well yes Liha. Well if they are both there all the better. We can help them both.” She said sounding positive despite how cold she was feeling even in multiple layers.

"The main thing is to get them to agree to stay close in with people where body heat can help," he said, shivering a little as he emerged from the blankets. "I was going to place some scrap metal in the middle of the area and use phasers to heat it. Makeshift fire pit, you know? Normally I could get Liha to sit closer on the excuse of helping keep that going, but with Kali here now I'm a little worried about the reaction to one of them having a phaser."

“We’ll have no choice right now. See if you can grab any of them and see what happens?” She offered seeing him shiver. She offered a hand and pulled him to his feet wrapping her arms around him in a hug for just a moment.

He leaned into the hug, enjoying the warmth. The thought that they could just huddle together, keep each other warm and let everyone else sort things out on their own passed through his mind. Then drifted back, and glided back and forth a few times. Regretfully he let it go and stepped back from the hug. "Guess I better go find Liha. I can at least get in the center by having her help me move the metal into place for our phaser-heated radiator. Put that superior Romulan strength to good use and maybe talk some sense into her along the way." A corner of his mouth quirked to the side. "Or just hem her in with everyone else crowding in while we work."

Nollel wished the moment could last longer but for the first time ever she hated her sense of duty and his. "I will find Cassie," Nollel said lingering for a moment looking around at the dire situation before she disappeared off to find the woman. She was easily found sitting quietly with a mug of some type of herbal concoction that smelt really sweet. It was easy to get the woman to come and join her in making a camp fire.

It had taken a bit longer to find Liha as she'd nestled herself into a spot between the slightly warmer deuterium tanks, but Burnie hadn't had any difficulty in convincing her he needed help moving chunks of metal for his proposed warming pit. The two arrived with Liha carrying two short sections of bracing beams, one over each shoulder, and Burnie lugging an old torpedo nose cone. He set it down, nose up. "There. Stack the beams around that and we'll have a 'bonfire' built."

"As long as you're sure that nose cone is inert so we don't get real fire," Liha snarked.

“It has been inert for years. Piece of scrap from the temperance before Sons of Cheron stole the ship. ” Cassie assured as she stepped over to help with the beam leaving Nollel to help Burnie.

"She knows. She's just hassling me," Burnie replied with a chuckle as he set the torpedo cone down. "Which is fine - means I can poke her about being too scared to sit close and stay warm."

"Nothing cowardly about being sensibly cautious," Liha shot back, though with more jest than edge. She'd noted Kalahaeia was wedged into a bundle with Jake, who might not be her favorite person but could at least be counted on to interfere with anyone trying to do make any stealthy moves. "But if this goes up it won't matter where I'm sitting, so I might as well settle close and either be warm or die quick."

Cassie offered a nod and helped position items where it needed to be before she stood up straight and rubbed her arms. “Personally I’d like to be a lot warmer and I am actually finding myself missing Vulcan,” Cassie admitted not catching anyone's eye which made Nollel raise an eyebrow at Burnie.

"Hey, you're more than welcome to join us," Burnie offered. "After all, you're stuck without because Jake is helping an old friend of mine." His mouth went a little sideways. "I feel a little guilty about that, honestly. I should have found a way to talk to some sense into her by now." Not, he thought, that he'd been able to talk any into Liha despite weeks of trying...

"Oh... Um.... sure... thank you." Cassie said looking up and glancing at Nollel who just smiled. "But we and Jake... it's... yeah... thanks."

"Please. We are all friends even stubborn no one wants anyone to freeze." She said turning her gaze to Liha now looking at her pointedly. "And you Liha.... going to help keep Cassie warm with us?"

Liha cocked at eyebrow. "I've got no problem helping Cassie stay warm," she said, placing another stack of metal on their makeshift heater. "Snuggling between the two of you would be the awkward thing. Just give me a phaser. I'll keep this heap glowing and Cassie can hold the blankets around us so we'll both be as warm as anyone's likely to get here."

Drat. Burnie chided himself quietly. He should have known she would say that. With no way to make the actual argument against without causing real trouble, he opted for a pout. "But you know how much I like lighting things up." He made sad puppy eyes for extra measure.

“Not really awkward to us.” Nollel assured quickly arguing and using her own pout. She was no longer the spoiled woman she used to be but she certainly knew how to put on a pout when she wanted something to go her way. Cassie offered a smile to Michael as she watch Nollel arguing her case. “Plus maybe I want to snuggle someone who doesn’t smell quite so bad. Very selfish of you to assume what I want Liha.” Nollel said laughing as she wrapped an arm around Michael’s giving him a look that spot volumes to their relationship after the incident with the filters.

Liha snorted. "I wasn't assuming what you wanted. I don't want to snuggle with a smelly guy either." She wrinkled her nose at Burnie.

"Hey! None of us have showered in awhile. You're not exactly smelling of roses," he shot back, sticking his tongue out at her jokingly.

"I have never smelled like roses," Liha replied, lifting her chin haughtily. "I smell like bardacian thornflower."

“I do not even know what that is.” Nollel said quietly before looping her free arm through Liha’s and tugged her close. Cassie was easy to get to agree as she just watched on silently. “But you get to snuggle now and I am refusing to take no for an answer. Let us call it making us even for the fact you looked after me. I do not want the guilt of you freezing and it would definitely put a strain on us.” She said using her head to indicate Michael.

"I'm not going to freeze." Liha rolled her eyes. "It's really cold but vulcanoids are hardy even if we feel it more. Though that's because we run hot, so actually I'd be keeping you warm." She smirked, but patted the arm looped through hers. "Which is fine. He," she nodded toward Burnie, "needs a minder and it's a lot easier on me now that you're handling that."

"Course you aren't dear," Nollel said brightly as she smiled at Burnie and winked. Either way, it was all working how they hoped. Maybe they would get through this all after all. Liha and Cassie would be warm.