Friend In Need

Posted on Mon Sep 7th, 2020 @ 12:51am by Chief Engineer Michael Burnstein & Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*)

Mission: Mission 12 - Railway
1835 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Cassie had been watching the man across the crew bar for an hour. It was her usual occupation as she barely had anyone to talk to despite trying to make friends. He had been knocking them back quicker than normal and the fact no one was with him and he was giving off the aura of just wanting to left alone. Well, that was just too bad that Cassie ignored aura and he was her friend. She grabbed the bottle of wine she had been drinking and sat down next to him. She sat there for a moment or two before she turned.

“You look like you have had the same type of day as me. Do we need to go blow stuff up?” She said as a way of greeting. He looked even worse up close and that was saying something.

Burnie hadn't wanted company, but at the same time, after Nollel left it had been just too depressing to sit in quarters alone. So he'd gone for a drink as he contemplated what had gone wrong this time and if he was just doomed to never be with anyone for long. And then he'd had another, and another, since it felt like the least painful option was to drink until he forgot why he was drinking.

When Cassie came up to him, he looked over blearily. It took a moment for his alcohol fogged brain to register what she'd said, but somewhere inside the part still capable of recognizing dark irony laughed at the fact that he was in roughly the state she had been in when he'd tried to stop her from blowing stuff up. But he was several pints low on caution, or caring about life and limb at this point. "Yeah. Blowin' stuff up wuld be good," he slurred, lifting his glass and then examining it. There was an ounce or two of rot gut left. "Gotta light?"

Cassie frowned a little as she realised just how past it was. It was worrying, she had never seen him like that without a reason. Should she go and get Liha or maybe Nollel. They’d be able to get him back to bed and sober him up. “Afraid not Michael.” She admitted.

Silence returned where she indicated for the bar man to fill up his glass. “Want to talk about the bad day?” She wondered once they had full glasses again.

He looked morosely into the refilled glass - it would have gone up with a nice 'fwoom' if he could light it - and shook his head. "Talkin' iz why itz bad."

Cassie frowned trying to work out what he said. It took a bit longer but she managed it and winced. “Okay well is the booze helping?” She wondered softly thinking that it could only be Nollel that made him like that. Had they broken up?

Burnie contemplated the glass a moment or two more. "Not hurtin'." He swallowed half it, then shrugged. "Hurts less anyway."

These wounds were old and deep. Something had eaten him from the inside out, and it was something not even his jovial disposition or love of blowing things around was able to counter. Feeling more caring than brave, Cassie took one of his hands and held it tightly.

“Burnie this isn’t going to go away in the morning.” She requested squeezing before wrapping her fingers around her own glass.

He had been *this* close to numb, but the touch nearly undid him. It had been a long time since a friend had been there when he'd hit this point. Burnie swallowed. "I know." He squeezed her hand back. "Jus' need it go away t'night."

"How can I help?" She asked simply. It was not her forcing her help it was asking him what he needed and wanted. It was how their friendship had started and she be damned if she was not the same to him now.

He honestly wasn't sure, except it did help that she was here. It also hurt a little, mostly in contrast to Nollel walking away, but he also felt a little shamed that he'd spent so much less time with his friends since she had come aboard. "Jus' stay... shoulda comm'ed you, gone t' blow stuff up instead..." he gave her a half smile, awkward like that drunken attempt at apology. "...woulda been better."

"We both hit the booze when we have relationship issues. But I do not believe yours are that bad. You cannot out do me like that." She teased him letting him know that she knew the reason for him being there all alone attempting to drink his weight in booze.

"Wanna bet?" He puffed a laugh, and then shook his head. "Maybe not with Nollel... dunno ...wants 'space'..." He sighed. "...old story, beginnin of the end... 'space', 'space', 'space' ...only one didn'..." he shot the last of the drink. "And she's dead."

“You know my situation and you are still betting. Brave man.” She mused listening to him. It sounded tough but he could not take the crown on bad relationships. He was not even close. Cassie was silent for a long moment even taking a sip of her drink watching as Meghan and her bodyguard left on the other side before she spoke again “So are missing her? Is this what it is all about?”

"Missing her." Burnie nodded. It was more than that though. Cassie might be tied to jerk of an ex that had abandoned her, but if she ever found a Vulcan priest to perform whatever voodoo was needed to break their marriage bond, she'd have suitors lined up to replace him. There would always be an ache from losing Erica, but he was beginning to think no one who would ever fill the hole she'd left because no one would ever want to, not for very long anyway. "Missing...hope too I guess."

“You did not say that to her right?” Cassie said softly. She could not help but roll her eyes if he did that. “And hope always there. I think we live in a pretty hopeful place.”

Burnie shook his head. "I'm not comple'ly stupid. ...or maybe I am. Told her I lost someone... " He frowned, looking into his empty glass. "She said ...need to be honest... tol' her it hurt... and 'bout damage..." he tapped his head, then shook it. "Shoulda known better."

"Okay..." She said simply watching him intently. They used to have an easy relationship fall of talking and flirting, and right now she felt for him. He was hurting and not seeing the bigger picture at all thanks to alcohol googles. “Is the damage what causes you to like blowing stuff up?” She teased him with a nudge. “You really like Nollel do you not?” She wondered if that was where all the angst was coming from. She had watched them over the last six months and despite how it started she was pretty sure there something to it other than easy company.

Burnie puffed a laugh despite himself. This was why Cassie was such a good friend; even when he really feeling in the pits she found a way to tease him into a laugh. "Blowin' stuff up is pre-existing. Damage was..." he shook his head, "Classified. All of it - classified. Shoulda kept it that way, never said anything..." It had been stupid. He'd been afraid of going too fast, wanting more than Nollel might be comfortable with, and when she said it all scared her sometimes he'd thought sharing why it scared him too would help somehow. Apparently not. He frowned and pushed the empty glass at the bartender. "I re'lly do like Nollel... why I thought it's be ok..." he blew out a breath, picked up refilled glass. "Can't we," he widened his eyes, splaying his hand around the glass to mime it going up in flame, "Fwoom?"

"With us both drinking? You are so human. I will have to be the responsible one this time and say no way." She mused thinking over what he said. It was easy to see the pair liked each other even with whatever had happened that evening, sometimes communication was harder than it looked and sounded. "We could go talk to her and I mean we in I will take you to her quarters and dump you there if you want."

"No Kaboom," Burnie sighed unhappily. He took a drink and shook his head the next suggestion. "Def'nitely no talk. Talked sober and she wants space... like this, she'll want a whole quadrant." He grimaced at the idea of her seeing him now, and a tiny remaining bit of sense suggested that he wasn't going to be looking too good tomorrow if she came by. "I'll be 'kay... sleep it off in a jeffries tube." He finished the drink, and moved to get up to leave - and promptly stumbled and hit the floor. He lifted his head, then let it drop and closed his eyes. "Or here."

"Oh, no way Micheal. Up on your feet soldier." Cassie winced as she used her above-average strength to haul him off the floor and wrap an arm around him. "Come on." She whispered steering him towards the door.

Urgh. "Okay, 'kay," he grumbled, staggering but allowing her to guide him. "Deck's hard anyway..." He pointed vaguely in the direction of the door. "Eng'neering lab. I'll blow stuff up once I'm more steady."

"You will not be steady any time soon. Do you have any idea how silly you look even for a full human right now?" Cassie ignored his request and tugged him every few feet until they were in the turbo lift and she was instructing it to go to her quarters. He could not be left alone to venture off to Engineering in any form.

Burnie snorted a laugh. "Shoulda taken a pic when you were drunk." He was really drunk though, and his legs were not quite landing his feet where they should, so he gave in to letting her guide him figuring she'd dump in his quarters. Some water, and little rest... then he could go torch somethings in the lab...


Cassie smiled sweetly but shook her head. She had been drunk but he was nearly paralytic and only her keeping a tight hold on him was stopping him from hitting the deck again. The door opened to her quarters and she shoved him inside. “You are in the worst state I have ever seen you Michael.” She finally told him allowing the lighting to come up a subtle amount like she liked. “Couch I am getting you some water.” She told him firmly moving to where she kept bottled water.

" 'kay..." Burnie flopped onto the couch without protest. He was fuzzyheaded and tired and ready to just crash. He might pay for it in the morning, but right now that was that last thing on his mind.