50 Shades of Earl Grey Pt 1

Posted on Saturday 20 February 2021 @ 01:04 by Lieutenant Breana Rathburn & Commander Caroline Miller & Major David Scarlet

Mission: Homeward
Location: Holodeck 1
Timeline: MD2
2216 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Caroline's spys in engineering had informed her of Scarlets visit and subsequent fast departure. And the word was Bree had labelled him a "Pud".

Regardless to say it hadn't gone well then. So she sent them both a message to meet her at holodec 1. A trust exercise it was to be. And a pud she could incorporate into that.

Scarlet marched through the hallways, still fuming from his encounter in engineering. And now he was being summoned by Commander Miller for some other form of therapy or torture. Both were probably the same at this point.

He got to the holodeck and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Rathburn approaching from the other direction. His eyes narrowed and he bit back a growl before he continued to the arch of the holodeck.

Trust exercise?? Seriously? She knew full well that most of her team trusted her just as she did them, kinda. So what the hell had brought up...Seeing Scarlet up ahead she bit back a groan. No... no no no, surely she wasn't being expected to do an exercise with the Pud?!?!?! Taking a slow deep breath to calm herself and stay focused she smiled, after all if she could tame wild horses, then a irritating guy shouldn't be any problem, right? Right.

The arch opened and David had the face on him she was expecting. Brees was slightly less readble.

She put her hands up and informed him, "I did say I would do this and you didn't take her to lunch did you mister."

Around them was a rustic kitchen and a frozen hologramme of an old, odd looking woman in a full on evening dress. Caroline was sat on a stool, two things that looked like scarfs draped over her lap.

"Welcome to your trust exercise. Designed to getting you two communicating in a much better format. I decided to make it fun. You are going to make a "Pud". She said simply.

"Wait what??" She blinked and then looked over to Caroline a moment slightly wide eyed and slightly scowling. "You where trying to set me up with the Pud? And why the heck do I have to do this exercise with him?"

"I tried to apologize and she decided the response with to be her usual insulting self." Scarlet grumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest and intently avoided eye contact with Rathburn.

"Nope not setting you up. Trying to get you both to communicate better with each other. Although I won't deny it there's definitely some attraction between you two even if your going to deny it," Caroline said simply.

"There is no issue here." He said firmly. Scarlet moved his head from side to side to crick his neck before finally looking to Rathburn. "You want dinner? Find a replicator. You want company? Find someone else who will put up with your unprofessional behaviour."

"And there is is right there," Caroline pointed at Scarlet. "Well lets see how you both do shall we? Such a professional person as yourself David should be able to bake a cake with anyone on this ship."

She tossed one of the scarves at him. "Put that on. Bree's going to be your eyes. Your going to be her very professional and experienced hands. Then you will swop over half way through. You making a German beer cake. And then we are all going to sit down and eat a slice. Both of you can manage that right? A slice of cake with a colleague?"

It had been a while since she'd let her mouth over run her brain, after all it tended to get her in deep poop when that happened. Yet, there are sometimes when it just seemed to happen and this, was proving to be one of those as Breana blurted out. "Ohh... No. Nope, no nooo... not happening. You honestly expect me to let this trigger happy pud to blindfold me and then cook?" She said wide eyed, her voice hitting that heavy country tone as she spoke. "He can't even take a friggin joke, let alone an order or suggestion."

Glaring between the two of them, before Rathburn added "You can find someone else to do this little project with him, cause I'm not the one with issues around here." With that, she turned and started towards the door.

"Hold it Lieutenant. I'm now making it an order," Caroline stated firmly. "Its a trust exercise for a reason. There has to be some risk of something going wrong and Im right here as is Fanny," she indicated the hologram. "Do you think Im really going to put you in any danger? And besides If you can both nearly blow up engineering how can you be scared of making a little old pud? Theres nothing with any triggers he can do anything with."

There went his own idea. He glared at Rathburn before grumbling under his breath. An order was an order. Regardless of how much he disliked it. "I do this under duress."

He walked over to the counter and made a mental picture of where everything was before tying the scarf over his eyes.

"Ready." Scarlet said as he stood crisp at attention. He focused on the image in his head of the layout. "Let's get this over with."

Having made her way back to where she'd been when she found out this mess was an order and not just an exercise. Breana stood there with a slight nip at her lower lip as she pondered this cooking stuff. It wasn't like she couldn't cook, more the fact that she had to cook with the Pud. With a slow deep breath she muttered "Ready".

"David," Caroline said. "At ease before you sprain something. You look like you could break something your so rigid right now. And try not to shake that beer to much ehh."

"Maybe he'll break that stick up his...." Oh shit, did she say that outloud? Please have let her said that with her inside head voice Breana thought with a slightly sheepish look and a tighter bite at her lower lip before grabbing that beer and taking a quick swig.... to sample it of course! Before she sat it down in some random spot, a few things getting pushed a little in the process.

Scarlet gritted his teeth and his knuckles whitened. "Let's just get this over with so I can get back to my duties and the lieutenant can get back to her nap."

”Yes and then I can change both of your nappies and put you down each with a dummy, ” Caroline stated at the unprofessionalism from both.

”Right both of you take this seriously or I'm going to make you do something together weekly. You did just say that out loud Bree and your not supposed to drink or eat the ingredients.”

”Computer replicate another bottle of beer on the table, ” the blond said really not believing her eyes at just how bad they were. She nudged the opened bottle back towards the engineer. ”however Drink that if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

Scarlet reached for where the butter had been in his mental image. It wasn't there. "You moved the butter." He growled as his hand slowly moved around to locate it. "There is a method to things and you've already created chaos." After finally finding the butter dish, he slammed it down where it should have been in the first place. "Let me guess, the warpcore is held together with bubble gum and duct tape."

”Actually no, ” Caroline interjected. ”There is a method but your not doing it right at all. Bree is supposed to be your eyes and tell you what to do. Not you memorise the table.

And seriously?” she told the man firmly,”If you carry on like that David I will give you both bubble gum and duct tape in the next exercise after I've discussed with the captain just how horrible and unprofessional you two are to each other and your inability to bake a pudding without trying to start world war 4.”

Bree sighed softly and took a deep slow breath, the last thing she wanted was to have to spend even more times doing these trust exercises with the man. Especially considering he was even more pent up then a bull separated from a heard of heifers'.

"Look..." She said in a softer calmer tone, the tone she used when she was gentling a horse, though it was probably a good thing the man didn't know that... and she tried not to smile with that thought. "Chaos is a part of life, learning to except change and the fact that things might not always be as they should is something one must endure." Of course as she did this... she took a moment to quietly shift things around on Scarlet again. They had to do this, she was going to try and do it right.

Giving that open beer a look, she shook her head before peeking sheepishly over to Caroline a moment. Here went nothing... The butter is in the second dish on your right, the unopened bottle of beer is right next to your left hand and the treacle is in the fist dish next to it. Mix it all into the bowl right in front of you."

A heavy and defeated sigh escaped from Scarlet as he slowly reached for the things around him. He focused on the words and used his hands slowly, tracing things out and using his fingers to locate the edge of the bowl and pour the ingredients in.

"Where is the spoon?" He grumbled as he moved back to his standard position with his arms firmly at his side. While he atill didn't trust Rathburn as far as he could throw her, it was better to get this done and over with as painlessly as possible. As long as she attempted to be somewhat professional.

"The wisk is to the left of the bowl, take it and the bowl and move down about 5 steps. before setting the pan down." Crap, she really had to tell him he was setting it on a stove? Something that got hot? She took another deep breath and pondered the fact she hadn't had enough to drink for this. "Once you do that, take one step back and there will be a knob in front of you... turn it slowly a quarter turn to the right. Then start whisking the stuff in the bowl, watch it the stuff will get warm..." Bowl, pan.... yeah... she'd just leave it as a bowl for now.

"Please pick a set of terminology and stick to it." Scarlet grumbled as he slowly followed the instructions. He put the whisk in the bowl and quickly began to flick his wrist to whisk the ingredients together.

"Oh come on guys," Caroline said starting to feel the mild throb of a headache starting.

He continued to whisk the mixture in silence for what seemed like an eternity. His jaw flexed as he thought about what had brought them to this. Rathburn. He had apologized and instead of being even remotely appreciative she had become insulting. It seemed to be her default setting. If things didn't go her way she acted like a petulant child, even with this exercise.

"Next." Scarlet finally called out when he believed enough time had passed.

She jumped a little hearing Scarlet having been a little lost in her own thoughts. She still couldn't help but to wonder how she always seemed to draw the aholes of men. Why couldn't she get a nice, sweet, guy? Maybe she needed to give females a try? Naw, they could be worse then any guy with their mood swings. "Ohh... raisons. A cup and a half. It's in the bowl at about 2 o'clock from you. You need one and a half cups. The half cup measuring spoon is the smaller of the two sitting next to the bowl. Use three scoops of them."

Scarlet's hand inched over to the bowl of raisins and he pulled it closer. His fingers then traced over the measuring cups and upon finding the smaller one he scooped up a half cup of raisins.

Using his other hand he leveled off the cup and poured the raisins into the mixture before repeating his actions exactly. Order worked wonders when baking.

As he stirred the mixture together, Scarlet began to focus more on the task at hand and allowed himself to become immersed. His breathing slowed and his actions became even more measured and precise. It was a moment of peaceful focus for the man.

"Brilliant David," Caroline said. She could see he was getting a little more comfortable. "It just needs to come off the heat and rest now. Time to swop over. Bree your turn with the blind fold."

OFF:

| 1st Lieutenant David Scarlet
Marine Company Commander
USS Merlin


●●● Commander Caroline Miller
Chief Counselor
USS Merlin


●● Lieutenant Breana Rathburn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Merlin