Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Early Morning in the Lab

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: Early Morning in the Lab

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Early Morning in the Lab

(snip)
“Other science departments do fine with way nicer heads,” Scott replied. Rand tapped on her notes, and she was reminded a bit of her high school teacher, but she did need to get to work. It was at that moment that someone else entered the lab. “Last I checked, Ensign Scott, you do not have the time to debate how ‘nice’ I am,” said Roman as he took his usual seat. Scott, of course, looked like a child caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

~ NE Scott and Lt Cmdr Alden

Rand was staring at her reports, but she had heard the familiar foot steps. She focused on her work so no one would see the grin that tried to peek out. Both that Scott got caught and two because of who had just arrived. As he sat she slid off the stool and handed him the stack of XO reports she had hand written. She was still working in the science lab reports. Those took a bit longer and she didn’t have all the biology lab notes yet. Her own included. She left the lab and then returned a few minutes later, with his tea from the mess. Black tea with cream and honey.

Rand

Roman grumbled as usual over his paperwork stack. Nearly as soon as he sat down, Rand left and returned with his usual tea. “Now Ensign, how are your notes coming along? Rand is going to need them.” He said. Scott was scribbling furiously in the notes. “Almost done, ish.” She said, whispering the ish. It earned a scowl from Roman.

~ NE Scott and Lt Cmdr Alden

Rand went back to Nibbles cage with a softly, but clearly heard in the quiet of the lab, “Thank you for your help,” to Scott. Oh the girl shouldn’t have been gossiping at work, or having idle conversation when she wasn’t done with her notes. They all knew how Roman was. The difference was, Rand liked the way Roman was. Her simple words weren’t to get her out of trouble, but simply to acknowledge the help she’d given Rand for the past week - both with work and her anxiety. And Rand knew that some times a little acknowledgement went a long way. She was writing down the next amount of food she was scattering (having only given a little bit at a time, trying to coax Nibbles out) and had taken her eyes off the cage as she started to pull her hand out when something pricked her skin.

Scott smiled, still writing away in the notebook, then using the microscope in front of her. Rand’s thanks wouldn’t get her out of trouble anyway, she knew, but she still appreciated it.

She looked over, surprised, it was Nibbles. The mouse had come out and pulled down on her hand before it got out of reach. The prick hadn’t broken through the skin, in fact the claws weren’t extended, but they were a bit long. She wondered if they needed to do something about that. As she was writing that thought down, Nibbles climbed into her hand and sat, chewing on a nut she’d picked up. Rand wasn’t sure if she felt like laughing or crying, but she did neither. She was far too attached to Nibbles, Roman was going to be furious with her. She also resisted the urge to call Roman over to look. He was busy and it would be unprofessional for her to get all giddy about a lab animal.

Yeoman Rand

Roman glanced between Rand and Scott. Rand’s words of thanks might help Scott a little, but he still detested her need to gossip instead of work. He couldn’t help but wonder what exactly they had been talking about. Of course, if Rand had said anything, Scott would probably be looking between them and giggling like a twelve year old. Still, he found his curiosity wouldn’t be satisfied by that reasoning. Perhaps he’d simply ask Rand later…

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Roman…nope Alden…at work she had to think of him as Alden…she’d get herself into trouble otherwise. Cmdr Alden was finished with the reports, and she had the lab notes ready for him, but she couldn’t leave the cage, and so she wasn’t her punctual self in switching out his reports. Rand had tried to gently set the mouse back down in the cage. She’d even reached in, tentatively, with both hands to try and get the mouse off her hand. Nibbles had decided enough was enough and had threaded those wickedly curved claws through her uniform sleeve and back into her paws. Last time she did that, Rand just cut her sleeve off. The memory made her grin a little. She’d tried to ask Alden for help, she didn’t want to hurt the mouse, but he’d thought she was being…dramatic maybe or skittish. He’d been very upset when he found out she was cutting her sleeve off to get the mouse off of her. Rand thought it was a perfectly good solution. No one got hurt and neither did Nibbles. Nibbles hadn’t hurt her this time either, but she was attached. Rand tried to flex the paw and get the claws out by herself, but as soon as she let go of one paw to work the other, Nibbles just reattached herself. Rand couldn’t find the hold sleeve in the cage either.

“No no no, Nibbles, I need this sleeve.” She only had two uniforms left because of ‘the prankster’. With a small sigh, “Cmdr Alden, I need some assistance.” Rand never asked for help with Nibbles, so the comment got the attention of most of the lab personnel.

Rand, mouse whisperer

Four heads swivelled in Rand’s direction in response to her statement, Scott and Roman included. From Roman’s vantage point, he couldn’t see what exactly was going on, Rand was in front of the mouse’s enclosure. Upon seeing it wasn’t anything serious wrong, the other two onlookers went back to their work. Scott, however, ever the distractable one, was still looking. “Tickle her, she’ll let go I bet,” she said. Roman stood and went over to see what was going on. Rand’s arm was in the cage, and the mouse clung to her sleeve, the wickedly sharp, curved claws, meant in the wild to help the mouse grip the ground to evade getting picked up or dragged away, were latched firmly through her sleeve. Rand didn’t seem in pain, he could assume only the sleeve was skewered at least. “You’ve tried picking her up?” He asked.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden and NE Scott

Rand hated being the center of attention. She knew they were all looking because they were concerned for her and for the animal, but still. She looked at Scott, tickle her? How did one tickle a mouse? Where did one tickle a mouse? The little kids and babies in her clan were always ticklish on their bellies, so she tried that. That did NOT work. Nibbles just curled in tighter. She didn’t say that to Scott though, she was trying to help. Rand glanced up at Roman and then away before she rolled her eyes. Of course she did. It wasn’t like this was the first time this had happened. It wasn’t even really the second. But Rand usually put the old sleeve on so she could slip it off if it happened. “Yes Sir, I did.” Oh that came out calm…good. “I can get one paw off but when I let it go to get the other one, she just latches on again. I need an extra hand. I was going to give her the old sleeve to grab on to, but I can’t find it. It’s missing.”

Yeoman Rand

“She’s certainly bonded to you, hasn’t she?” Said Roman, momentarily distracted by scientific observation. “Alright, I can be the extra hand, then. Ready?” He said, reaching into the enclosure himself to help release one of the mouse’s paws.

Scott, still watching, was wondering where the lecture for letting the mouse grab Rand was. Instead, Roman had looked… something Scott wasn’t good enough at reading him to identify. Concern, maybe? when Rand had asked for help. Could she be right about them?

~ Lt Cmdr Alden and NE Scott

Rand nodded. She was slightly concerned that Nibbles might panic when Roman grabbed her. Normally she was skittish around him, but today she seemed fine with it. Roman was probably the only one who interacted directly with Nibbles while she was out. And before Rand started working with her, Roman had been the only one to work with her. Maybe she’d finally gotten used to him. She’d make note of that observation after they got her loose. With the extra hand to keep her from latching back on, it was quick work to get Nibbles loose. Before she’d hurt her foot, Rand had been working on getting Nibbles used to having her paws touched incase something like that happened again. For the most part the mouse seemed pretty calm about the whole thing, other than obviously wanting to latch back on. Once both paws were loose Rand moved her hand out of the way, removing temptation as it were, so that Roman could put her down.

Forestalling, briefly, the lecture she knew she deserved, Rand closed and latched the cage and turned neatly towards him. “I’m sorry, Cmdr. It won’t happen again.” Rand didn’t offer an excuse. He hated that, and no excuse was adequate. She’d been distracted by trying to work with Nibbles and hand write the reports at the same time. Nibbles was fairly docile but she was still wild and that had been totally careless on her part. They had worked out for her to use the cut off sleeve incase of such incidents, but Rand hadn’t put the sleeve on. In fact she didn’t know where it was. She had thought it was in Nibbles’ den but when she latched on, Rand actually delved into the den (something she normally didn’t do) to find it. But it wasn’t there. Without the sleeve on she should not have allowed Nibbles to climb into her hand.

Rand

Roman set the mouse down as soon as Rand’s hand was clear so Nibbles couldn’t latch back on. The cage was closed and latched, and as usual, Rand offered no excuse. “You’re right, it won’t. That is at least the second time, and you should show more care in your interactions with even something relatively harmless as the Atarivan mouse. For now, we’ll switch back to supervised visits only.” It was the lecture the lab was expecting, and had the side plus of meaning he’d have to be here at lunch, with her, so she could continue helping.

There was the lecture expected of the CSO. Scott had to turn back to her notebook to keep her smile hidden, at least it wasn’t her being lectured (this time). But that look, when Rand asked for help, that had to mean something, right? Right?! Scott hoped she was right.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden and NE Scott

It was no less and no more than what Rand had expected. She was torn between feeling guilty and wanting to laugh. Rand knew he was harsh because he cared, not just about her but everyone under his command. He had lectured her quite clearly when she’d first started about safety, and Rand also knew better with out that. She had allowed her attention to be split between Nibbles and her actual work. And there was the guilt, she did know better and she’d messed up. She could imagine how confused Scott was at the moment. Scott made no secret of the fact she thought Roman liked her, so know she was probably confused by his lack of favoritism. Roman cared to much to play favorites. He’d also ‘warned’ her he would find reasons to spend more time with her on duty, and now he had. Rand just nodded, “Yes Cmdr.” She was already contemplating how she was going to adjust her schedule to make a second visit when he was in the lab.

Very quietly she finished her notes, closed up the food container, replaced it in the cabinet and then sat down by the spare console to finish adding her own notes to the report. Wordlessly she set the final report on his desk and began working on the CO reports while she waited for him to finish. A couple of the lab techs tried to catch her eye to give her a sympathetic support, but the attention just made her feel awkward when she wasn’t worried about the lecture.

Yeoman Rand

Roman returned to his desk to finish his own reports, occasionally glancing up to make sure everyone was still doing their jobs. He could swear he felt like a high school teacher sometimes.

Scott finished her notes, just in time for the end of her shift, and left them silently on his desk on her way out. With a final sympathetic glance at Rand, she was gone for the day.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden and NE Scott

Rand walked over, took the notes and the final report back, Roman hadn’t gotten to it yet, with an irritated sigh. Scott could have been done. It wasn’t that Rand minded waiting till the end of the shift, if it was needed. But Scott had been busy trying to catch glanced of Rand after she got in trouble.

She swore she felt like she was back in high school and working as a TA again. The gamma shift had to stop the alpha shift and tell them all about Rand getting in trouble. Alpha shift was braver, working more closely with Alden. They had mind words for her, but also reminded her Alden was correct. A couple offered to speak to Alden about letting them supervise. Her continued work with the mouse was important but they knew she had a difficult schedule. Rand did roll her eyes once. She refused. One tech asked if she was I’ll because it wasn’t like her to forget protocol or safety regulations. Was she hurting from her injury or still on medication? The attention was sweet but made her feel slightly I’ll. Really it wasn’t a big deal. She assured them no on all accounts. She was behind from the week off and she had rushed. It was her fault.

Rand waited for Roman to finish and then with a quiet thank you and have a good morning, as always, she left the lab until late in the afternoon. She knew Roman wouldn’t be in the lab until the end of lunch so she moved things around to visit at 1400 when he would be there.

Rand