Mess hall (breakfast-preshift) - Open

[neat_science]

Mornings weren't something that Schuyler liked, even if they weren't true mornings. On a ship there was no sun rising and falling, but there was simulated day and night and unfortunately Schuyler found she still disliked mornings even when they were simulated

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[my_god_man]

God, he hated mornings. The only thing worse were fake mornings. Three days into the voyage now, and Leonard still wasn't adjusting to Life in the Can. He was resolved to not drinking himself to sleep this time, and he still didn't want to hypo up. Really, there was nothing for it. It was a contest of wills.

Too bad he was pitted against his own.

Leonard showed up in Mess for coffee, and coffee alone. While yesterday's lunch had ended up interesting, and Jim's presence always settled his unease with space, he was less sure today about his sociability. And there might not be a Jim to rescue him this time. Leonard started to turn back to the door when he spotted a familiar brunette head. Cavendish. Well, she was a pistol and a half, but she never bothered him none. In fact, they got along great, in a professional sense at least.

Leonard hesitated, remembered he had a report that might be of some interest to her, then proceeded cautiously with a deliberately relaxed smirk in place. It still kinda hurt.

[neat_science]

Taking her second sip of coffee, Schuyler heard the seat opposite her move and looked up with some surprise, blue eyes wide until she recognised the tall form of the ship's Chief Medical Officer. He had a trademark half scowl half smirk in place and she smirked back, mouth curling up in her usual crooked smile.

"Doctor McCoy." she drawled pleasantly, sitting back in her seat and lifting her cup to her lips once more, "This visit social or professional?"

[my_god_man]

"A bit of both, and some of neither. I think you and I are the only sane people at this hour. We've gotta band together."

Part of what Leonard liked about Cavendish was that she was down-to-earth, giving you what you gave. They didn't work in the same departments, but he felt he could be more himself around her. She seemed to welcome him opinions and had a few of her own.

"How are you this fine mornin'." As he sat he noticed her breakfast plate and froze. "... Those aren't the funky eggs from two days before?"

[neat_science]

Unable to help herself she rolled her eyes and gave him a look. "Leo, would I willingly feed myself funky eggs? I do have some modicrum of intelligence and I have no wish to end up in your med-bay at the mercy of you and your grumpiness." She smiled sweetly at him, scooped up some eggs on her fork and popped them into her mouth.

"Mornings are heinous, and I treat them accordingly." Was her succinct response to his earlier question, "How about you?"

[my_god_man]

"You want me to name off a few of your less thought-out experiments?" He snorted at her look, and then the next one she gave him. Oh yeah, it'd been a good idea to come over to pest her. Misery and company and all.

"Nothin' merciful about this grumpiness." Although he was grateful those eggs didn't glow as they went down. He liked Sky. He liked her better when she wasn't doing aviophobia impersonations in his Sickbay. "Always said you should treat others as they treat you. As such..." Leonard gave her what had been called one of his Crazy Eyes looks. Then wrapped it up with a simple, "And that's about how it's goin'."

[neat_science]

"Want me to flick these lovely eggs at you?" she responded in kind, swaying her fork back and forth to add implication to her words, "I warn you, I have very good aim."

"That good huh?" she sighed, chopping up a bit of bacon and placing it on some toast, before wolfing it down, "Mind you your days are never 'good'. You have a scale of 'unbearable to tolerable' and nothing higher." she gave him a quick smile, "I think your nurses would die of shock if you smiled at them and said, 'Good morning' in a pleasant tone of voice."

[my_god_man]

Leonard gave a small chuckle and felt some of his headache lift. He'd always believed laughter was the best medicine. That made a lovely lady like Sky here the best doctor in the field. "I don't doubt it! I've seen that arm in action." The thought of putting any food in or on him wasn't a good thought, though. He knew it wasn't healthy to miss a meal -- and it was down right sacrilege as a Southerner -- but he just didn't feel right enough to put something so wrong as replicated food in him right now.

So he settled for that sludge they were blithely calling coffee.

"You know me almost better than those nurses. You ever thought of switchin' fields?" He smirked, thought about ignoring the invitation to bitch she was offering. No sense in ruining someone else's morning. He wasn't on duty yet, after all. But if anyone could set your moody ass straight, it was Sky. "I think I left my 'pleasant tone' back on Earth," he admitted with a sigh.

[neat_science]

She grinned at him, popping another piece of bacon into her mouth, and chewing with a small wrinkle to her nose at the taste, "It's almost worth flicking this food at you so I don't have to eat it." she muttered, before popping another bite in and chewing slowly.

At his comment about switching fields she rolled her eyes, "Doctor if I wanted to stick my hands inside people and rummage around I would have studied that at University. Animals and plants who don't bitch back at you or gripe, suit me just fine. And besides, you medical lot need me in the lab to figure out whatever stuff your patients discover in their day to day existance."

That ended her usual rant, and she tilted her head at him, "Seriously though Leo, you look as blue as your shirt. Anything in particular wrong?"

[my_god_man]

He'd had his battles with replicated bacon already. He was still licking his wounds. Leonard gave her a look that expressed his displeasure precisely.

"I know plenty of critters that bitch well enough. And sometime I'll have to tell ya about an experience I had with a particularly ornery vine plant." Sometimes you didn't need to look to Space for your troubles. "True that, about needing you to help us find our asses from our elbows on occasion, though," Leonard gave her a grudging, small, real smile.

He stalled a moment on saying anything further, drinking his coffee-sludge. It didn't quite feel like enough of a problem to warrant spilling his guts. But it was obviously enough of a problem to start scaring the shit out of lieutenants and ensigns. Setting his cup down, he used the warmed hand to scrub over his face briefly. "I wouldn't say blue, precisely," he sighed. "Well... perhaps I should. It ain't nothin', Sky. Just... missin' home, I guess."

Well, damn. He matched his shirt now.

[neat_science]

Her response to the look of displeasure was to giggle.

"I'll hold you to that." she looked intrigued, blue eyes sharpening the instant something interesting like a story about nature cropped up, "Thanks Leo." she said, giving him one of her own small genuine smiles back. "I like helping you guys out."

Sky reached over and patted his hand gently, "Hey now, don't worry yeah? This flying bucket of bolts will feel like home soon enough. Who knows, you might even relax enough to charm a pretty little blonde ensign into your pants and never want this marvellous experience to end." and she grinned at him, giving his hand a squeeze before leaning back in her seat.

[my_god_man]

Oh, the things that woman would say. If he wasn't a gentleman, he'd be blushing.

Really, he wasn't. Damnit.

What he was doing was grinning, firstly, at her Thank You -- that smile was all the real thanks Leonard needed -- then shaking with a startled laugh. Good god, how did she manage such wickedness so early in the day? He was usually still trying to remember which way the underwear went. He enfolded her tiny hand with both his paws and held fast until she wanted it back.

"Lord, woman! You saying things like that certainly takes my mind off the Bucket!" He couldn't quite hold back all his chuckles. "Charm, huh? You think that'll bring them to the yard?" Not like he'd know what to do with them on his lawn. Well, not really but Leonard wasn't sure he was ready yet for any ensigns, blond or otherwise.

"If you're an expert, then how come you don't got some jealous fellow giving me a hard look yet?" he threw back at her.

[neat_science]

"Charm is an incredibly useful tool Leo, surely you must have realised that by now." She lifted her own coffee cup to her lips and sipped once more, "And you can be quite charming when you stop looking at people like they exist to make your life more difficult." not that that look had really worked on her.

When he mentioned her own lovelife he was rewarded by a faint blush pinking her cheeks. "Maybe I don't want a pretty little blonde ensign with a hand under my skirt." she said, brow arching, "I am much too much work for most men Leo, most men want someone with a little less bite and a little more sexy to them than I do."

[my_god_man]

"Charm only encourages ornery nonsense," Leonard snorted, playfully throwing her a pointed look. "Intimidation gets the job done. How useful do you think an examination would be with the patient constantly gigglin' and swoonin'?"

Despite his protests and glossing over, he supposed he still had the ol 'McCoy Magic'. Maybe, if he hadn't stopped giving a damn after Jocelyn. Anyway, what use did he have chasing tail now? He was the CMO and a doctor, damnit. The only tail he chased with any consistency was Jim's.

... That sounded worse than it should.

Right. He drowned those foolish thoughts with more coffee. Then grinned widely at Sky's blush. "Sounds kinda familiar, doesn't it? Maybe if you tried a little charm you'd find a man who didn't notice the bites. Kinda a shame, though. You're bites are rather fun." It was nice to get a tease her for once."

[neat_science]

"Leo, we are talking about your bed, not your bio-bed." she quipped back at him, "Intimidation and scaring people may get your job done, but it still means that you go back to empty CMO quarters and a cold bed."

"Shush." she said, ducking her head, "I have plenty of charm, just haven't found a guy I like enough to test it on. Unlike our illustrious and most esteemed captain, my type is not just 'male' or in his case 'female'. My type has a few more conditions attached to it."

She arched an eyebrow at him, "So, you got you're Southern charm looking at anyone Leo?"

[my_god_man]

The snorting was loud this time. "Oh, you don't stop do ya, Sly Sky?" If it'd been Jim -- and it often was, quite a lot, with obnoxious determination -- Leonard would have been growling warnings about staying out of his personal affairs. But Sly was different. He wasn't exactly sure why. Probably because she was a lady, and Leonard had no real defense against them. "If my bed gets cold, I just ask the computer to turn the heat up."

He waited for the indignant rant with a shit-eating smirk.

Once they both had settled down, he grinned honestly again. "Thankfully, not many are like our illustrious and esteemed captain. We wouldn't get through the first year of this assignment. I think it's good that you have standards, Sky. A woman with tastes is a fine thing." For a brief moment, Leonard kinda did pull on some of that old charm. He locked hazel eyes on her pretty Sky eyes as he told her this. He wanted her to know that she was desirable and any man who thought otherwise was a fool

[neat_science]

"And a computer can simulate the warmth of a bed companion? My technology has grown in leaps and bounds." she grinned at him, gently teasing. "And I am not Sly, I resent that, resent it most strongly." and she leveled her best scowl at him. The effect was kind of ruined however by the playful gleam in her blue eyes.

Sky felt her cheeks faintly pinking again, and she smiled at him, "Now that's more like it Leo. Girls will fall all over you if you talk to them like that." Neatly she attempted to divert the attention away from her lovelife, or lack thereof. Didn't matter if a man didn't want her, she was the primary xenobotanist and xenozoologist on the Starship Enterprise.

"You got time to talk to me." she reminded him, smiling warmly.