Miscommunication

Posted on Wed Jun 8th, 2022 @ 10:49am by Commander Dean House & Commander Jennifer Baldric & Ensign Jessica Wilson

Mission: *CD*
Timeline: Before Baldric departs

Commander Jennifer Baldric had finished packing up her small quantity of things, her life in a suitcase so to speak. Feeling peckish she headed down to the Mess Hall to see what was on offer.

Dean just happened to have been in there at the moment. He didn't always cook, if it was real cooking, in his quarters. Sometimes was the Mess Hall, and for everyone else. Though it had to be what he felt like making at the time.

" I didn't know you could cook" Jen approached him with a smile as he worked away in the galley, pots n pans simmering away and all kinds of delicious smells emanating. " A man of many talents it seems"

"Hey there, I always have. Sometimes down here for others, or just in my quarters." Giving a check and turning one down just a little. Turning to her, "How are you doing?"

" Just about to ship out. Got reassigned," she admitted with a shrug, "I'm gonna miss you guys...oh and I'm hungry" she smirked.

"Well that's unfortunate, I've enjoyed you being on board and the change of pace." Wiping his hands and setting one of the pots off the burner and turning it off. "What would you like?"

"Looks like potatoes are the speciality today" she commented as she looked into the pots. Meanwhile the doors of the galley parted to reveal a pretty young engineering ensign.

Dean gave a glance given to Jessica coming in. He'd get to her in a moment if she came over to ask, thinking he was either the tender, or chef. "Something with potatoes..I can do hash I suppose."

"Whatever you feel like. I'm just grateful that it's something freshly cooked and not from a replicator. Good cooked food is something of a unicorn these days" Jennifer admitted, resisting the desire to poke into Dean's cooking.

Jessica watched the interaction from a few metres away, feeling drawn to the smell of the cooking potatoes.

"To be honest, I haven't started the potatoes yet. It's just some of them in water to get the starch off. I do, however, have a cajun farfalle, which is Italian for butterfly, pasta alfredo pot, with diced sausage and chicken. Unless you're really set on a potato dish. I can make gnocchi."

" Oh no I wasn't set on potatoes, that's just what I could smell when I walked in the door" Jen stammered, her cheeks colouring a little. "Whatever you've got on the go would be wonderful.

Behind them Jessica stiffled a giggle at the awkward display then tried to smother it as two sets of eyes landed on her.

"Oops.... sorry... it was kinda funny" She admitted.

"That's going to take..." leans back Dean half turned at the waist to look. Having to lift the lid, regardless of the fact it was a clear glass one. Giving a little sniff of the seasonings, "About twenty more minutes." Back to the two of them, "What was......" not saying Jessica's rank, because it was phishing for her name.

" Who me? I'm just a nobody ensign from Engineering." Jessica smiled, casting her eyes over the man on the other side of the galley tending the pots. She stood cautiously beside Baldric as though expecting the other woman to self combust as any given moment.

"Everyone is a someone, Ensign...." there it was again, the phishing. Now did he actually know her name? Maybe...maybe not. "Also do one or both of you want to help?" Dean reach into a cooler and picked up a pound(weight) brick of parmesan reggiano and a grater. Setting them down on the counter exactly between the two.

There was another moment of awkwardness as they both stared at it, then reached for it at the same time, paused, backtracked, then tried again with a series of mumbled "You go.." one said, and then the other said, "No you first... "

Dean raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. "Well isn't this a bit of a conundrum." Trying to not give a shit eating grin at the situation.

Baldric looked from Wilson to House and back again before deciding that she was probably batting above her paygrade and that she was due to be shipping out in a few hours anyways.

" I"m sorry I just remembered I have a report to file before I leave. Can I just grab whatever's ready?" She blushed.

"Oh, no, no, no, no. You already told me when you have to leave, and you already did whatever other paperwork was necessary. You'd not getting away that easy, Commander." Lifting a hand to waggle his index finger.

Baldric blanched at the words before looking between Wilson who had taken the initiative and grabbed the cheese and Dean who had more or less called her bluff.

"Fine..." The words were a simple defeat and one of humiliation.

This time, Dean didn't give a smirk saying 'Told you so.' Just a polite smile. After that, he started to reach for something, then looked back to Jennifer. "You can use a knife and not cut yourself, right?"

"You can cook and not burn yourself, right?" She tossed back at him, causing Jessica who was dutifully working with the cheese to erupt into a fit of laughter at the senior officer's expense.

There was just this look of, 'oh you know what, bite me.' given to Jennifer. Setting down a cutting board, two rings of summer sausage and a knife in front of her. Dean also looked to Jessica, "Laugh it up fuzz-ball." Though grinning while he said it.

"Oh I am" Jessica smirked as she looked between the two of them. The chemistry and tension between them was sharper than any knife.

"I can see that," Dean leaned back to watch, since, now both of the two had a task to complete. "Oh, also Jennifer. Dice in small about a quarter inch rounds, and then cut in half."

"Yes Boss" Jennifer retorted, for some reason feeling embarrased to be in the kitchen cutting vegetables with Dean. She kind of liked him but knew with her career it would never work. She never stayed in one place for more than a month or two. Meanwhile the pretty young ensign from Engineering was enjoying watching the awkward interactions.

"I'm not your boss, you know that." Lightly smiling to her, while he glanced at the pot again. "If you must do or use a term, it would, I guess be 'Yes, Chef.' "

That caused Jessica to lose her tenuous control on her laughter, unable to resist the temptation any longer.

" Will you two just agree that you like each other and be done with it?" She laughed.

Jennifer's face turned a dozen shades of beetroot. " I do NOT like that man, he's.... a friend"She stammered.

Dean chuckled a bit and glanced back and forth, "She really doesn't like me. I'm brash, condecending, and an asshole."

" Exactly! And I'm shipping out in a few hours and just wanted a feed. I don't stay in the same place long enough to learn names let alone relationships" Baldric tacked on defensively, feeling as though she needed to explain herself to the young ensign.

"Then why are you carrying on like teenagers?" Jessica challenged.

"She started it." Yes, that was said that way on purpose.

"Did not!" Jen turned and poked her tongue out for added effect. She kept chopping and wished somehow the flooring would fail and save her from the embarrassment.

"Did so." Giving a look at how much they've both done. "That should be enough, thank both of you."

Jen tried to beat a hasty retreat but was blocking innocently by Jess, who seemed content poking around in the bubbling pots in the galley.

Both of what they did were put into the main pot he had going on. Since the sausage was already pre-cooked, it would just do it the rest of the way. Turning back to the two of them. "It will be a little while longer so..."

"So I'm gonna vanish and come back later when you two have sorted out your issues" Jess smirked, leaving the red faced commander with the man behind the pots and pans. The look from Baldric was nothing short of glacial.

"You're not going to stick around and talk?" Dean glanced back to Baldric. "Ohhh. You just don't want to be left alone with me. Here I thought she was the one kind of interested."

"I am not interested! Not that way!" Baldric blushed redder than the uniform she wore at the same time Jess laughed heartily. "Sorry buddy, not that kinda interested, although now that you mention it..." She left the words hanging in the air like a lure.

"Oh? Do tell, Jennifer, dear." Leaning a bit to prop his elbow on the counter, and chin in his palm. Giving Jess a wink.

"Nope, no way absolutely not" the minute modicum of bravery she had scrounged from somewhere deep in her psyche left just as quickly as it had arrived.

"Oh? Why not. You did set the bait, though I know I didn't take it exactly the way you figured."

" Cos I... you...but..." She stammered, face colouring again "cos I'm leaving the Sunfire and it'd never work" Jen stammered.

"I see...so you just particularly confirmed, and there's a witness." Dean grinned.

"Damn you!" She shouted, enough for the entire galley to hear. The amicable chatter in the room dropped to dead silence. Baldric wanted to die.

"I do believe that it backfired again," grinning.

Thinking of nothing else she could do to save face in the situation, Baldric stormed up to Dean, kissed him smack on the lips, then left the room.

Well that was one way of shutting him up, and from teasing. Blinking at the kiss, and the direction she went, then back to Jessica.

"Well what else did you expect her to do?" Jess asked completely innocently, well not completely innocently but she was enjoying his reaction.

"Oh, well laugh it up then. I'm not real sure either. Maybe I should just randomly do it to you then." Dean did reach behind him to turn the burner off.

"Don't look at me, it's her you had the hots for, and she for you, she just couldn't admit it to herself, or to you for that matter" Jess retorted honestly. "Now are you gonna let her walk out of here like that?"

"That would be the right idea to be honest." Dean started off, "Take out the spice ball and then stir it about every five minutes, for then. It should be ready." Still continuously at a brisk pace where Jenn had gone.

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