The Complication

The Sweet Taste of Chaos

The sound of water drew his attention down to the floor near the coal stove.

"Hey," Tasha said.

Data hopped off the ladder and knelt down next to her, studying the scene.

"Tasha, why are you sitting naked in the middle of the kitchen in a bucket?" Data asked.

Tasha chuckled.

"It's not a bucket," she replied. "It's a tub."

In Data's opinion, it wasn't a terribly large tub compared to what they were used to on the Enterprise. It was maybe a metre wide and a little over a metre deep.

In his opinion, it did not look particularly comfortable.

Tasha had her knees pulled up to her chest and there appeared to be little room to move around. Tasha was resting her chin on her kneecaps. Other than her bony knees, the very edge of her shoulders was the only other thing poking out of the water.

"But why are you bathing in the kitchen?" Data asked.

"It's the warmest room in the house," Tasha responded. "Why else do you think they keep the tub in here?"

Data raised and lowered his eyebrows as he considered her argument. The kitchen truly was the warmest room in the whole house. And when the sun had dropped, the temperature had followed.

"Besides, the copper is in here and I wasn't going to haul all this water any further," Tasha added.

The copper was a large, antiquated device that provided hot water for the house. It was a heavy copper holding tank similar to a cauldron. It was surrounded by brick and built directly into the wall of the house. At the base was a woodfire that provided the heat.

Data could understand Tasha's desire not to haul the hot water around.

"What?" Tasha asked.

Data was staring at her – not quite smiling, but there was a hint of a curve to the corner of his mouth.

"Forgive me. I am reflecting on the fact that for all the numerous times I have theorised you being in such a state of undress, this was not one of those situations," Data admitted.

Tasha cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I think it is strangely charming," Data added bashfully.

"I think that my neural pathways have become accustomed to your sensory input," Tasha said with a grin.

She could see the wheels in his mind start to spin as he contemplated the meaning.

"Tasha, are you mocking me? Or was that a euphemism for-" Data started to clarify.

She shifted in the tub so that she could rest her hands and chin against the edge.

"You're a cute duck," she said. "That is teasing you."

She pressed a quick kiss to the tip of his nose.

"But there is nothing funny about your sensory input in my neural pathways," Tasha said with a wink, doing her best to channel Will Riker's signature cheesy charm.

Up until the wink, Tasha had managed to maintain a straight face. But her resolve cracked. She snorted before collapsing against the edge in a fit of giggles.

Data picked up a face flannel that was hanging over the edge and dipped it in the water. He wiped off Tasha's face and then returned it to the water.

Data stood up. He snagged the towel, pyjamas, and socks she'd folded neatly on the table.