Shore leave was an exciting time for most of the crew of the Enterprise. Most of which with the exception of Data, who found himself dutifully manning the bridge with one other security officer and someone at ops. He didn't complain, though. While he enjoyed the curiosity of interaction between inhabitants and guests, he didn't quite have the desire (with or without emotion chip), to partake of the more carnal activities.

It was Monday night as well, and he was settled into the captain's chair shuffling a deck of cards between his hands. It would have been poker night, if everyone wasn't planetside. But now it was just him and a few straggling officers to keep the peace aboard a starship.

"You look bored," an unexpected feminine, tart voice said off to the right of him.

Data's reaction was quick, a quick headjerk to stare at the sudden presence of a strange woman who he didn't recognize from any of the crew files. Human, apparently, with neatly curled blond hair done up in complicated braids, bright blue eyes, and oddly muted clothes like a scientist colony citizen would wear. She sat with her feet curled under her in the chair usually reserved for Deanna, and continued to regard the android as if she were utterly entertained by the mere sight of him. The security officer at his station drew his phaser, and looked as if he were attempting to get a stunning shot out even before Data could say the words "hold your fire".

It didn't matter, because he tapped the weapon against his hand in irritation, then eyed the woman cautiously.

"Did you beam aboard the ship? If so, I must ask you to leave. Only command personnel should be in-"

"Oh shush," she scolded, batting his shoulder almost playfully. "I've heard stories about you and couldn't resist the opportunity to meet you."

"Many have heard stories of me, but you must have also heard that I am a loyal Starfleet officer and feel that rules are extremely important."

"Too many rules, Mr. Data, and something is bound to go wrong. I'm sure you know the origins of playing cards?"

"I do, however you seem to be attempting to deter my efforts to remove you from the bridge-"

"Of course you do, silly me," she folded her arms on the back of Troi's seat, leaning her head against it as if it were a pillow and evaluating Data carefully. "You remind me of the magician, if you were in the old deck. You have that air about you. You accomplish the impossible. I like that in a person, it makes them tricky."

"I am not tricky." He almost scoffed at her, but caught himself. Her distractions were easy to see past, mostly.

"Oh, Mr. Data, you're very tricky. I bet people have you all figured out and then you throw them for a loop just because you know what you want and when you want it and you'll do what you have to do to get it."

"That is-... not necessarily true. I do not require-"

"-Very much at all, do you? But when you do, you won't take no for an answer."

The young Vulcan at ops turned in her chair, glancing between the two of them. "Should I make an attempt to assist in her removal, sir?"

"No, I will escort her off myself if necessary," Data responded, placing the cards in a neat pile against the chair as he prepared to stand. Then his attention turned back to the blonde, who might have been fairly pretty if there wasn't something vaguely menacing in her abrupt grin that immediately caused him hesitation. Not the sort of smile that a woman would use in courting a man or expressing adoration, but a sort of predatory grin that flashed white teeth and made her eyes crinkle far too much at the corners. His brows rose slightly as he took in the look, and he found himself swallowing down a ball of artificial apprehension that stuck thickly in his throat.

"Leave him alone, Murphy."

The other surprising voice was more familiar, and Data swiveled to look the other way, hands gripping at the armrests of the captain's chair. Q lounged in Riker's place, wearing a gaudy dress uniform and countering the expression of sinister cunning with his own casual, unimpressed air he seemed to have about everything and everyone.

Save Picard, of course.

"How can I? He's one of the ones you like so well."

"He's a poor child! Leave him alone. He still thinks that humanity is an asset to the universe. Let the boy dream. Sometimes dreams are all we have."

There was a clatter as the security officer dropped his phaser, staring with wide eyes at the legendary adversary he'd only heard stories of. Then he tapped the security relay.

He furrowed. And then he tapped it harder. And then he hit it with a balled fist.

The Q craned his head back, watching with a pursed expression. Data simply set his face sternly, choosing another tactic. "The Captain will not be happy with your presence."

"He's never happy with my presence. Spoiled sport."

"Perhaps I should go find him, then," the woman he'd identified as Murphy argued, though still smiling wryly. And she wrinkled her nose and bit her lower lip up between her teeth.

"Oh no you don't!" Q snapped. "You get that thought right out of your head. You leave them both alone, or I'll-"

"You'll what? Go to the Continuum? We already know what they'll say to that. But-" she reached over, cupping Data's jaw in a tight, one-handed grip and squeezing his cheeks patronizingly. "I can see why you wike him soooo much, he is soooo kyewwwt."

Data found it very difficult to hold the defiant expression at her behavior, brows knitting up though he pliantly allowed himself to be maneuvered. He supposed if one could goad the Q into appearing, it wasn't particularly the wisest of plans to openly resist them until he knew more.

"But I suppose I can let you have this one. I could have gotten so much done with him, too..." And then she was gone, with a flash of light that nearly had him teetering off to the side in the chair. Quizzically, he turned back to the Q.

"May I ask who that was?"

"Ignore her. She always whines when she doesn't get what she wants and then makes it hell for other people to get what they want. She's whatever she likes to be called; Murphy for the moment." He patted Data's shoulder. "I'm sure eventually she'll catch me too busy to be watching, but she should know better than to play in my space."

With that, before Data could even argue another point, he was gone. And the android was left exchanging glances with a woefully confused Vulcan navigator who was doing her best to keep her composure maintained.

He would be polite and not tell her that he noticed.

"I can't contact the surface!" The security officer complained in irritation, motioning at his station. "I can't figure out what went wrong!"

Data flicked a wide-eyed, pondering view at the distant wall. "Whatever can go wrong, I believe would be the correct assumption."

Character: Data
Fandom: Star Trek : The Next Generation
Words: 1,219
Prompt: Murphy's Law