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“Good evening, Major.”
Kira looked away from the viewport to see Jadzia Dax strolling down the hallway toward her, hands clasped behind her back.
“Evening, Lieutenant.” She turned back to the viewport where Bajor was perfectly framed. Leave me alone.
“You’re up late. Or early depending on how you want to look at it.” Dax came to a stop beside her, apparently missing the antisocial vibe she was intentionally projecting.
“So are you.” Short and to the point. Maybe she would take the hint and leave.
“I had a star to observe. Unfortunately 0400 provided the best readings.”
“Hmm.” Noncommittal sounds. Let her carry on the conversation with that.
“How about you?” Dax leaned against the frame of the viewport.
Damn, she was persistent. Just go away! “0400 was my shift on guard duty.” Now why the hell had she shared that?
“Guard duty?” The inquisitive blue eyes were alight with interest.
“Cardassians don’t knock politely before they attack, Lieutenant. We kept watch in shifts.”
Dax’s eyes filled with concern. “I’m sorry.”
Kira glanced sharply at her. “Why?” Blunt nearly to the point of rudeness. Let’s see what Little Miss Starfleet makes of that.
Dax was watching her cautiously. Good.
“I certainly can’t say I know what you went through, but I know war is never easy. I’m sorry that guard duty was a necessary part of your life.”
Well, damn. That was certainly more insightful than she expected from one of them. “Uh, thanks.”
Dax smiled.
Kira turned back to Bajor. “Sleeping here feels strange.” Great. Now she was volunteering information. The Cardassians wouldn’t have needed all of those interrogation techniques if they’d had Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax. A few more nice words and she’d be spilling her guts to this alien.
“Are you homesick?” The question was soft, understanding.
“I don’t have a home to miss. It’s the people. Sleeping alone is what feels strange.” Why was it so easy to talk to this woman? She wanted her to go away, not show her sympathy! But it was so nice to have a conversation that wasn’t about planning a raid or didn’t require nonsensical diplomacy.
“Do you have a lover back on Bajor?” So understanding and inviting. How did she do it?
Kira shook her head with a wry laugh. Giving up entirely, she finally turned to fully face Dax. “There wasn’t much time for relationships. The fighting was… intense the last couple of years. I’ve just... never slept alone in a room before. It was mostly large rooms with several bunks in the camps. And in the Underground we slept wherever we could. Mostly caves, sometimes an abandoned building. But always together.”
Dax looked thoughtful for a moment. “That sounds… nice in its way. A close-knit community.”
“Sometimes a little too close-knit,” Kira admitted with a half-smile. “But I miss it.”
Dax smiled sympathetically. Kira appreciated that she didn’t give meaningless platitudes or offer solutions. She simply listened, and it was nice to be heard.
“Would you like to get a raktajino with me?” Dax interrupted her thoughts.
“A what?”
“A raktajino. It’s Klingon coffee. Curzon, my last host, adored them. I’d never liked coffee at all myself, but now I just can’t seem to get enough of them. I doubt either of us will get any more sleep tonight, so…” she trailed off hopefully.
“I’d like that.”