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On his way to return the bootleg he'd borrowed from Torres, Kamille collided with Lt. Quattro while turning a corner and lost his grip on the video cassette, because of course he did. Of course he was never going to make it down two hallways without embarrassing himself. At least, he reflected as Lt. Quattro grabbed Kamille's shoulder with one hand and the wall with the other to steady them both, out of everyone he could have run into, this was one of the less awkward options.
"Sorry about that, sir." The cassette drifted between them, the blunt description on its masking-tape label facing up. Lt. Quattro stared down at it inscrutably and adjusted his sunglasses. "Uh. It's from Torres's collection. But I guess you probably knew that? I mean, why wouldn't you know that. You've been here longer than I have, obviously."
"Kamille." Lt. Quattro smiled at him, and Kamille thought, Please don't make this weird. It doesn't have to be weird. We're both guys. "You don't have to engage with that kind of thing just to fit in."
"What?" Lt. Quattro was probably making it weird, but Kamille couldn't be sure of that yet because he had no idea what was happening.
"There are more important ways to prove yourself, such as on the battlefield."
"What?" Kamille repeated, now on the verge of panic. Did he notice something that made him think I'm a girl? That can't be it, right? But what else could it be?
"Let's be honest with each other." Lt. Quattro folded his bulky arms and grinned as though laughing silently. "No one is so fascinated by women as to find images of naked strangers compelling."
The Lieutenant sounded so earnestly confident that Kamille briefly wondered whether his whole life had been a lie. Then his mind went blank out of self-preservation.
"Okay, noted! Thanks, sir! Bye!" He snatched back up the tape, kicked off from the wall, and rocketed down the hallway before he could hear more.