It gives him a little thrill in the pit of his belly, like he's a teenager again. A date. She is simultaneously the worst person he could possibly date in the solar system, and maybe the best. He watches her go through and switch off monitors, work stations. Watches the way she moves. It seems more fluid, since the water, but that's ridiculous. One session can't help that much.

He takes a breath, at her question. "Let's talk about something else," he says. Not because it's top secret, not because he wants to conceal it, but because he needs - well, something like a breath of fresh air.