Lana could've kissed him. She scrambled to her feet and gratefully followed him out the door, ignoring the disappointed look Aiden shot after her.
Or who knew, maybe he was looking at her butt. What did she know about sex, relationships, or how guys thought? She didn't even know if the way she thought was normal, since she had almost no basis for comparison and no knowledge of the memories growing up that had shaped her mind.
Or lack of it.
“I'm not sure I'm really up for training,” she said truthfully once they were away from the bridge. “Between splitting the day with you and with Belix in the engine room, my mind and muscles are both limp as noodles at the moment.” She'd had those for dinner, which brought the comparison to mind. Also, they'd been delicious.
“I know,” Dax agreed. “You looked as if you could use some rest, as well as an excuse to get away from the bridge.”
She immediately shook her head, assuming he was walking her back to her cabin. “I want to be awake when we reach Callis 1.”
He paused, giving her a solemn look. “There are other ways to rest besides sleep, for the mind as well as the body. Sometimes when I've been doing something mentally taxing, I find that getting on a treadmill and running actually feels restful. And when I'm physically exhausted, focusing on something that stimulates my mind is just as restful.”
Lana shook her head. “I've exhausted myself doing maintenance and fried my brains running diagnostics. What does that leave?”
Dax turned and continued down the hall, his ironclad composure solidifying in a way she recognized he did when he felt awkward or uncomfortable. “When my mind and body are both exhausted, and I can't sleep, I need a different sort of rest. I need to find something beautiful to immerse myself in.”
“Beautiful?” Lana said blankly. She knew what the word meant, of course, but still felt like she had no idea what he was talking about.
The young man nodded. “You've effectively only been alive for about a week. You haven't really seen anything but the ship and Midpoint Station, so you wouldn't have had a chance to see much beauty. Aside from your reflection in the mirror, I guess.”
She gave him a startled look, but he was focused on where he was walking, expression neutral. Had he just . . . complimented her? Or was he just saying what he considered to be a simple statement of fact?
No, if he was stating facts he would've certainly mentioned Ali as well, and probably Belix too. Unless he didn't consider either the companion or Ishivi to be beautiful, which seemed impossible.
He had complimented her! What did that mean? Under all that rigid self-control was it possible he might have some sort of feelings for her?
If so, what did she feel about him?
Well, she felt like he was handsome, and he was polite to her, and he'd helped her out more than anyone else. And . . . he had the emotional range of one of the fuel tanks and always seemed to either be on duty or sleeping. Not to mention he was cagey when it came to details about himself, and she didn't understand why.
Lana must've spent too long staring at Dax in surprise as they walked along, because he continued, speaking slightly quicker than usual. “I understand what it's like to feel like this ship is your whole world and you've never experienced anything else, with no beauty to appreciate and a feeling like you can't escape.”
Wait, how did he know what it was like to have never experienced anything but the ship? Did he mean how Captain Aiden had refused to let him visit Midpoint when they were there?
She didn't have much time to ponder his unusual statement because he abruptly stopped at a familiar doorway, turning to her. “Let me show you what I've found.”
It was the lounge with the two full-immersion rigs, and Lana felt a surge of excitement. She hadn't had a chance to try these out yet, busy with learning the ship's systems, but she'd been curious ever since first laying eyes on the odd beds with the sophisticated equipment hanging over them.
Considering the big deal everyone made about them, they had to be something incredible. Even so, she hesitated for a moment. “Will you get in trouble for doing this when you're supposed to be on duty?”
She thought he might've appreciated her concern for him, although, of course, he didn't show much in his expression. “If you'll recall, I mentioned we were going to be training with one of the other systems. The full immersion rigs are a system, and they do require some training.”
Lana couldn't help but laugh. This was like how he'd used his orders to make regular log entries to write about his interests, finding loopholes within the rules so he wasn't constantly chained to his workstation bored out of his mind. “Well I'll probably need a lot of training, so feel free to use helping me as an excuse whenever you need a break and want to use these.”
Dax nodded solemnly and motioned to one of the beds. “I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing.” He helped her lay down on the surprisingly comfy surface, gently strapping her down with a few padded restraints. “In case of violent ship maneuvers,” he explained. “They're easy to undo on your own if you need to.”
He showed her how, and Lana was relieved to find that they really were. Not that she didn't trust him, of course.
Last of all, the weapons officer lowered the full immersion rig and began hooking it to her head
