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‘Naomi Wildman,’ said Seven. ‘Your appearance has altered. You have gained approximately six centimeters in height since our last encounter, and you have modified your hairstyle.’ She paused, and smiled. ‘It is very... grown-up.’
‘Really?’ Naomi beamed back, sliding into the booth opposite Seven. ‘I just thought it was time for a change. I never really thought about that sort of thing on Voyager, but now... I don’t know, things are different.’
‘They are,’ Seven agreed.
There was a pause while the waiter came over and took their order - it was always the same, every month. Seven had a scoop of strawberry and a scoop of chocolate, and a vanilla milkshake, and Naomi had a scoop of foraiga and a scoop of mint, and an uttaberry froth, which was the closest she could find to the Alfari fizz Neelix used to make her.
‘You know, you look different too,’ Naomi said, while they waited for their ice cream to arrive.
‘How so?’ asked Seven.
‘You’re smilier,’ said Naomi. ‘And you’re wearing a bracelet with a butterfly on it - I’ve never seen you wear jewellery before.’
Seven blushed. ‘I do not, usually,’ she said. ‘But this was a gift.’
‘A gift? Who from?’
‘A friend.’
‘A girlfriend?’
‘The person who gave it to me is female, yes.’
‘Come on, Seven, you know what I mean!’
‘I am unsure why you need me to tell you, since you clearly already have a source of information,’ Seven said, deadpan.
Naomi stuck out her tongue.
‘Not so grown-up,’ Seven observed.
‘Whatever,’ said Naomi. ‘Come on, tell me about Sarina!’
* * *
‘Status report,’ said Admiral Janeway, taking two mugs from the replicator and bringing them over to the couch, where Seven was sitting.
‘Everything is fine,’ Seven said, taking her mug.
‘... and?’
‘And, Sarina’s stay with me went smoothly.’
‘... and?’
‘And, she very much enjoyed seeing Earth - she has not been here since her childhood.’
The admiral took a sip of her coffee. ‘... and?’
‘I am not sure what else there is to say, Admiral.’
‘Oh, don’t be coy, Seven. I know you can go into more detail than that, I used to read your reports, remember?’
‘Admiral...’ Seven began.
‘Tell me everything,’ said Admiral Janeway.
So Seven told her how Sarina’s shuttle had been twenty-three minutes late, how they had tried almost every restaurant on Earth that Sarina had ever happened to read about in a book, how they had gotten lost in Kaluga, seen an old-fashioned movie, walked the entire length of Federation Row in Paris, bought confectionary from street stands, and talked for hours about the new warp engine developments that had been in the news lately.
When Seven stopped, the admiral broke into a grin. ‘I know you’re still holding out on me,’ she said. ‘But I guess you have to have some secrets.’
* * *
‘How’s the strawberry tart?’ Irene asked.
Seven swallowed her current mouthful and smiled. ‘Excellent, as always,’ she said. ‘Aunt Irene, you do not have to make it every time I visit. I know from experience that preparing food by hand is time-consuming.’
‘Nonsense, it’s your favourite,’ said Irene. ‘So, does Sarina like strawberry tart?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Seven said.
‘Well, next time she’s on Earth you’ll have to bring her here to try some,’ said Irene.
Seven paused mid-chew, eyes widening.
‘Oh, there’s no need to look so rabbit-in-the-headlights,’ Irene said. ‘There’s no hurry. But I’d love to meet the woman who’s making my niece so happy. That is, if she’s going to come back...?’
‘I believe she plans to return, yes.’
‘So... it’s getting serious between the two of you?’
Seven paused for a moment to consider the various meanings of the word serious.
‘Perhaps?’ she ventured. ‘I am unsure. I don’t know yet what I want to happen next, or how I foresee our relationship progressing. It seems too complex a question to answer right now. And I don’t know either what Sarina wants or expects. I’m... hesitant to make any plans. I like how things are now.’
‘Well, as long as you’re both having a good time, that’s the important thing,’ Irene said. ‘It does my heart good to see you happy, Annika.’
Seven returned her broad grin, and helped herself to another slice of tart. It was delicious. Maybe it was about time Sarina tried it.