Page 114 of Every Almost

At that, Kess turned away, her shoulders shaking slightly as she approached the diagnostic cart nearby. Charlie wasn't sure whether to feel embarrassed or whether the CMO was starting to grow on her.

"I'm 74 years old," Reyna answered.

Charlie's eyes went wide. Reyna's eyebrows pinched together as she worked through the math.

"From the little I know of humans, I think your average lifespan is about 90 years?"

Charlie nodded, her eyes unblinking.

"That would make me... about 32 years old by human standards."

"Well," Charlie muttered, still processing the information. "Okay then."

Reyna chuckled. "Is that surprising to you?"

Charlie's eyes focused on Reyna's and she looked at her for a good, solid moment. "No, it's not that, it's just..." She broke off, trying to find a way to express what all that science and math and difference gave her brain. "It's just incredible, I guess."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. I mean..." Charlie stumbled, catching up to the fact that she'd just called this captainincredible."It's just... something incredible, to live that long."

"Hmm," Reyna said. A small smile twitched in the corners of her lips. "You say that word a lot."

Charlie blinked. "What word?"

"'Incredible.' You said it about the Voxlink, too."

"You sure are tracking my vocabulary with impressive exactitude," Charlie quipped.

"'Incredible' is anincredibleword to note," Reyna countered, her eyebrows rising at Charlie, the smirk on her face becoming more pronounced.

"Well, things here keepbeingincredible," Charlie said, crossing her arms. "It's not my fault your ship is impressive."

Reyna studied her before responding. "I'll let you off the hook for now, especially since you come from a non-contact planet, and seeing as you called my ship impressive."

"Well, forgive me for not knowing more than I did while being a poor little human on anon-contact planet," Charlie countered, emphasizing Earth's status with a dramatic wave of her hand.

Charlie watched as Reyna's eyes came alive. Something sparked in them, quick and bright.

"You're forgiven," Reyna said, and her expression told Charlie that this captain did not, in fact, forgive easily, but was making an exception she found amusing.

"I'm going to need alotof forgiveness, aren't I?" Charlie said. "I already destroyed whatever your ship’s dessert plans were, screamed twice, and called your First Mate ‘Turbo.'"

"Three times, actually," Kess said from the diagnostic cart without looking up. "You screamed three times."

"Thank you, Kess," Reyna said dryly.

"Documenting accurately is part of my job."

Reyna rolled her eyes then looked over at Charlie with a smile. Charlie settled in her gaze, and for the first time since she'd woken up on the floor of an alien kitchen covered in batter, Charlie laughed. A real one.

Reyna smiled brighter at the sound of it, and something in Charlie's chest settled.

"I'm done here, unless there's anything else you need, Captain?" Kess asked, dragging out Reyna's title considerably longer than was necessary.

Reyna gave her a look. Again.That was easily the third look Reyna had given the doctor tonight.Charlie realized she was losing count.

"Thank you, Pheras. I appreciate your service this evening," Reyna said, matter-of-factly, before turning back to Charlie.