Lindsy remained in the alcove until Mei-Lin departed and then did not budge for some time after that.

The star charts continued their normal rotation above the projector; the cup on the table had grown cold, and she wasn't paying much attention to either of these things. Her gaze was fixed in the distance with the same sort of intensity she applied to unresolved issues, and she was considering what Mei-Lin had recently shared with her.

Professional.

She manipulated the word in her mind and viewed it from multiple perspectives -- in the same manner as she examined incomplete navigational data. Mei-Lin had reached a decision that clearly and honestly represented her intentions, and had communicated that directly to Zedd and with integrity. Mei-Lin had also come to speak to Lindsy about it afterwards due to who Mei-Lin was and due to the value Lindsy placed on that quality.

Professional.

She began to consider Day Two. The cantina. A laughter that was both brief and sincere, rather than staged for another person. Three point eight percent. Ten days since she'd approached her work with purpose and control and had taken care to fold something neatly, placing it inside a drawer. At that time, the drawer was the appropriate location for it as the situation was what it was.

The situation had altered.

She allowed herself to sit with this for precisely as long as she needed to confirm she hadn't reacted. Then she rose.

She didn't proceed to her quarters. She didn't take time to brush her hair or locate shoes or transition into more formal attire than her loose-flowing, soft-cream-colored clothing (with gold details along the waistband and sleeves) that she normally wore during quieter hours when she was merely being herself. As she looked down at her bare feet on the mat, she determined that bare feet reflected honesty, and she intended to be honest tonight and therefore exited the alcove prior to the thinking catching back up to the decision.

The turbolift ride was swift. Deck 2 was quiet. The corridor was lit with evening colors -- soft, warm, golden amber -- and she traveled down it in a similar style to how she would navigate an uncharted approach -- with exactness and assurance, but without expanding upon it.

She stopped in front of the captain's quarters.

This entranceway had been part of her daily route for ten days -- traveling to and from the bridge. She had regularly glanced at this doorway and proceeded onward. Tonight she would not continue walking by. There was a simple elegance to this realization.

She pressed the chime.

The door slid open nearly instantly, and Zedd stood there in his everyday plain black shirt that rarely seemed completely fastened, and his cargo-style pants with a relaxed smile that shifted when he observed her standing in his doorway in her bare feet and her loose-fitting cream-colored clothes with her hair disheveled and her hand resting lightly against his chest before either of them could comment about it. She gazed upward at him using an expression she ceased attempting to manage once she left the alcove.

He studied her for a moment of sufficient length.

"Lindsy," he stated.

"I know what time it is," she replied. "And I'm not here regarding the ship."

Some aspect of his expression stabilized into a quality she recognized from the decontamination chamber, the hull, and all of the quiet moments in-between when neither of them had progressed toward what was present between them -- the distinct quality of someone who had been waiting to cease waiting and had just received permission.

He backed away from the door.

She entered.

Captain Zedd's quarters were warm and dimly lit. The viewport above the low leather sofa displayed New Ferenginar spinning below in long sweeping patterns of green and gold. On the small table near the couch was a glass containing a liquid so dark it appeared almost black; it contained just a minimal amount of liquid remaining within. On top of the table was a candle casting warm low light across the dark floor. It was a wonderful space in which to stand, and she had been outside of it for ten days.

She stood in the center of the room, observing him, and did not sit down.

"I've stored something in a specific location since Day Two," she stated. "I stored it there because it was proper to store it there. The situation warranted such action and I honored that." She met his stare evenly. "The situation has changed."

He maintained eye contact. "I was informed," he said, indicating Mei-Lin had not been the sole individual processing this evening; Lindsy documented this as another piece of evidence supporting her calculations since exiting the alcove.

"Then you understand my reason for coming here," she said.

"I understand your reason for coming here," he concurred.

She traversed the room.