"Captain, I do not believe that the task you have assigned me is the best use of my time."
"I don't care, Seven. You are going to do this and no amount of arguing on your part is going to change my mind. You owe the lieutenant that much."
Tuvok sat perfectly still, listening to the heated exchange. It had been a long time since he had heard such anger in the captain's voice, and it surprised him slightly. He suspected that the extensive damage to the ship was really responsible for her black mood, and so she was fighting for control of the situation by making demands in areas that she knew would be accomplished. He heard Seven sigh somewhere to his left and knew she was admitting defeat.
"Very well, Captain. Do you wish for the lieutenant to remain here or to begin accompanying me right away?"
"I need him here," she said, "Go and do some work and I'll call you when we're done."
"Aye, Captain."
The doors to the Ready Room closed behind Seven, and Tuvok immediately felt the atmosphere in the room change. The sofa moved besides him as the captain sat down.
"Was I too harsh on her, Tuvok?"
He was familiar with this tone of the captain's voice, and he did not need to try and read her expression to understand what she was feeling. He turned his head slightly, towards the sound of her voice.
"Your orders make sense, Captain. I will need assistance to carry out my duties. However, perhaps your reasons for choosing Seven to fulfil that need are a little questionable."
"Questionable?"
"It is not her fault, Captain, that I have lost my sight. Whilst she disobeyed my orders, I do not blame her for the incident in question. We have all done things that we regret, particularly when we believe we can do some good."
He was aware of the distinctly human phraseology that he was using, but he had noted that it was when he used such colloquialisms that the captain responded best to his advice and thoughts. The sofa shifted slightly as she moved closer to him, and he felt a tentative hand on his knee. Kathryn noticed wryly that he was expecting the gesture; even without his eyesight, he did not jump or react to her touch.
"You're so forgiving, Tuvok. Always able to see past the problem to the logical conclusion."
"I am Vulcan."
"And I'm human," she sighed, "So you'll forgive me if I am angry at Seven for a while. It's on your behalf, you know."
"I suspected as much," Tuvok nodded slowly, "And whilst the gesture is over sentimental, I appreciate it."
Kathryn was glad that he couldn't see the sheen of moisture in her eyes, as she gazed at his face. Tuvok always had a fairly blank countenance – such was the nature of being Vulcan, of course – but she had always appreciated the occasional spark of fire in his eyes, the hint that there was something more below the surface. Now that his eyes were useless, the fire seemed to have gone and she was worried that a little bit of her friend had died with it.
As though he could tell what she was thinking, which for all she knew he probably could, Tuvok reached out on his own accord and slowly patted her hand on his knee. She smiled wordlessly. Eyes or no eyes, the fire was still burning somewhere.