"Honey."
"A thick substance created by Earth insects called bees. A sweetener. An endearment for someone who you consider sweet."
"Dammit! Dear."
"One close to you, someone precious."
"Fuck. I guess English is out."
"You might try other endearments, Siha. There must be one in that language the translator won't pick up."
"Darrrling."
"Darling."
"Shit."
"That doesn't strike me as being particularly endearing, Siha."
"Ha ha."
"False laughter."
"I give up. You know, it's really not fair. Humans aren't quite as exotic as drell are."
"You've never surrendered so easily, Siha."
"Fine. Mon cher."
"The same as that other endearment you spoke earlier."
"Cheri."
"Darling."
"Crap. Mon coeur."
"My heart."
"Rrrrr."
"That might work, if the growl is one of passion."
A day later:
"Meri jaan."
"My life, my love."
"Dammit! I had to get a list from EDI—I don't actually speak Hindi. Meri sanam."
"Siha, you're not very original. 'Darling' again."
"Mere mehboob. Actually, that sounds too much like 'boohb.'"
"Slang for 'breast?'"
"Never mind."
Three days later:
"Bǎobèi. Forget it. I'll never get the tones right."
Five days later:
"Amore mio."
"My love, darling."
A sigh. "Cara mia."
"My dear."
"Fuck."
"Perhaps soon, my Siha."
A week later:
"Meu amor."
"After a week of research, 'my love,' is still the best you can do? Siha, I expected far more of you."
"Gatão."
"A feline—an Earth animal."
Two weeks later:
"I give up, cariño. This is the best I can do."
"Car-een-yo?"
"Hah! Finally! Gotcha, querido!"
"Keh-ri-do? My translator seems to have broken."
"It's about goddamned time!"
"And you won't enlighten me as to the meaning of these words?"
"Maybe someday I'll tell you what they mean."
"My Siha shows her vengeful side."
Later that evening:
"Darling? Both words mean 'darling,' Siha? I liked your 'darr-lihng' best of all of them."
"How did you find out?"
"EDI was most helpful."
"Cheater! No fair!"
"You could have chosen to ask EDI yourself, Siha."
"If I'm going to play a game, I'm going to play it right. Anyway, you have your choice, cariño or querido. 'Dar-ling' isn't on the list."
"Querido."
"Finally! Damn… This took forever, querido."
