Dee approached the door to the Commander's quarters and entered. She'd become comfortable, as XO, entering the Commander's room without any awkwardness, but the sight that greeted her today had her regretting the trip. The Commander was nowhere to be seen, and in his place was the alien he'd been bringing aboard nearly every two weeks. Kestra looked up at the intrusion from her spot on the couch and saw Lieutenant Dualla staring at her like a deer in headlights.

"Lieutenant Dualla, hello," she said kindly.

"Hello," Dee sputtered awkwardly, "where is the Commander?"

"I believe he's in the gym, but he should be back any minute now," Kestra said, glancing at the clock on the wall."

"Oh, um, I'll just wait for him in the CIC," Dee said distractedly. She did need to talk to Lee, but she didn't like the prospect of waiting for him with his new pet. Kestra slid her feet off the couch and stood up.

"If you leave now you'll only miss him by a couple minutes," she said flatly. As Dee looked around the room uncomfortably Kestra reached out to Lee with her mind.

Dee's here waiting for you.

She knew he'd heard her. They'd gotten much more proficient at telepathic communication in the past few months. She had been able to consistently read Lee's thoughts, though she knew she wouldn't be able to hear a response at this distance. She focused her attention back on Dee who continued to look uncomfortable "Would you feel better if I left while you waited?" Dee's eyes widened at the offer.

"No, no I just… I don't… I'll wait," Dee spluttered before finally finding a seat in a chair by the Commander's desk. Kestra nodded and sat back on the couch. She picked up a pad of paper she had laid on the couch and began scribbling on it. Dee kept glancing her way and looking away. She was very uncomfortable with the silence that didn't seem to faze Kestra in the slightest.

"How are you liking New Caprica?" Dee asked when she could stand the silence no longer. Kestra looked up from her drawing.

"It's a slow process, but it is nice to have solid ground under my feet again. The forests are lovely, and I'm glad to finally be able to interact with more of your people," Kestra responded. Dee nodded.

"Sounds wonderful," she said absently. Kestra continued to stare at Dee who had averted her eyes to the ground.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," Kestra said. Dee's eyes snapped back up. She didn't respond so Kestra continued. "I know that you and Lee are close, and my being here is probably getting in your way." Dee huffed an exasperated little sigh.

"There's always something in the way. Before you it was Starbuck and… and Billy," she said. Billy's name had been so quiet that Kestra almost didn't hear it.

"Billy Keikeya?" she asked curiously. Dee furrowed her brows.

"You knew Billy?" she asked incredulously. Kestra shook her head.

"No, he died just after I got out of the brig," Kestra explained, "but it was a difficult time for Laura." Dee's right eyebrow raised slightly at Kestra's familiarity with the former president.

"You two are close?" Dee asked. She'd heard that Kestra stayed with the president after her incarceration, though the only reason she knew that was because of Lee. Nobody else even knew who or what Kestra was.

"Yes. She and Billy were very close. She had a hard time trusting anybody after he died," Kestra said, steering the conversation back to Billy. Dee's breath hitched.

"Yeah, he really looked up to her. Wouldn't hear a bad word about her," Dee said with a small smile. Kestra smiled too.

"You and Billy were close?" Kestra asked. Dee tensed.

"You could say that," she said dismissively. Kestra's eyes softened.

"I'm sorry," she said. Dee looked at her and her eyes began to shine with tears. She blinked rapidly and took a deep breath.

"Thank you," she said softly. Kestra nodded. She didn't want to push Dee any further. She already knew the other young woman didn't like her, and she didn't want to aggravate the situation.

"Do you ever think about settling down on New Caprica?" she asked, changing the subject. Dee looked relieved at the shift in topic.

"No," she said resolutely, "my place is here with my ship." Kestra nodded in understanding. At that moment, Lee came through the doors.

"Lieutenant Dualla," he said in greeting, looking between the two women.

"Commander," Dee greeted him professionally, "we have personnel reports to finish."

"Ah, yes," Lee said, casting a glance toward Kestra. Kestra stood with her paper and pencil and walked toward the door.

"I don't want to disturb you," she said as she left.

I'll see you later.

She smiled at Lee and he returned the expression as she slipped out the door.