[He sits down and chews on a fingernail absentmindedly, then catches himself and stops. He can tell she's being patient with him, humoring his cover of interest in her space-age technology, and he doesn't totally blame her that it probably takes effort. He didn't exactly come in making the best impression to the whole group, even if he still feels pretty justified.]

Alright, here's a stupid question.

[As if Dixon hasn't asked plenty of those in the last few hours.]

How do we know it ain't already been a few weeks? We're not all from the same place, and some planets have days different than others.

[The corner of his mouth ticks up.]

Since you're from Venus or wherever.