A faint smile touched Auralyn's features as she walked past Kira. "Yourseon'yeris expecting you. I'm sure you two have much to talk about."
Kira grimaced. That’s what she was afraid of.
Maksym clapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, little junior. His punishments only hurt your soul and body for a little while."
"Somehow, that’s not as reassuring as you might think," Kira said dryly.
"You'll get used to it."
*
Their destination turnedout to be a gym.
Like the rest of the house, it had a distinct lack of frills, instead making use of clean lines in its designs.
Kira frowned when she saw it. Despite the presence of weights and other equipment, something was missing. There was none of the scent of sweat and blood that inevitably lingered long after a hard training session.
Either the space was a new addition or it had been re-purposed specifically for its guests to work out their natural aggression.
The Tuann walked a treacherous edge. Physical activity helped them maintain a balance that kept them from lashing out in new and unexpected ways.
It was one of the reasons Kira had done so well in the war.
Let her be inactive too long, and she got this itch under her skin. Violence or the adrenaline that came from danger were the only ways to work it out again. Without them, she had to exhaust her body to keep from tearing people's heads off when they irritated her.
She'd always thought those urges meant she was broken inside. It was only recently that she realized it was a normal facet of her species.
Mats lined the floor with simulators on one side for those who desired a more strenuous workout. Any opponent you wished was available along with a wide variety of difficulty levels.
Floor to ceiling windows occupied one entire wall, offering a clear view of the garden and pond outside. Something told Kira if someone wished those windows could easily become a mirror to allow the user to perfect their form.
"Where's Wren? I don't see him," Kira asked as Auralyn ignored her, walking away.
Kira frowned after her. She thought the whole purpose of this jaunt was so Wren could take her to task.
Yet, Auralyn was abandoning her without even vague instructions about where to go next.
Maybe this was all a trap, Kira thought as the other two trailed in Auralyn’s wake, leaving Finn and Kira on their own.
"Are they always like this?" Kira asked Finn.
She'd expected many things out of this encounter. Politely being shown to the them before they went their merry way wasn’t one of them. Where was the lecture? The threats?
"They've always had their own way of doing things," Finn said carefully.
Kira shot him a look. Wren had always struck her as a rule follower. Someone who basked in tradition.
Kira, on the other hand, was not. Her way of doing things was considered a little unorthodox—to put it kindly.
That conflicting methodology was why she was hesitant to accept him as herseon’yer.
Finn shrugged at her. "You'll see what I mean."
"Why do I feel like I don’t understand Wren at all?"
“You’re in good company, then. No one truly understands that man.”
Kira moved into the gym, noting that it was almost empty except for two figures in the far corner.
