Maybe she was just exhausted from the day, and watching the change of the light was more touching than usual.
Maybe it was because out there was real foliage. Plants and trees. Flowers and natural life.
Something she rarely ever saw on Trinity Alpha Prime.
Vibrant and wild.
Very different from inside the glass.
"Your home is so cold and void of any kind of adornment or personality," she said finally. It seemed the best explanation. It was a contrast from the outside, and she guessed that had to be why she saw the distinct differences so clearly.
"I have my weapons and my citricite."
She waved her hand. "Besides that. I imagine most Kantenans have weapons display in your homes."
"We do," he replied. "They are heirlooms and sacred to the families."
"Exactly. You don't seem the affectionate and cuddly type. You have horns and armor that sticks out of your back. Your whole species screams 'primal warrior,’ yet you are kind and considerate and a scientist. You are not what I would have expected. Certainly not what they briefed us about."
"And what did they tell you we'd be like?"
"Very dominant and growly, to put it simply."
He tipped his head to the side. "I can be."
"And I could act just like Roemary if I wanted to."
He pulled back a bit and scrunched up his nose.
"I wouldn't, because she's mean and annoying, but my point stands. I can be whoever I want. And so can you. It was wrong to assume you were just a big growly humanoid. So, in that way, I feel as though I should apologize."
He rubbed his head. "When I sent some of our cultural beliefs and our expectations for a mate, I may have been a bit harsh with my descriptions. Many are gruff and demanding. We treat females well, but many do tend to operate very primally. Your assumptions are understandable. "
She took another sip. "Maybe." She held the cup to her lips and glanced at him over the rim. "Maybe I like growly and big."
He met her gaze.
Was she flirting with him? On purpose? Where did that come from?
His expression shifted. It even looked like his horns expanded a bit. Or throbbed. Or something. They certainly adjusted.
For a couple of beats, they just stared at each other.
Then finally, he broke the gaze.
Which was good because it felt like a spell was being woven between them, one that Janae was unsure how to escape.
"You are not what I expected either," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"I do not know. I am not sure what I expected. I do not think I thought much about it, to be honest."
"Then how can I not be what you expected?"
He smiled. And he did have an attractive smile. He took a sip of his cup that had the same liquor. "I have always been determined to dig my own trench. Anytime someone offered a shortcut, I made a point of going a different way. I wanted my trench to be mine. No one else's. That included mating. I didn't want to bond with any female. They were not a priority in my life."
“Yet here you are, with me.”
