There was no word of anyone being found from the explosions.
No finding of Fiviel or the others who fell.
He doubted they would be found at this point.
He shoved his bedding off and climbed back out of bed. Since he couldn't bring himself to sleep, he figured he would exercise.
Maybe that would tire him out enough to get some rest. He found himself either training with his weapon many nights or doing more research. However, the study did not seem like his best idea right now. He didn't think he'd be able to wrap himself up in genome research when truly he was already doing the next level of his testing.
No, he needed to be stretching his body and not thinking with his brain. It was bad enough that Janae was already painting his thoughts heavily.
He stepped into his main living area and picked up his ju-nak staff. He spun the double-bladed weapon around and started rolling through the basic maneuvers he always did to start a workout. Counting in his head all the steps like he'd done all his life. Each step was automatic, and every move down to the perfect form like he'd practiced all his life.
His mind wandered as he moved, and he started to look at his home. The residence lacked a great deal of personality. Janae was right, and he needed to get some more fitting things to define him. Make it feel like his home, not just his place to reside.
This was his home for his life before having a mate. That life was now over. He had found his mate. A new trench was now being carved for him.
Perhaps that was why he was so unsettled about this. It was a new direction in his trench he had to dig. A turn he hadn't anticipated and a direction that wasn't on his list of choices. While he liked to pick his path, he didn't want someone else dictating where he needed to go. It felt like the Coalition had decided that he needed to find a mate, which generally irritated him.
Was he angry about Janae? Not her, personally.
The idea of having to do it to prove a point to the council frustrated him. Yes. That was upsetting.
Another part of himself wanted to argue that if he was not the first, then who? How could he ask others to step up and try to mate with off-worlders because he said that in the numbers, it would work, but he wasn't willing to be right there as well?
He didn't like that he'd not considered that as a possibility. It was the trench he was now digging.
He swung the blade around more. Now he had to move forward from where he was. Head straight for the future, and stop being angry he didn't wholly dig his trench.
Make this life better for both, as soon as it was safe to do so.
"When everything is settled, I'll find something better."
"Something better for what?"
He spun around. Blade out and pointed straight at the voice.
Janae.
She held a glass and stared at him like it was not the first time someone had a weapon pointed at her. Her gaze bounced between the weapon and him, but she didn't flinch.
He immediately put the weapon down. "I am sorry, I was not aware you were awake."
She shrugged. "Cannot sleep. Neither can you, I see."
"I do not sleep much," Khalzin said.
"I don't really, either. When you live as I do, you sleep with one eye open all the time, watching for someone to steal your things or sneak attack you."
"You do not have to worry about that here."
She sighed. "I know. You'd think I would sleep easily, but it's almost like I can't believe it." She sipped on her cup. "Even on the Galactic Alliance ship where they were prepping us to come here, I didn't sleep well. I was always up and down. Checking my apartment locks, going over my things to make sure nothing was missing. I even figured out how to get into their security, and I would sit up and watch the hallway outside my room to make sure no one came around."
"I am sorry you have had to live like that."
She shrugged. "What do you do? It is what it is."
"I vow I will make sure you always can sleep safely."
