Zak typically enjoys most of his "assignments"....................this one has been different though. He finds himself anxious to bring things to fruition quickly, and nothing is going to plan.
Going into the assignment a bit unsettled over his conversation with Li (Liana) the day before has messed with his mindset.
She fancies herself in love with him, he knows this, he doesn't need her to tell him. Intuitively she understood this until recently. Recently, she seems to be pushing the point, and insisting her feelings are real. He's not so sure. He knows she "thinks" she's in love with him, but in his mind, she is confusing his action of rescuing her, with grander feelings. He does care for her. He's not sure that he will ever be willing to "love" someone the way she would need him to though. He thinks of Wulf and Elspaith, and their relationship, and he just doesn't think he has it in him to love someone in that way.
Typically, he is very good at compartmentalizing. It is one of the things that makes him so good at his job. This assignment though..........................his thoughts keep going back to Li more than they should. He needs to get a handle on it before it causes him to take a misstep and put his mission in jeopardy. When he gets back, he will talk to Li again and try to get it through her head that she wants things that he isn't willing to give, even if her feelings are as real as she keeps insisting. In the meantime he needs to get his mind back in the game.
