Tavin drew him. He knew he drew Tavin, as well – but the sehlat trainer was not as willing to conceal things as Koss. He wouldn't mate with Kov now. Perhaps he never would – but he had been honest about the refusal, as well as his desires.
Honesty appealed to Kov far more than its opposite. Perhaps that was enough to dissuade him from any interest in pursuing a deepening of his Awakening, or of considering Koss his Intended.
He could not marry T'Sia – but, as far as he knew, Koss still planned to marry T'Pol.
Would the woman who had grown from the infant who had dared to touch the flame be best pleased by such dishonesty in a husband? Or would Koss be capable of mating with her? If there were those who were drawn to their opposite gender, and those drawn to their own, there must logically also be those who were drawn to both.
Was Koss one of these? Could he form the same type of Awakened state with his Promised that he had with Kov? If so, would he inform the woman of the other Awakening, one to a member of his own gender? Kov found that unlikely, but perhaps Koss would be more honest in the sanctioned pairing than in the accidental one.
If he revealed it to T'Pol, would he do so before their wedding, or wait until the contract had been entered into? There would surely be at least a denial of her right to choose for herself in that, and Kov thought that there was a caution of sorts in his own uncertainty as to what Koss would say to T'Pol, if anything, and when he would speak to it, if he did.
Tavin had offered him a place, information not tied to any obligation, and honesty. He had tended to Kov even when his own grief was so fresh, and he hadn't hidden his pain or his joy. He had opened his home and his mind willingly.
Perhaps they would never be more than close associates, but Kov was certain, in this moment, that it was Tavin he wished to be with, in whatever way they would choose to be together. The man chance met upon the desert was the superior companion, even without an Awakening.
The realization was somehow settling. Tavin had need of someone to design the spaces for his sehlats to be safely contained, and yet have the freedom of movement they needed for health and contentment.
In order to be able to offer this service in an expedient manner, Kov must complete the work that could not be delayed.
That required that he shift his focus from the changes in his personal circumstances to tending to the matters that must be tended to in order to bring those projects to completion, or at least to a point at which he could set them aside.
He must work quickly and efficiently, with no moment wasted in considerations about which, at this point, he could do nothing.
Logically, thoughts of Koss and Tavin had no place in his this process. He must focus on the work, and nothing other.
Kov breathed deeply three times, holding each breath and pausing between. He allowed all other thoughts and considerations to flow from him, and, with the inbreaths, he drew concentration and energy from his surroundings, so that he would be able to remain awake until he had completed his required work and could request time for Seclusion.
He would break for meals only when he needed them, and to speak to T'Sia at the earliest opportunity, so that she would have the greatest time possible to arrange things for her own satisfaction.
Otherwise, he would tend to his duties. The office was there and would be empty for two days. When Koss returned, it would make little difference, for Kov had an objective that didn't include the architect. All he needed of Koss would be the plans for the structure he would build in the space, and he could request those through their business' internal messaging system, without the necessity of speaking to his Awakened.
Kov set to work, sketching ideas upon the personal device, adding notes as they occurred to him, in a manner Sivet had referred to as highly erratic, inefficient, and illogical, but which, to Kov, captured elements such as the quality of light and the aesthetics of the surroundings with an immediacy more logical, systematic approaches could not.
By the time the terminus hid Eridani 40 from view, Kov had thirty-two discrete files, each containing notes and sketches from various locations within the space. His vision of incorporating the philosophy of Kol-Ut-Shan was becoming the beginnings of a plan, with contrasting areas of sand, stone, and plantings that would both complement and contrast. Light and shadow could be employed to minimize the effect in some areas and enhance it in others.
But it wasn't enough to account for the conditions during the later parts of the afternoon and the beginning of night. He must explore the light of Eridani 40 through all its hours, and the effects of T'Khut's phases and relative positions in the night sky, as well.
There was a good deal of work left to be tended to, but he would remain here in the area of the new landscaping until he had seen Eridani 40 resume the position it had occupied when he first came to experience it. He would need to return before T'Khut became visible each night until the Watcher had completed her cycle, but he would have the daylight hours to pursue other portions of the project, or one of the others he had been assigned.
It would be beneficial to create a schedule that could accommodate all that was needed, but he didn't have all the information he required on this portable device, so Kov set that as a reminder. He would attend to the schedule when he returned to the office, where his terminal could connect him with the progress on his other assignments.
He would arrange all so that he could work on whichever would yield the greatest result in any moment. He would make that his purpose, so that he could come to Tavin as swiftly as was possible.