"The unfamiliarity isn't a problem," Valyn said, casually leaning against Raine, taking solace that way. "I've given up everything I knew before, and chosen to live in miserable and frighteningly foreign conditions. It's the lack of purpose, the lack of direction. I honestly find myself wondering why I get out of bed." There were no inflections in the words, as serious as they most likely were. Rather, Valyn simply spoke of his ennui as though it were the weather.

"Another day of being treated like a slave, and a nightmarish stint where nothing is accomplished. And the next morning, I'm worse off than I was before."