You already came up here expecting to be experimented on. It's not like giving another cheek swab is the worst of what I'd been imagining originally. In all honesty, it's probably a best case scenario for my original expectations. "Sure." I thought back to the fact that Esayr had mentioned that Kados was likely to try to compel me into staying for other studies. I snuck a glance back at my...Esayr. He was looking like he was better under control at the moment, but I still preferred to avoid being around others, "But, we can't stay for anything else. I'd really like to see the Atrium."

"Of course," Kados murmured indulgently, "I wouldn't dream of interrupting that moment." He was completely focused on searching through some medical looking devices that he'd pulled out of the pack he'd been carrying.

For some reason the wording of his phrase struck me as odd. It was innocuous enough, but he had a way of talking that made anything sound like an insinuation. He reminded me of Charlotte, almost.

"Ah! Right here." He pulled out a cotton swab that looked like it'd been made on Earth, what with the English words on the side.

For whatever reason, the fact that these advanced aliens were using Earth medical supplies was amusing to me. I stifled the amusement as Kados stepped closer to me, "I'm sorry if the smell of those flowers is overwhelming this close." If he could smell them strongly from down the hall I could only imagine the hell it was playing on his nose from up close."

He chuckled, "I have a sensitive nose. It's the Urland ancestry, so I'm more susceptible than most. I can't blame the both of you, though. With something so enticing it's hard not to handle it just a little. Open wide, please,"

I opened my mouth and Kados swabbed the side of my cheek. His eyes were strange and cat-like. The slit pupils were narrowed in concentration, and if they hadn't been so strange I would have been paying enough attention to watch them flit over to look at Esayr a second before Kados accidentally brushed the cotton swab against my tongue as well.

"Ah. Apologies. My hand slipped. You might have some remnants of cotton on your tongue. I am so sorry." He placed the cotton swab into a sterile container.

"Esayr didn't touch the flowers, though."

"Pardon?"

"You said you didn't blame us. That it was only natural to want to touch the flowers, but Esayr never touched them."

"He didn't?" He smiled and bid us both a goodbye. Mentioning that he was due to pick up more genetic samples for study he disappeared before I could probe further.

He knows. I don't know how he knows, but he knows. I squinted back at Esayr. He can't communicate via his mind and Kados can't read minds, so he couldn't have figured out that way.

"Shall we go?" Esayr looked down the hallway the direction we'd been heading, oblivious to my study.

Or maybe he's intentionally not looking at you. "Yeah sure. To the Atrium."

The walk was leisurely and to Esayr's credit, we didn't actually come into contact with any other males until we began to ascend to the upper levels. Also to Esayr's credit, he certainly wasn't in a state anymore.

The Atrium was large, massive really. The Val'Dornn really seemed to do things on a large scale. Other than the gardens in the bottom of the ship, this was the only other place I'd seen that had plant life. Large red and gold veined pillars stood as sentinels every 20 feet or so, stretching from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. Instead of flooring, there was just a soft pale gold moss like plant that stretched across the ground. Tiny berries that were the same perfect faded pink color as my damn towel dripped in clusters of five hanging from the golden vines that snaked up the pillars, "This is beautiful."

"It is considered a holy place."

"Do I need to take my shoes off?"

Esayr puzzled through the possibilities as to why I might even ask that.

"It's a kind of reverence thing on Earth. You take your shoes off before you go into really Holy places or something."

He nodded, "That's interesting, but no. You come as you are. This is a place for quiet contemplation or worship. It is considered in good taste to bring a mate here once the Temanus Ilharus begins, though. I should have mentioned it."

Makes sense, bonding to your other half is literally the only decree their Gods ever gave them. It's obvious there'd be some importance put on coming to this place when it happened. "That makes sense. This is just so beautiful." I couldn't get over the nearly undisturbed beauty of this place.

Esayr walked slowly, the pillars passed by one after another. As we walked deeper into the space I could hear the faint trickle of water. I wondered if it were a fountain or a semi-natural looking spring since the aesthetic of the area was definitely more of the natural variety. "I assume this place is like Var'Hallen? Did I say that name right?"

"Yes, Var'Hallen. It is quite similar. The plant found here comes from our homeworld. Most of our planet was made up of fields of flowing grasses like what we saw in the gardens, but there were pockets of more fertile areas with springs that produced this kind of vegetation. In our race's earlier ages they were considered places where the God's had rested and many of them were turned into Holy sites. They were usually built on a grander scale on Var'Hallen, though.

Grander?! I followed after Esayr as we walked deeper and deeper toward the heart of the Atrium. The sound of trickling water was getting louder now. As we stepped between the last two pillars, we came to a circular meadow of sorts, if you considered the pillars kinds of trees.

In the middle of the circle, there was a stone fountain. It was simple in appearance, little more than a stone disk. In the center of the disk sat a large crystal sphere. It rested in a divot and the water that flowed below it on the disk had set that huge crystal planet to rotating, slowly. It was unearthly.

There was only a single other male in the circle with us and I found I recognized him.

"My Prince. I apologize." Esayr inclined his head and made as if to pull me back out of the area.

"No apologies needed," Roan beckoned us with a wave. He'd been staring silently into that large crystal before we'd arrived. "I merely came to think and ask for advice."

"I'm sorry that we've interrupted you." Esayr bowed slightly at the waist and I awkwardly repeated the gesture.

Roan's golden gaze drifted our way, "Quite the opposite. I do believe you have brought me answers. Esayr," the prince inclined his head in greeting, "Addison Kane" He did the same for me as well. "It pleases me that you seek out our Holy grounds and come knit at least by your hands if not in your spirit."

I resisted the urge to pull my hand out of Esayr's. It embarrassed me that we were both the topic of constant curiosity. Everyone's constant investment in how our relationship panned out just had me on edge whenever I was around him. Reasonably, I knew it wasn't done in judgment, but it was hard to stifle the conservative mindset society had instilled in me. "What do you need us to do?" My voice was stronger than I expected."

Roan's smile was even more gentle than Esayr's if that could even be possible, "Thank you, Addison Kane, for giving all of this a chance. It means a great deal to me that despite everything you seek to aid us."

I could feel the blush threatening and it was for no good reason either. I wasn't a heartless creature and neither were the Val'Dornn. I hadn't been mistreated. Truly, I'd been treated amazingly well for being a completely different race. I'd been accepted with open arms and kindly. I couldn't say the same would happen if our races roles had been reversed. If I were going to be staying here for the next few months I might as well help in any way I could. "You've treated me kindly and offered me a lot to make up for a mistake that wasn't your fault. I want to help if I can."

Roan nodded as if in thought, "Your populace is upset. They are demanding assurances. Your government was fine with leaving it at that, but I felt it would be best to assuage that fear. I'd considered the possibility of tapping into your media broadcasts and addressing the public directly, but I don't believe that they would trust me or any of my subjects at this point. And, sadly I do not trust your government to relay any factual communication for the time being."

"And you think we can help you?"

"You populace needs a go-between. Someone that they can understand and relate to. Tell me, Addison, you wanted to speak to your friends to assure them of your safety. Could you speak to your country and do the same thing?" At my silence, Roan continued, "I will not force you. The choice is yours, but I do believe that the Gods have led you here to this place under these circumstances for a reason."

*****A/N*****

I got off of work late today and didn't have as much time as I'd anticipated to write. I was planning to try to reach for 5k words today, but I think this may be the only chapter I put up tonight, since I'm unusually tired today, but I'm gonna try for maybe one more part tonight.

As always thank you all for reading. It means so much to me that you all are taking this journey with me. We're all figuring out where this is going together. While I may have ideas flowting in my head about what will happen or could happen, the journey to get there keeps changing as I'm writing it, so I'm almost just as surprised as you are when a new story part gets written.

Happy burgeoning holidays,

Layla