Summary: At the time that humans had come into contact with alien life, a Mass Relay in the Cryst system, near the center of the galaxy, had been in the works of repair. The Council of Citadel Space reached out and sent a turian fleet to check out the new world, fearing another species like the humans. What they got was something… Crystalline.

Warning: This story will contain a new race introduced to the Citadel, and an original character will be one of the focal points. My race looks human with the few differences I describe along the way, if it helps. There will be lemons, and the original character is male. Do not like? Please do not read. Otherwise, I own nothing but the idea of the species, and behind the character. Bioware, regrettably, owns the game. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only unhappy one when it came to the ending. So, without further ado, let's make it better, yeah?

Human Year 2172

Crain had never been so, so… overwhelmed. The ship was priming to go, the crew was performing last minute checks, and the dignitaries were leaving for their cabins. His parents were joining the diplomatic meetings with the council, though he honestly couldn't understand why. All they told him was that he was coming with them.

He was going to the Citadel.

He didn't always get to go with them on their trips, but he didn't mind. His friends were always willing to play with him in their absence, and it's not like he couldn't just go outside and soak in the rays of the suns. He was all excited, but nervous. He had only ever caught glimpses of other alien diplomats coming through the halls, surrounded by their own kind with rather heavy looking clothing on. Who wears metal as a fashion accessory? It seemed awfully silly to him, but then again aliens were odd creatures.

He'd always loved the ships that his people made though. Crystarium ships always had a lustrous shine, made from metals treated with hyper-radiated crystal sap. Crain didn't know what that meant, only that they took the sweet smelling substance and did something to make it hard and shiny. The insides were all dull shades of steel and grey, and the cables running along the ceiling and floors didn't exactly entertain him. He got his own little room near his parents, his sala and his guata.

Sala Jeordan Dunavain was a dignified crystarian, one of the few purebloods left. His hair was thrown wildly back, seeming to be a freeze frame of wind blowing through it heavily. His hair was black with the subtle undertones of his bloods true color, a vibrant blue that glowed with what everyone else called element zero, or eezo. His frame was fairly delicate for a crystar, thinner than most with tanner skin, and his features were charming and kind, open. His voice was smooth and calming, taking on a lilt that few could pull off without sounding ridiculous. His eyes swirled with a wavering light blue, and the blood in his veins matched it perfectly. If it was very dark, Crain would be able to notice his sala's veins glowing indigo.

Crain's guata, Guata Vrael Dunavain, was every bit the soldier his record made him out to be. His frame was thicker than most crystars had, and his biotics were close in power to sala Dunavain. His hair was a strange blonde and grey mixture, under toned with his own blood color, a red-orange color, and his eyes glowed with amber light. His veins were always pronounced, due to their strange coloring and his pale skin, and his voice was rough and masculine. Everything a guata should be, really.

Crain had learned that most other species had something called a 'female' and 'male' reproductive system. Turians, Asari, and creatures very similar to them called Humans had mothers and fathers. Apparently, the alien species could not transcend the body to create a child. Except Asari, it seemed, who used a similar process of mind melding to create their offspring; but their entire race was female, blue, and looked the same to the young crystar. Turians and humans apparently had to perform a mating ritual with their physical bodies in order to create a child. The birthing process appeared to be painful.

Crain knew that, by most alien standards, he had two fathers. Most of those that aliens would consider 'male' preferred to mate with each other, simply because they had familiar anatomy, and they had different roles handed down through their genetic makeup; attraction was attraction. The 'females' had the same process. Technically, in their translators, aliens could see sala as 'mother', and guata as 'father'. However, because that would involve gender to be an actual key in their species, the translation would fail and simply keep the word as is. The best description that their leaders could give the Council was that sala was 'creator of the children' and guata was 'guardian of the family'.

Crain was also very glad at this point that he wouldn't have to go to school for a whole month.

Crain himself was a strange mixture of his parents. He had his sala's tanned skin, and his guata's golden hair, yet his eyes were like neither of his parents. The glowing orbs had a frame of dark violet, getting lighter as they grew towards the center, and a soft pink tinged the center and spread out, mixing into a beautiful mixture of soft and sharp shades. His veins were a violet color, and his hair had a copper under glow. He was very thin, unusually so for a crystar child of thirteen years, but his biotics followed very closely to his sala's. Bright, innocent, and full of love, Crain was almost the perfect child.

Just a little too curious for his own good, sometimes.

"Darling! You should go to your room. We'll be lifting off soon, and you shouldn't bother the crew." Jeordan called as he walked towards the boy. Crain smiled and flung himself at the man, a little glimmer of mass effect shield boosting him up into Jeordan's arms.

"But I want to look around, sala! Please?" he begged. Jeordan sighed and set him down, taking his hand.

"All right, but first we need to wait until we're off. Then, while the crew goes about their tasks, we can look, yes?" he smiled, ruffling the boy's hair and guiding him to the side. Crain nodded happily and waited as the ship prepared to leave the port. The gentle humming grew a little louder, but it didn't last long as they drifted out of orbit in a matter of minutes.

"Wow!" he breathed out, going to the nearest {reinforced} window, gazing at the quickly dwindling planet, the suns catching lights of millions of crystals, homes, buildings, lush forests and open plains. The display was dazzling, a rainbow of colors surrounded by thin veils and mists. Jeordan hummed in agreement, stepping up beside his son and staring back idly at his home world.

"Most other planets aren't as beautiful, in my opinion. They have their own unique signature, of course, but none of them feel alive with Mother's grace." He turned to the boy. "When we land in the Citadel, don't be surprised if you feel cold, understand? You can't feel the trees or stones out in the galaxy like you can on our colonized planets. Mother doesn't have dominion over them there."

"Why doesn't she just take them and make them pretty?" the boy asked with a frown, irritated by the thought of lifeless trees, songless stones. Jeordan gave a small wince before shaking his head.

"That is not Mother's way, Crain. I thought you knew this. Mother wishes to give love to all, embraces those that embrace her and gives them all she can. However, very few people can reach Mother on their own. They don't have our special eyes, our special blood. They don't feel things like we do." Jeordan explained, lifting up his wrist to their eyes. A faint pulse of a mass effect current could be seen under the skin, glowing blue. Crain lifted his own arm up, looking down at his violet veins, running with the same power.

"Can we show them Mother?" he asked, reaching out and running his thin fingers over his sala's veins. A spark of dark energy was felt, and then the surge became normal again. Jeordan gave a wistful grimace.

"No, I'm not sure we can. Mother may try, but she will not force anything. All we can do is let them make their choices and continue on in life. Don't worry, son. They cannot mourn what they do not know, and Mother is content to let them live their lives." He smirked. "Come on, let's give you that tour."

"Your Majesty, please!" someone called as they came up to the pair. Jeordan frowned slightly, but he maintained his composure as the soldier saluted him and took a minute to catch his breath. "It's a risk having you out of your room, sir, but both of you out is encroaching on dangerous."

"Are you telling me I couldn't possibly defend myself or my child, soldier?" Jeordan said coolly, eyes glinting with power. The soldier winced before shaking his head and looking back at another man across the way. He was dressed with the battle suits of an admiral, Crain thought. He couldn't be sure, though, because he never really liked learning about their military. Their whole focus as a species was to love and find peace. Those who chose military life were seen as protectors… and sometimes heretics.

"No, your Majesty, just…" he looked around before leaning in and whispering something. Crain tried hard to listen, but he could only catch a few mumbled phrases about turians. After he pulled back, Jeordan gave a light look of shock towards the man in the admiral's suit, eyes widening and a sudden look of hurt flashing across them before he nodded once.

"Come on, Crain, we can tour the ship on our return trip, alright?" He murmured, grabbing the boys hand and setting back towards the cabins at a brisk pace. The boy was confused, but he didn't complain. When sala was upset, you did as he told you and followed him quietly.

They eventually made it to the royal cabin, and Jeordan ushered Crain inside quickly as he shut the door with his biotics. Crain had rarely seen his sala so upset, and he didn't like the tension in the air. He went over to him, trying to give him a hug, but Jeordan only gave him a brief squeeze before telling him to go to his room and wait in there. Vrael came out of the bathroom area to the side, a towel wrapped around his waist. He smiled broadly as he saw his mate, but the smile dampened when the dark haired man gave a forced one and glanced over at Crain. The boy looked down and headed into his room.

It was a good thing he had excellent hearing.

"My love, what's wrong?" he heard his guata asking, followed by a broken sob of his sala. Crain's eyes met in astonishment and worry; his sala never cried around him. Rarely had a reason to shed tears, he thought.

"Tallon has… he was sent to the Mother." Jeordan sniffed, followed by a curse from Vrael. Crain's eyes widened further into a bleak and sudden grief he didn't understand. Tallon was his sala's crystal mate, his brother. Crain's uncle. Tallon left for Mother already? Was he sick?

"How? He didn't die naturally, no?"

"No, he was at the Citadel, and he got so curious… he went down by their wards. A few mercenaries… they thought they could just kill him and take his body. They didn't know what happens when we die. Half of them got caught in the crystals, the other half were repelled by Mother. She didn't let them defile his body… she put him into crystal stasis." More sobbing occurred, and the boy could hear his guata trying to sooth the man. "He's just sitting there, cold, surrounded by useless evidence and… and he's alone! He's gone!"

"But… he was your brother. His power was nothing to sneeze at. How did they even get at him?"

"Just how they would get at most of us. We're too trusting, Vrael. Maybe he thought they wished to show him the wards, or maybe wanted to ask some questions… something innocent." Crain startled as he heard the bang of furniture being hit. "He's the first one. He won't be the last. Vrael… we're taking our son there. There isn't time to go back, and we're already expected! I don't know why the admiral decided that I didn't need to know my brother was dead." Again, more banging, and the boy had the distinct impression that some of the furniture had been uprooted from its nailed position. "If they even think about going near my son, I'm killing them all! Peace be damned, we didn't have these problems before we opened the relay!"

"No one will hurt him, ashra! You know I wouldn't dare let him out of my sight. We'll stay out of the wards and surrounded by guards. We'll… we'll work this out. For now, let us find out as much as we can and be prepared to take action. We have room onboard to… to take him home, yes?" Vrael said slowly, and more sobbing could be heard. Tears were falling down Crain's face, little violet drops of semi clear fluid staining his cheeks.

"Yes. We'll keep him in the engine room; the core should give him comfort until he can fully return to Mother." Moments passed in silence, only the occasional sniffle and murmur of love and comfort breaking it. Crain shuffled over to his bed, his heart chiming sharply against his lungs, making it hard to breathe.

Crain didn't understand why he was crying, honestly. Sala's pain was contagious because the boy was so much like him. Crain understood that his uncle was gone, but he didn't understand the complications. He didn't understand that his uncle was murdered; only that he had left for Mother's arms a little earlier than he wanted. To him, the death was not the issue; it was the loss of future memories he had wanted that brought tears to his eyes.

Few crystar understood taking a life. Even fewer could say they had done such a thing.

Hours passed as the boy tried to calm his heart, feeling the dark energy in his veins slow down to a lethargic pace. His eyes hurt from all of the crying, and his head started to throb in time with his heart. He ached like he had an illness, and his hands were clammy.

He didn't understand.

He only shuffled further under the covers as the door opened and the light came on. He heard a low sigh before heavy footsteps sounded across the cabin, headed towards him. Crain sniffled as the covers were drawn back from his head gently.

"Crain? My mana?" the boy didn't answer as Vrael brushed his hair back. The man only winced slightly as he saw the purple tracks running down the boy's face. "You heard, didn't you?" Crain nodded, but didn't speak. After a few more minutes, Vrael bent over, unlaced his boots, and then scooted in next to his son. "I know it hurts."

"I… I don't understand." He murmured softly, staring up at the man with wide, innocent eyes. Vrael's eyes tightened a bit, and he sighed again before he looked down at his hands.

"You know that when someone gets really sick, or when they've ended their cycle, they turn into crystal and await someone to send them back to the mother, right?" Crain nodded. He knew that part. "Tallon died down in the Citadel, son. We're taking him back home with us so he can be sent to the Mother."

"But how did he die? Sala said something about… about him being 'killed'. What does that mean? Why would someone want uncle Tallon to die early?" Crain hiccupped, and Vrael took a deep breath.

"There's something you have to understand about other species, son. The Mother taught us to love and protect our world, our people, and even others we would meet along the way. But… not all races strive for peace. There are many reasons some may want to kill another, feeling justified enough in their reasoning to do so. Sometimes they feel wronged, and become angry. Other times they do it because they gain something from that death, like power, money, knowledge, or other things. Greed, envy, lust, anger, and sometimes because they can't feel a thing for the life they have taken." He paused. "We're new, and unstudied. There are people out there, from all different kinds of backgrounds, that would give a lot to have one of us die for them to study."

"That's… that's so selfish!" the boy cried, and a little mass effect field blipped in the middle of the room before sparking out. Vrael stroked his hair to soothe him.

"I know. But they don't have what we have… they don't have guidance, constant love… they've seen a lot and done even more in their time. Bad people are out there, Crain, and I want you to be aware of it. Your sala wanted to keep this from you… but I need you to know that you can't be so trusting to just anyone. There are people out there that will take advantage of your kindness, even hurt you to get what they want. Do you understand me?" Vrael looked him straight in the eyes, his own amber orbs swirling with an undercurrent of sorrow. "We can't lose you like that."

"Yes, guata." He nodded, sniffling a little and wiping at his eyes. Vrael gave him a grim smile before patting him on the head and getting up.

"We'll be arriving at the Citadel in a few minutes. You will stay near me and your sala at all times, do you understand? Don't wander off, don't lose sight of us, and don't go near any men wearing strange metal outfits." He smiled. "If they nod or smile, smile back, but don't talk to them unless we say so, alright?"

"Yes, guata."

Crain was scared out of his little crystar mind.

The Citadel was all metal and alloy, with little scraps of so called 'plants' scattered around. The entire area felt cold and numb, and Crain clung to his sala's leg the entire time, even resorting to dark energy to glue him on no matter how hard Jeordan tried to pry him off. They had told him it would feel different, that it would indeed feel cold. To the boy, it felt dead. Dread seeped into his stomach and his heart chimed violently against his lungs, causing actual sounds to be heard in their guarded group. With everything that happened to his uncle, he was expecting them all to die from so much nothing. The few trees he passed almost seemed to be screaming in agony, and the grass and artificial rocks felt like nonexistent space to him. It pained him to even look at the station.

"Crain! I know it's hard, but you have to GOT get used to this!" Jeordan grunted, trying to use an ME current to detach his son again. A little fizz was heard, but the boy countered it immediately with one much stronger. Jeordan winced at the backlash before turning to his mate. "Well, at least we know he'll have no trouble defending himself. I can't even budge him!"

"Mana, let go of your sala now." Vrael commanded, and everyone blinked in shock when a crack was heard and Vrael stumbled back. He had a round, red mark on his face the size of a child's hand. Crain had basically bitch slapped his guata. "… He is your child."

"My child? It took two to dance under that eclipse, Vrael. I was there, and I'm sure you were too- OOF!" the dark haired man grunted as his ME field actually managed to push the child off. However, his brief moment of frustration with his mate had made him push dangerously hard, and Crain went flying over the ground, rolling to a stop at the foot of a turian covered in his strange 'metal clothing'.

Crain's heart actually skipped a beat before speeding up exponentially.

"Hey, kid, watch it!" the turian hissed, and Crain got up quickly and started to run in the opposite direction, far away from the metal covered men and his parents entourage.

"CRAIN!" he heard, but the boy was being driven to instinct. The metal, all the metal confused him, and the scents were nothing like his home world, all metallic and filled with alcohol, sweat, several different species own musks, and, and-

Moon lilies. He smelled moon lilies.

He didn't even think as he followed the scent, darting between the feet of many passer-bys, given little squeals as people hissed or grunted at the sudden impact. His blood was pounding with eezo, reacting to the threat of this unnatural environment, seeking that familiar smell in order to hide, to be safe with a piece of his home. He could barely see past the mass effect shield he had created, barreling into others several feet away from him, causing little disturbances and attracting the eyes of anyone in the area.

Moon lilies. They were close. But so were loud noises. Many loud noises.

Crain glanced behind him and saw metal covered men chasing after him, carrying large metal pieces in their arms, yelling after him in half coherent languages. He screamed and dashed ahead further, finding himself at a river. The water didn't sing either, but he could feel something more in it than he had anywhere else in the entire station. He stopped abruptly, finding himself at a dead end of a wrong turn. To his left and front there was a wall of metal, a part of some building, and to his right was the water.

He turned to see three men coming towards him, eyeing him strangely. The leader was turian, and the two behind him were human. They stopped several feet away from him, but they kept their heavy lumps of metal in front of them, pointing them at the child.

"Leave me alone!" he cried, backing up against the walls. They looked at each other before the leader stepped forward. Crain, not knowing what else to do, used his energy and made little static webs spread out in front of him. The Turian came to a halt and pointed his heavy metal lump at him again.

"Put the field down, kid." He said roughly. "No one here has to get hurt."

"Go away." The boy cried hysterically, sinking to the ground as the webs expanded with his panic, spreading towards the turian. He was forced to back up as they neared his feet, snapping at him like serpents.

"Mathews, can you disrupt the field?" the turian said, and Crain looked up to see a human in metal nod and focus.

Crain felt a weak tug at his webs, and he gave a cry as he ripped at the strange, weak presence. The human gave a startled gasp before he was flung into the air, caught and held by a large energy field. The turian cursed and aimed at the boy again, but the boy could see the metal lump start to glow, so he wrenched it out of the aliens grasp and threw it into the water. He did the same to the grounded human's metal thing, and they both held up their hands and backed away several feet.

"Leave me alone!" he sniffed, snapping his webs at them again, forcing them to retreat farther.

"Okay, okay kid. We're unarmed. Now, let's talk about this nice and easy, alright?" the turian said slowly, eyeing the tendrils warily. The boys tears started to dry up, and the floating human was slowly lowered to the ground, far away from them. The turian nodded his head to the other human, and then focused back on the boy when he left.

"Crain!" a shout was heard, and the boy's webs faltered slightly, recognizing the voice. Sala.

Jeordan leapt across the river with a mass of dark energy, landing right at the edge of the webs. Crain panicked once again, remember the brief slap of his sala's dark energy against his, the pin of being forced off. He dashed through the men, running after the moon lilies, chasing the scent that could make everything else go away.

They were so close. He could smell the smooth, floral scent filling the area, and when he found it, he clung to it.

"I am so sorry, Miss, he's a little distressed." His sala said anxiously as he neared the boy again. Crain, having had a few moments to breathe it in and calm down, looked up.

He was clutching onto an asari woman in pink robes. She had started to stroke his hair soothingly, humming a little tune as she did so. She glanced down and smiled at the boy before responding.

"It is alright. The first time off of a home world can be disorienting. I've had people seek me out for what they thought they needed, of course, but I have to say he is my youngest seeker." She laughed before patting him on the head. The boy automatically let go and smiled. Jeordan stepped forward and clutched the boy to him, smiling back gratefully at the woman.

"Thank you so much, I don't know why he ran into you-," he started, but the woman merely shook her head.

"He needed peace in this place, and I had something familiar to give him just that." She glanced down at the boy again, who was still smiling at her, before looking Jeordan in the eye and gesturing to Crain. "May I?"

"Well… um…" the dark haired man blinked, not comprehending her question. The asari bent at the knees gracefully to meet Crain's eyes, still smiling serenely at the boy. As she looked at him, she spoke again.

"You have a great power in you, child, one that will awaken to something beautiful in your future. I believe you will find the one of your dreams, maybe sooner than you think." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There are worlds out there you have yet to experience, and people you have yet to know, become friends with. As long as you remember those who love you do so greatly, then you have no need to fear the place around you. Got out and seize the galaxy, and never let fear stop you from following your heart."

Crain stopped smiling, looking back into her eyes with a look of wonder, staring after her as she left. Those words sunk in a little as she vanished from view, his sala scolding him lightly and guiding him to the Citadel Tower. Jeordan stopped them in front of the doors to the massive building, catching the boy's eyes and placing his hands on Crain's shoulders.

"Never do that to me again, mana. You scared me to the Mother and beyond!" he sighed, looking down. "I can't afford to lose anyone else I care about right now. Do you understand?"

Crain looked at his sala with calm, violet rimmed eyes and took on a small smile of his own.

"Yes, sala, I understand."

Crain decided he liked pizza.

The sticky 'cheese' and the 'pepperoni' tasted good on the thin bit of dough they had pounded into a circle. The fruit they had used for the sauce tasted alarmingly like a vegetable, but tasted lighter than most of the nasty green crops he had on his planet. Apparently, pizza was a delicacy common on Earth and its colonies. It seemed to be a tradition to have it with some beverage called 'beer', but they wouldn't let him have any.

So he swiped a little from his guata's bottle when he wasn't looking. After the initial, foul taste, he understood why they never gave it to children. He much preferred their carbonated fruit juices called 'soda'.

"Don't eat too much, mana; we wouldn't want you getting sick." Vrael laughed, taking a swig of his beer and chuckling at his son's enthusiasm. Crain lifted his head and gave a pouting look at the man.

"He's only eaten two slices." Jeordan raised his brow, giving Vrael a strange look. The man laughed a little more, putting his bottle down and leaning back.

"He's more like you than he is me; and remember your first time with other species delicacies?" the boy's sala twitched faintly and shook his head, though Crain thought it odd that he wouldn't remember; it was so good.

"We said we wouldn't speak of that ever again." Jeordan said with a grimace, glaring his mate down slightly. The man seemed unimpressed and just leaned across the table.

"You have such a steely liver, yet you have such a delicate little stomach. Two slices had you cursing the stars for ever existing." He said as he stroked Jeordan's nose and smirked. His smirk dropped when a loud thud sounded, followed by his grunt of pain. The dark haired man smiled.

"And you, mi ashra, have such delicate bones."

"That's not what you said last-," he grunted again as a noticeably louder thump sounded from under the table. Crain, confused yet again, looked under the table to see his sala's foot retreat back under the chair as his guata's hand soothed his legs.

"Now now, mi ashra, you should really watch your language." Jeordan said with a little warning in his voice. Vrael snorted before leaning over the table and whispering something. Jeordan started to blush and hissed something back, and thus began a furious little war with words between the men. Crain, understanding nothing, went back to eating his pizza. His attention wandered until his eyes settled on a group of human men, sitting in a little corner of the restaurant.

These humans were… different. They looked young, maybe in their late teens or early twenties, and they had human military uniforms on. No weapons, no heavy metal plates, just a uniform. There were four of them, one of them telling a joke as the others listened eagerly. When he finished, they all burst out laughing.

Except for one in particular.

Sure, he laughed a little, but his was more a chuckle and sip of his drink. He was a little more collected than his companions, and he sat in his chair rigidly, facing the door and darting his eyes out every once in a while. He seemed only a little relaxed compared to his friends, and that made Crain focus his attention further, observing the young man as time passed.

He was tall, and solidly built. Maybe a little thin compared to his friends, but he looked like the youngest there, so that was fair. He had a buzzed haircut, probably less than an inch of his dark black hair left. His face was classically masculine, sturdier bone structure than any crystar could hope to achieve. He was tan, and when he did speak his voice was smooth and charming. He carried himself like someone who had seen terrible things and expected those things to pop up anytime, anywhere. On his pinky finger was a shining silver ring that caught the boy's eye for a second, followed quickly by a silver ring on his ring finger of the other hand. It seemed so out of place on such a... masculine young man.

He was… unique.

The young man's friends, however, seemed to be boring him. Minutes passed by as the recruit looked around, sighing every once in a while to himself. His companions just ignored it and talked amongst themselves. He started to fiddle with the bottle he had, probably empty by now, and then he started to look around. Eventually, his eyes met the young crystar's. At first, Crain froze up, embarrassed at being caught. He glanced away quickly, his heart chiming a little, and waited a few seconds. When he looked back up the recruit was smiling at him.

The boy plucked up the courage to wave, and the recruit gave a small wave back, unnoticed by his friends. The boy blushed even harder and looked down again, his heart chiming just a bit harder, and he looked up again. The recruit seemed to be concentrating on the floor, frowning a little in a twisted way. Crain looked down to see a fork lying in between them, a good distance from each of them. The boy's eyes widened as the fork was manipulated with an ME field, and the shiny piece of silverware started to dance on its end. He looked up and saw the recruit still concentrating but smiling too.

Crain giggled behind one of his hands, glancing up at his parents. They were still heavily engrossed in their… weird behavior, so he felt alright stealing their silverware and placing it all on the floor, glancing up at the young man. The recruit seemed to wince and they all gave a weak little tug, but he shrugged when he couldn't get them all. He managed to control three of them, but there were still three others left. Crain giggled again as he wiggled his fingers at them, sending a little tendril of energy out and causing them to dance up to the ones under the recruit's control. After a brief moment of shock, the recruit smiled even broader.

They made their silverware dance with each other, forks with knives twirling around on the floor like they were at a ball, and Crain just giggled away and the recruit was all smiled too. After a few minutes, Crain got crafty and started to make his silverware fight the recruits, who happily obliged and made his start jabbing away. After another few minutes, the recruit held up his hands in surrender and his silverware slowly drooped to the ground. Crain clapped a little and made his dance on the fallen forks and knives, then returned one of them to the recruit. He gave the boy a little salute and smiled again.

Crain collected his silverware and put it back on the table, only to meet the two very amused gazes of his parents.

"Having fun?" Vrael asked as his son blushed himself into the table. A small nod and a squeak were the only confirmations, but the two laughed anyways. After a few seconds, the boy felt another energy tendril come up to him and tap his ankle. He glanced down as his parents, undisturbed by it, went back to talking.

At his feet was a bouncing, silver ring, and he picked it up as it made its highest bounce. It was the one the recruit had been wearing. Crain glanced up at the young man, only to find him getting up and giving him a little wave. His friends waved at him, whom he nodded to, and the recruit left the main exit of the restaurant. Crain quickly got up after him, rushing up to catch him before he got too far ahead.

"Hey! Wait!" he called, and the recruit stopped and turned around, brow raised and a slight smile on his face. Crain pulled to a stop in front of him, panting a little and offering the ring. "I can't take this… it's yours."

The recruit smiled and looked at him for a second, then looked him in the eyes. The boy was momentarily trapped, staring back at the young man. His eyes were a deep, royal blue color, solid and bright. It was the first time he had ever observed a humans eye color before, and it surprised him. They didn't have the same kind of endless depth to them that his race had, but this man's eyes… they made his heart chime just a little harder against his chest.

"Hm… why don't you keep it for now? I'm sure we'll run into each other again." he said warmly, reaching out and closing Crain's fingers over the precious band. He smiled and turned around again, waving behind his shoulder again. Crain looked down at it briefly before calling out again.

"What's your name?"

The recruit looked over his shoulder again, smiling faintly. "Kyle." He said, before resuming his walk and rounding the corner.

Crain opened his hand, staring at the metal band. There was an engraving on the inside, etched in a delicate text. He took it to be translated as Forever. He smiled slightly and put it on his index finger, marveling that it even fit. He walked back into the restaurant, eyes glowing and his heart chiming softly against his lungs. His parents looked at him carefully, briefly worried by his sudden disappearance.

"Who was that, mi mana?" Jeordan asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Crain just looked up and smiled.

"I don't know, but he's gonna be my mate someday."

Thank you for reading, and please review~! Oh, and the following terms are some translation type things for the words that don't translate into english.

Sala (Sah-Lah)= Creator, Caregiver, Nurturer (More feminine of the mated pair, also a 'type')
Guata (Gah-Tah)= Guardian, Protector, Provider (More masculine of the mated pair, also a 'type')
Ashra (Ash-Rah)= Holder of my Heart (this gets explained... later~!)
Mana (May-Nah)= My Quickling, My Gemstone (The child)