"It's a title of veneration- not totally unlike a title, but rather than be given it at birth, it must be earned. It is a great honor. The only humans I know of that the Syshin would dare to call Sy'nara are some of the first people of the empire that lived with their communities as they created textbooks to understand the language." It was a time that was not included in formal accounts of the 'Syshin acquisition' but could not be buried in secrecy. A dozen linguists had been tasked with decoding the Syshin's methods of communication and, to speed the process, they had immersed themselves. Time among the gentle giants had made them fond of the aliens. A few had been so reluctant to return to their place among humanity they had willingly stayed behind and become some of the first diplomats that established relations between the races. This was not without recourse from the then-Emperor and Empress. People were no longer encouraged to live with the Syshin and social stigma prevented curiosity from taking hold of most. Distance was prescribed for all discussions with and of the subjugated beings.

Solae politely inclined her head to the crowd of gathered Syshin as they cheered at the couple who had been newly anointed with what prestige the Syshin could grant in their culture. Rene, following her lead, did the same. Nari allowed this congratulation to continue for only a short time before she raised her arms and let them fall slowly indicating a call for quiet. Enro stood yet by Solae's side but he exchanged glances with his twin without letting a single syllable fall from his lips. Their silent communication imparted thoughts from one to the other and, with another sweep of her arms, Nari moved from the table. The Syshi on her tongue was yet foreign to Rene but he could discern the meaning well enough: it was time to feast.

All eyes turned towards Rene and Solae. There was an expectation the guests, the humans who had led them to victory, would fill their bowls first. [i]"Please, we ask the children are allowed before us so we may gather our thoughts,"[/i] Solae said gracefully in Syshi. There was some murmuring and, before any parents could object, a cluster of rambunctious youth bee-lined for the soapstone laden with dishes. Adults followed after them with light chastisement on their lips but the protocol had been broken- and anger could not weigh on their hearts when there was such joy to be found in their successes.

"I'm not sure I can eat," Solae confessed to Rene quietly. Her stomach was churning at the sight of the bound prisoner, at the memories his countenance conjured, at the nightmare that had so chillingly foretold Rene's corpse laying at her feet. The marquise shivered and Enro raised a brow but said nothing. It was not his place to comment.

"I will have Lasha fill bowls for you since you do not know our foods," Enro offered. "Please sit," he requested as he motioned towards a lush space of grass that was conspicuously unoccupied. No Syshin would intrude on a place where the noblewoman and her soldier bonded might need to rest while they ate. Solae opened her mouth as if to reassure that his generosity was not needed but the elder Syshin had already departed her side.

"I'm sorry," Solae said as she knelt and then sat on the patch of grass. Though it was only vegetation she almost felt guilty for sitting upon it because it was so well-tended it was bursting with color and life. "You're hurt because of me, aren't you?" Her face was still carefully controlled such that no one glancing their way would see a flash of feeling and feel compelled to interject themselves into the private discussion. Despite the restraint of her features, her voice was laden with guilt.

"I didn't mean to..," she took a shuddering breath as she tried to get herself under control. The day had been full of surges in adrenaline as they were first pressed under sugar cane, anxiously waiting for their stop as they wondered if they would have the misfortune of being discovered, then meeting with Syshin who were wary of them and within their rights to turn them away, then in armed conflict with slavers who had nearly spirited Solae to a life of unspeakable horrors. She oscillated between fatigue, steeled determination to persevere, and tittering with the energy of fried nerves. "I didn't think about the harm I put you in, that I am putting you into, and now it is all I can think about."

Enro approached with two matching earthenware bowls and cups sized for Syshin children but more appropriate for humans than the larger physiques (and digestive systems) of adult Syshin. Each had been polished with lacquer until it glistened and glimmered in the light that was afforded to them by the lamps strewn around the disabled starship. Crystalline water was contained in each cup and each bowl had been piled high with an assortment of cooked vegetables, a bread made of rice rather than wheat, and a medley of fruits from the grove just outside the hull of the encampment. "When you are done one of my people will show you to your room," he told them and excused himself again.

Solae did not move to eat and instead simply stared down at the offering as her stomach knitted tighter with all she suppressed within.