"I know it's unconventional, but I'm going with," Kados stood toe to toe with the male assigned to escort me down to the surface of the small blue planet.

"Too many of us planetside poses a greater risk of detection from the human populace. It should be myself and Esayr only," The male responded, aggravated.

Kados had been steadfastly refusing to back down from accompanying me on my trip to lay eyes on the blonde female with the laughing brown eyes.

"Your features are just dissimilar from human anatomy as well. To take you along, we would need someone of Laoirian heritage to mask your features. Esayr and I are innocuous enough to not draw attention. Your eyes, however," The male gave Kados a pointed stare, "they are distracting."

"My brother and I have Urland blood in our veins. With enough concentration, we can manage."

"From the distance between our ship and the surface? Surely, I think not."

"We were knit from the same cloth and brought into this world in the same breath clinging to each other. Our bond is strong. I swear to you we will manage. Furthermore, I refuse to stand aside when the opportunity to study the effects of the Temani Bercari on the human genome. I found this compatibility match between this female and a member of my Riniere. I am responsible to see it through." Kados body blocked the male from entering the hangar.

The male stood for a moment, mulling over his options. "Prove to me you can look the part. Where is your brother?"

Kados shot him a cocky smile, "Already on his way."

Sure enough, not five minutes later, Addric — the final member of my Riniere — rounded the corner on his way to our group, "You called brother?"

"Yes, your brother has machinations to accompany me and my charge to Earth. He insists that you will both be able to maintain concentration to alter his appearance even over the separation between the ship and Earth's surface," the male's gaze flicked between Kados and Addric, no doubt noticing their differences.

Kados was a study in lean gold lines, smaller than his brother but by no means small he made up for the size difference in mischief and all-around naughtiness, challenging even the most stalwart of rules and bending them to the point of breaking. Kados had hair that laid in lazy waves framing his face and likewise golden eyes.

Addric was a large intimidating male. He was the logic to his brother's brash personality. He had short russet waves and the same golden eyes. While he was remarkably slow to anger he wasn't above quiet exasperation. Addric shot his brother a look that said, "Oh you said that did you?"

I felt Addric's faint amusement over the whole ordeal. He looked to me and pure joy and pride radiated from the center of my chest. He nodded a moment before turning to the male escorting me, "We can do that, yes."

"Prove it, and do it well," the male glared at Kados again, "Your image is one of the ones that's been leaked, you'll have to change more than your eyes even."

"Simple," Addric shrugged, "take my features and we'll make up your eyes. Something close enough to their original color so it isn't too taxing, though." Addric turned to his brother, "Come here, brother. Let me slap that silly face right off of you."

"I'd much prefer our usual means of transference."

"Yeah, yeah," he cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

The two brothers gripped hands. They bowed their heads almost as if in prayer. The first thing to change was their hair. Slowly, from the roots to the tips the brother's hair began to switch. Kados' sandy blond mop began to bleed into a dark russet, while Addric's began to leach into Kados' blond. Once their hair was switched Addric gripped both sides of Kados' head, murmuring some words that even I didn't know.

When Kados' eyes blinked open they were a light hazel, set in a face that was somewhere halfway between his and his brother's, "How's that?"

The male looked displeased —he certainly felt displeased from the emotions rolling off of him in waves, "Fine. But, if for one moment I think this might fade you will return immediately to the Tampa Genetics Lab. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly." Kados shot him a winning smile and Addric just snorted.

The male entered into the hangar, "Follow me," he called as he marched off toward the molecular transport.

Addric nudged me, "Go get her Esayr. Bring her home."

I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming. The culmination of every want and desire I'd ever had throughout my life was in this moment, "I intend to."

With a nod, Addric ambled off back down the hallway. No doubt having already sent his goodbyes to Kados through their link.

"Quickly, I found as much information as I could about your female, Esayr," Kados pulled me along after our guide. "I did some...research."

"Right of course. How much of it was legal?"

"Not so much illegal, as 'the American government did not specifically say we could not access this information, however, had they thought of it they certainly would have'. Regardless, I've done some research. Your female's name is Addison Kane. She lives in an apartment with 5 other females—"

"Her Riniere?"

"As close as the humans come to such customs probably. She's 23 years old with no living relatives. She works at a food dispensary down by the coast. There wasn't too much information on her, but I got as much as I could."

"Addison Kane," I tasted her name on my lips.

"Her friends — her Riniere — they call her Addy," Kados whispered just before our escort hushed us both like errant school children.

One second we were standing on a circular platform in our home ship and the next second there was a flash and an overwhelming feeling of upheaval and suddenly we were in a completely different room, this one warm with the overwhelming scent of being planet side. The contrast was dizzying.

Our escort turned to us, "You will have a total of 30 minutes in her presence for the bond to snap into place. If it does we will return to our ship for short period of only a few Earth days to finalize paperwork for her citizenship and your binding and then we can return and retrieve her. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Then let's go find the female," the male sent a suspicious look over to Kados, who -- while certainly a touch more pale than he was previously -- was maintaining his altered appearance.

The planet's atmosphere was certainly thick and muggy, even with the sun so low on the horizon. I could feel sweat beading along my spine as we walked the short distance to one of the transports the humans used. It was an entirely inefficient mode of travel and we found ourselves stuck on a long bridge connecting the city of Tampa to Pinellas Island.

The choppy waters of the bay were beautiful, though, reflecting the red-gold light of the system's singular sun and painting the sky a fiery orange. It took us nearly an hour to cross the large bridge and the nervous tingle along my neck had begun to take its toll on my patience. If I had to stay cramped in this small metal box for much longer I just might lose my mind. Couple that with the waves of annoying and displeasure floating over the other drivers who'd been caught in the traffic, I was a tightly coiled spring.

Kados chatted animatedly in the front seat, discussing matters of the Earth surface world that were unfamiliar to the Val'Dornn, obviously invested in the study of a new and foreign planet.

My gaze skimmed over the vehicles nearby and for a moment I'd have guessed I was dreaming. Females. Females everywhere. It was an entirely alien concept. I could count on two maybe even one hand the number of females of our race I had ever seen in my life. To see them in almost every vehicle we passed was awe inspiring. To see the small children in each car felt like a miracle. On the Aarond Form alone it had been more than two decades since there was a child born.

I watched a young woman turn around and hand a small blue item to a child strapped into a large seat in the back of their transport. The little child beamed and shook the object, some kind of toy. The woman smiled causing the baby to kick its little legs happily.

A fierce wanting coiled in the pit of my stomach. I wanted that quiet domesticity. I wanted to feel the soft and gentle love filling the room as my soulbind and our children interacted. To see her smile and them to laugh. I craved it all the way down to every crack in my soul. "How much longer?"

"Ten minutes to her place of work."

I nodded, watching the small family drive away and make a turn at the next intersection.

Those ten minutes felt like an eternity, but as I stepped out of the small vehicle and into the lot that surrounded my female's place of work, I knew it was worth it. I bounced a few times on the balls of my feet to relieve some of the nervous tension that had been building ever since the bridge.

Kados was at my shoulder, a wicked knowing smile on his face, "Are you ready?"

I smiled back, "I have been ready for this moment since the fates unwound our souls and threw us out into the galaxy."

Kados smile faded for a moment, he touched my arm, "My friend, if she isn't the one --"

"She is."

"Esayr...if she isn't. It is no reflection upon your validity as a mate," Kados looked sad for a moment, "I have seen males --"

"If she isn't, Kados, I will survive just like those other males. I believe that she is, though." One truth and one lie. I wasn't sure that I would survive the heartbreak and the crush of returning to my search that has spanned galaxies. But, I was nearly certain she was my female. Even now I could scent that same sea salt sweet flavor I had in the genetics lab. That's the smell of your female my thoughts whispered to me, recognizing something deep and instinctual. I followed it into the small building with its dark wood architecture.

Kados and our escort followed after me quickly as I passed into the swinging doors and walked up to a small wooden podium with a tiny female. Not yours, she smells of something bright and acidic almost, some kind of fruit. My females scent was stronger here, though. I was close.

"Howmaielpyoo?" The female -- gods she was small are they all this small? -- asked some sort of question. "Woodjoolikeuhtableforthree?" Another question.

I forgot that I hadn't gotten the language update. None of us had. It was only offered after finding your female.

"A table for three, yes please," my escort intoned fluidly. I realized he was likely on the human relations team with some manner of Carabesk blood in his veins allowing him to pick up languages far more easily than others.

The little female seated us in a small booth in a darkened corner of the restaurant.

Kados marveled at the females just as I had on the drive. Reasonably we all knew that the human's population was nearly 50/50, but to be confronted with it face to face was staggering. "Are they all so small?"

"Humans? Yes, they are smaller than us Val'Dornn, their average heights being usually three or so Filum shorter than our average." The male flipped the thin sheet the female had placed on our table. It was covered in delicate rounded script.

I realized I'd never asked for my escort's name. I'd been too caught up in the rush of my matching. "You are...some manner of Carabesk?"

The male nodded, "Yes. Not much, but just enough that I could pick up English easily enough."

English. That must be the human's language.

"Caneyelpyoo?"

Her voice sent a line of fire straight down my spine and radiating out through every nerve. It warmed my skin. The heat pooled in the tips of my fingers and the pit of my stomach, making every sensation both pleasurable and painful. It felt like I'd never touched anything before this moment. The fabric of my shirt was too abrasive and my dark military issue pants were suddenly too confining. Her scent wafted over the table, though I'm sure it was only an afterthought for the other two males. It was the same smell as the sea breeze that blew over her small Island town mixed with something sweet.

I looked up at her and felt that reaching tether that had anchored my soul to hers across the universe tighten in response. It's her. It's really her. You've finally found her.

She looks tired, was the first thought to enter my mind. And she did. it took everything in my power not to take her hand and pulled her against me in the small booth to let her rest against me. She stood there at the head of our table her short blonde hair pulled into a tiny ponytail at the nape of her neck. She was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her light brown eyes, not in the same way the smile in the picture I had seen of her did.

Her gaze flicked between all of us at the table but kept returning to me. She began to look skittish. I realized none of us had responded to her question and were just staring at her.

"Eyecncomebak," she waved her hand and started to retreat.

"No, I apologize. I'm sorry we weren't paying near enough attention. I'm so sorry, and what was your name?"

"Addison.MeyenaymisAddison"

I watched our escort interact with her effortlessly and a felt some manner of helplessness and a little envy overtake me. I wanted to talk to her. To understand her. To convince her of our bond and to lead her away. But, you have to wait another week. That knowledge felt abnormal and unfair. I'd found her. I'd finally found her. We shouldn't wait any longer. Even now I could feel that tether, that bond between us, flexing growing tighter and tighter.

"Addison. I do apologize for our rudeness. Sadly, we won't be here long. Could you maybe get us three coffees tonight?"

"Uvcorsesir.Thatall?"

"Yes, thank you."

I watched her take our order and disappear through a door to the back of the restaurant and I felt the loss like a physical blow. The tether stretched and then began to strain as she got farther and farther away. How I would survive the coming week up on the ship while she remained on Earth, I didn't know.

So, instead of admitting that the bond was there and allowing myself and Kados to be wrangled back up to the ship, I decided I'd wait out the full thirty minutes to enjoy as much time with my female before I was forcefully dragged away.