"Jesso ka'val Addison abaira? (Can you understand, Addison?)" Kados murmured testing the implant he'd just placed in my brain.

Of course, I can't. The words were strange and new; that same whispered lilting language Esayr had used to speak to all the males that had approached us today. "No,"

Kados brow furrowed, but he mainly looked faintly amused, "Dalde? (No?)"

What do you mean 'no?' "Dalde. Dal'abaira-de kier. (No. I'm not able to understand.)" I glanced from Kados to Esayr and noted their smiles.

Kados spun around to face Esayr, "Well, it works!"

I threw my hands up in the air.

"Addison, you're speaking Vallan. It's slightly little confusing because the implant simulates fluency. It sounds strange to you, but you are understanding and pulling the language from the implant like it's second nature for you."

Am I? I'm still thinking in English. "Jesso kier soromaira? English holaio kier'la, dal'Vallan-de.(How do I stop? I prefer English not Vallan.) I could feel a slight hint of panic. What if it erased English? What if I can never get back to my original language? I can never talk to my friends again. I pushed the panic down only slightly. Calm down Addison you're still thinking in English it's obviously still there.

Esayr was there at my side immediately, "It takes a moment to adjust and learn how to reach into the area of your mind without going through the implant. It'll come back. It also helps to have others around that speak English."

Kados drifted toward the door that led into this room that must be some manner of workspace for him. "I need a small hand laser to remove the metal on your wrist. Excuse me one moment." He disappeared out the door leaving me with Esayr.

He almost looked bashful. He brought up a hand to rub at his face. "Vallan fits you. It sounds beautiful when you speak it. It's not something...I anticipated."

"Dalde? (No?)" I scrunched up my face, I'd intended to use English.

He smiled and I could have sworn there was a darker tint along his tan cheeks, "Dalde. (No.)"

"Vallan alair beautiful." I gripped his arm in surprise. "Beautiful!" I got it back. I can still speak English! The relief was instant.

Esayr was right about adjusting to not using the implant. When I pulled English from my brain proper and not through the network of the implant it almost felt a little slower. It felt like the implant had optimized and sped up language acquisition while my brain was using older natural hardware. When I thought of it that way it almost made sense that it was harder to switch back. My body was taking the fastest route to communication.

"Oh thank, god," the phrase came out in a rush.

"You're back," he joked as he smoothed a strand of hair back from my face. His eyes crinkled at the sides when he smiled like that.

Kados stepped back into the room a moment later, holding what looked like a small dark pen, "When I take the metal off your wrist please remain still. This is quite hot and will work quickly. I'd rather not risk harming you."

I nodded and held out my wrist for his inspection.

He pulled the small bracelet as far to one side as he could, giving himself more room to work with the small device. "It should be simple." Kados let go of my wrist and pressed some button on the table I was sitting on.

It changed beneath me into a strange dark material, "What?"

"To absorb the excess light." He patted the table and then realizing I had no idea what he wanted me to do continued, "please hop down and place your wrist with the metal over the table."

"Oh of course."

It was quick. In a matter of seconds, Kados had cut two clean lines breaking off a piece of the bracelet big enough to allow me to slip my hand out of it. I rubbed at the lighter ring of skin around my wrist. I'd had that bracelet on every day for five years. I'd expected to feel some kind of relief when it came off, but the first thing I felt was worry over how I would anticipate a new fertility cycle.

Kados tossed the bracelet carelessly in what was likely a trash bin, "Now that, that's off is there anything else I can help either of you with?"

"No, I believe that's it."

Kados inclined his head to the both of us, "Enjoy your time touring the ship." He turned a winning smile in my direction, "And thank you for being my first human patient, Addison."

"Oh. Anytime, I guess." It was the response I always gave when I didn't know whether to say you're welcome or not.

Esayr grabbed me and tugged me away lightly in the wake of Kados' brightening expression, "Don't get his hopes up. He'll ask you to come back for tests daily."

Kados laughed as Esayr herded me out the door, "I'm not foolish enough to try to take up her time during this period, Esayr. However, in the future, if you're bored and don't mind answering questions I would find it incredibly useful!"

Esayr had me out and almost to the front of the Science bay before Kados had even finished his sentence. He smiled down at me, "Don't let him fool you, he'd have asked you to spit in a cup. And if you'd agreed," He whistled a high piercing note, "he would have never let you leave."

"He's quite invested in his job."

"He is. For the more wicked brother, he is surprisingly diligent when working, however, if given the opportunity he will detain anyone and anything that could further his studies."

"He's wicked?"

He laughed and it bounced around the hallway, "The worst out of all of us. It's his golden smile and silver tongue that's managed to keep him out of trouble all these years. That, and Addric's size, probably."

"The large red-headed one?" Aside from the first day I'd been brought up to the ship I'd never actually spoken to Addric. I was lucky I remembered even that much of him. If he'd been just a little more similar to the rest of Esayr's Riniere I might not have remembered him at all.

"Yes, that's Addric. He's the...more manageable brother," his words held all the exasperation of childhood friends. It was obvious they were all close.

"You have good friends."

He smiled, "I do."

I laced my fingers back together with his, it felt comfortable and easy. I could imagine a world where it became second nature to have my hand in his, "So, show me this ship you've been dying to let me see."

He ran his thumb along the side of my hand immediately, "With pleasure." He tugged me along after him. I could feel the thrum of excitement race down our bond. For a moment I wished I had my phone so I could take one of those popular couples photos of your lover pulling you along, but that was still down in my tiny little apartment. So, I settled for memorizing the view instead.

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

Dalde. Dal'abaira-de kier.

It's pretty similar to the original question that I already translated, but for ease of understanding how my brain is working through the language

Dalde: 'No' or a negative signifier,

Dal'abaira-de: lack the ability to have understanding. The negative brackets what is not able to be done, so it's literally '-negative'have understanding-negative',

Kier: (fem) 'I' derived from the name for females 'Val'Kier'.

Currently, I like to imagine that this language, for the most part, can be put in any order to be understood. So she could have said "Kier dal'abaira-de" and it would have been just as easily understood in the same manner that Kados could have said, "Ka'val Addison jesso abaira?" The notable exception being that the specified subject must come after the non-specific 'you' form. Ergo Addison must always follow ka'val when you want to specify you're speaking to Addison singularly. You could totally just say "Do you understand" though and drop Addison's name entirely. Then it'd just be "Ka'val jesso abaira" or some combination of those three words.

Thank you for your time suffering through my musings,

Layla

More words:

Jesso kier soromaira? English holaio kier'la, dal'Vallan-de

soromaira: have completion, finish, stop ((amusingly this is the same phrase that Esayr and his friends joked with a few chapters back when he asked them for advice))

halaio: is preffered/is preference

kier'la: (fem) mine

alair: very/much

bonus! komairo: is beautiful