Kirin listened, his heart breaking for Cain. "I'm so sorry." He whispered after Cain had finished speaking. He wished he knew what he could do for Cain, if anything. "If you want, you are free to return home to her." He said knowing he would want to be with his mother if she were in a position like Cain's mother.

Cain shook his head animatedly, though he was happy to have the option to return home. "I don't want to have your pity," he whispered gruffly. "I don't mind staying here."

"The option is there if you ever want it." He said. He put his hand on Cain's shoulder. "And I am here if you ever wish to talk. About this or anything." He said truly meaning it.

Cain let the silence wash over them for a few deep seconds before he responded. "Thank you," he said with as much gratitude in his voice as he could put there. He looked at the hand on his shoulder, then smiled up at Kirin. "You are an amazing person."

Kirin blushed softly. "There are many who call me weak." He said with a small laugh. The compliment from Cain had made him feel better then any compliment he had ever gotten from any of those in his court.

"Weak? No...to me you are very strong. No king should ever be this good of a person. Only a strong person could pull that off," Cain said as he found himself leaning against Kirin, resting his head on the other man's shoulder. "Why do I feel so comfortable next to you?"

Kirin put his arm around Cain. "I don't know why." He said just enjoying being with Cain like this. He rested his head on Cain's head. "But I am glad you feel comfortable near me."

Cain had never felt so close to another person as he did now. If possible, he wanted to stay this kind of close. He wanted to never drift away from Kirin even if that meant he could never travel again. There was something so compelling about being with another person like this. "I...I also feel that you are special." he said after much hesitation. "Just like you said I am special to you, you are the same way to me."

Kirin smiles. "Thank you." He says kissing the top of Cain's head. "It's been awhile since I've felt this way." He said honestly. He never wanted to leave this spot. He could stay like this for ever.

Cain could feel his cheeks heating up and he was glad that they were sitting in such a way that Kirin couldn't see his face. He could feel things shifting in their relationship and it made him feel as if he were falling, except the fact that he still felt safe being close to Kirin like this. They didn't just have friendship anymore though, it was something else. It wasn't the kind of thought that Cain could voice though. "How long are you going to be free today?" he asked instead.

"If nothing comes up I have the rest of the day off." Kirin said with a smile. "Why do you have any thoughts of things to do? We just have to be back for dinner. We will be eating with mother tonight."

"I was just wondering. You seem to have a lot of free time for someone who runs a kingdom, but I was worried this moment would be short. I'm glad you have more time today," Cain said with a slight chuckle. He didn't know how he felt about having dinner with Kirin's mother, but he said nothing. Maybe he could use the opportunity to learn more about Kirin and his race. Cain still knew so little.

"This is one of the less busy days. There are often days when I'm busy from sun up to sun down." He said with a smile. "You fascinate my mother. She would like to get to know you better, and I am sure you have questions for her." He nuzzled Cain softly.

"Uh...I see," Cain muttered, pulling away slightly. His pulling away didn't have much meaning though, just that he felt like it. "I don't see what's so fascinating about me though."

"People don't usually see what's fascinating about themselves." He says with a smile. He kissed Cain's cheek softly.

Cain didn't have a chance to reply. Rather, any response he might have had flew right out of his mind when Kirin placed a kiss on his cheek. Cain pulled back, scooting to the edge of the bench in the same movement. He stared at Kirin with wide eyes, completely unsure of what to be feeling now or how to react. "W-what was that?" he managed to ask when his voice didn't want to work.

Kirin instantly regretted his actions when Cain reacted the way he did. He knew he shouldn't have done that. "I'm sorry." He said. "I over stepped my bounds." He was mentally kicking himself for moving to fast.

Cain kept staring until he blinked his eyes slowly and looked down at the ground. "No...I shouldn't have reacted so harshly. But um, I feel hungry all of a sudden. Should we head back now?" he asked, knowing it sounded like an obvious attempt to run away from the situation.

"Of course." He said standing. He offered Cain his hand, though he would be surprised if the young man took it. "You had every right to react the way you did." He said after a moment. He hoped against hope he hadn't ruined what they had.

Cain felt sure that he had upset Kirin, so when the other man offered his hand, Cain took it. He held Kirin's hand loosely like he didn't want to touch him too closely. It wasn't that Cain was so upset by this change in their relationship though. Just surprised. He needed time to figure out if he wanted to reciprocate or not. For now, he just wanted to make sure he didn't harm what friendship they had by pulling away too far. "Let's just eat, okay?"

"I agree." Kirin said as they headed into the castle. He leads him to his mother's private chambers. By the time they get there he is much more composed. He knocked on the door waiting for his mother to respond.

"Enter." She called, after a moment.

Kirin opened the door and stepped aside to let Cain step in.

Cain walked in silence, spending his time making sure his face was calm. He didn't want to look as on edge as he still felt and he thought he did a very good job of hiding it. When they got back to the castle, Cain followed Kirin into his mother's room, nodding his head once in greeting. He was sure this meal was going to be awkward, but at least it would be the kind of awkward he knew how to deal with.

"I have taken the liberty to have some food brought up." She said as the two men walked in.

On the table is a nice rustic fair, not like Cain has been offered before.

Cain relaxed some when he saw the food. It wasn't quite the food he was familiar with, but it was the type of food. It made him think of home and smile. He sat down at one corner of the table, still looking over the food. "It looks like a nice meal," he said.

"I hope it is to your liking." Kirin's mother said with a smile. "I figured you were probably not used to the types of food we eat."

Kirin sat next to Cain and smiled. "Mother you always think of everything."