Jay held up two golden pins. They're each decorated to look like a pair of crab claws, with a decorative metal ribbon banner engraved with the words 'Royal Guard.' She smiled as she handed them over. "A token of appreciation from myself and Tama. Not sure they'll exactly be 'useful,' but we both want you to have them."
Both siblings’ eyes went wide as they accepted the pins, Kate having to cover her mouth as she coughed a bit in surprise.
“Holy what…?” She crouched down so she could visually block out everything but the pin, using the heels of her feet for support and balance. Her fingers gingerly traced over the design as if she were examining something fragile, or a newly found animal bone. It seemed as if her mind couldn’t process the glittering pin by sight alone, so was prompting her to feel every edge and marking to define its shape. What was going through her mind exactly was anyone’s guess.
Lian was acting similarly, turning the pin over in his fingers like it was some sort of intriguing artifact, seemingly unable to quite process what it was. But like Kate, his green eyes were practically lit up in wonder. This wasn’t like anything he had in his personal hoard of misfit objects. He kept turning it in the light, just to see how much it would reflect as he was lost in thought.
“’Royal Guard’?”
The two humanoids cast each other equally puzzled yet fascinated glances, having finally spoken and at the same time. Then they looked at Jay with mystified expressions. “What does that mean exactly?” Lian asked, unsure of what to make of it.