Darin tried tapping the cup to the table as Ridahne did only to sing up with a hand cover in the drink. She licked the liquid from her fingers. It was strange and different, but Darin loved it. She found more of it and this time didn’t tap so hard. She wanted to learn about all the things Ridahne wanted to know. Besides the more she learned about other cultures the easy her job would be. The Gardener had got his Seed at the last possible moment. The Gardener before him had wanted to give their people the best possible chance to survive. The Gardener that had interacted with Darin wanted Darin to have the best possible chance of saving the people. There was no right and wrong answer in that regard. Every Gardener had simply done the very best they could. 

Still Darin had no time to think of that now. She let out a laugh as she led Ridahne through the paces of the dance she had rarely danced before. She laughed as Ridahne led her though the dance of the Azurei people. Darin was one move behind the entire time, but no one seemed to care. When that was done Darin didn’t sit down. Instead she kept dancing. A Siren woman let the human copy the movements of a graceful fluid dance that Darin was honestly too jerky for. An Elf that didn’t look like Ravi or Ridahne tossed her about in a radically different dance. Darin was far to clumsy to ever become proficient at that one. The human jig was a little better. No matter how well or not well Darin danced she danced every dance anyone was willing to help her with. She laughed the entire time. Finally, she had to beg off the next dance just because she needed to breath. She fell into the closest chair as she started to clap in tune with the songs. 

Then a strange hush fell over the air. Darin knew at once what was happening. She pulled her knees up under her shin as her eyes locked on to where the musicians were. The music slowly shifted from encouraging dancing to a tune more suited to listening too. Many dancers just collapsed where they were to kneel or sit cross legged. The evening was winding down. Ravi came to sit next to her. He pushed a cup of hot tea into her hands. In fact, many people were being given or retrieving hot drinks. The music wasn’t necessarily somber, but it wasn’t dancing music. Darin closed her eyes to let the pure story sweep over her. She paused when the music stopped longer than what was required to change songs. She almost fell out of her chair when she saw every pair of eyes on her.

Ravi quietly asked, “Do you play Seed-Bearer?”

Darin smiled tightly, “Not as well as anyone here.” She was hoping she wouldn’t have to, “Not as well as anyone else I know.”

Ravi shook his head once, “That is not what I asked Seed-Bearer.”

He waited as Darin squirmed. Then she broke, “It’s in my bag. I would have to get it and I don’t want.”

She didn’t get to finish as Ravi bent to pick up something beside his chair. It was the case for her instrument. She sighed as she stood up. It appeared that the Overseer wouldn’t let her ger out of this. She briefly wondered if she could ask Ridahne to rescue her, but she didn’t think that was fair. She reached for and received the case. The case was placed on the table, and then opened. Darin pulled out the only thing that belong to her father that was left behind. She would have liked to burn it. Her mother insisted she use it. Darin stood slightly away from the table as she tucked the fiddle that was sized for travel, under her skin. Then after carefully tuning it and a quick look to see if Ridahne would heard this, the Seed-Bearer began.

She had been correct. All the over musicians in the room had both more talent and more practice than she did. She still played as best she could. She had no song in mind and as such played in such a manner that could only be called, “from the heart.” The result was a slow, almost haunting melody, with moments of lighter bounce. Darin closed her eyes as she continued. Other than her instrument the room was silent. Darin almost wished someone would start singing or playing something else. She wasn’t sure she could ask though.

Then Ravi’s whisper almost caused her to lose her place, “I know you sing Ridahne. So, sing for us now. Sing as The Seed-Bearer plays. Sing us your heart.”