Ridahne laughed softly. "Slow down! I can't answer them all at once. Lihaelen has been here....well...for a long time. Centuries. It's said that its settlers originally built the city on the ground, like usual cities. But the trees--this variety is called [I]enuhin[/I], or redheart in common speech--grew strong and tall, and the roots began to crack the foundations of their buildings. It is said that they, having a love for nature and not wanting to compete with it, began to build their homes around and into the trees. Over the long years they've formed somewhat of a symbiotic relationship. Yes, the Council of the Seven Winds is here, and somewhat like Azurei each of them oversees a district of the nation. But here they all have relatively equal power, they vote on decisions, and unlike Azurei, the rulers are chosen by the people rather than the previous ruler. A little chaotic if you ask me, but that's my Azurei sensibilities talking, they seem to get on just fine." 

They found a long building with a trail of wholesome woodsmoke leaking out of a  brick chimney on its far end, and rows of stalls and pens surrounding it. Ridahne had quick words with the stable master and soon they were shown where to keep their animals. Ridahne began removing Tsura's gear. "Yes, people all have jobs and work. But they work different jobs, or different versions of the jobs. Like that man we spoke to, he isn't just as shepherd, he's a guard. There are some farmers, yes, and builders and smiths and butchers and bakers, yes. But more traders and merchants. More sheriffs. There are historians, scribes, scientists--Lihaelen has the best healers and doctors in all of Astra. The Eluri value knowledge highly, and some people have devoted years to taking the dead and cutting them apart to understand anatomy better. Sort of a gruesome practice, but as the person is already dead, and the practice can help save lives later on, it's not really as awful as it sounds. There are people here who make a living on art--something you might not be used to from a small village. Musicians and performers and craftsmen. Yes, there are places like this in the other lands. I don't know a lot about the Siren people or their lands, but Azurei and Orosi both have large cities, and there are a few human ones too. Never been to them, but it's where your kings and queens and such are. I've seen paintings of those--big fortresses of stone with strategic parapets and portcullises. They're relics of a much older Astra, back when there was such a thing as war. And," she said with a lightheartedly dramatic intake of breath, "People made cities like this because wherever they are, there's some reason that lots of people want to come live there. It's why port cities are always large, there's lots of trade and exotic goods and work to be had, so people come there looking for those things. There's a kind of security in numbers, too. A band of marauders with a few torches could sadly level Lively in a night, but Lihaelen would be much harder to take. Plus, since there are more people working together for a common good, you have to toil a little less for your living. It's...sort of in the same way that you probably buy goods like cloth from someone else in your village, rather than try to run your farm and weave cloth and stitch it into clothes at the same time. People work well in a group." 

Ridahne gave Mitaja instructions to stay with the horses for the most part (She was a nimble cat but was nonetheless built for desert sands, not treetops) except to go out and hunt as she pleased...provided it wasn't the livestock. With the horses untacked, brushed, watered, and fed, they left to go find lodging. Ridahne did not pick the first thing she found--she asked around a little and investigated the inns (which were large enough span across multiple trees) until she found one suitable. It was quieter than the other ones they looked at, and a little less crowded, though still lively and cheerful. Ridahne got them a private room at the end of the hall. It wasn't anything special--two beds, a washbasin, and a little iron wood stove that kept the room warm on cold nights. 

"We should take the opportunity to clean ourselves up while we can, and then we can explore the city a bit. If we ever get separated, this will be our meeting place. If it's compromised for any reason, meet back at the stables. Sound like a plan?"