"Hmm, milk and butter and chives does seem like an improvement from just plain boiled potatoes. We eat potatoes too down in Azurei but generally it's in something, like curry. But by themselves? You'll have to convince me. Sweet potatoes are alright though, they have a bit more flavor and I've had them with cinnamon and sage. When we head north again, there's a lot you'll have to introduce me to." Ridahne smiled genuinely; she wanted to learn more about her friend's culture and home. She felt like the more she knew, the better she understood Darin, and she hoped that a trip through Azurei would do the same for Darin. 

Ridahne took the boots with a smile and a nod, wishing she could take her own boots off too. Maybe she would when she got back to the inn. She never wore boots, usually just sandals back home or if she was going on an expedition to the Dust Sea, some kind of light wrap or stocking to keep the sand and sun from burning her feet. Being in soled boots all the time felt...suffocating sometimes. Ridahne watched Darin go, though she sat for a while longer to finish both her and Darin's cup of coffee before heading back to the inn. She came downstairs to the pub, and meant to go wander the city some more, but a burly elf stopped her.

"Fair winds, Azurei. What brings you to Lihaelen?" his tone was jovial and bright, and he was sitting alone at the bar. A man looking for some company, it seemed. 
Ridahne leaned against the counter. "Fair winds. I'm taking my apprentice to Azurei for a while. We're on our way from up north, and taking our time." It was somewhat true. Azurei wasn't the end goal--they didn't have one--but it was a reasonable story nonetheless. 
The man's eyebrows raised. "Oh! Apprentice! So you're a blade master then?" He looked subtly more nervous after that, as if he felt he'd offended her by bothering her and regretted it. 
"Something like that," Ridahne offered. "More like...retired eija." Not many people outside Azurei knew much about the eija-alihn, so she usually just simplified. 
The man looked puzzled. "Retired? You can't be much older than a hundred...you got a long time before you should retire!" He gave a hearty laugh. 
Ridahne gave a tight, nervous laugh in reply. "Fate is a fickle mistress."

The man got the sense she didn't want to continue that subject, so he backed off. "Got any news from the road? I'll trade a drink for it. C'mon, have a seat." Ridahne relented, perching next to him as the bartender set a clay mug filled with a rich, dark ale in front of her. The man, she discovered, was a river dock worker and in his younger days had been a sailor. Ridahne knew much of sailors and nautical life, and he was surprised to find an upper-class Azurei that was so knowledgeable on the subject. She explained she was from Atakhara, and he seemed to be familiar with the city. They passed back and forth some pieces of news, but mostly old stories and fables often circulated among sailors, and a few of Azurei superstition. 

As the time passed, his friends (all regulars at this tavern) trickled in and joined in the discussion. The energy in the room brightened as more and more people joined the little group, and soon there were outbursts of song and laughter. Ridahne was near the bottom of her second mug of ale when one of the men piped up, saying, "Oi, lads, who do you think would win in arm wrestling?  Talven, or miss Ridahne?" He meant it as a joke, but soon there was a loud debate over who would win. 
"Talven's got at least sixty pounds on her, maybe more! That's hardly even fair!" some said. 
Others cried, "C'mon, just look at her! She's eija! She could probably throw Talven across the bar!"

This went on for a minute or two before Ridahne raised her voice sharply and belted, "ENOUGH!". There was instant silence, and each of them wondered if they'd offended their guest. But she simply polished off her mug, set it down gracefully, and brought her elbow up onto the table with a profound thunk, hand raised up in ready. A challenge. The men cheered and whooped and all but shoved Talven to sit across from her. He did, planting his elbow on the table and locking hands with her. It was quiet as they began, arms quivering with the effort. Every time their hands tilted one direction or another, there would be excited murmurs. Ridahne held him even, her eyes locked on his. She felt him falter, so she gave a tremendous effort and his fist began steadily sinking down towards the table. A riot of shouts and cheers erupted, reaching a peak when she finally whacked his fist against the table surface. 

Ridahne shook out her tired arm as the bar went in total uproar, some good-naturedly riffing Talven and others patting her on the back, and everyone laughing. Ridahne bowed: [I]Ruler to subject[/I] with a grin on her face. A few of the men chuckled and returned the bow with: [I]Subject to ruler[/I] as if she had somehow, jokingly, just become their queen. Talven smiled. "Want another round? I think I owe you one now," he said, jovially abashed. 
Ridahne returned the smile. "I'd love to, boys, but it's after sunset, and I have an apprentice to track down. You've all been excellent company. Fair winds, mates." 

Ridahne made her exit, feeling buoyant. It had been a while since she'd been in a tavern where people weren't outright afraid to approach her, and when they did, nobody asked any terribly personal questions. A few basic ones about her hometown and some of her travels, but they never once asked her name, opting to simply call her Azurei instead, which was polite. She didn't realize how much, in a society that displayed everything on one's face, she craved anonymity sometimes. Anonymity without isolation. Not to mention, it had been a long time since she'd been to a bar where sailors and dock workers frequented. It was the closest to home she'd felt in a long time. 

Ridahne kept an eye out for Darin as she walked barefoot now along the various pathways. She headed for the place where tree climbing was a challenge, figuring that was her best bet for finding her, though she thought also that the human might be wandering back also. She arrived to find two of the workers there talking about a human who had foregone the provided ladders and apparently had not come down yet. Ah, that would be her human then. "Young human lad, sandy hair, no shoes?" 
The two nodded. "Been up there for a while. Did you...lose your apprentice?"
Ridahne smirked. "Not lost. Gave him the evening off." Ridahne looked up, whistling once. "Ai! Martin! You up there?"