How dare he! How dare he! How dare he think that! How dare he think that Ridahne was, was, was a threat or something! How dare he evaluate her character based solely on the markings in her ojih! Who did he think he was? Darin felt her temper rising. She clenched her fist tightly in order to refrain from doing something she might regret. She was slightly surprised at herself. She wanted to hurt this man judging her Seed-Chained. That would draw attention to themselves that they didn't need. Besides it wasn't exactly fair of her to make such judgments. Just like this man didn't know Ridahne Darin did not know him. She needed to try to be fair. 

It did not matter though. Outside of the building they were in the trees sensed The Seed-Bearer's anger. They didn't understand why she was angry; they just knew that she was. They began to sway ominously and sent the building was built right into the trees the building quaked as well. At first it was a soft shaking, but it wasn't surprising that soon everyone in the room noticed the movement. Sounds of shock and question escaped people as they moved closer today without thinking. There were people looking around, so Darin's hurried glances around did not seem out of place. 

A Siren barely breathed, "What's going on?"

A Councilperson answered, "The trees are angry. I think. This has never happened before. That's part of why we are so concerned. It is possible that if things like this continue that Lihaelin could be destroyed. We are hoping that The Seed-Bearer would be able to tell us what is happening and why."

Okay, that was a fair point. It wasn't like any one was truly equipped to deal with an entire forest worth of trees suddenly moving. Darin forced herself to take several deep breathes in an effort to calm down. She was fairly certain that the trees were responding to what she was feeling. She couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. The Councilperson had pointed out that people didn't know what was going. It wouldn't do to cause them unnecessary worry. Soon, after several deep breathes, Darin managed to calm down. As she got her emotions under control the trees calmed down as well, and the shaking ceased. 

A human male breathed a sigh of relief, "It's over. Thank The Tree."

A quiet fell over the group only to be broken by a small voice speaking in heavily accented common, "Papa, I'm tired."

Practically every head in the room whipped around to see a small Siren child rubbing their eyes. It was clear that the little girl was truly exhausted. It was also apparent that the child's guardian, who was holding the child no older than eight, had instructed her to speak in common in a voice loud enough to be heard. Darin felt her anger rising again. This time it was directed towards the Council of the Seven Winds. They had pulled a child from their sleep to hold this meeting. How dare they! Darin forced herself to breathe deeply. She didn't need to upset the trees again. 

The guardian told his charge, "I know Marinia. Give me just a moment." He looked at the Council with fire in his eyes, "If you have no more need of us, we will be going back to bed."

President Silen shook her head, "No. We have plenty to discuss. You are dismissed."

The Siren scoffed as he turned on his heel. After he had left another discussion filled the air. This one became heated as people started to say that they wanted to leave. Some did not wait for permission.  Some just left. It almost seemed like there would be a riot. Guards looked confused. Aides looked lost. Darin thought that might be a good thing. They might get to leave with the rest of the crowd. Darin bit her tongue to keep from speaking up. She didn't need to draw any more attention to the two of them tonight. She really wasn't looking for trouble. 

President Silen clapped her hands once and silence fell, "You may all leave!" Then her eyes landed on Ridahne, "Save you and your companion Azurei criminal. You say you are not here to assassinate anyone. Let us see why you here." Then, once every was out of the room save the Council, their aides, and a few guards the president fell back into her chair with a tired sigh, "Enough games." She rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, "Please stop exciting the trees Darin Seed-Bearer."

Darin couldn't stop the small noise of alarm that escaped her. Without even thinking about it she ducked behind Ridahne. They did know! Why didn't they say something earlier? Could she deny it? Would there be any point in denying it? Did she want to deny it? She wasn't sure what to say. They weren't like farmers. She had no idea how to talk to people with power. It wasn't like she had anything in common with them. Hadn't Ridahne once been a part of the Azurei court? Was it wrong of her to want to leave this to Ridahne to solve? She wasn't sure. Currently all Darin could think to do was make herself as small as possible behind the warrior.