Ridahne's face went blank as she blinked, surprised. "There was a previous Guardian? I...I mean I suppose that makes sense but honestly I never even considered it. I really hadn't thought about it. For some reason I thought the previous Gardener just sort of took up the job and that...well, that things were fine. That's sort of what gets passed down through history, anyway. I never expected that he might have needed a Guardian." She went silent for a moment, and then softly added, "I wish I knew more about them. Probably in the same way you want to know more about the Gardener...I wish I could learn from their wisdom and experience. But then..." she frowned as she considered, "They wouldn't have had the same problems we do now, I'll bet." 

Ridahne was largely silent and thoughtful as Darin spoke, except when Darin suggested the Seed-Honored mark cover the Seed-Chained mark completely. The look of shock and bewilderment was plain on her face, but she kept her voice steady. "Cover over a mark...completely? I don't know, Darin, I know what you mean by it, and I know that you feel like that sin should not be remembered. But in the Azurei tradition, we believe that [I]all[/I] of your experiences and choices shape who you are. Not just the good ones." She gave a soft smile. "For a culture who decides to tattoo things on their faces quite permanently, we believe strongly in the idea of growth, change, and development. It's why we have marks for marriage, but also additional, accompanying marks for becoming a widow, or for separation. The point of the ojih is to tell a story, all of it. Not just the highlights. Even my damning traitor mark, I'll have to live with that my whole life. It will always be there, because I [I]did[/I] do it. I killed those people, Darin. Now, you can make all the arguments you want for context and justice and all of that, but you can't deny that their blood is on my hands. Now, my day will come, and I will redeem myself in the eyes of my people, and the truth of all I have done will be known in full. And I'll get that redemption mark here," she pointed to her traitor one, "and in the eyes of my people and by the law of my land I will be fully pardoned. But if you were to ask me about my story, about how I got to where I was, I wouldn't skip to that part. The pain, the ugly anguish and the loneliness and the shame and guilt was all part of my story, Darin. I can't erase that. I...I don't want to, no matter how terrible it was." 

Ridahne smiled, and the warmth of that expression on her usually grim face was as rare and precious as a diamond. "I know you are quick to defend me, Darin. And to know that there's someone out there who would do that for me is worth more than I can put into words. But I don't want to hide my history. Not anymore." She considered, then added, "If you wish for future Seed-Chained to have the ability to erase their sins, then we can establish a mark that can be covered. But not mine. For mine, I will adopt the Azurei tradition and highlight the old with the new. The mark for Seed-Chained will be white, and the mark for Seed-Honored will be black, but instead of covering the white completely, I will leave a silhouette of white around the black." 

Ridahne realized suddenly as she glanced back at her sketches that if there were going to be more universal marks that were meant for more than an ojih, she was going about this all wrong. Inherently, her penmanship and artistic style had a bent towards Azurei tradition. If Darin were to design the marks, she'd inherently have a human bias.  "I think," Ridahne said slowly, "That whatever marks we create need to be open to some interpretation. If I draw them, they will look decidedly Azurei. If you draw them, they will be decidedly human. If this is going to last for generations, there should be some flexibility amongst cultures and mediums. An ojih mark might not translate well to an arm tattoo, or to a flag or a crest. I think what I'll do is come up with something specifically for ojih to add to the tomes and records of ojih marks, but then have another version that is identifiably similar, yet is a little more neutral. What do you think? Also, if you're finished looking around, and if you have any ideas, you can do some sketches of things you're thinking of, too. Don't worry about artistic quality, that can be refined. But just ideas." She pushed a small stack of blank pages and a quill and inkwell across the desk to her.