Ridahne sighed, her anger forgotten. Darin didn't know it even as she spoke, but she'd finally come out and done what Ridahne had really wanted all along. Sure, she'd also wanted her to be there for her ritual. She'd been so excited to show her what it was all about, and to have her take part. But Ridahne knew that if they made it to Azurei, and she married Ajoran finally, then she'd have another opportunity. But Ridahne craved honesty more than anything. Until then, she'd assumed that humans just culturally weren't as forward as the Azurei. She new that the Eluri were less blunt than either the Azurei or the Orosi, so perhaps humans tended to see her people as overly vocal compared to themselves. And that might still have some truth, she thought. But she hadn't accounted for Darin's childhood. 

Ridahne had a rough and somewhat unstable childhood, but she always had Hadian, and even though she was teased by other kids, she was able to beat them into civility more often than not. What was more, she had her father, at least into her adult years. She hasn't realized that Darin had spent much of her life more or less alone. The warrior marveled at the fact that they'd been traveling together for as long as they had, and yet she was still learning things about her partner. 

Ridahne extended a faintly inkstained hand to guide Darin onto the edge of the bed beside her. Ridahne had to fully turn her body in order to see her, as her left eye was mostly obscured by either the bandage, or her swollen face. "Darin, you beautiful fool," Ridahne laughed softly. "That's all I really wanted from you. You've already done it. Just do it...more." Ridahne fidgeted with her hands. "I understand not wanting to be open in front of everyone. But next time instead of just bolting off like a frightened rabbit, tell me what's on your mind. Even if I can't help you, I've found it's useful to tell someone else your thoughts. It helps to order them. And at the very least, I'll know what's bothering you. Because I really thought you just didn't want to be there with me tonight. And I couldn't understand why. But now I know what was on your mind." 

There was a silence before Ridahne finally brought up something that she'd been chewing on for a while. She'd thought of different ways to approach it, but she couldn't think of a tactful way to bring it up, so she dove right in. "Your father," she began. "I think he got off too easy, running off the way he did. He never had to see the consequences of what he'd done. But..." There was a wicked gleam of moonlight in her one visible eye. "You do understand that both when I was an eija and eija-alihn, my job was to track people down. People that didn't want to be found. I know we have a job to do. But someday it will be done. And when it is...Nothing would please me more than finding your father. And I will show him fear."