Hadian was relatively unbothered by the hawk in and of itself; he knew the falconry gear Darin was wearing and guessed the raptor belonged to her. It was his name that caught him off guard. "[I]Taja?[/I]" He couldn't get the image of Ajoran or another Taja out of his head: big burly men with engraved silver plates that hung over their sternum and chest like an extravagant collar, black silk sashes, and very polished weapons. "Arm?" He blinked, looking at Ridahne as if for confirmation. "Did that translate right?" 
Ridahne nodded. "Aye, she knows all about what it means. Trust me, it fits." 

Hadian hung on Darin's every word, absolutely fascinated to learn what kind of person would be chosen to be the Seed Bearer of Astra. The farmer bit didn't really surprise him much, not when he considered it. A seed needed to be planted, nurtured. Who would know better how to do that than a farmer? But the comparison of her home to Atakhara made his brows knit together--just slightly. There wasn't such a thing as a rich farmer as far as he knew, but...well it felt wrong somehow for the Seed Bearer to come from such a humble place. But then, maybe that was the point. Who better to understand the poor masses of Astra than one of its own? He did begin to understand why exactly Ridahne had her vision, and why she specifically needed to find Darin. If Darin was not suited for the road, or for fighting, well...he could think of no one else better to partner her with. It had taken her some time to really figure this out, but Hadian seemed to know it the moment Darin revealed that part about her. 

Once more, he studied his sister with newfound awe. Honored? Clearly, if she was Darin's Guardian. But his eyes wandered to the traitor mark, and though he knew what steps had brought her to that grim night, it still pained him to see. He knew better than most what really happened, and perhaps that's why it grieved him as much as it did. He didn't really think she deserved it. 

While Hadian was still lost in thought, Ridahne suggested, "You know, we could make you a ku'o, but you could wear it as a necklace. Like this one." She lifted the carnelian one Ajoran had carved for her and, as if remembering it for the first time in a long time she said conspiratorially to Hadian, "I'm finally going to marry him. He doesn't know it yet, but...assuming nothing's changed..."
Hadian laughed, unsurprised by this revelation. Though he remembered how she was the last time he saw her; she'd thought it was best to cut ties with him to protect him from her own shame. And now... "It hasn't, I assure you. Can...[I]can[/I] you do that?"
Ridahne lifted her chin, speaking with an authority that nearly floored Hadian. "I am Ridahne Torzinei, Seed-Chained, Seed Guardian, Sol Slayer, and Oathbreaker. I will do what I please." She did not have the same kind of power that Darin did when the Seed Bearer made declarations, but there was...something. Whether it was her own confidence, or some other force at play, Hadian felt a prickle at the back of his neck as she spoke. It was a very 'her' thing to say--she'd always done her own thing regardless of what others said she ought to. But there was something about her that had changed. As he looked her over, he could see the long road had made her lean and muscled, but she had scars, too. The worst of which was a ropy line across her side that looked to be about a year old and, from what he knew of scars, had to have been a severe wound. Her experiences had hardened her, evidently.

"Well damn," he said after a moment of silence, chuckling. "I guess you will." He then had a moment to consider all of the other, trivial things that Darin wanted to know, and he had to laugh at the idea that her life was less interesting than his. Quite the opposite, he imagined. "Hardly! I go to sea, I fish, I haul lines and nets and then I come home and drink and go to market and make money for my wife and I. She does all the hunting--I got her an urala kitten for her wedding gift since Ridahne took Mitaja, she named him Asvei. When she isn't hunting, she's a potter. I helped her build a kiln behind the house, and on nights where I'm away at sea, she will stay up all night and tend the fires. We have some of the nicest clay jars in the neighborhood," he said with a measure of pride. "We're not expecting children, not for several years. But sometimes we watch one of the neighbor boys while his parents are busy. He's a bit too young to hang with the pack of street rats Ridahne and I are all too familiar with," he said with a wink, "so he needs looking after. But it won't be long before he finds his way into the pack. That's enough for us for now, we want to be a little more established before we start having any children." 

Hadian thought of his favorite smells and subconsciously drew in a deep breath of air through his pierced nose. "My favorite smell is woodsmoke," he said after a moment's consideration. "It makes me think of all things comfortable--of warmth and of home and of curry in the pot and of the night air. I met Nyyvai by a communal bonfire, actually. I can't wait for you to meet her, Darin." He tried to think of any more information worth sharing and came up rather short. His life was so...normal. He'd fallen into the role of fisherman at an early age, just like his father and his father's mother had before him. It was Ridahne who, for better or worse, had all the adventures. "I don't know, my life has been pretty uneventful except...well, that time I was actually summoned to the palace by the Sota-Sol herself..."

Ridahne's gaze sharpened. "She what?"
Hadian's own eyes widened as he said, "Oh! You wouldn't have known, I forgot! After you left, there was a lot of turmoil. People...the public wanted to see you publicly hanged, and when you weren't, there was national outrage. I had one group of people--just citizens--bust into the house at night to search it, thinking they'd find you hiding there. Apparently the same thing happened to Ajoran, but those people didn't come out of it as well as the group who harassed me." Ajoran, after all, was nearly as deadly as Ridahne was. He could see outrage boiling up in Ridahne, so he quickly pressed on. "Anyway, the incident sort of put me on the map, so to speak. The Sols didn't know you had a brother until then, but shortly after, I got an invitation from the Sota-Sol herself, delivered by Ajoran. They brought me into a smaller room--not the throne room--and offered me all kinds of drinks and food, and I finally understood what you were talking about when you said it was overwhelming to have all that food put in front of you. But they grilled me with questions about you, and about what I knew." He shuddered visibly. "I think humans have an expression, being caught between a rock and a...another rock?"
"Rock and a hard place," Ridahne supplied. 
"Aye, that. That's what it felt like to have the four of them bend their attention on me." 
"And??" Ridahne's eyes were wide, wild, intense. If they'd mistreated Hadian in any way, she would add a few more reasons to be called dishonored. 
"And I told them everything. I didn't know about the actual incident that caused you to...to...you know, but I knew about the past couple years. And I told them about Nailih." Hearing the name of the man who had first suggested Khaltira was crooked, the man she later slaughtered, made Ridahne cringe openly. "They apparently did the same to Ajoran, and I guess we must have said enough of the same things for them to take what we said seriously. They did a full investigation into Takhun, and Khaltira-Sol--"
"Khaltira," Ridahne corrected sharply, dropping the honorific. 
Hadian frowned grimly, and--was that anger in his eyes?--he nodded. "Khaltira." Ridahne's anger was a force, but it was quick to surface and quick to fade. The ire of a patient man like Hadian, however, was almost worse for its rarity. "This was right about the time that a woman and her husband started talking about how the Sol-Slayer had actually saved her life to just about anyone who would listen. It's my understanding they were also questioned extensively. And between all of us, the Sols learned what you never really got to explain in full. You're not pardoned, absolutely not. I imagine that's wrapped up in..." He motioned to Darin vaguely. "This. But when Eija Salei, her apprentice, and her partner showed up from abroad and started spreading news about this Red Hand, I do know that a national decree went out declaring that anyone found to be associated with the Red Hand would be immediately executed. They were vague on telling the public why, but I gleaned from Ajoran that Eija Salei had seen you, and this Red Hand was after you and your companion, which only Ajoran and I, and I expect the Sols, could guess was you, Darin. The two of us started to put things together and guessed they're after..." He dared not name it, even, but he looked at Darin as he spoke. "There's been ten executions since the decree. Not all were public, but the bodies were put on display as a warning. It seemed to do some good, too, because activity on that front seemed to die down after that. I know your relationship with the Sols is...awkward at best, Ridahne, but it seems like they've been helping you in what way they can." 

Ridahne was both surprised and not surprised by this news. It made sense that they would want her to succeed in her mission, which they knew was of utmost importance. But actual support? She wasn't sure what that would mean for her future exactly, but it changed things a little, or at least clarified them a bit. "Thank you for the news," Ridahne said, still processing it all a bit.  She looked at Darin. "We'll start early tomorrow so we can travel in the cooler part of the day, I'm hoping we'll pass through Atakhara by noonish, but we'll have to make it to Tasen before we can really stop. That's the capital, and it's not too far from Atakhara. Once we meet with the Sols, we'll actually be able to go back to Atakhara and you can see where I grew up. And," She smiled, "Like I'd hoped, we made it in time for the fall equinox festival. Summer here is brutal, so we celebrate its end with bonfires and food and dancing and music and storytelling. I could think of no better time to show you Azurei than now."