Ridahne almost blushed, but she hid it well. At least, well enough for the general public; she would not fool Darin, or Ajoran. "You flatter us," she said. "It certainly is deadly...Ja'heil, when you complete your apprenticeship, and the time comes for you to select a partner to work by your side, you ought to dance with them, first..." 
Ja'heil blushed even harder, looking a bit embarrassed. "You don't mean...that I have to like...be in love with them, do you?"
Ridahne and Ajoran both laughed and shook their heads. "No lad!" he said. "Though I've got to say, it does help...though truthfully we were never partners. Trained together a lot, sure, but not in an official capacity."
"Really?" Somehow Ja'eheil had thought they were. How else could they be so attuned to one another? "Who was your partner then, Ridahne? If you don't mind me asking?"

Ridahne went quiet, and debated answering at all. Ajoran took her hand underneath the table and gave it a squeeze. "Do you...do you not know?"
Ja'heil immediately sensed his question had not landed the way he'd hoped and picked up on some kind of tension. He wished he'd never asked. "No...I'm...sorry if--"
"No, it's alright. It's no secret. I assumed you already knew...but perhaps you came here after, and Salei shielded you from much of the drama...probably for the best." Ridahne sighed, her expression turning sad. "Takhun Haralti was his hame. We were partnered for several years. He was not my first--she was much older than I and retired--but he was my last." She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and looking straight into Ja'eheil's eyes she said, "I killed him, Ja'heil. It was part of my betrayal, and was perhaps the greatest sin I have yet committed. Your Elaitih knows the full story. Ask her sometime." And with that, she signaled she was done with this conversation. She had decided that she would not shy away from it and would face it boldly when it came up, but she did not want to dwell on it, either.

Ridahne nodded and smiled softly to Darin, and though she tried hard, that dark subject left a cloud over her still. "Good night, and good luck. Go easy on them, we can't afford to have all new government overnight!" she teased. Ridahne did not worry about Darin--she'd be surrounded by Taja, visible and hidden, who would protect their Sols and her if the need arose. 

----

The Sols sat in waiting, stately as statues, for Darin to arrive. Hanasa-Sol, Khaltira's replacement, tapped her finger impatiently against the arm of her chair. How long had they been waiting? She was not accustomed to waiting for anything, here. Nor should she. "This is ridiculous...are we to wait upon the whims of others? Of foreigners?"
Amaiera-Sol's head swiveled smoothly and slowly, and  yet with an edge that made her appear stern. She glowered at Hanasa-Sol. "Silence, Hanasa. You do not know of what you speak."
Hanasa-Sol frowned, considering. "Hm. Enlighten me, Sota-Sol."
"We do not wait upon the whims of just any foreigner, nor common person. She is a Sol, as we are. But she is Astra's Sol, not just Azurei's. You will show her the respect that title deserves."
Realizing her mistake, Hanasa-Sol nodded solemntly and was quiet after that. She had much to learn about her new station, and was grateful that the Sols collectively sought to teach her. Most Sols generally just had their one predecessor, but she had four mentors. 

At last Darin arrived, wearing a stately bird on her shoulder. Yes, that seemed to be her way. It was a bit uncouth to bring animals before the Sols in an official meeting like this, but...she was Astra-Sol. It was only to be expected that the creatures of Astra, large and small, would find kinship with this human. And if she deemed to bring them into an audience chamber, then so be it. Amaiera-Sol welcomed her with a polite dip of her head, and listened to the human's announcement. "We are strangers to rain in this land," she said, her voice even and cool. "But we welcome it when it does arrive. I will have word spread so that my people are not caught unawares. But I must ask...is there a reason you perform such an act, Seed-Bearer? Is there some purpose you hope to achieve? If I may be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to ask." 

The Sota-Sol was certainly a force, and she was intimidating and not one to be taken lightly, but despite the checkered history she had with Ridahne, the leader seemed to have a reasonable head on her shoulders and was not unkind. Evidently, she had great respect for Darin and her title, or she would not have offered her services to her.