Ridahne nodded, a little distracted but it was clear she'd mull over those words as she walked. She knew she could not speak openly and at length just yet, it wasn't the time for it. But she did reply, "It's not punishment I seek. Punishment is for crimes. It's information I want." And the grim set to her eyes implied she'd get it. One way or another. Ridahne was gone in a breath, melting into the crowd as she sped away. Ajoran watched her go, his expression thoughtful, and he turned back to Darin. He could see why she liked the human; she had a strong spirit. She might not have Ridahne's bite, but Darin had an indomitable will behind her gentle demeanor. 

Ajoran smiled softly. He could see he was not her preferred company, but he understood that too. He was a stranger to her, after all, and Ridahne was not. He'd do his best anyway to make her feel welcomed in this land in his fiancé's stead. "Marriage is...well..." he thought in silence for a moment and then continued, "it's a bond. It's committing to share your life--and all that's in it--with another person. You are no longer [I]just[/I] you. You're one part of a larger whole, like...like...like two dancers. One can dance alone, but when you dance with someone, together, in unison, it's a different dance. And when I say [I]all[/I] that is in it, I do mean all. Ridahne tried so hard to isolate me from the...events that brought her to you, even after she'd been spared execution. I tried to tell her I did not care what shame she carried, I still wanted to share that bond with her. To help her carry that shame, if need be. But I think she herself had not yet come to terms with it, and could not fathom foisting what she had yet to process onto me. But I would have taken it anyway. I think she knew that, too. It is that unconditional commitment to stand by someone that I speak of." 

He paused, wiping away a strand of black hair that had stuck to his rain-soaked face. "I'll admit, there's a lot I don't understand about the bond you and Ridahne share as Seed-Bearer and Guardian. But she spoke briefly to me of this notion of being Seed-Chained. Bound to the fate of another. From what little I understand, it's not dissimilar. It is a bond for life, or is intended to be. Do you  not have a similar tradition by some other name where you are from? Most of my interactions with humans have been on business, and I know little of your customs."

---

Ridahne spoke briefly with the two Taja that Ajoran had recruited before entering the chamber. The wall of dry, stifling heat hit her forcefully as she stepped inside, but she did not let any of that show on her face. Ridahne closed the door quickly to keep the oven-like heat in and surveyed the chamber. This was a common technique, and it rarely failed. Stubborn people would always fold in time when the needs of their flesh outweighed their will. The only variable was time.

The man, on his toes and with shaking legs, also surveyed Ridahne as she entered. The brightness of the exterior light through the open door blinded him momentarily, and he only saw a tall shadow standing in its center. He knew her at once. Ridahne, after all, was exceptionally tall, even among Azurei men. As the door clanged shut and his eyes adjusted to the dim red glow of the coals in the brazier behind him, he saw that she was drenched in water. It made her clothes cling to her skin and her hair droop in lank black strands that dripped water on the floor with soft rhythmic patterings. He swallowed. His throat was dry, and the realization hit him just then that he was very thirsty. When was the last time he had a drink of water?

The specter of a woman just watched him, unmoving, unwavering. She held something in her hands he could not yet identify and concluded it must surely be some weapon. A surge of anger boiled over inside of him. "You can't hold me here. I've done nothing." 
"Actually," she said smoothly, "I can."
"You're no Taja," he snorted. 
Ridahne laughed, and there was joy in it, but none that he could share in. "Think again."
"But you're--" 
"The first female Taja in Azurei history. Surprise," she said drily. 
"Still..." he swallowed and his mouth was still dry. "I've done nothing. Will you have it said of you that you're a butcher?"
"Done nothing? Perhaps. Certainly nothing to me..." Ridahne set something down on a small table by the door with a thunk. She let the silence hang uncomfortably long. "But I'm certain you [I]know[/I] something." She leaned in very close, so close he could feel her breath on his ear. "It's information I want. And I'll have it. Tell me your name." 
The man tried to spit on her, but he couldn't muster the saliva. He felt a few droplets of cool water from her hair drip onto his feet. His thirst intensified, and the cool splash of it reminded him just how unbearably hot it was inside this room. Still, he remained silent.

Ridahne straightened and moved back to the small table. She picked up a dark object and moved a second one that rested on the table; the sound of flowing water filling a cup became suddenly the only thing the man could hear. She poured slowly and with the pitcher raised high so each little drop and splash roared in his ears. She heard him swallow thickly. Ridahne lifted the cup and drank from it savoringly, and when she'd finished, she breathed out a relieved sigh. "It's terribly hot in here. But you know what helps? A glass of crystal clear...cool...water..." Another indulgent sip. "You know, if you cooperated with me, I'd make sure you had all you could drink. But I know your type. Too stubborn and strong-willed to fold for such a trivial thing as a sip of water. You won't give." She drained the cup. "So I guess that means more for me. Will it bother you if I pour another?" 

She slowly poured another from the large clay pitcher she'd brought and leaned casually on the little table. Gently, the sound of rain on the roof could be heard as a soft pattering rumble. Ridahne was silent and let that sound fill the room. For a long time, the two had a silent test of wills, each wondering when the other would fold or change tactic. The minutes ticked by. Once, the man gently lowered himself off the balls of his feet to hang by the rope for just a moment to give his burning muscles some relief. Ridahne heard him gasp an intake of breath as he painfully lifted himself back up. She could see the signs of heat exhaustion setting in already, but she stayed as impassive as ever.

Ridahne drank and poured another glass of water before finally he muttered, "Harai. My name is Harai." He thought that if he could surrender some trivial information that she might give him water, and he could last longer and stave off questions of more importance.
"There we go. Was that so hard?" Ridahne picked up the cup and stepped forward, and she could see the greedy anticipation in his reddened face. But she kept the cup just out of range. She guessed his tactic. "Now, Harai, we have two options on how to proceed, here, and I'll let you choose. You can answer me--after you swear by the Tree itself to tell nothing but the truth and take the mark of the liar if you fail to do so--and I'll not only give you all you can drink, I'll let you out of here. You'll swear an oath by the Tree to never associate with the Red Hand ever again and not only will I show you the true meaning of fear if you should fail, but by Astra, you shall be stuck by lightning for your treachery." Ridahne was fairly certain she didn't have the kind of authority to command such a thing, but she was guessing that Darin would at least come up with some fitting punishment for any double crossing.

"Option two. You resist me, lie, or otherwise withhold information from me. I will leave, I will feast and bathe and sleep in a soft bed with cool linen sheets, and I'll leave you to bake in here until you're ready to either tell me everything you know, or your legs give out and you choke." 
"You don't have it in you to do that, Guardian," he snarled mockingly.
At this, Ridahne allowed an edge to creep into her tone. "Would I not? Do you not know who I am? Sol-slayer, Oathbreaker, Betrayer, Eija-Alihn. What about that list of names leads you to believe I would shy away from doing a little violence in the service of Astra? Of Azurei?"
"You'd live with that blood on your hands? The blood of an innocent man?"
Ridahne laughed darkly. "You would not be the first." 

There was a heavy silence as Harai began to really grasp the kind of person he was dealing with. He had not realized until now that the Seed-Guardian was the infamous Torzinei, Sol-Slayer. It was a mistake going to the market. It was a mistake getting so close to the Seed-Bearer. It was a mistake looking at her so directly as he'd done, giving himself away. He underestimated the Guardian watching over her. As he was lamenting his own foolishness, Ridahne evidently had decided she'd waited long enough for an answer and shrugged, rising and making for the door. 

"I'd like for you to consider that while it's unbearably hot in here now, it's raining outside. Tomorrow, when the skies clear and the strong Azurei sun shines out again, you may find the situation to be a bit less manageable." Ridahne turned the handle.
"Wait!" Harai broke, crumbled. His legs were visibly quivering. "I'll talk. I swear by the Great Tree of Astra and the stars in the night sky that I'll only speak the truth, and may Astra strike me with lightning if I don't. Just...let me sit, and let me have some water...please...I'm only 32, I don't want to die."
Ridahne released the handle of the door and moved to where his noose was hitched up on the wall. She gave him more rope and allowed him to collapse to his knees before hitching it back onto the cleat, though she kept some small amount of tension on the rope as a reminder that he was still tethered. Harai audibly sighed, groaning with the sweet pleasure of release. Ridahne brought him the cup and helped him drink the whole thing, as his hands were still bound behind his back.

"Good choice, Harai. Now. Tell me the goals of the Red Hand. Why do you seek to hinder the Seed-Bearer?"