When their new clothes arrived, they were relaxing on the couches with towels wrapped around their waists. Tanden was rubbing some of the lovely scented oil into Soren's shoulders and back, as Soren had just done for him. The servant who came in was a younger woman, not the seamstress. Her cheeked reddened when she saw what was going on, and she tried to stammer out an apology.

Tanden waved it away. "No need to apologize," he told her, getting to his feet. He wiped his hands on his towel, and walked over to look at the clothing she was holding. She still seemed embarrassed, as she lay the clothing out on the little table. After a moment Soren joined them. The pants and tunic looked nice, but Tanden was more interested in the scarf, with its tree branch design. He picked his up. "These are perfect," he told the young woman.

"I'll pass your compliments on, sir. Do you need assistance dressing?"

"No, we can manage. Thank you."

She nodded. "I'll wait outside, to show you the way to the dining hall." She nodded again, more of bow that time, and ducked out of the room.

Soren immediately began to change, but Tanden hesitated. He wasn't sure what to do with his hair. In the tub, he had undone the many Morcean braids he usually wore his hair in, and now it hung loose around his shoulders. He ran a hand through it thoughtfully.

"I can do it."

Soren had just pulled his new tunic over his head. It looked nice, Tanden thought, before really thinking about what Soren had said. "Do what?"

"Your hair. You want it braided again, don't you?"

"Oh. I don't know," Tanden admitted. "It's Morcean. Maybe I should try to look more Teltan, if we're acting as pseudo-ambassadors."

"Then just tie it back the way it is," Soren suggested, with a shrug, as he picked up the woven belt that had been made for him. "You'll still look good, even with a change."

"Appealing to my vanity?"

"It works," Soren pointed out, with a smile.

Tanden couldn't argue with that. He went to the tub to get one of his discarded hair ties, and pulled his hair back into a simply ponytail. It was boring, but it was a very proper Teltish way to wear long hair. Soren was already completely dressed by the time Tanden tossed his towel away and stepped into his new pants. As he was changing, Soren investigated the little pouch that had arrived with their clothes.

He pulled out four wooden loops, that Tanden quickly recognized. "Oh, bracelets." He finished adjusting his scarf, and took two of the loops from Soren. They were a tight fit, but he managed to slide them over his left hand, so they dangled around his wrist.

Soren struggled to do the same. "Are they supposed to be this tight?"

"I think we just have big hands, mate," Tanden chuckled. "But now we look the part, don't we? Let's go to dinner."

The dining hall, as Tanden had expected, was round. Long curved tables ran around the outside of the room, leaving a large space in the middle for entertainment. The floor was made of hard, shiny wood, except for a circle in the middle made of stone. The table across the circle from the doors was elevated.

The room was already fairly busy, except for the empty elevated table. The servant led them around the outside of the ring of tables. It seemed like walking through the middle was frowned upon, because no one was doing it. Tanden was expecting to sit near the Governor, but it was a surprise when the servant led them up the stairs, and gestured at the three seats at the end of the elevated table.

"We're supposed to sit up here?" he clarified.

She nodded. "You're honored guests." As she spoke, another servant arrived, leading a woman.

It took him a moment to recognize Jale. She looked different, wearing a long tunic that was almost a dress, with a green woolen shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her choppy hair had been trimmed so it all hung to the same length, and earrings glinted in both ears. Tanden hadn't even known her ears were pierced. She wore wooden bracelets on each wrist, which clicked together gently as she moved her arms.

"Jale, you look lovely," Tanden said, in Teltish.

"I know. And I hate it," Jale replied. "Well, the shawl is comfortable, actually, but this—" She tugged at the tunic, where it hung over her thighs. "This is impractical."

Tanden smiled. "I've never enjoyed dressing up for fancy occasions, either. But it's something we have to endure once in awhile."

"This is entirely your fault." Jale took a seat, picking the chair at the end of the table. "Soren, sit beside me so we can talk while Tanden befriends the Governor."

Soren sat beside her, and after a pause Tanden took the next seat. He had actually been planning on suggesting the same thing. He was about to say something to that effect, when the hall suddenly went silent, followed by the scraping of chair legs on the floor.

Reng Runolorinn was walking in, arm in arm with a beautiful woman. Tanden and Soren stood, as everyone else had, and the pair walked around the outside of the circle.

"I thought eetos can't be married to other people," Tanden whispered.

"They can't, officially," Jale whispered back. "But it is widely understood that the governors' marriages to the emperor are ceremonial. So its acceptable for them to take an unofficial partner. Only one, though. Orearaley has been Reng Runolorinn's lover the entire time he's been Governor." She fell silent as the pair got closer.

Reng Runolorinn and Orearaley climbed the steps, and crossed the raised platform. The Governor pulled out a chair for Orearaley, and once she was sitting down took his own seat beside Tanden. Tanden was prepared to sit down, but no one else in the room did. He soon realized why, when across the circle Tier's Prophet appeared, still followed by two men and two women. They walked around the entire circle as well, until they reached the elevated table. One of the women helped the little girl onto the chair beside Orearaley. Only then did everyone sit, and Tanden followed suit. Servants immediately flooded into the room to start serving food and pouring drinks.

"Have you tried irdka?"

It took Tanden a second longer than it should have to realize the Governor was talking to him. A servant was reaching between them, and pouring the clear liquid into each of their cups. "I have," Tanden said. "In Morie Caro."

When the servant moved out of the way, Reng Runolorinn picked up his wooden cup. Tanden did the same. The cups, like everything, were delicately carved. "Morie Caro is a pleasant little village," Reng Runolorinn said. "I often stop there when I travel to Till." He tapped his cup against Tanden's, and took a long drink. Tanden copied him. He could tell immediately that this irdka was better quality than the kind he had tried in Morie Caro. The alcohol was still strong, but there was a different flavour to it that made him think of trees.

Reng Runolorinn continued talking. "You said you travelled here to learn more about our country. You must have plenty of questions."

"I do," Tanden agreed. "Luckily, Lirajaleanor is very patient with me, and answers every unusual question I ask. They often come to me at odd times, if I'm being entirely honest."

"What do you find the most interesting?"

Tanden took another sip of his irdka, to give himself a chance to think that over. "I suppose there are three main things I've been the most curious about. Your language—"

"How long have you been speaking it?" Reng Runolorinn interrupted.

"Oh, only a few weeks."

The Governor's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Only a few weeks?" he repeated, like he didn't believe it.

Tanden nodded. "I was lucky in Till, because people can speak Morcean there. But as we travelled inland, Lirajaleanor taught me Tallenese so I would be able to communicate. Languages are easy for me, which is part of why I find them so interesting."

"I see. And what are your other two topics of curiosity?"

"The Gods," Tanden said. "Which is why I was so interested to meet Tier's Prophet. And the last would be your marriage traditions."

The last thing seemed to shock Reng Runolorinn the most. "Why are they so interesting?"

"In Zianna, people only marry one partner," Tanden explained. "And it is always a man and a woman. I told you Soren is my eeto, which isn't quite true. Our people wouldn't sanction our union. So we aren't married in any official sense. I always find it interesting to learn what other cultures think about people like us."

"That does seem strange," Reng Runolorinn said. "So what is he to you, in their eyes?"

"I'm a ship captain," Tanden explained. "Soren is the second in command. That's what my people think he is, my friend and my employee."

"Are you searching for a new place to live?"

Tanden had actually never considered that, which came as a bit of a surprise. But after a second of thought he shook his head. "No. Neither of us are interested in settling down in one place. Our ship is our home, and we can travel with it. It's perfect for us."

"Interesting." Reng Runolorinn kept asking questions, about them, and their trips, and Zianna. Tanden had been hoping to ask some questions himself, especially about the prophet, but he didn't mind answering the Governor's questions. He could relate to Reng Runolorinn's curiosity, after all. The conversation was pleasant enough, and continued through the appetizer and the main meal. Then Reng Runolorinn asked for something unexpected.

"It is customary for visitors to the palace to provide quick entertainment during dessert," he said. "The prophet has something planned, and I understand visiting the palace wasn't your intention. But maybe you have something you would like to present?"

"Oh. Let me just—" Tanden cut himself off awkwardly and turned to Soren, who had spent the entire meal talking quietly with Jale. "Feel up to singing that sea shanty?"

"What? Here?"

"Apparently it's customary for visitors to put on a bit of a show. Just the one song? I'll make it more than worth your while."

Soren sighed. "What does that mean?"

"Use your imagination." Tanden took his hand, and laced their fingers together before lifting their intertwined hands to his lips to kiss Soren's fingers. "Please, mate? I swear by the Goddess and Zianesa and every single deity we have ever learned about, that I will make it worth your while. And I'll be there with you, of course. Maybe even Jale...?"

"I can help," Jale agreed.

Soren glanced between the two of them, then nodded. "Aye. All right. Just the one song."

Tanden grinned and kissed Soren's fingers again before turning back to Reng Runolorinn. "We have a song we can present."

The Governor smiled. "That would be excellent."

Tanden's showmanship was out in full force, and Soren was doing his best to use his imagination to think up all the ways Tanden was going to make this up to him. Tanden was talking and walking back and forth, so he could face different sides of the room, dramatically waving his arms around at the same time. Soren, partially to distract himself from what he was about to do, leaned closer to Jale to whisper. "What is he saying?"

"He's explaining your culture," Jale replied. "You're sailors, worship the ocean—"

"We don't—"

"And that singing songs is a way you pass the time while sailing." She hesitated, then, "And now he's talking about how the song is about the four winds, coming from every direction, sort of like... the spirits, of the winds. What they've seen, what they represent. He's comparing them to our gods, which is... interesting."

Soren stifled a groan. "Is he crossing a line? I can stop him."

Jale offered him a quick smile. "Oh, no. He's fine. He's making some very interesting connections. Our cultures have similar values and beliefs, things like that. He's a good talker."

Soren nodded. "He is."

"You must be proud of him."

"In awe of him, maybe," Soren corrected.

Tanden turned around then, and for a second Soren thought maybe he had been listening. But Tanden just smiled. "Go ahead, mate."

Soren took a deep breath and tried to imagine he was standing on a ship, surrounded by Crelans, and not this silent audience. He imagined projecting his voice, so the crew would be able to hear him over the wind and waves. And he began to sing.

Tanden echoed and replied whenever he was supposed to, and Jale joined in as well. Despite his own nervousness, or maybe because of it, Soren focused on the change her voice brought to the song. She treated it like the Song of the Seasons, letting her voice mingle and flow around Tanden's. Soren had never heard any sailor try to harmonize before, but here Jale was, doing it easily. Soren was so enchanted by what she was doing, he was surprised to realize he had reached the last few lines of the song.

He sang about the winds separating and heading back their separate ways, and then the song ended, and the room was suddenly too quiet. Soren's eyes darted around the audience, looking for any sort of reaction. Then his gaze landed on the Governor, and the man started to clap.

Polite applause spread through the room for a moment, until the Governor held up a hand, and everyone fell silent again. He started to speak.

Beside Soren, Jale started to translate. "Thank you for sharing your song with us. It is unlike anything I have ever heard, but very pleasant..." she paused as Tanden started to reply. "Thank you, Four Winds is just one of the songs we used while working, but it is my favourite. Soren—" she flashed Soren a smile, "—sings it beautifully."

"He didn't actually say that," Soren whispered.

"Yes, I did." Tanden turned abruptly, catching Soren's hand and tugging him closer. He said a few more things in Tallenese, but Jale was now a step behind and too far to subtly translate for Soren. Then Tanden stopped talking, cupped Soren's cheek with his hand, and drew him in for a kiss. Soren's initial surprise faded quickly, and he returned the kiss with feeling, even slipping his free arm around Tanden's waist.

Until Jale's voice dryly interrupted them. "That's enough, boys."

Soren drew back first. He could feel his cheeks redden, and he refused to look at Tanden's grin. "We need to go sit down."

Tanden was having far too much fun. "But—"

"No." Soren led Tanden out of the centre of the room, with maybe a little more force than necessary. But Tanden followed along easily enough, and soon they were safely sitting at their table again.

The gazes that had followed them were then drawn to the centre again, because the Prophet had left her seat. She stood in the middle of the huge room, a little girl dressed entirely in white. She hadn't even done anything yet, and she still had everyone's undivided attention. When she started talking, her voice was quiet but easy enough to hear in the perfect silence of the room. It was Tanden who leaned closer to translate.

"I think she's blessing the city, something about winter being gentle this year."

She kept talking and Tanden kept translating, and it was more of the same. When she finished, there was no applause. But the silence didn't last long. It was interrupted by Orearaley starting to sing. It only took a few words for everyone in the room to join in. It was the Song of the Seasons, and Soren recognized Teir's verse. Despite Jale teaching them earlier, he couldn't remember any of the words. He hummed the melody instead, still wanting to be part of the celebration. Tanden fumbled through a few words before giving up and humming as well.

Once the song was done, the Prophet returned to her seat. A few more small groups of people went up to do various types of demonstrations. By the time they were done and dessert had been served, Tanden had fallen back into his easy conversation with the Governor.

Dessert looked like a pile of snow in a bowl, and Soren poked at it tentatively with the spoon he had been given. Jale, who had been distracted by her own bowl arriving, noticed him and laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Is this snow?"

"No. It's iced cream," Jale explained. "Made with cream, sugar, and flavoured with wintergreen leaves. The first batch of the year is always made during Tier's Greeting, so it can be packed with snow and frozen." She scooped some into her mouth. "Mmm... I forgot how good it is. It isn't very common in Till."

Soren scooped up a bit of the cream to taste, and was pleasantly surprised by the way the sugar and cream mixed, along with a sharp new flavour that must have been the wintergreen leaves.

"Delicious," Tanden announced. "This is delicious. I want this on the Wanderlust."

Soren agreed, and laughed, "But how would you freeze it?"

"I'm sure it's just as delicious before it's frozen. It could be some sort of drink. We could trade it up and down the coast."

"Where would you get the wintergreen?" Jale asked.

"You're too practical, both of you," Tanden said. "Let me harbour some dreams, will you?" He went back to his bowl with more enthusiasm.

"I'm pretty sure being practical is my entire job," Soren teased.

Tanden just gave him a sideways glance, and continued eating. With a chuckle, Soren scooped up more of his iced cream. It really was delicious.