We generally let people visit Tapa to look around even if we don't want to make good impressions on their families. If you want anything very expensive or complicated, we might want to talk that over.

People pay to talk to interesting people sometimes! If I end up wanting expensive things could try that.

That would work! I bet a lot of people would love to chat with you.

River flaps her wings once, shedding excitement into the air.

Talking to people is one of the best things about wandering! Few people want to talk to a barely-flying-one without much Treasure you can touch. Luckily, I'm good at running away.

- what does that have to do with running away?

I wander. I got good at running away, so I don't get hurt when people find me in their territory!

That sounds stressful.

It makes sense to chase away someone you find in your territory. They could be hunting your animals or trying to steal your Treasure, and it's yours. So I'm not upset when it happens. I don't hunt in claimed territories much and only little things and I usually leave a few shiny things if I have some as an apology so nobody actually hates me.

Well, you'll have a chaperone along when you visit a city, so it'll be easy to avoid accidentally wandering onto private property, and the streets are for everyone to walk on.

What if I want to climb a tree or go somewhere faster than you walk or there's something interesting on private property or-

Seeker clacks his teeth sharply. River shivers all over.

Okay okay chaperone.

If the chaperone's too slow for you, maybe you can ask them to get a bicycle.

I'll behave, I promised I would if I came here and I get to see a new planet so it's worth it even if I'm far more Water than Earth.

More Water than Earth?

Ooh! He didn't explain the Four? They're the four most important aspects of the Onesong! And people will sing 'oh, Seeker has great Air but could use some more Fire'. Fire is strength and drive and ambition and decisive ferocity. Water is empathy and understanding and flexibility and change. Earth is patience and endurance and calmness and certainty. Air is philosophy and thoughtfulness and freedom and insight.

I see, that reminds me of some philosophies that are popular in parts of Amenta.

I think every Draak mostly agrees on the Four and what they mean! And it makes perfect sense to all of us if I say that Bloom is strong in Earth, for example.

I don't think we have anything like it that's universally understood.

There's a lot more of you and you can't sense the song like us. But maybe if there's any Draak left on Oldhome maybe they'll have come to a different understanding of the Onesong by now.

That seems plausible, that tends to let things diverge if there's a way for them to do that.

Yeah.

...I think I want to learn about your music! The sound kind, not the other kind.

We have lots of it, it's a very rich subject! Do you want to hear some now?

Yeah! I think you'll get it from the internet!

The vague mental image of the internet she leaks into the song is of reaching into an ocean and pulling random things out.

I will, in fact! She puts on some light instrumental stuff that won't make it hard for her assistant to hear her murmured commentary.

She listens, very still, for a good thirty seconds. Then,

I want to sing along.

This song doesn't have words, but it does have a tune one could hum, or perhaps you have something else in mind?