Fletcher is startled by the man, but he smiles, and looks back up into the night sky "Yeah I'm fine. Its...just the stars. My....dad, Berdon, loved them. Beautiful, aren't they?" He points out a couple of constellations.

"Oh, yes. They're quite a sight. They say the stars align in certain ways when they're trying to tell us something." He moves closer and points out a small constellation to the North. "That one, the Compass it's called, tells of great discovery." Then he points to a larger one almost directly above you. "And that one, the Sword, tells of suffering and sacrifice. In between them is the Balance, the one that tells us that everything that happens is meant to be."

Fletcher grins. "Gods save our souls. Lets get back to the stew before Kallista cooks it to ash."

Jullar smiles. "I'm sure she isn't that bad."

"I'm not" 

Tender pulls her flute out of her pack, waving it cheerfully when they return to the fire. "It's not as grand as some instruments, I'm sure," she says, running her fingers over it, "but my grandmaster made it for me." It's a well-crafted flute, made of wood, and painted with phoenix spiralling down it. "I used to play for the kids in Sandhollow on Market Day," she muses, smiling a little sadly at the memory. 

Jullar returns to the fire and takes back over the cooking. After a few minutes, he says it is ready and removes a set of fine wooden bowls from his backpack. He fills them each with stew and hands them each to you personally, saying "For you sir", or "For you madam".

Fletcher looks at Tender. "Why dont you play for us. I mean, if you want to."

The stew smells delicious, and Kallista takes her bowl gratefully. After a brief moment of hesitation, she removes her hood and the cloth covering her mouth, then begins to eat.

"That's beautiful," she comments when Tender takes out her flute.

Tender flushes at both the request and the comment, looking down at the flute clutched in her hands. "Thank you," she tells Kallista, smiling, before looking over at Fletcher. "I suppose I could play something," she says, somewhat shyly, glancing over at Jullar. She was hardly of any bard skill, but... Well, the children had always liked it, at least. 

"This is what I used to play most often, usually sitting on the eastern wall of the monastery as the sun rose," she explains quietly before bringing the flute up to her lips. She's never had a strictly formal education in music, but she does her best to play the joyful, uplifting tune she played for the sunrise at the edge of the desert in what feels almost like another life. It isn't a long song, more like a burst of joy, lasting only a minute or so before the notes fade out and Tender lowers the flute and graces them all with her usual grin. 

Fletcher looks on awestruck "That....that was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. Granted, the only songs we had in my village were drinking songs, but.... wow. Thank you"

"A fair bit more dainty than I'm used ta," Orimdal comments, "But pretty nonetheless. The music I'm used ta involves a lot o' drinkin', plenty o' drums an' stompin' an' dancin'." He leans back as he remembers some of the great nights had at his hometown tavern. 

Evi who was sitting a little behind the group, as it was her habit to have a quick get-away at all times, listened as Tender played her song for the group.  Though short and probably imperfect - not that Evi could tell as she rather enjoyed it - it seemed to have the desired effect on the group as they all seemed deeply engrossed in her performance.  Tender's song of home brought a brief reminder to Evi of her own: the chaos of the city constantly active and alive, to the variety of smells and people she would come across as she walked the streets of the Old Market to the endless stream of ships that came in and out of the port with their colorful sails and sailors aboard milling about with their duties.  Before she knew it the song was over and a quiet had returned to the small group, the only noises for a few moments were the crackling of the fire and the random sounds of the jungle in the background.  Realizing that this was the first time since her first stay in Vinanthi that she had thought of home without thinking of the "incident" or all the trouble that her innocent looking ring had caused, made Evi happier than she could've imagine and she dug in heartily to the surprisingly delicious stew that Jullar had made.  Looks like Jullar was telling the truth she thought contently as she dug in for another bite.

As Tender plays and the others comment on the music of their homes, Kallista is overcome with a wistful longing for the community she never had. Back where she grew up, if there was music, she never got to enjoy it with the rest of the townsfolk. And after she left, her less-than-legal line of work frequently entailed staying away from the crowded areas where song might be heard. She lowers her head and furiously blinks back the tears forming in her eyes, not wanting to show weakness to the others.

"My, quite the talents you have with that." Jullar says when Tender finishes her performance. "Reminds me of a song my mother used to play me when I was little." He notices that Evi is farther away from everyone else and waves her over. "Come! Sit with us. No harm will befall you." he says with kind eyes and a soft smile.

Tender flushes a deeper purple, carefully wrapping her flute in its cloth and stowing it back in her pack. "Thank you," she says again, though this time the words are directed at everyone. "I haven't had cause to play in a while, so it was nice to play for people again," she adds, something soft and wistful on her face. "I used to just make up little songs in my spare time," she offers, laughing a little, "or when I was avoiding my chores." She shakes off the melancholy and looks at Fletcher and Orimdal curiously. "What sorts of drinking songs? The taverns back home were all drinking songs about being lonely in the desert, so I don't imagine they're the same as the ones you know." 

Evi forces a smile and shuffles a little closer to the group; enough to where she could be considered a part of the dinner but with just enough separation to still have a relatively quick escape if necessary.

"I dont imagine you did. Ours were about the goat who got stuck up the mountain, or the Halfling who tried to slay a dragon, or Sally and her..... you get the gist" As he speaks he mimes some of the local dances. "Avoiding chores is an art form. One that I have yet to master. The one time I shirked, I felt so bad, that I beat out horseshoes for the entire night. Berdon had a good laugh at my sorry self in the morning"

"Well, shall we make camp for the night or push on to Riglestun?" Jullar asks, cleaning up his pots and bowls and stamping out the fire.

"I say we push. People are depending on us."