In reply to Ailith (msg # 218):

Iriz jumps a little, obviously surprised.  But she peers at you through tear stained eyes, finally rubbing them with the back of a palm.

"Great...does everyone know..."  she mutters to herself.

She then turns to you, trying to look all defiant.  The fact she has a little bit of snot clinging to one nostril kind of kills the image.

"Well?  Go ahead.  Have your fun."

“I have no idea.” Ailith answered Iriz's first 'question' with a shrug. Though either she had been lucky to ask the only servant who'd know, or most of them did. Which wouldn't surprise her too much in fact. “And you and I must have different definitions of fun...” She shook her head, not saying anything for a few moment.

“I wasn't looking for you to have fun, but to say a few things. Starting with the fact that I don't believe you're the one who trashed my room. Zez doesn't think you did it, and I trust him. Plus...” She shrugged, “I never really bought it anyway.” Oh, she had considered it - who wouldn't have? - but it had seemed too obvious, too stupid, to come from Iriz. She was much more on the fence regarding Helza, but if, there again, Zez didn't think she had done it...

“More importantly,” She turned her head to look directly at the other apprentice, but looked away when she noticed her state, “I... Well, I guess you could say I was a bit of a coward and hoped to not talk about it but...” She shook her head, “Let's say it wasn't the best idea ever.” She grimaced slightly, sighed, then continued, “From what I've seen, Master Olk seems great, and you're lucky to be his apprentice.” She let a few seconds go, but resumed quickly enough that Iriz wouldn't have time to think too much about it, “However, I am not interested in him, in any way. I do not want to take your position, I'm not interested in becoming his apprentice. Master Matah asked me to work on some scrimshaw - probably to expand my horizon or something - that's the only reason I asked for his help.”

“In fact, I could just as well have asked for your help and not his since I'm sure you know far enough for my needs, if... Well...” She shrugged, leaving the reasons untold.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 220):

Iriz listens to you, sniffling occasionally.  She sighs.  "I know you weren't.  Sorry.  I've been a bit of a wah zin."

She wraps her arms around her legs and rests her chin on her knees.

"I just...I love him so much.  I wasn't really all that interested in scrimshaw at first.  It was..."  She sighs.  "Sorry.  You probably don't want to hear my tragic tale of unrequited love.  Just...please don't tell me I'm young.  Or it's a crush.  I get that enough."

She goes silent, watching some insects scurry across the ground.

"You should talk to Master Olk about the scrimshaw.  It's okay.  I'm just...Anyway.  It's fine.  He can give you better direction."

She turns her head, so she's facing you, her cheek now on her knee.  "I only heard your room got trashed.  Your clothes or nothing got damaged did they?  I think we wear the same size.  And my mother is a weaver.  She's always sending me robes."

About to speak, Ailith closed her mouth When Iriz mentioned that it wasn't necessary to say anything about her age. Or the fact that it was a crush. She wasn't there to make things worse, she didn't particularly care if she were to be honest, and maybe more importantly... Weirder things had happened. Plus, Master Olk wasn't decrepit. And maybe perfectly aware of his apprentice's feelings for that matter.

“I will.” She grimaced a bit, “I'll have to learn how to make knives before that though.” Because sculpting something that looked like knives, she was pretty sure she could do. Making actual knives however... There had to be more involved.

“My room...” She shrugged, “Well, everything had been tossed over, but only the spines and the designs were damaged. But..." She paused for a second, “I don't have much to wear besides these.” She pulled the front of her tunic. “So... I'd like to have something else to wear, particularly when I'm not working. But I'll, uh, pay...” She didn't sound too sure about that though. Not that she didn't want to pay, but that she'd have enough.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 222):

Iriz wipes her eyes and nose one more time and slaps her hands on top of her knees, launching herself into a standing position.

"I've got an older robe I don't wear anymore.  You'll need to patch it a little bit.  But its still in good shape.  Consider it my apology for...you know."

She looks at you.  "Come by my room later for it. I.."  She gives you a once over and then shakes her head.

"Just to cut to it.  I don't know if we can be friends.  But what happened to your room wasn't right.  No one should destroy someone else's work.  If I hear anything, I'll let you and Zez know. You might want to think about making a lock for your room."

She nods at you and turns, walking off away from the compound.

---

The robe she gives you does need some patches on the elbow and will need some rethreading of the hem.  But the material is still in good shape.  Better, she must have modified it to use for work.  The pockets on the side are roomy enough for tools, and have flaps hanging over the top so the pockets can be closed off.  It's a decent robe.

One of the servants from the main house drops by that evening.

"Master Matah is holding lunch for all the apprentices tomorrow.  You don't need to dress up, as its just him and you guys.  But don't be late."

Anything you want to do tonight?  If not, we will move to the lunch...Of DOOM!

Ailith smiled pleasantly when Iriz said it was her way to apologize. “It's alright. I've already forgotten about it.” If nothing else because it would make her life a lot easier. Not easy mind. No apprentice would have an easy life after all. But certainly easier.

She nodded tightly when the other apprentice mentioned being friend: it would certainly be nice to have a friend, but… Well, one thing at a time. “Thanks. Zez said Master Matah would take care of the lock.” She shrugged, “It's not like there's anything more to mess up in my room at the moment anyway.” Which wasn't exactly true of course… She still had the clothes and the towel to deal with, something she hadn't been able to do ever since her room had been visited. But she certainly wasn't going to mention that!

---

All in all, Ailith was pretty satisfied of her new dress: it might be an old one of Iriz, but it was the first new thing she was able to wear in a good while. Plus, with the roomy pockets, she could even work in it, which was pretty nice. It still wasn't something she'd really want to wear for a festival, but hopefully she'd be able to get something else by the time the next one came up.

“Lunch?” Ailith blinked in surprise: that was a new one. Was it because he had something important to say? Maybe that Zez was ready to start working on his masterpiece? That would be so nice for him and… Uh… That would also mean that Helza was likely to become head apprentice… Which would be so not nice… Shaking hear head to focus back, she smiled to the servant, “Thanks!”

In the evening, Ailith hesitated, but decided against going to pick new spines to work on: as long as she didn't have a lock, she didn't want to take that risk. Instead, she reproduced her designs, more to avoid forgetting anything important - particularly about what Master Olk had told her - than anything else.

In the morning, she was particularly attentive about the time, both to avoid being late and be able to wash quickly before lunch: after all, no matter what had been said, it was still with Master Matah. It certainly wouldn't do to arrive with dirty hands!

In reply to Ailith (msg # 224):

Yovo has you work some extra hours that evening.  The two of you braid the dried reeds into various styles of cords.  The weaving of the cords turns out to be more interesting than you thought.  Yovo wants to weave certain patterns into the reed ropes.  It takes a lot more skill than it would appear.  By the end of the time, you're able to make one rope to her satisfaction. But now you think you have the hang of it.

She seems a little put off that you have lunch with Matah.  "Well.  It can't be helped.  Anyway, come back after lunch.  I want to make some progress on these reeds so we can start putting together the furniture."

---

You hurry to the main building.  The lunch is being held in one of the small side halls.  You're the next to last to arrive.  Iriz follows in right after you.

Master Matah surveys you all, and then tells you to eat.

It's not a feast by any stretch.  But it's better food than you get in the dining hall.

Matah says little until the meal is almost over.  He finishes his paste stew and puts his spoon down with a loud thunk

"So.  First of all, I want to thank you all for your hard work.  The Interlopers were quite pleased with the products we offered them.  Our goods are not just the results of the masters.  You all contributed.  And you will continute to contribute going forward."

He waves a hand and a servant steps up, setting something on the table next to you.  It is a lock and key.

Matah surveys all of you.

"I am sure you all know what happened.  I am not going to belabor the point.  I have an idea who the culprit was.  They will be dealt with.  But so everyone knows."

He slams a palm down on the table top.  Hard. SLAM

"Such." SLAM "Behavior.  Will not." SLAM "Be. Tolerated." SLAM

Master Matah did stress the words.  But he didn't raise his voice.  Instead he let his palm do the talking, hitting the table hard enough Helza's bowl of salad flops off the edge.

A servant hurries to clean it up.

"Moving on."

Matah waits for the servant to finish and then leans back, as if his display had not occured.

"I hope this is news to all of you.  But we will be joined by both a new master and a new apprentice.  Zez...I am going to ask you to delay the start of your master's project for three full lunar cycles.  I want you to get the new master acclimated.  As well as the new apprentice."

Zez doesn't show any reaction on his face.  He simply nods.

"The new apprentice is a man named Coq.  He will be here in two weeks.  I will show you his entry project in a moment.  It is...interesting.

"As to the new master..."  He looks you all over and then nods.  "This person will be one of the Interlopers.  They will be joining us for the rest of the season.  I will be assigning one of you as their apprentice for that time."

Will let you react to that before proceeding.

“Of course!” Ailith nodded enthusiastically at Yovo. After all, she'd have much preferred staying with her and work on that project, which taught her quite a few things, rather than having lunch with Master Matah. Not that she had anything against him of course, but… Well… She wasn't expecting it to be particularly fun.

---

When Iriz arrived, Ailith had a small smile for her as she took her place around the table. She was sort of enjoying the food, but could only wonder what this was all about which prevented her from really focusing on it, making sure that she finished at around the same time Matah did. When he finally spoke, she nodded briefly after his praise. She wasn't all that sure that she should really be included in it considering that of the things delivered to the Interlopers, she had at most been involved in sanding, but she wasn't going to mention something like that. Particularly not to someone who believed - and much to her chagrin, rightly so - that it was an important part of many crafts.

With the lock placed near her, Ailith mumbled a “Thank you,” both to the servant and Master Matah, not quite sure she wanted to be the focus of attention. Or more precisely, perfectly sure she didn't want to be. She was briefly curious when Matah announced that he had a good idea of who it was, but quickly forgot about it when he smashed his palm on table, almost jumping in fright.

When he was done, she remained frozen for a long moment, barely breathing and her head between her shoulders, wanting to be anywhere but at the table. She knew perfectly well that she wasn't in trouble, but that didn't make her feel better for a while and she only started to relax when the servant finished cleaning up.

She really started to cheer up when she heard about a new apprentice: finally she wouldn't be the newest one! She was under no illusions that she'd be finally free to do whatever she wanted, but at the very least she wouldn't have to clean every workshop every day, and that was such a good news she almost wanted cheer. She could only offer a commiserating grimace as Zez was told his project would have to be delayed though. But in two weeks, she'd have a lot more time to herself!

While at first she hadn't paid much attention to the news about the new master, barely interested even by the news that it would be an Interloper - which she considered more troublesome than anything else - the very last bit concerned her a lot. It didn't take a genius to know which apprentice would be assigned to that new Master: both Iriz and Helza already had a master and Zez would be too busy for it. Finally, there was no way the new apprentice - Coq - would be chosen for that when he had lots of sanding and sweeping to look for in his immediate future. Plus lots of water to draw from the well of course.

No, that only left her… And that wasn't something she was particularly pleased to hear. Oh, it'd be interesting. Probably. Certainly new at any rate. But… But there was the little matter of her little secrets… Though of course, it wasn't like anyone was going to ask for her opinion on the matter, so she'd have to find a way to deal with it.

“What's the new master's specialty?” she asked carefully, as if trying to judge who was likely to be the selected apprentice. But really wondering what would be expected of her.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 226):

No one else speaks up.  Matah cocks an eyebrow when you do.

"It's actually rather intersting."

He gestures and a servant brings what you think is a box to the table.

The box is made of...it looks like reeds.  But it's more...solid?  It's a material that looks lighter than stone but has a slick sort of glossiness.  Sort of like river rocks or scrimshaw will get when they are polished well.

"This box is made out of a material the Interlopers call Oak.".  Matah lets that sink in.  "It's apparently a plant that grows where they come from.  They are going to gift us a supply of it to work with."

He leans forward and flips the top of the box.

Once he opens it, tiny sounds begin to emerge.  Delicate tings, like soft rain falling on tin sheets.  You realize the sounds are organized.  Almost like a song, though an odd sounding one.

"This is what the Interlopers call a box of music.  The mechanism is quite ingenious.  I plan on studying this and crafting one myself.  Though hopefully with a more pleasing melody."

So it's a music box made of polished wood.  We never quite discussed trees in this world before.  I will let you decide if there are any, but obviously they are nothing like oak that we are used to.

I will let Ailith chew on that and we will move on.  Thanks

Given the climate I'd say it's unlikely that there are trees. Grasses, reeds, mushrooms (or their equivalents) sure, but I'd say trees not so much.

Ailith looked curiously at the box, then was obviously fascinated by the sounds that came out of it. She briefly grimaced with a slight nod, agreeing with Matah that whatever other marvels the Interlopers could do, music didn't seem to be one of them.

She briefly ran a finger on the side of the box, wondering what that 'oak' thing was but looked far more interested by what she could see from the box's insides. “Is that metal?” She asked. It didn't look like bones, rocks or crystals or... Well, it looked like metal. Not something unknown of course, but not many worked on it. And as far as she knew, none of the Hiyal. Or at least not primarily.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 228):

"Supposedly it's an organic material.  From the way the Interlopers described it, the material is from a plant.  Like a reed bush but much larger and more stout.  It's odd, isn't it."

Iriz reaches over and taps the side.  "It feels more like bone than a reed."

"Good observation.  I had the same thought.  Which actually makes you the logical choice to apprentice with the Interloper."

Iriz stares at Matah blankly, not sure what she just heard.

He gestures at Zez.  "Actually, given the nature of this new master, I would like you to join Iriz up until Coq is settled.  You can start your project then.  But if you want to delay your project and study under the Interloper longer, I will not object.  It is a rare opportunity.  The two of you should absorb as much as you can."

Iriz opens her mouth.  "But-"

Matah looks her way.  "I have already spoken to Olk.  He agrees this is a good opportunity for you.  It will only be for a season.  When we move to the winter village, the Interloper will return to their people.  You will return to Master Olk then.

"During the time Iriz is with the Interloper, Ailith...I want you to apprentice with Olk.  I understand you are working with Yovo on a project.  You'll work on that project with her and the project I assigned you with Master Olk.  In the meantime, Zez...redistribute the workload among the apprentices.  Also, look into hiring someone who can take over some of the more drudge work.  With two apprentices tied up, it would be too much for one newcomor to take over that much slack.

"Does anyone..." he glances at Iriz, who is staring down at her hands.  "Have any questions?"

Ailith nodded, obviously agreeing with Matah's statement of how odd that Oak thing was. With a grin, she added after Iriz “Maybe their reeds have bones?” That'd be super weird. But on the other hand, the Interlopers were super-weird, so…

Her smile quickly slipped away however when Matah announced that Iriz was going to be working with the interloper, and she would apprentice with Master Olk…while still working with Master Yovo on her project. That was definitely not what she had been expecting.

On the one hand, it would keep her away from the Interloper, which… well, it wasn't bad, but on the other hand she had to admit she had been curious to learn more about that Music Box thing. Worse, while she wouldn't have to sweep and clean and fetch water, she was pretty sure she wasn't going to have any free time for a long while. And while it would “only be for a season”… Well, a season lasted quite a bit. And of course, there was the matter of Iriz and Olk, which… Well, she was mighty glad she had talked to Iriz at least. All in all, the only really lucky guy in all that was the new apprentice… But… Oh well, no matter. Not only she was pretty sure the masters would make sure he didn't have time for much at all and would be properly exhausted at the end of each day, but even if that weren't the case… It wasn't like she'd gain anything from him being miserable, right?

Mutely, Ailith nodded her understanding, then shook her head when asked if she had any question. She considered asking Matah what the new guy's project was, but figured that Iriz wouldn't like staying anymore than absolutely necessary so kept her mouth shut, just ready to run after Iriz once Matah freed them.

She'd have something to say to Zez too, but she wanted to start with Iriz.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 230):

Helza has been quiet.  But when Matah asks if there are any questions, she looks at him.

"I would like to talk to you after this privately if I may Master Matah."

He furrows his brow but nods, then glances at the rest of you.

"You are all free to go."

Iriz manages to walk until she reaches the door and is out of Master Matah's sight.  Then she speeds up.  By the time she hits the front door, she is almost in a run.

Zez walks out beside you, watching her.  He sighs.  He gives you a nod and starts to turn down a side hall.

Will let you decide who you want to go after first.  Thanks

Ailith was both briefly disappointed that Master Matah had forgotten to show them the new apprentice's entry project and curious about what Helza was going to say to him. Was it to confess that she'd been the one to mess with her designs, thinking that she'd get a lighter punishment? Unless Zez was right and she hadn't been the one to do it. Then maybe to complain that she should be the one to get the opportunity to work with the interloper and not Iriz? That…

Ailith shook her head: it didn't matter to her, and maybe she should avoid drawing conclusions when she had little to go on. Recent events had sort of proved that it wasn't her strong suit… Instead, she grabbed her new lock and key, then stood and walked out the door.

For a second, she looked at Iriz, then grimaced: it wouldn't do to run after her like that. So instead, she turned to Zez, “Hey Zez, regarding the person you have to recruit, can you consider Ozcow? I promised him that I would think about him if there was any work to be had. I don't know if it'd interest him,” After all, it might not pay enough compared to what he usually made, “but he has children, one of them might be just fine for this.” Before he could answer, she lifted her hands, “No pressure or anything, I just promised him to think about him, that's all.”

She started to turn away, but before that added, “Oh and uh… Sorry? Good luck?” She obviously wasn't too sure of what Zez would be feeling about Matah's latest news. “If you need help, for… well… whatever, you can always ask alright?”

After that, she jogged after Iriz, hoping she hadn't found a new crying spot…

In reply to Ailith (msg # 232):

Zez gives you a weak smile.  He looks tired.  But he nods and says, "Will do.  Thanks."

Iriz hasn't found a new spot, and she isn't crying.  She's just staring at the mountains in the far distance and clenching her fists.

Her eyes roll your way as you approach.  "If you came here to tell me you're sorry, don't.  I know this wasn't you."

“Nah, this time I'm here to make fun of you.” Ailith said seriously, then grinned and leaned to the side to push Iriz with her shoulder showing that she was kidding.

After a few seconds in silence, she added, “There are two things about all of this that I think you should keep in mind. First, while I suppose it's not what you'd prefer, you should be proud to have been chosen. After all, it means Master Matah highly values your skills, right?” Granted, there hadn't been all that many possible choices, but still.

“Second...” She clearly hesitated a bit before continuing, “You probably should be careful about how you react to all that. Or at least, how you're seen reacting. I mean, I'm not good with that kind of things, and it didn't take me long to notice about... Well...” She waved her hand in the air as if it explained everything. “You can bet Master Matah knows, so all of this could be a test for you. One you probably don't want to fail.”

She let Iriz think about that for a while, then with a teasing smile concluded, “It's just for a season anyway,” even though it wasn't all that short... “And if you want I'll be a terrible apprentice for Master Olk, he'll be even happier to have you back then.”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 234):

She laughs, a little bitterly, but she laughs.  "You mean you have another choice but to be a bad apprentice?"  She shoves your shoulder back, in the same manner you shoved hers.

"I appreciate that.  And I know all that.  It's...Master Olk didn't say anything to me.  That's what gets me.  It's..."

She shakes her head.  "Oh to hell with it.  Wanna go get some kisi?  I'll buy the first round."

Ailith snorted when Iriz asked if she could be anything else than a 'bad apprentice', almost considering replying that she could be the apprentice who fell in love with the dashing young master. Since it would have been a bit too early for that though, she avoided it. After all, she was far from being the social butterfly that Helza was, but she wasn't a complete idiot either.

As for Master Olk not saying anything… She shrugged but there again didn't say anything. There could be a lot of reasons for that, some of it good for Iriz, some less so. It could for example be because he had some feelings for her but found it a bit uncomfortable considering their current relation and had wanted to have some breathing room, or because he wanted to let her down gently. But since she had no idea which it was, Ailith avoided going there.

When Iriz invited her for some kisi, Ailith sighed and shook her head, “I can't. Master Yovo was expecting me to come back as soon as lunch was done.” She grimaced slightly, “She's going to wonder where I went if I take too long…”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 236):

Iriz shakes her head.  "Oh yeah.  Master Yovo.  Good luck with that.  She's weird. Anyway.  Thanks."

With a nod she heads out towards the village market.

---

Yovo is all a flutter.  She finished up the braiding while you were at the luncheon.  Now she's started showing you how to string the braids along the frames.

"So.  What happened at lunch?  Everyone's been talking about it but no one knows what occured."

“I…suppose…” Quickly though, as if she felt she had to add something positive, she said, “But it's interesting!” After all, she was learning things she wouldn't have been able to learn with any of the other masters. With a slight wave - and a bit grumpy to miss that - Ailith let Iriz go to the market then turned away. Before she went back to Yovo's shop though, she quickly went to her room to drop the lock on her bed then rushed to Yovo.

---

“Oh, we were told about the new Interloper master,” Ailith started to answer Yovo's question, then paused for a moment while she focused on the braid she was doing, “and the new apprentice.” It was very obvious that while she was a bit doubtful about the former, the latter had her a bit more excited: she wouldn't be the latest. And maybe not even the youngest!

“Master Matah showed us the box music the new master makes. It… Well, it doesn't sound too good, does it?” She shook her head, “But maybe he can make something better. Oh and Iriz is going to work with that new master, while I work with you and Master Olk.” She squinted as she considered her work, distractedly adding, “But you already knew that obviously.”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 238):

You look up when you're done speaking to see Yovo staring at you.  Like you had just announced you were a dancing yursh

She seems to swallow in a dry throat.

"An Interloper...master?"

She blinks and then points at the knot you're tying in one of the cords.  "That's too tight.  We'll adjust the tension later.  For now, keep the knots loose."

She picks up a couple of cords.  She then lets them fall to the floor.  "You're working with Master Olk?  Are you doing a project for him like this one?"

She stares at the cords that fell and then walks out of the workshop, her hands on her hips.

After a while, Zez pokes his head into the shop.  "I think you can clean up.  Master Yovo and Master Matah as going to be speaking a while."

He looks at the frame you've been working on.  "She always comes up with the most mundane sounding projects.  And they always turn out much different then she described.  And they're always better.  I don't know if I should applaud her or shake my head."

He chuckles and helps you pick up cords.  "You know she wants to make you her apprentice, right?"

“Uh, well...yes?” Ailith answered dubitatively to Yovo's question about an interloper master, obviously surprised that it was the first time the unpredictable master heard about that: she had supposed Matah had talked about that with all the other masters first. But maybe Yovo simply hadn't paid attention, or hadn't been there when Matah had talked about it with the others? Not that it mattered much to her of course, masters' matters were most definitely not for apprentices to stick their noses in.

She nodded with a grimace at the remark about the too tight knots, “Sorry.” And when Yovo left, Ailith watched her back doubtfully. Was her working with Olk news too? In fact, the way she had understood it, she was supposed to be working on this project with Yovo, but for dedicate most her time the next season to work with Olk. But here again it seemed to be fresh news for Matah's granddaughter. Fresh and unwelcome... She really hoped they managed to settle things between them as the last thing she needed was to find herself in the middle of two masters - or three if one counted Matah!

She continued working as Yovo had shown her, but she was a bit distracted until Zez came in. “Oh.” Was all she said when he informed her that Yovo and Matah were going to be talking for some time. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and picked the broom.

She smiled briefly when he commented on Yovo's project and nodded, “I have much less experience than you do obviously, but it sure sounds interesting. And I'm learning things I wouldn't learn elsewhere.” Would those things be useful was another question, but at the moment it didn't matter all that much: she was learning, and that was the most important thing.

“I was beginning to get the idea, yes.” The young apprentice slightly grimaced in answer to Zez telling her about Yovo wanting her as her apprentice, wondering how that was going to turn out. After a few seconds, she shrugged, “Won't happen before next season if it does though.” After all, she seriously doubted Matah was going to change his mind, no matter what Yovo told him. After a brief hesitation, she asked, “Do you think it'd be good?” Not that her opinion was going to matter obviously, or at least not much, but still.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 240):

Zez seems to hesitate.  He looks back at the door, as if checking to see who can hear.  "I don't like to gossip.  But I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to know.

"Master Yovo is...eccentric.  And inconsistent.  Some of her work is just amazing.  And some of it...not so much.  Master Matah dotes on her.  But I'm not sure he relies on her.

"She goes through apprentices."  He shrugs.  "Both Helza and I were her apprentices at one point.  I liked working with her.  It was an interesting project.  She was a patient teacher.  Then she just told me I wasn't working out and asked Master Matah to reassign me.  No real explanation given.  It really stung.

"Helza was a whole other issue.  It did not go well.  Helza actually asked Master Matah to release her from apprenticeship.  He reassigned her instead.

"Doq'n...she was the head apprentice when I started...actually worked with Yovo when Yovo apprenticed.  Yovo's only been a master for eight or so seasons.  Anyway.  Doq'n told me Yovo has always been a little off."  He finishes stacking cords.  "Anyway.  You can learn a lot from her.  I did.  But just know it won't come easy."

“I...see...” Ailith commented slowly, obviously having trouble digesting all of that. “Well, there's not much I can do at the moment though, is there? It's just part-time for a season though, at least for now, so who knows what'll happen in that time right?”

“And if it doesn't work out...” She grimaced, thinking about what other options there were. She didn't have a passion for stonework besides sculpting, seeing pots now made her sick from all thr sanding she'd had to do, which pretty much only left D'Osk who probably was the master she had spent the least amount of time with. Which was saying something... Plus, she was more or less Zez's master, if not officially.

In the end, she shrugged, “At least I won't be surprised and will know that it's not the end and I'll have learned lots of interesting things, right?” She smiled, “Thanks for telling me.”

After a brief second, she asked, “Oh by the way, what is your project?”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 242):

He grins.  "I'm going to make a odiq.  It will be my gift for the shrine."

A chime garden.  If done correctly, an odiq can be a beautiful soundscape that gives a shrine a mystical air.  If done poorly, it's an annoying distraction.  They're notoriously difficult as the planning for them has to contemplate so many variables like wind, location, and traffic.

"You should start thinking about your project.  I know it seems far away, but it will arrive sooner than you think.  And it's good to align yourself with a master who can further your interests as soon as possible."  He leans on his broom.  "What exactly are you interested in working with?"