Ailith blinked as she processed all of that, her eyes going from the Interloper to the bird on its shoulder, relaxing definitely not one of the things she wanted to do. Still, she didn't leave just yet. A bit uncertain, she answered. “Master Matah is not my superior...” She frowned... “He is...” She paused for a second, then shrugged, “Well, he is Master Matah. And even if I say I'm cleaning because of you, that won't help much...” Especially since the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself.

“And I'm not an 'Unprocessed Product'.” She frowned as she considered the bird-thing suspiciously. After a couple of seconds, she added, “I am an apprentice.” No one's at the moment, but that was not something she was going to volunteer. “And my name,” she paused once again, squinting, “Is Ailtih.”

“Look, I don't mind if you want to talk,” Though she could imagine a bunch of things she'd rather do than have an Interloper interested in her, “even if I'm not sure I have anything interesting to say, but... Can we do so somewhere else please?”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 120):

The Interloper's mouth seems to curve upwards at both ends.  Is that a good sign or a bad one?

"Sure," says the bird, which must be talking on the Interloper's behalf.  "You can show me around the compound if you do not have LABOR ASSIGNMENTS."

This Llewelyn waits outside the studio door.  "My apologies for my..."  The Interloper points at the bird.  "This is a device we use to talk to you.  We cannot speak your language easily.  So we have to use these to do so.  But we are still lacking some of your words.  You said your OFFICE was-"

The Interloper brings a hand up and rests it on the bird.  The Interloper opens their mouth and says, "Ahp-prin-tez?"

It takes it's hand off the bird.  "Did I say that correctly?"

“I don't have any other tasks no.” Not that Ailith was supposed to be talking to an Interloper, but she supposed that no one was going to complain if she did what the Interloper asked her to. As long as she didn't show things she wasn't supposed to show anyway. And if it allowed her to avoid the others it might be for the best.

When it repeated the term, she nodded, “Almost.” Slower she repeated “Apprentice. It's like... A pupil? A student? I'm learning...” She paused, then waved at the various workshops, “Well, a bit of everything for now.” And she was going to ace the "sweeping the grounds" and "drawing water from the well" parts of it, that was for sure. But that was probably not something to say either... “I'm not sure 'office' is the right term either though. Occupation or job should be better.”

As she emptied the bucket and stored it and the mop where they were supposed to go - having no intention to carry them everywhere - Ailith asked, “What about you? What's your position among... Among your people?” While having the Interloper talk about itself was definitely a safer bet than her doing the talking, Ailith had to admit that she was curious.

And Merry Christmas!

In reply to Ailith (msg # 122):

Llewelyn's head makes a nodding motion when you repeat the term.  He pulls out an odd kind of tablet, one no bigger than his palm, and puts his finger on it.  The tablet has a glass window like the ones you saw in that place.  This screen is lit with a number of small lights, some blue but most green.  Llewelyn taps on a few.

"Thank you," says the bird. "We still do not have an entire vocabulary for your people.  So sometimes the ORACLE uses the best word it can."

It follows you to the supply closet and listens to your explanation.  There is a pause at your last question.  Then the bird says for Llewelyn, "I am not one of the traders.  I am a APPRENTICE of sorts as well.  I am studying..."

Llewelyn points at you.  "Your people.  I follow the traders and try to learn more about your people.  So we can talk better."

Llewelyn waves a hand towards the compound.  "Do you like it here?  May I ask what you do? What you study?"

Ailith watched the tablet thing attentively. It didn't seem all that similar to the things she had seen under the river but maybe there were still a few things she could learn from it. “I see.” was all she commented about the Oracle. She was pretty sure Oracle wasn't the right word for it either, but she supposed it was as good a name as any so she didn't say anything about it.

“I'm studying...” She started to answer the question, paused briefly as she considered how best to answer that question, “Well, I'm the youngest apprentice so I'm helping a bit everywhere with everything that needs to be done really. It allows me to learn a bit of everything, decide what I want to do, that sort of things. And allow the Masters to decide which of them wants me as their apprentice. Not sure how long that'll last though. It's not the most fun things to do,” She shrugged, “but it'll get better at some point. Soon I hope.”

After a couple of seconds, she asked curiously. “Where do you come from? And how did you get here?”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 124):

Llewelyn seems to listen attentively.  Though, as it's body language isn't what you are used to, maybe you have that wrong.

"I came on the GREAT CITY."  It points a finger upwards towards the sky.  "We all came on a GREAT CITY that flys through the darkplacesbetweenpointsoflight."

That last bit is said so fast, it's like listening to a kojoji addict talk as fast as they can.

Llewelyn points to the distance now, towards the area their village landed beyond the hill.

"We rode down from it in a VILLAGE.  You must have seen it as we came near the village."

It glances around the courtyard.  "Do you do scrimshaw?  I know the Traders are interested in scrimshaw works.  Don't tell anyone I told you.  Consider it a gift for talking to me."

It nods.  "It was a pleasure to meet you.  I hope we can talk more tomorrow."

It gives you a short bow of it's head and then turns around, walking towards the hall.

You hear a noise behind you and Zez is walking up slowly.  He sighs. "I didn't hear much.  What did the Interloper say to you?"

Ailith turned her head this way and that way as she listened to Llewelyn's explanations, then blinked in surprise when the Interloper suddenly left.

She looked at Zez for a moment, blinking a bit stupidly, before she shook her head to clear her mind. “Uh, it wanted to know who I was and what I was doing. Studying. Working on? Apparently it's an apprentice too, learning how to talk to us and things like that.” She frowned. “I'm not sure how that works though since it's the Oracle - that bird thing on their shoulder - who does the talking...”

She frowned pensively for a second, then added “Anyway. I,” and she looked pointedly at Zez slightly pausing to be sure he had noted the emphasis, “believe that they might be interested in scrimshaw works.” If he hadn't appeared like that she'd have found another way to say it, but now, no matter how or when she did so, it'd be obvious to him where it had really come from so... At least he didn't know Llewelyn's name. “I don't know why though. Maybe it means something special in their culture?”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 126):

"Scrimshaw, huh?"  Zez glances after the Interloper and shakes his head.  "Anyway.  That's fine.  Good job.  Sorry you had to do all this right after getting back. If you want to sneak a plate of food out of the kitchen and go rest up, I'll take care of everything else."

He seems to think a moment and says, "So they call that thing on their shoulders an oracle?  Huh.  I didn't think they were religious."

Will let you decide if Ailith wants to do anything else tonight, and then I'll move us along. Thanks

Ailith nodded, then thanked Zez. “Thanks, I will.” As she began to head to the kitchen, she stopped to listen to Zez, then shook her head. “I don't think they are.”

She paused for a second, pensive, then shrugged, “Or at least, I don't think them calling it an Oracle has anything to do with religion. It's just... They don't know all of our worlds - like apprentice for example - so that bird-thing sort of...guesses - I suppose you could say - the right word. Oracle is sort of related to that concept and since they probably don't know a better word for it...”

“Or at least that how I think it went. I'll just, uh, go eat something and lie down.” She waved, “Take care.”

After that, Ailith went to the kitchen to get a plate of food, then went back to rest: she was tired and more importantly, while she was definitely curious, she didn't want to draw attention to herself. At least no more than she already had. And maybe, if she woke up early, she'd be able to run to the temple first thing in the morning. It'd probably be useless, but at least it would be done.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 128):

You sleep like a mountain sleeps:  deeply and for a very long time.  You wake slowly, mostly because some distant thought keeps telling you someone is shaking you.  Then you realize someone is.

Zez sits back on his haunches when you open your eyes.  He is frowning.  "Master Matah wants to see us.  Wash your face and dress quickly.  We need to hurry."

So much for sneaking off to the temple.

Zez is waiting outside your room when you step out.  He nods and turns, hurrying quickly across the compound to the family quarters.  He doesn't head into the main door...a door you've never gone through.  Instead, he turns to the left and walks around the side of the building.

This is a part of the compound you've not been to.  You knew there was a space beside the family's quarters, but you had no idea it was a garden.  And a large one at that.

Surrounded by a low fence, a garden of flowering cacti and qisella bushes stands like a small lake of plant life.  There is a central pond, and you can see fish swimming around in it.  They are too small for eating but colored so vibrantly, the thought of eating them is almost like a crime.  You have no idea what kind of fish these are.

At the far end of the garden is a small gazebo.  Zez motions with you to be quiet, and the two of you head for it.

Master Matah is seated on a cushion in the middle of the gazebo.  He has a small knife and is whittling the core of a qisella into a cylindrical shape.

Zez approaches the steps leading up to the gazebo.  You notice there are pillows spread along the step and Zez kneels on one, motioning for you to follow suit.

Matah glances up at the both of you, his eyes lingering on you for a while, before going back to his whittling.  "It is important to set a goal for your work each day," he says, studying the cut he just made.  "No matter what occurs, you should always strive your best to meet that goal each day.  Though some days..."  He sighs and sets down both the wood and the knife, "That is not possible.

"So.  You have had a busy couple of days Ailith.  Tell me what occured with the Interloper yesterday.  You did nothing wrong,"  he adds quickly.  "But the situation being what it is, I need to know what happened, no matter how innocent it was."

You do not need to provide dialouge unless you wish to.  Mostly, I need to know if there is anything you do not tell him.  Thanks.

While in most circumstances Ailith would have enjoyed the walk, those were definitely not most circumstances. Between what she had found in the river, the talk with Llewelyn in the evening and the fact that it simply was the first time she was called there... She worried quite a bit about what it meant.

When she was told she did nothing wrong she relaxed... Slightly. She licked her lips, then started to talk. “I was finishing tidying Master Korim's workshop when an Interloper appeared at the window. He... She... It?” She grimaced, clearly not too pleased to be unable to clearly define said Interloper, “wanted to talk.” after which she recounted the encounter as best she could.

The only hesitation she had was to talk about the advice regarding scrimshaw works. In the end, she still shared it, but it was clear she wasn't terribly happy to be put in that position. All the while, she was wondering if all of that had been some sort of test... But she couldn't figure what it would be about.

Only thing Ailith doesn't share is the name. For now at least: she figures it's the best chance she has to keep Matah satisfied without "betraying" Llewelyn's confidence.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 130):

Matah watches you as you relay the tale.  He doesn't make a noise and he doesn't twitch or move about.  You aren't really sure he blinks.

When you're done he nods once.  "Interesting.  Scrimshaw, huh?  I suppose that was his way of repaying you for not running away."

He sighs and picks up the root he was working on.  "The Interlopers seem to come in two varieties.  The traders.  Which are most of them.  But there are a few scholars among them.  They are studying our world.  And us.  Seems the Interloper you spoke with was one of these 'scholars'."

He makes a cut in the wood with a knife and studies it.  "I cut too deep on this pass.  See?  Everyone can make a mistake in cutting.  It is what you do about it that matters.

"Have you done scrimshaw work Ailith?  Go do one.  Bring it to me when you're done with it.  The two of you may go."

Zez blinks at Matah and bows.  He hurries the two of you out of the garden.

Glancing at you, he whispers, "Keep silent on him wanting to see your work.  The others will make your life hell if they find out about it."  He's quiet a moment and then adds, "Honestly.  I'm fairly jealous myself."

Ailith nodded to accept the task Matah had given her, obviously a bit surprised but not thinking too much about it. Something that changed when she heard what Zez had to say about it. “Really? Uh...”

She silently considered the question for a moment, then asked “You're sure?” She didn't seem all that convinced, “I mean, I understand what it could imply but...” She shook her head, “First, I don't really have any experience with scrimshaw, second... Sure, I've become quite good at drawing water from the well,” At least her arms didn't hurt anymore once that was done, “Cleaning the workshops and so on, but I haven't done anything worth noting by any of the masters, much less Master Matah...” In fact, while she had helped here and there, she hadn't been able to even start working on anything by herself.

Before Zez could answer, she asked à few more practical questions, “And... How am I supposed to work on this if I can't tell anyone? When will I find the time for it if I still have to do all the other stuff, to say nothing of the resources and tools? I can't really ask Master Olk for help after all...” Not only because she had never really interacted with him since he was served by Iriz... But also because Iriz would see it as an "attack" on her position and might want to sabotage her.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 132):

Zez exhales rather slowly and then stops, turning to look down at you.  "Really?  You have an opportunity that hasn't been afforded to any of the rest of us, and this is the best you can do?

"If Master Matah has asked you to carve a piece of scrimshaw, do you really think you can't use the tools and supplies in the storeroom?  And when did Master Matah say you could not approach Master Olk?  And if you're tired when you go to sleep at the fifth bell in your room, won't you be just as tired when you stay up late for one bell's worth of time in your room and work on your scrimshaw then?  When do you think I work on my own pieces?  And where do you think I work on them?  Have I been given a workshop?"

He shuts his eyes, sighs again, and slumps his shoulders.  He doesn't open them when he starts speaking again.  "Has anyone ever monitored you when you throw out the trash?  You know. All the bits of raw material that the masters have discarded?  Has anyone ever checked on your quarters to make sure your lamp is out and your in bed at fifth bell?

"Only part of the apprenticeship is teaching you techniques.  There are other skills masters have to learn.  Like resource procurement and time management.  Handling rivals.  And resourcefulness.  You're a very hard worker, yes.  But that's only part of it."

Ailith blinked, obviously a bit surprised by Zez's tone. Hadn't her questions been reasonable? Well, at least she thought so. Granted he made some good points too, but still… Sure, she could do all that. It was the "do it all" and "not say anything to anyone" that she had troubles with. Though on the other hand, he had said that she had to keep silent about Matah wanting to see her work, not on her working at all… She could always say it was her own idea. It wouldn't solve all her problems, but it would address most of them.

One of the problems she was going to have, was to find a way to handle Iriz one way or another - Matah or not, she wasn't going to be pleased at all if she learned that Ailith was working on scrimshaw - but she supposed she could talk to Olk whenever Iriz was otherwise occupied.

As for the time… Well, now that she was used to it, she probably could speed up her tasks at the end of the day: being tired all the time wasn't exactly something she enjoyed after all. But if she planned her days carefully, as much as she could anyway as it depended on the masters' needs, she might be able to manage. Especially if she kept a day or two free - or at least where she didn't work on her own project - to rest a bit. It might look like it'd slow her down, but being rested would probably lead to fewer mistakes…which meant less time spent, maybe a lot less than she'd have "lost".

Still, time would definitely be her biggest problem… and that was without even considering what she was going to do about the river-thing. It seemed obvious that she'd have to give up her desire to find someone to teach her more of the Temple's language, at least for the time being. It wasn't something she was happy with, not at all, but on the other hand… it meant that she was finally going forward with her studies, which was definitely something to celebrate. And in the end… once she officially had a master… surely she'd have a bit more free time, as little as it was. And maybe learning the Temple language wouldn't be all that hard or time consuming. It was definitely something she was going to look at, at least to get an idea.

All in all, it was almost a minute later before she finally nodded, “You're right I guess. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful.”

After a brief moment spent to think about her plans - already having an idea on what she wanted to work on - and deciding that she would have to start by talking a bit with Olk, she asked the head apprentice, “Do you know at what time of the day Master Olk is the most available?” Some masters liked to start the day slow, others to do the hard stuff straight away, so it would be important to target the right time. “And… do you have any idea if Iriz will be…somewhere else than his workshop… at some point in the next couple of days?” She had to admit that she hadn't paid too much attention to the other apprentices agenda. She grimaced, “I know, you said handling rivals and all that but…” she shook her head, “She's going to think I want to steal Master Olk from her,” she snorted disdainfully, obviously not having any intention of the sort, “and I'd rather deal with that after I'm started, not before… Definitely not before…” Though of course she would have to at some point, especially if she had to talk semi-regularly with her master to ask for advice.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 134):

Zez chuckles dryly.  "And I'm sorry too.  Guess I'm feeling jealous and taking it out on you.  But that's my problem.  Not yours."

He opens his eyes and gives you a lopsided grin.  "Iriz will be...yes.  You are correct. She will be a bit of a thorn."  He seems to think a moment.  "You know...since scrimshaw is going to be such a commodity soon, we really should get an updated audit of our inventory of them.  Sounds like a good project for Iriz since she's Master Olk's apprentice.  I would imagine that, if I tell her about it at lunch, it would keep her in the warehouse for most of the afternoon.  Since she will be busy, if you could check with Master Olk during that time and ask if he needs anything swept up please.  Need to make sure he is not inconvienced.  Right?"

He shrugs.  "Consider it my apology.  Just make sure you take some bone and carving tools from the storeroom in the morning before lunch.  Let me know what you take and how much and I will log it as Master Matah's project.  Will that all help?"

“You don't need to apologize, it's alright.” Ailith took a moment to think about all of that. “I was thinking of picking something in the storeroom after I talked to Master Olk though. You know, ask him for advice on what to work with then pick, rather than the other way around.”

She frowned, pensive for a second, “On the other hand I could pick something that I think would work with what I have in mind, and then ask him for advice on how to proceed.” She tapped her lips for a few seconds as she considered the question, then nodded, “Yes, let's do that, it's fine. Thanks!”

After a moment, she added, “Oh and I don't think you have anything to be jealous of you know, first all of this might mean nothing - it'll be my first scrimshaw piece so it really doubt it will impress anyone - and second you're the head apprentice of the Hiyal after all, that's worth a lot!”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 136):

Zez laughs.  "Thanks."

The two of you bid each other a good evening and you retire to your room.

---

The storeroom is well organized.  So you can easily find what you need.

While you may not have used the tools for bone carving, you have at least seen Olk and Iriz using them in his studio.  You polish the bone (your favorite chore), engrave a design, rub ink over it, and then wipe the ink away leaving what has stained the grooves from your design.

You could try to cut the bone into a shape as well prior to engraving it.

The bones are mostly from quolk carcasses or kwadik spikes.

Not sure how much you know about scrimshaw.  The basics are:

You can use one of the bones/spikes 'as is'.  That is leave it in shape.  Engrave and stain it so that the piece is decorated.

Or you can try the more difficult route of carving the bone into a shape and then engraving it.  Ailith knows most knife blades are made from kwadik spikes for example.

Whether she has ever worked with this material or not is up to you.  I have been assuming she hasn't, but feel free to change that assumption if you like.

I just need to get an idea of what kind of piece she is going to try to make.

Thanks

Nah, Ailith never worked on that kind of things.
Oh and “you bid each other a good evening”: we are first thing in the morning, so it's a bit early for evening ^^

In the storeroom, Ailith considered the quolk bones and the kwadik spikes as she thought about what she wanted to do. Truth be told, she could use either of the two, but in the end she picked two spikes that could be used to make knives: she didn't really know how to make those, but since she didn't really know all that much about scrimshaw in the first place, it wouldn't add much more to her task. Plus, she liked the idea of making something functional.

In the afternoon, while Iriz was busy, she went to talk to Master Olk. Ostensibly to ask him if he needed something swept, but really to ask him for advice on her project. She knew what she wanted to do and explained what she had in mind: a set of two knives, their handles and blades decorated, the set representing the world's duality: the two stars, the two moons, the two seasons, etc, where each knife would have one of the two. For the stain of the pieces, she wanted to use emz sap: she was under no illusion that her first piece was going to be extraordinary, so if she wanted something that made an impression, she'd have to innovate. She'd have to be careful to not use as a pretext to be sloppy - she already knew where that would lead to - but she hoped it would be something nice.

What she mostly wanted to know, was which tools to use in which circumstances, which part of the spike to use for the handle and the blade, how to decorate the blade without making it fragile, etc.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 138):

Continuity is overrated.  LOL.  Sorry about that.

Master Olk gives you a frank look when you explain.  At first you might be worried you've upset him by asking.

But he starts pointing at various tools on his table and gives you an overview of the uses for each.

As he starts to go into how to shape the knives, you realize he just has a stern expression.  He's actually quite nice.  He advices that if these are meant to be anything other than decorative pieces, then you might want to make the hilt out of wood.  But if they are decorative, it would be fine to carve them as part of the knife.

He gives you a couple of general hints on the staining.

"If you want," he offers.  "You can bring the pieces to me for review once you've made your guide marks for the etching."

“Well, I'd hope for the knives to be a bit more than simply decorations, but I'm under no illusion that they're going to be more than decent.” At best. If she was lucky. Plus, in the end, she wouldn't be surprised that if the result was decent they would end up in some Interloper's hands... And what need would they have of knives?

When Olk offered for her to come back to review her sketches, she smiled gratefully. “I'll make sure to do so, thank you!” She smiled thankfully, then went back to her regular work. It wouldn't be all that soon anyway: besides the fact that she had to draw what she had in mind in the first place, she also had to carve the knives themselves as doing it the other way around would be stupid.

Though she would need some help on that side too - she didn't know much of anything on that front - so maybe she'd start with the drawings... And learning more about knives carving whenever she had the opportunity.

Sadly, with all that it meant that she couldn't afford to take time to go to the Temple, much less look for someone who'd be able to teach her the language. While she couldn't be sure of it, she guessed that she would also be evaluated on how long she took to produce the finish her work.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 140):

Hmmm.  Good point about the temple.

The next day, Zez brings around an anouncement.

"In honor of the Interlopers visit, the village elders are declaring a feast day.  You may all enjoy a day off."

The village springs into action.  Feast Days are like festivals but with better food.  Each house puts out trays of fresh baked food.  You can wander from door to door, sampling everyone's food.  There are also games and performances in the square.

All of the Masters seem to be taking off.

Ailith was pleasantly surprised by the news. While it wouldn't help her learning more about the Temple's language since that was a long term project, it would at least allow her to go to the Temple itself and see... Well, as a matter of fact, she didn't know what she was expecting to see. Nothing if she were to be honest. But maybe something would happen.

And if nothing else, she would have a free day. Which meant, among other things, that she'd be able to afford a nice nap as well as finally visiting the village.

For a start though, she went to the Temple.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 142):

The temple sits on the eastern side of town, on top of one of the hills the village is built up against.

Like most temples, it's not large, but it is ornate.  Each generation of a family must contribute something to the temple.  Many of the poorer families just put up a bouquet of flowers.  Others, like the Hiyal, contribute ornaments or vestments.  These are usually arrayed for inspection by visitors.

The temple is laid out like staff broken at a ninety degree angle.  The main hall consists of altars for each of the families that make up this low village.  Prayers in gratitude to the previous generations can be made, as well as requests that they continue their guidance.

The far part of the temple houses the caretakers.  One of the families, the Gry'k, act as temple caretakers and the scribes for the village.  Part of their home is the records annex for the village.  You can study the history of the village if you like.

And of course, you are free to approach any of the Gry'k.  The current family consists of two brothers, their wives, and the five children the two couples have produced.

Let me know if there is any particular thing Ailith is interested in.  If not, I will move things along.  Thanks

Ailtih took note of the presence - and identity - of the Gry'k family: if she wanted to learn the Temple's language, it would probably be to one of them that she'd need to talk. After a brief hesitation however, she decided to not do so on that day: one way or another, she wouldn't have time for it while she made her knives on top of her normal daily tasks.

On the other hand... Maybe she could ask them a few things that would make sense to incorporate to her project: it would be a really good explanation for later on wanting to learn the language.

After a brief hesitation, she decided to first start with the tomb she had seen when she had arrived: it might make everything else a moot point...even though Ailith didn't really believe it. On the other hand, since she still couldn't explain what had happened on that day...