Standing awkwardly for several moments, those around her with their backs turned and the surrounding Kobolds looking on in a mix between curiosity and interest, Kori waits. And waits. And several long minutes later finally gets the hint as one of the older lookers on gives her the universal motion for ‘shoo’.

  Turning her back on those that did the same to her, she strides away with her head held high. Not feeling the confidence but not wishing to give those following her with their eyes the satisfaction of walking away in shame. Slowly she begins her trek back to the caverns where the rest of the clan reside.

  Approaching the edge of the dais she sees a familiar apprentice waiting there for her and he tries to fall into step with her as she passes. Mimicking the same motion that was made to her as he does so to get rid of him. Departing alone into the mazelike grid of corridors beneath. Purposefully taking a wrong turn a few hallways away from the exit and finding a spot as good as any other. Assured she won’t be disturbed, sitting down to process what just happened.

  Unlike when her apprenticeship with Arcanist Ylst ended, where she wailed and cried and sat with her tears for hours on end while she watched the fishers work in their lines and rigging across the surface of the deep lakes. This time the tears still came, but their passage burned their streaks down her scales. Her mood in a very different place from the sorrow of before. This time, all she felt was rage.

  I did all their stupid tests! Worked through all of that pain to copy their stupid tome! I even did it in the ridiculous ten days that Ortik told me to. Not that he ever expected me to actually manage that! But I still did it!

  Holding the satchel containing her tome, she very nearly let loose and flung it against the wall, holding herself back by the barest thread from ripping and tearing at her hard work to spite the importance that the Circle placed upon the pages held within.

  “No! This is mine! I worked for it, I barely slept for ten days to create this.” Settling her tome back into the satchel and hugging it against her chest, the little pot of ointment digging in slightly as she did so.

  “I spent a week figuring out their dumb cryptic tests. Got a skill even they didn’t expect me to. Days wandering this blasted place all because their stupid spirits wouldn’t even talk to me!” Her hands needing an outlet, not wanting to damage her tome she moved them to the sash hanging across her body from her shoulder. Wringing it as she rants. “They couldn’t even tell me what the test was about! Oritk should have know full well I wouldn’t get that scale blasted [Meditation] Skill…” Growling out her distaste of the finicky skill before moving on. “If I’d known they wanted me to find a spirit that would guide me, I’d have spent more time trying to get those stupid rocks and bones and junk to talk to me.” Grumbling and pulling at the sash more as she gets worked up. “How was I supposed to know that they were more then little guard salamanders, sitting there to lap up any of the motes that broke free!”

  After nearly ripping a seam, she tears off her sash, the one Ortik was so adamant about her wearing to signify her place as his apprentice, before balling it up and tossing it aside down the corridor. Not that it traveled particularly far before it fluttered out from her attempt to condense it before drifting to the bare stone floor. Not quite the result that she was going for, but it was the thought that counted, and her thoughts towards it were quite violent in the moment.

  “All that condescending ‘refer to me properly or not at all’ and ‘stand up straight, apprentice’.” Making the best effort to match his tone of arrogance. “While he made me stand around and do nothing for hours. I could have been practicing skills, or learning, or doing just about anything…” Her grumbling continuing, not so much in words but more sounds of mockery and derision.

  Kori spent the next several hours steaming in her anger. The occasional loud mutterings, and even some yelling and rage filled screaming, echoing through the corridors.

  While she would never hear of it, the echoes of her outrage began rumors among the younger members of the circle to pass through the corridors that evening. Rumors that the spirits were offended by their acts that night. Though some claimed the offense was her very presence, so it’s probably best she never hears of those.

  Having finally worn out her fury, Kori decided to return to the caverns. Though rather than heading to Ortik’s chambers where she had lived the past 4 months, she instead decided to head to the only place that still felt welcoming to her. The brood chambers. On her path there, she realized that the day was all but gone. She’d slept the majority of it before being summoned and then raged away the remainder. Her siblings were all within their individual cubbies of dens when she arrived, or at least she assumed so. Dens which now seem all too small to young Kori after the months spent in comparative luxury within the chieftain’s residence. Still plenty tall enough for her to stand upright, though many of her siblings, especially her brother Losq, would likely be brushing their horns across the ceilings of their own spaces if they were to try to do so.

  Crawling into her long-abandoned cubby, finding it dusty and untended from her absence, she curls up on her thin little sleeping mat and tries to get some sleep. Having slept much of the day away she found sleep to be an evasive foe as she stared at the walls. Spending much of her night tracing the texture of the walls in her mind. Trying to think of anything but the events of the day. A fleeting thought of how it must be for the surface races. Most of them apparently lacked the [Darkvision] of her kind. Where even a youngling like her can sit in the pitch dark of her little cubby and make out many of the details of her surroundings, they would be unable to even see their own hands. Her musings about the other races finally distracts her enough to fall asleep.

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  Some hours later she was awoken by a commotion in the brood chamber, a head poking partially into her little cubby yelling, “She’s here!” Out into the main room. Awaking with a startle and shooting up from her sleeping position. For once she was thankful of her diminutive height that kept her from striking her head on the ceiling. It took her several moments afterwards to recognize Losq’s face still poking into her den.

  “What? Why are you yelling?” Groggily responding to her brother.

  “Everyone’s looking for you. What happened?” A little too cheerfully for her tastes this soon after waking up.

  Shooting her brother a withering look, “They kicked me out… Again… I’m back to just a nothing youngling… no apprenticeship and nothing to do…”

  “Again?! Really?” A look of disbelief on his face. “Even Beys only got booted from her first apprenticeship as a warrior… She broke her own arm trying to hit someone with a practice shield. Then again, they sent her off to be a farmer after that… Not sure if you can flunk out of the farms…”

  “Wait, really? When’d that happen? Why didn’t you tell me that when I was here last week?” Eager to change the topic away from herself and towards gossip.

  “Plk and I didn’t want to bring up a sore topic… Guess there’s no avoiding that now…” Shaking his head at his sister’s attempt to divert him. “You best get out here, pretty sure they wanna talk to ya.”

  “Fine, fine…” Brushing the dust she’d gathered from her sleeping mat off the best she can. “Tell em I’ll be out in a moment.”

  Watching him depart as she looks around her little den, musing to herself while she prepares to greet the day.

  I’m gonna miss the extra mats I had… and all the space…

  After her brother had crawled back from his partial entry into her den and she took a few moments to right herself and stretch out the last of the kinks from her sleep. She followed him out of to find that all eyes were turned towards her, her siblings, the minders, and both Ortik and Korse standing there watching her.

  Approaching the pair of elders and addressing them as though nothing had happened. “Good morning Korse, Spiritcaller Ortik.” Sticking to his preferred address, but with none of the typical respect or deference in her tone.

  “Appren… No, I suppose I don’t get to call you that anymore do I, youngling Kori.” His voice genuinely remorseful and disappointed. “We have much to discuss, please accompany me to my chambers.” Pausing a moment, “If you would.” At least making an attempt it being a request instead of a command. “Broodkeeper Korse, if you could come as well?” Succeeding with his request to Korse where he’d failed with Kori.

  Not in the mood to be political or polite, “What’s there to say? The Circle turned it’s back on me. You turned your back on me.” Her tone hard as she continued. “I think that said everything that was needed.” Making no effort to hold her emotions in check. “I’m not your apprentice anymore, so why spend your precious time on me?”

  Clearly torn between his feelings on the matter and reprimanding the young Kobolds tone towards him, “Your anger is not misplaced Kori. But there are still matters to discuss.” Looking around to the many other Kobolds surrounding them, the minders at least being polite enough to pretend they were not listening raptly. “I believe a more private locale would be better suited to this conversation.”

  “Very well, Spiritcaller Ortik.” Still laying the snide on thickly.

  “Oh, enough of that Kori. I get it, you’re livid.” Finally seeming to have enough of her attitude. “You may not be my apprentice anymore, but don’t forget I’m still your chieftain. Now, come along, youngling.” Mirroring her snide right back at her.

  Not wanting to push it too far now that he’d pressed the matter, but still seeing a way to get in one more little jibe in. One that no one but the pair of them would likely even notice, she replies, “Yes, Chieftain.” Before following him and Korse out of the brood chambers.

  None of them spoke a single word until they had already passed through the Elder’s Chambers and arrived at the Ortik’s residence. Korse was the first to break the silence, “When you did not return last night it caused quite a scene, many hours were spent trying to locate you, Kori.”

  “I apologize Korse, I didn’t mean to worry you. I just needed time to be alone.” Directing her response to her mentor and father figure.

  Ortik decides that an appropriate opening, keeping his tone cordial and without his usual airs “Where did you go? We had quite a few Kobolds looking for you. They checked by the lakes where you had previously gone and your den at the brood chambers several times, I have to assume that you did not return there until late.”

  With an amused huff Kori smiles as she replies to the chieftain, “I guess you should have checked your little maze more thoroughly; plenty of space to be alone down there if you actually know how to get around.” A bit of smugness and snide finding its way back into her tone. “Though I guess you all just memorize the path instead of understanding the place.”

  Responding with a terse look, “You left the path… Do you even know how dangerous it is down there?” Bringing his hand up to massage the ridge of his muzzle. “Last time an apprentice got lost it took nearly a week to find them…”

  The smugness growing in her demeanor. “A week? It didn’t even take me a week to escape that place nearly blind.” Playing it up a bit while she shakes her head. “You could shove a pot on my head and plop me down anywhere in that little grid and I’d probably find my way out in a couple of days. Less if I had some paper and a pen.” Her thoughts going to her book as she talks about mapping her way out. A hand protectively going over her satchel as she stares at Ortik, nearly daring him to try to take her tome. “Once you understand the place it’s not that hard.”

  Seemingly torn between rebuffing her attitude and being impressed with her resourcefulness, Ortik lets the matter lie. “Regardless, I suppose that explains the other apprentices making wild claims about angry spirits within the tunnels…” A rueful grin appearing before he can wipe it away. “Now, let’s sit and discuss what happens next.” Gesturing to his table and cushions. “I’ll have… Someone… Fetch us breakfast.” Clearly having meant to say his apprentice and not really certain who would be taking up the task now.

  After a few moments of awkward silence he resumes in a lower tone, clearly a little embarrassed to have to make the request. “Korse… Could you go find one of the aides to get us some food?”

  Seeing it as a small victory, Kori makes no effort to keep the grin from her face.

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