Following along behind the elder as he did his tasks was not what Kori had in mind when she found out she'd be visiting the surface. Watching him going over ledgers and inspecting goods that awaited transport back to the caverns, reading letters in a language she didn't understand, they didn't even use the same glyphs that she was used to, and then penning his own in response, to say she was bored would be an understatement.

When he finally handed her a sheaf of papers, she was so thankful for something, anything, to do, that she didn't care that it was written for the typical youngling apprentice and assumed she could barely read, let alone write. It's not like most younglings couldn't read and write, they were all taught by the matrons, but few of them made any effort beyond those lessons to actually do so. At least not until it mattered to their own apprenticeships.

The pages detailed the Low Vorisian language at its most basic level, giving examples of its letters and equivalent sounds they made in glyphs she recognized, then progressed into simple words and their translations. Kori thought that the language was a bit simplistic from a written standpoint, a set number of characters each with their own sounds making up a word rather than each word having its own glyph.

Creation was a very complicated language, there were literally tens of thousands of glyphs each with their own distinct meaning. This expansive nature was driven by the natural blending of spellwork and language of the dragons, their histories telling of the dragons casually speaking magic into being as one kobold might greet another. No mage in any of the clans had ever, even before the loss of their patrons, reached such a proficiency in the arcane to do so. But it was said to be the pinnacle of their potential as inheritors of the draconic bloodline.

Many questions were asked as she read over the pages, eventually being told to settle in and practice writing the new letters. Remarkably she was told to do so with ink and paper, not even practicing with a slate or fine sand as she had initially learned her glyphs with. It certainly wasn't good paper, but it was still an unexpected expense.

While the work itself may have been a bit boring, and her already maxed calligraphy Skill made getting the shapes neat and consistent a fairly short process, the fact that she was doing it sitting on a bench in the warm midday sun made it all the more tolerable. Getting the hang of combining those letters, and understanding when to use the big or small version of a letter, was less intuitive. Why some letters sounded very different when paired with another character was bad enough, finding out that sometimes the letters made no sound at all seemed like needless complication.

This makes no sense… why use a letter if it wasn't part of the word?

Boring or not, it still managed to capture her attention. Kori lost herself in the work until she realized the bright sky above was already fading as the sun neared closer to the horizon. There were still hours yet of light. Apparently, they were in the final weeks of summer, a season of warmth and growth.

With the day whiled away at her language practice, she was beginning to understand some of the final page which was written wholly untranslated. It wasn't enough to garner her the Skill that Har wanted her to get, but she thought she'd made good progress. She packed up her little inkwell and bone pen, glad she'd brought the pair along with her, and sought out where Har had gotten off to, wondering what they'd be doing for dinner.

It turned out he was quite easy to find, sitting in a room he referred to as his office within the so-called warehouse, he was doing much the same as she herself had been. Stacks of paper sat strewn about his desk. Organized in his own chaotic manner, she was sure. She could see ink stains on his claws while his pen moved rhythmically across the newest sheet. He barely even looked up from his work as she entered, simply raising a claw to forestall her a moment while he finished what he was doing.

Once he set aside whatever he was writing so that it could dry, he raised his head and addressed her, "What can I help you with Kori?"

"It's getting a bit late; I was wondering when we were going to go get dinner." She replied, assuming they'd likely eat down in the hall below, but unsure of how to go about that.

"Hmm? It's not that…" Pausing as he glanced out a nearby window, "Oh, maybe it is that late…" He looked a bit confused for a moment, scratching the side of his head with his ink marked claws, "huh. I guess I lost myself in the work. Tuli always scolds me for missing dinner when I get distracted…" Becoming a bit sheepish with the admission.

"I Know what you mean!" Kori answered with a knowing nod, "If I'm making things or reading, or just doing something interesting, it's just soooo easy to lose track of time and suddenly, bam! Stomach's growling." She said enthusiastically, before her stomach unintentionally emphasised her statement.

With a grin and a chuckle at his young charge's antics, Har began cleaning up his workspace, stacking papers methodically, once he was certain they had dried sufficiently, cleaning his pen and stoppering his inkwell. "Well, we'll have to do something about that, now won't we?" He said, before making his way towards the door. "Well come on then, I know just the place."

Kori hurried after him as he exited the building and turned, not towards the tunnel downwards, but to the still open gate leading out of their little enclave. As they passed through the opening and into the town proper, Har waved his hand towards the gate, "It's mostly for show, only time I've ever closed it was when I couldn't avoid bringing Blonc up here…" He explained with a rueful grin and a shake of his head. "That man likes to brawl just a little too much… and the humans always underestimate him just because they're bigger." He chuckled at the memory of whatever antics the Martial had gotten up to in the past.

Leaving their enclosed space, Kori finally had a close-up view of the town proper. Buildings filled either side of the street, some with large yards filled with stacked lumber, clay bricks, or other materials, others with stables like their own, though these mostly had taller skinnier beasts of burden rather than the squat oxen the kobolds kept. She also heard the clang of metal on metal from several nearby buildings, each billowing dark smoke from a tall chimney of the familiar diorite.

As they walked, she also got a look at the humans that lived here, they weren't all as tall as those at the gate had been, but aside from a single one she believed to be a juvenile, they all towered over the smaller kobolds. The juvenile was a bit odd however, it was much squatter and more heavy set than the others she'd observed, she assumed that this was a particular stage in their growth prior to shooting up in height.

Her hopes that it had just been the first two she encountered were unfortunately dashed, they all had that same somewhat ugly smushed and flat face. Their skin tone did vary significantly from the bright pinkish hue all the way towards a much darker one and several distinct shades between. She even saw a few that had fur. She wasn't certain if those were technically human or not, remembering what she had been told about the various bloodlines and their effects on humans.

She was quite pleased to see that at least some of them had the good sense to have tails, though the ones she saw were fuzzy and looked a little more vulnerable than a good scaly tail was. She still didn't understand how the rest of them went about balancing on their overly flat feet without a tail to keep them steady.

Har eventually broke her from her musings by bumping her shoulder with his own, "Don't stare, it's rude." He gently scolded her.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Oh…" Was all she gave in response as she tried to keep her eyes moving about, taking in everything but not lingering on anyone to avoid insult.

As they continued onwards the buildings first became smaller, single stories with small windows covered with hinged boards, barely larger than a handful of kobolds would need for their dens. Each painted over in a variety of dark colours with the white window coverings standing out in stark contrast. She saw people coming and going from some of the buildings, mostly coming, as they passed.

Now that she was able to view them without the obstructing coverings of metal armour it was much easier to pick out the differences between the genders. Partly because they dressed very differently. Kori assumed that the women must be the more dangerous of the genders. They clothed themselves like some of the animals she had gotten to know in Bolst's lab, displays of bright colours signifying their potent poisons. This was confirmed when she spotted one of the males bowing his head in deference to what she assumed was his mate as she berated him for some failing or other.

Eventually the buildings changed again as though they had passed through some unseen boundary, they changed from the smaller single and occasional two stories with space between them and the next, to a continuous row of buildings with large windows and inviting appearances. These she saw many more people walking to and from, some of those leaving carrying parcels and bags with them. From what little she understood of the Trader's jobs from Har's descriptions, these seemed to be a place where they sold things to others.

Some of these places were different, rather than people coming and going with goods there were tables sat just beyond the glass panes, or even outside the door in a few cases, with people dining on delicious smelling foods while others in tidy uniforms delivered plates and bowls for their enjoyment. It was one of these places that Har eventually led her to. Unlike all of those around it, the majority of their tables were sized not for the tall humans but more similarly to Kori's own height and the door they entered was actually a smaller door, framed within a larger door.

Har greeted the occupants jovially and with familiarity, though the language he did it in was neither Creation nor Low Vorisian. Within the building it was made clear that the space was designed for a smaller person but could accommodate the larger residents of the town, unlike everywhere else she'd seen, in which it was clearly the opposite. The tables, the counters, the artwork, everything was of a height that a kobold felt just a bit more at home. If the ceiling were lower then it might have been perfect.

Even the proprietor was of a height with Kori, perhaps even just a little shorter. They still had the overall features of the humans she had seen, though some were a little more exaggerated in comparison. Both their ears and noses were larger proportionally and the one she saw first had shockingly blue hair pulled back tightly into a clump on the back of her head. Her hair contrasted almost jarringly with the sunset orange garment that she wore.

She saw that the others of the same race present, diners and staff both, were all dressed similarly. Yellow tops against violet skirts, green vests overtop of their red shirts, everywhere she looked it seemed like the colours warred with their neighbour.

The woman turned towards Kori as she approached and spoke a few words in the unrecognized language, before switching to what she was beginning to recognize as the local one and saying a few more. Upon receiving the same quizzical look of incomprehension at her second attempt she tried again, this time in somewhat shaky, but entirely understandable Creation. The much higher pitch of her voice and lack of low growls and rumbles that it was properly spoken with made her speech heavily accented, but Kori could clearly tell what was being said.

"Welcome to Gnomish Delights Café" The, assumably, gnome woman said. "Always joyous to see new customer. Right this way." Her words were a bit stilted, but it was better than Kori could have done in Vorisian so she couldn't really complain.

"Thank you." Kori responded, following behind the woman with Har as they were led to a properly sized table just next to the front window. The woman produced a small metallic object from a pocket and raised it to a candle sitting in the middle of their table before it made a small clicking noise and suddenly the candle was alight. Kori stared as the little contraption disappeared into the same pocket that it had come from, curious as to what type of runework that had been.

"Sorry, no menu Creation." The woman said as she handed over a sheet of thick paper to Har. He replied in the same language he had originally addressed her in before having a short conversation and handing back the paper. She departed with a few final words and a nod towards the pair.

As soon as she was gone, Kori's curiosity dying to be released, the questions, of course, began. "What language was that? How do you know that one too? Why did she know Creation? What was that paper she called a 'menu'?" Only stopping because she needed to take a breath.

"The language is called Vozhith, it's from a small nation very far away to the south-east. It's more commonly known as Gnomish, it's easier to say and since it's only really the gnomes that use it, is fitting." He replied to her first query, "I know it because I know a lot of languages, I like learning new ones and it's an interesting one, very descriptive and precise." He quickly continued, afraid she'd wedge new questions in if he didn't. "As for her learning Creation, she's a friend and I've been helping her. She's made excellent progress." He smiled as he spoke of her progress, clearly a little proud to have helped her. "And lastly, a menu is how a restaurant like this tells its customers what they have on offer and what their prices are, once you're a bit better with the language you'll see." He finished his explanation just as the woman returned carrying a steaming pot and several delicate looking cups on a tray.

She set down the items in front of them, a teapot, cups, saucers, and several small dishes and containers with spouts, and began pouring cups of tea in front of each. "Sugar? Honey? Cream?" She quickly asked looking towards Kori, all the while already scooping a dollop of honey and adding a splash of a white liquid to Har's cup.

With a quick ask for some honey, and Har's encouragement to try a splash of the cream, her cup was readied and presented to her. The first taste was unlike the tea she was used to, both because of the addition, but also because of differing leaves and herbs it was made with. It had a sharp taste that was mellowed by the honey and the cream added a texture that changed how it coated her tongue and mouth. It was different, but enjoyable.

She tried to ask more questions, but Har made it clear that it was time for them to enjoy the tea and the meals that were soon to arrive. She tried to focus on what was in front of her, but found her gaze continuously wandering to what lay beyond the nearby window, passers by in their various garments, the occasional wagon pulled by the taller hooved beasts, even someone riding directly upon ones back, everything conspired to draw her attention away from the lovely drink before her. In the time she'd finished her own, Har had drained, refilled, and drained his own again. She tried the second cup without the cream initially, finding that it was still good without, but a bit better with. She also tried the grainy powder that she assumed was the sugar, it was sweet like the honey but lacked the flavour that she was accustomed to.

Their food came around the same time she'd poured her tea, a large sizzling platter of black iron set in between them, a dozen skewers resting on the hot surface. Each was filled with cuts of tender meat interspersed with whole round white roots and cuts of a different colourful vegetables between them. Next to the platter were small bowls filled with pasty sauces and a brush to literally paint it onto their meal.

She thoroughly enjoyed the meal presented to her, the unfamiliar sights a distant memory as she wolfed down the succulent meat, the sharp and spicy flavour of what Har called onions, and the crunch of the other grilled vegetables. The sauces were a varying degree of sweet and spicy, similar to the chili oil the old warrior had given her, though not even the hottest of them quite as aggressively so.

The pair of them polished off their meal and even most of the sauces, though the hottest of them sat barely touched. A second pot of tea having arrived at some point throughout and it too having been depleted by the time they finished. Which was well after the sky had become near fully darkened. They were there so long that the other customers had already departed and Har's gnomish friend joined them with her own cup of tea, the pair chatting away with only the occasional questions or comments presented to Kori in Creation. They eventually moved on to something with a bit more kick than the tea, which Kori quickly declined to partake of and stuck to her tea.

By the time they departed towards the kobold enclave, Kori was supporting Har to keep him walking in a semblance of a straight line. It turned out that Maribel, the gnome, could hold her liquor much better than the Elder could and after he'd been nearly falling asleep at the table, she and Kori got along quite well. She even offered to help her with her Vorisian, as long as Kori would return the favour with Creation.

She realized while tipping Har onto his sleeping mat, still fully clothed because she wasn't about to do anything about that, the Elders were all her seniors, her siblings were all family, she didn't really interact with anyone else in the clan all that much. She may have just made her first friend.

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