Solo A Learning Experience

[Bricken]

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3rd of Fall 519

Bricken had managed to reach a place he knew he would become familiar with soon: the Learning Gallery.
He had never been in school before, and was very excited. So excited that he moved to celebrate, tapping his feet and shaking his arms. He was also a little too early, for only a few other kids had already shown up. One was an older girl, pouring over an old book, writing things down every once in a while, standing near her a boy who was tossing a toy of some sort into the air and catching it.
There was a small bird flying around and singing near the top of the cavern. Bricken wondered if it was a pet or just a regular residential animal, or if it even mattered in the blue eyes of the Inarta. It perched on a ledge, watching a few more kids enter the room. They were all very young, travelling in a chain, and once in the room despersed into it. Two of the kids wandered right over to where Bricken was doing his little dance. One of them waddled over to the box of toys to the side, while the other eyed up Bricken and scooted closer.

"New toy?" The boy asked, staring the tiny clay man down. The boy had to have been no more than four, and Bricken assumed he had only just started school. The boy reached for him, and grabbed him quite roughly. Bricken felt the warm and soft hands close around his middle and squeeze, his material slipping into the cracks of the fingers. Just not the nexus, he prayed silently.
"N-no," Bricken replied in a strained voice, "My name is Bricken"." The boy dropped Bricken directly on the floor, his smushed form flattening further at the impact, and clapped his hands at the fact that the new mysterious object spoke, giving a little hop and speaking excitedly.
"Bricken! What is Bricken!? You a person...?" The kid grabbed the girl beside him by the arm and hopped while pointing at his newfound friend. Bricken put some focus into pushing his form back into a normal-esque shape before answering.
"I am person," Bricken replied, then in common said "Pycon, clay men of Harameus," forming what resembled a smile in an attempt to look friendly to the tiny Inarta. The girl was also amazed at this new finding. They had to be twins. Same face, same hair, even the same style - an untamed mop. They gaped openly as he lifted his arms and formed hands. He stopped when he realized the focusing and form-changing was only going to tire him out before his day could even begin.
The two kids were bright-eyed, and in the short time they had spent in this conversation, the room had nearly filled with a variety of Yasi. Some were little older than the two before him, and some were nearly resembling of adults. The vast majority had the vibrant red hair usual of Inarta, with only a few posessing other shades. Bricken noticed that these others tended to be left on their own, sitting off to sides or being shut out of the conversation, especially in the older groups.

He hadn't been noticed by anybody else. Yet. Until a shadow appeared over him. "Bricken?"
He turned to see a middle-aged with shockingly orange hair that was turning a just-as-shocking white in places.
"I am Bricken."
The woman lowered her upper body to look at him. She switched into a fluent common.
"I was told you were arriving today. A pycon - how interesting. I was told you are more fluent in common than nari, but I'm certain we will be able to work on that."
She narrowed her eyes, lined with the faintest talons of wrinkles. "I will be one of your instructors. My name is Piko. You may follow me to our classroom."
Bricken gave one of his upper body nods.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," he replied softly. She gave one of those smiles they gave when they aren't happy in particular, but acknowledging a positive thought. Bricken thought facial expressions were complicated.
"Roll call!" Her voice carried through the cavern naturally, and most of the children save for a few too distracted to notice got up from their activities and went into one of the four accompanying rooms. Other adults herded the remaining few, and Bricken waddled after Piko. "Just take a seat when you enter."

They entered the third room, and Bricken took in the sights. The room had a surface of a sort near the front, with chalk sticks on a stone table nearby. A complicated stained glass design spanned the ceiling, reflecting and amplifying light in an array of colors. There were small desks accompanied by a seat in three rows of three, with about half taken up by students.
Two boys and one girl took up the front row. The first boy greeted the teacher by name as soon as he saw her. The girl gave a brief smile before turning back to the board in front of them. The third boy had a hand behind his head and was watching the room.
Second row held a brunette girl who had her head in her hands, eyeing the boy in front of her, the one with the hand on his head. She stuck out her tongue at him before noticing the teacher and quickly sitting upright.
Beside her was another girl, with large fluffy hair that looked like fresh wool. She was looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Bricken waddled ahead and took the middle seat of the second row, clambering up the side. Unfortunately, he didn't even come above the desk even when standing. He threw himself up, grasping the edge of the desk and pulling himself onto the surface. He'd just have to stand there, for now he could almost see the board from behind the girl.
The girl with the fluffy hair took notice of him immediately. Her pupils grew as she investigated him. The other girl gave him a bored side glance, then a double take.
"Everybody, meet Bricken. He is a pycon and will be with us for this season."
The teacher's voice rang loud and clear. The students all turned to stare at their new classmate. Bricken waved an arm. "Nice-Nice to meet you all!"
"He speaks common?" The boy whose hand had moved from his head to his desk stared at him quizzingly.
"I know a little Nari. Mostly common."
Piko gave a quick throat clear and every student turned to face the front.
"Our day will start with Bendi. We will be returning to the kitchens today. Follow me."
The students all hopped out of their seats, and Bricken quickly spoke to the girl beside him with the woolly hair.
"Carry me, please?" The girl stared for a moment before reaching out a cautious hand that he quickly crawled onto.

WC: 1175

[Bricken]

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Bricken had seen the common dining area already. He didn't have to eat like people did, instead feeding on clay once or twice a week, but it was nice to see how people ate and socialzied together. The class merged with the older kids of Advanced Class II at the dining area.
More kids to meet. All the familiar ginger heads except for a single white-blonde - a girl that Bricken recognized as konti. There were a few konti traders in their caravan. One of the boys trudged behind, staring open-mouthed at the tables around them.
The whole group shifted into the kitchen, guided by both teachers. Inside, a woman with copper curls stood over a pot. She turned to the group, and in a quick voice said "Ah! Welcome again to your kitchen."
A few kids let out a "Good morning, Chef Davoid" as she made her way over. Her walk was purposeful - Bricken imagined her work required a lot of focus and intent, as no food can be wasted. She wasn't alone in the kitchen. A few various cooks were measuring, pouring, chopping, and stirring all sorts of things, all in rows around the grand kitchen. A few were over by massive wash basins, cleaning the used dishes or scrubbing the walls or counters. The cooks worked around them, as if they simply didn't exist. Most had blank expressions, and Bricken suspected that they were what he was told were deks.

"You'll all be split up and assist our cooks with tasks. First, the rules, as always." The chef eyed the group carefully.
"No stealing. I do not care if you are hungry. Any fingers found putting food into your mouth will be chopped off." A few kids shifted uncomfortably at the threat. She was clearly not playing around.
"Listen to your cooks. Do not waste anything. Be slow, careful, and don't play with the knives." She paced before the group before adding, "and keep your hands clean. Understood?"
Nods and words of agreement spread through the group. The chef began sorting the yasi into groups. She was assigning with speed up until she came to Bricken and his carrier - her eyes flashed.
"I had heard rumors of this. What to do with you?" She peered closely at the pycon. "You - girl, you can go chop carrots. Set that down." Chovina gently let Bricken hop onto the ground, where he stood. The chef squatted down, squinting. "You can help fold pastries. How precise are your little hands?"
Bricken held them up. "They are well, miss," She pointed him to where a lone cook was working. He quickly made his way over, moving as fast as his small legs would take him.

He was by the cook's foot.
"I am here to help." The cook looked down and did a double take. He looked up at the chef, who looked back and nodded.
"Sure," he said, "get up here and I can show you what to do."
Bricken climbed up stone counter, finding the tiny nooks and crannies he could dig his hands into, shaping them to fit the cracks. Once he reached the top, the chef held out a bowl of water. He dipped a finger in, then pulled it out and wiped it. Bricken repeated this, briefly dipping the tips of his arms in and then wiping them. It was a fast enough dip to avoid harming his clay-like material. The chef pointed to the flat square of dough with many circles cut out.
"We'll be cutting rounds from this, first. Use this." He handed Bricken a large circular piece of steel, cut thinner near the bottom, the diameter just under what his arms could hold. He demonstrated with his own, pressing it into the clay, giving a quick turn, and removing a circle and setting it to the side. Bricken waddled to the side of the dough, being careful to avoid stepping on it, and pushed his circle into it, putting all his force into it. It was off-center, just a bit, but it worked. He pushed it, then lifted it. The circle of dough stuck to the tool, and he waddled over to the side where previous circles were stored and pushed it in. He returned to the flat dough pile, and worked at about a third of the pace of the cook.

Soon, the dough had no space for holes left. The chef grabbed it, rolled it into a ball, then flattened it again, giving more space for circles. They repeated the previous process until almost no dough was left. The chef popped the tiny remain into a tray on the shelf lined with various tiny portions of different doughs. "Dek food," he said.
Up next, he went into a large room to the side and returned with a large pan, full of some kind of meat-and-vegetable mush. Bricken watched him scoop out a single spoonful of the mush, place it in the center of the dough, then move it towards Bricken.
"You'll fold them," he instructed while taking one end, folding the circle in half around the mush, then pushing divots into the sides, making small closed pastries. He then took a small blade and cut six curved lines into the tops, creating what resembled two opposing leaves. "Make sure they are tight, and the vents are all the way through the dough."
Bricken took the tool, looked over it, and sat it down. The cook put the food onto a tray. He waited as the cook scooped in filling, slid it over, and Bricken lifted the edge, lined it up, and folded. He pushed the divots in, ensuring the dough was tightly pressed, then took the blade and carefully tried to mimic the leaves. They were wobbly, but the cook seemed to nod in approval anyways. Bricken placed it on the tray and got into the steady pace with the cook. His leaves slowly improved, turning from indistinct lines into things that could almost resemble what the cook intended. He felt pride swell up, and soon they had worked through three whole trays and finished.
"You did good, kid," the cook said. Suddenly a shout was heard accross the kitchen.

"THIEF!"

The head chef was standing over a hunched over woman who had a small pile of crumbs on her chest. The woman began sobbing, and the fire in Chef Davoid's eyes was visible from where Bricken stood. The dek had obviously nabbed a piece of food while she thought nobody was looking. The air was tense and silent, as eyes turned to watch. The chef struck the dek, hitting her with a force that sent her to the floor. A few of the yasi turned away, frowning, as well as a few staff members. Many eyes stayed on the pair as the chef continued to hit the thief, eventually kicking her to the ground, causing her face to slam against the stone floor.
"Out of my kitchen before you get blood on something," the chef hissed. The dek scrambled to her feet and began trudging away, gripping her side. Bricken was baffled at the show of violence, and the teacher quickly stepped over and began gathering the class.
"It's about ten chimes to break, let's go," she said coldly as she herded the kids out. A few hushed voices discussed what happened.

WC: 1314