Who Needs Nydds? (short story)

Steamy tendrils of floral fragrance drifted in lazy swirls from the lip of Yukito's cup as he lowered his tea to the small metal table. An occasional flick of his fingers properly set his spectacles over the bridge of his nose as he leaned over a stack of creamy vellum, setting each sheet to one side as they filled with notes in his neatly slanted hand. The scratching of the quill paused a moment and he brushed the soft white feather against his cheek, watching silently as people passed the Cafe Dumont patio on their way home.

Young Merissa from the town Pet Shop practically skipped by with her mother Morayna, both seemingly having a pleasant walk. They each had one of Gertie's frozen fruit cups in hand, and chatted amicably as they walked down the street toward their shop. The shop owner glanced up and gave Yukito a smile of recognition, which he returned with a grin.

He looked down at his stack of letters again, setting his quill aside. Was he being too hasty? Was it enough? Perhaps not. It was an understatement to say that charging headlong into things had gotten him into troubles in the past. However, this time, he was trying to think things through. It was making him worry more than usual.

The day school in Solhaven was wonderful. It had improved the lives of many. Children that had been displaced from their homes had received education, and generations more would hopefully step through those doors and get much needed guidance. However, after the children learned the basics and got older, what then? It was time that Solhaven expanded its educational system to allow for more advanced classes that more people could attend.

Yukito's eyes dropped to the letter resting right in front of him, nervously pushing at one corner with a slender fingertip. He'd written the opening and closing as he'd been instructed and read and reread every line, almost making himself sick with nerves. It should have been right, but he still worried.

Your Excellency,

I...

Swiftly, Yukito pushed the sheet of vellum to the side for a moment. Could he really do this? Goseana's Garters! It seemed bold. Still... he needed the permission for what he wanted. Perhaps even funds. He looked down at the sheet again and bit his lip hard, tugging wide envelopes over.

I would like to propose a project to expand educational opportunities in the port town of Solhaven.

This would increase trade and commerce as local youth travel to and from the city from outlying areas. This will be especially true if there are opportunities for research, training, and the broad exchange of ideas within the town. Seeing as Solhaven is a port, there is little reason that, with dedicated attention to such a facility, there would not be an increased student population, as well as a boom in commerce.

My suggestion to accomplish these goals is to build an addition to the Triton Day School. The first option of several is to expand the Library so that it includes a generally accessible area for research, as well as open halls for public lectures. This may cost less coin than clearing space for an entirely new building. It would give the added bonus of allowing more dedicated funding for the library because it will be in the same building. My respectful second suggestion, if the first is not acceptable, would be to clear the area of land to the east of the Day School. Such an action would require a new building and more overall funding, but there would be more choice of...

The letter went on, but not very much. He'd wanted to be as to the point as possible. He had a good idea of the people that he might need to further speak with. Definitely Darbo Phoop. Headmaster Rynaldi might be useful. Perhaps Kindarel. He'd done some initial small talk with them, but more in depth conversation would be needed. There had been some mild interest in offering instruction, and Mestanir had been mentioned, so members of the populace seemed to find some aspects of the idea intriguing. It would need more involvement from the community, but it could be done.

Yukito tucked sheets of vellum into envelopes and sealed them shut with pale wax. The school would not be a large center of education. Maybe not ever. But it would be Solhaven's. One envelope held the letter, and the other was stuffed with diagrams, maps, and other supporting documentation. He glanced down at his right hand, then pushed his red bronze ring into the hardening wax. He wasn't certain if that was the correct thing for him to do, but he hoped it was. A lot rode on this, and his hope was to avail himself of these expanded facilities too.

When he lifted his hand, the stamped impression of a cabochon gem surrounded by stylized rays of light and fanned by pelican feathers was impressed in the wax, a border of shells along the bottom.