Blossom Of Tupek

The Professor

For once, Sei minded her appearance, combing out her dark choppy hair and wearing her best woolen tunic, the one with the red and golden pattern on its collar and hem. She passed by many other nymphs as she hurried through the greenhouses as they tended to seedlings. Sei peered over their heads and the plants' fronds, looking for the Professor. Viv had told her that he would be back at the greenhouse. It was his last day in Tupek.

It was warm inside the greenhouse and Sei was already sweating from her woolen tunic. Then she saw him, the back of him, about to exit by the rear door. Sei ran, knocking over several watering cans. She managed to bolt out the door, right into the Professor. Sei fell onto the dirt floor but stood right back up to her full height: four foot nine, brushing dust off her clothes.

The Professor turned around, looking confused at the nymph. "I apologize for running into you."

The Professor blinked, adjusting his long coat but said nothing.

"I heard your message and have decided to join the Pretenders," Sei held her head up higher, hoping it would make a difference in her stature, and the Professor smiled. Sei had never seen a Tupekian elder smile before so it looked out of place. "My first live one."

"I don't know any formal combat, but I can learn."

Professor Sparcco folded his hands under the long sleeves, "And are you also responsible, ready to take orders?"

Sei hesitated but answered, "I can learn those too. I am a fast learner. You can ask my sister, Viv." She wanted to include the name of her former supervisor from the orchard but after injuring another worker, Sei doubted she would get a good reference from him. One foul move makes a thousand good deeds disappear, after all.

"And how old are you?"

"Eleven, Sir."

"That is the youngest we are willing to recruit a Tutunian," said the Professor, smoothing out his whiskers. If this was all a disguise, it was convincing. Sei wanted to touch the thin silver hairs just to be sure but clasped her small pink hands together to resist doing so. It was bad manners.

"I will need permission from your family," said Sparcco.

Sei's antennae fell. She doubted Dex would allow her to leave Tupek. He wanted her off his hands for sure, but not on Sparcco's.

"When can I speak to them?" the Professor asked.

Sei knew Viv would be the better one to ask but as the oldest, Dex's word was law. The nymph regretted being honest about her age but she had said what she said.

"Tonight, at hour sixteen," said Sei, staring at her boots.

"Now let's talk," said Sparcco, opening the back door and motioning Sei to follow. They walked down the rough stone-paved path between the glassy domes. Sei lengthened her strides to catch up with the Professor.

"This is my second time searching for recruits in Tupek and a lack of interest was only to be expected," he said. "It is such a beautiful country and its people are so full of life."

Sei looked about her, as they passed the kieviv fields, filled with nymphs plucking slimy pests from the stalks, and at the rolling hills beyond the fields. The clouds above them were puffy and appeared pink or orange in the light. Dex had been hoping for rain. She had never thought much of her homeplace. The fields, orchards, and wild forests beyond the village were things she was so used to seeing every day of her life. "I guess it is," she muttered.

"Tupekians, as you well know, are generally more interested in their farms and families than they are in fighting, or even travel. I cannot say I blame them," said Professor Sparcco. "However, the Arean crisis is real." His voice lowered as they took a turn onto the gravel road into the marketplace. "I have seen the devastation caused by those invaders and would hate to see any more beautiful places like this vanish from our galaxy."