Flash Fiction February 2024 Day 14: A Coded Letter (Fyr)

A/N: Happy Valentines Day! Somehow we are already half way through flash fic feb...yikes.

Prompt: A friend of mine tells that I talk in shorthand and then smudge it

Writing confidential letters requires a certain amount of coded language, particularly when spies and nosy people are around every corner. I don’t exactly remember when I came up with the shorthand code that Ayron and I use to correspond with each other, only that it was a very long time ago. So long that I used to write letters to Sotha Sil in the code when we were still on friendly terms. I don’t think I’ve seen him for a long enough period to have a conversation with since the second era. Naomi of all people is one of the few people to learn the coded shorthand without being directly taught how to use it, as most of her notes in her book of alchemy recipes were in her own shorthand. Valan had dropped off a letter from Ayron asking if I would join the council in order to assist him with political goals, due to his intense, though justified, dislike of Archmagister Gothren. Having read the letter quickly that I can tell was written in the early hours of the morning and rather hastily judging by his handwriting, I grab a pot of ink and write back a brief reply telling Ayron that I politely refuse the offer. Handing the letter back along with a scrap of paper with my own scrawled reply done with a brush that should really be thrown away and a pot of ink that is nearly empty. Valan looks at the reply, seemingly trying to make out the code, though I doubt he can see well enough to make out the individual letters. “You have terrible handwriting.” He says bluntly after a moment. At that I scoff as I’m reminded of Naomi scolding me for a similar thing. “A friend of mine tells me that I talk in shorthand and then smudge it. Ayron can read it just fine, now go away.” I tell him, taking one shoulder and turning him around toward the doorway, giving a slight nudge to get him moving. I should really write to Naomi one of these days, as similarly to me she’s managed to find a way to keep herself alive even after all these years. Lukas doesn’t have the problem of mortality at baseline, so she must have found a way to rid herself of the same issue…hopefully not by making any deals with Daedra. Even if I talk in shorthand and smudge it, at least she can read it, as can Ayron, and I still have better handwriting than Neloth.