Laws of e(Motion)

One: #ECF0FA

"There's no escape," Emilia complained, "they're already on about higher education applications at school and then I get home to my parents telling me I need to pick a job as if 'I don't have a clue what I want to do with my life' isn't an answer." As she said it, she realised it wasn't an answer, but she also knew Felix would get what she'd meant. Only half the lights of his small video game shop were on at this hour, Felix himself in the back somewhere as he shut the place up for the evening. The shop itself had long closed but he didn't count Emilia as a regular customer, more a friend or a niece, and he was well aware of the comfort she got from talking to him. Emerging behind the counter once again, he turned up his sleeves past his wrinkled elbows before leaning on the old converted bar, Emilia sat on the right of the two floor-mounted stools. They were high enough that her feet couldn't touch the ground, something she remembered thinking would change when she grew up, but after going to Felix for advice for the past seven years it hadn't.
"I remember being your age," he started, Emilia able to trust it would become more relevant as he spoke. "I was set on becoming one of those people who does the lights for stage shows."
"No way," Emilia muttered, finding it hard to see the lanky and awkward sweater-vest donning old man in front of her working in theatre rigging. He'd been so immensely dedicated to the shop the whole time Emilia had known him that she couldn't imagine him doing anything else, but she supposed she'd never stop learning new things about him.
"Yes way," he smiled, "and now look at me. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. You'll find your calling too, might even find several." Somehow from him it felt less like surface level comfort and more realistic. "Change isn't a bad thing, it's human to become someone new as you grow." He drummed his fingers on the counter before scurrying off again, behind her this time as he folded away the first cardboard display stand, Emilia wondering if he actually needed to close things this much or if it was just something to allow her to stay longer.
"I always appreciate your wisdom," Emilia thanked him, hopping off the stool and checking the time on her phone. Six-twenty-eight, she'd long overstayed her visit and her parents would definitely start the stream of texts and calls asking after her if she wasn't back within the next two minutes. "I should definitely be at home right now though."
"I'm open anytime," Felix replied, and despite the exaggeration it felt as good as true. As Emilia left the shop that night she wondered if he ever got lonely there, if he welcomed his regulars as friends just for the company, if he had a family at home or maybe just a dog or something. She could picture him with a ratty little terrier, the idea making her laugh slightly as she walked the most well-lit route back home, fortunately not too far from the shop or well, anywhere really.
Her family lived nearly in the centre of the city, much less of an issue now of course, but the sacrifice of convenience was being the target of the attacks as were. It had been years since they'd seen a mech or a shark soldier on the streets, the cat long gone too, and the damage nearly repaired. She still avoided the darker alleys out of habit and potentially irrational anxiety, her mother seemed to think so at least, but there was no harm in taking the streetlight paved roads home. Everything in the city was built upwards, Felix's shop tucked in under a flight of stairs opposite one of the city's rooftop gardens, and several flights of stairs up from the actual ground. As she started the descent down the many, many steps, her phone ringing in her pocket was as good as a half-six alarm.
"Hi Mum, I'm on the way home right now," she immediately said, without needing to even look at the contact calling her. The wind caught her as she started down the second staircase, brushing away the loose strands of hair from her face, signs of where the day had been less gentle on her originally-neat plait.
"Dinner's already on the table," her mother replied, a predictable hint of irritancy to her tone that Emilia would've been surprised not to hear. Routine to her evenings had been established now, the start of the week especially due to her unbreakable commitment to using the library's extra hours before heading over to Felix's.
"I'm sorry, I got caught up, lost track of time." It was the same excuse every time she was late home, but it had never failed yet and tonight wasn't about to be the first occasion of its downfall. "I'm on the way back now."
"Alright, don't be too long." Emilia questioned what her mother would do if she did take 'too long', but she didn't want to find out enough to try it. Besides, there wasn't anywhere else worth stopping off at on her route home.
Endless use made the apartment block Emilia lived in as decrepit as it was modern, but there again the whole city wasn't that old. She was certain that her parents would be able to tell her all about moving after it had first come into existence, but she wasn't the kind of person who could pay attention to a story as long as her mother could make it. The fluorescent tubes lighting the staircase hurt her eyes especially relative to the warm darkness she'd just come out of, but it was yet another reason she counted herself lucky to only live on the fourth floor, the uncomfortably steep stairs being another considerable factor. Running up the first three sets of stairs had become a habit every time she got in if only to get out of uncomfortable lighting, but it always made Emilia too out of breath to continue it the rest of the way up.