A Lumen Ripple | An Elemental Story

Chapter 22 - Take Space

"Let's quickly recap.

It'll be a full day's work - 9-to-5.

You will meet at my office tomorrow morning, and we will be going to an external location.

You'll walk step-by-step through the architecture behind a glass house.

A team of builders will be present to realize your dream, however, we encourage you to contribute to the making if you can.

There'll be a panel of 5, including Lin, myself and three other judges. We will assess you based on your demonstration of theoretical, experiential, and the execution of such knowledge.

If you're successful, you'll be a full-time Glassitect, and will have a small project house by the end of the day to be proud of."

Following the end of a rather interesting working day, Ember and her trainer Phil headed toward the exit of the Aquatecture building. The two arrived at the front lobby, with Phil coming to a stop, and as a result, Ember too.

Phil leaned an arm on the front desk in a pose, prompting Ember to face him.

"You have nothing to worry about. We've seen what you can do. It's just on you to tell yourself you can." he reckoned.

In a surprising move of admiration, Phil gently placed a hand on Ember's PPE-protected shoulder. Still, a bit taken off-guard by the move, Ember looked over at his hand blankly, her breath shortening before gradually dimming with a warm smile.

"Best of luck, and rest up. It'll be a big day tomorrow." Phil said.

He patted her exactly three times on the shoulder - being the methodical fellow he is. Rather than up and leaving at that moment, Ember stopped her heart racing, standing still and taking in the moment. Tomorrow, she could very much move into the next phase of her life.

"Thank you. I will." she admired.

With that good wish, she slowly strolled out of the Aquatecture building, burning a comfortable flame.

Positive thoughts danced around her head like ballerinas - a welcome change given the daunt that living in a new city brought. 

As always, she waved goodbye to the security guard Blob on her way past.

"Bye'a, Blob," she said.

"Have a good evening, Ms Lumen," he replied.

Riding that exam-confirmed high, she stopped, turning to give him her attention.

"I will. Thanks." she admired.

She continued her merry way past, heading homeward. As she walked the Aquatecture front courtyard out, she looked down to the artsy path below her, smirking and chuckling to herself.

Finally off-premises, she crossed the busy road and headed up toward the elevated railway to get the train home. 

She enjoyed the train ride home. Though it was usually busy in the post-work peak hour, it brought a sense of comfort knowing that she'd finished the stressful part of the day. In fact, she enjoyed heading into the night - a bit of a night owl of sorts.

Luckily for her, the train arrived promptly at 5:30 pm, providing little waiting time in getting home. She boarded it with her backpack slung over her shoulder, taking a gentle seat and decompressing.

As it began to depart, she placed her bag on the floor, rummaging through it to find her exam draft. She found it and took it out, looking it over in admiration. She wore a prideful smile, taking and holding it against her chest with her eyes closed. She let out another decompressing breath, opening them and looking down at it again.