Clutching her own bag on another side of town completely, Ember arrived, hood on, and meekly made her way up to the Aquatecture building for her third day of work. Wade's abrupt departure from home left a small flicker of unease in her stomach. What's been the deal with him? Was it because of her? Intrusive thoughts ran out of the cage and rampant within her mind as she approached the entrance, a friendly Blob standing afront.
"Morning, Ms. Lumen." he wished.
Clearly in her own world at that moment, she stopped her trance and looked over at him blankly.
"M- morning." she stammered.
Feeling embarrassed for her unawareness, she looked down and covered her face with her hood slightly as she walked through to Gladys at the front desk.
"Ms. Lumen!" she called out.
Ember approached the desk with hesitation, looking about as she leaned her hands on it. She gently took her hood off, masquerading with a fake smile.
"Morning, Gladys." she wished.
Gladys leaned forward to her with a big, bright smile.
"I hope you're excited for today," she said.
Replacing her unease with curiosity, Ember lost her fake smile, instead shooting a look of confusion.
"Today? What's on today?" she queried.
Gladys slinkily pointed down the left corridor toward the Glassitect department. Lo and behold...
"It's our internship open day today!" she notified me.
Ember's eyes widened to frisbee diameter as she looked, her mouth as though she sucked on the most sour Kol-nut.
"Open day?" she queried.
She took her hands off the desk and gently looked down the hallway, weak in the knees. Leaning to one side, she stared at a bit of a crowd filtering into the Glassitecture department.
"Oh no." she worried to herself.
She slung her back onto her back and began to run toward it.
"Have a great day!" Gladys wished with a wave.
With a heaving push, Ember arrived at the Glassitect department and stood in the doorway in shock. There was a large crew of faces she'd never seen from various sites. As she made her grand arrival, most if not all eyes slowly looked toward her in intrigue.
She shrunk a few inches in discomfort, bowing her head and holding her bag close. She slowly became one with the crowd - though thoroughly disconnected from them in a social sense. She stood at the back of the pack, causing a couple of by-standing water folk to begin boiling. She put her hands on her heart and hunched in discomfort.
"Good morning, everybody!" a microphoned voice announced.
Ember slowly stood back straight as attention shifted from her to a podium where Lin stood.
"Welcome to Aquatecture's mid-year internship open day. It's excellent to see so many faces bright and early." Lin excitedly recognized.
Ember raised an eyelid in intrigue, listening in and tilting her head.
"You're all present today as a result of your fine skills in working Glassitecture, and we at Aquatecture are here to help realizes those dreams." Lin continued.
Curious, Ember stuck her neck up, a sign of her becoming drawn in.
"For nearly 20 years, we've hosted mid and end-of-year examinations in solidarity with our sibling companies to provide the best certification, and get you all out there living your dreams!" Lin elaborated.
The daunting idea of examinations so soon sat ill with Ember as it had the last couple of days. She stood, holding her shoulders with her hands and gently squeezing them, relatively cold to the idea.
"I would now like to welcome our primary trainer Phil to the podium. Round of applause, please!" Lin announced.
A civil round of applause followed as Phil approached the podium. Ember joined the crowd in peer pressure, looking about hesitantly as she did so.
"Thanks, Mrs. DaDropplet. Good morning, everybody. I'm Phil, leading trainer for the Glassitecture department here at Aquatecture." Phil announced, looking about the crowd.
"Tomorrow begins our mid-year examination period, where you'll be given a chance to showcase your skills and abilities, both theoretical and experiential." he elaborated.
Phil turned and pulled up a scrim behind him. On it was a picture depicting a small house with Aquatecture logos throughout.
"Exciting times are ahead for you all. Your higher-ups have provided you with the information of the examination piece; a cabin-style house. Now, a lot of you may be asking; a house?! Why a house? The answer to that; this scenario is really not as difficult as expected. It will run for a full day's work, and a team of Glassitects and a panel of four judges will be there assessing and assuring you the safest experience." he continued.
A slew of daunted looks ran amok the crowd, along with subtle chattering. Phil looked among the crowd like he was loving his job - which he was. Among them, he spotted a lone Ember at the back. She caught onto his stare, her eyes widening in discomfort.
"While it's mandatory for all interns to complete if you find yourself daunted, alternative dates can be negotiated. This examination period isn't meant to be a stressor but an opportunity to prove your work ethic and achieve those Glassitecture dreams!" he encouraged.
A few claps turned to several dozen in recognition. Peer pressured again, Ember slowly began to clap, leaning down to hide from Phil, looking side to side in worry.
Over on the stage, Phil let out a grin as he watched Ember hide, letting out a smirk.
"Speaking of achieving dreams. There's no better example than Ms. Lumen at the back there." he pointed out.
The crowd slowly looked over on prompt. Once again, Ember's eyes widened in shock. She bruxed her teeth sharply, her legs crossing as she stood.
"She came all the way from Element City a few days ago to join us, and not only has she proven vast knowledge of Glassitecture, but has been fast-tracked as a result." Phil continued.
Ember let out a forced smile, addressing the looks with an anxious chuckle and wave.
"She, like all of you, has the ability to take her time with it if she chooses. But, as I would her, I urge you all to just give it your all..." Phil began.
He locked eyes directly with Ember, further adding to her daunt.
"...and don't hold back," he concluded.
Ember let down a heaving gulp, her eyes wide. Phil departed the stage with a wave, allowing a clapping Lin to take to the mic once more.
"Ahh! Wonderful, Phil!" she enthused.
He returned her a professional nod in passing.
"Now, please feel free to take our optional tours, or visit the inter-elemental break area for a snack. Enjoy your day!" she notified.
Applause and cheering occurred. As the crowd began a gradual dispersal, Ember looked about, chuckling nervously. Unsure, she slowly approached Lin whilst she was free - to her genuine warmth.
"Ms. Lumen! Good morning." Lin wished.
"H- hiya, Lin. Quite a day we've got, huh?" Ember awkwardly conversed.
"Right? The Aquatecture team did an outstanding job organizing this. It's our biggest in years!" Lin admired.
She emphasized the latter word 'years' with such ecstatic force that Ember stumbled back in worry, holding her arm.
"Oh- haha. That's so wild! Aha-ha." Ember replied, looking down from nerves.
Sensing an unease within Ember, Lin leaned down toward her.
"You look a little apprehensive." she pointed out.
Ember's awkward smile throughout the interaction fell to pieces. Her building sense of panic had the perfect chance to rear its head out - and rear, it did.
"Look, I- I don't have anywhere near what the others do. I mean, I- I've been here for 3 days-" she blabbered.
Before Ember could spiral any further, Lin extended an arm to her shoulder in comfort.
"Ms. Lumen. There's nothing to be afraid of. Phil recommended you be fast-tracked because of your progress, but if you still have reservations about it, we can negotiate an alternate arrangement." Lin notified.
As the statement hit her hearing, she raised an eyelid. She hadn't considered querying the solidity of her examination before.
"What?" she murmured.
"Look, I'm sure this all looks a bit daunting considering how long you've been here - and I know Phil didn't make it any better by pointing you out. But, I've known him for years, and he has never backed an intern this overzealously. He recommended you be fast-tracked because of your prowess, but we won't force it if you don't want to." she assured.
Ember let out an anxious chuckle in realization. Alas, feeling pressured enough, she backed away a step in distancing herself.
"Both he and I believe you have the potential to revolutionize Glassitecture, and something like that... is a lot for a youngster." she recognized.
Ember's eyes shot open sharply as she took in the gravitas of the statement; she could very well become someone she dreamed of being.
"R-revolutionize?" she asked.
"Oh, absolutely! It's not every day a newbie shows up to work and fixes things they break within seconds." Lin raised.
Feeling a slight bit of flattery, Ember let out a quick laugh, looking down with legs crossed and holding her arm.
"Oh- but that was just a fluke." she disputed in self-deprecation.
"And the evaluation is there to disprove that. You must give yourself credit, Ms. Lumen!" Lin urged.
Lin warmly put another hand on Ember's shoulder to comfort her.
"The invitation is there. You can take it, or you can take your time and build up to it. That decision is entirely within your hands." Lin invited.
With the specter of decision looming over her flames, Ember stood in her remaining daunt, looking up at her with mouth slightly agape. With her hand still resting on her shoulder, Lin gently patted it a couple of times.
"I must refrain; you don't have to if you feel uncomfortable. But, coming from one of the leading trainers and a higher-up, we believe you have it in you to succeed." Lin reinforced.
Whilst the decision rained heavy clouds above Ember, Lin stood up on her feet. Ember looked up at her face as though she were witnessing the cloud personified. With her own weight of responsibility in running the intern show, Lin gradually left Ember with a nice smile.
"Either way, feel free to hang around or visit Phil for daily duties." she pressed.
Before she moved on, she left Ember with one final affirmation.
"I believe in you, Ms. Lumen," she assured.
With that, Lin promptly walked off to resume her fraternizing. Stood like she were afront a thick brick wall, Ember's eyes read awe and confliction rampant.
"Ms. Lumen." a familiar voice interjected.
Caught off-guard as usual with his abrupt entrances, Ember stumbled about and stared over at a mute Phil.
"GAH- flame! You need to stop doing that." Ember cried.
"You seem a bit more frazzled than usual." Phil recognized.
Feeling slightly called out, Ember tried her best to keep cool, chuckling nervously and folding her arms tight.
"Oh- yeah. This whole thing... it's a lot." she admitted, hunching from stress.
Phil stood with his now-signature smirk of silent observation, almost beginning to pick up on her mannerisms for when she'd feel discomfort.
"You think you're ready?" he pressed, regardless.
Ember sharply looked Phil in the eyes - hers the size of dinner plates.
"The exam thing?" she asked.
Phil nodded silently to her in affirmation, his smirk persistent. Feeling as though he were reading her like an open diary, Ember lost her smile.
"I... really don't know," she confessed.
Admiring her guts in honesty, Phil let out a chuckle in admiration. He extended a hand out to her, holding a blank blueprint paper.
"Start small. Baby steps. Prep yourself to the best of your ability, and... breathe." he urged.
Taking the hint quite literally, Ember let out a long breath, closing her eyes. The clouds raining above her began to exhibit sunshine as her mind changed. She gently reached out to take the paper out of Phil's hand - to his admiration.
"You've got today and tomorrow for the design, should you choose to take the mid-year exam head-on. Feel free to take one of the drafting rooms, and I'll come in periodically to check your progress," he said.
He left her to think about such, walking off to do similar to what Lin was.
With all the wisdom just spouted at her by her bosses, Ember began to stare at the blank paper with an equally blank stare. As she did, she began to notice a metaphor within it; she could write her own future by taking the chance, however daunting it was. She could take the hint and risk uncertainty; as she'd done before.
Though mostly hesitant, one thing backed that mentality; she thought of just how proud her little dewdrop would be, had he been standing right next to her. Knowing him, she'd probably be risking getting the paper wet from all of his joyful crying. Yet, the first thing that came to mind was his stressing to her to strive for success.
Though she had reservations, it was his insistence that got her to where she was. She was indebted to his utterance of Tìshôk' - you don't have forever to do what you want.
Alas, his ideas, while flattering and warm, only added fuel to the growing fire of self-doubt within her. Though she was so grateful for it, more and more questions popped into her head.
Reaching a breaking point from all of the possibilities, she began to lose to the voices in her head. Hyperventilating, she sharply left the Glassitecture department on her way back out of the building.
Swinging the front doors of the Aquatecture building, Ember raced out past Blob to catch her breath. She arrived halfway through the courtyard before halting sharply, panting and leaning on her knees exasperatingly.
She swiftly whipped out her phone, shakily bringing up Wade's contact in a hurry. She slammed a finger on the call button, shoving it up to her ear.
Ringing...
Ringing...
After not too long, it went to his voicemail, to her dismay.
"Hey! You've reached the Wadiest Ripple that ever rippled! I'm not available at the moment, so please leave a-"
Frazzled and becoming frustrated, she hung up and redialed him like a worried parent.
"Hey! You've reached the Wadiest Ripple that ever rippled!-"
The frustration within her only grew. She grimaced angrily, flashing purple. As headstrong as ever, however, she persisted.
"Hey! You've reached-"
"AGH!"
She came very close to the point of throwing her phone in anger, sharply stopping herself and holding it up in the air. As she held it, a wind of restraint overcame her. She lost her snarl, instead choosing a safer route to the madness...
Ringing...
Ringing...
"Hey! You've reached the Wadiest Ripple that ever rippled! I'm not available at the moment, so please leave a message."
As a tone sounded, she brought the phone back up to her ear, exhaling.
"Wade. It- it's me. I... I got some news. Really big news. It's nothing to be worried about, but... I could be a Glassitect sooner than I expected. They're holding an exam for me on Friday, but I- I don't know. It's making me uneasy. I feel like it's too quick. Is it too quick? I just- ugh. Please, call me back. I really want to talk to you about it."
With a hint of sorrow filling her, she gently put her phone away, hanging her head low.
Before even taking another step, her phone vibrated. She sharply whipped it out in excitement. To her thankfulness, it was a message from him...
Soz on shift atm. BUT... date 2nite? We'll talk 3
Like receiving a message from a crush, her frustration went like the wind. Her reservations quit roaming around her mind, instead giving her something else to think about - or, to look forward to; date night!