"Ahh- much better."
After a forgiving trip to the toilet, Ember emerged fulfilled, stronger even, for the Kol-nuts had provided her sustenance. She gently sat back at her desk and got comfy, spinning on her chair to face it.
Something felt a bit off, however. Like something or someone made it feel a bit more 'work-ish' in there. She looked about the table, scanning for whatever it was that changed.
That was when it hit her; her exam draft laid afront her once again. Her eyes widened in embarrassed realization, quickly reaching to grab her phone and check the time...
11:59 am
"Already?!" she exclaimed.
She put her phone face down on the desk, utterly dreading looking her marked exam draft over. She slowly looked down and began looking it over from afar with a daunted pursing of the lips, scanning every inch.
Her eye was caught by a marking on the bottom right of the design;
"Come see me in my office ASAP. - Phil," it read.
Alas, the time was nigh. She had to face her fear; her fear of the fast-coming examination. With nerves renewed and sustenance slaughtered, she sharply got up off her chair like a soldier with orders, marching her way over to Phil's office with fear itself on her back.
"I came as fast as I could!"
Speaking about fear itself, Wade didn't have too much more to look forward to in comparison. Sat across from him at the EBID HQ office, Mutrick swung around on his chair like an evil supervillain, with a tenting of the fingers to boot. He looked over at the time;
11:59 am
Surprised he could make it to Pebblebrook and back on foot, Mutrick and his three-preferred workers shot Wade a discomforting smile each.
"Just in time. Sit." Mutrick ordered.
With an air of tension already present among the five, Wade sat at a vacant seat - careless to the fact that Dusty could very well whip it from underneath him again.
Resuming superior mode, Mutrick leaned forward authoritatively at the four.
"The Elementus case just got a bit more intense. Thanks to you lot, Police have got something more than word-of-mouth-" Mutrick opened.
"Would've had even more if you didn't burn the picture I took-" Wade opined in a mutter.
"Care to add anything, Ripple?" Mutrick sternly queried.
Wade remained silent, arms folded and body language lacking much respect.
"That's what I thought. Now, they'll be here soon enough to gather everything they can, so any extra information you have, the better." Mutrick notified.
Wanting most to put Wade in the spotlight again, Mutrick shot him a prodding stare. Wade remained to avert his gaze at his disrespectful superior like a child to a parent denying them candy.
"That means you too," Mutrick stated.
Wade slowly looked over at him with an Ember-esque stare of head strength.
"I thought you wanted me quiet," he retorted.
"Forget him. How long's this gonna take?" Rocky interjected without care.
"With any hope, we'll be wrapped before midnight," Mutrick told.
Just like that, as if the world around had slowed to a halt, Wade and his cohort leaned forward. Wade let out a chuckle in disbelief, leaning forward and framing his face with a hand.
"I'm sorry- midnight?" Wade asked.
Mutrick let out a nod in confirmation wearing a slightly sadistic smirk.
"But- I got plans tonight!" Rocky exclaimed.
"Yo- me too!" Boulder concurred.
"Be quiet!" Mutrick barked.
The four employees stopped their resistant barking in unison, sitting back down and being obedient little elementals.
"You can't keep us here past hours," Wade argued.
"That's why they call it past hours." Dusty chimed in.
"When the police are involved, they have every right to. Besides, you'll all be reimbursed for any overtime." Mutrick notified.
Wade sat back some more, arms folded in disgust. His cohort agreed with him - a rare feat, to say the least. They pouted in unison, looking away from Mutrick.
"So what're we supposed to do? Sit around and mope at them in hopes we'll get out on time?" Dusty pressed.
Mutrick folded his arms tighter with a cold smirk, shrugging exasperatingly slowly in hopes to tease his subordinates.
Feeling discomfort beyond what he'd liked to that day, Wade began to dissociate from those in the room. He looked up at the corner of the ceiling, slipping into a daydream state...
"Don't worry. Nothing bad is gonna happen...
. . .
He's just potentially gonna ruin my day-"
If only Ember saw how passive-aggressive EBID got, she wouldn't worry nearly as much as she was about seeing Phil. But, regardless of that thought, she stood out front of his office, exam draft in hand and dignity hinging on this to go well.
Before she went in and potentially changed the course of her life, she closed her eyes and took a breath.
A wave of confidence slowly consumed her, bit by bit, every inch she pushed the door open. Thus, a smile starting out as fake turned genuine by the time it was fully opened.
"Lumen." Phil introduced.
"You wanted to see me?" Ember asked.
"Yes. Sit." Phil said.
She walked in meekly with her exam draft by her core, taking a seat on the other side of Phil's desk. She sat, legs crossed as he leaned forward.
"Your work was looked over, and I must say, I'm not surprised," he said.
Ember let out a chuckle, darting her eyes about.
"Not surprised?" she asked, stroking her flames.
"Not in the slightest. In fact, I called you in here to discuss other matters." he notified.
Ember raised an eyebrow in curiosity, tilting her head slightly.
"We've still got the vacancy for an exam tomorrow, and I need an answer. I'd like to know if you're prepared to sit it." Phil queried.
Her eyes shot open as the moment she dreaded arrived; she had to answer. After being unsure for days, she'd left it to the last possible second.
"Tomorrow?!" she exclaimed.
"Yup. Usually, I would've said 'You're too late. You'll be sitting it next semester.' I only remain to offer it as I personally see you're ready, which has only been reinforced by your draft. The only thing that's in the way... is you." Phil notified.
Her eyes widened to disk diameter in stress.
"M- me?" she pressed.
Phil nodded silently in confirmation.
Now charged with a decision, Ember chuckled in anxiousness. She gripped the bottom of her dress in stress, squeezing it like a rubber ball.
"Oh- I... I guess... I think I- uhh-" she stammered.
Phil raised an eyebrow himself at her, leaning forward more, simultaneously pushing her further.
She began to turn purple in stress, beginning to huff and puff without conscious thought intervening. Her fiddling about built, and stress only began to squeeze her further.
Time was not an option anymore. She had to answer.
With stress only building, she began to lose focus on reality, shaking her head. Her breath became heavy like an inferno, holding her hands at her head. Stress turned to panic, bordering on fight-or-flight mode.
She began to hallucinate out of fear. Visions of a fiery building crumbling before her erupted, followed by looks of horror and fright from onlookers. She envisioned herself running from disappointment like never before and with it the burden of responsibility. Running, running, running.
That sprint concluded at the beach, not inches before the ocean. She saw herself in a weakened manner, staring out into the water like all hope was lost...
"This makes me happy..." a voice said.
That voice. She'd heard that voice so much before. She looked to her side, and there he was. Sat by her side as always, Wade held her hand, looking like he was talking her out of it.
"Looking at the way you admire work, I can tell you really love it," he said.
Still stuck in irreality, she stopped for a moment.
"Wade, I- I don't know if I-"
"Doesn't matter. Everyone else believes in you, so you should too."
Her vision shifted closer to his face, causing the real Ember's stress to plummet.
"Tìshôk'. I will not stop saying it. You got this, Ember!"
The line sucked her right out of her hallucinosis and straight back to the real world. She stopped her heavy breathing and calmed, closing her eyes and taking a moment to compose herself. Her flames healed, and her stress diminished ever so gradually.
"Why am I scared of this? I shouldn't be scared. This is my dream!" she thought.
She slowly opened her eyes with renewed determination, a scowl of confidence abroad on her face.
"Yeah- I'll do it. I'll do it," she assured, nodding rapidly.
Phil let out a smirk in admiration, extending a hand to shake.
"Then we'll see you tomorrow," he said.
Ember let out a grateful smile, reaching over for a PPE-protected handshake. She shook confidently and smiled, backed up by Wade's wise words the night prior.
With the exam draft and her things in tow, Ember left the office feeling more determined than ever about chasing her Aquatecture dream. She knew now that she shouldn't be afraid of messing it up. Alas, that's what Wade liked to see; her being determined.
Feeling fulfilled by her change of mindset, she began to think about him once again, smiling. She envisioned his smile sitting on the bench from late last night. Resting her head on his shoulder, looking out at the moon and stars. This was the life...
. . .
Like seldom before, hers and his psyche aligned simultaneously, speaking far more than words in unison...
"Oh, Ember. You're doing so well at the moment. I'm so proud! I mean- Glassitect?! It was meant to be..."
"You're one to talk. You haven't stopped believing in me since before I did. I have you to thank... for everything."
"Agh- you did it all yourself. I just supported you from the sidelines, and will always!"
Ember let out a tear of grace and thankfulness. Only Wade could bring her a tear so easily.
"Thank you. I'll make you proud," she murmured.
She fell back to reality after the gorgeous moment, reaching down and grabbing her phone.
No messages or calls from him.
Odd...