After closing the bar for the night, cleaning up any debris from the patrons, and cleaning all of the dishes, Azazel and her mother retired to their apartment on the second floor.
Businesses in this town tended to close early, and their bar was no exception. Especially in recent months, where her mother would run out of energy for the day, and the bar would close.
Azazel’s father would usually return home only a little after they closed.
He was a warm man, generous and caring with his words and actions. If you did something good, he would praise you; if you needed help, he would help you.
Thanks to the hard work of Azazel’s parents, she and her family had never lacked in money.
“I’m home!” The familiar, warm voice sounded out following the opening of the entrance.
“Father!”
As usual, Azazel went running to greet her father.
Rounding the corner to the entranceway, her father came into view.
He was not an imposing man, but he was also not undignified. Average height, and with average looks, he had a certain grace to the way he held himself that amplified his charisma.
And today, he had a broad smile on his face.
He scooped Azazel up into a bear hug and excitedly began to explain:
“Guess who I met today!”
“Who? Who?”
“Okay, my little owl, I will tell you. I met the headmaster of Vibrant Academy!”
Confused as to the significance of this person, Azazel responded with a noncommittal “Oh.”
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“He bought a wagon from me and said that he really likes my personality! He gave me his contact information.” The smile on Azazel’s father’s face was practically oozing excitement.
Azazel was still confused, but her mother came just in time to clear up the confusion.
“Quit teasing her, you know she is confused,” Azazel’s mother shut her father up, “What your father wants to say is that he may be able to enroll you in the honorable Vibrant Academy!”
“It is a long shot, but yes, we may just be able to pull it off.”
Between the mother and father, the excitement was palpable. What an amazing opportunity this would be for their daughter! If she could attend this academy, she would be able to achieve almost anything she wanted: if she wanted to be a doctor, she would become one; if she wanted to be an inventor, she would become one. An artist, a poet, a singer, an architect, a designer…
Well, perhaps their imaginations were slightly overexaggerating, but it would at least be a springboard for her.
Her mother and father cared greatly for her, so of course they noticed her adventurous spirit. Azazel could frequently be found staring off into the sunset, daydreaming about one thing or another. Reading, too, was a favorite pastime. Ever since they had taught her how to read, one of Azazel’s favorite activities was going to the local library and reading the many adventure books.
And though her parents knew of Azazel’s adventurous spirit, they also knew that they could not facilitate it by themselves.
They were strongly rooted in the local economy; the bar relied on their local regulars, and Azazel’s father had a ridiculous number of local contacts from his years as a used wagon salesman.
But it was not these reasons that prevented them from uprooting to travel and support Azazel’s adventurous spirit; rather, it was because Azazel’s mother was incapable of travelling. Her condition would not allow for it.
This was why they were so excited for the prospect of Vibrant Academy.
Vibrant Academy was located in Vibrant City, which in turn was located in the Vibrant Region, which in turn was named after its most famous landmark: Vibrant Mountain.
It was a famous academy with all of the bells and whistles. It had a long history, sprawling campus, amazing teachers, wide range of courses, and there was even a division dedicated to training Workers.
Surely, a place such as this would fulfill Azazel’s adventurous spirit and set her up for a great life.
Azazel knew nothing of this, so she was confused.
“Oh, dear, this is perhaps the most important opportunity of your life! You will be able to go out into the world and explore. You will go to school! I am so excited for you. Cough.” Azazel’s mother was so excited that she was running short on breath, so her father ran over to provide support.
“My, my, don’t get too excited right now. Nothing is set in stone yet. I will use the contact that he gave me to communicate our intent with him, and we will go from there. In the meantime, let us continue our days as usual.”