Amiri boarded the fifth bell train home, one of the busiest services, as students and academy employees who finished early rushed to beat the crowds on their way home.

Entering an empty compartment, Amiri shrugged off her bag and sank into the seat by the window. What a day. Her mind buzzed from the interview, replaying conversations with Mara, marvelling at the Archives. Meeting Gunnar and his... pets. Encountering Caleb. Her first airship ride. The theft. It was overwhelming. She longed to share the day's events with her family, knowing it would help her process everything. They were anxious about the results, too, knowing how much it meant to her and how hard she had worked to prepare.

The compartment door opened, and two young men with harried expressions entered.

"Mind if we sit here?" the first asked, already sitting down, making the question entirely rhetorical.

"Go ahead," Amiri said, pulling her feet back to make space. Both men had long canvas bags, which they placed on the floor between them, apologizing for taking up room. Amiri reassured them with polite niceties—the typical ebb and flow of social interactions.

One man leaned back, closing his eyes with a long sigh, while the other turned to Amiri and spoke. She immediately recognized him as someone who couldn't tolerate silence.

"I'm Dimi, and that's my brother Alekos," he said, tapping his brother lightly on the arm as he introduced him. "Do you study at one of the colleges?" he asked, nodding toward the parchment on Amiri's lap. It bore the beautiful Historia crest, this one mundane rather than manifested.

"I'm Amiri, and no”, she replied with a smile. The paper on her lap felt warm. They had extended an offer to her. She had made it. "I just accepted a position at History's library, I start next week. How about yourselves?" Amiri's tone was upbeat, barely containing her joy.

Alekos opened his eyes, looking at Amiri with surprise, while Dimi congratulated her immediately. "That's amazing news! History is one of the big ones, right? Was it very hard to get a job there?" As he spoke, he pulled a flask from his oiled jacket, took a swig, and toasted, "To your success," before passing the flask to her.

Amiri accepted it before realizing what she was doing. Shrugging, she raised the flask in toast. "To your kindness," she said, taking a sip. The unfamiliar drink tasted lemony and a bit smoky, with a hint of bitterness. It went down smoothly before igniting a fire in her stomach, warmth spreading to her toes and fingertips. The aftereffect reminded her of fine whiskey, and the aftertaste faintly metallic, making her think of gold for some reason.

Pursing her lips, Amiri passed the flask to Alekos and said, "History is one of the big three—War and Arcane make up the rest. It was hard to get in, but I had been preparing for a while. And what on Astreya was that drink? I swear I can taste gold now."

Alekos had just finished a swig, softly toasting, "To your health," before passing the flask back to his brother.

Dimi grinned, revealing a snaggletooth that Amiri noticed but tried to ignore. "We have a friend who can manifest drinks. We've been sampling his grimoire, and this one's the best so far. He calls it 'Citrus Iron Haze,' but he's a bit of a halfwit, so we've been brainstorming. I personally like 'Smoldering Lemon Forge.'"

Amiri was amazed. "Cornucopia manifestations are really rare, aren't they? How much liquid can he make?" she asked.

"Kegs at a time," Dimi said smugly, taking a sip and passing the flask back to Amiri.

"Talk about being set for life," Amiri remarked. She eyed the flask, considering another sip or two. "To the luck of the halfwits," she toasted the fortunate man who had stumbled upon something so rare.

The flask made its rounds again, with toasts from Alekos, "To the luck of the skies," and Dimi, "To the luck of the coin." Unusual toasts.

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The conversation revolved around the cornucopia for a while, but they wouldn't reveal which bar their friend worked at—or perhaps owned now?

"People would always argue about paying less for the drinks, just because they were manifested. If his name got out, he'd be ruined," Dimi reasoned.

Damn his logic.

Amiri enjoyed a pleasant buzz when she noticed her stop approaching—the Outer Boroughs. She stood up, wobbling slightly. Alekos half-reached to steady her but withdrew his hand as she found her balance.

"This is my stop. It was nice sharing your company," Amiri said, feeling relaxed and a bit disjointed. She didn't drink often, and when she did, it wasn't much. "If you catch this train regularly, I might see you again—wait, you never told me where you study?" Amiri felt her words slur slightly but was aware enough to notice it.

"No, we didn't," Dimi grinned. "But it's safe to assume we're in competition with History," he said, eyes dancing with mirth.

Amiri glared at him. She had to leave or she'd end up at the last stop and have to take another train back. "I'll find out where you study and the name of that bar," she shot over her shoulder as she stepped onto the platform and headed down the familiar streets. Laughter echoed from the compartment behind her.

Half way home she found the whole situation quite funny, and the walk and the fresh air had the effect of burning off some of the alcohol in her system, and she found herself at a very acceptable level of tipsy. Quite acceptable, indeed.

The Outer Boroughs was the name for the district that surrounded everything in the city, the last ring before the wall, and while it was predominately residential, there was a mix of commercial and industrial buildings here too - and the factories and warehouses that supported them. Here was where the working class lived, including Amiri and her family. The Inner Boroughs, or the Inners were a little bit more bourgeoise than the Outers, and sat closer to the central city. The Royal District was the creme de la creme, housing the imperial palace and governance buildings, and sat at the very centre of the city. The Royal District sat right against the Scholars Enclave, where Amiri would now be working.

The streets were filled with the sound of people returning from work, of children playing and the general hum of the city. The sun was setting, and it cast a warm golden glow on the cobblestone streets and the brick buildings. Amiri strolled past the familiar shops and businesses, some closing up for the day while others were only just opening up for the night. Her favourite tea shop Steeped Stories was closing; she saw the back of its owner and proprietor Mr Hawthorne clearing the outside tables. She was tempted to say hello and regale him with her good news, but Amiri knew from a lifetime of stopping by to try a new flavour of tea, that there was no such thing as a quick conversation with the man, and besides, she wanted her family to be the first to know.

Amiri turned the corner and saw a small crowd gathered around a street performer. She slowed to watch. The performer was a young woman dressed in vibrant, flowing clothing, and she was manipulating small orbs of light with her fingertips. She pressed each ball of light into the air, affixing it. Then with a flourish, slapped the ball. It remained affixed and let out a beautiful sound, some kind of string instrument. She then started playing an upbeat melody on the various affixed balls of light, delighting the children and astonishing the crowd. In her current mood, Amiri felt like dancing along. Amiri stepped close to the hat set on the ground, and tossed a few coins in before she left.

Home was her Aunt and Uncle's house. It was a charming terraced brick building, nestled in amongst a row of similar houses. Her Aunt had painted the shutters a deep green, and her uncle had refinished the sturdy wooden front door a long time ago - but they were still in good condition. She opened the gate on the wrought iron fence, past the flowers in the garden her cousin Fara had planted, and looked up at the house. She noticed the climbing vines weaving their way up the side of the house and winced. Getting rid of those was her chore. No one had bothered her about it while she had been preparing for the interview, though.

She unlocked the front door and stepped inside, greeted by silence.

"I'm home," she called out, but only silence responded. She felt disappointed, being the first one home. She had wanted to share her good news as soon as she arrived. This had gone differently in her head. She walked slowly through the foyer, past artwork and photographs of her family, treading down the hallway, her footsteps soft on the wooden floors and rugs, towards the kitchen near the back of the house.

There, she found a cake sitting on the table in the kitchen. It had "CONGRATULATIONS" written on it with pink and gold frosting. Amiri choked up, her eyes welling with tears and vision blurring. They had so much faith in her. She heard a soft whisper behind her, and then a wall of sound followed it.

"Surprise!" she jumped, and turned to see her family; Uncle Dari, her Aunt Laila, her cousins Fara and Nave, as well as her friends from school; Kane - who had a huge smile on his face, Lila, Jasper, and Rina who had all chosen to do a silly pose (making a Y with their arms). They all stood there with beaming smiles, excited to celebrate her achievement. Amiri couldn’t help it, she burst into tears. What a day.