After a long night of talking to the people he despised the most, Dirk needed to get the gross taste out of his mouth. Admittedly, the actual taste in his mouth was one that danced along his tastebuds, given the quality of the gala’s food. He hadn’t tasted anything so good since before the Collapse. It was certainly better than mudfish.
Before heading home, Dirk made for an abandoned building on the outskirts of New Melbourne. Checking out a cool office design in the Melbourne CBD always made him feel better. He’d be out late, but it wasn’t like that would be his problem.
With his night-vision goggles on, Dirk could see the office he stepped into through a thick sheet of green light. He adjusted the settings, making the building appear as if it was well let in the middle of the day. It was a drab place – the kind of office that would sap the energy and happiness out of its employees. No wonder the building was abandoned. It certainly was not cool, as he’d hoped.
If only the owner had been smart enough to consider office fitouts for Melbourne businesses before the end. Oh well, at least now their old office was Dirk’s playground.
He tackled the lighting first, using his office magic to transform the dreary and dim lightbulbs into magnificent hanging chandeliers. It was perhaps a tad overkill, but Dirk was feeling a bit inspired by the gala, having a peculiar fascination with the luxurious for the time being.
Dirk knew that he should be thinking about what Madeline had said, while he had the chance – an opportunity to break their curse had to be at least considered. But for now, he simply focused on the job, moving on to the boring cubicles. He focused his energy, shifting the office from a cramped layout to a spacious open floor with beautiful tables that would inspire anybody working at them.
It was just a shame that nobody worked here anymore. As he continued, Dirk wondered how long it would take somebody to return to this place. Seeing the incredible transformation, would the workers eventually return here?
With the work done, Dirk leaned back in a chair, exhausted. And despite his urge to sleep, he certainly couldn’t let the body slip away here. That would not be ideal.