It was late when Dirk returned home – far later than the usual agreed-upon time. At least he had the excuse of the gala, so it wouldn’t likely come under scrutiny. He did feel sorry for whoever came next, though. They weren’t likely to be in for a good day tomorrow.
Dirk had considered Madeline’s suggestion more on the way home, and he’d ultimately decided to hear her out, at least. What harm could there be in seeing what solution she had to offer? If it worked, Dirk would be able to go back to his old life. How many Melbourne office fitouts had been neglected due to Dirk’s circumstances? Sure, he wasn’t an office designer himself, but with his office designing magic he sure gave a lot of inspiration to those who worked in that industry.
Ever since the Collapse, office design businesses based in Melbourne really hadn’t reached the peaks they did back on the surface. Dirk’s dream had always been to inspire them to reach greater heights, creating incredible office spaces that motivated employees to be their absolute best. With significantly less time to do so since joining the crew, Dirk found himself longing for that life again.
He crept inside the house and made his way quickly to bed, wondering what would change by the next time he awoke. He always seemed to sleep so long, the world completely different by the time he opened his eyes again. It was a strange experience, for sure.
Although Dirk would not remember his dreams that night – he never did – his mind took him through office design after office design, his subconscious desperate to return to his simple life as an artist who created sculptures using office equipment. That job had given him his magic, which he now used to guide the office design direction across New Melbourne when he had the chance.
It was a long night, despite how late he had returned home. Dirk slept through the darkness and then some, wondering when next he would awake.