There was something equally overwhelming and inspiring about Imperial Center. Elarys liked open spaces, trees, and being able to get away from metropolis. Yet, she had always enjoyed the new challenges the imperial capital brought upon her young career. She had been brought to her current employer for only a short time; and she wished she had been involved for a longer time, for the new curriculum the Gelinera School had introduced a year prior was outstanding, and might be a game changer for young children, especially neuro-divergent ones, whose minds could nevertheless contribute so much.

Elarys had joined the school as an event assistant for the large conference and fundraising event during which the School's team would present the curriculum in a comprehensive manner to the rest of the Empire, so other educational bodies would be able to integrate the new findings and methods. It was a delicate event for it blended normal conference organization with charity galas. The School was financially healthy; but they also hoped to bring in new credits, both public and private, to fund satellite schools across Imperial Center, and if possible bring smaller schools from the Core under their name.

The young woman had been spending sleepless nights working on how to streamline the process and make it accessible to both educational professionals as well as imperial families considering enrolling their children into the school, whether through early scholarship or through personal money. Juggling multiple audiences could be tricky; and the school's marketing team didn't have as much event management experience as she had hoped for. She knew her place; but she also recognized how to make specific content available more efficiently to other people, especially when interacting directly and wanting to foster an atmosphere of trust and support.

Due to that, and how much she believed in the new curriculum based on the reports and her own research into it, she had been working more than her pay and position required; but she wanted to help making this a success.

That was how she found herself holed up behind the tech room the morning of the opening of the three day event, reviewing all the materials that would be presented on screen once again, all loaded with too much caf and protein bars. The smaller selection of VIP allowed to get a tour of the new facilities and meeting with the School higher ups would arrive in two hours, and she had been selected to be the one herding them so to speak, until the School's Head would arrive.

Groaning, the exhausted brunette checked her chrono, and knew it was time to zoom to her small apartment clean up and get dressed.

***

I got this; I got this...

Elarys normally managed her nerves well; but the combination of exhaustion and too much caffeine made her jittery.

Smoothing her black dress one last time, she walked into the lobby, where the first VIP guests would arrive soon. She gave a quick glance at the security personnel present, then quietly folded her hands before her, and politely smiled.

She was as ready as could be.