Topaz had been sitting in her workshop for several hours, just staring at the wall. In pride of place on the blank stretch of wood and plaster were two diplomas, framed in dark wood with touched of gold around the edges. She'd done it. Of course she'd been working towards this goal for ages, but now that it was actually here it was almost hard to take in. She'd finally completed her majors and officially graduated from University. It still didn't seem like that long ago that she was wandering through the wilds of Below in search of interesting discoveries. Now she was a mom with a degree and a steady job.Topaz turned her eyes from the wall to her work desk. It was funny, but her current job had just grown from nothing. During her exploration phase she'd always liked to troll through old shops in the local places she visited. She'd picked up bits of knowledge from shop owners and craftsmen, so that when she found pieces that were in a bit of disrepair she'd started trying to fix them herself. By the time she joined University she could manage to repair just about anything, as long it didn't have complex inner workings or require the skills of a woodworker. Her talent in restoration had only grown the more she did it. A few of her classmates had found out through conversation, and suddenly she found herself taking commissions to fix aged items. With more practice her skill continued to grow.
Looking back on it, Topaz was a bit regretful that she hadn't taken an archaeology class, but she'd been well into her studies by the time they became available so she'd decided against it. It would have been fascinating though, and likely would have helped her skills even further. Not that her majors hadn't given her some help along the way either. She'd come across several references in her studies detailing how items were made during the time period and what, if any, special meanings they might have had. These things had always fascinated Topaz. Big events were fine and all, but the small, day-to-day things... That's what really made her feel the connection between the present and past, and what fueled her passion.
With her degrees, maybe she could move on to doing restoration as a career! Museums did restorations frequently, more restorations than they had exhibit spaces. They rebuilt pieces of history and helped the world gain understanding of the past. It was something Topaz would most definitely be interested in doing; it was the perfect way to use her education while staying connected to her roots! She had practical experience, education... Perhaps she could talk to some of her professors to see if they knew anyone in the field who might be interested for hiring her for those kinds of purposes, and maybe even request to list them as references. The very thought was parent to the deed. Topaz found herself getting up out of her seat and scribbling a note for her oldest daughter to let her know where she was in case she came back from school early.
