A continuation of (wishes) and (sisters).

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Fire

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Danny touched down on the edge of the city of Dis. The literal edge. Beneath his heels was nothing but a smoky green void. Well, it looked like nothing, anyway. Danny knew Dis was currently in transit over the Fire Desert, a series of large, flat floating islands, which had the habit of spontaneously bursting into flame.

Yeah. It wasn't Danny's favorite place, either.

He could feel the heat of the floor (it was a floor, made of highly-polished brass) through the soles of his boots. If they had been made of the rubber they resembled, instead of ectoplasm held together by the force of Danny's will, they would have melted.

As it was, Danny gave his ice powers more reign, and pulled his cloak more securely around his shoulders. It had been made in the Far Frozen, from ice-worm fur, and sewn with Danny's own unmelting ice. Between that and his powers, the temperature of Dis was bearable.

He made a face and stepped forward, the ground creaking and squeaking under his feet from the temperature difference. Flight was by license only in Dis, and they took their laws seriously, according to Clockwork.

There were a lot of ghosts out on the street. Many of them had reptilian features. Others looked a lot like Desiree, like djinn, or the classical, stereotypical ifriti.

Danny wasn't sure where they were all going. The buildings to either side of him didn't have any signs, but they looked a little too uniform and utilitarian to be homes. They also were disgorging large amounts of smoke into the air. Danny put the edge of his cloak over his mouth, so he could breathe through it.

He got past the outer houses, and reached a kind of outdoor market. Where normally there would normally be cloth awnings, there were sheets of enameled metal. The air shimmered with heat, and the air was alive with voices. The stalls were stuffed brightly colored wares, all non-flammable. Danny eyed some of them with curiosity, the metalworkers of Dis were said to be supremely skilled. There was a lot of copper jewelry for sale. But he wasn't here for the market.

He came to the building he was looking for, this one was clearly a residential building. It's metal walls were brightly enameled and glazed, and it had large windows, and a pretty lacework door, with a bank of speaking tubes and a bell-chain just to the right. He pulled the chain, and heard the bell ring far overhead.

A voice came down the tube. "Who is it?"

"Phantom."

Silence. Danny waited, patiently. Desiree opened the door.

Danny raised his hand in greeting. "Hi!" he said.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just came to say hi, and see how you were doing, and, well, I was curious, I guess."

Desiree gazed at him suspiciously, then she drifted back. "Come in," she said.

"Thanks."

There were tapestries on the inside made of cloth of gold and silver, and little round tables. There were little lamps that burned with green flames. Desiree curled her tail and sat on it.

"What did you want to ask?"

"Well, um," Danny looked around. "You didn't make a kingdom, and I was kinda curious as to why. Did something go wrong?"

"No," said Desiree. She tilted her head to one side, considering Danny. "A kingdom... wasn't the point. A kingdom was never the point. I wanted it yes, but as an idea, rather than, as a fact."

"Wasn't what it was cracked up to be, huh?"

"No," said Desiree, shortly.

"But, why come here? I thought you didn't like people."

"I don't like being used," corrected Desiree. She reached over and plucked a flame from a lamp, and ran it between her fingers like a coin. "When you and your sister made that deal with me, when you kept your side of the bargain, when you made the bargain, instead of just taking what you wanted, it release me, somewhat."

"Like, you don't have to grant every wish you hear anymore?" asked Danny, just a little uneasy. That had been an easy way to defeat her, when she attacked Amity Park.

Desiree's grin was predatory. "Don't worry, child, I'm not going to bother your precious little town, child. I'm happy enough here. Did you really come to check on me because you thought my wish had gone wrong?"

"Well... Yeah."

"You're too soft for your own good, child. Go home. Don't worry about me." She flicked her fingers to the door.

Danny nodded. "Okay. If you're happy."