Theo and Ember followed Wade til he came to an office door that he opened to reveal many large and leafy plants. Theo got worried that Ember might make a fire when Wade started going through.
"Here goes something.", he sighed as he came in with Ember right behind him.
He could tell Ember was nervous as well, but they had to have this go their way or there could be big trouble. Wade brushed a branch aside and it came back at Theo smacking him in the head.
"Ow."
"You okay Theo?", Ember asked.
Theo looked her way smiling as he rubbed his forehead.
"I'm okay, it's just a little smack."
In the back of the office, there was seated a large Earth element sat behind a desk of cluttered papers with a nameplate reading "Fern Grouchwood". His bushy leaves grew this way and that, but his grassy moustache was neatly trimmed.
"Hey Fern.", Wade said smiling, "How you doing?"
"Living the dream.", Fern answered plainly.
Theo noticed that paperwork filled his inbox and vacuum tubes around the back near him. He took a breath hoping Wade could help. But the guy looked nervous.
"You know those tickets I just sent you from Firetown?"
Fern was in the middle of sealing a canister full of tickets.
"I was just about to send them to Mrs. Cumulus then get sprayed for fungus rot."
He started to put the canister near the tubes.
"Wait!", Ember, Wade, and Theo all said in perfect unification.
Fern hesitated, but held the canister.
"Before you do, maybe they could have a word?", Wade asked mentioning towards Ember and Theo.
Theo was calming down, but he could see Ember was feeling more heat than he was so he took the first shot.
"Mr. Grouchwood, I understand we did a bunch of non-permitted things and-"
"You realize you're talking to the head of the actual permit office right?", Fern asked as he once again started slipping the canister to the tubes.
"Wait!", Ember yelped again.
Once again Fern paused.
"Tell him what you told me.", Wade told Ember quickly, "About your dad and letting him down."
"No!", Ember flared as she looked his way, "That's personal."
"That could be the only card we got.", Theo countered.
/
"It really got to me. He might feel it too.", Wade added before turning to Fern, "Her dad will be super-"
"No!", Ember snapped as she attempted to cover his mouth.
Theo could tell Wade really wanted to tell what he was told as his mouth came around Ember's hands to try again.
"Super disa-"
Ember quickly took Fern's nameplate and shoved it into Wade's head sideways where it floated, but Wade kept on talking.
"-ppointed in her.", he managed to get out.
Theo saw Ember's fire flare up again and the sudden rise in temperature put him more on edge as he noticed Ember try to breath and calm herself before telling Wade, "Stop it!"
But Wade kept on talking.
"He might even be…"
Ember quickly rammed a snow globe into Wade's head that pushed out the nameplate, but it didn't stop Wade.
"…ashamed."
Theo saw Ember stress-breathing faster which ment she would go purple and blow if he didn't react fast.
"Mr. Ripple, I really think that-"
Wade didn't hear him as he continued talking hardly noticing Ember or her flare up.
"But the main thing is if her father can't retire, "Wade said with tears flowing down his face, "it will all be Ember's…f-f-f-"
Theo saw Fern was waiting while hanging on every word, but Ember's flame went purple and Theo quickly threw up an electro-magnetic field in front of him and Wade.
"Incoming!", he called as he braced for the explosion while holding the field up.
"Stop talking!", Ember roared and exploded before Wade finished his sentence.
Theo felt a major strain on himself as the force of Ember's blast hit the field making it buckle under the pressure. When the smoke cleared and Theo put the field down, the entire office was reduced to ashes, Fern's hair was mostly gone, but the parts that remained were black while his moustache was gone and his wire-rimmed glasses on his nose awkwardly. Wade doused a bobblehead that was on fire on Fern's desk before the desk broke and fell over. Whatever paperwork Fern had on his desk had gone up in smoke besides the canister. Fern took one look at the now empty inbox before turning back to Ember.
"Looks like I'm going home early today.", he said before placing the canister in a tube.
"No! Don't-", Ember started saying, but the canister was already on it's way through the tube.
"Expect to be shut down within a week.", Fern added as he stood up, "Have a good one."
He handed Ember a brochure titled "So Your Buisiness Is Being Shut Down" before he left. Theo saw the look in Ember's eyes as she sighed feeling defeated.
"I'm sorry.", Wade said still teary.
Ember just turned and ran out, but Theo stayed behind to give Wade a small smile.
"Well, thanks for trying to help us.", he told Wade.
Theo left to catch up with Ember, but Wade felt a little better knowing that at least one of the two people he tried to help appreciated it.
/
Theo had caught up with Ember as she had already started home.
"Ember?", he asked.
Ember said nothing as she observed the brochure that Fern had given her and Theo suddenly felt her pain. The look on her face told Theo that she was also conflicted and the thought of the Red Dot Sale being ruined in the wake.
"Ember, it's…it's not lost.", he said to her trying to lighten the mood.
But all it did was make Ember flinch which told Theo that it would be better if he just kept quiet until they got back. When they did, it had gotten dark and most of the residents of this part of town had gone home. But when Ember and Theo saw a closed sign on the door, Ember looked shocked.
"What? Already?", she gasped.
She dashed for it with Theo right behind her. Once they got inside, Ember looked more desperate.
"Hello?"
The sound of coughing caught their ears and they hurried downstairs to find Bernie and Cinder cleaning up still though they looked more like they had finished up.
"Dad?", Ember asked.
The moment she said that, a couple more pipes rattled and groaned before more leaks formed and Theo lept into action to help out with cleaning up though he mostly did it while Bernie and Cinder took a break.
"We're lucky nobody got hurt.", Bernie said, "And good thing we had Theo to help before Red Dot Sale got ruined."
Ember winced as the memory of her outburst came to her mind and guilt tugged at her heart.
"Did he do this?", Bernie cried.
"Who?", Ember and Theo (who had finished cleaning up the floor) asked.
"That Water guy you were chasing.", Bernie answered.
Theo almost dropped his full sponges.
"How did you know that?", he asked.
"I heard about it from a customer who stayed a bit longer.", Bernie informed.
Another pipe above Bernie's head dripped, but Theo caught it before Bernie got splashed.
"Oh, um, um….yeah, he did.", Ember lied, "He just broke through a pipe. I don't know why. Luckily, I was able to chase him off. I, uh, couldn't catch him, though."
"Water.", Bernie spat as he flared in anger as Cinder helped him towards the stairs, "Always trying to water us down."
"It was a Water person Mr. Lumen. Not just water.", Theo stated trying to calm him.
"Same thing.", Bernie grumbled, "And why is there water in the pipes? The city shut it down years ago. There should be no water!"
He coughed a couple more times violently which worried Theo as well as Cinder who rubbed his back while still helping him towards the stairs. Bernie was not as young as he once was and Theo knew it.
"Bernie, we'll get through this just like before."
"Before?", Ember asked.
Theo could tell where this was going. Cinder was going to tell the story about when they left Fireland so he took the moment to head up the stairs.
"Theo, where are you going?", Cinder asked him.
"I'll check the plumbing up here.", Theo answered, "Make sure my system is still working."
/
Theo got upstairs to find some leaks in his system and got to work. As he did so, something crept up through the shadows of the shop though the blue flame's light help provide some light. Theo decided to push it out of his mind until he recalled what Cinder was talking about. Bernie and Cinder had told him this when they first met and Theo could still feel the pity he had for the couple. How they described Fireland so well with everyone having a blue flame, the store they were about to open after working so hard and so long for before the storm came and ravaged the land forcing them to leave and start over even though it would mean leaving behind all they had. Theo felt tears in his eyes, but wiped them down before heading downstairs after doing a couple more rounds of inspection of his system to see Ember standing before her dad.
"Dad, nothing will happen to the shop or the flame again.", she vowed, "I promise."
Bernie took a moment to touch Ember's cheek and smiled.
"Good daughter."
Theo was moved by the moment, but Bernie needed his rest and Cinder knew it too.
"Well Mr. Lumen, everything's okay upstairs.", Theo reported as he came to Bernie's side, "After a long day of cleaning and keeping this place running, I think you deserve it."
Bernie looked Theo's way and Theo could tell he appreciated the help.
"Theo, you are such a good friend. I'm glad Cinder and I met you when we did."
Theo felt a bit embarrassed as he and Cinder helped him up to bed.
"Well, I kind of know what it's like to be someone who's in a place that isn't really built for people like them and people not really liking them."
Once up on the main floor, Cinder told Theo she could take it from here so Theo let her while Ember and him had a moment to once again do inventory and talk about the day.
"I can't believe this is happening.", Ember sighed as if defeated.
Theo rolled his eyes.
"What? How were you supposed to know what would happen when it did?"
Ember looked his way firmly, but knew he had a point so she tried to calm herself down.
"Theo, I'm sorry about today. I just-"
"Ember, it's okay.", Theo said calmly, "I'm sure we can work this out. If your parents can get through what they had gone through, I know you can get through this."
Ember tried to take some comfort in Theo's words knowing he was just trying to help her out. She took out the brochure and her worry came back to her.
"Hey Ember, how about we get to City Hall and have a talk with Wade's boss?"
Ember looked a bit hopeful as she looked his way.
"You think we can?"
"We won't know unless we try right?", Theo asked giving her a sly smile, "Plus, I can get you there faster than some can say "one, two, three"."
Ember couldn't help but chuckle. She had a memory when she was little and she had asked Theo to let him carry her as he would speed around the shop. Sure Bernie and Cinder had worries, but Theo knew when to tone down the speed so Ember wouldn't get snuffed out.
"What did we do to deserve you Theo?", Ember asked him as they finished up.
Theo shrugged with a smile.
"Maybe it was dumb luck or something."
Ember decided to drop the subject as it was late and if they were going to get to City Hall, they would need to wake up bright and early.
"Theo, thanks for helping me out at the shop.", Ember told him before she went to bed, "Our Red Dot Sale wouldn't have survived if you weren't there."
Theo returned the smile before heading off to bed himself.
/
The following morning, Theo got up early so he could get ready to get to City Hall. Ember was up too and having experience with Theo going fast, she managed to hold on while they made their way there.
"Thank you for choosing Plasma Transportation for all your travel needs.", Theo joked as he slowed down to a stop in front of their destination, "Please don't let go of your handholds until the Plasma element comes to a complete stop."
Ember couldn't help but chuckle as she let go of Theo and the duo went inside and stopped near an office when Theo paused. He needed a charge and Ember understood as she could get some shut eye from getting up so early. Theo headed off which wasn't far and started rubbing a couple mats together to build up a static charge. It wasn't much, but it'll have to do. After rubbing and zapping himself a couple of times, a faint sound of music caught his ears. It got louder as he looked out to see Wade walking down the hall with some headphones on his head and clearly listening before he passed Ember and his bookbag caught fire. Of course he overreacted and after dousing his bag, he tried to stomp out the bundle of flames on the floor only for Ember to stand and flare up.
"Hey!"
"Sorry.", Wade said quick backing off a bit and checking his bookbag, "You're so hot."
Ember looked his way with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh?"
Wade looked nervous.
"No! I mean like you're smoking. No, I didn't mean like tha-"
"Are you finished?", Ember asked cutting him off.
"Yes please.", he answered nervously.
Theo kept his distance as the duo talked.
"I'm waiting to talk to your boss. So make like a stream and…flow somewhere else.", she told him before sitting down ready to wait.
"Actually, Gale won't be in today. She's a huge airball fan and the Windbreakers are finally in the play offs! Toot, toot!", he answered before pumping his arm in the air.
Ember groaned in frustration. Theo could tell that wasn't the answer she was hoping for.
"Okay…well, I'm just came by because I left my passes for the game here last night.", he said as he backed away.
Theo saw Ember look his way with interest in her eye.
"Passes?", she asked getting to her feet, "As in plural?"
Theo caught on and smiled as he came over.
"Mind if I retrieve them for you Wade?", he asked feeling more awake, "I am pretty fast."
Wade seemed to like that idea and after giving Theo his office directions, Theo had shot off and was back five seconds later with a couple of passes in his hands which he handed over while giving Ember a wink.
"Looks like we got a game to catch.", he said with pride.
Things were looking up.
