Earlier...
The door swung open, and with it swung the heads of its patrons. The Bar Elementus scene up in Ashenwood was a far cry from the quaintness of Aquatecture - and Wade would be none the wiser. It was loud, rowdy, and full of cussing as far as the ear could hear. Alas, he stood at the doorway as loud patrons stared in curiosity - like he was asking for trouble. Wade gently began walking in - a bell sounding at his entrance - bringing more stares his way. He slowly looked side to side with the sweats; a group of roughly six at the bar, another three playing a flaming game of pool, three leaning against the back wall smoking, and a barkeep.
Wade waddled further in like a child seeing such for the first time. He approached the bar, bubbling from all the fiery patrons heating the room like a sauna. The place fell dead quiet as he did, only adding fuel to their fires. He placed his hands on the bartop, accidentally spilling his water everywhere.
"Sorry- sorry." he apologized vapidly.
The fiery folks at the bar grimaced as droplets sprayed everywhere, holding an arm up in avoidance. The atmosphere only drew darker as Wade was looked dead in the eyes by the barkeep.
"What can I do you for?" the barkeep inquired.
Wearing a razor-thin smile as fake as a mannequin, Wade began to sweat profusely, his notebook in hand shaking about. He cleared his throat, bobbing his head forward as he did.
"I'm Mr. Ripple. I'm a city inspector for Elementopia Central." he wimpily mingled.
He looked about in his peripheral vision, coming across the back corner smokers arming themselves with big wooden bats. Trying not to let it make him uncomfortable - though it most certainly did - he tried his best to remain composed.
"W- we have r- r- reason to b- believe th- that-" he stammered.
The room erupted with sniggering from all corners at the bumbling city inspector, causing him to create a puddle of sweat on the ground. He looked about, holding his notebook to his chest shakily.
"We have reason to believe that there are multiple violations of the business code." he spat out frantically.
Then and there, the bar erupted into laughter. The barkeep began to laugh along with the crowd, leaning back and folding his arms.
"Really?" he queried.
With a whirlpool inside his throat, Wade cleared it troublingly, quietly nodding. The barkeep could only guffaw at him in pity.
"You and who's army?" he menaced.
Slumping from the stress, Wade shuffled back a step or two, wary. His shakes stuck right by his side as he turned his body, ignorant to all the eyes on him as he tiptoed his way to the back of the house area.
The fire folk mustered the angriest glares as he did so - the barkeep going so far as to grab a concealed weapon to fend himself.
Alas, Wade bravely pressed on, shakes and all. He took a tight hold of his pen, looking from side to side as he entered the Back of House - or BOH - area. As he did, the eyes of many slowly stalked their way behind him.
If the exterior of Bar Elementus was nothing to look at, BOH was far less. A pungent stench of the elements coated each and every step Wade took, curling his nose in disgust. The floors were sticky, almost as if they themselves were sweating as much as he was. Molds ran rampant around him like feral children; perhaps the root of a majority of the stench. Broken glass painted the floors like it had no other choice. Wade had never seen anything like this, to say the least.
He keep an occasional eye behind him as he walked through, wary of his tails. Having been so close to a fire person, he felt confident that he could discern between a flame and a flame person.
But he was there to get a job done and get out. No dilly-dallying, no playing around. Wade meant business - even if 'business' meant potentially getting clobbered. Though his inhibitions warned him to do the contrary and run like hellfire, he noted down his concerns in the form of citations - from the inside smokers to the poor ventilation, the fallen sign, and the atrocious BOH he found himself wading through.
As he persisted, he looked to his left to find a partially opened door. A deep orange light sept out from the opening, along with a stench of prohibition. He approached it, and with a hand on the door, he took a breath in preparation for whatever lay on the other side.
He pushed it open with his shoulder, a sloshing of water following, to his genuine shock.
A breathtaking amount of paraphernalia could be seen in every nook and cranny - not to mention the room's three intimidating patrons sat in a circle, certainly up to something unlawful. Weapons and illegal trade were in plain sight - clearly, these folk had no care in hiding it. Though he felt in over his liquid noggin, Wade pressed his chest with a finger, a look of petrification as he did so.
CLICK
A click followed, along with a bright white flash. The criminal types sat in the room and blocked the light with an arm, following up with an aggressive scowl. Wade began to bubble faster than he anticipated; both from the ambient heat and nerves.
It wouldn't stop there, however...
CLICK
Though what lay in front of him was scary enough, Wade found himself with some kind of weapon to the back of his head. He froze in shock, arms clasped to his sides.
"Arms up." the barkeep said from behind.
Doing as the barkeep told, Wade slowly lifted his arms up. The weapon behind him roared to life with an electric whirl - crackling like lightning from the air gods.
"Leave." the barkeep threatened.
Fully aware that any brash move could seriously land him in grave pain, Wade complied like a good little slave. With a frozen face of petrification, he slowly turned away from the weapon's point.
He was shoved along by a bat in the center of his back, his posture creasing backward and forwards in discomfort. As it went on, a sharp wave of frustration overcame him, coming to the realization that his superior and his cohort at work were just hoping for something like this to happen. He let out a frown in disrespect at the thought of them.
Moments from being shoved out of the emergency exit in BOH, he stopped at the door, hands on his head. His frozen look began to defrost. His eyebrows slowly lowered, and his mouth slightly agape. He slowly turned his body back toward the dozen armed infernos. They began to hold their weapons close in readiness, burning brighter.
"I hope you're proud of yourselves." Wade expressed.
With grace, he walked backward out of Bar Elementus unscathed, facing them with a disappointed stare akin to a parental figure. They slammed the door in his face aggressively, returning to whatever it is they were planning on doing.
Exiting the building with a heavy air of defeat on him, he stood still as the door audibly locked. He stood in his spot, slowly lowering his hands with a dirty look abroad his face. As the feeling of danger crept to a lapse, he looked around at the alleyway he found himself in. Trash overflowed from flaming dumpsters, and somehow the smell was better than inside Bar Elementus. Now out of the stanky, stuffy environment of before, the gentle cold winds were a welcome change; even if the smell had a tinge of garbage. Thankful that he left the place with a shred of dignity intact, he looked down and closed his eyes, letting out a smirk. The smirk wasn't just from leaving, however. He gently took a hand and shoved it through his ocean of a chest, taking out a hidden item he managed to sneak in undetected.
Having snuck his Mom's camera from home, he smirked, taking out the fresh Polaroid of a busted crime syndicate.
"Gotcha," he said, scoffing in admiration.
He shoved it back into himself, looking side to side before gently beginning to strut back onto the street.
Following a lengthy transit back, Wade returned to the head office in Elementopia Central with Polaroid and notebook in tow. He walked through to the briefing room with a smile.
The moment he opened the door, he was appalled to find Mr. Mutrick and his three favorite co-workers sitting with arms folded.
"Where the hell were you?" Mr. Mutrick barked.
Unwilling of letting his confidence be hacked down, Wade steamrolled his way forward with Polaroid in hand, slamming it on Mutrick's desk.
"Getting evidence to put these guys away for good," he said.
An air of silence followed as he made the ballsy move, a smirk on his face. He gently looked over to Rocky, Dusty, and Boulder with a prideful side-eye.
Contrary to anything like what he expected, however, the room erupted with laughter. His coworkers held their sides in cackle - only matched by Mr. Mutrick in a truly unprofessional manner.
"Oh, Liquid Brain. You do realize we're not a law enforcement agency?!" Mr. Mutrick exclaimed.
An aptly confused expression befell Wade's face - along with defensive body language. His body read red, his fists clenched.
"This is in relation to the business! You said it yourself; this confirms our suspicions." Wade argued.
"Yeah, but we're not enforcers. We just look around the place and note down anything wrong with the building. It's not our job.You gotta know your place, kiddo." Mr. Mutrick argued.
The latter words out of Mr. Mutricks mouth shot through Wade like a speeding bullet to a solid-mattered. A scowl of frustration adorned his face. He slammed both hands on Mr. Mutrick's desk - an out-of-character move to say the least.
As the cackling calmed, Mr. Mutrick wiped his tears with an arm as the Polaroid sat on the desk. He picked it up with a hand, still slightly chuckling and teary-eyed. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled a drawer out and grabbed a lighter, burning the Polaroid to smithereens. Wade sounded a sharp, loud scream of disagreement, attempting to yoink the lighter from his superior's hand. In the process, the lighter's flame skimmed his hand, creating a quick, sharp steaming. He retched in pain, retracting his hand into the embrace of his other. As the ordeal concluded, he looked at his coworkers, speechless in passive-aggression. Wade shot them the most disgusting stank face he could muster, eyes afire like he channeled Ember through him. He turned back to Mr. Mutrick, beyond words. Mr. Mutrick returned him the most punchable face he could imagine.
"I admire you for trying, Ripple. I really do. But this is over our heads! If you really want to have done right, you would've filled your notebook and given them a citation." Mr. Mutrick said.
Without hesitation, Wade sharply reached into himself to grab his notebook, carelessly throwing it on the desk in front of him.
"There's your notebook." he scowled.
Like a sitcom audience, Rocky, Dusty, and Boulder leaned into their corner, sounding a cheeky 'ooo!' in reaction. Mr. Mutrick guffawed frankly, taking the notebook by hand and reading it through. Clearly not interested in the slightest, he threw the book over to Dusty without hesitation, who barely managed to react quick enough to catch it. He flipped it over, reading the notes Wade took down with a smirk.
"A'ight...
Bar Elementus, Ashenwood. Citation by Wade Ripple.
Upon exterior inspection, the bar's front sign was hanging by a thread. Serious violation of public safety." he began.
Mutrick looked up to Wade with a smirk while he returned the opposite.
"...upon entry into the interior, there is already an abundance of violations.
Smoking was not just unprohibited but encouraged. Loud, rowdy behavior, the same.
The bar housed a copious amount of illegal beverages to patrons.
From the sheer volume, the structural integrity could be heard shifting and wavering about. This alone can end up in this location with permanent closure.
Heading into the BOH, this is even more hazardous than the exterior! Broken glass all over the floor, mold in every direction you look..." Dusty continued.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty, Dusty stopped himself to create suspense, looking up to Wade.
"Upon entering a room in the BOH, multiple illegalities and paraphernalia weren't just detected but in plain sight. Weapons, tools, anything you could think of.
...my Wave.
...this is more serious than I thought." it read.
As the reading aloud concluded, Dusty held up the notebook's writing to the rest, pointing to the very bottom at a rather revealing line.
"If only you could see this, Ember." it read.
Upon him reading it aloud, Wade frantically threw himself in reach of the notebook. Dusty held it up above his head, grinning cheekily.
"Who's Ember, droplet?" he queried.
Frantically waving arms about in an attempt to grab it, Wade frustratingly gave up, backing off.
"She's just a friend," he assured.
"Is it your crush?" Rocky pressed.
"No- I mean, yes- I mean-" Wade panicked.
Rocky and his cohort burst out into laughter once more, staring at Wade as they did so.
"Droplet, there is no way you can expect us to believe that." Dusty barked.
Seconds from flipping whatever was in his way, Wade stood in a defensive stance.
"This is highly unprofessional. You give that back!" he barked.
Dusty stood up on his chair, holding the notebook to the ceiling. Wade tried leaping up to reach it, struggling to do so. Uproarious laughter from Rocky and Boulder only tested Wade's composure hanging on by a thread.
Though he himself was guilty of joining in, Mr. Mutrick had the audacity to do his job once again. He stood up from his chair to address the room.
"Oi!" Mutrick barked.
Upon hearing their superior's command, Wade and his cohort stopped their impending war and looked over.
"...as fun as this is to watch, Groucho doesn't pay you to gasbag. In fact, he doesn't pay you past 5." Mr. Mutrick barked.
Wade looked about side to side as he was seconds away from throttling Dusty by the throat.
"...and what's the time now?" he queried.
Mutrick returned his in-fighting subordinates a hostile gaze, arms folded.
"Time for you to beat it!" he barked, pointing a finger.
The bark sent the bumbling employees out of the room in a panic, scrambling about every which way. Heading back to grab his satchel from the staff area, Wade became the last to regather himself, staring at his cohort with pure disgust. Dusty - already on his feet - grabbed Wade's shirt, pulling him close.
"This starts again tomorrow." Dusty scowled.
Wade shoved Dusty away, hitting a wall behind him. Dusty and his two friends chuckled as they slowly strutted out of the premises, leaving Wade up against the wall in shock.
"Good night, Liquid Brain," Rocky remarked.
Out of building stress over the working day, Wade sat in his spot against the wall, beyond fatigued. He took a moment to sit and relax - a very fervent amount of rage building within him. He angrily brushed his shoulders off, getting to his feet and straightening himself up to leave.