EMBER LUMEN.

It took Ember a second to remind herself that she hadn't done anything wrong. Being a fire caster had never been illegal, just frowned upon. "I didn't realize people said howdy around here. That's cool. But me? I'm fine. Good. Killing time. How are you, uh... Name?"

Wade was running late. It was a little out of character for him; as a rule of thumb, he tended to be on time when Ember was involved. When she had first started branching out, sitting alone at the bar would have been uncomfortable. Being spoken to would have just put her on edge. Now, she was able to offer a small smile. "Ember." Her palms were as warm as always. "Are you the bar's welcoming committee or something?"

Henley wasn't sure she wanted to know what that protection entailed. She couldn't get a good enough read off of the other girl's scent to decipher what she was, but she knew it had to be something. It always was. "I've got my own protection too, I guess." She glanced up towards the half-moon above them before continuing. "I spend most of my time out here, really." It was a safe space compared to the hell she endured while at home with Greta.

Ember's eyes tracked the woman's gaze to the moon that peeked out from behind the clouds. "Werewolf?" She asked. Werewolf, caster, vampire. It didn't really matter to Ember. Difference in general was something that she was becoming more and more familiar with accepting. Of course, Wade was partially to thank for that. The thought of that warmed her already toasty heart. It was love that her mother smelled on her. Ember had always thought she'd be embarrassed if that ever happened. She hadn't expected the sense of relief and pride that came instead. "It's definitely less overwhelming out here than in town. I wasn't expecting that. I did grow up around people. It's just different in the middle of town with everyone running around." Overwhelming but not necessarily bad. Just different.

"Sorry, sorry... If you can't tell, I don't exactly get out of the house much." If at all. Veronica kept a tight leash on Elodie specifically. Not so much with her stepsisters. "I would love to see what you can do, though."

Ember could actually relate to that to an extent. Instead of the house, it had been her father's shop and the community that her coven had formed. They had believed that remaining separate was the best way to protect themselves, but they were wrong. Ember knew that now, and she was glad her father did as well. "You'll have to come by the gallery, then." It was a nice chance for a shameless plug. "People are more comfortable with the art my magic makes than the fire itself. Burning alive is a real fear for some people." Not for Ember, though. Never for the girl who had sparks skipping through her veins.

"Yeah." Ember repeated the word back, an inscrutable expression on her face. "Yeah. Okay, sure. I know we didn't exactly help people get used to us when we chose to not interact with, y'know, basically anyone who wasn't a fire caster, but it's not like that anymore." Fire danced across Ember's palm and wrapped itself around her fingertips. "It'll only burn you if I let it, and I have zero reason to do that. We're all cool here."

The goal had been to not get the attention of the other woman. Which, Ember could admit, would have gone a lot smoother if she hadn't been outwardly staring. She had just heard a few things from Wade and couldn't help but wonder how much of it was true. Her father had always been steadfast in his desire to keep his family close and sequestered. His ways were changing, but it was still taking time to fully connect to the rest of the town. Instantly scrambling to look busy, the caster unhooked the top box from her bike and checked the address. The Fireplace wasn't in her family anymore, but she helped out from time to time. "I have a shipment for the Hunter's Tavern from the Fireplace. That's over here, right?"

"You do know that wandering around the woods at night is stupidly dangerous... Right?" Henley didn't think it had to be said out loud, but she was feeling snarky. It was rare that she wandered into anyone else this late at night while out in the forest.

If anything was in danger, it was the leaves. Ember's persistent spark was a threat to anything that could be considered akin to kindling. It had gotten better as of late; her recent explorations away from the fire based caster coven she had grown up in had helped her control. It was out of habit that she rubbed her perpetually dry palms against the rough fabric of her pants. "Maybe if you don't have protection, but I'm always prepared." Not that she had any desire to light someone on fire. "Shouldn't someone say the same thing to you?"

Elemental (2023) dir. Peter Sohn

⋆ ˚｡⋆ happy birthday @parkersedith ⋆ ˚｡⋆

I'm so lucky.

Season 2 Episode 13: The Beacon of Moonstone Island