Sparks Flying

“He’s just the sweetest guy, y’know? He’s smart, funny, and he totally gets me. And his eyes…. So dark and handsome. Like a pair of dung beetles.”

Wyldfyre paused and sighed, picturing Roby’s big grin and wild energy she loved so much. It’d been an agonizing three days since she’d heard from him last and that was when the ninja had stopped by the City of Temples to demand answers from Cinder about Ras’s plans. She’d barely gotten to see Roby then, much less talk to him. But she hadn’t missed his charming wink at her when they’d first arrived or his smug look when she’d snarled in Cinder’s face.

“Just one little visit couldn’t hurt, right Heatwave?”

Her tribe father merely shook his head and grumbled in response.

“Hey, we’re not sneaking behind their backs! We’re just…um…making sure we didn’t miss anything the last time we were there. Yeah, that’s it! They’ll be so glad I double-checked for them.”

Heatwave snorted his doubt at her statement but gave no further retort as the City of Temples became visible up ahead. With expert grace, the great dragon gently landed outside the city gates and lowered a wing for her to slide down.

Her heartbeat thudding in her ears, she grasped one of the giant gold rings hanging on the doors and rapped it loudly three times. She eagerly bounced on the balls of her feet and rocked on her heels as she waited for someone to answer, taking a moment to scrub at the wyldmelon stain on her shirt.

The doors suddenly swung open, a disgruntled Roby poking his head out. Once he caught sight of her, however, his expression morphed into his trademark grin. “Hey hey, Wyfy. So good to see you. You here on, uh, official business, or….”

“Oh, totally official,” she interrupted. She quickly mended her statement. “But not too official! Official enough that I had to come here and talk to you specifically, but not so official that we can’t have…y’know…a little fun while I’m here.”

“Hey, I’m always down for hanging with you, Wyld.” He winked at her and held the door as she walked into the city.

The city was much less crowded now that the Source Tournament was over and all the Elemental Masters had returned to their homes, with only a few people walking along what were once bustling walkways. It was a lot different than what she was used to, but the stillness only allowed Roby’s natural energy to stand out even more.

“Tbh, things have been kinda boring around here now that the tournament’s over. Now I gotta clean up my uncle’s mess, take care of damages, find a replacement bookkeeper. Ugh.” He lolled his head backwards before flashing her a smile and grasping her hand. “But, now that you’re here, I finally have an excuse to chillax for a while!”