Chapter Text
She nodded her head to the beat, barely noticing the whirring doors of the train opening.
With practiced effortlessness, she flowed and bent out of the way of the passengers, flames barely grazing the other elemental folk. Her body, eternally blazing, peaked through her chainmail clothing, the metals and fireproof fabrics softly refracting her light. She glanced out of one of the tempered windows, the highrise architecture of Element City whizzing past the fast-paced Watertram. She breathed deeply, her body resonating with her breath.
She kept her hood up, her luminosity alerting everyone of her presence regardless. She ignored the looks of the other elements— their glances of contempt both subtle and deliberate never failed to compromise her emotions. She made the mistake of craning her neck up at one point during her walk through the wagon, a sudden flash of white-hot blue making everyone in the car uncomfortable. She cringed, willing her flames to be quieter, pulling the hood closer.
She found an empty seat, somehow, eventually, at the end of the compartment, the plastics and nearby mini grove forcing her to concentrate on being as cold as possible— a difficult task for a being made entirely of fire.
Ember realized, dimly, that the small encounter didn’t sully her mood. It was a strange occurrence, she thought, as the usual snide remarks and prejudiced outlooks would usually damper any form of contentment she managed to find. The day was simply too nice, she concluded. There was something magical about riding the train— how it would occasionally plunge into pitch black when it fired into the dark tunnels of the city, the only thing illuminating the ‘tram being her fiery presence. She knew from routine that the train was going to enter one of the tunnels soon. She smiled at the sight. One. Two. Three—.
It must’ve been an off day for the tracks, a slight bump knocking her headphones off her head.
She found it funny that constant reminders of the other elements despising her existence didn’t ruin her mood, but the simple pause of her music managed to destroy whatever magic the tram ride had.
Great.
She reached down, her light and hoodie blinding her peripheral vision to a distinctly nondistinct aquatic hand reaching for the very same headphones.
“Ow!”
She hissed, pulling her hand back as something watery landed on her wrist. Before she could even consider the possibility of a leak from a cracked ceiling, Ember heard a voice. She paused herself, surprised by her patience, the insult on the tip of her tongue barely caught by oxidized lips. Maybe it was the way the sound blubbed past his mouth or the simplistic, honest diction of his response, but the apology that followed threw her off guard— the sincerity of it smashing a wall she was sure was steady.
“Sorry…”
Then, for her, and only her, time mercifully slowed for a perfect moment in an imperfect city in a universe pyre, ready to ignite.
She felt her hands reach for her hood automatically, the gentle tug pulling the chain link down to reveal brilliant, tri-coned hair, wavy and sparkly. She pfft’ ed at the almost unnoticeable ‘woah’ that came from him as she did. She was sure it was a sight. Firefolk are rare inside Element City, after all. She took in his appearance.
Wavy, he was. Certainly not privy to practicing his water tension, as the droplet that ate through her wrist was plenty proof enough. A simple, two-toned purple shirt he wore, the fabric gently bobbing in sync with his body. He seemed to have a gentle demeanor— no tensed water molecules or uncertain ripples of clench or reserve, merely an innocent apology for a harmless mistake. She felt her mind purse. It would only be courteous to be polite in return. Chivalry from others shouldn’t go unnoticed, especially in Elemental City.
“It’s alright,” she said. “You were just trying to help.” She moderated the temperature in her fingertips, careful not to singe the ‘phones. Now that she was fully standing, she could see how the permeating darkness accentuated his own body, her generated light refracting through his water, making fractal patterns on the other side.
A facade, that pattern was.
It was an alluring masquerade of mimicry that promised… well, everything.
She could never be that daft to believe it. Not again.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I didn’t hurt you too badly, did I?” She listened in awe as she realized his second, unnecessary apology was just as genuine as the first. No contempt or mocking was laced in his voice, a concern for a fellow elemental taking over him.
Whether or not he’s simply a good actor remains to be seen.
Genuine or not, both are equally dangerous.
She blinked, and the moment finally ended. The tram did a sudden lurch, stopping just outside Fire Town. In an instant, dozens of elementals began exiting. Ember and the water stranger continued staring at each other for a moment, time finally moving forward again. “Not too badly,” she promised.
She put her hood up as she filed through the door opposite him, giving a final peculiar glance over her shoulder as she disappeared from sight.
Ember didn’t see him tomorrow, naturally, the push of the tides of his presence retreating and pulling as soon as he came. In fact, within her own thoughts, the memory of the man barely crossed her. Her usual routine in the black tunnel of the Watertram was amended with the grasping of her headphones, preventing them from falling off in future cases.
By the time the day after that began, her memory of him had faded entirely. Just another blip.
Then another day.
Then another…
Then a full week passed, her routine guiding her to the back of the train once more, gliding past nervous, disdainful onlookers. Her hood betrayed her once again, the fabric preventing her from noticing the water guy sitting across from her. She plucked some fire from her body, playing with it mindlessly as she saw the tunnel rapidly approaching the tram. The world went black. In an instant, she was transferred to another dimension, the car suddenly alighted with the reflections of the water guy, courtesy of her light. She glanced up, eyes visible to him now as she noticed him staring.
Past interaction flashing in her mind, and she attempted to be cordial. This was the same individual who had the decency to apologize after almost extinguishing her hand; he deserved cordial at the very least. “You’re… staring,” she observed neutrally. “I remember you. Do you need something?”
“Uhm,” he stumbled, obviously not expecting her to address him. A ghost of a smile crept its way onto her lips. She knew she wasn’t imagining it last time— that same dorky, innocent energy filled her ears when he opened his mouth. “We take the Watertram at the same time every week. It would be nice to have someone to chat with during the ride, right?”
Her schadenfreude mouth flipped to divet. Her instincts screamed at her to reject his offer. He was a stranger on a tram she’d met only once— twice, now. His softness was something to scoff at too, she thought. Yes, his behavior and politeness could’ve been meticulously crafted for a chance encounter like hers— something that he’d bust out only for “her kind.”
…But, she hated she had to admit that there was something distinctly magical about their first chance encounter.
Her Ashva’s words rang in her mind.
It wasn’t a huge commitment, either, she mused. She could always cut contact at any time if things go awry. Besides, it was just talking.
She reached for her hoodie, pausing, before grabbing the hems, and pulling it down to reveal her blazing hair once more.
“That doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.”
She was sure the smile he gifted her could’ve ignited with how bright it was.
“I’m Wade!” he grinned, silently offering her to do the same.
…
“I’m Ember,” she breathed, voice akin to a loud whisper crossing a silent room.
Just as last time, the moment was broken by the tram exiting the tunnel, the blinding light reminding her of the real world. The doors creaked open, and she found herself wanting more time with her new acquaintance. He seems pleasant.
She inched towards the doors, slower this time. “...See you around,” she waved lazily, flames rippling.
“See you!” he hollered back. She grinned internally. You could hear his smile when he said that.