Track Four: Light My Fire

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

After a brief search, Tony is able to locate a small, foam-emitting fire extinguisher, of the aim-and-spray type.

From her extensive experience with the arcane, Liz is aware that the half-seen thing hovering about the room fits the description of a fire elemental; or, to use the term preferred by mystics, a salamander. Whether it can be considered truly living or not is a matter of debate. In any case, persons who claim to have encountered them, and survived to tell the tale, report that they seem to both produce and feed upon, at least in a metaphoric sense, flame. They appear to be attracted to pyrotics; persons with the telekinetic power to produce fire. The relationship between salamanders and pyrotics is not fully understood, but it appears to be some kind of symbiosis. Most self-proclaimed authorities state that they are not very intelligent; more like animals than people. They are sometimes aggressive, sometimes passive, always unpredictable.

[SunlessNick]

Zara's not sure whether entering the circle will mess with it (she's heard that leaving them can), so she joins Tony instead.

[jp1885]

Fire extinguisher readied, Tony steps in front of Zara, shielding her from the entity.

"Liz," he whispers, "what is that thing?"

[Mr. Handy]

"It's a fire elemental," Liz whispers back, "also called a salamander." She explains what she knows about the thing.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Frustrated in its apparent attempts to join Ember -- who is, by this time, also reaching out to it with her small arms, but seems unable to touch it -- the being expands in size and density, until it completely covers the enchanted circle, surrounding it like an obscuring cloud of the smog for which Los Angeles is famous. From within, Ember can be heard speaking in a friendly manner to it.

"You're back! I missed you. Can we leave now?"

[jp1885]

"Friend of yours?" Tony asks Ember, hoping to calm the situation.

"Tell us about him, or her."

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, please do," says Liz.

Spoiler:

Charisma roll (17 + 3[Charming] = 20) to get [b]Ember[/b] to talk about the fire elemental: [dice]0[/dice]

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Ember giggles a bit.

"Oh, it's not a boy or a girl, I don't think. It's more like, oh, I don't know, like a friendly cloud, like in a story. I used to see it when I was just little. It helped me learn how to make the pretty fire. I help it, too, when it's hungry. Now it wants to help me go find the Master. Please, can't I go? I don't like it here."

[jp1885]

"It's not the nicest place is it? But would you mind staying just for a short while more?"

Risking a grilling, Tony moves a little closer to the child and squats down to eye level.

"I've never seen anything like your friend before and I'd like to know more about it. I think it'd scare your mom, and you wouldn't want that. What does it eat?"

[SunlessNick]

"There are spirits that haunt me too," Zara says to Ember.

[Mr. Handy]

"It feeds on fire," says Liz. "That must be why it likes you so much, Ember. Have you always been able to make fire, even before you met the Master?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Just a little bit," Ember confesses. "Dad got scared when he saw my friend, but it wouldn't hurt anybody unless they were mean to me. One time, Dad had too much beer and gave me a spanking because he thought I was playing with matches. My friend showed up and gave him a burn. Not too bad, but Dad drank a lot after that and finally went away. I thought it would come help me when Mom took me away from the Master, but I guess it was busy doing something else. Now it's real hungry, and wants me to go with it. I don't know what might happen if it gets mad."

Looking curiously at Zara, she asks "What's your friend look like, lady?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, I'm glad we're your friends too, Ember," says Liz. "Beings such as your friend can be unpredictable, so there's no telling what it will do if you don't go with it. But do you really want to?"

[SunlessNick]

"There are two of them," Zara says. "But they're not my friends. I... I sometimes see things that are going to happen. They're interested in me for that - they want to use me."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Well, I'm glad we're your friends too, Ember," says Liz. "Beings such as your friend can be unpredictable, so there's no telling what it will do if you don't go with it. But do you really want to?"

"Sure. It makes me feel so peaceful and powerful, like I'm really somebody, you know?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"There are two of them," Zara says. "But they're not my friends. I... I sometimes see things that are going to happen. They're interested in me for that - they want to use me."

Ember closes her eyes for a moment and seems to be concentrating.

"One of them stopped by friend from feeding. It wants you to feed it now. Don't you think that sounds fair?"

[Mr. Handy]

"It seems to me that if one of them stopped your friend from feeding," says Liz, "it should be the one to feed your friend. I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to feed it adequately, and we might get burned in the process."

Spoiler:

Charisma roll (17 + 3[Charming] = 20) to convince [b]Ember[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

[jp1885]

“Ember, how do you feed it? Light a fire? What happens, does it suck up the flames? If we were to light a small fire, would we be in danger?”

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"It seems to me that if one of them stopped your friend from feeding," says Liz, "it should be the one to feed your friend. I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to feed it adequately, and we might get burned in the process."

Spoiler:

Charisma roll (17 + 3[Charming] = 20) to convince [b]Ember[/b]: [dice]224836:0[/dice]

"That's OK with me, I guess, but you better ask that other lady. I can't even see what she's talking about."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

“Ember, how do you feed it? Light a fire? What happens, does it suck up the flames? If we were to light a small fire, would we be in danger?”

"I guess that depends on whether it likes you or not."