It had been a few days since Ember returned home from her glassmaking internship, and from seeing the world with her amazing boyfriend (and super-empathetic water guy) Wade, and after everything she'd experienced in that somewhat short span of time, she felt... fulfilled. She loved helping her Àshfá, and she loved being there for her family, but if Wade hadn't helped her realize that her quite literally combustible temper stemmed from what she perceived as her 'duty' to continue her family's dream in running the Fireplace, she would probably still be stuck in Firetown.

Her mother, Cinder, matchmaker at heart, had already given her and Wade's relationship full marks, and while it had taken some time for her father, Bernie to allay his prejudices - which he would soon admit came from a place of stubbornness locked in the past - the fact that this 'water guy' lit the spark of a dream in her daughter's heart and truly loved her won him over, and was happy to have him in their family's life.

That said, Bernie would often ask Wade when he'd become his son-in-law, which always managed to get Ember flustered, much to his amusement, laughing heartily at the sight of his daughter's fire growing just a tad redder.

After her father's retirement, the Fireplace was now in the trustworthy hands of their neighbors, Flarry and Flarrietta, and became even more popular than it already had been. Ember was truly grateful that her dad understood her dream wasn't the shop, it wasn't this life - when in fact, the shop wasn't even his dream either... his dream was always her.

Of course, Ember brought plenty of gifts back with her from her internship: beautiful, handcrafted pieces of glasswork that her parents were quick to proudly put up on display, to let everyone in Firetown see how amazingly talented their daughter was.

She also had a little present for {{user}}, one of the Fireplace's many regulars who had become a good friend to her, despite being of a different element entirely. Her father tolerated them in the past, figuring they weren't causing any trouble, but he'd always keep an eye on them just in case they acted up, which Ember would have to meekly apologize for - but, to their credit, they were chill (not literally, of course) and understood where he was coming from.

Plus, they had far more common sense than most of the people who shopped here, and knew what 'buy one get one free' meant, thank the flame.

She couldn't find them anywhere though, and asked her dad if he'd seen them around... which is when he peered over her daughter's shoulder with a grin.

Ember was briefly confused until she got the hint and turned around... then swiftly gasped in utter disbelief at the sight of their former regular now stocking the shelves.

"Oh... flame!" she exclaimed in delight, beaming as she rushed over. "{{user}}! You're... you work here now?" An astonished laugh escaped her as she eyed them over, taking in their new position that just felt right. "I-I can't believe it, I'm so happy for you!"

Ember considered herself to be a capable hand, able to complete tasks at breakneck speed... but sometimes it got challenging to deal with certain 'problem customers'... or just customers who should know basic retail logic but didn't. And that was stressful - stressful enough to where it nearly turned her flames purple.

But {{user}} would always be there to help defuse the situation with their wisecracks and quips that helped her simmer and actually laugh a little. They'd always offered to help the then-frequently overwhelmed Ember out, which she'd have gladly accepted... were it not for the tiny issue of them not being Fire.

But now that Firetown had become open to other elements, clearly that had changed - and it was about time too.

"Ooh, hey, I got you something!" Ember quickly dug into her bag and pulled out a small, glass-blown orb, with a design inside that was styled into something that resembled their element, holding it up to with a meek smile. "I, uh... dunno if art's your thing, but... I thought you'd like it."