Elementalist

12

"Sheriff, anything I can do for you?" Talon says before Stephanie can even move. She takes a side step back. She still doesn't care much for strangers to be around her.

"Seems like you folks were leaving?" The sheriff says amiably.

Talon nods to Stephanie, "She finished school and is ready to spread her wings now that she is an adult. Wants to look for a job, and be an adult. Tried telling her that it isn't what it's cracked up to be, but she insisted on leaving.

"We, on the other hand, are going on a vacation. We invited Stephanie to join us, but she declined, said the sooner she starts the sooner she gets a job." Talon stays cool and more than a little amused especially with the dagger looks Stephanie is throwing him.

"Any reason you have chosen now?" The sheriff asks a little more pointedly than before.

"Sheriff, if there is a problem just come out and spit it out. Last I heard it's a free country and we can go on vacation any time we want." Jet says, he has little patience with games.

"How long ago did you leave your house?" The sheriff demands, his relaxed demeanor no longer relaxed.

"About half an hour ago, why?" Talon replies with more than a little confusion evident on his face.

"The fire department just got a call that your place is on fire."

"What!" Stephanie isn't able to say the words but she can make herself look shocked and she is. She hadn't expected them to call in the fire department for another good ten or fifteen minutes yet.

"One of your neighbors saw smoke coming from the house and called it in." The sheriff's voice is coming in and out of focus.

Talon looks over to the others and that's when he sees Stephanie looking like she's about to faint. "Stephanie!" He says over the sheriff talking, which draws the attention of the sheriff.

Both the sheriff and Talon make a grab for Stephanie and they manage to get her before she fell.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" The sheriff demands angrily from shock at the girl's reaction.

"I was granted guardianship of Stephanie when her family was proven neck deep in illegal activities. Beyond that they had never given her an ounce of love or care. This is the first home she's ever had and you go and blurt out that it is burning down even as we speak." Talon says more than a little angrily to the sheriff and he sets down his jacket and gently places Stephanie on top of it.

The sheriff goes to his car and brings back a blanket to place over her.

As he does so his radio goes off. The sheriff stops what he is doing and listens to whatever is being said. There is a very stricken look on his face by the time he returns to the foursome.

Taking the blanket from the sheriff Ethan unfolds it and places it on her. He makes sure that the wind won't easily blow it off.

The other two stare at the sheriff that refuses to make eye contact with them. "The fire department arrived at your house to find that the roof had already collapsed. At this point they are just doing containment of the fire to keep it from spreading to any of the other properties or the forest. 

"At this point it looks like this was a deliberately set fire. As such I need to ask you some questions." The sheriff now looks at the three boys that are all standing and facing the sheriff, blocking him from Stephanie's prone form.

"Go ahead, sheriff, we don't have anything to hide and would love to know why our home was burned down." Talon says with a little bit of anger in his words, not too much, but enough for the officer to understand that they aren't happy to hear about their home being destroyed.