As it turned out, there wasn't a whole lot we could do. We cleaned up the best we could, but the kitchen itself was shut down, thanks to all the water damage, and it wouldn't reopen until everything was checked and passed by the local government council, who controlled the planning and permits for the area. I spent the next hour lining up plumbers, electricians, and the gas people, while Tao rang the insurance company, then put signs in the windows explaining the situation. I hoped we weren't closed for too long. Customers could be fickle creatures at the best of times.
I locked up, then pulled a couple of beers out of the fridge and headed upstairs.
"So, give with the details." I handed Tao a beer and plopped down on a nearby chair.
He sighed and put his feet up. His warm brown eyes, when they met mine, were somber. "I was pulling a double shift because Jacques had his dad's funeral today, and no one was able to fill in."
I nodded. I knew all that—just as I knew that Tao could have called in a temp but didn't because he was a little on the fussy side when it came to just who worked in his kitchen.
"Lunch was madder than normal and the kitchen was its usual stinking-hot self." He grimaced. "In this day and age you'd think they'd make air-con that could function more efficiently in kitchens."
"I'm sure they do. Problem is, we don't actually own this building."
"Yeah. Might have to fix that now that the place is pulling decent money." He thrust a hand through his still-damp brown hair. "Anyway, the heat had the thing inside me stirring. The hotter the air got, the stronger it got, but both Rachel and I were working flat out and I just couldn't take time to go sit in the freezer for a while."
"And you didn't think it would get to the point that it did." I said it softly, without accusation. Tao wasn't the type to risk the lives of others.
"It's never been this bad before. I don't know why it was this time."
I drank some beer and contemplated him. The elemental's flames still burned fiercely within him—the power of it glowed under his skin.
"Obviously, the kitchen heat had something to do with it."
"Yeah." He took a sip of beer and leaned back in the chair. "I had all the jets going on the stove. It seems to feed on that sort of stuff."
It was a fire elemental, so that was logical. "It might also have been the sun. It was warm today."
He raised his eyebrows. "No sun gets into the kitchen."