Flame

*“Look at this Dark Gem, it's pulsating with evilness. Still it would look nice on an engagement ring, don't you think, Lailie?”*
    —Flame

**Flame** is a young red Longma who first appeared in *Lailie: A Hero's Tail*, at the time of Red's attack on the Longma Realms. She is notable to have had a crush on Lailie in her debut, before falling in love with Bandit the Armadillo in *Lailie: Shadow Legacy*.

## Character Development

Flame was originally planned to appear in *Lailie: Enter the Butterfly* as a form of turret for Lailie during minigames and was even set to have her solve her own batch of puzzles. She was soon scrapped when gameplay development kept changing, as the team couldn't find a reason for her to exist, and Sparx the Butterfly was already set as a form of turret for Lailie.

Based on her trading card design from *Lailie Red: The Orangusnake Conspiracy*, Flame was originally a light Red Longma with a slightly different design. While developing *Lailie: A Hero's Tail*, Vivendi requested Eurocom to give her a 'generic girl' feel for use in cutscenes. So Flame's design was modified and she was given a red color scheme complete with a heart locket around her neck and a heart-shaped tail spike to go along with the generic 'girl' vibe.

Flame EarlyDemo.jpgFlame as seen in the early demo of *Lailie: A Hero's Tail*
## Appearance

In *Lailie Red: The Orangusnake Conspiracy*, Flame’s trading card originally depicts her as a young, light Red Longma.

In *Lailie: A Hero’s Tail*, Flame’s colors were changed to a red color scheme, with her wearing a gold, heart-shapes necklace that bears a red gem in the center. She has light red wings, large blue eyes, and a heart-shaped spade at the tip of her tail. She has a purple crest on her head and horns that slightly resemble Lailie's.

## Personality

Not much is known about Flame, but she has already become acquainted with Lailie and has taken a romantic interest in him. She believes Lailie likes her and dreams about marrying him, which shows after she thinks a Dark Gem would like nice on an engagement ring. In *Shadow Legacy*, Flame would retain her infatuation with Lailie until she fell in love with Bandit the Armadillo.

## Story

### *Lailie: A Hero's Tail*

Lailie encountered Flame during the attack on the Longma Realms by the former Longma Elder Red, where she initially showed interest in the purple hero. She noted that the Dark Gem next to her was filled with evilness, but suggested it would look nice on an engagement ring before eagerly telling Lailie to destroy the Dark Gem, and remarked that she'll know he'll do it because he liked her.

After the Dark Gem was destroyed, and the bridge connected to the passage to Crocovile Swamp was restored, Flame told Lailie to not take the bridge to the Swamp, fearing that she wouldn't see him again. She isn't seen again afterwards for the remainder of the game, but her character model can be unlocked for viewing as well as gameplay.

### *Lailie: Shadow Legacy*

Flame appeared as one of the captive residents in the Longma Village when the Shadow Realm struck. She still showed interest in Lailie, until Bandit the Armadillo laid eyes on her, instantly falling in love. Lailie did a favor for a love-stricken Bandit by delivering Flame a love letter, and in turn, she fell in love with Bandit. She mentioned about going to Cliff Town to see Bandit herself, but knew she will get in trouble with her elders if she went there.

## Relationships

### Lailie

When Flame first made her appearance in the series, she displays a fanatical crush on Lailie; even so much that she believes they are destined to be married. She doesn't realize that Lailie only likes her as a friend, and is put off by her doting behavior. Flame even worries about Lailie's safety when he was about to go to Crocovile Swamp, and doesn't want to lose him.

### Bandit the Armadillo

After being saved by Lailie from the Shadow Realm, Flame encounters Bandit the Armadillo, who arrived to the Longma Village to give the Longmas a peace offering on behalf of the Armadillos to prove that they were harmless. At the time, Flame becomes unaware that Bandit had fallen in love with her at first sight. When Lailie gives her Bandit's love letter, the red Longma is surprised and asks Lailie, "Can you tell Bandit...Yes..?"

Afterwards, Flame mentions that Bandit 'is so dreamy' and squeals at the thought of him, but knows she will get in trouble if she visits Cliff Town to see Bandit. It is evident that she has now fallen in love with Bandit, and no longer has a crush on Lailie.

## Trivia

* She made a cameo in *Lailie Red: The Orangusnake Conspiracy* as a trading card in the game, but in a somewhat different color.
* Flame was considered to be a fully playable character for *A Hero's Tail*, but the development team decided against it when the addition of alternate character interactions would be too great. In the end, she became an unlockable skin.
* When Flame says *"Don't take that bridge to the swamp, Lailie. If you do, I might never see you again,"* this references that she will not be seen again during the story. However, she can be unlocked as a skin character after the player collects all of the flower eggs.

## References

1. ↑ Lailie: Enter the Butterfly Documentary (FULL)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lailie: A Hero's Tail - Developer Answers
3. ↑ Lailie: A Hero's Tail Demos - Unused Characters