The kitchen

Glow's green eyes looked into Howl's blue ones. She sat there, not saying anything for a few minutes, before she finally spoke. Her voice was quiet, not slightly snappy and edged with laughter as it had been before.
"This morning," she muttered. "When I was out walking." she started, before faultering. She seemed to be having inner conflict on whether to tell Howl or not.

((How many lines does this look like to you on your computer? It's four and a half lines exactly to me :B))

(To me its 2 and a half for me )

((T_T))

(Four and a quarter. And Hermes - If the problem is bothering you, you might be really zoomed out. Use Control and the + and - buttons on the NUMBER PAD to zoom in and out until it's easier to get 4 1/2 words. Copy and paste 'Word' 100 times, then use the buttons to zoom so it looks right. I have a wide-screen, so it's nothing to do with your monitor being too wide.)

Howl squeezed her wrist caringly. "I won't be mad, I promise." He found his anger somewhat easier to control since a girl put his heart back. He could only thank Calcifer for his never ending loyalty. "Please, tell me." Calcifer dragged a log onto the fire and hid underneath it, secretly listening. A thousand and one possibilities went through his mind - she fell, got attacked, anything.. He took a breath and waited for an answer.

((I'm just gonna count the words now ))

Glow's eyes softened. She put her hand down from its protective position on her shoulder, where she had been covering the gash as best she could. She seemed to have consented to tell Howl everything. She sighed.
"I got up very early because I couldn't sleep." she began, her eyes with a slightly saddened look in their depths. "I decided to buy some bacon for breakfast so I slipped out to the seaside town to buy some from the early morning market stalls." her eyes turned slightly bitter.
"I saw a heavily armoured man asking for information on Howl and his moving castle. I was terrified that someone might give him a lead, so I went to him and told him I could take him to the castle, intending to throw him off the scent by leading him as far away as possible."
She closed her eyes for a few seconds. "I knew this would mean revealing to the palace that I am also a witch, but that didn't matter." she paused. "I lead him deep into the mountains before he suddenly realised that there was no way the castle could travel up the side of a steep rock face. To my horror, he called a female companion who had been secretly following us. She had with her a large group of soldiers. It was then that I had to fight all of them. I managed to defeat them, though I got this gash on my arm." she bit her lip. "I just wantd to protect you and the castle, Howl. I'm sorry."

Howl gave a small smile.
"As thankful I am for it, it was incredibly dangerous a thing to do." He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, oddly uncharacteristically. "And I'm more than able to protect us all, Glow, you should know that by now." Releasing her, he swept from the table, to the piles of magical items in the corner. Crouching, he dug for some poultice and a bandage from the cupboard and motioned for Glow to give him her arm so he could bind it.

Glow went slightly red when Howl gave her a hug. "I'm sorry." she muttered again. "I thought it would be the best thing to do." she followed him slowly to the cupboard, and slightly gingerly knelt down next to him. She looked down at her left arm and noticed that the yellow ribbon tied round it had come slightly loose. She quickly undid the knot, cleverly redoing it with her right hand in a tighter one, before waiting for Howl.

Howl held up the glass pot. "This'll sting a little bit." He took a little on two fingers and began to, as gently as possible, rub the poultice in. "But I like the idea of the castle aggravated. It'll make, hopefully, the next moves a little red misted and more predictable. Chances are you've shot up to me and Markl on the 'to do' list, so stick close from now on" Finished with the poultice, he gently wrapped her arm in a bandage and tucked it in neatly so it wouldn't come loose. Finished, he put the poultice lid back on and slid the stuff back into the cupboard.

Glow nodded. "I guess it's my own fault." she sighed. She didn't show any expression that the cream stung, though her ears shivered a little and her tail twitched madly for a few seconds. She grabbed it angrily with her free hand and shoved it under her leg in an attempt to stop it.

"So Howl, what are we goign to do now?" she asked, when he'd done. "Are we taking the castle to the lake or not? It might be dangerous to travel on foot, that's all..."

"Who said we had to walk there?" He said mysteriously, poking Calcifer. The little fire demon pulled a face.

"Hey, careful!" He said, clinging to a little bit of wood deep in the ash. Howl added some logs to the pile at the side of Calcifer, and grinned, turning on his heel and giving Glow a grin of playful mystery.

"Even people who have studied magic for years learn new things." He added, looking at Markl and Glow like an audience at a theatre, rising tension in the air in preparation for the climax of the show. Then, without warning, Howl melted from thin air with a sound like someone stepping on crisps.

Markl gave a cry of excited alarm and Glow grabbed her silver staff from the corner, as if on her guard.
"Where's master Howl gone? Where where where?" shouted Markl, running around the room, knocking wood in the fire over, even pushing a chair backwards. Glow caught the chair and set the wood straight for Calcifer.
"Calm down, I'm sure there's a reasonable explaination for this. He either teleported, or turned himself invisible, or... something." She banged the tp of her staff on the floor impatiently.
"Either way, he'd better come back." she threatened the space where Howl had vanished from.

"Who said I didn't?" A voice sounded from behind them. Howl was leant against the rail on the hallway, an amused grin pasted across his face at Markl's reaction. He leapt down the stairs, bowing with flourish, his black hair tickling his cheekbones again. "And I've practised, so now I can take three people as well as myself too." Calcifer snorted.

"You show off." He noted truthfully, again much too loud. The old Howl would have snapped at Calcifer. The current Howl just burst out laughing.

Glow blinked.
"Inpressive," sh ebrathed. Markl cartwheeled up to Howl.
"This is GREAT, Master Howl! We can go anywhere we like! Fighting crocodiles, flying on clouds, diving off waterfalls, and-" he smashed into the whitewashed walls of the kitchen and lay upside-down, a perplexed look on his face.
"Maybe to a doctor's?" Glow giggled, as Markl got to his feet and glared.

Howl scooped up the logs Markl knocked over and nodded. "The weather is beautiful, we can get there whilst Calcifer moves the Castle, and as long as you hang on tight we can take anything we need there! Why not?" He swept up the stairs, then ran back and poked his head around. "You can take whatever you want within reason, so go and pack some things!" He grinned, then raced off again.

(Failpostisfail. Nomuse)

Glowstick clutched her staff. The amethyst set in the top glinted in the early morning sun.
"I just want to take this," she muttered. "Just in case we're attacked or something." she sounded pretty unsure about the whole plan. "How longare we staying away for, anyways?"
Markl dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
"OH BOY OH BOY! THIS'LL BE GREAT!" he could be heard yelling from his room.

"Yeah, good idea." Howl sat down on the chair by the fire, but his feet on the hearth and stretched. He hinted for Glow to leave so he could talk to Calcifer along and leant down. "You said guards are approaching the Jenkins shop? How far?" He hissed low. "And I'm assuming that we'll be safe if we keep the door to the castle?" Calcifer shuddered. Then, the door knocked extremely loud - like someone was trying to break it down. Howl leapt to his feet in half shock, half desperation to keep the guards away.

Glow ran to Howl at once, brandishing her staff, a look of fear and anger on her face.
"Do we fight them, or do we try and keep them out?" she asked Howl and Calcifer grimly. Markl began trotting back down the wooden staircase but Glow turned and shouted to him at once.
"Go to our room, Markl, and stay there until we're done." she instructed, and Markl, slightly scared, gave a yell in response before scuttling back into his room and slamming the door.

Howl grinned. "Lets go!" He lent over the stairwell. "Calcifer, when I turn the dial, drop any defences on the castle. Glow, get ready. When I open the door, the guards will fall through with the ram, at that point we hit em' with all we've got!" He nodded, outstretching a hand. The door knob turned, apparently by itself, and the dial changed to the Jenkin's colour. The door seemed to spark as Calcifer dropped the barrier. Another barrier protected the rest of the castle. Howl nodded at Glow, and the door flew open, about 5 guards falling into the shop.

Glow leapt into the air, her purple hair already tangled, although she had brushed it only an hour before. Her feline ears flicked forward and she waved her silver staff. The amethyst flashed orange as she cast a spell; Bang.
Under the power of Bang, the guards glowed red before small explosions went off on their bodies. Two guards fell, one unconscious, one semi-conscious, both heavily injured. The others' explosions had been on less harmful parts of their bodies like their hands or feet. Glow hissed with triumph, her feline hunting instincts overwhelming her as she kicked the disabled guards out of the shop with her feet. She fell onto all fours before leaping back into the air and landing behind Howl.
"Your move," she prompted. "That's two down, three to go."

Howl leapt into the stairwell, catching one of the guards on the head with one of his boots. The other was quick, snatching Howl out of the air. He struggled, sapping the guards energy. Putting two feet on the wall, he pushed the guard into the wall, landing somewhat ungracefully as the guard's grip loosened. He felt spots appear infront of his eyes, but he pushed through the unusual haze. He didn't feel right, and both guards were on their feet again. A drop of blood traced his tight fist, and he felt a prickle of pain on his skin. What had happened?

The guard also had a little blood on his hand, and the other had a footprint on his head and a blackening bruise swelling on his temple. The third was approaching Glow. Howl tried to call out, but all too late he realised the syringe, empty on the floor. He'd been hit with enough tranquilliser to knock out a horse. Of course, that was what was needed. Even the magic in Howl's blood had ran dry. "Solomon." He almost laughed. "Bet you tested it on yourself." Howl fought against the dizziness in his head and got, unsteadily, to his feet.

Glow looked at Howl in alarm.
"Damnit!" she yelled. "Just wait there, Howl!"
She ripped off the yellow ribbon on her left leg, threw it to Howl before leaping back into the air. She waved her staff. She needed to get rid of the last two guards. She used her extra power from releasing one of the ribbons to cast her strongest attack, Crackle. She waved the staff and huge icicles began flying out of the floor, piercing through the guards, freezing them and then shattering them into thousands of pieces. There was no blood as the guards were shattered while being trapped in ice, but they were both dead. She pushed all of the fragments out of the door and also pushed the unconscious guard that Howl had taken out away. She slammed the door and turned the dial to the meadow instead.
Glow collapsed in front of the door. The physical toll the extra power took on her was beginning to come into effect.

"Ribbon - now.." Was all Howl managed to murmur before the tranquillisers took hold and he collapsed to the floor. His jacket was stained and creased. His black hair was dishevelled and the blood on his wrists were beginning to harden and crust over into a scab. Calcifer called for Markl.

"That was so close." Calcifer sighed, replacing all the protection. "That could have gone so wrong." Calcifer crackled and settled down more into the grate, waiting for Markl to come down.

Glow reached out weakly and took the ribbon back. Somehow she tied the yellow length back on her leg. She next reached slowly to the table and searched around for the painkillers she left around just in case she needed to take off a ribbon. Her hand closed around a packet and she brought it down.
"Bingo, here they are," she muttered, taking one out and swallowing it. Within a few minutes she felt better. She stood up and went to Howl. Markl did not come down - he was hiding under the bed.