The kitchen

"Is he OK?" Calcifer called. He was stretched as far out as he dared from his grate. It was not even midday and Howl was out. He sighed. "This is bad." He murmured.

(You didn't give me much to work with.)

((Sowi ;-; Can I has redemption?))

Markl finally came clattering down the stairs. He stopped short when he saw Howl.
"Master Howl!" he cried. "Glow, what do we do?"
Glow found a large red cushion on one of the sofas and put it under Howl's head.
"It might be dangerous to move him, Markl." she warned him. "Just go to calcifer and talk to him for a few mins, ok?"
She bent down next to Howl and started gently cleaning the blood of his face with a cloth from her first aid kit, open next to her.

"Hi Markl." Calcifer said randomly, flicking and throwing light over Markl's pale face. "How are you?"

Howl's face flickered slightly under the cold water. He could see faces- each pulled in disapproval.

"How could you, Howl?" "Why did you do it, Howl?" "What did you do to all those poor people!" They screamed. He could feel anger building. He saw Sophie, he saw the Witch of the Wastes - He even saw his own parents.

"I didn't do it!" He moaned. They shook their heads wearily. They dissipated slowly, leaving Howl lay there, unable to move, fire racing in his veins, pain shooting up his arms, his legs, his mind burned.... Then the world opened up and swallowed him whole, fire wrapping around his torso, burning his back and stomach, dragging him into the bowel of hell. "I DIDN'T DO IT!"

"I didn't do it, I swear!" He muttered. Back to the real world.

Glow gave a small smile.
"No, you didn't do it, Howl." she gave him a hug. "Whatever happened, you're fine. You didn't do it." she paused. "Are you feeling better? You passed out for ages." Markl yelled with delight.
"Master Howl! You're awake! you're alive and stuff!"
Glow hugged Howl for a very lognt ime before lettng go.
"You feeling better?" she asked him, staring worridly into his eyes.

"Mmm... No." He muttered, blinking again and again, trying to get his eyes to refocus. "I feel quiet sick actually." he hid the blinding headache and jarred ankle for later. Just as long as they knew he was relatively OK. Then a cold, sour ball of fear dropped into the pit of his stomach. "By the way... you didn't kill the guards, did you?" His head span when he tried to escape the draught from the door, so he just lay with his back against the wall with the wooden door freezing the bottom of his back.

Noting Calcifer trying to peer over to see him, he waved his hand in recognition.

"Howl, I..." Glowstick trailed off. Her voice was edged with icy fear. She knew Howl didn't like killing people. She had killed two of the guards when the power posessed her as she took of her ribbon. "I was so worried about you, so... I took of a ribbon..."
She slammed her fist down on the floor. "I'm so sorry!" she yelled, before leaping the stairs and running to her room. She felt shame and sadness. How could she?
Markl, confused, put a bandage on Howl's ankle and gave him the packet of painkillers.
"Here, Master Howl," he smiled.

Howl swallowed one, nodding. "Thanks Markl." He ruffled the small boy's ginger hair, and sat down by Calcifer. "What a mess." He sighed, rubbing his ankle. "Five minutes." He breathed. "Five minutes I'll give her, then go up and find out if she's OK." Calcifer edge closer to Howl. A minute passed, and he could hear creaking. Maybe she was coming, or maybe she was pacing. "Four.. four..." He repeated over and over. Closing his eyes, he rested his head on his knee and let his injuries protest at his doubled over pose.

Markl looked from calcifer to Howl to the stairs.
"I think she's upstairs, master Howl," he remarked, before putting the first aid kit that Glow had left open away. "Don't be angry with her," he added, after some thought. He put the first aid kit back on one of Glow's shelves. He looked curiously at calcifer.
"Calcifer, you ok?" he asked the fire demon, trotting over to inspect his friend.

Howl shook his head. "I'm going up to talk to her." He said eventually, beginning to pad up the stairs. He stole one glance at the kitchen. All he could say was - it was a mess. Shaking his head, he continued up, along the firelit balcony and towards

"Perfectly fine, Markl." Calcifer said. He dragged another log towards him, sparks flying as he flopped over it. "Can you get me some more, Markl? I've run out, I think." Calcifer peered out over, and the log suddenly shot from underneath him. He scrabbled for it, but the log thumped onto the floor and he was forced to hug to a small, blackened piece.

Markl gave a small surprised noise and saunted over to pick up the log. He shoved it under calcifer to prevent him from going out before he put some more logs in a small pile near Calcifer for late. He stared up where Howl had just gone.
"Why is it always me who's confused and feels the need to complain?" he whined crossly, scowling for a few seconds. He went to the table and began hunting for the kettle to make some tea.

Markl jumped violently as Howl tapped his shoulder.
"Oh! Master Howl, and, Glow!" he shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "You didn't hear me complaining just now, did you?" he half-laughed sheepishly.
Glow laughed. "Don't worry about it, Markl. We're going to eat, and then we're going to see the auroras!" she spread her arms wide and gave him a hug.
"you're happy," remarked Markl, before finding the bacon. "Can we eat this, Master Howl? Can you cook it for us?"

"Oh, of course." Howl nodded, taking the bacon to make it. "We don't have long until they start so we'll have to eat really quick!" He took a pan, and began to cook them quickly. "Oh, and can you butter some bread, Glow? I think sandwiches are called for. But, I really don't know why." He laughed, his injured ankle not bothering him, and continued to cook under Calcifer's warmth.

Glow nodded to Markl.
"I'll go and get the bread and butter, Glow," Markl grinned. "You check that Master Howl is fine."
Glow took the now-cooked bacon off calcifer an ddished it onto the plates, freeing Howl's hands. Afterwards, she went to him and felt his forehead.
"Are you sure you're ok?" she asked him, her tone suspicious yet layered with worry. She bent down to check his ankle.
"You should be careful with that, Howl." she warned him. "Ok? Promise me you'll take it easy while we're watching the auroras. It's twisted quite bad."

Howl's face lit up a bit.

"I promise I'm OK! And I'll be fine, don't worry." He laughed. "You worry far too much." He laughed, taking some bacon from Glow and sitting down at the table. Eager to prove he was OK, he ate quickly. A little voice in the back of his mind told him it might give Glow and Markl the wrong idea, but he was starving because he'd missed what would have been lunch, because he was knocked out by horse-tranquilliser brandishing guards wanting to murder him, Glow and Markl. Of course, Howl being Howl, would never let anyone within a mile of hurting either of them, or they'd, at the least, be sent back to Solomon finger-less.

Glow laughed softly and ate her bacon almost as quickly as Howl. She was also hngry, and she could tell from the speed he was going at that he was definately fine. Markl beat them both, of course, his spikey hair falling over his eyes and his tongue hanging out with the effort of chewing as he pushed the food straight off the edge of the plate and into his mouth. Glow plucked a tea towel from the back of Howl's chair and covered Markl with it.
"I don't wanna see you eat like that!" she laughed, and Markl gave a grunt of complaint, but amusingly did not stop eating to remove it. The towel shook as he continued to stuff his face full of bacon.

Howl checked the time once more.

"Five minutes!" he said, the excitement in his voice rising. "You know, it was once told that wizards and witches powers increased tenfold during auroras. Even after, if they'd viewed the aurora, they were slightly more powerful than before. It was also rumoured Solomon went as far north as possible, and watched aurora after aurora until she was the most powerful witch in the north. She still chose to come south, though. These are only rumours, of course." He continued. "But some people even think I've seen one!"

Glow blinked, hiding her excitement as best she could.
"You have high expectations for this, huh?" she raised an eyebrow. "Howl, PLEASE don't be too disappointed if these rumours amount to nothing. They might not be true, you know. Especially if people think YOU've seen one..." she ended with a tease and a giggle, before clearing away the plates. "Anyhow, is Markl coming?"
Markl was still under the teatowl, shovelling food off his plate.

"Still eating." He said. "Hurry up, your going to miss it!" He pushed his chair out, going to the window. Stars twinkled high above, the moon a round, pure drop in the vast twilight sky. The clouds hugged the horizon, as if keen to give the trio a show to remember. The grass waved in the soft, warm summer breeze, curving patterns along the ground. There was a small, shimmering lake in the distance, shimmering. Then, just under the moon, there was a flash of green, and Howls excited cry.

"Its starting!"

Glow leapt out of her seat and onto the windowsill. She pushed open the windows with one hand before leaping into a sitting position on Howl's shoulder. Glow was very small for her age and incredibly light, she it wasn't much of a problem. Markl trotted over, all excited and hyped up.
"Do we go outside, master Howl?" he said, his face a big excited grin lined with grease stains from the bacon. Catching sight of himself in a nearby mirror, he hurridly wiped his mouth with the back of his dirty white sleeve.

"Why don't we?" He said. "Yeah, lets go outside." He carried Glow and lead Markl to the door, opening it into the wide moor. The streaks of light were getting longer and brighter. It took Howl's breath away. It was indescribable - Beautiful streaks of colour - green, blue, pink - that looked like magic leaking from the earth into the heavens. Each streak writhed around in the sky, twisting, an choreography of twists and flicks, hiding the stars and turning the dark blue sky turquoise nearby. It stretched over the moon, blocking out the milky glow, casting a cool green glow across the moor. And the unmistakable rush of magic through his veins, the feeling of it burning his fingertips, like mastering a new spell.

Glow, perched on Howl's shoulder, leapt off lightly and joined Markl cartwheeling in the long, deep green grass.
"This is wicked!" yelled Markl, coming to a halt after doing a head-over-heels. Glow stopped behind him.
"I get what you mean, Howl," remarked Glow. "It kinda looks and feels like magic from the heavens," she tilted her head upwards and drew in a sharp breath of air, as if she was trying to savour the feeling. Markl waved his hands and a few ice cubes shot out as he tried out a spell Glow had been tryng to teach him earlier.

"Hey, I can do it now!" he gasped. "I couldn't do it earlier! Look, Glow! I can almost cast the crack spell you were trying to teach me! Look, master Howl!"
Glow grinned as the auroras reflected off the cubes as they landed on the grass like mini disco balls.
"Nice one, Markl, you added a bit of atmosphere," she remarked, but Markl was too busy crowing to notice.
"Master Howl! You were right and so were the rumours! It helps your magic!"

With an exuberant grin, he span once on his toes, then with flourish fired a 30 meter fireball into the sky, lighting the moor in a warm orange glow for a short moment. He laughed out loud - he could never go that high before. "And it's also rumoured if your learning a skill and the magic given to you by the aurora helps you accomplish it, you keep the skill!" he grinned, letting himself fall onto his back to watch it. It was even stronger now, lighting the whole sky in the same greeny blue, blotting out the stars and the moon completely.

"Even in the stories, it was never this big or this bright!"

Glow's ribbons began glowing a soft white as they grew slightly stronger with the energy they were absorbing.
"I'll show you the REAL was to use a fireball, Howl." she challenged him. She waved her hand and at once a fountain of fire began lighting up the air, fizzling out as it hit the ground. Glow waved her hand again and orange fireworks lit up the air around it. Markl, finally mastering the crack ice spell, fired showers of ice needles into the sky, making the auroras seem even brighter than before as they reflected off them.

Howl nodded "I agree, that was pretty." He smiled. "Your magic is coming along quiet well."

(Fingers - hurt - pain)