Glow and Markl's bedroom

The sun streamed in the cracked windows of the castle as it moved along slowly and rhythmically. The beam struck the face of a young girl with soft purple hair, sleeping with a smile on her face in a bed next to a younger boy, who did not stir. As the ray of light cast itself upon her, she opened her eyes slowly and looked, stunned, to the cieling, the smile briefly leaving her face. It returned quickly enough.

"Just a dream." she muttered, before sitting up, shaking her head to disentangle her hair as best she could, the quilt falling back from her pretty frame. She looked straight to the window, of which the sun was not shining so brightly through anymore. The ray had passed. All was silent. She sat in her bed, still half-asleep, blinking the sleep from her emerald eyes. This girl was Glow, and she was sat in none other than Howl's Moving Castle.

Glow glanced at the digital clock, carefully placed at just the right angle so she could see it from where she sat. The time '9:30' was displayed in neon lettering on the small, rectangluar black screen. She stifled a yawn with her pale hand, before debating whether or not to exit the bed and wake the figure lying in the next bed over, Howl's apprentice, Markl.

Several creaks emanated from the hallway, and the door flew open, smashing against the wall. There was the sound of slightly splintering wood. Calcifer complained loudly -
"You know, I have ears too and that really hurt!" Howl blinked for a moment, then his exuberant grin returned, seeming to ignore Calcifer's complaints.
"Guess what!" He said happily, his arms thrown open wide like he was inviting Markl and Glow for a hug. His colourful jacket flapped smoothly. He raced over to the window and threw it open, the elements rushing into the room, covering Howl's jacket in rain and sending wind and leaves scattering around the room.

Glow leapt out of bed in one sweeping movement, the covers thrown to the wodden floor as she did so. Her hair promptly tangled again as leaves blew around it.
"What's wrong?" she asked in her sweet, if slightly boyish, matter-of-fact voice. The rain blowing around her had now thoroughly aroused her from sleep. She looked at Howl out of curious, if even slightly amused, green eyes.

She ran to the window closed it slightly so it now only stood open ajar. At once the rain and wind diverted course and hit the windowsill instead.
"What's got you up here so early, destroying the whole place?" she lightly scolded him. She was hardly ad lib to do so, as he was four years her senior, though she did so anyway.

"The aurora's, Glow! They actually never come so far south, and we have a chance to see them!" He yelled in delight like a little child. Howl himself had never actually seen an aurora, only going off books and stories. "It's a beautiful green light, like... like magic, Glow. It's a beautiful pine-green light, with all the colours of the rainbow there too. I just can't explain how beautiful it is."

Howl had left Glow and Markl's room and was leant over the newly constructed balcony, looking into Calcifer's hearth. The kitchen had changed slightly, apart from being a little lighter from Calcifer's hearth being opened up more, had been switched around. The door was on the wall to the right of the balcony. The balcony was larger, too, but Calcifer's hearth was in the same place. The table was on the opposite wall, with food stacked on it and all Howl's magic things on shelves and a small table in the same corner as Calcifer. Calcifer wasn't actually very happy at Howl's over enthusiastic behaviour. He looked coldly at Howl.

"Howl, we completely destroyed the castle once, please, for the love of all you hold holy, don't bang doors so hard, we'll fall to pieces again." He said unhappily. Howl seemed to ignore Calcifer's cold behaviour and pointed north.

"How far can we go north in one day?!" He grinned. Calcifer mumbled to himself, then -

"At least fifty miles, Howl." Howl nodded, his black hair brushing his cheekbones lightly and tickling them.

"Then do it!" He turned to Glow and Markl's room. "And hurry up, we can have some breakfast while Calcifer's hot."

"The Auroras..." repeated Glow, letting the word and its meaning sink into her mind. She looked over to Markl's bed, remembering that he had srill been fast asleep when she had first woken earlier. Still he was there, and still fast asleep, messy orange hair tangled, eyes tight shut. Glow did not wake him, as she knew that he had been working very hard yesterday, helping her with the washing. There certainly was a lot of it.

She ran out of the room and along the corridor, brightly lit only by the sun, streaming in at a window opposite. She came to the stone stairs with their rusted iron rain, but unlike Howl, she did not climb down them; Glow prefereed to do her he way. She leapt over the balister and jumped all the way from the first floor to the ground floor. True to her nature, she landed on her feet, perfectly fine, next to the oak table. She rummaged around and found her purple shirt and shorts in the ironing pile. She took them and put them over her arm, intending to go and change, but she first went to calcifer, meaning to talk to him.
"Calcifer," she began, sitting opposite him in a small wooden chair. "I don't think Howl knew about this as he doesn't read the papers, but a new proclaimation has been issued by the government." she paused briefly, in thought, before continuing. "Due to an attack on the palace, they want the army to destroy all witches and wizards."

"Well, that's not good." Calcifer said in hushed tones. "Howl isn't the most warmly welcomed to the palace, even now." He thought for a long moment, the rhythmic movement of the castle the only sound. "Howl needs to know the danger. It's best if he knows so he can be more careful and avoid the danger. But you do it." Calcifer said quickly at the end.

Howl came over with a pan, and several eggs and bacon strips, holding the pan above Calcifer and cracking eggs into it. Calcifer groaned as the pan began to spit. Howl lay the bacon into the bottom of the pan, the pan spitting even more spitefully back at Howl, although it seemed he didn't feel the hot drops of oil hit his skin. He looked at Glow, and the clothes in her arm with his soft blue eyes.

"Go and get changed, leave Markl in bed." He said, motioning the stairs dangerously with the pan. He realised what he was doing and set it over Calcifer again. "And hurry up!"

"Howl." said Glow, urgently. "There is news from the palace. They have issued an order to destroy all witches and wizards as they were almost murdered by an unknown group from somewhere in the wastes," she said, slowly and loudly, letting the information sink into his head, before jumping lithely half way up the stairs in one bound, her purple tail swishing behind her. She held her clothes tightly before running into her room to change.

Glow slipped off her purple and white check pajamas before quickly pulling on her denim shorts and purple shirt, being careful to avoid dislodging the red and yellow ribbons tied carefully up her arms and legs to supress her powers. Just s she was heading over to check that Markl was still asleep, there was a loud banging noise that reached her ears from the kitchen. Someone was knocking on one of the doors the castle lead to.

Howl stared at the dial. He cursed to himself. The door knocking was the Pendragon shop. He briefly thought about tearing the dial from the door, then in a firm tone he muttered to himself "Just ignore it, the castle is set to Jenkin's anyway." He served breakfast slowly, getting frankly slightly annoyed at the continually more frequent knocks. Then, a thought came into his head.

"A survivor, there might be a survivor." He smiled at the thought of for-filling his good deed for the day as he waited for Glow. Striding to his shelves, he plucked a weathered sheet from it and looked at the label tied to the ribbon, nodding.

Glowstick leapt over the stairrail and landed lightly next to calcifer, dust stirring around her small feet. She ran to Howl.
"Are you planning to open the door, then? Or shall I do it for you?" she said, exasperated. "This continual knocking is really doing my head in!" and with that she strode over the dusty wooden floor. She took hold of the aluminium knob and twisted it to the left, the dial flicking to red and linking the castle to the Royal City. She swung back the door.

"Is this the residence of the great wizard Pendragon?" asked an uptight voice. It was a soldier. Glowstick stared at him with startled green eyes as the green-uniformed ginger-haired stout man waited impatiently to give her an answer.
"He's out," Glowstick breathed, before slamming the door and flicking the switch. The castle linked to the old city instead now. She grabbed her silver staff from the corner were she kept it, under Calcifer's watchful eyes.
"It was a guard." she breathed, obviously thoroughly on her guard as she held the stick in a defencive stance in front of her. "A soldier guy. Palace guard. Whoever he was, we came from the armed forces of the palace. He was after the wizard living here-" she turned for a split second to glance almost accusingly at Howl, "-you."

"I'm sorry for giving you somewhere to live." He said a little hurt but mostly teasingly. He clutched a pair of compasses, another sheet of paper, and a charcoal pencil, sketching a route. If someone would have looked close enough, they would have realised that Howl, using a light box, was creating another map, creating an intricate web of pencil lines. He had put Glow's breakfast out and Calcifer was eyeing it hungrily. Smiling, satisfied, he held the map to the light of the dull winter morning and sighed.

Glow blushed a little before shaking her head. "Sorry, Howl, I didn't mean like that... I... erm..." she trailed off. She paused for a few moments, trying to clear her head. "I'm just worried for your safety." She ran to the table and grabbed her breakfast before it could go cold. She sat down in Howl's armchair before quickly downing half of the bacon and eggs from the plate.
"Where are you planning to take us, then?" she asked after she'd got that far. Unlike Markl, she had many more table manners. She didn't spak with her mouth full.

"North, in the wastes." He said, looking at the map, copied out so he wouldn't destroy the original if the weather turned. "And I've thought - if the witches and wizards attacked the palace, ect era, we might find a witness in the wastes, or a survivor from the attacks, so we can find out more." He picked up a plate and began to eat. "And-" He said, swallowing. "The exercise will do us good too." He demolished the food on his plate, then tapped his finger against the table thoughtfully.

(Crappy post is crappy -_-

Glow pushed out from the oak breakfast table on the wooden chair before standing up and walking slowly to Howl. Her eyes cornered with shadows, she took his wrist gently in he rhand.
"You be careful. Don't choose anywhere dangerous." she warned him. "If you get yourself injured, I-will-be-CROSS." she turned away from him and leapt halfway up the stairs, searching on one of the steps for her brown shoes that she'd left there the night before. After finding them and picking them up, holding them in one hand, she catapulted herself off from the stairrails and onto the landing in one swift move.
She went back into the room and found her socks, which she put on with her shoes.

"Your talking like I'm not going to drag you out there." he said cheekily, piling the dishes by the sink. Then his mood changed. "Is there something wrong with Markl? Even if we leave him in bed, he's never up this late." He said, looking at the clock. It said 10'oclock. He trotted up the stairs. "Is he moving yet?" He said, the worry thick in his voice."

(Fail post is fail T~T I'm not in a very literate mood)

Markl's voice came at once, echoing down the corridor from the bathroom.
"I'm just brushin' my teeth, Master Howl!" he called. "I'll come if you need me!" There as a short pause, then the sound of frenzied brushing and pattering feet could be heard from down the corridor. Along came Markl, toothbrush in mouth, ginger hair stuck up in messy spikes, feet bare and pajamas still on.
"Was there something you needed, Master Howl?" he asked, after spitting out the toothpaste over the side of the balcony and onto the grass below as they passed through a field. Glowstick could be heard, still wrestling with her shoe-straps in the other room.

"I was just a little worried." He said, relieved. "Well, any particular place you want to go today." He said merrily. "I feel like a day off, hmm?" He put the plates into the sink, and just left them there. Somehow, mysteriously, the plates would be washed and put away later on. Calcifer appeared in the grate very suddenly.

"The guards are making their way to the Jenkin's shop, Howl." He warned. "Shall I change us?" Howl shook his head. "No, just switch us away again." He returned to his happy facade. "So, anywhere?"

((HOWLLL YOU'RE IN TRUBBLLE.))

Markl blinked his round green eyes as he ran downtairs after Howl.
"Maybe Glowstick should choose today... it's been a while since she chose last." he giggled as he ran to the table and grabbed a bowl of cold rice, as the bacon and eggs were all gone now. "I really enjoyed it when we went to the lake. She's good at choosing." he found a pair of red chopsticks decorated with pink flowers. He was just about to start using them to slurp up the rice with when Glow appeared next to him as if by magic, with an exceedingly angry face.
"Markl, those are MY chopsticks!" she scolded, taking them from him and putting a wooden pair in his hands instead. "I bought them with the money I earned! you can't use them!"
Markl giggled. "Sorry, your highness," he teased, and Glow smiled.

"Don't fight!" He laughed. "The lake it is!" He grinned. Calcifer crackled contently in the hearth, even though he was moving the infinatly heavier castle. Howl was silent for a long moment, savouring the warm smell of food lingering around, the gentle, soothing rhythm of the castle moving, the merry chinking of Markl eating his meal, and being - well, being home.

"Well, we'll have to get out and use magic to get there." His thoughtful face melted with his currently over-excessive mood. Not that magic wasn't a common thought, but he was just, as he was when he was much younger, the word brought a thrill of happiness. This is what he was born to do.

(YAY. Darke is in a some-what semi-literate mood!)

Glow seemed to be oblivious to all of the pleasant chatter. Her emerald eyes were fixed on her shoulder. The edge of a long thin gash could be seen poking out from the end of the short sleeve covering her left shoulder. She was looking at it, a worried look on her pale face. Markl stared at her.
"Glow, what the hell are you doing? Aren't you listening?" he half-laughed, bouncing up to her chair. "Howl just suggested we leave the castle and go by magic! Well at least, that's what I gathered..." Glow quickly looked away from her shouldr and straight at Markl, struggling to find something to say.

Howl's eyes fell upon the gash instantly. His face paled slightly too - only a shade, practically unnoticeable - but it paled. "Glow, what's wrong?" He said, his atmosphere of pleasantness gone. Instead, his mood had edged over with icy concern. Calcifer blew ash from himself and poked out from between the blackened logs he was in.

"Howl, what's up?" He asked a little too loudly, but Howl was oblivious, as Glow had been a few moments ago. He walked over and took one of Glow's wrists, looking into her eyes. "And tell me the truth."

(I think we should move to the kitchen)

((Yeah xD))

Glow pushed open the warm coloured oak door. She debated whether to kick of her shoes before deciding against it. She ran to the window and pushed open the wooden edged panes, sticking her head into the fresh air and letting the wind rustle her hair. She stayed like that for a while before looking sadly down at her staff.
"I'm sorry if I did something to upset you..." she muttered, her voice directed at Howl, even though he wasn't there. She waved the staff and a small pile of logs near the castle set on fire as Glow cast fizzle on them. They burned to ashes before the fire went out. She dropped the staff on her bed, moved away from the window and sat next to it, looking down at the ribbons on her legs.

Howl knocked on the door before poking his head in.

"Are you OK?" He said, padding in and sitting next to her, wrapping his arms around her, being careful to not dislodge the ribbons. After a long moment, he said "I'm not mad at you, Glow. It was probably the only thing to do to avoid us dying too. I'm not mad, I promise!" He realised that he was probably a little intimidating, and he began to chuckle to himself. He scudded his boot along the floor.

"You're not?" Glow gave a relieved smile. She relaxed in Howl's embrace. "I just didn't want you to die..." she felt her eyes prick with tears and she blinked fiercely. She didn't feel like crying at that time. She hugged Howl back for a while before pulling away. "I'm really sorry. I just act on instinct." she looked down at her shoes.

((No muse T-T))