1x1 with Ellayiss

[serendipity-]

A Howl's Moving Castle literate roleplay with Ellayiss, don't post unless you are one of us. I'd prefer responses in 85 or less text and disabled signatures for neatness.

[etchnyx]

The house looked as well constructed as a toddler's brick tower, sections jutted to the left and right, it looked like a strong wind would be enough to blow it down. Black bricks stacked on each other in a frightening order and four square towers were assembled in an unorganized manner. The house itself was a mystery and many questioned how it managed to stay together. It was like a maze, only instead of being lost, you just had to know what material or item was usable. For example, there were three doors that looked like entrances inside the castle. However, only one door was able to be reached which appeared to be the back door of the castle on the outside was, in fact, the front door of the house within. It stood on the third floor. The house within was as messy as it looked on the outside. Perhaps messier. Doors and windows were interchangeable as if they got bored of the position they were in and were tired of being an entrance to a room. The only room that was meant to change was the magic door. It had a small dial that directed to certain colors which determined the area it led to. Each area saw a different household from the outside of that door. Like Porthaven, which use to see a small cottage. It had a small yard in the back as well. But those days were gone and it was later moved to a small hat shophouse, which held small rooms and had two floors, in Market Chipping.

The orders of rooms and colors of the dial were determined and controlled by Howl Jenkins Pendragon himself. He shuffled under the white sheets, slowly peeping his head out from under the beige wool blanket. Sun wasn't an issue for him needing to deal with due to the fact that no windows were in his room. Instead, stairways of books piled on the ground. Antique-like wind chimes hung from above. Lamps filled with who-knows-what sat on large pots and bongos were seats for stone hands holding everlasting Symphytum's. His room was probably the most disorganized but organizing to him. It was his order of neatness. Books were meant to be on the ground in the order they were in, lamp shades were placed perfectly on shelves by him, and even an Oni mask was placed against the wall on top of a book was placed there for a reason.

He dragged his feed off the bed, letting them hang and fall on the small fragment of an empty, bare range of carpet. The carpet itself was a deep red and royal purple with gold filigree bordering into diamond-shaped designs. He yawned and stretched, rubbing both eyes with the back of his knuckles as he finally gained the courage to stand and make his way to the comfort room which he bathed in. He ran a hot bath in the freshly-cleaned room, sighing as he stripped down and stared at himself in the mirror. Many moments ago, he would have been furious by the color of his hair from Sophie mixing the order of his hair potions. But as he adjusted to her presence, he had slowly learned vanity was not a matter of importance and he soon reduced his time getting ready in the morning trying to appear better looking than he already was. He still took long baths, however.

Stepping out of the steaming bath, which was already draining down, Howl placed a towel over his body. He let the cotton absorb the water droplets off his nude, slender, and tall figure. He quickly made his way back to his room, fitting in a flamboyant and fancy suit. The white loose shirt tucked into clean black suit pants, exposing the perfect amount of his chest. He slid in two ruby-dangling earrings before making his way towards downstairs into the living room which he expected to see Sophie cooking breakfast over Calcifer--the one who powered the castle-- and Michael Fisher--his apprentice.

[serendipity-]

Sophie Hatter awoke when she heard footsteps of another individual. It was easily heard as the wood floors creaked at the slightest movement in this precarious wooden house called a castle. She was adjusting to her new living arrangement well, and even the footsteps that would disturb her sleep she warmly welcomed. Because they were probably Howl's or Michael's and that was somewhat comforting to her. So she slid out of bed and onto the floor of her new room. It was at first plain and simple but now she had adorned it with flowers, ones that she had picked with Howl, that sat in quaint antique colorful vases. Heen, the old terrier like dog had been sleeping heavily at the foot of her bed, but now awoke with a wagging tail due to Sophie's movement. He hopped down with a wheeze as he hit the floor.

Unlike her magician housemate, Sophie now took more time to get ready in the morning. Her sisters tended to spend almost an hour applying makeup and fixing there hair and choosing what to wear. While when she was younger, she simply didn't care and just put her hair into a quick braid and picked whatever modest and simple dress she could grab first. Now Sophie somewhat wished she had some makeup, but it's not like she'd really know how to use it.

Cupping her own cheeks and leaning forward on her elbows on her dresser, she examined herself in the mirror. Sophie was no longer old, and pleased with that, in some course of events the curse was broken. Though her hair still remained silver, but softer. She had discovered that elder's hair had a sort of strawlike texture. Howl said it looked like starlight, so she there for liked it. She brushed through her hair, humming softly. She picked a peachy colored dress, that was prettier, and less simple than her usual green one, though still modest. See, something had changed a little in Sophie once she had become smitten with Howl. Her younger sisters degradingly called her a late bloomer, and it was true. Now, at a slightly older age then the other girls, like a flower she had finally bloomed and opened up, to her true self.

Heen was anxiously waiting at the door, and when Sophie opened he quickly waddled out to check everything out. As if things had changed and he needed to make sure nothing is different, it was a habit of dogs. She came down after Howl came downstairs and greeted him with a warm and cheerful smile. "Good morning Howl," She said in her prim and proper accent.

[etchnyx]

"Good morning Sophie," He said in a serene tone. "What do we have planned today?"

He approached her with a firm hug, smelling the aroma of tulips and daisies off of her. It reminded him of his garden which he accustomed on the dial for Sophie. He admired the morning sunlight beaming through the windows catching on the soft strands of her silver hair. He was even jealous of the vibrancy it had and how anyone could detect how healthy it was. He parted away from her as he hummed a placid tune. He sat down aside from Michael and watched her, setting his elbow on the table and placing his chin in his palm.

Despite the fact that Sophie brought out his sensitive and kind side, Howl still liked to mask himself into the arrogant self-absorbed wizard. It was a coping mechanism to him. He was afraid to admit up to his cowardliness. He wanted the reputation and title of a powerful wizard who stole the hearts of woman. As much as he denied it, if he hadn't given Calcifer his heart when Calcifer was a dying falling star, his heart would have been stolen by Sophie. He leaned back on his chair, making it tilt and wobble on the back two legs. Setting his feet on the table and placing his hands on the back of his head, he asked, "What's for breakfast?" He always hated portraying himself as a jerk. Especially towards Sophie. He didn't want her to feel unwanted or like a burden and he didn't want to give off the feeling as if she was only worthy of doing chores around the house and cooking for him.

[serendipity-]

Sophie felt as if she could be glowing at that moment. She relished Howl's hug and the warmth that came from it. And she wished she could have that feeling all throughout her day. She sighed quietly as he let go, nothing could last forever. Heen also greeted Howl, with a lethargic lick to his ankle. "Whatever you'd like to do," She mused in a silvery voice. "I've got nothing in mind."

She watched Howl's movements, zoning out a bit. He looked so careless and sauve with his feet up on the table, and it made Sophie wish she could be more like him, minus the arroance and flamboyance. She was often very tightly wound, and tended to be a worrier. It was also a problem of hers that she'd either think too much about her own worries, or care too little about herself. Howl seemed like the perfect balance to her of calm yet attentetive.

"I'm thinking pancakes sound nice." She chimed. Sophie didn't mind cooking for everyone. Even though she wasn't holding up the lie of Grandma Sophie the new cleaning lady, she'd still happily cook meals. And actually, she was happier doing it, because if she wanted to become part of this 'family', it was something she could do to make her feel useful. Because when it came to domestic things, she felt the two boys were helpless. But would she like it if Howl cooked her a meal? Yes, she'd find it very sweet of him, but she'd be bracing herself for shells in eggs, burnt rolls, and undercooked meat.

[etchnyx]

Howl slowly nodded his head, looking up at the ceiling to distract himself to gaze at Sophie. "Sounds good to me," He hummed. He glanced at Michael as he let his hand fall to his side to pet Heen.

"Perhaps we can all shop today," He announced. "We need more food and ingredients, and the markets are all open today. How does that sound?"

He watched Sophie carefully, waiting to hear her soft response. He had noticed the soft pink color creep into her cheeks and he couldn't help to grin at the wonderful site. Some days he wished he could do more for her but he carried no basic skills that humans often were naturally equipped with. Cooking, cleaning, maintaining a neat household and area. Before Sophie came, you couldn't walk around or see past the dust that collected on every open space. Meals weren't ever to speak of and often times, Howl had worn the same stained clothes which he would paint over with the color it was. He resembled the behavior of an irresponsible child who threw tantrums and pouted. He still had that habit. He knew it bothered Sophie and that was all he needed to know to stop the urges. It still occurs but not as much.

[serendipity-]

"Alright then!" Sophie chirped happily, and began to rustle through the disorganized cabinets for the ingredients she needed. She found the bag of flower and tried to keep it off her dress as she hefted the whole thing down. She got the rest of the dry ingredients and then headed to the icebox, where there were a few eggs left and a little bit of milk, but it would work for pancakes. "Definitely need more groceries." She mumbled. And meanwhile, the old terrier was enjoying Howl's touch and wagging his tail.

Sophie found a mixing bowl, which she first proceeded to wipe the dust out off, and set it up on the counter. She stopped, when she was about to put the flour in. She turned to Howl and said with a bit of misceif in her smile, "Howl! Come over here and watch me, you need to learn how to do something." Pancakes were very easy for a beginner. They were the first thing her mother had taught her how to cook when she was pretty young, it'd be a bonding experience. The only difference was Howl was a grown man needing to learn the baby steps of cooking.

[etchnyx]

Howl sighed, getting up as walking towards Sophie who demanded to show him the basic skills of humans. He chuckled playfully as he wrapped his arms around her small waist and ran the tip of his nose up her neck. Many referred to him as a cat. Manipulative and cruel, but somehow still... cute?

"How about," He began, enjoying the sight of her cheeks deepening into a color of red, "You cook and I just stand here pretending to learn from your amazing cooking lessons but really I am here to admire the sight of you."

Howl had known from the start that he had fallen in love with her. He can deny it but how foolish was that? He wanted the title of a womanizer. Sophie destroyed that title as if it were a wall and as if it were nothing. He had now realized that titles were useless and all he wanted to do was show Sophie his appreciation for showing him that. Neither of them had ever said those magical three words but he planned on doing it soon. He was afraid, however. Afraid of losing her. He knew that those three letter words tended to scare away the ones you loved. He knew that their love was not perfect and that they all had their flaws. But knowing those flaws and still being able to love with all your heart creates perfect love. Perfect love isn't created by wealth and materials. It's created by the conflicts and the way you deal with those conflicts. Howl was just too afraid to face those conflicts, or to ever think about a conflict that might hurt Sophie.

[serendipity-]

Sophie smiled, but her face heated up and turned from blush pink to beet red. It was cute what Howl was doing, and she actually really enjoyed the feeling of him right there. And he had a pleasant scent, kind of floral but nothing Sophie could identify, perhaps some magical ingredient for a potion. Even though she truly enjoyed the feeling, she looked increasingly embarrassed. This was her first rodeo after all.

"N-no..." she giggled softly. "You really should learn something. So get your looking out of the way." She teased slightly, though it didn't seem sauve or cool at all with her hot pink face. There were no measuring cups, since cooking wasn't a thing here before her. So she did her best to guesstimate that and all the other ingredients. She stopped at the eggs. Which she knew for sure was three. "Come on Howl, surely you can crack eggs. Try for me please." Sophie spoke as if she was lovingly encouraging a child, and it wasn't too out of place since Howl essentially was like a child at times.

"What if I can't cook for you one day?" She mused, presenting a what if situation. Honestly, It sounded awful. She'd like to always be cooking, because that always meant she'd be around Howl. Sophie definitely loved the flamboyant wizard, he'd somehow made her way into her heart. If she was able to fall in love with him when he was literally heartless, that said a lot. Now that she'd returned his heart to him, her affection for him grew even more. But she didn't really know the right ways to show this love. She either just did what felt right, or did nothing at all, kept it inside like the shy girl she was or at lest used to be. That was another good thing about Howl, he brought out a more outgoing and affection side of her.

[etchnyx]

Howl gave a low growl as she wiggled out of his arms. He pouted like a puppy as he admired her from what seemed like a remote distance. He sighed as he watched her gather the ingredients in different sized utensils, as if it made a difference. He looked at the three eggs with an horrific expression. He gulped as she pleaded him to crack them. He looked at her with questioning eyes before looking back at the daunting eggs. He grabbed one, not knowing that it would be cool to the touch. He didn't know what to do or how to crack an egg. Crack. Key word. He gave Sophie an apologetic smile before setting the egg in the bowl and crushing it.

"Tah-dah!" He said. "I cracked it!"

Perhaps she was right. What if something happened to her to where he would have to cook for her, then what? Can't he use his magic to cook? He thought about it, thinking of all the possibilities to cook for her without him actually needing to cook.

( I will not be responsive this week due to finals. Sorry. I will return, however. I am not going to leave forever. )