Synopsis: The insufferably smart Sophie leaves everytime Howl throws a day-long diatribe about gods-know-what, and Calcifer has to deal with the consequences. Oh, well...at least there isn't any green go to drown in...for the moment.
In Which Winter Has Come...
"The snow is beautiful, Sophie. Exquisite, really. Of course, it cannot compare to my beauty, I don't believe anything quite could."
Calcifer let out a long-suffering sigh, steam wafting from his lips as he stayed dutifully by the fireplace, enduring each word that the wizard drawled, as terribly depressing as they could be most times.
"Sophie's not here yet." The fire demon deadpanned.
"It pierces my softened heart, ever so. Those poor snowflakes, brushed away despite of their pure intentions, truly unappreciated gems that they are…" Howl continued, leaning his forehead against the cold glass of the window, his breath fogging the scene that he admired so very dearly.
"Sophie's not here yet." Calcifer repeated.
"A thousand snowflakes, Sophie. A thousand. They can fit into the palm of your hand; yet only one matters. Only one. But how can you find it, amongst a sea of glittering white?"
"You should really save that for Sophie. But, you know, she's not here yet."
"We're all just snowflakes in our own way. Falling, always falling…dancing our way through life, never knowing exactly when we hit the ground, when everything that makes us complete -everything that makes us who we are- shatters in one final heartbeat. That is the beauty of life, the darkness of death." Howl sighed, his blue eyes distant and forlorn, gazing over the impatient assemblage of faithful admirers that had accumulated outside, watching his moody soliloquy with absolute fascination. "Oh, but don't you agree, dear Sophie?"
"Again, she is not here." Calcifer stressed each word, his flames turning dull and purple with each of Howl's somber words.
"Yes." Howl nodded absently, dark locks of his long hair falling over his hunched shoulders, no doubt ignoring Calcifer (which the fire demon thought was a rather useless skill since he could be quite helpful at times...) "I must go now. Outside, to where the snow waits-"
"I wouldn't do that." Calcifer cut in tiredly, blowing out ashes and watching them lazily twirl in the air. Is this what 'kill-me-now' boredom feels like?
"-for me to sweep it up from it's heartbreakingly aesthetic death. I shall raise them from the ground, pat their tender little heads that are oh-so-full of goodness, blow gently on them-"
"There's a hungry hoard of ladies waiting for you out there. I'm pretty sure there are a couple of disgruntled aunts too…" Calcifer reminded him.
"- so that they may get one –just one- more chance to fly again and live again…" Howl's perfect face darkened, his inky blue eyes, framed by thick, smooth lashes –the very ones that had entranced countless girls into his arms, much to Calcifer's dismay- closing dramatically. "…and die again."
"Howl, if you make me cry -which I'm quite sure could be either classified as suicide or murder, most likely the latter- Sophie will kill you. But she can't. Because she isn't here."
"Why does beauty suffer so, Sophie?" Howl mourned, placing a hand on his chest as if soothing his throbbing heart, his eyes shimmering with silent pain. Calcifer scoffed upon seeing it, envious of the elegance the wizard possessed even when he was on the verge of woe.
Howl lamented. "I mean, look at me. I am beauty personified –no point denying it- and just a single glance at my haunted allure practically screams at how it torments me. Look!"
"Sophie would probably say something along the lines of 'oh grow up,' but I guess she can't… because she isn't here to say it!"
"I must go forth!" Howl proclaimed, jabbing a finger into the air and twirling it, ignoring Calcifer's look of vexation. "And save those poor fallen angels of white! Farewell, Sophie!"
"No, Howl!" Calcifer called, his flames burning with urgency. "Don't!" He shut his lips in frustration before adding for good measure, "And Sophie is not here!"
"Alas!" Howl cried, brushing the back of his hand on his forehead and flawlessly depicting an expression of poignant anguish. He ran for the door and flung it open wide, a burst of fresh wind breaking in, running through his raven hair and billowing white sleeves. Calcifer yelped in indignation as his person of inferno was hit in the side, yet Howl was relentless when overcome with pointless distress. "How many more must die until the spring comes to take away the biting pain of being broken?"
"Howl!" The mob of ladies waved their lace handkerchiefs daintily, giggling demurely. Some surreptitiously fingered the sparkling jewelry they wore and sashayed up to him with swaying hips and flaring curves.
"Howl!" The group of disgruntled aunts shrieked, waving pitchforks and some very strongly-worded letters spelling out their disgust with his heartlessness.
"The snow!" Howl grieved, his voice was low and velvety smooth, arrestingly attractive even with the not-so-subtle hint of pain that laced it. "Look at how they carelessly trample it! Oh, I can just imagine the crushing final blows of life-!"
The girls sighed longingly.
"Hooowwwl!" Calcifer bellowed, bursting up and a tongue of fire shooting from his mouth. "No!"
The wizard's blue eyes turned dark obsidian as sorrow washed over him in powerful waves that nearly rocked him back. The smell of hyacinth, Howl's trademark aroma, sent the girls into blushing fits as he descended down from his castle with his unbearably handsome features set into an expression of moving agony.
"Poor little angels…" Howl fell to his knees, grimacing as he scooped up a handful of glittering snow that suddenly managed to look a thousand more times beautiful when near his radiance. "…How have we wronged you so?"
"He's sad…" A girl chorused with her friends, watching in enthralled awe and confusion.
"Oh, but isn't he devastatingly gorgeous when he's sad?" Another replied.
"I'm gonna get you, Howl! My niece is wallowing in self-pity because of you! You worthless little-!" An aunt yelled.
"I love you!" A bold declaration from a pink-faced duchess interrupted.
"The snow!" Howl cried, lifting his face to the heavens as frost kissed his blessedly pink lips. The girls sighed again. He continued, oblivious to all. "Get away, you cruel demons!"
"Howl, darling, we must get together for some tea!"
"Look!" A girl eagerly fell to her knees, bending low to kiss the ground. "I like snow too, Howl! Oh, we'd be so perfect for each other…"
"The snnooowww!"
"Oh, I get it!" Several girls' faces lit up in realization and they followed suit to the ground, cooing at the white powdered crystals that Howl so dearly cherished. Calcifer was horrified, but couldn't look away. The girls called to the wizard, starry-eyed "Snow! Look, Howl!"
"Howl, I'm gonna kill you!" An aunt raged, her voice sounding distant as she hurried away, the sight of the wizard surely going mad scaring her slightly. "I'm gonna get you tomorrow!" When you're partially sane again...
"Snow!" The girl's cheered with rosy cheeks, mirroring Howl who could only manage to hold back sobs at the moment before gaining his voice again.
"The snooowww!" Howl cried in defeat. Calcifer would have found his melodramatics amusing if they didn't always manage to terrify him in the end. "Why must the good and beautiful die so young?"
"Snow!" The girls sang, eyes bright with exasperated hope as they crawled forward to comfort the grief-stricken wizard. "It's alright, Howl…"
"Fallen snow…oh the inhumanity!"
'Oh for the love of-!' Calcifer let out a terrible roar that would have no doubt scared the living daylights of anyone…except there wasn't anyone to scare which irritated him even more. He could deal with moody wizards…but this madness was un-ac-cept-a-ble!
He stretched as far as his heated and absurdly strained limbs could afford at this most dire of moments and with a tricky lick of his tongue he slammed the door shut, effectively startling Howl.
Yet, the wizard was not so startled that he quit his little philippic about life and death. About snowflakes, for the love of magick!
Calcifer sighed, blowing out ashes again and watching them perform the same old spins in mid-air, calling for half of his attention.
Noon had come when Howl strode in the door, hair mussed and eyes slightly red from crying. About snowflakes…
Howl sniffed piteously, glancing around the room with something akin to nostalgia when he noticed something especially vital was missing.
"Where's Sophie?"
He reached for his precious wooden cupboard and was not in the least surprised to find his beloved seven-league boots missing. Again.
"That insufferable woman leaves everytime I have something worth saying." Howl shook his head tiredly.
"Gee," Caclifer snorted, "I wonder why?"
"She doesn't know what she's missing." Howl shrugged, walking up the stairs while straightening his wrinkled white shirt -the wrinkles courtesy of the grabbing hands of the admiring girls, no doubt-, and running a hand through his silky hair.
Calcifer muttered under his breath, cursing the woman for being so mercilessly cunning and ruthless as to leave him behind to deal with Howl's erratic moods. "Oh, yes she does..."