In Which Sophie Refuses to Go to a Rugby Game

Note: I haven't written in this fandom before, don't know how well I did. Please review!

Disclaimer: All characters are property of Diana Wynne Jones.

"Oh, come on, Sophie! Don't be that way!" Howl pleaded. He of course knew that no amount of finagling would get his wife to change her mind, but he had to try. "Please, dear-"

"Don't you 'dear' me!" Sophie snapped. She stood, hands on hips, glaring at her husband.

"But Wales is in the finals and the lads got tickets to the game! We have to go, Sophie!" His voice took on a whining tone.

Sophie snorted. "We do not have to do anything."

Howl at this point was on his knees—like that would work!—in front of his wife. "My dear," he took her hand in both of his, "Breathe life into this wretched soul and give him but a moment of life." He brushed his lips across her knuckles. "I shall perish if you do not grant me this one thing."

Sophie snatched her hand away. "Stop being so childish, Howl. I need to go tend the shop, why don't you do something useful."

"Useful! It is nothing but work with you, woman!" Howl got back to his feet intent on continuing wheedling Sophie, but the woman would have no more of it. She stormed out of the room leaving Howl alone with his thoughts and the fire.

Howl collapsed into the chair beside the hearth and let out a sigh that rattled the rafters. A face emerged in the flames and the fire demon Calcifer looked out at his former master. "You are only making things worse, you know?"

"You don't say?" Howl replied sarcastically. For over a week now Howl had used ever charm in his repertoire to convince Sophie to go to a rugby match with him in Wales. And for over a week Sophie resisted everything he threw at her. He once considered resorting to more extreme theatrics and summoning up the green slime, but he reconsidered when his wife gave him a stern tongue lashing. That woman's temper was nearly as fiery as her hair!

"I wonder, though. Why is she so against going?" he muttered. "Has she said anything to you Calcifer?"

"Not a word," the demon crackled.

#

Sophie stomped around the flower shop, arranging and rearranging the flowers. She had not had a moment of peace since Howl returned home from Wales brandishing two strange pieces of paper and talking excitedly. He had exclaimed that the best thing had happened that day, then started to explain, in detail, what the papers meant as he practically skipped around the room. At first, Sophie found his excitement catching, and she found herself smiling at the huge, childlike grin on her husband's face. But then he said something that made Sophie's stomach turn. 'Car.'

Sophie refused to ever ride in one of those horseless carriages again! She just wouldn't do it. But she couldn't tell Howl that, so she just adamantly refused to partake in that particular adventure.

"But, Sophie, cariad, you must come along! The whole Rugby Club will be expecting you! I've told them all about you," Howl had said.

"Doh! Don't go about making commitments on my behalf!"

Howl at this point gave her his most winning smile, the one that usually set her heart all aflutter, but that night she refused to give into him. And since then, despite his best efforts, Sophie still would not agree to go.

"Confound it, Howl," she muttered under her breath as she leaned against the front counter. "Why won't you just let it be?"