"We are not getting a babysitter!" Sophie repeated furiously, for the umpteenth time. It would've been a yell, but Morgan was sleeping cozily nearby.
The scene was a common one, a fight between two powerful sorcerers, the Jenkins couple of Howl and Sophie. Morgan had become used to the bickering, as had Michael and Calcifer. It was times like the current scene that the latter two decided it was time to go and collect more flowers! Or go shopping!
For once, the argument was slightly valid. Howl and Sophie were to accompany Fanny off to some formal dinner, and Sophie decided leaving their child with a babysitter was absurd. Indeed, it was absurd; there was Michael and Calcifer to look after them!
"Uh, no." Howl cut in bluntly to his wife's interjections. "Calcifer will burn him, and Michael's... An apprentice! Not a babysitter! My apprentice, not your babysitter! Get your own teenager!"
Back and forth went the bickering, until Sophie realized it would be simpler, and much less time-consuming to actually get her own teenager. "Do you have any relatives?" She asked coyly between a break in their argument.
Thrown back, Howl's attention quickly snapped to Sophie, who had been cleaning the dishes. Personally, seeing as cleaning was below him, the uppity wizard was "working on a spell," which here means "lazing about."
Indeed, he did have relatives. There weren't any in his world, or at least there shouldn't have been... But perhaps... "What are you saying?" Sophie snapped irritably, seeing as Howl had voiced aloud his rambling thoughts.
"Not now woman! I need to summon someone..." Trailing back into ramblings, he started dashing about, looking for chalk. "I do not want another dog, Howl! Or a tuscact, catscut... One of those dreadful plants! The elephant was a bit much as well!" Objecting as usual, Sophie would've started a fight, but her wonderous husband was ignoring her nagging.
Not long after she had tired herself out from descrbing all the things he had summoned, a chalked star was all ready. "I'm just going to attempt to summon, so he'll know. Don't need Calcifer..." At first it seemed as if he was talking to Sophie, but soon went off into his ramblings again.
Grumbling herself about summoning and nonsense, Sophie went back to cleaning the dishes, and choose to ignore whatever witchcraft was about to go down. It was too bad neither Calcifer nor Michael were there to see what was about to take place; it was around noon, and when they dissapeared around then it wasn't likely they'd be back until dusk, twilight even.
If she had been paying attention, Sophie would've noticed how Howl's ramblings were actually now strange chanted words.
If she had been paying attention, Sophie would've felt the sudden intense magicalal aura around them.
If she had been paying attention, Sophie would've seen an irritable head poke out from the floor, and give the surrounding area a right glare.
If she had been paying attention, Sophie would've wondered who the boy was, and why excitement flittered across his sour face, before his head disappeared.
As it was, Sophie had not been paying attention. Instead, she was scrubbing out a particularly grimy pan that once held delectable brownies, but now held moldy crumbs, which did not want to leave their home of the pan at all.
"Sophie," Howl's pleading voice broke the silence after the head had dissapeared.
"Howl." Sophie's curt response came after another pause, in which she successfully finished cleaning the pan. Turning, she gave him a seething look. Mocking affront at the look, he fell into a nearby sofa dramatically. "You and your looks!" He was back to normal, since the problem had been solved.
"W-what?" Sputtering, Sophie simply couldn't believe how her husband was acting. As if nothing had happened!
Interrupting the rage, was a loud rap on the door. "That's for you," smirking, Howl amused himself with a stray lock of his blond hair mysteriously, and conveniently covering the sneaky look his eyes were conveying.
Back to grumbling, Sophie irritably stomped to the door, and swung it open. Wrong door. The knocking got louder and more irritated. Throwing the door closed, and grumbling curses a lady shouldn't grumble, she went through ALL of the knobs twice, before a foot stopped the purple-down door from slamming shut.
Pushing the door open, the owner of the foot stepped into the castle, causing the frightened Sophie to step back. "That's the second time you've slammed the door in my face, Howl-" The young man started, before quickly taking in his surroundings, "Howl's wife. Someone married you?"
"Who are you?" Sputtering, which was becoming a habit, Sophie started with alarm at the new being.
"Jamie Jenkins, your new apprentice, at your service."