On her way to Cesari's, Sophie passed a small alleyway between two vine-laden buildings where she noticed, in the corner of her eye, a tall figure leaning upon one of the walls. His arms where folded with one leg crossed in front of the other. She turned to find that it was none other than the Wizard Howl smiling deeply at her.

"Why Sophie, I was just strolling along when I noticed a beautiful and brazen woman walking along. You can imagine my shock when I found out that it was you!" He pressed his hand to his chest as he said this.

"Humph." Sophie snorted and continued on her way, doing her best to ignore him.

"Well look who has turned into Miss High Horse! With that long nose in the air too…" He was walking along side her now.

"Oh come now, don't I at least get a kind word?" He sounded deeply wounded.

"Honestly Howl, don't you have something more important to do than accost me? Are you not Ingary's new Royal Wizard? After all, one would think that there are Royal affairs to be attended to."

"My dear, since when do I willingly dabble in Royal affairs?"

"Since it became your duty."

"Ha! And what would you know about duty, Miss Morals? Oh wait, please disregard that question, I don't have all week." Sophie gave him a stern glare and he leaped back, halting in his tracks. "Watch where you aim that look, I would rather not catch fire."

She stopped and turned to face him fully, finally noticing the fact that his hair was in its natural state, dark and slightly messy. His blue eyes also seemed to have certain keenness to them now that most certainly was not there before.

"Well I see that you decided to wear your natural appearance today. Your clothes even look somewhat normal. Possibly even understated?" He wore a white tunic over brown riding pants and boots with high collared navy coat and long sleeves. It was wizardly, but not excessively so. Sophie gave him a humored smile.

"Compliments from the expert on high fashion of course. Well at least it is a compliment, so I guess we could say that it is progress."

Somehow he sounded different, that otherworldly accent which sounded only remotely Ingarian was thicker today.

"You were in Wales recently, weren't you?" This wasn't really a question but rather a statement of fact.

"Scholar Sophie strikes again. What she will be able to tell me about myself next? I certainly wonder." He appeared to be falsely captivated.

"Howl, is your family alright? You know after everything that happened." Sophie was genuinely concerned for his young niece who had nearly been captured by the Witch of the Waste.

"It was a bit of a messy cleanup, but certainly nothing that a few simple spells couldn't fix." He winked at her as he said this.

"I am really glad to hear that. I mean it too." She really did.

"I know that you are Miss Nose. I know that you are because beneath that hardened exterior is a kind-hearted woman." He sighed dramatically. "I do wish I could see more of her though, the other one is rather exhausting."

"Don't you mean a woman true and fair?" Sophie retorted sarcastically.

"Why that is precisely what I meant. Thank you for the correction. Sometimes I really don't have any idea of what I am talking about."

Sophie smiled at him. She simply couldn't help it.

"So what is it that you want Howl? I know that you came looking for me this morning."

"Well don't you have some nerve?" He stated with exaggerated surprise. "Her youth and beauty is returned and now she thinks that she is the center of attention!"

Now it was Sophie's turn to sigh dramatically. "Don't wax lyrical with me Howl. I know you better than that."

"Well if you really must know, I have come for my happily ever after, you know the one we talked about after I saved your life?"

It was Sophie's turn to feign surprise.

"Saved my life? Saved my life? You must have hit your head harder than I thought." Sophie turned and started walking again.

"Would you like to know when I fell in love with you? Or will that story bore you too much?" Howl called after her. She sighed deeply and stopped feeling her heart race. Botheration! Why was she having this exchange with him in the first place?

"Well?" He asked almost impatiently. Sophie looked at him trying to keep calm.

"Well what?"

"Well! It's the scared little mouse again." He gave her a dashingly wide smile and walked up to her slowly. Sophie took a slight step back. She was beginning to understand why he detested the idea of being pinned down.

When he was less than an arm's length away, he gently pulled her chin up to face him.

"Would you like to know when I fell in love with you?" He asked again. Sophie opened her mouth, and then promptly shut it again.

"Well now, the lady who always has something smart to say finds herself speechless. I think that I will just stand here and enjoy the moment…while it lasts."

"You do realize that everything that you are doing right now is not normal behavior. It is catching me a bit off guard." Sophie pulled her head away from his hand and stared at his arm avoiding his eyes at all costs.

"I must disagree with you. This is what I always do."

"Corner and then pin people down when you do not like it yourself?"

"Such unkind words!"

Sophie rolled her eyes at Howl's posturing. He clearly wanted her to play along, and she simply wasn't even trying.

"Alright Howl." She conceded. "Tell me when you 'fell in love' with me."

"I fell in love with you when you tried to get me out of that situation with my sister." He laughed at the memory of this.

"Really now? What exactly did I say to her that you found so amusing?" Sophie folded her arms trying to hide her own amusement.

He waved his hand. "I don't know, something about my 'servants' and the 'gold plate'. But that wasn't what was important. It was the fact that you stood up to that very frightening woman on my behalf, in a foreign world. Not only was I deeply impressed, but very touched by your concern for my well-being."

"Uh-huh." Sophie wasn't sure if she was buying anything that he was telling her. She had been preparing herself for his advancements for quite some time now, so she felt ready to guard her heart.

"It is the God's Honest." Howl said holding up his hand.

"To what God are you referring? I am not sure if I know what you mean." Howl had a way of using phrases or making references to things that simply did not exist in this world.

"Never mind." Howl said in annoyance.

"Are we finished here Howl? Because I have some business to attend to shortly and I fear that I am going to be late." Sophie started walking again.

"Oh, come on, visiting your sister at Cesari's is hardly urgent business." He said incredulously while following close behind.

"Actually, it is very urgent business because I would like her to tour a potential new hat shop location with me."

"Hat shop? Are you honestly going to revert back to your old life after everything that has happened? You really are a Mad Hatter!"

Sophie quickened her pace out of anger. "Well I am a Hatter therefore it is my duty…"

"Aye, there you go with the duty thing again. 'It is my duty…I am the eldest….I am a failure…I am…'" He imitated her voice. "All of that is garbage you know-complete and utter rubbish."

"Howl, regardless of what you think about my occupation or about my self-esteem, the irrefutable truth is that I need to have some sort of income. I am a Hatter, from a long line of reputable Hatters. Therefore, I should stick to what I am good at which is…"

"Settling for a life and an occupation that is irrefutably beneath you. No, I understand completely. And they tell me that I am a slither-outer!" Howl's tone became a mocking one again. "What's the matter Sophie, does an alternative path seem too difficult for you?"

Sophie felt her face begin to fill with a prickly heat. "Please leave me alone Howl. I am asking you nicely." She said with her teeth clenched. She could see the hanging sign for Cesari's and stormed toward it fiercely. As she was about to enter, Howl appeared in front of her at an unworldly speed and held the door open for her, oozing with charm. Chin held high, she glided through refusing to thank him. He continued to hold the door for two other young ladies who walked in behind her and they thanked him graciously. She rolled her eyes and walked up to the crowded counter.

Martha's hair was caked in snowy white flour and her apron was positively filthy, but she looked immensely happy and that was all that Sophie cared about. She had lost most of Lettie's features, but seemed to have gained some charm during her time as a baker's assistant. When she saw Sophie she beckoned for her to follow into a back room. Sophie looked over her shoulder to find that much to her relief, Howl had disappeared.

"You look positively radiant! I absolutely love your new look. Could this be a harbinger for the new and highly confident Sophie?" Martha folded her arms and walked a circle around her older sister appreciatively.

"I would like for you to come with me to look at a possible new location for the Hat Shop. It is in Upper Folding." Sophie wrung her hands slightly.

"Why on earth would I care about your business affairs? Dear Sophie please tell me that you aren't going to whittle away in the back of some shop! What about the floral business that you started with Howl?"

"Howl started that business and I want this Martha, please understand that." Sophie was beginning to think that perhaps she would be alone in this.

Martha looked decidedly thoughtful. "I will go with you, but only if this is what you want."