"Howl?! Where have you been?!" Calcifer hissed into the darkness.
Howl appeared before him, fatigued. "I wasn't out with a woman, if that's what your tone was implying..."
"Of course I knew that!" Calcifer scoffed. "But if you were with a woman, I promise that I will not only hurt you, but brutally cause you suffering for the rest of your life if you hurt Sophie-"
"Calcifer!" Howl was truly hurt. Sophie would be the last person he'd ever hurt, and he made a promise to himself he would do everything in his power to protect her. "I would never do that to Sophie..." His heart felt constricted, and for a moment, it physically hurt. He grimaced. A heart would take him some getting used to, that's for sure.
Calcifer relaxed. "Yeah, I know. You're a lucky man, I hope you realize that."
Howl sighed. "Only everyday."
"But, back to the matter at hand...where have you been? I could tell something was wrong...but I didn't say anything to Sophie... Although, perhaps that would've been best-"
"No! You mustn't tell Sophie..." Howl sunk to the chair behind him and rested his face in his palms. "It's...a complicated matter, and if Sophie were to be involved, it would only place her in danger."
"Fine, my lips are sealed. But only for her safety!" Calcifer declared. "I hope you realize that a key to marriage is trust. And I guarantee she will ask you where you were..."
"Oh, Calcifer, old friend, I would not lie. I'll simply...avoid the truth." Howl grinned tiredly.
The fire demon closed his eyes in frustration. "You, my friend, are doomed."
Howl rolled his eyes, and started heading to the stairs, but then stopped. "Is she...awake?"
Calcifer shrugged. "She went to bed an hour and a half ago, so probably."
Howl frowned, and turned his body towards Sophie's room.
"Are you going in her room while she's sleeping?" Calcifer questioned, a little mortified.
Howl rolled his eyes once again. "...if she's awake I'd like to see her." And Howl headed towards her bedroom door.
Calcifer shook his head. "I know a lot of people find you charming, but at times, you're just creepy."
Howl just sighed and ignored the comment. He peaked through the crack in the doorway, and he saw his Sophie sleeping soundly...however, he noticed tear stained cheeks, which alarmed him. Had his absence really worried her to the point of tears? It's not like it was his first time gone like that...
He strolled back to Calcifer. "Was she...upset before she went to bed?"
Calcifer shrugged. "Not that I noticed...although, come to think of it, she looked a little saddened when I told her she'd be a good mother, which is strange, as you would think it'd be taken as a compliment."
Howl was taken aback. Why would she be upset about something like that...? Or perhaps it really was his absence that upset her.
"Why do you ask?"
"It looked like she had been crying..." Howl whispered.
Calcifer was silent for a moment, staring down at the bricks of the fireplace. Howl waited patiently; he knew he had something to say. "If anyone was saved, it was you Howl. There's not doubt about it. But...I definitely think Sophie had problems of her own at one point, that still saddens her at times. I don't know if that's what it's about, but, just remember that."
Howl did remember when he first met her in the alleyway, when those two soldiers were harassing her... The little grey mouse. He never understood why Sophie was wearing old women's clothes even before she was an old woman...and why she seemed so sad to see him, when all Howl remembered was feeling so relieved.
"Look, you should get some sleep. Or bathe. Or something. Because, well, you look terrible." Calcifer commented bluntly.
Howl snickered. "I think rest will do me some good."
"That's a first." Calcifer muttered.
And so Howl climbed up the steps, opened the door to his chamber, and collapsed on his bed in exhaustion.