Howl skipped down the stairs, his smile very broad, his life filled with a fresh new incentive. He sat down in front of Calcifer on the couch, his arms stretching against either side. He noticed the apparent lack of cobwebs and a general fresh atmosphere that the room now held. He lowered his head to stare at the grate, locking his happy eyes onto Calcifer's scrutinizing glare.
"Has something very good happened to you in the past few minutes, Howl?" He asked patronizingly, the scowl clear on his face. Howl's smile fell slightly.
"A bee in your bonnet?" Calcifer's eyes narrowed.
"A few, quite big they are too. Let me make something perfectly clear…" Howl leaned forwards, interested. "Keep away from Prue." Howl's face shot back a few inches in surprise, Calcifer however just sat and glared, unamused.
"What is that supposed to mean Calcifer? What are you implying?" Howl joked, laying back into the couch and stretching his legs out. Calcifer flared up.
"You know well what I mean Howl. You will not chase after her like you do with the others. I will not allow it!" Howl raised his eyebrows, watching Calcifer writhe in anger in his ash. He sighed.
"I shall not be chasing her. I think after some time I shall become very much in love with her, and she will be chasing after me." Calcifer snorted.
"You're heartless," he muttered.
"Well, you should know better than anybody of what I'm capable of. Heart or no heart." They sat in silence for a few moments, avoiding each others gaze. Calcifer muttered under his breath, sending out little sparks. Howl cocked his head, genuinely starting to get annoyed.
"What was that?" He asked, an edge of impatience to his voice. Calcifer looked up, annoyed.
"I said, Prue is not like the others." Howl expression changed to that of sadness. He flicked his head angrily.
"Stop doing that Calcifer!" Calcifer just stared at Howl questioningly.
"Doing what?"
"Trying to influence me."
"Know thy heart."
"I do, only too well." Howl let his head sag backwards, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's like an addiction Calcifer. I want to treat her differently, I don't want to chase her. I just…" Calcifer's eyes narrowed. "I genuinely feel something for her." Calcifer flared up immediately.
"You know you can't love Howl! You gave away your heart. Emotions like love are beyond your reach!" Calcifer turned green at the tips, panicked. Howl had raised his head to look at Calcifer, his eyes were all black.
"Take a walk Howl," Calcifer said quietly, warily watching him. Those blank expressionless eyes turned on him, filled with nothing but a hollow longing. They cleared and Howl shook his head rapidly, his black hair dancing. The breath hissed between his teeth as he stood up and walked away from Calcifer towards the door. He paused the moment his fingertips touched the handle. He gave a deep sigh before leaving. Calcifer watched the door anxiously, before sighing with relief. He heard Markl thundering down the stairs. The short boy reached the bottom of the stairs, breathless.
"She's cleaning my room!" He said bewildered. "She actually opened the windows! She must be magic!" The atmosphere morphed instantly and became light-hearted. Markl looked around the room, noticing the apparent absence.
"Where's Howl?" He asked, fixing his bright eyes on Calcifer. Calcifer shrugged.
"He went out a moment ago, I don't know which door he went through." Above the door was a circle, with each quarter coloured differently: pink, blue, red and black. It was spinning wildly.
"Why has he done that?"
"I suppose he doesn't want to be followed," Calcifer shrugged again. Good, he thought. Calcifer disliked the look of Howl's eyes. The hollow black filling up his entire iris, blanking out the brilliant blue. Filled with a monstrous lust.