Blech, I have returned. And none too feeling well either. All that I can say is that I hate drama. I think I'm that weird teenage girl that as soon as I see drama I run away.

Gotta love bullshit.

~ THEMESONGS ~

Rescue Song ~ Mr. Little Jeans

.M.I.W.

10. In Which Madi Meets 'The Old Crone'

The world was dark.

And moving.

I felt jostled around, like some massive earthquake was going off. I opened my eyes immediately, seeing a very dim… something.

"The fuck?" I muttered, voice thick with sleep.

Everything shook again, and I limply flipped on my side, getting a face full of pillow. A soft, mushy pillow that smelled like flowers.

Pillow? Flowers?

I slowly tried to pull myself up, but the tremors being sent through the house, and the way the house dipped precariously from side to side made it difficult to do. I grappled the smooth, rich red covers to stay upright. They felt like silk.

That didn't help my situation at all.

The room I was in was cluttered, just like the moving castle. This room was filled with some creepy stuff. Weird voodoo masks, dream catchers with bright neon colored feathers, books, glitter, sharp knives and pens sticking out from the walls, spiders on the ceiling –

Whoa, wait! Wait one second! Spiders? Oh hell no!

The room rocked to the left harshly, which made me roll off of the bed, and collide with the floor, and then a face full of (not pillow, ladies and gents, but) wall. I groaned as I felt hot pain surge at my forehead and then crawl back, making me feel even groggier than I had before.

Where the hell was I?

I slowly pulled myself up, grappling onto the sill of a window I hadn't noticed until just now. I felt my head spinning as I looked out the window.

It was evening, a band of stars already making themselves known as they stretched across a purple sky. I saw the scenery move past lethargically, and I could hear the faint creaking of the moving castle as it lumbered along the countryside.

What had happened that made me end up here?

That was when it finally clicked. The castle rocked to the right, making me fall back and hit the bed. I hardly felt it, my body numb to any pain as memories from what had happened flashed through my mind.

Belial. The other demon.

I frowned, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger. Then I looked down at my outfit… or lack of one.

It was just the white under dress. It was a sheer cotton sort of thing that reminded me of some night gown.

But… the point was, it was an under dress. Kind of like this world's current version of underwear. If I moved just in the right way with the right light, you could see my… under things (that apparently were still yet to be invented, but there was no chance in hell I was taking them off for that creepy lady putting me in the damn dress).

I wanted to kick Howl's ass even more so now.

And that was when I heard the thumping downstairs. The incessant pounding. I furrowed my brows and stood, picking my way through the room, searching for –

"Aha!" I said victoriously, snatching up a piece of fabric hanging on a bedpost. Of course. Every Casanova as eccentric as Howl must have a bathrobe. The fabric was silk and soft and… cheetah print.

Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.

The pounding started up again, and I quickly threw on the bathrobe. I ran out of the room, tying the sash around me as I stepped down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The banging on the door continued endlessly, and I could hear some sort of muffled yowling. It was probably Howl.

I ran across the downstairs of the moving castle in my bare feet, leaping over dirty plates and dodging mountains of books to get to the door.

"Madi!" Calcifer yelped as he rose from the log he was hiding behind in the fireplace. "Madi! What are you doing? Don't answer the door! It could be –"

"I sincerely doubt it." I informed him, grasping the doorknob, twisting it –

"Think about this!" Calcifer cried. "Please!"

"Okay, okay! Fine!" I sighed dramatically, running back to the hearth of the fireplace. My rucksack and swords had been placed in a nook underneath the stairs. I pulled Sandalphon from his scabbard. I flipped it experimentally to show Calcifer. "Better?"

"Not really." He said, his flame tinting with a bit of green. "You couldn't even beat Howl with two. The Witch of the Waste is so much stronger –"

"Who even said it was the Witch of the Waste?" I demanded. "You're just stalling."

I walked to the door, grasping the doorknob once again. I twisted it and paused.

"Who's stalling now?" Calcifer inquired pleasantly.

I readied Sandalphon in my hand, whispering his name. He lit up instantly. I mentally prepared myself for a fight, and jerked the door open.

"All right, who are –"

I cut off with a sharp gasp when I saw an old, exhausted woman at the doorstep, clutching the iron railings of the house like her life depended on it. In fact, it might as well have been, the way this house was lurching around.

"Who is it? What is it?" Calcifer crackled, almost hysterically.

"Chill out, it's just an…Uh…"

"Won't you please let me in?" The old woman demanded. "It's terribly rude to let someone stand outside like this."

"Um… yeah, yeah sure." I said, stepping past.

The old woman scuttled inside, her eyes widening when she saw my sword. "A young lady should not be carrying a sword, or wearing such attire." She muttered, obviously unaware I could hear her. "Possibly one of Howl's more exotic concubines."

My mouth dropped nearly to the floor as I stared at her incredulously. She walked past me and took the chair I had slept in the first night I was here, stationed in front of Calcifer's hearth.

"Did you hear –?"

"What did you do?" Calcifer demanded. "Howl's not gonna like this. Not a bit!"

The old woman continued to settle herself in front of the fire, sighing deeply when she must have found herself comfortable. I narrowed my eyes at her, then walked to my rucksack to stow my sword.

"What are you doing?" The fire demon seethed. "She could kill us!"

"Oh yes, an old lady, I'm terrified." I rolled my eyes, thrusting the sword into its scabbard. Its light died instantly.

"She has strong magic in her! It's around her! What is she?"

"Look, if I told you that I knew who it was, would that make you feel better?" I asked.

Calcifer eyed me suspiciously. "Possibly."

"Then I know her." I replied shortly.

"That doesn't make me feel better!" Calcifer snapped.

"I can't tell you much else. Her name is Sophie Hatter, though. She comes from Market Chipping."

"How do you know her?"

I gave him a very long, sparing look. He still didn't get it. I tapped the temple of my head with my index finger. "It's all up here, fireball."

He still looked at me like he didn't understand. Then, his flame grew a little brighter. "Ah."

"The rest is classified." I informed him.

"Of course it is." He rolled his eyes. Or rolled them in a way that Jack-O-Lanterns can.

I stood up from my rucksack and turned to look at Sophie. "Hello." I greeted her. "I'm Madi Verdantia, guard to Wizard Howl Pendragon. Who are you?"

Yeah… that sounded just as gross to say it as I'm probably sure it was to hear it.

"Sophie Hatter." The woman said in a creaky voice. "Is Wizard Howl here?"

I looked at Calcifer. He seemed stunned, and quickly shook his head, retreating to his log.

"He's not here right now." I told Sophie.

"Some guard you are." The woman snorted in contempt. My eyes widened for a minute, and I arched an eyebrow.

"I see you're still just an obnoxious teenager." I noted dryly. "Merely disguised as an old woman."

Oh fuck. Me and my big mouth.

Both Sophie and Calcifer looked at me with huge eyes.

"Disguised?" Calcifer demanded.

"How did you know?" Sophie hissed.

"Uh…" I paused, looking anywhere other than the fireplace. "That is an excellent question for another time, I'm sure. For now, you should get some rest, Sophie. I'm sure you have been on your feet all day. Behind that curtain underneath the stairs is a cot. You can sleep there."

"You didn't answer my question, young lady."

I shuddered wholeheartedly at the term. "Call me Madi? Anyways, we should all get some sleep. It seems fairly late out. Goodnight, everyone!"

With that, I ran upstairs.

.M.I.W.

All right, I know it's short and such. Might not be a post in a while, I'm just actually trying to figure some other stuff out.

So… you should comment if you want me to post sooner, and if you want your name right down hurr…

ShoutOuts ~

AnimeVamp1997: OMG POCKY IS THE BEEESSSTTT! And wow, you are violent, but it's almost amusing. Anyhow, yes, Belial does deserve a good fork in the eye.

BookNinja15: I had to look those names up. I'm satisfied to say I know neither. Fill me in? Oh no! I'm scared! Is it bad? D: Agh! Don't tell me!

: Your name is terribly frustrating to type, but thank you. Your comment really means a lot. Okay… how do you know my love for strawberry Pocky? This is creepy…

Nyx's Pinky Girl: I adore Madi and Howl's relationship. Madi finally has someone who can make her shut up. Belial… is Belial. I like writing scenes with him because he's like no one I've ever experienced before. A compassionate, almost helpful antagonist?