Howl's Apprentice

K

Kira

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Original poster
The day was beginning beautifully. A clear blue sky with a few fluffy white clouds scattered about. But the day wasn't about to last in such beauty, that was certain. A storm was brewing on the horizon, dark opaque clouds with a few flickers of lightning and the smell of rain was on the warm air.

A young man walks through an outdoor market bustling with activity. It was a challenge to even guess his age... But if you were to pull aside some random civilian and ask, most would say the blonde was in his twenties. He was like a breath of fresh air in a musty room. His attire wasn't like that of any normal commoner or even royalty for that matter. His slender form was dressed in slightly tight pure white pants, light brown shoes, a tucked in loose white shirt with a slightly ruffled open collar. Across his shoulders, a jacket is draped. It has an odd pattern, large pieces of purple black and pink pieces of fabric, sewn into a diamond like checkered pattern. Around his neck, a thin gold chain with a light blue piece of stone is resting against his chest, and medium sized but slender blue crystals hang from his earlobes, slightly hidden under his light, straight blonde hair that ends just above his shoulders.

Howl Jenkins Pendragon picked up a small jar of liquid, inspecting it a bit absently. It was the first time he'd left his magical dwelling in a couple of days, and only because he needed a few things for some spells he was working on. The man was usually quite social, but sometimes he'd go on long lengths of time where he'd simple hole up in the constantly moving castle of his. He sets it down, looking around with his bright crystal blue eyes as he walks down the street, dodging a few people he didn't feel like talking to. He was much too preoccupied with his thoughts of spells and potions.

Howl was a natural heart breaker, and a bit vain on top of it. Despite this, he didn't flaunt it with words...For the most part. His talent for his art of magic was exceedingly great and it drew people from every crowd, even royalty. He had fun with his lifestyle, his looks, and his flamboyant way of dressing. Even though he was a bit odd, his gentle and even generous personality took people in like a magnet. Under all this, however, was cowardice. He ran from what he feared, and he didn't look back. He knew it too...It wasn't a trait that made him proud of himself, so he pushed it back and deep.

He had no long lasting feelings or attraction to any one person, preferring to play with emotions then anything else. He had the bad habit of courting a girl and when she fell for him, he'd dismiss her, brushing her to the side, out of sight out of mind. The cruelness of this escaped him. His former mentor had once said the day the man spent more then an hour without admiring himself would be the day he was truly in love.
 
Fiona Satu was wandering through the marketplace with a steady stride and a determined look on her face. Her light brown hair was sticking to her face due to the summer heat and sweat beaded on her forehead as she began to pick up speed with the vials of ingredients she had. Unfortunately, the bag she used to carry them had broken soon after she left her house. She currently lived alone so there was no one to scold her for being so careless, but still, she didn't want to turn back and figured she could just carry the items by hand.

This was proving to be more difficult than she thought, however, for she wasn't wearing a skirt she could lift to use as a makeshift bag, but was instead wearing pants tucked into knee-high brown, heelless boots that she had worn down until there were practically holes in it. Her hair was long and just reached her elbow, but that just meant that it stuck to her sweaty arms. She had a small, brown waist corset and a tunic that may have been a size two (but she bought it very cheap as a result!) and her green eyes were bright with determination, but squinting due to the bright light.

Finally, though, Fiona made it to the stand she was looking for. Shifting all the stuff in her hands, she tried to reach into her pocket to give the merchant a list of ingredients to get for her and reached into her pocket again to get the coin. She swore as some of the herbs toppled out of her hands, and the merchant looked at her. "You sure you can carry all of that?" he asked her.

She nodded, as she tried to pick up the herbs with the tips of her fingers without bending over too much. "Just -- Fine!" she struggled out. The merchant handed her the ingredients in a satchel "free of charge" (god bless!) and with some struggling, Fiona managed to haul the bag over her shoulder and go on her merry way. She was so excited to try this new spell she had researched in one of the many books in her collection, that she practically sprinted to the market, keeping an eye on her goods to make sure none of them fell. Especially the ingredients the merchant had given her since they were all in glass vials.

Perhaps Fiona was keeping too close an eye on her items because the next thing she knew, she ran smack into a blonde-haired man which sent her flying back onto her arse and on top of all the items she had bought. "Aw, no!" Fiona whined as she scrambled to her feet and tried to pick up all of the items she had bought in the day, barely paying a mind to the man she had hit in her frantic motions. She dimly realized that the glass vials had broken and she may or may not have cut herself on them, but she couldn't find it in her to care because this was her life's work here! Scattered all over the ground of the marketplace!
 
Howl glanced at the large clock tower that was looming over the city, peeking over the tops of houses and eventually visible to the blonde. He should be getting back soon enough, he had work to do. The past few weeks had been busy, and would be until the approaching date of the common holiday known as Valentines Day. He had no use for it himself, usually, unless of course he was "courting" a gorgeous woman like he usually was. But, surprisingly, he hadn't reverted to his old habits for a while for some odd reason. Perhaps he just wasn't in the mood...

He stumbles slightly as something runs into him, stepping back slightly a bit off balance but regaining it quickly as he hears the clatter of glass and the slight thump of whoever rammed into him falling back on the ground. He looks down quickly. Not many people would ever bump into him. It was more likely they'd walk into a wall, or a pole or something of the sort for the simple reason of not being able to look away from the stunning boy.

Various bottles and tubes are cast on the ground at his feet along with a long haired slightly disheveled girl. Howl blinks still slightly astonished before his gentleman like habits kick in and he kneels as well starting to pick up some of the variety of colors bottled in their clear containers.

"I'm very sorry, I hope nothing broke-" He pauses seeing a cut on the strangers hand. Out of pure instinct, he reaches out taking her hand gently, inspecting it. "Ah, that's not acceptable. Here, let me pick up the rest for you." He wipes the blood away slightly with a thumb, leaving the skin unmarked and uncut as he smiles, releasing her hand, beginning to pick up the other bottles, taking note mentally of which had been shattered. He'd be sure to replace them, despite the fact she had been the one who had bumped into him.

Some blonde hair falls alongside his perfect face, one of his blue earrings dangling down a bit as he carefully begins to put the bottles and jars into the satchel from which they came.
 
Fiona was frantic as she tried to clean up the mess and didn't notice that the man she had bumped into was right in front of her now. At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, she looked up and saw her own freckled face reflected in the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen. It was almost like she was being put under this man's spell. He was so very attractive and Fiona couldn't help but notice it. It wasn't something she typically would notice either. Fiona had always had her nose far too into her books to notice anyone of the opposite sex, but there was something about this man that just - drew her in. "Ah, no it's alright, sir! It's my fault, I was careless!" she insisted as she tried - in vain - to put all the items back into the box.

She looked at the broken vials of liquid on the ground and groaned as if in physical pain. She bunched her hands in her eyes which resulted in some of the blood being from her hand being smeared on her brow and tilted her head back in frustration. "Oh crap! No, those cost me so much, and this was supposed to be--" she trailed off mumbling to herself, but was startled when the man grabbed her hand and wiped off the blood she hadn't realized was there. She was stunned into silence by the act, especially when he released her hand to find it cut-free. Her eyes widened at the lack of a cut. "Sir! Are you--!" She stopped herself from saying out loud, and then lowered her voice into a whisper. "Are you as wizard?" she said much more quietly, her green eyes glinting in excitement. "I can't believe- Oh! What are the chances?!" Fiona was practically bouncing on her feet, her brown hair bouncing with her, and forgetting that yes, there was still broken glass everywhere that she had to find a way to clean still. She could care less, though, her eyes were too focused on the man who had picked up the remaining of her items.

"You have to show me what you did!" She said excitedly, grabbing the satchel of stuff and carrying the rest that wouldn't fit in with both of her hands. She tried to look at him from over the pile of items she had with her. "I can only do potions and spells, but that was instant! You barely had to lift a finger!" She went on a rant as she lifted her head higher to get a better look at him. Even at nineteen, Fiona still had the energy of a five-year-old.
 
He finishes picking up her vials when he hears her excited voice ask him a question that was often spoken around him. Howl looks up slightly hair falling back from his face a bit and he smiles, standing up , brushing the dust off his pant legs. Before he could answer, the girl went on an overly zealous rant.

The blonde blinks his light ocean blue eyes which shine slightly at the enthusiasm of the girl standing in front of him. He stares at her intently, listening to her going on and on before he chuckles slightly reaching out putting a finger to her lips slightly, "Hey there, don't forget to breathe. Let me invite you to have tea at least, and please let me replace what broke. They're relatively common liquids." He smiles a white toothed smile.

The man holds his arm out to her slightly in a polite fashion. The strangers love for magic intrigued him, as it'd been a long time since someone like that had come along. Magic was being demonized more every day, so much that the wizard had to stay a bit more in the shadows than he used to. Speaking of shadows...A few were slowly starting to move away from their natural spots, toward him along the cobbled stone street. He notices but his expression doesn't flicker. "Shall we go?"
 
Fiona went on talking and mumbling excitedly to herself until the man put a finger to her lips. She shut up instantly and tried to stare at the finger that was being pressed to her lips, looking just a bit cross-eyed as she did so. As she listened to the man though, her green eyes flicked back to his in excitement. "Oh no sir! You don't have to do that!" she insisted. "The replacing of the bottles part, at least. I would love some tea. So you should do that still. But the bottles -- it's completely my fault don't even worry about it," she went on, but couldn't seem to stop in both nervousness and excitement. As she spoke, the items in her hands were being jostled and the satchel swayed from left to right, but due to the lack of a few bottles, they were far easier to carry.

That was when she noticed the man had held his arm out for her to grab. She went to reach for it but a sudden shyness as well as a slight weariness of the man shook her, but she shook her head and grabbed his arm anyways, the excitement bubbling once more. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn't even notice the shadows, but it mattered not to her, she was going to have tea with a sorcerer! "Lead the way, sir!" she said as she began walking. The summer sun was beating down on them, the heat oppressive. Fiona rubbed her sleeve on her forehead to wipe some sweat off, but only managed to smear dirt -- from when she was picking up her fallen items -- on her forehead as she did so. She looked at herself. "I apologize, I'm not very presentable.." she started as she looked up at the man who looked flawless despite having been on the ground next to her picking up her mess.
 
He chuckles softly, "I insist. I'll replace them, they seem to be quite important." smiling brightly at her as they begin to walk down the crowded marketplace street. The shadows creep after them as they walk and he subtly increases their pace, making his way around cliques of people and shoppers with her.

A bit ahead, a few more shadows are detaching themselves and a slight frown crosses his face. How inconvienant...This is why he hated leaving his magical dwelling for more then a couple of hours. Some one or some thing always managed to catch scent of his presence and make it a big deal for him to be out and about. He puts on another smile looking at her slightly, "It's fine, I understand. Ah..." he glances to the shadows slightly before ducking down a smaller, narrow side path through the complex of buildings as the shadows dive after him, following. "I hope you don't mind a bit of a shortcut, I'm afraid I'm being followed."

He was used to it, but now he had a guest. And he'd unwittingly pulled her into it.
 
"No, no not at all. Believe me," she insisted but trailed off as she noticed Howl acting strangely and leading her around a bit. Fiona may be naive and easily distracted, but she was not inattentive. That was mostly due to her practice with magic. After all, magic could be very dangerous to someone who was not careful. Even the simplest of potions could blow up in her face (and they have!), and when using darker forms of magic (she tried to stay away from it, she did but sometimes..), you could invite dangerous things around you. She learned to listen to her instincts, like she was now. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she looked at the man around the pile of things she had with her. Just who was this man? She couldn't help but think that as he led her down a narrow path and picked up the pace. She struggled to keep up with him around the items she carried with her, but managed just fine.

She didn't think this man was dangerous, at least, he didn't seem so, and Fiona was not naturally one who was suspicious of others. But when he said that they were being followed, Fiona perked up and began looking around. "What? Who? Where are they?" she rapid-fired the questions as she began to walk just a bit faster. "What's going on, sir? Who is following you? Are you in trouble? We can go back to my home if that'll help!" she insisted.
 
He smiles slightly. He could tell she had instincts and that was definitely one of the more important aspects of magic. But then again, Howl wasn't the best in that department. At least, at the listening to his instincts. He had very good ones, he just wasn't the best at heeding them. And that...well, that led to a couple mishaps with his hair color (bright green looked horrid on him), an incident with a few obsessive monster ladies, and a rabid squirrel frying pan.

"Shhh, act natural. It'll be fine, just calm down." Howl resists a small chuckle. She was a bit high strung, wasn't she. A few large shadows detach ahead of them and this time, there's no where to turn. He glances at her a bit. Hopefully she wouldn't faint, seeing as how wired the girl was. "You asked who I am," still walking swiftly toward the shadows who have detached themselves ahead, still tailed by the others. "There's many answers to that," he says with a smile as he puts an arm around her waist firmly, "I'm known as Pendragon. Also as the great wizard, Jenkins. Although I always found that to be my least favorite of my names..." They suddenly shoot up into the air as the shadows collide with each other back in the alley walkway and she finds herself floating in the air over the city with his arm around her waist, steadying her. "But I'm more commonly known as Howl."
 
"Cal-Calm down?" Fiona repeated the phrase as if she didn't quite know its meaning. Which in reality, she didn't truly know how to calm down. Especially not when she was holding onto the arm of a strange wizard and being pursued by some shadow creatures. She was barely paying attention to the man as he talked, too busy trying to hold onto all of her stuff and clinging to his arm, afraid that he would let go and leave her to the wolves. How did I get myself into this situation? she thought to herself hopelessly. But at the name "Howl" her attention was sucked back into the man. "Did you say Howl?" she said incredulously. "The Howl?! The powerful wizard that steals the hearts of women? The wizard summoned by the King himself? You're HIM?!" Fiona was beginning to sweat from the news of this information but barely had a chance to catch her breath before they were being lifted into the air.

"Whoa there!" she yelled in surprise. Her eyes widened as she looked down, and she clung even tighter to Howl as she realized she could very easily fall to her death. In her surprise, she dropped the items that were in her hands and not in her satchel down. Fiona's fear of falling was quickly overpowered by her disappointment as she watched all the ingredients fall to the ground and she began swearing profusely. It only lasted a moment however, before she was whisked away by the view. "H-how?!" she managed to say, turning her green eyes onto Howl's blue with a smile on her face. "We-We're flying!"
 
He flicks his finger, stopping the satchel from shattering on the ground far below, floating in the arm keeping her alongside him. A smile spreads on his face as he lets out a laugh, "I steal the hearts of women? What a reputation I've made for myself. Although, I assure you, I don't eat them like some say." He keeps laughing, a light sound, one befitting of his appearance. The satchel disappears from it's floating position below them. For some reason, he relished her reactions. They were quite entertaining.

"Extend your legs and just walk," he instructs gently. "It's quite easy once you get the hang of it." Her slightly rough mannerisms were fun and he was having a better time then he'd had in a long time. "The tea's going to get cool if we don't hurry up." Keeping an arm around her waist to give her balance, he reaches over with his other hand taking hers as if to guide her, watching her expressions.
 
Fiona watched in awe as her items disappeared before they could crash into the ground. She looked at Howl with an amazed and grateful expression. "Thank you!" she said excitedly, squeezing him just a bit tighter in gratitude. They didn't call him the Great Wizard for nothing! Fiona was in absolute awe over his ability, hoping that one day she would be able to practice magic with as much ease and not have to constantly worry about something exploding or worse. She had heard the stories of Howl over the years, he was well-known and famous among the whole kingdom, and was even feared by some. With good reason, Fiona thought. As much as she was inspired by his abilities and power, she knew many feared anyone who had that much power and influence over the things in this world. Howl made flying look like child's play, after all. However, she could hardly suspect that this man was as terrible as everyone says, although she felt like there was a lot more to him than Fiona was currently seeing.

"Where are we going?" She asked over the wind that was mussing up her hair. She turned her eyes away from the ground because it was starting to make her woozy, being so high up and constantly looking down. Instead, she turned her focus to Howl with wide eyes and a tilt to her head that expressed her curiosity. "We're not going to be flying all day, right?" It wasn't that she didn't enjoy flying. Fiona loved it, actually. She loved thrills and adventure. However, her heart has gotten quite a few scares already and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.
 
Howl looks out over the view from their position in the blue sky. The grey storm clouds were coming their way and it probably wouldn't stay pleasant for much longer. He turns his gaze to her and smiles, "My home. The tea's waiting and I do have a few orders I have to work on. But as long as we hurry, the tea will be hot and we'll have time to thoroughly enjoy it." His blue eyes sparkle a bit and he begins to walk forward through the clear air with a long stride still steadying her with his arm and hand in hers.

Calcifer would be waiting upon his return, and would probably be in a foul mood seeing as the wizard was keeping the fire demon waiting, leaving him to keep the tea hot in wait for them. On top of it, he'd probably seen the satchel appear and figured that Howl was playing with another girl. Which wasn't the complete truth. Despite this girls disheveled, odd sort of beauty, he wasn't going to treat her like he was trying to make another conquest. Especially if he was considering taking her as an apprentice. His games wouldn't be good in this situation. Plus he had absolutely no compulsion to do so.
 
Fiona tried to walk as Howl did, but couldn't quite keep it up the way he seemed to. Her steps were unsteady, but then again, it was hard to do without any surface to go on. She couldn't believe she was going to have tea with Howl, one of the most well known wizards of her time! Fiona couldn't get there fast enough, but had to suppress a shiver when she saw the storm headed their way. "Are we going to be there soon, Howl?" she asked, tasting his name on her tongue.

And that was when Fiona realized that to Howl, she was a complete stranger. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" She said, suddenly, her eyebrows shooting up into her brown bangs in realization. "I never introduced myself and here I am calling you by your first name! I probably seem like such an arse, how have you put up with me this long? To you I'm just some eccentric amateur witch who just slammed into you on the marketplace. Not that I'm not a weird amateur witch--" She went on a rant as she looked up at him. "Anyways!" She said, forcing herself back onto the original topic. "My name is Fiona Satu. I don't go by any other names like you do, though."
 
Howl turns his head, focusing his laser like blue gaze on her and smiles again. "We'll be there soon, as we're almost there. My full name's actually Howl Jenkins Pendragon but I use all three as alias's. You may call me Howl, for now however." He laughs a bit lightly as they walk over the city, his hands steadying her.

He listens to her go on and on for a few minutes before she finally gets to the point of it all and tells him her name. Fiona? An elegant name really, and it fit her in a really strange way. "I wasn't expecting you to have more than a first name and last." Howl lets out a slight chuckle. "You wouldn't have a need to be 3 different people really."

He floats down with her landing lightly and gently on a grassy courtyard in the middle of a small building complex. He releases her hand and waist as his jacket settles slightly behind him. "We're here." He strides across the ground to one of the doors and turns, hair flowing a tad giving off a shine. "Come, the tea's waiting." He smiles and the blue necklace shines softly around his neck.
 
Howl Jenkins Pendragon? Fiona repeated the name to herself several times. "That's quite the name, sir!" she said as they landed on the ground. She stumbled a bit upon landing and her first few steps were a little shaky, as if she were a child that was learning to take their first steps. It was odd having the sensation of ground beneath your feet after you were literally floating through the air. Odd and a bit disorientating. But Fiona managed to steady herself just fine after a few moments and followed behind Howl excitedly.

"I can't believe I'm have tea in this place! And with you of all people!" She said, looking at Howl excitedly and being stunned by the smile he currently wore. However, when she walked in through the door, she was surprised by the mess. How could anyone live this way? And Fiona thought she was bad, this man was absolutely terrible! Still, she didn't mind it so much because the smell of warm tea drifted up to her nostrils.
 
Howl loved her enthusiasm. Rarely did someone talk so excitedly about being around him and so openly about it as well. The wizard follows the girl into the building, up the small flight of stairs into it. The place was dirty, yes, but it was a treasure trove of magical things. Shelves were overflowing with vines of various plants that had grown out of their pots, vines and potions interwoven with the curtains of flowered greenery, trinkets and baubles where scatter about and almost every surface whether it be desk or table was covered with random things: open books, ink wells, unorganized notes with elegantly scrawled writing, a few bowls of oddly colored powders and such. Some clear crystals cast glittering rainbows through the room as they sit in the window.

Howl walks forward through the space to the side of an open fire place, where a tea kettle sits, staying warm. "There you are, Howl! You took your dear sweet time to get here, didn't you?" A male's voice says. The sorcerer smiles a bit, "We have a guest, Calcifer. Mind your manners," he replies calmly. The blonde turns toward her slightly, motioning her over, "Come on, no need to be shy."
 
Fiona looked at all the vials and plants on the walls and was able to recognize most of them from the multitude of books she's read on herbology and potions. "My goodness, you probably have every species of plant in the kingdom and beyond," she said, impressed. Before turning to face Howl who called her over. Hesitantly, Fiona made her way to the one he referred to as "Calcifer" and stared at the flame.

She blinked a few times, stunned, and then leaned in really close to him. "You're a demon, aren't you?" she said enthusiastically. "And you're working for Howl?! The demons I've met never do anything for anyone but themselves let alone work for a wizard. They always want something in return, it's quite messy business. But you, wow, you even made tea!" she went on a rant before blushing a little. She probably shouldn't have admitted to associating with demons (it made many wary and with good reason), but her excitement got the better of her. "Ah, I'm sorry," she said straightening a little. "I got a little carried away."
 
The flame demon reaches over, picking up a log from a stack near him and settles in with it before jumping slightly at the girl leaning close, "Hey! We're partners, I don't work for him! Oye, Howl, who's this girl?" Calcifer looks over at Howl. His smile had faded slightly when she spoke of "something in return", but it returns and he laughs a bit, "Just a girl who happened to bump into me. Literally." He reaches over to near the tea pot, picking up her satchel and turns handing it to her, "Here we are. Give me a bit to dig up the liquids that you lost." He smiles, eyes sparkling a bit.

Howl turns on his heel, walking to another side of the room, beginning to dig through a few shelves, boxes and drawers. Calcifer reaches over to the teapot picking it up with a flame hand and pouring some into a cup, scooting it over toward the guest. "Here." The tea steams warmly, smelling vaguely fruity with a slight nutty undertone. It was a pleasant scent.

The blonde wizard pulls out a few empty viles, pouring the liquids she had lost when they dropped into the empty containers and walks back over swirling one purple one a bit in its bottle before holding it out to her with a charming smile. "There we go, I don't think I forgot any." He brushes a variety of things off of two chairs before sitting down in one and tilts his head cheerfully, "You're welcome to sit," as he pours himself his own cup of tea sipping it a bit.

Calcifer grumbles something about hot water, picking up another log and settling in with it in the fireplace. It vaguely occured to Howl he really should work on a few of the orders, but he didn't want to. So he wasn't going to. Plus, he was far to curious about the girl standing in his house.
 
Fiona looked at Howl gratefully. "You really didn't have to but thanks so much!" she said, grabbing the satchel with thanks and a small blush as she saw Howl's smile. "It really was my fault that I ran into you," she mumbled, but let the subject go. Howl had gone out of his way to pour all the vials for her.

Fiona moved over to the chair Howl had set up and let the aroma of tea envelope her senses. That tea smelled so good to her and tasted even better when she finally got a sip. "This is where you live?" she asked. Oh man, she was brimming with questions. "Do you make your spells here then? Where do you get the supplies? Where do you keep them all? Actually, I can see where you keep them all. It's all over the floor! Hahah, but seriously, some of these ingredients I've only read about and never seen and you have them at arm's reach, it's amazing!" She stretched the last word out before stopping to take a few deep breaths for her rant had left her breathless.
 
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