fleur.

a one-woman force of nature. Affiliated Sophie Hatter of Howl's Moving Castle

[stardust-hatter-blog]

ATTN, FSL PEEPS

Tonight I'm going to be dropping Soph from the network and revamping her as an indie blog. So I guess this would be a cue to those who are still active to unfollow if they wish?

I'll reblog this several times over the course of the next few days just in case, and that'll give me time to redo what I wish to in order to function properly and all. I wish y'all the best of luck!!

[pendragonoddities]

The tinkle of a bell announces you. The air inside is heavy, charged. Potent. Even the dust motes in the air glitter under the sun’s rays, spilling in through the shop’s glass windows.

There are magicks here, no doubt about that.

Mind your step as you walk in. The spacious interior of the shop is consumed by the sheer volume of merchandise. Organized chaos at best, a ragtag nest of belongings at worst. A basket of ribbons sits just by the entrance. By the register sits another basket of hagstones. Colourful embroidered cloths adorn every flat surface - and a few shaky ones too. Overhead spins a hundred glittering baubles. Mobiles, jewels, pendants. All whispering secrets.

A bookshelf is crammed along one wall, all but bursting with the knowledge it holds. Suitably, the Elf sits there too, knowing too much and saying far more than it should.

The Elf is always for sale.

Welcome to Pendragon’s Magickal Supplies and Oddities, Utopia’s premiere destination for all things magical. Pendragons’ was founded with the intention of serving as a hub for all of the witches, mages, wizards, and magic-users who reside in Utopia. We also offer a range of services, from consultations, custom spellweaving and the exchange of magical goods. Please contact one of our associates who will put you in touch with our resident wizard who may be happy to assist you.

                 ABOUT | STAFF | INVENTORY | APPLY HERE

[stardust-hatter-blog]

inherlikeness:

He was halfway up the ladder before she spoke, and paused to look up at her when she did, a little startled. She wanted to pull it up herself? Norman didn’t doubt her exactly – Emma could’ve done it much more easily than he had, and in a skirt no less – but… Why not just keep moving?

The time pressure didn’t leave him much room to question it, though. He nodded and picked up the pace, pulling himself up onto the second balcony and slipping past her (he was small enough that it didn’t pose much difficulty). Though he went to ascend to the third tier promptly, he couldn’t help the concerned backward glance at her; what if something happened…? What if he couldn’t get back to her in time to help?

…He’d just have to trust her, though he didn’t really like the thought.

“Be careful!” He sounded notably more serious, urgent, than anything he’d said previously. The last thing either of them needed was for her to injure herself or lose her footing and fall. The thought made him shudder a little, but he couldn’t let it linger. With a final, worried glance, he started to climb.

She crouched down to wrap her hands around the top of the ladder, hardly pausing to toss a grumbling but playful comment over her shoulder. “Aren’t I always?” Not like he would have any idea as to just how careful she normally was – or wasn’t, really.

Sophie always considered herself to be rather hale for a woman of her stature and age. Moving things from storage to the shopfront when she’d worked in the hat shop so long ago had ensured that she had at least some musculature to speak of. Though as she struggled and strained to pull the rusted metal ladder up, she was forced to at least consider that her strength might have suffered for having a man in the house she could boss around.

“Oh, just get up already!” Snapping at the ladder did a surprisingly large amount of good, and it popped up as though it’d just been greased with bacon fat. The only problem was she was unprepared for the force with which it shot up, and she stumbled back.

Her shoe caught on the hem of her dress. Sophie landed flat on her bottom and the balcony shuddered in protest. Frustration bubbled up in her chest, spilling over and staining her cheeks and ears red to match her hair. She flung a hand out towards the ladder in fury as she gathered her skirts up in the other and began the process of righting herself. “Stay! Right- right there! Do not move, do you hear me! Not for any of those creeps down there!”

As soon as she was back on her feet, she hurried to follow the boy up the steps to the next level. “The roof is after this one, correct? They probably won’t be able to follow us much farther.” A quick glare was shot towards their pursuers. “At the very least, they had better not!”

[stardust-hatter-blog]

starter call ❤

Now that the event’s been over for a month, I’ve settled back into work, and writing seems like more of a possibility, I’d like to get a few more threads for Sophie. Like this post if you’d like to interact with a snarky, stubborn, and insecure young woman with much too much interest in the personal lives of others. Capping at five.

[stardust-hatter-blog]

stardust-pendragon:

@stardust-hatter​

The steps to the apartment complex were taken two at a time. His boots were shined to perfection, obviously. There wasn’t a hint of travel on them or his garb, though he’s only just returned from his globe-trotting. Well, ‘globe’ being a relative, exaggerated term. There were unfortunate limits to how far he could travel in this world. Blocks, barriers, blockades…It was all very infuriating, really. Infuriating and fascinating.

He’d kept in touch with Sophie, of course. His darling, dear, perfect Sophie. It had been necessary for him to go. Information-gathering, they’d called it. As much as it was that, it was also the fact that Howl was terribly bad at staying in one given place for any length of time.

Like a bird, he needed to flit about. But, of course, he would always return home to his Sophie. Girlfriend?  Beau? Fiance?

Well, the latter wasn’t quite appropriate yet, but he had plans. Great, grandiose plans… (plans that, between you and me, readers, would fall flat, but let us allow Howl a chance to pretend, no?) for a great grandiose proposal.

But that was neither here nor there. Yet, of course.

The key slid into the lock - how quaint that they still locked their doors as such, he’d very easily be able to ward the door but there was such charm to doing things the traditional way - and he turned it. He didn’t bother to silence his entrance, the rustle of fabric or the stomp of heels as he passed the threshold. Sophie should still be out and, quite literally, setting up shop.

Only she wasn’t and Howl entered the sitting room to pause and cock his head to the side contemplatively. “My darling, you ought still be out,” he chided. “Now you’ve ruined the surprise.”

The surprise being him, of course.

The shop, to put it plainly, was a chaotic storm that seemed set upon ruining each and every one of Sophie’s days. But not without Howl’s help, of course. There’d been a secondary reason for sending Howl off on his trip, one that involved his remarkable skill in finding astoundingly magical (yet still somehow useless) tomes and artifacts.

He’d been sending them to her whenever he found the time. Most of them had been relatively innocuous, but there was one absolutely horrible stuffed figurine that refused to shut its figurative mouth. It would probably fetch a lovely price should they manage to actually find a buyer. In the time being, however, it yammered on and on and on, repeating ludicrous phrases and statements like a parrot who lived with a sailor.

Frankly, she wouldn’t be surprised if the little beast had come from such a foul-mouthed background.

Either way, Sophie was exhausted. Preparing a shop for its opening day was no small feat, particularly when there was just her to take care of all the minute details. That’s exactly why she’d decided to give up for the day, come home early, and pretend that she didn’t feel entirely stranded after all. But instead of getting to put up her feet for the afternoon, she’d hardly gotten into the sitting room – she hadn’t even been able to sit down! – before the door flew open.

Her walking stick was propped up against the doorframe, just where she’d left it before walking further into the sitting room. No sooner did she hear the footsteps than it was back in her hand and her knuckles turned white with the force with which she gripped it.

Howl looked just as well as normal. Not a single hair out of place, not any rips or tears in the fine frippery that he wore. Any other woman would be delighted.

“I’ve ruined the surprise?” she repeated, eyes wide as she looked up to face what she could only assume to be the surprise himself. It would be just like Howl to come back with the high hopes of an absurdly grand return, arms thrown open wide with the expectation that she’d simply fly into them after such a long stretch of solitude. “Me? Ruined it? Darling?”

One might think that seeing Howl’s wonderful, familiar face would have led her to loosen up a little bit. Allow her to feel safe enough to let go of the stick entirely and set it back down, but no, no, she only clutched it tighter.

She scoffed. The familiar motion of crossing her arms over her chest did nothing to soften the harsh set of her shoulders. “What do you think you’re doing here, Howl? I thought you were going to tell me before you came home! If you think you’re going to just come by and drop off your laundry-!” The solid heel of her boot slams against the equally solid floor of their living room. “Do you think you can just treat me like your sister? Come in and out as you please, doing whatever happens to strike your fancy!”

She should hope not. She’d seen Meghan on more than a few occasions, and Sophie had no desire to ever become so pinched and sour-tempered as she.

[stardust-hatter-blog]

@tevinterisms

The task of keeping the expensive cup of tea she’d just purchased from spilling out from the thick ceramic teacup onto the matching saucer distracts Sophie from the dilemma at hand. The newly opened cat café had proved to be more popular than she’d anticipated it to be, and it just so happened to be that there weren’t any vacant tables she could take for her own. Who would have expected so many people to want to eat food surrounded by cats? The bakery in Ingary wouldn’t have stood for such a thing; many of the cats in the area had been strays and it would have been unsanitary to allow them to roam about so.

That was apparently not going to be the case here.

“I hope you don’t mind my imposition,” she says as she sets her clattering cup down gently at the first open seat she finds and slides into place. There’s already a gentleman seated across from the spot she claims, one who looks like he actually takes care of himself, and she would much rather sit with this one than any of the other patrons scattered around the room cooing at cats. “I was looking forward to sitting down to drink this without standing up. It won’t be long, I’m sure. I don’t quite understand the general hubbub surrounding this place.”

[stardust-hatter-blog]

casterofturnabout:

Well, of course. For liberal professionals like Phoenix, self propaganda is pretty much the core of survival. If one doesn’t promote themselves either directly or through their clients, they’re very much doomed. And Phoenix would rather not be doomed so soon, thank you.

Upon witnessing Sophie’s handling of her own Triplicata, it doesn’t take too long for him to find the same notepad function on his own device. “Hah, I’d love to, but unfortunately I don’t have an office yet.” Damn you, living costs and proper renumeration of engineers and architects.

“I should, however, be able of giving you my home address. Consider it where my business will work until I establish myself better.” He smiles, then tells her where he lives, alongside a couple reference points. “Well then, it’s getting late. I should be going my way now. See you, Sophie!”

She takes down his residence and the directions she could use to find her way there with a critical eye. It would have to be sufficient, as any more complications wouldn’t serve her well. As it is, her frustration with the situation has only just begun to abate - thanks to the solution they’ve found.  

Once she’s decided that he’s given her a satisfactory amount of information, she pats the side of her Triplicata like it is some sort of pageboy that has yet to prove themselves as worthy of their new position and tucks it away in her purse.

“And I mine.” She makes as if to leave, but a slight hesitation catches her step before she makes it very far. It would only be proper to give a more thoughtful farewell to one of the first people she’s met so far. A moment later and she sighs, “From one businessperson to another - best of luck with your endeavor, Sir Caster. I suspect we shall both need it.”

And with that, she rejoins the crowd of people, not quite as lost as she had been prior to meeting him.

[stardust-hatter-blog]

mementobellum:

“You mean like a passive-aggressive gesture? I wouldn’t put it past anyone.” Especially if it’s the mother-in-law. They dote upon their girls, out of a fierce sense of protectiveness. That’s just what mothers do, isn’t it? Takumi grimaces out of pity for the poor man with the weird vest and lack of self-awareness.

He turns back to their table and eyes the tin of cookies between them. Most, if not all, have some form of crystallized sugar embedded in their shortbread goodness. He holds back for all of two seconds before going for his fifth one and nibbles while giving Sophie a ‘don’t judge me’ look. “I don’t care what they say about processed food, this stuff is incredible.”

Mirth dances in her eyes at Takumi’s defensiveness. First the sugar and now the cookies. For someone so determined to show that he doesn’t have a sweet tooth, he’s doing an awful job of convincing her.

“I don’t see all the fuss and bother about whether or not something happens to be processed.” She presses on the edge of another of the cookies to grant her some leverage in pulling out a treat of her own. With a pointed look at Takumi, she takes a bite as soon as her teacup hits its saucer with a tiny clink.

It’s good, just as the two she’d had previously had been. It’s no comparison to the crumbly, buttery beauty of the home-baked variety, but it’s addictive nonetheless. No wonder he’s having such a challenging time halting his snacking. “Granted, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to fill up my baskets with the produce and baked goods I was so accustomed to purchasing back home. Yet,” Sophie pushes the tin a little closer towards his side of their table and wrinkles the napkin it sits on in the process, “I’m glad I picked these up when I saw them. Do you think you might be able to finish them off so I can take the tin home empty?”

[stardust-hatter-blog]

ooc;;

Hey, guys! Sorry to announce this with so little warning, but I’m leaving today to visit family and likely won’t have a reliable way to access Tumblr until Sunday the 25th. I’m sorry if I owe you a reply, but I thank you in advance for your patience.

I eagerly await the day I can come back and write stupid things with you guys again. Bye!!

[stardust-hatter-blog]

ooc;;

Hey, guys! Sorry to announce this with so little warning, but I’m leaving today to visit family and likely won’t have a reliable way to access Tumblr until Sunday the 25th. I’m sorry if I owe you a reply, but I thank you in advance for your patience.

I eagerly await the day I can come back and write stupid things with you guys again. Bye!!

[stardust-hatter-blog]

inherlikeness:

Oh, this woman really was something, wasn’t she? Norman didn’t make any effort to listen to her irritated grumbling – in fact, he was really trying to listen for any approaching infected – but she made it rather difficult to miss. Whack them a few times and be done with it. What a brutal sentiment. Part of him agreed, he preferred them to be plain stupid than half intelligent attempts to corner and trap their prey, but he would rather not whack them, as she so eloquently put it.

Didn’t matter. Despite her griping, she made it up safely, and immediately moved to ascend further. “Hurry and get up, why don’t you!” 

“I can do quick,” he returned, in a far less annoyed and more amused tone than she had used. The attitude really wasn’t helping the situation, but it wasn’t exactly hurting, either – he couldn’t be bothered with irritation.

The ladder seemed to be much less of a challenge for him than it had been for her, with her skirts proving a bit of a hindrance. He pulled himself up the last few rungs by the rail and immediately spun to draw the heavy device up after himself and hook it into place. It took him a bit of effort, but he managed…albeit a little red-faced and feeling like he was about to pop a blood vessel in his neck by the end of it.

He felt vaguely dizzy from the strain but managed not to fall, thankfully, on the narrow balcony with such a small rail. “Keep going. If I could get that ladder down earlier, I’m sure they can, with some effort.” He paused for breath at the bottom of the stairs up – really, more like glorified ladder, with how steep and narrow they were. “If we get out of sight and out of reach, they’ll more than likely give up targeting us. Or me, I guess I should say.”

Despite her attitude, Norman really did feel badly that she was dragged into this wild escape. Who would want that kind of excitement disrupting things? But none of them had asked for any of this ridiculous glorified treasure hunt, really, and it couldn’t be helped. He took a deeper breath in hopes of reducing his panting and started to climb again.

Oh, what a gallant little kid. Did he intend to pull that ladder up on his own, when she was right there and could have helped? Though it made sense; the balcony on which they stood probably couldn’t easily handle the both of them standing side by side along its narrower length. In addition, there was the frenzied manner in which they were trying to ascend. Perhaps it simply hadn’t crossed his mind to ask for assistance.

But there wasn’t anything to be done about it, particularly since she was already halfway up to the next balcony.

Once she was on semi-solid ground once more, Sophie took a step back instead of towards the next ladder. Hopefully, that would allow the child room to move past her and go up to the next level before her. “I’ll take care of the next ladder, alright? You get up to the top as quickly as you can and get out of sight; maybe they’ll actually stop like you say!”

And if he’s wrong? It would likely be much easier for her to take care of blocking up the path they’d already traversed.

[stardust-hatter-blog]

panthermask:

     ❛   it looks better than anything i could make!   ❜   ann chirps, intent clearly to cheer up the other—though it isn’t as if ann is lying about it either. but is she being truthful? who knows? she’s never taken to origami or things of an artistic nature, not since shiho calls her art ugly as a child. not that she holds a grudge against that, but it’s there that ann realizes her talents lie beyond creation with her hands. so technically it’s not a lie, but it’s not entirely truthful either.

     nonetheless, she watches curiously as sophie speaks to the handkerchief—her expression turns to shock as it begins to fly into the air.   ❛   whoa, it’s flying!   ❜   she exclaims, despite it being the most obvious thing. a childlike excitement almost lights in her eyes, reminiscent of a child at a magician’s show. she turns to sophie with a bit more excitement, grabbing her hand and rushing off.      

     ❛   let’s go then! off to follow the handkerchief bird!   ❜

Between the odd circumstances under which all of them lived, not to mention the unique abilities of Masters and Servants both, it can be so easy for Sophie to forget that not everyone is as well-versed in magical interactions as she might be. Yet while the expression in Ann’s eyes is a kind reminder of that fact, there’s not enough time for her to make a comment along the lines of yes it is, and it could possibly do more besides before she’s being tugged along like an she’s been tasked with watching a younger sibling at a festival.  

“Don’t you dare lose sight of it!” she calls while craning her head back in an attempt to keep track of her awkwardly flapping creation’s path through the streets. It leads the two of them to an open road. All of the vehicles present are parked, presumably on account of the infected people who would simply stumble across into the street despite the risk of being hit like a rubber ball bounced too far.

It’s in one of those cars that a faintly glowing light shines, indicating the presence of one of those so coveted Saint Fragments, and it’s on that car that Sophie’s little bird alights, flapping its stubby little appendages frantically. “There, there!” She tugs on Ann’s hand, which she still holds, and points to the car with barely concealed glee. “One of them must be in there. Come on, let’s look.”

[stardust-hatter-blog]

ilfaux:

     Oh, well that’s a reply Oz wasn’t necessarily expecting. He thought it was his own little thought, brought forth from his inability to properly care for himself like he ought to. Or at least was expected to here, but knowing someone else has close to the same idea…well, he isn’t quite sure since he doesn’t know whomever it is personally. At least the reassurance eases the negative feelings he has towards himself somewhat; he appreciates her reassurance. 

     The fact that the woman stands so suddenly shocks Oz enough that he jumps slightly, banging his knee on the table. He’s too focused on her words and firm tone to think much of the sting. He’s heard this type of tone before, usually coming from Alice when she gets particularly stubborn about one thing or another, and Oz was always much too weak to deny her much. That and she wasn’t afraid to literally push him around, not that Oz minded that part much. It was nice to have such a lively person in his life. He feels his heart ache. He hopes she’s well. 

     The voice again jars Oz from his previous thoughts, and this time the boy does actually get up from his chair. She’s got a look that leaves no room for argument, but the thought of someone giving their food away to them just because of his own incompetence makes something unpleasant sink to the bottom of his stomach. He told himself he’d be better at accepting help from other’s, but it’s a lot harder than he anticipated. It’s quite hard to break ingrown habits, especially when he doesn’t want to be too burdensome. 

     “I couldn’t.” he starts quite weakly and hates himself for it. He does manage to keep eye contact though. “It’s your food after all, and I’m sure you need it a bit more than I do. I am quite grateful for the offer, miss. Truly I am, but I wouldn’t want to be a hassle towards you. We just met and all. I shouldn’t have bothered you in the first place. I’m sorry.”    

If this is to be his attempt at turning her down, he must really have misjudged her. When it so happened that Sophie got something in her head, it would take more than a polite turning-down to get her to convince her to back off.

Particularly with this boy. He’s too young to be worrying about where his next meal is going to be coming from. Even if that’s not possible, at least he might allow her to alleviate what she could.

“Pish and tosh you couldn’t,” she snaps, as kindly as one can snap, swirling about to stand before him with a rustle of starched skirts and petticoats. “If it’s going to weigh so heavily on your conscience, know that I’m accustomed to purchasing supplies for a household more than twice that of my current situation. You’d be doing me a favor by taking some of this food off of my hands.”

Heavens knows Howl wouldn’t help her to eat all of it before it went bad. He has both a figure and a reputation to maintain if he’s going to keep his status as the vainest ladies’ man Sophie’s ever known. And as there was no longer a starving apprentice to suck up all of her stock like a vacuum, it was only all too likely that much of it would go to waste.

She holds her hand out, palm-up in waiting expectation as she reminds him, “Saying that you’re sorry won’t fill your stomach.”

[stardust-hatter-blog]

ilfaux:

     Oz wasn’t expecting such a well thought out answer since the idea had formed in his mind as a sudden thought because he was feeling tired and a bit hungry. All this moving around searching for things becomes taxing after a while, and no one really knows how long the terminal will stay broken. It’s a just in case scenario that may become reality if things stay bad for too long.  

     “It’s a bit of both really.” He admits, though his disposition turns sheepish. His question isn’t why he’s feeling a bit ashamed, it’s really the reason why he needs to ask the question in the first place. Though Oz knows for a fact he’s technically older than he looks, he still oftentimes feels very much like a child when presented difficult situations, especially now when he’s all but alone in this strange place. 

     How can he word this and not seem like a spoiled brat that is used to having everything done for him? Now that’s the hard part. “I don’t want to risk going back all the way home for food if I can help it. It’s been a while since I was down by that district, so I wouldn’t want to run into more trouble than it’s worth.” Good job, Oz.

     “Also…I’m not really good at the whole living without an adult thing.” He admits which is more than true, Oz never did get through a single coming of age ceremony, so he’s still considered a minor. Plus he doubts people would find fifteen still too young to be even close to an adult. “I’m not that good at cooking, but I’m learning. I can make tea though, and that’s important. I actually just got a handle on how shops work around here and what is best to buy. I don’t want to deal with having to cook something if I can help it because then it’d be hours before I can make something edible, and we’re on a bit of a time crunch right now with the fragments all scattered about and the all the citizens raving mad.”

“Oh, you needn’t be ashamed. It’s hardly as though you’re the first to inquire about such a thing.” It sounds like he’s not very good at many of the skills necessary for living alone. Why, he’d just said so, in as many words!

Poor boy. But being able to make tea? Sophie can appreciate his priorities. Though she does suppose that such a desperate situation would lead a boy to questioning the what to do if it becomes necessary to acquire more food. “I hope it doesn’t come to you having to try to cook then,” she says, suddenly overcome with the distinct feeling that her own cupboards might not be as prepared for such a situation as she’d thought there to be. She’d gone a little overboard with the fresh fruits and vegetables available in the marketplace, and as such, there likely wasn’t going to be very much by means of preserved items.

Clapping her hands together, Sophie stands up with a jolt. “Time crunch or not, I do believe we have something to attend to. I don’t care if you’ve actually managed to get a bite of decent food in a while, but if we can take a moment to sit down, we can take a moment to go down to my home and stock you up for some time.”

The deft way with which she turns to the boy, in conjunction with the firm expression on her face, should express to him that he would have to make a display of incredible stubbornness if he were to try and turn her offer down. “Well, come along. We ought to get a move on before our enemies take the same opportunity.”

[stardust-hatter-blog]

pissethoff:

Ah, just great. It looks like the woman was catching on… Ray frowned as her grip tightened, escape was obviously not yet at hand. Nor would it come soon. Whether she seemed to understand his intent or not, was something he couldn’t care to figure out.  It’s not like he was hiding his own intents. Though he wished she had kept derailed longer…

Was he supposed to be the one to entertain her thoughts this time? Ray wasn’t particularly keen on revealing anything about himself, if he had to be honest. If he could get away with staying silent and being a good boy, maybe he would have done it already. Unfortunately, his own set personality would never allow him to betray himself like that. After all, he had already opened his mouth and egged her on earlier.

If he started acting nice now, it would only seem that much more suspicious. And, if he was going to continue being quiet like this, it would lead to the same conclusion. Ah… Socializing was so troublesome…

“There’s nothing better to do.” That was weak, Ray. But, it wasn’t entirely wrong. There was a problem in their new found haven, and even if he wouldn’t admit it, Ray liked when things were peaceful. Or seemed peaceful.

Oh, of course. The boy had nothing better to do, so he decided to dance the line between life and death hand-in-hand with infested citizens. Despite her ire, Sophie couldn’t really blame him for any curiosity, nor could she berate him for wanting to try for such an immense prize. Not when she was only a few years older and out vying for exactly that.

“What are you, thirteen? Where I’m from, a child your age would likely already be in an apprenticeship by now. Be well on their way to learning a decent trade.” Her youngest sister had been only fifteen when she’d started at the bakery at their hometown, and she’d technically started later than most would - thanks to the schooling their father had insisted upon before his death. Their ridiculous father, who had seen so much potential in his daughters that he put the whole family in debt in a misbegotten attempt to fully achieve it. “Of course, we wouldn’t be half as fortunate to have something like that in this – this Utopia. There’s hardly anything here to do as it is to keep busy with.”

Hopefully, the conversation would be enough to distract him from trying to escape and run straight back to the danger. She just needed a chance to find some sort of shop to duck into, some way to get the child out of immediate danger and – oh! There was one just off to their right, one where a window had been broken in large enough pieces that the two of them could feasibly get in and tuck away until most of the infected had passed.

“There! Go in there would you?” It probably wasn’t in her best judgement to let go of the boy’s arm, even after she’d angled him in such a way to direct him towards the broken window, but it wasn’t as though they could both get in there at once without catching something on a jagged bit of glass. .

[stardust-hatter-blog]

gentlysweeps:

The guitarist shrugs bashfully at the girl’s compliment. “Ah, y’know, here and there. My dojo was good about getting hands-on about our techniques ‘n shit, plus the odd friendly scrap here and there. This whole virus deal is probably the most I’ve ever had to fight for real.” 

May looks back over to one of the fallen, corners of her face subtly tensing as the feral demeanor of the infected flashes through her thoughts briefly. “Gotta say, I’m still better on an instrument. ‘s more fun too.” For the most part, her tone was rather casual. A recent listener would barely been able to guess what just happened. Hard, but barely.

“Well,” Her eyebrows ever so slightly raised as the other examines the fallen. Well, she sure was…pleased. Granted, she did just watch them get their ass beat after trying to mess her up, but still. “I just hope they’re okay after dealing with this virus crap. Doesn’t seem like a good time…I mean, they have to deal with gals like us, right?” The young woman slightly chuckles, the little bit of levity at the tail of, but not averting, the concern in her tone. Sure, they were trying to fuck her and this gal up, but May was never the vindictive sort, and it wasn’t exactly entirely their fault, given the circumstances.

“Good to hear!” She beams. “And uh, that was tough, but I’m doing alright.” She slightly shakes out one of her hands, still freshly sore from the confrontation. You really know you’re a fighter when you’re ever prepared for how visceral it felt, especially hand to hand. Which is definitely how she knew she wasn’t, really. “The name’s May, by the way! Sorry we had to meet over beating up some guys, I guess, haha!”

Sophie manages to tune out most of the girl’s chatter, though she does pick up on one thought: what would happen to those who had been infected? Yet any guilt she might feel about the wounds and injuries she’s inflicted upon those who have attacked her is wicked away relatively quickly. Awful as it sounds, it’s one of those situations where it’s her or them.

“May,” she repeats with the purpose of committing the name to memory. “It’s a pleasure.”

A bit of a talker, isn’t she? A hesitant smile, as polite as the young woman could make it out to be. Sophie might be a force of nature in her own right, but the way May continues to charge on without leaving hardly a second for Sophie? It reminds her of one of the old witches back home. It had been practically impossible to break into a conversation with her – rather like trying to step into a game of double-dutch played by a group of schoolgirls.

Tucking her walking stuck under her arm, she reaches out to grasp the offered hand and shake it firmly. “I’m Sophie Hatter. And you shouldn’t apologize, not if you helped me out of a situation like the one you found me in. I’m truly quite grateful for it.”

A moment of contemplation and she begrudgingly adds, “I managed to get more than one fragment out of there before they swarmed me, if you’d like one. I suppose it’s only proper to offer.”

[stardust-hatter-blog]

stardust-pendragon:

Well that was a lot more pure-intentioned than what Howl had in mind, never mind actually helpful. Somehow he’d imagined a place spilled with books…one that was somehow only theirs, and yet, at once, a shop.

Indeed, shop implied selling things which meant letting them go. Howl reevaluated his plans a bit and then nodded. “Yes, a place where everyone could go. A meeting of the minds…”

Well he wasn’t so much concerned with minds meeting so much as he was with keeping tabs on all things magical happening in Utopia. Howl didn’t want to be involved in the war necessarily - it put himself and Sophie in too much danger - but he didn’t not want to know what was going on in the world.

This would be convenient in all ways.

Howl beamed, that end to end smile that would always give girls weak knees and charm his way into even the coldest hearts. (Though, against Sophie it was just a normal smile, he supposed.)

He downed the rest of the cooling coffee from his cup and stood, sweeping over to Sophie’s side of the table in a swirl of shimmery fabric glittering finery. “Well then, my dear, we need to go searching for these fragments, don’t we? I don’t suppose I could cast a location spell high enough over the city…it’ll illuminate for us where the nearest shards would be.”

Heedless of the other patrons and what they may be thinking, Howl tugged Sophie to her feet and spun her around. He bit back a comment about proper attire for shard-hunting and just dipped her in a neat dance, allowing her space (and decorum) once he’d taken a step back. “Shall we, then? There’s no reason to waste time.”

Had they been alone, Sophie would have been more than content to let Howl pull her into his sparkling dance, full of dreams and elation. But instead, he had insisted on pulling this ridiculous stunt in the middle of the café!

As he spun her around, her skirts and his sleeves swirling out around the couple and creating a dazzling world for just the two of them, Sophie pulled away from his chest and reached out towards her drink abandoned on the table. “Howl, Howl, I need to - let me finish my tea.” Her breathless interjections went disregarded. She would have been happier to come off as more than just mildly perturbed, but anything more would have caused even more of a scene. Yet anything less would have only encouraged Howl.

He didn’t give her any warning before dipping her down, after which he finally let her go. She turned around in a huff to pick up her tea and hide her traitorous schoolgirl blush. Once the warm drink had been downed, her face returned to normal (she hoped. If not, she could blame it on the weak steam still rising from the tea), Sophie slipped her arm through Howl’s.

“The sooner we go about it the better,” she agreed, letting her desire to make some sort of snarky comment about long his determination might actually last slide in favor of simply being glad. Glad that this was the sort of establishment to pay for their refreshments before sitting down, glad that she had something warm in her stomach before they were about to traipse off on another magical adventure, but most of all glad that she was going to have Howl by her side for what she hoped to be the whole of it.

And as Sophie led him through the store, weaving in and out through tables of patrons who either awkwardly stared or deliberately averted their gaze, she pulled down on his arm to bring his face close to hers. A quick peck on the cheek and a whispered, “They’re not going to know what hit them. We’ll get that shop, Howl. I promise,” and the two of them were gone.