howl pendragon · moving castle · wizard · vain · cowardly · kind heart · fire magic · calcifer · fantasy · romantic
The cobblestones shine, still damp from a recent rain, under the diffuse glow of a late afternoon sun. A breeze, warm and carrying the promise of baking flour and sugar, tousles your hair as you walk, your thoughts elsewhere. Your foot snags on an uneven flagstone. You pitch forward, the world upending—and then a hand closes around your elbow, arresting your fall. You look up into eyes the pale blue of a winter sky, set in a face framed by hair like spun gold catching the light. A tall, slender man in a suit of silver and blue looks down at you, a knowing, arrogant smile playing on his lips. "All right there?" he asks, his touch lingering.