(Untitled)

[wizard_howell]

Honestly, he's been making every attempt to be respectable but the problem with that, as he sees it, is that he is in fact in no way respectable. That's not to say that marriage and the title of Royal Wizard don't suit him; they do. It only means that every now and again he needs to dust off that little-used dab of silver paint on the doorknob to

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[nitro_is_ace]

"Well, would you look at what the cat dragged in." Ace calls from the bar, cheerfully. "Good lord, thought you'd gone an' abandoned us!"

What is the point of catching up with old friends if you can't rag on them a little?

[wizard_howell]

"Abandoned you! I would never." All mock indignation, he bows so deeply to Just Ace that the trailing edges of his sleeves meet the floor, picking up a dust bunny of irregular size which he dispatches handily with the flick of a wrist. He's long been aware that time in Ingary does not follow the same path as time here, but even he knows it's been quite some time.

"Being far too busy to relax is the fate of a Royal Wizard, I'm sad to say. How the devil have you been?" The words are chosen carefully and they are, he believes, entirely appropriate. Few people can be as impishly troublesome as Ace, and that's no mean feat.

[nitro_is_ace]

"Oh, you know me, can't stay out of trouble long enough t'make it worth notin'." Ace grins, clearly not at all upset by this fact of life. "I've managed t'keep the girls out of it, which is becomin' somethin' of a jugglin' act, but I think Spoon'd skin me alive if I got them into trouble."

[wizard_howell]

"The girls?" Taken aback entirely, he blinks. Time is a terribly untrustworthy beast, always changing, always making things happen differently than he expects and needs.

"What have I missed?" Unless she means the dogs, in which case he can breathe a decided sigh of relief. It hasn't been that long, has it?

[makesthings]

Sameth's enjoying being back in the Bar and has spent the day working in the forge. From his table near the door, he notices Howl and Howl's hair and blinks before asking,

"How is it doing that?"

He's never seen an illusion spell that worked quite like that before.

At the moment he doesn't look like much of a mage since his shirt is still dirty from the forge but his Charter Mark is just visible under his hair.

[wizard_howell]

"Doing what?"

As ever, he is entirely innocent.

"Have I something unseemly on my face?" Were he only to lean forward he might notice the hair, but vanity keeps him from doing so. It's certainly one of his better-developed character traits, and even he'll admit to it. What good is it, after all, to be Royal Wizard if one has to be modest about things?

[makesthings]

"How is your hair changing color? Usually an illusion or transformation spell stays to one thing. I've never seen one that shifts through variations like that,"

Sameth likes knowing how things work and its fascinating to watch the spell.

[wizard_howell]

Oh, the hair. His hand goes to his head, smoothing back the display.

"Stay," he orders and like an obedient dog, it settles on blond for the moment. "Better? I'm afraid that has to have been my wife's doing. She's got powerful magic, that one. Perhaps an attempt to keep me staying put, although it could have been entirely inadvertent. She... talks to things. They tend to listen."

He wishes he had Sophie's magic, but only some of the time. If everything listened to him, he'd have to start watching what he says and that would be so terribly sad.

[gorgonfondness]

It's been a long time since Mia's seen Howl, nearly a year. The last time he saw her, she wasn't even showing.

When he sees her now, she's got a baby on her hip, grasping at her robe. The child is happily babbling, the one distinct syllable coming up over and over again being, "Da da da da da," when he's not laughing or blowing raspberries.

He's also wearing nothing but his nappy. Mia was just going to take him to his nursery to dress him after having play time and bath time with his father.

"Howl!" she says in pleased surprise when she sees him. "It's been far too long!"

"Da?" Cepheus questions.

[wizard_howell]

He looks from Mia to the baby, eyes wide in... well, not quite shock; he was the one, after all, who helped her to hear his heartbeat for the first time and that led to no end of misplaced trouble once he got back home for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with her or this pub.

"Apparently so," he has to acknowledge. "Has it really been that long? What a good-looking fellow you have there. What's his name?"

Soon enough this will be his lot in life. It's a good thing he's fond of children.

[gorgonfondness]

"His name is Cepheus," Mia says, brushing the baby's hair back. "And it has, long enough for him to be nearly four months old."

"Dada," Cepheus says.

"He's trying out his first words today," she adds with a bright smile. "He certainly surprised us, even though he's been trying to talk for a little while now. Draco's proud as a peacock."

The baby laughs and blows another raspberry.

[wizard_howell]

"Well, look at him. One would assume Draco's not the only proud one in the room. May I? I could use the practice." He practically raised Mari, although he knows Megan would beg to differ, but he's very good with children. Luckily.

"We've one on the way as well. But he's not due for a while." Or she, of course, but still, he's got more time to sneak in a bit of irresponsibility before the day comes when he'll have to buckle down and stop having quite as much fun.

[wizard_howell]

"Often? I should think not. I'll have to have a stern talking to it."

Hair. It's the bane of his existence and has been ever since the time Sophie turned it pink on accident. "Let's simply pretend it's behaving until I can muster up the correct spell to fix it. I'm not so certain I can get the appropriate supplies at this place, but one never knows."

This is the pub that's full of surprises, after all.

"But I do thank you kindly for laughing with me at my sad misfortune."

[wizard_howell]

Another magic user: that's always good for an interesting time. He does, however, have his pride and waves away the offer. "It's bound to settle down by itself eventually. After all, I'm rather a long way from home and the source of the magic. I can't imagine it will last for too long."

A nod of the head cements that and it does seem as if the spell is slowing down just a bit. There will -- perhaps -- be words over it later, but then again, perhaps not.

"I do believe introductions are in order. Howl Pendragon, Royal Wizard to the King of Ingary. You're a fellow wizard, then?" If so, he'll buy the man a drink. If not, he'll buy him a drink.

He did grow up in and around pubs and knows quite well how to behave in them, diolch yn fawr iawn ichi.

[hawkeyed_riza]

The woman who's just walked in is wearing a blue uniform and wet overcoat that's distinctly military in cut. Her tidily clipped-up blonde hair only increases this impression, even if it's equally wet, and so does the calm deadpan of her expression. (Underneath that, though, there's tiredness. It's been a long day. In a lot of ways.)

She steps politely around Howl, but his color-shifting hair gets a quick second glance.

[wizard_howell]

Amused, he watches her. So stilted, so military. And his world has just got over their war. Her glance gets a salute that doesn't suit him in any way, shape, or form, coupled with a marked and friendly smile.

He is the one who allegedly steals the hearts and souls of pretty women, after all.

"I can dry that coat for you if you like."

[hawkeyed_riza]

The salute, and how it doesn't fit with anything else about him, gets a little more amusement out of her.

Even if Hawkeye's amusement tends to the very, very deadpan.

"No, thank you," she says politely enough. "It'll dry on its own soon."

Well, no faster than thick wool ordinarily dries, but she'll hang it up.

"Are you an alchemist?"

If so, he'll be the first she's met here.

[wizard_howell]

"An alchemist?" That's rich. "As in one who turns ordinary metals into gold and the like? I'm afraid not. I'm just your ordinary run-of-the-mill wizard."

He bows deeply, as he's wont to do. Now, if his hair would just decide on a color and stop changing, he'd be even happier.

"Howl Pendragon at your service."