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Howl was never really a difficult person to get a hold of. He had his schedule, and for the most part he stuck to it. Fencing practice had become much more important since the announcement of the fencing tournament between Hillworth and Crystal Academy. After a strenuous series of exercises with his teammates and by himself, he had taken care of cleaning himself up in the showers. All the protective gear wasn't exactly well known for letting a person's skin breath too easily. He would not allow any person the chance to smell him when he had been perspiring heavily. Howl had a very particular self image to uphold, and even the faintest hint of sweat was appalling.

By the time the school's "hot chick" had exited the locker room, the air outside was quite cool. With winter on its way, snow was probably going to start littering the school in white powder. Since his hair was still damp, Howl had put his long hair into a bun rather than a simple ponytail. This way, it would not drip along the back of his uniform while out in the cold. For a brief moment, his teal eyes looked up to the sky, almost as if expecting snowflakes to suddenly start descending to the earth. He smiled and heaved out a sigh, which almost looked like a white mist escaping his lips.

Returning his attention back to reality, the effeminate lad caught a glance of Marlo Xanis. "Greetings!" he called across the way while lifting a hand up for a gentle wave that could almost mirror that of a Beauty Pageant winner.

The younger Xanis brother's posture spoke volumes to Howl, so as the lad approached, his gentle smile upon his lips straightened up into a more neutral expression. The other lad's voice also was a pretty good indicator as to what was on his mind. It was curious that the boy was apologizing for someone other than himself, but the long haired student listened without interrupting. There was a lot of anger in Marlo's voice, which also signaled he should select his words carefully. He drew a finger towards his lip and waited for an appropriate opportunity to speak. His lips opened up slightly as this boy literally hissed at him like some sort of feral beast, and was about to finally respond when Marlo decided to try and put on a new face. It was a greatly appreciated gesture.

Continuing on the vibe which the boy's new introduction provided, he replied "It is a pleasure, Mr. Xanis. My name is Howl Wickham." He easily supplied his hand for a slightly loose handshake. Before continuing on the conversation, Howl used a hand to point towards the dorms. "Would you like to maybe continue this conversation at the dorms? I find the weather a bit too nippy for my tastes." Wet hair and cold weather did not agree. At least if he could head back to his room, he could dry his hair completely. Despite the suggestion, he was not about to lead the way, not wanting to be overly presumptuous.

Just for the sheer sake of seeing more mist, Howl puffed out a little more air from his lips. He walked side-by-side with Marlo as they headed to the dorms. After the bit of catcalling from fellow students, he nodded his head towards his momentary companion. "Indeed, I have been getting this sort of treatment even since I was young. You might find it surprising, but I did have my hair normal boy-length up until the middle of elementary school. I was still assumed to be a girl, even with the short hair." As they entered the sitting area, he added for reassurance "I am quite adjusted to all of this."

He claimed a single chair for himself, sitting down upon it while still maintaining that high level of dignity that he always seemed to display in such everyday situations. He maintained an excellent posture and kept both of his tucked close together. His delicate fingers wove together before settling down upon his lap.

He listened once again with a relatively neutral expression upon his face, listening to all the words carefully as they were offered. It was only when Marlo paused that Howl's lips curled for a smile and spoke.

"I am quite curious, Marlo. Are you your brother's errand boy?" No teasing tone could even be traced. Howl's voice still remained pleasant, but at the same time, it was a completely serious question.

"I see."

Letting his fingers go loose, he drew one hand up to his mouth and placed his pointer finger on his lip. Howl seemed to be thinking this situation through carefully, as if trying to find the correct words to offer in response. It might have been a slightly drawn out silence, but it was far from an awkward one.

When he found the words he had been looking for, his hand went back to his lap and laced up with the opposite hand.

"I appreciate the sentiments, but alas, it is not your place to apologize. You and your brother are two completely different people. You may have some influence on your elder sibling, but at the same time, he is not your responsibility." Where as with most people, this would have come across as scolding, Howl's voice remained calm and almost soothing.

He paused for a moment, strictly just to close his mouth so that his tongue wouldn't get overly dry. He then continued on. "Your brother's foolish actions should not be your burden to rectify. He can never learn if his younger brother is promptly cleaning up each situation for him. Mistakes are essential for growing up. And if I might be honest here, Mr. Elzo Xanis has much growing up to do."

The thin lad remained in his seat, calmly looking to the other boy. From previous experiences, he figured there might be some rebuttal in regards to the "honor" of the elder Xanis brother. Siblings were perhaps some of the strangest people to observe in one place, because the relationship was far different from any other he had seen out there. Utter devotion with utter loathing all rolled into one.

"I concur that Mr. Elzo Xanis does need to mature. However, I would like to point out that accidents do happen that none of us can do a thing about. Certainly, it was a tad embarrassing for me in that instance. I could have focused my attentions on what I should have done to change it." He paused for a moment, as if to give more emphasis to the next statement.

"Yet, nothing would have changed." His shoulder rolled for a slight shrug, as if he was completely dismissing the whole scenario in his mind.

"My towel would have been pulled off, exposing my nether-regions to the world. The world still spins on its axis, and my life has continued past that point. I hold no grudge, since as I mentioned before, accidents do happen."

"...though..."

Howl's tone changed slightly, and even the fashion he sat shifted. He crossed his right leg over his left knee, drew his left arm up across his waist about his torso, and rested his right elbow upon the palm of his left hand. His right pointer finger touched slightly upon his cheek, which had lofted slightly due to the quizzical smile upon his lips. His voice sounded mildly frisky, as if curious to test something out.

"...I am quite familiar with trying to keep one's family name in tact. I am curious if you have ever tried to counterbalance your elder sibling's tomfoolery with your own upstanding behavior?"

Still maintaining this strange new posture, Howl accidentally let a chuckle escape from his lips. It was quite obvious that his question had been misinterpreted.

"I beg your pardon, but I would like to point out that is not quite what I meant. Oh no, I do not mean sweeping up the ruins which your brother creates in his wake."

His hand that had been close to his cheek pulled back slightly. He still kept his left arm tucked close to his body as he began to casually inspect his own nails slightly. When his eyes got to his pointer finger, they glanced up towards the younger Xanis. Somewhat pointedly, he asked "Do you have any particular talents?" His eyes remained fixed on Marlo's eyes, waiting for an answer to the simple question.

He could feel his smile grow a bit larger as he found a few decent traits he could play with. His hand turned, then put up two fingers.

"For not having much to offer, I could count at least two things which I wish I had been so blessed to take an interest in." He set his hand back onto his lap before he continued.

Quite casually, he noted "I can tell you are skeptical as to what I might suggest. I suspect you need to pay less attention to that talent of yours to get your brother out of trouble, and to spend more time working upon some self-betterment."

The effeminate lad normally would have paused here to allow for some sort of reaction, but instead, he continued speaking, offering his own explanation as to his prescription for the situation. "As I see it, spending most of your efforts on that particular talent dealing with your elder sibling has done you little good. It would seem you get little to no recognition for your efforts. So spend some time working on maybe bettering your skills with the lyre, or perhaps with your culinary skills. You might gain an appreciation for your previous works from your sibling. Or you may gain the admiration of your fellow classmates for your talents."

He paused for a moment to offer quite an impressed smile and an honest compliment. "I have no musical talents, despite my mother's wishes. I am always envious of anyone who can read, write, or create beautiful music with an instrument." He nodded his head, almost as if finally giving Marlo silent permission to speak.