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Most certainly, Howl did pride himself on his keen sense of observation. However, it had failed him today. He could not help but blame this on the inconsistent scheduling of part-time workers in a business.

Miss Tatiana was not at Teasvatta today. Miss Mio was there instead.

Miss Mio was infamous for ruining the simplest of tea orders.

With a slight sigh, the teal haired lad made his order with Miss Mio. He paid the amount due, then wandered the store while waiting for his cup of tea to be ready. He casually glanced across the familiar teapots, appreciating the engraved dragon and rabbit designs for the briefest of moments. Even with such a short glance, he still could fully appreciate all of the work that went into each design. Why did the displays always have to look so tantalizing? For a moment, he stopped at one shelf and looked just a bit longer over one particular tea pot. It was a more conventional one, something he'd be more accustomed to for tea time back in England. However, the only thing that made him stop for longer were the elegant roses painted in gold along the edges.

From behind, it honestly looked like a young lady was admiring the merchandise.

Perhaps it would have been better if Howl had been deaf. He would not have heard yet another mistake made in regards to his simple tea order. He took in a deep breath, not wanting to let on that he was mildly upset at the turn in events. A teal eye managed to catch a vague glimpse of some pale blonde hair. Howl was simply human, and as a result, had basic human curiosities. He turned to face the young lady, who had remarkably piercing blue eyes. Blue eyes which were momentarily looking at the teapot he had been looking at.

Had there been any question in regards to his gender, they would be cleared up the moment he spoke. His voice had an elegant English accent and was definitely low enough to be designated "male."

"It reminds me of teapots we used to have back in England. I must concur, rather lovely." He noted the hand that had been offered. It had been offered in the fashion a businessman would have. Professional, dry, and clean cut. She would probably get upset at him if he greeted her as he greeted most young ladies. Using his best judgment, he decided against his baser instincts.

"My name is Howl Wickham, Miss Petrova. It is a pleasure to meet you." He placed his hand within hers and shook as a young man should. Firmly, but not overly strong, since crushing the hand of a young lady probably was not the best first impression.

It would seem Miss Petrova had a very particular view of the world. Most certainly, everyone had their own view, but hers seemed cold and almost set in stone with the way she presented conversation. Howl's lips curled for a gentle smile as he offered a polite laugh. "Mother is rather fond of traditional styles, and she keeps many of our old teapots from England at the new house." As much as his mother said she appreciated art, she could hardly stand any sort of abstract or modern art.

He managed to catch glimpse of this young lady's obvious disappointment at who was working the register, and at her question, he almost seemed to know what she was looking for.

"I had come in expecting Miss Tatiana to be at the counter, but it would seem as if there has been a schedule shuffle of some sort. Today it is only Miss Mio working this shift." He sighed slightly and turned back to Mio with a small nod of the head. Mio meant well, but she was just absolutely horrible at making tea. He wasn't about to say this fact aloud, but he honestly had wished Tatiana was present so his tea would not come out tasting awkward or too sweet.

As he turned back to facing the blue eyed girl, he asked "Were you looking for a particular employee to tend to you, Miss Petrova?"

The effeminate young man tilted his head slightly as he listened to the explanation about Miss Petrova's father, calmly keeping his eyes upon hers to show he was listening carefully. "It sounds like your father is about as finicky as both of my parents in regards to keeping things in their proper place." It was a casual observation at best. He would have spoken further on the subject, but Mio signaled to him that his cup of tea was finished.

"I beg your pardon" he said to politely excuse himself for a moment to grab his cup of tea. He could already tell Miss Mio had once again made it too hot for his tastes. It would probably take 20 minutes instead of 10 minutes to cool down sufficiently. Holding firmly upon the cup with both hands to prevent spills, he returned to his momentary conversational partner.

"I only know as much as Miss Tatiana will permit me to know" he calmly replied. "However, I am rather fond of her keen observational skills. Her skills are admirable."

He paused for a moment, considering the dilemma that Miss Giselle Petrova had just told him. Fortunately, it was the weekend, so he had no obligations to returning back to campus right away. Yet, even he knew that what he was about to suggest could easily be misconstrued.

"I know you have only just met me, Miss Petrova, and I hope I am not too forward with what I am about to offer." Usually the best route for such things was to acknowledge the fact that a suggestion might be too forward. Reverse psychology was the common place person's best friend. "However, if you are in absolute dire need of a companion for lunch, I can offer to accompany you today."

His voice was nothing but kind, and in all honesty sounded almost like a saint could have been making the offer. There were no bad intentions even hinted in his voice. It was rare for a teenage boy to make such an offer without making it sound like a date, but in all honesty, the teal-haired lad had managed to successfully pull it off.

To possibly add further incentive, he added "It would be lovely to speak some more with you, Miss Petrova, since you seem to be a rather intelligent young lady."

With his cup at hand, he waited for the signal before they began to walk towards the food court. He was rather honest about his usual predicament when it came to the food at the mall though. He laughed politely and mentioned "I suspect the only thing that agrees with my stomach with Chinese food is the steamed rice. Grease does not agree with my stomach in the slightest. I usually get salads when I can." His pretty lips let a sigh escape from them. Howl was aware of how weak he sounded when confessing such things.

Having tended to the first question first, he moved onto the second question without a problem. "I met her around the holidays. I had been shopping for gifts when she accidentally bumped into me. After apologies were exchanged, we went to get some cocoa and talked for a while. Miss Tatiana was able to read me like a book." Apparently he found this amusing, for he let out another kind chuckle.

"It was shortly after our initial encounter that I learned she worked at Teasvatta. I suppose you can say we are acquaintances at best, if you want to accurately analyze our 'relationship,' for a lack of a better word."

He truly was polite, keeping a decent eye upon Giselle as they walked to show he was paying attention. His head bobbed up and down slightly at the mention of Tatiana's observational skills. As a casual suggestion, he offered "Perhaps I should test your observational skills over lunch and see if you can do as well as Miss Tatiana did." He was rather interested in her mention of being a historian, and tucked away such a simple note in his mind for later in the conversation. Perhaps over lunch he could ask her more about that subject. As they approached the Food Court, his step slowed, then eventually halted altogether. He glanced about to the various restaurants, as if trying to remember which ones had which particular salads. The girl sounded as if she preferred his notion of salads to Chinese food.

Unable to come up with a firm decision of his own, he glanced back to the blonde young lady at his side. In an ever so polite tone, he asked "Do you have any particular preferences, Miss Petrova?" One could never accuse Howl of being a snap-decision maker.

Like a sheep, he followed his momentary companion to Ricky's Pizza, strictly ordering a Caesar Salad, since he already had a beverage at hand. A very hot beverage, but that wasn't the issue. With salad at hand, he trailed after Miss Petrova to take a seat opposite of her.

He offered a simple "Indeed" when asked if he was certain about being picked at like some sort of specimen in a laboratory. He did not pick up a single plastic utensil nor attempt to start eating. Instead, he politely listened to all of evaluations of the way he maintained himself. His posture was absolutely perfect, his eyes were attentively upon hers, and his hands were elegantly folded and resting towards the edge of the table. His expression remained neutral, but absolutely pleasant to look at the entire time she analyzed him, bit by bit.

When she seemed to finish her analysis, his hands unfolded and began a small gentle applause as he nodded in approval. As she moved onto her salad, he gave his own miniature analysis of the two different methods of nitpicking at him.

"I honestly will have to disagree with you about your skill levels in comparison to Miss Tatiana. I would say your efforts are on par with hers, but you approach it differently. You focused on my background, such as my upbringing, where as she analyzed more current things, such as my activities and interests. You did just as well as she did."

He paused to finally began to attend to his salad. He stabbed ever so lightly at a leaf of lettuce and brought it up to practically nibble on. It was just a small bite before he then addressed the accuracy of the analysis.

"I cannot say you were off the mark on any of your observations." She had been slightly off with the reason why Howl was in Destiny City, but then that would have him admitting he was at Hillworth, and that was one subject he avoided at all costs. Thoughtfully, he added on "Also, I would like to note that I was raised to treat a young lady a particular way. Both of my parents are rather keen on manners."