Welcome to Gaia! ::

Howl stared up at Noel in silence for a long time, while occassionally stirring the eggs in the bowl he'd been handed. He'd come to a conclusion, and he wasn't sure he liked it. It couldn't be wrong to miss Sophie could it? "I no 'member compare Alome to Thophie before." He really couldn't remember, so why would she think he was always comparing her? He'd often thought that girls were strange creatures. "Mr Noel?" The blonde toddler looked up at the man when he was finished stirring, with a slight frown. "It bad to mith Thophie? I no can help it. If bad, I thorry. But I no thtop mithing her." He never would stop, even if he was punished for it. "I luv her. Even if I got no heart."

Zee frowned slightly. "Alome, I don't think Howl caused your flowers to do that," he said gently. "Flowers get 'sad' when they don't have enough sunlight." He paused and shook his head. "Howl loves Sophie in a different way than he loves his friends. He loves her... Well, kind of like how you love your Daddy." He was struggling to explain this to the toddler, his impatient side threatening to come out. Were girls always this dramatic? He didn't remember Almie being this way; she'd grown up too quickly. "Howl really will, if you ask him nicely. He didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Howl nodded, though he didn't really understand. Why wouldn't people want him to tell them when things reminded him of Sophie? They should have taken it as a compliment! Sophie was perfect; every girl should have been striving to be more like her. "I not thuppothed to luv," confided Howl. "I thuppothed to be heartleth and not care for anyone." The blonde toddler paused, and looked up at Noel. "I look for Thophie in new way. I no tell you how. I look and look, until I find her. But Lome and I be friendth."

Zee smiled and took Alome's hand. "Alright, let's go in for lunch," he agreed. "He really will, if you ask him nicely."

Howl nodded and carefully took the plates to the table. He set them down as carefully and as gracefully as possible. He was glad Mr. Noel hadn't said anything more about Sophie. He got the feeling the man didn't like her very much, but he couldn't understand why. He climbed into one of the chairs and sat at the table. He looked to Alome, and gave her a smile.

"Lome, I thorry. I no mean to make you thad." His apology seemed sincere. "Your flowerth tho pretty, they make me think of Thophie. But they thtill yourth. No worry." At least he was attempting to follow Noel's instructions. He was trying, you had to give him that. "We be friendth?"

Zee smiled, and started to eat. "Thank you, Noel."

Howl gave a nod and another smile. "Thure, you can have lilieth," he said, before taking a bite of the rice that'd been set in front of him. "Thith good," he complimented, looking to Noel. Not as good as his cooking had been, but still. It was something to eat. Maybe Howl was just being vain.

"It's really good," Zee complimented with a smile. "I'm glad. Maybe they will. I think they'll be good friends. Let's plan playdates in the future," the dark elf leaned closer, grinning so Noel would know he was joking, "Who knows? Maybe they'll give us grandchildren someday."

Howl gave Alome his most charming smile yet. "Courth. You come my houthe, and I give you thome lilieth." Ugh, that sentence had a lot of s's. The blonde toddler still disliked his lisp. On the brightside, he was quite glad to have made Alome happy. He looked to Noel and his father, shaking his head.

"Icky," was his only statement. A typical toddler's reaction. What had happened to his adult mind? Zee had often noted this before. "That icky. No talk 'bout that."

Zee grinned, and glanced at Noel. "He does this occassionally. I think this side's more his true Gaia side than the other. I prefer this, actually... He's never flooded my house with green jello stuff when he's in this mood."

Howl frowned at Noel, and stuck out his tongue at him. "Icky icky icky!" Was all he had to say, with a shake of the head. "I done too," he said, though this wasn't the exact truth. He was really only half done. He didn't like rice; it wasn't a Welsh dish. He hopped down from the chair he'd been sitting on, and looked to Alome. "We play now?"

Zee frowned slightly. "He's so impolite," he muttered, looking to Howl's plate. "I'm sorry, he's a bit of a picky eater. Your cooking is wonderful, leaving only a little room for improvement." He was exgerating. Zee was an elf born and raised, and he knew good cooking when he saw it. Noel could have done better with some elvish recipes.

"Hey, Noel? I have some recipes you might find interesting."

Howl took her hand, and smiled. "What we play, Lome?" He asked, a cheerful sparkle in his eyes. He didn't know all that many games, so he seemed to be depending on Alome to pick out the game. "We play whatever Lome want to play, kay?"

Zee smiled, trying to show that he'd meant it as a compliment. He went over to Noel's side. "You know, it's not every day elves give out their recipes," he said with another smile. "I'll let you see them when you come over next, when Howl gives Alome those lilies."