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Ah, Miss Konstantin's cheeks were a precious shade of pink at the moment. The girl did not have a sophisticated charm to her, but more of a ruddy one, which lent more to "cuteness." He casually observed her various embarrassed expressions and general disbelief while maintaining the calmest of expressions. Her dark eyes were fixated upon him. For many people, that would have bothered them, to have eyes watching them so intensely. Had he less manners, he might have leaned on the counter to get his point across. Yet instead, he just casually dipped his body forward slightly, moving into a partial bow. Her eyes seemed to follow him, and soon enough her eyes were at a straight gaze rather than a lifted one.

His earrings gently swayed from his earlobes, the light glinting across them in such a fashion that it seemed to add to that little daydream interpretation the girl had of him. His lips parted as he gently suggested "Maybe you did figure me out, and just ignored the hints?"

Only once her fingers began to fiddle with the wrapping, he lifted his body back up to a proper posture once again. His earrings once again swayed gently from the simple motion, glinting in the light. It was always a beautiful thing to see a girl who truly appreciated a present. Of course, Howl was never a slouch when it came to selecting gifts. He always tried to be very thoughtful, and it almost always showed when the person receiving the gift lit up with glee.

Picking up his cup of tea from the counter and holding onto it steadily in his hand, he commented "I know it is not much, but it was an injustice to the world to have such a cute girl looking so sad because people overlooked her birthday. Some people forget how special birthdays really are." He silently noted how she tucked the pendant into her shirt, which could be read in several ways. He did not plan to ponder the possibilities, for it would be rude. "I tried to pick something that went with your eyes. Obviously, it is not a perfect match, but the Hematite stones seemed to be the closest I could find."

He could not help but chuckle gently as she exclaimed "You didn't have to do that." His gaze fell towards the girl as he hushed before his voice once again spoke. "No, I did not have to do that. Nobody really has to do anything like giving or sharing. It is a polite thing to do. And..." He momentarily paused and looked to the girl to make sure he had her full attention.

"...I wanted to 'do that.'"

With one hand, he finally gave the second box on the counter a little attention and slid it towards the girl.

"Now," he began his explanation. "This box is your Christmas present. I would like you to wait until the appropriate day, the twenty fifth of December, to open it. I certainly hope you are not one of those mischievous girls who likes to get into their presents early!" He chuckled once again before taking a sip of his tea. The lovely lad certainly hoped this girl was not so childish as to rip into any presents the moment she got them. She seemed like the type to practice restraint.

In all honesty, Howl had never been the type to worry about receiving gifts, especially around the holidays. No longer having a reason to hover about the counter, he walked himself towards the side of it so he could be politely closer to the girl. His face did not seem bothered in the slightest over her confession of a lack of gifts. In fact, he still remained quite pleasant looking, with that gentle smile and delicate tilt to his head.

"I have always been one for giving during this season. I have never really bothered myself over receiving. For me, the holidays are about enjoying the company of the ones I love."

Maybe it was the context of the sentence, but it did not seem like he had an issue using the word "love." Some boys his age had an issue using such a word even in such an everyday conversation. Despite his explanation of how he viewed the holidays, Tatiana seemed to insist that she get him something. He listened to her proposal with keen interest, one finger gently stroking his own cheek as she spoke. When her voice hushed, he ceased this motion. His teal eyes gently looked at her dark eyes as he thought over the proposition. It was as if he was trying to make a soulful connection, but in all honesty, he was just trying to be polite.

"If that would be to your suiting, Miss Konstantin, then I shall meet with you again after the holidays. However, I would like you to not feel obligated to get me any sort of gift, if it is not to your liking."

Had he noticed her posture instead of gazing in her eyes for now, he would have easily observed that she was trying to put up her guard with that crossing of the arms. It was the silent signal that someone was feeling uncomfortable.

Though he was somewhat surprised that Tatiana was able to see through him once again, he did not let it show on his expression. He chuckled, but it did not seem to be directed at the girl. He was laughing at himself, for thinking this girl could not figure him out. Miss Tatiana Konstantin had proven herself to be quite the detective, so of course she could figure out he was not heading home for the holidays.

"You have done it again, my dear!" He paused to take in a breath, then a sip of his tea before adding "I have said it before, there is no keeping secrets with you, Miss Konstantin!"

Though he remained quite polite, he could not help but notice how the girl was playing with her hair. Nervous habit he noted before drawing even closer and placing his free hand upon her shoulder. He leaned down so his lips were at the same level as her ear. "Alas, I am not able to meet with my family for this Christmas." His voice sounded vaguely sad, despite how he had not intended for such. "I would give anything to see them. Yet, alas, they are out of town this year for the holiday. Mother and Father are very busy people." Reality check: They were in another city that he legally was not allowed to go to thanks to a restraining order. He did not exactly need to tell her all those details, for what he said was technically true.

He once again lifted himself up to standing properly at his full height and took his hand off of her shoulder. The close moment had ended as quickly as it had started.

"Unfortunately, I do not have a cell phone. My parents are still of the mind that calling cards are how to go about my phone needs." Yes, when Hillworth confiscated all cellphones that weren't well hidden, it was somewhat necessary to live off such things. "I apologize about that. Maybe we can just meet here again for one of your future shifts of work?"

His eyes followed the girl as she disappeared to the back of the store, and the remained at the entrance (from the backroom) until the girl reappeared. He glanced over her shoulder in a slightly distanced fashion, as if trying to not be imposing. Yet, Howl could not help but smile slightly at the rather obnoxious and crudely drawn cake on the 24th of December.

"It would seem that this Miss Mio is indeed, a bit more enthusiastic over your birthday than you yourself are." He took another sip from his cup before glancing to the girl's face, his eyes focusing on her dark ones. Personal information seemed to embarrass this girl, based off the color of her full face.

Rather than drag on the subject of Tatiana's birthday (since it had already been discussed at length earlier and it was embarrassing this young lady), he returned it to a subject that seemed to be more neutral to the girl. "I do not get to see my parents very often because of their work schedules. I cherish whatever time I can spend with them." He nodded his head gently, confirming this sentiment with himself. "I suspect that the 26th will be an excellent date for our meeting, Miss Konstantin. An afternoon get together, though I suspect it will be dark enough to call it a soiree."

He leaned his head forward slightly, almost in a partial bow (though not in any sort of Asian fashion). "Will that be satisfactory, Miss Konstantin?" Were it not for the fact he looked too feminine to pull it off, the smile on his lips could have almost come across as dashing. Almost.

His delicate fingers tilted his cup to his lips again and sipped up the last bit of tea from its depths. Alas, tea never lasted long enough when Howl was the consumer. Rather than set his cup back down, he held onto it until later, when he'd be closer to one of the multiple trashcans in the store.

"I suppose if you would like to dampen the mood slightly by insisting it is no soiree, then I cannot argue against it," he calmly uttered. "I had just been hoping to perhaps lift the mood for that evening by giving it such a festive name. I guess I failed in those regards."

He rounded the counter back towards where customers were supposed to "graze" on their tea samples and casually dropped his empty cup into the trash bin. It was about time that the lovely Howl give his attentions to the tea samples. He plucked out the thin and small paper cup, then a second one. He nestled the first sample cup into the other. It had always been a habit to do such so that he didn't risk leakage or possibly burning his fingers through the thin (and relatively temporary) container. As he began to fill his sample cup with the first of the many tea samples, he reassured the girl from the new distance with a pleasant "I promise, Miss Konstantin, I will not forget such an important appointment." He had been careful to not call it a date. Again, he wanted to keep this friendship as platonic as possible. He glanced back to the girl as he sipped upon the first sample, the rooibos chai. It was quite delightful, but then again, it was rare for Howl to not appreciate a genuine tea.

"Delightful!"

"Thank you, I will keep that in mind, Miss Konstantin."

Howl already knew this, but he wasn't about to point this out. She was merely doing her job. He moved onto the next sample, pulling the tab slightly so he could refill his already used paper cup. He stood there for a moment, before adding politely "Unfortunately, I am still a fan of tea, even when sweetened. It is not preferred, but I still enjoy it, my dear."

Once again, he tipped the cup to his lips and sipped so delicately, not a sound could be heard from him. It was the Matevana and Peppermint tea she had mentioned before.

"This is good as well. Very 'Christmas' flavored!" He held back a laugh, just because he was very aware that this was a very miserable attempt at humor.

One by one, Howl went through the teas, sampling all of them. The Silver Yin Zhen Pearls white and Eastern Beauty Oolong did not disappoint. If only he had the ability to make tea in the dorms, he would have purchased several ounces of each tea. Once his rounds had been made, he approached the counter one last time for the day. "So, shall I arrive at four or five on the 26th? As well as, would you like to meet elsewhere in the mall?" He needed to gather the necessary information so that he could be punctual. If there was one thing Howl couldn't stand was when people were not on time. He did not expect others to have to wait on him if he expected the same of them.

"Then I will arrive promptly at five o'clock in front of Apollo's, Miss Konstantin!" With a smile, he jokingly reminded her "Remember, do not open your present until Christmas day, my dear!"

With that, he held out his right hand, as if inviting her to extend her own to place it within his own. "Alas, I suspect my time here has expired. I look forward to meeting with you again." If the girl had offered her hand, he once again would dip his head down and gently place a kiss upon her pointer finger knuckle, just as he had done the time before. It was gentle and very polite. With a smile, he fondly offered "Until we meet again, Miss Konstantin."