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 Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:13 pm
He could not help but chuckle slightly at the mention of his manners being an appreciation for order. Perhaps it was true, but he never saw manners as serving as an indicator. "Alas, I suspect my parents are to blame for my manners more so than my own accord. They would not accept anything less than stellar manners within the household. In all honesty, it is all I really know."
The mention of England caused him to nod his head in approval to her statement. "The countryside is quite lovely. I sincerely find it more enchanting than London, but perhaps that is the personal bias of a near-local."
His teal eyes politely trailed after Fallon as she finished with the washing of the inkwells and began to set to work again. As a casual comment, he noted aloud "Miss Fallon, you truly seem to be in your element when you have a task at hand... or at least it would seem this way." Howl was all for responsibility, but that did not mean he truly enjoyed all work set upon his shoulders during the day. Filling flowerbeds with manure was a necessary evil, for instance, that Howl did out of necessity rather than from sheer enjoyment. Yet he imagined the redhead would probably be completely immune to the stench, or perhaps even immune to the filth factor involved. Imagination was not necessarily an accurate portrayal of a person, and he acknowledged this mentally after a few seconds.
After his observation, he politely resumed listening, eyes upon the girl, ever attentive, and posture letting her know he was not bored at all. Mentally, he noted the name "Pierrette" before replying "I mentioned I met that enchanting French girl, but unfortunately, I was unable to get her name after our brief encounter." He technically had not lied. He had gotten "Sailor Virgo" from the girl, but that was more than likely not her true name. He just tastefully excluded some information to get his point across.
"I am rather ashamed of this blunder of mine, and I aim to rectify it, if I am able to."
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:34 am
Fallon pulled out the glass jar of inky black. Her hands next searched for a pair of gloves and, finding them, slipped into the latex with a series of snaps and squeaks. She listened to Howl as she worked, falling into an easy rhythm of organization. Her parents had very little to do with her manners. Her father was polite enough, and her mother was pushy, a worrier. None of them had the kind of manners Fallon did. She learned from old black and white movies and the prim old women who huddled around cafe tables in the squares. It must be nice to have orderly parents.
Lifting a clear glass funnel, Fallon set it in the mouth of the first inkwell. The lid of the jar loosed with a pop! and Fallon leaned in to sniff the metallic scent wafting off of the ink. She had begun to lift the jar when Howl spoke again, commenting on her work. "Yes, I like tasks," she said, though it hardly explained anything. Having tasks to do allowed her to focus all of her OCD energy on that one thing, instead of letting it affect other parts of her life. It wasn't exactly a fun topic for a first meeting.
Instead, Fallon focused on Howl's ruminations on the French girl. "It must have been very brief," she said, smiling, "but very memorable." Turning back to the counter, she lent all of her attention to the inkwells. It would be very bad to spill ink all over the carpet, even worse to get it on herself. Lifting the jar, Fallon began to pour, muscles locked. A stream on inky black fell into the glass funnel, not leaving a drop behind.
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:19 pm
"Indeed. It was very brief, and very memorable" he nearly parroted back. What could he say though? The meeting had actually been a rather decent one in length. Looking back, he couldn't help but feel it had been a bit too short though. Regret was such a cruel mistress. Regret and curfew.
Perhaps if he was the unobservant fool, he might not have noticed how intensely Fallon seemed to be concentrating at the moment. However, this polite young lady still seemed to emit some sort of vibe which demanded silence at the moment. Not wanting to ignore some silent signal like that, the effeminate lad contented himself with merely watching.
He tried to keep his eyes as gentle as possible as he began to analyze things that most people would not have paid mind to. Most people went and looked at things like facial features and expressions, but those only told what the person wanted. A well trained young lady could easily fake their emotions if they put their mind to it. Posture, on the other hand, was a difficult thing to fake. Howl was very particular about his own posture, but from his experience, people did not pay nearly as much attention to such details. Miss Fallon's body seemed rigid and uptight, even as she poured the jet black ink into the funnel. It probably meant she had a strong personality, perhaps even some issues with needing to be in control. Her mention of manners being an orderly issue only seemed to prove his point as he thought back over it. Thinking it over, he only could think of one other person who had the same sort of posture, but simply dismissed Mr. Alvarez from his mind as quickly as he entered Howl's thoughts. Miss Fallon seemed to have much more restraint over her actions, based off how polite she had been thus far.
He continued to watch silently until it seemed as if the redhead had finished with the last bit of ink. At that point, he once again tried to strike up conversation. "I could not help but wonder, and I apologize if I am quite off the mark, but would Mr. Raphael be a family friend of yours? You two seemed close, as if you were family." His delicate smile remained ever constant upon his lips as he awaited a response.
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 4:52 am
The ink fell in long streams into each well, Fallon's hands worrying over each one. No drips, no spots -- anything else would be utterly unacceptable. When she finished with the last, she capped the jar again and put it away. Her eyes found Howl's as he spoke. "Raphael?" she repeated, magenta eyes partially obscured by a heavy fringe of lashes. "I'm afraid not, though he'd be a lovely relative I think." It was a bit of a lie. Fallon liked being an only child with few close relatives. Less people to complicate her systems and her life. Most kids her age were more willing to conform to her needs than any adult would be.
Crossing back to the supply shelf, Fallon picked up three of the inkwells and began to circle the room, placing each one to left of the parchment stacks. "I spend a good amount of my time in this area shopping. Ink & Pen was one of my first preferred locations," she said, continuing where she had left off. Fallon set down another inkwell and then glanced back to Howl. "Raphael really has the most wonderful paper in Destiny City. I have found nothing of higher quality. He imports it from a friend of his, though he won't divulge the name." The corner of her mouth tensed at that, remembering her annoyance. Raphael was warm and bubbly, but he was protective too -- and money-hungry. He knew that Fallon was hoping to circumvent his store to deal directly with the supplier. It didn't mean she would stop shopping at his store, but it certainly meant he would get less money from her. In his eyes, it was clearly unacceptable.
The last two inkwells made hollow clinks as Fallon set them down. She paused a moment to look at the room so far. Raphael kept all the pens in his office, but Fallon had done most of the time consuming work. Her eyes found the clock on the wall. It would only be a few more minutes before the class began to arrive. "How do you like Destiny City?" she asked, inserting a question for Howl. It was the polite thing to do, after all.
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 1:01 pm
Ah, so Mr. Raphael was an acquaintance of her own accord. His eyes continued to trail after her busy movements. At the mention of the storekeeper's imports, Howl offered an extremely polite laugh. "I suppose Mr. Raphael is looking to keep some trade secrets as just that. Trade secrets."
The redhead's movements seemed to ease up slightly, and she seemed to stop fussing with the supplies. Perhaps this meant she was done? He was half wondering over this when she asked such a generic question.
"I find Destiny City to be..." he had to pause slightly, as if searching for the correct terms. "...quite quaint. I have not really had time to truly explore this city, balancing classes and extracurricular activities with errands and chores. I suspect I will eventually fall into the rhythm of this city." He mentally could not help but note that there would be no way he'd fall into the rhythm of Hillworth. With a gentle chuckle, he laid out his final observation of Destiny City. "Until then, I suspect I will continue to feel like the outsider looking into this city."
His own eyes drifted to the clock, and out of consideration, he had to ask "Will the class be starting soon? I do not want to be taking up someone's seat when they arrive." The teal-haired lad looked as if he was about to get up from where he was sitting, but seemed to wait for Miss Fallon to give him the signal.
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Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 8:02 am
A smile touched Fallon's lips with Howl commented on Raphael's trade secrets, but it was laced with annoyance. Fallon was accustomed to having things go her way. Being told 'no' was exceptionally inconvenient. As if conscious of standing too still, the cinnamon-haired teen crossed back to the supply shelf and grabbed a white rag. As Howl spoke, she systemically wiped off all the blank space on the desks and chairs.
"I was born in Destiny City. A deal of my elementary school education was gained here," she began, hair swaying around her shoulders. "But when I first came back, it felt strange to me. There were some places that I remembered, but the landscape had changed. The entire city was far larger than it had been before, more developed. In France, I lived between a large city and the rural countryside. It was much quieter than it is here." Fallon crouched down to wipe at the silver legs of the table, head bobbing in and out of sight. When she stood, the rag was folded neatly in her palm. "To me, where I used to live was quaint. Destiny City is loud, bright, bustling."
Crossing back to the shelf, Fallon put the cloth away. She turned and dropped her hands to her sides when Howl spoke again. Though she had just looked at the clock, she glanced again and then back to him. "Yes," she said, taking a few steps toward where he sat. "I imagine the others will be arriving any moment now." Fallon wasn't about to tell Howl to leave. She would let him decide that for himself. But she was certainly opening the door for him.
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Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:42 pm
Nodding his head at the mention of the other students arriving shortly, he stood himself up and tucked the chair back in under the table. His legs began to carry him away from the tables, but not out of the classroom. Instead, he simply relocated towards the back of the classroom. He had been told Raphael would assist him, and he wanted to purchase his quill before the day had passed.
From his new found location, Howl continued the conversation as he saw fit. "My comparison was in regards to Westdale, which is also a very busy City. However, I do not have a full 'visual' yet as to what Destiny City is like. If we were to compare Destiny City my homes in England, I would have to say that my homes were far more quaint. My parents preferred the countryside as well, but we were constantly moving due to their work." As the beautiful lad spoke, he was very particular about not tucking away his hands in his pockets or folding his arms against his chest. The first meant you were nervous, and the second meant you were simply closing yourself off to the conversation. He did, however, let his right hand casually tuck his loose lock of teal hair away from his eyes.
I sincerely hope that Mr. Raphael is released from his phone-prison soon. I would hate to be disrupting the class for him to tend to my purchase. With that thought, his eyes strayed towards the office door as he held in a sigh.
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:17 am
As if on cue, Raphael emerged from the back, phone tucked neatly into his shirt pocket. He crossed first to Fallon and kissed her on each cheek. "Thank you, thank you, sweet angel. I lose my head sometimes if it not on my shoulders, eh?" he said, accent muffling the clarity of his syllables. Soft brown eyes glanced to Howl and appraised the boy from head to toe. "You need me for something, yes? Sorry I was so rude earlier. My mother is a shark." Raphael laughed, touching a hand to his chest, and then crossed over to Howl.
When he moved, Fallon took a step backward, brushing a hand over her cheeks. She lived in France for years and was accustomed to a kiss-kiss greeting, but it still set her on edge just a bit. Raphael was nice though, and incredibly flamboyant in his need for contact. Despite how friendly he acted, this was only the fifth time he and Fallon had actually talked beyond a friendly wave or other excused pleasantry. Raphael was just very open.
Fallon smiled over to Howl, leaving his comments unresponded. Raphael was here now, and Fallon had no desire to battle him for the spotlight. Instead, she dragged her fingertips over the edge of the desk as she crossed the room too. "Raphael can help you, yes, Howl?" she said, gesturing to the taller man. It looked like the time for pleasant farewells had come. "It was so good to meet you. I hope we bump into each other again," she said, nodding along. Raphael glanced between the two of them, but his eyes lingered on Howl.
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:04 pm
My, what splendid timing! Maybe next time Howl should have hoped for something greater. Not wanting to come across as rude, he momentarily nodded his head towards Raphael in greeting. In this case, it seemed as if one salutation led to one farewell. Turning to the redhead who had been so helpful, he gave her a grateful smile.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Fallon, and I thank you for your assistance today. Until we meet again." Her hand was not out far enough for him to offer another kiss to her hand, so instead, he simply offered a vague bow.
When he lifted his body back up to its proper posture, he turned to Raphael. "Mr. Raphael, was it? It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." He offered his right hand for a handshake and smiled. Despite how delicate the lad seemed at times, he did have a splendid handshake which was firm enough to match any decent lad's. Moving onto business quickly, he explained "I was looking to purchase a swan quill pen, and Miss Fallon told me I would need your assistance, sir." Assuming that time was of the essence, he casually began to walk over to the door so that they could tend to this matter.
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 7:23 pm
Raphael moved around the desks, floating like a dancer over to Howl's side. "It will be a pleasure to help such an attractive and polite young man," he said, warm smile creeping across his lips. Raphael was the type to flirt with everything with legs, especially a pretty boy like Howl. It wasn't any serious attempt at anything -- he was much older -- but it made the cheerful man smile to watch others squirm. Howl, however, seemed to be perfectly at ease.
Fallon dipped her head in polite response to his bow, light smile touching at the corners of her mouth. "Yes, I will certainly look forward to it," she said, though she made no move to give him her number. Howl would certainly be a welcome face in her future, but she rarely made an attempt to befriend males. Her eyes moved back to the desks, and as Howl and Raphael exited the room, she began to straighten and restraighten the stacks of parchment.
The last thing that Fallon saw was Raphael emphatically shaking Howl's hand and saying, "You have such a firm grip for a boy your age! And great taste in quills! Oh, my friend, you are such a treat." The door clicked shut behind them, and Fallon resumed her adjusting, eyes flickering to the clock every so often.
The other students had better be on time. It was so rude to be late. Hmph.
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