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He paused from his salad, setting the fork on the plate so that he was not distracted as he answered a few more questions. "Alas, I only moved out here a half a year ago, and my free time has been rather limited. I have a few friends who are girls, but I have not found myself a girlfriend yet."

He paused to take a sip of the complimentary water, then continued onward. "Greasy food makes me physically nauseous. Mother likes to call my stomach 'delicate.' I can handle small amounts of grease, but when the food is covered, I cannot bring myself to eat it."

Once more, his rather well maintained fingers dipped down and picked up his fork, signaling he was ready to resume eating again. Before he resumed the careful stabbing of various vegetables, he could not resist asking "I am curious, what sort of conditioner you use? I am close to running out, so I need to purchase some more." The faint click of the fork bumping against the plate could be heard as the teal-haired lad stabbed up a tomato slice. As his companion spoke, he would be nibbling along the fruit until it vanished.

It was not hard to notice how Cassius' gaze went from polite to near intense the moment he had asked the question. As a casual mental note, he observed that asking about Mr. James' hair was a taboo subject at best. Howl's smile remained ever constant, seeming unaffected by the lack of a definite answer. When his tomato had been consumed, his fork plucked up a slice of crisp cucumber and he took to nibbling on that. Before he could finish with the cucumber, the edges of his lips curled up even higher, as if finding something amusing in Cassius' advice. However, it was only when the cucumber had vanished that he offered an explanation for the expression on his face.

"I would prefer to at least get rid of one of my recent hair regiments. I am, unfortunately, forced into... what is the correct term... I believe the phrase is 'swirlies.' When someone forces your head into a toilet and flushes." It was not a joke, but Howl chuckled for a moment, as if it was something that you were supposed to laugh at. Where many who would confess such a thing would be upset, vengeful, or perhaps sobbing, the English lad confessed such pleasantly.

"I suspect toilet water is not exactly all that healthy for my hair, but I will keep your advice in mind."

"I am a pacifist."

It was simply stated as he chewed thoughtfully on a few green leaves. No regret was in his tone. When he finished and swallowed the few bits of green in his mouth, he then clarified further.

"I do not believe in fighting. Sparring in a bout for fencing is okay, but I am not a fan of fighting. I would also like to note that it is a mob of students. Logically, I stand no chance."

Howl smiled. It probably wasn't an appropriate time for a smile, but there it was on his face still. Nothing overly confident, just something rather gentle.

"I have been told that the only way they will stop is if I cut my hair. If I were to let them push me around, then I would have cut my hair a long while ago. I have no plans to cut my hair, so I suspect they will continue until they get bored of the same old routine."

Thoughtfully, he stabbed at some leaves on his plate, which was slowly showing off more plate as the English lad continued to eat. Before popping the food into his mouth, he offered a simple "I do appreciate your concern though, Mr. James."

There was no hope in doing anything about it. Jesse Alvarez was almost an exception to any rule at Hillworth. Discipline of any sort was pointless and a waste of time. At least, it seemed to be the motto amongst the faculty. At the mention of "doing something" if Howl's torture prolonged much longer, the teal-haired lad nodded his head to acknowledge the advice. He most likely would not be following it, but it was always food for thought.

The mention of assistance was also noted, but Howl only mentally noted it. Cassius seemed older. Maybe he was attending Sovereign Heights for school? Legally, Howl suspected that Cassius could not do a thing about it, since beating up a minor was an offense. Oh, those wheels in Howl's mind needed to stop turning long enough to at least reply. Setting his fork down, he attentively placed his eyes to the blonde's gray ones.

"Hopefully I do not come across as prying too much, but I am curious as to what age you decided to start growing your hair out, Mr. James?" Howl had his own extremely personal reasons, but from his experience, most people did not have the same problems as him when he was growing up.

There was a moment of silence. It was not asked for, but the reasoning in itself was enough to cause the momentary somber silence. Howl did not dare to eat another vegetable until he felt he had let a sufficient amount of respectful silence pass.

"My condolences, Mr. James, even if delayed," he offered eventually. For a moment, he thought over the possibility of either his own mother or father passing. Howl might not have seen them very frequently due to their busy work schedules, but he cherished every brief moment with them.

The question was easily returned to him, and for a moment, he seemed to almost debate responding. One of his fingers gently smoothed over one of the gems hanging from his ears before he seemed to answer, as if the simple motion was enough to give him the confidence to answer honestly.

"My mother was a heavy influence in my decision to grow my hair out. I started eight years ago, ironically when I was 8 years old." His finger smoothed over the turquoise stone at his ear again. "I actually grew up with a lot of harsh teasing in my life, and my mother was the one who was able to help me look at it all from a better perspective." His voice during the whole explanation seemed a bit distanced, as if trying to avoid attaching any sort of emotion to the words. Even after eight years, he was not exactly fond of speaking of the specific teasing he had gone through in elementary school.

It almost felt as if Howl's current blonde companion was gushing about what wonderful people Howl and his family were. For a brief moment, a few thoughts flickered in the back of his mind.

His mother and father were wonderful people.

They deserved a far better son who would not disgrace the family name.

His father would not accept anything less than full respect for his mother.

There was not a hint to any of these thoughts passing through his mind based upon his expression, which remained calm and almost serene. All he offered on this subject was a simple "I am quite fond of my parents." He nodded his head and moved onto the subject of his salad.

"I must confess, I did not exactly have a very filling lunch today." Clarification, he had nitpicked at the mystery meat Hillworth had attempted to pass off as food. "I suspect my stomach is just trying to make up for the abuse it had to suffer earlier." He laughed ever so politely, momentarily covering his mouth as if to muffle the sound. At the mention of a milkshake, he tilted his head ever so slightly to the left, causing his earrings to sway gently. "I may have to consider that for another time when I am in less of a hurry. I do not want to be late for my appointment."

Rather than answer the question immediately, the effeminate lad simply tugged softly at the edge of his left sweater sleeve just enough so he could glance to his watch. Howl had rather thin wrists and elegant hands for a boy, but there wasn't exactly a whole lot about the teal-haired lad that was very masculine. His fingers slipped away from his sweater sleeve and his eyes drifted back up to Cassius' gray eyes.

"I still have time to make my appointment." There was no way he would mention the actual time. Any intelligent person would be able to make the connection between the Hillworth curfew to the "appointment time" if Howl dared to offer it.

At the mention of a future encounter, a pleased smile found its way onto his lips. Even the rude coughed hint went ignored as he responded in the politest of fashions. "I would rather enjoy another meeting in the future, Mr. James." While nodding his head, he carefully tucked his chair away from the table so he could stand once more. It was hard to reach into your back pocket for your wallet if you were sitting down. His trusty black leather wallet made a brief appearance as it was pulled out, money was pulled out, and it was soon enough returned to its rightful place in the back right pocket.

"This should more than cover my bill, and the rest should be used for tip, Mr. James. I will take my leave now." Based off of how formal Howl was, he once more extended his hand for a handshake.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Cassius James."