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"Milk?"

It was rare to hear a teenager these days say the drank milk. What, with all those energy drinks and sodas they could have, it really was a rarity to hear something so simple. Howl, of course, could not stand the sodas and the energy drinks. They were much too strong for him and his delicate stomach.

"Well, the saying is that 'milk does a body good,' so you are probably benefiting your body by drinking mostly milk." The mention of cow's versus goat's milk seemed to go ignored, since it really wasn't very dire to the conversation. It was a meaningless detail meant to liven up their exchange of words. Dwelling on it too long would be rather silly.

As she explained the flavors she enjoyed, he nodded his head thoughtfully, and with a hand, he waved down the pretty little waitress. She was a young thing, all blond curls with dimpled round cheeks. Cute, but she seemed a bit simple. "What can I get ya, hon?"

The teal-haired lad smiled, placing all his attention on the newcomer. "If I may, I would like to get a cup of Earl Grey. My companion would like the Strawberry Lemonade Herbal Tea." He paused, then added very politely "I thank you for your assistance, Miss Stephanie." Apparently Howl had noted the name badge pinned onto the girl's apron.

The girl finished jotting down the order, then offered a simple "No problem, hon!" She giggled before spinning around to go drop off the order and take care of any other tasks she needed to before returning.

With the waitress gone, his attention was back upon his current company. "It would be rather silly for you to thank me for thanking you, Miss Van." He could have laughed at this moment, but he seemed to think better of it before offering a humble "You are very welcome though, Miss Van."

A stray lock of teal hair managed to find its way in Howl's line of sight while ordering, and now he needed to rectify this problem. With one single elegant motion, he managed to tuck the lock back and slip his hand back to its partner, knitting the fingers together.

Where as the girl seemed to find a hitch in the conversation, the effeminate lad did not hesitate to push forward, offering a new subject since the young lady seemed a bit stuck. "Might I ask how long you have been a Super Hero, Miss Van? Is it a recent endeavor, or more of a casual hobby you have maintained for a while?"

In all honesty, this entire encounter had proven rather entertaining, despite the fact he had to lose a pants leg. After all, Super Van was supplying Howl a new puzzle to work at. How to identify a super hero without being overly evident. He was no super villain, but he was growing increasingly interested at the possibilities of this scenario.

Ah, so she was new to the world of superheroing. It would explain why she came across as green to all the bare basic rules of keeping a secret identity. Even her confession as to how long she had been maintaining this hobby was something a professional would have never confessed to. That was, if there was such thing as a professional superhero.

He nodded at her response to his question, and then remained thoughtfully attentive as she asked her own. Her emphasis upon the word always was a hint that she did not approve of his previous action. His fingers unfolded to allow one hand to cover his mouth as he let out a couple chuckles.

"I beg your pardon. I always forget that things are so different out here in America." With his accent, the statement was believable, even though it was not entirely true. He had lived in America for long enough to know the basic American stances on manners, but they were nothing like those in England.

His fingers pulled away from his mouth again and an apologetic smile was there upon his lips. "Unfortunately, I cannot blame it on ordering for other people, so to speak. However, my parents raised me to order in a restaurant or cafe setting for any lady companions that might be keeping me company." There was a pause as his fingers once more folded again.

"Especially when I am the one paying, Miss Van." He nodded his head to accent the point.

One thing became pretty obvious. Howl was not a fan of profanity. The moment the word "sh*t" escaped from Super Van's lips, he noticeably winced at the word. He was not going to correct her, or mention that it was very rude to speak like such in front of a practical stranger, but given what she was actually saying at the moment, it would have simply been ironic and distracted from the conversation.

"Well, young children are taught the lesson about strangers so that they understand that you cannot trust simply any adult. Children can be rather naive creatures, so it is probably a rather necessary thing to teach."

He paused before adding in another two cents worth of his own opinion. "However, at the same time, when we grow older, this rule certainly diminishes. As teenagers and young adults, we know we cannot trust simply anybody. And, let us face it, everyone is a stranger at one point in time or another. Perhaps with the exception of our immediate family. If we were to never talk to strangers, then I suspect you would have never stopped to rescue me from that dog. Nor would I be here in your company."

It was about this time that curly-haired waitress returned, two tea cups balanced on a tray. She set down one cup in front of the strangely dressed girl, announcing "Strawberry Lemonade Herbal Tea" to make certain she got the order right, then turned to Howl and set the other cup down. "And an Earl Grey. Is there anythin' else I can get you, hon?"

Howl shook his head from side to side, but then gestured to his companion across the table. "I am fine, Miss Stephanie, but I did not know if my acquaintance was interested in any of the cakes or biscuits." This was obviously an invitation for Super Van to speak up if she wanted any sort of snack to go with her tea.

"Alright hon, jus' let me know if ya want anything!" With that, Stephanie left the pair to go tend to other tables.

Howl, as polite as he was, had waited for the waitress to leave before daring to pick up his own teacup. Where as the rookie super hero had to work very hard to maintain an elegant manner with her cup, the lad made it seem almost effortless. Of course, the tea itself was still too warm, so when he lifted the cup up to his lips, instead of taking a sip, he merely blew over the surface of his Earl Grey, causing faint ripples to flutter across the liquid.

"Dare I ask if I am what you would consider trustworthy?" He blew once more over his beverage before setting it down just as daintily and effortlessly as before.

"I honestly cannot say I know any bad guys or villains personally, so I suspect I cannot assess whether a bad guy would find displeasure in a ripped pants leg or the likelihood that the bad guy would purchase the heroine any sort of beverage."

Of course, a lot of the meaning to his reply probably went ignored, for within seconds the girl looked almost as if she was choking in a sense. She obviously wasn't, but her expression did seem to betray her, letting Howl easily assess the situation before she started to practically holler out her ailment.

"Oh dear, I am terribly sorry, Miss Van." His voice was genuine and concerned, even empathetic. He had burned his tongue on many occasions prior, and he knew that it always had that lasting effect of making your food taste slightly different since burnt taste buds didn't function like regular taste buds. There really was no way to fix that particular problem, but perhaps a temporary solution would assist in easing her pain.

"Would you like me to get you some ice, Miss Van?"

"I can sympathize, Miss Van."

Howl's tea still remained untouched, and even now, he merely glanced to it, as if to get his point across.

"I personally prefer my tea hot rather than iced, but I cannot handle drinking it when it is too warm. Warm tea has the better flavor, since iced tea waters down the flavor itself. Yet most places make the tea too warm, so I end up needing to wait at least a good 10 or so minutes usually."

That being said, it had probably been about 4 minutes only.

With a slight nod in her direction, he commented "To err is to be human, am I not correct?" It was obvious she was no super-powered being like the Sailor Scouts.