The approaching holiday was always a flag for the Hillworth students as to the severity of their sentence in the facility. Many students were in the dorms, packing up their belongings for a quick visit home to celebrate Christmas (or perhaps a delayed variant of other winter holidays) with their families. Several students in the school, were unfortunately stuck in Hillworth, unable to go home for various reasons.

Out of all the students in the facility, it seemed like a puzzle as to why Howl Wickham was one of the students remaining on campus during the break. He looked like the sort who would easily be able to head home and sob into his mother's shoulder as to how horrible the school really was. Yet as the suitcases were getting packed up, the long haired individual just sat in his chair, literally watching as his roommate organized his possessions while lining the interior of his suitcase. Franz always organized his things in a way which Howl had yet to figure out.

Something else that seemed out of place was that Howl did not say a word. It wasn't a calm sort of quiet, but more of a heavy, pensive silence. Many knew that the "school hot chick" was a very thoughtful person. Yet, his presence was usually a delight due to how polite he was, tending to start conversations out of nowhere. This heavy silence was completely out of character for Wickham, and Franz of all people understood how very wrong it was.

Howl had been watching Franz, finger to the corner of his mouth with the most serious of expressions on his face. Without a shift in the mood, the silence was finally broken with a "I have a gift for you to open when you are back home." It had not be a pleasant offering, but rather a bland statement. Howl was not himself. Not one bit.