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It had been a relatively pleasant afternoon. Howl had headed to the mall, gotten some tea, managed to speak with his acquaintance, Tatiana Konstantin, for a bit, and now was heading back to Hillworth so he could make it before curfew. He was a bit early, but that was simply because he had to stop and the local public restroom and change clothes back into his uniform. It was absolutely horrid that the school expected him to walk around in a uniform that screamed out "I am a juvenile delinquent" when in public. It was mighty hard to earn respect when such a fact lingered over his head.

With a sigh, he withdrew into the restroom to tend to his clothing. Off came the casual suit, and on went the green plaid pants, white undershirt, and black sweater-vest. Out came his beautiful piercings, only to be replaced with less noticeable "placeholders," as he liked to call them. His decorative hair sticks were also tucked away in his gym bag. Instead of being the beautiful Howl Wickham, he was now the Hillworth "school hot chick," and the school hot chick needed to head back to campus. He exited the bathroom and began heading towards the prison of a school, but he couldn't help but pause. There was something running behind him, since he could hear the clacking sound of something against the concrete. It was human nature to be curious, and obeying his instincts for a moment, he turned to see what was hurriedly approaching.

Now, Howl was no expert when it came to the magical goings on in Destiny City. He had heard reports of girls in Sailor-styled school uniforms doing various activities, some condoned, and some praised by the media. There was also the fact that Franz seemed rather intrigued by the "Sailor Scouts" as they were frequently labeled. Yet as this girl dressed in a rather strange outfit approached quickly, he couldn't help but think within a split second that this was a Sailor Scout. Somehow, he just knew it. There wasn't enough time for him to truly appraise the outfit, since within a few seconds, this girl had not only grabbed his gym bag, but his hand as well.

Initially, his body was jolted pretty harshly, seeing as she was moving fast, and he had been stationary. Yet, the tone of her voice easily told him that he needed to move, and he needed to move now. As quickly as he humanly could, he began to run, guided by this strange girl. He wasn't a slouch when it came to physical activities (When you had to deal with Killingworth, it was better to keep at peek physical condition), but he was still easily trailing behind this girl.

Unfortunately, his eyes were still that of a man, and they were drawn to the absolutely short frills of her skirt. He did not mean to look, but he was getting a pretty decent view of this girl's buttocks. His cheeks blushed furiously, feeling very improper for doing such a thing.

"Uh, Miss Sailor Scout," he eventually managed to utter. "I dislike nagging, but what is going on?" He tried to avert his eyes, but his cheeks told the whole tale. He had yet to notice the monster chasing them, since he had been a bit too distracted to notice.

As quickly as everything had started, it had all stopped. Having absolutely no warning about when the girl was planning to stop, he was somewhat spun around since he was still moving, and the Sailor Scout was not. Digging his feet into the ground, he eventually came to a stop, just in time to see the girl set his bag down and to finally take notice of the thing (for a lack of a better word) that had been chasing them. Howl's face, which usually kept the most pleasant of expressions there for decoration, couldn't help but twist slightly into a look of distaste. This thing was absolutely hideous. He was a man who appreciated beauty, and this was almost the polar opposite of beauty.

Cautiously, he edged forward and picked up his belongings, only halfway hearing the girl's instructions. There was mention of powers, and a word he was not very familiar with. Youma. Just as cautiously as before, he backed up, his eyes trying to fully comprehend everything going on. A part of him really wanted to flee, just as he had been told to do. Yet another part of him was intrigued to no end at the situation unfolding before him. Indeed, the situation was dangerous, but as the girl stated, the youma seemed less than practical. There was also the fact that he, a man, did not want to flee and leave a woman to fend for herself. It was not that Howl was a sexist, for he was certain this girl was better prepared for such a strange creature. However, he somehow felt that his honor was at stake in some sort of strange way. Also, he was certain that this Sailor Scout had a more specific name than just "Miss Sailor Scout." It was only polite to learn the name of your savior.

Even though he had backed up to the point where his back was literally against a brick wall, Howl Wickham had yet to follow the Sailor Scout's directions. It was as if his thoughts were crippling his simple ability to listen to some good and sound advice.

By the time he had made a firm decision as to what he was going to do (which was wait here), he had already witnessed the demise of the Youma-monster. In all honesty, it looked rather messy. He couldn't help but feel bad that this girl had gotten such lovely shoes so messy. This sentiment was coming from the lad who would probably walk around a puddle so he could simply keep his shoes clean.

She approached and voiced concern for his well being, which made the effeminate lad smile. In a voice which matched his proper sex, he reassured the young woman "I am safe, thanks to your efforts, Miss Sailor Scout." Without a second thought, he took one of the girl's hands gently in his own and gave it a small kiss to the pointer finger knuckle. "I am truly grateful, but would it be possible for me to find out my savior's name?" He released her hand and looked up to her olive green eyes with his own cool teal ones. With a charming smile upon his lip, he chuckled slightly and confessed "I would like to be able to call you something a bit more personal than 'Miss Sailor Scout.'"

She had picked up his bag, which made him feel less like a man than the whole "being saved by a girl" issue. "I would greatly enjoy company walking back to the school, but I would like to ensure you that I am fully capable of carrying my own possessions." He was not one to snatch his bag back hastily, but rather, he just held his dainty hands out, waiting politely for her to hand him the gym bag.

The lad could not help but smile in approval as he watched the girl show off her most excellent of manners. Not being one to hide a compliment when deserving, he offered "You are quite well-mannered, Miss Virgo. My name is Howl Wickham. The pleasure, my dear, is all mine." He offered a slight formal bow before easily taking his bag back up in his hand and slinging over his shoulder.

Even though the girl had insisted upon escorting him back to school, he attempted to make it look like the opposite case. He extended his arm politely, as if to offer to lock arms with her to properly escort her to his school's campus.

He addressed the mention of his gym bag's weight with a light and familiar smile. "Oh, I was unaware that you were familiar with Mr. Ferris. My roommate is quite fond of his abilities in dance." Ah yes, Franz had a very strange relationship with the timid Simon, but then again, Franz tended to have a very strange relationship with anybody and everybody he knew. "There might be a decent difference because Mr. Ferris does not have nearly as much equipment as myself for his extracurricular activities. Mr. Ferris is on the cheersquad, much like my roommate. I, on the other hand, am on the fencing team. I have to wear a full protective outfit when I fence."

Whether or not his offer to link arms was taken, the teal-haired lad soon enough began to lead the way back to his campus. Out of the desire to continue on a pleasant conversation, he asked "Might I ask, Miss Virgo, how you and Mr. Ferris met?"

Howl made an effort to keep engaged in the conversation, so his eyes were continually glancing forward to where the pair walked, and back to the girl's face. He didn't seem surprised as the girl spouted her disbelief in the absolute fact that Simon was on the cheer squad. His voice laughed gently and sympathetically before he offered the explanation. "Yes, I am aware that Mr. Ferris is quite timid to say the least. However, my roommate, Mr. St. Germaine, is quite the persuasive individual. Perhaps bordering on pushy if he suspects you have talent. Apparently Mr. St. Germaine had caught Mr. Ferris in the library doing some sort of dance, and immediately enlisted the poor boy onto the cheer squad."

They rounded the corner, passing the dumpster for a local shop. The smell was less than pleasing and caused Howl's nose to itch slightly. He tried to ignore it, but eventually his nose twitched slightly on its own. Hoping the small impolite gesture went unseen, he focused in on the mention of a familiar name. "Miss Miriam Jacobs, from Crystal Academy?" This was a hint about the girl as well, since it meant she obviously knew a girl named Hero from Crystal Academy. Not wanting to draw attention to that slight hint, he mentioned "Miss Jacobs is a very formidable opponent in fencing. Far more skilled than myself, to be honest. Or the whole Hillworth team. We recently had a match, and the Crystal team won by a landslide." He chuckled, seeming to have no issue confessing to his own shortcomings.

By the time the Sailor Scout explained how she knew Simon, the smell of the dumpster had passed. He let out a small sigh of relief. Being a polite listener, the feminine lad nodded his head at each point in the story. By the end of the story, he noted something very particular.

"Might I ask if you are from France, Miss Virgo?" Howl had a very consistent English accent, and he did find it strange that this girl's accent only came forth as she spoke about how she met Simon. He knew many people who had accents, but only when they were upset or some sort of emotion was overwhelming them. It made Howl wonder, but he figured now would not be the right time or place to mention it. This girl had literally just saved his life, so he didn't need to embarrass her.

They rounded another corner, weaving carefully through the streets and alleyways to make the quickest route to Howl's school. Upon the mention of Miss Jacobs character, he commented as politely as he could with a "That is a pity she does such a thing." Was he surprised at this? Not really. Her fencing style seemed extremely cold. It almost seemed a bit inhumane with how she went in for the points. The mention of his skills caused him to laugh lightly. "Oh, Miss Virgo, you give me far too much credit. I can ensure you that I have practiced. A lot. I have been fencing since I was 7 years old. I have been at this for nearly a decade, and I am still just average at best." There was no shame in his voice, in fact, his tone was so pleasant, you would have almost thought he was talking about some wondrous land filled with rainbows, sunshine, and unicorns.

He was somewhat curious if all Sailor Scouts were so talkative and willing to share personal information about themselves. "That is quite interesting, Miss Virgo. I actually was not born in England, but I spent a lot of time there as a child. Both of my parents are English though. Very traditional in that sense, which is probably why I did not lose my accent while growing up." He laughed politely at the mention of Italian courtship and nodded his head. "Yes, I have heard of it. You are quite right, my dear."

They rounded one more corner, and Hillworth was in plain sight. It was still a decent walk away, but Howl figured he would be fine in regards to curfew. It wasn't everyday you had a charming young lady willing to walk and talk with you. "London is one of the more popular places to visit, I suppose. For me, it comes across as a tourist city. Have you ever been to any of the smaller districts, Miss Virgo? They are usually much more quaint, but also much more charming."

Though the beautiful lad had been watching where they had been going, he had also been paying attention to the girl at his side. Her eyes seemed preoccupied, and he had no issues with asking "Is there something wrong, Miss Virgo? Your lovely green eyes have been looking all over the place for the past few minutes. I certainly hope I am not boring you, my dear." His tone was gentle, and his lips were curled into a lovely smile. He was more concerned than upset over the possibility of boring the young girl.

The mention of Princesses and Captains was a bit confusing, and out of the blue, but the teal-haired beauty bobbed his head up and down as if all she was saying was common knowledge. He could not help but offer "You must feel privileged to be living with royalty then, Miss Virgo. Is she a level-headed young lady?" There was always that stereotype that royalty could be quite snobbish, but the way Miss Virgo spoke so fondly of the "Princess," he could not help but wonder if she a kind and virtuous soul.

As the girl seemed to swoon at his arm about marriage, he couldn't help but let out a kind chuckle. "You are quite the romantic for such a young girl," he pointed out before listening to her various travels. She most certainly was an interesting young lady, this Miss Virgo was. She was a well traveled French girl who seemed fit for Crystal Academy (and most likely was a student there), whose father was an ambassador, was familiar with Miss Jacobs and Mr. Ferris, AND lived with a Princess. Were it not for the fact he was certain nothing nearly as ugly as that Youma would have been in his imagination, he would have thought this whole encounter was a dream.

"I am certain a charming young lady, such as yourself, will not have any problem finding a suitable suitor." It was a casual observation, but Howl had a horrible habit of making such observations sound like generally accepted facts, as if it was common knowledge.