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There were still signs all about the mall that prom season was approaching swiftly. Many of the shops had beautiful dresses and handsome suits decorating their front windows, there were special sales in the jewelry shops, and even the mall's hair styling facility had a special deal if a young lady was going to get their hair done there. As he walked about the mall casually with his cup of Teasvatta tea, he could not help but recall the fact he had yet to ask any young lady to the Prom.

It was not that Howl Wickham was shy about such things. Oh no, he actually was very formal about preparations for a formal event. He was the sort who made certain everything was perfect down to the last detail. Matching corsages and boutonnieres were a must, and he always made certain his suit would not horribly clash with that of his date. He recalled a few girls he had met momentarily, such as Miss Fallon and Miss Reese, but in all his wisdom, he decided against asking any of them. It would come across as strange at best.

"Hello, I have only met you one time prior to this, but I wanted to ask you to the prom." That was far from smooth.

In another place in his mind, he also could not help but laugh at the notion of maybe asking a Sailor Scout. Both Miss Virgo and Miss Vanadis were extremely delightful, but at the same time, the Sailor Scout was a rather fleeting creature in the city. You were lucky to see one at any given moment. Even if Miss Vanadis had been eying such a lovely dress, it did not guarantee that he'd be able to ask her and get an agreement to the terms.

As if to take a break from the buzz of the Prom season, the lad sat himself down on a bench. He popped the lid of his tea and blew carefully at the contents. Miss Tatiana had not been at Teasvatta today, so the employee today had managed to make his tea extra hot. This meant he had to wait extra time for it to cool off to a sufficient temperature. It was still too hot, and as he blew, the liquid rippled slightly under his breath.

Hopefully nobody was foolish enough to startle him while he was working such a careful procedure.

Oh Irony, how you must have been laughing at Howl Wickham today!

The sudden greeting had caused the lad to naturally jolt a bit, and in turn a small splash of white tea had managed to spill onto his pants leg. If it weren't for the sudden burning heat upon his leg, he might have noted mentally that he was glad he ordered white tea and not black tea today. There would not be an obnoxious stain to clean up after.

A small hissing noise managed to escape his lips, needing some sort of way to vent out the strong discomfort in his leg now. However, he didn't curse, he didn't shout, and he did keep his cool. As carefully as his fingers would allow, he replaced the lid on his cup, only to ensure there would be no more spills on his watch. With this taken care of, he set the cup on the ground, tucked carefully under the bench so no common mall-goer would kick it over as they passed.

It was only after sorting out this whole issue that he turned to face the lovely fawn-haired girl.

"Ah, Miss McMahon, it is a pleasure to see you again!" He smiled, trying to ignore that pain which was slowly fading away. It had been a while since he had last seen this young lady, but such a talented young lady was always a welcome sight to the effeminate lad.

Noting that she had some sort of meal at hand, he politely asked, "I hope I do not come across as a bother, but would you happen to have a napkin I may use?" The common place mistake people usually had when asking this question was asking to "borrow" rather than to use or have. Borrowing meant you would be giving the item back. And last Howl checked, nobody wanted to use an already soiled napkin.

Their fingers touched for a brief moment as he reached out to take the napkin. It was nothing very notable, just a simple brush of his fingers against hers. Before tending to his spill, he offered a small laugh and a simple comment. "Oh no, my dear. Just a small spill that needs wiping up is all. Fortunately, I suspect this will not stain." For a moment, he turned away to tend to the spill. The pain from the initial burn had already dulled completely, but the wet spot was still present. At least he didn't spill the tea close to his crotch. The pain along with the possible humiliation after from teasing would have been enough to set him in a mood.

Rather than rub the napkin along the damp area, Howl delicately dabbed the area softly. As he did such, he figured it would only be polite the strike up a conversation as he worked. Maybe even offer an invitation for the girl to join him.

"It has been a while since I have last seen you, Miss McMahon. Would you care to join me on this bench so we may talk?" For a moment, his teal eyes glanced back, as if trying to read her for an answer. His fingers were at least talented enough to continue the soft dabbing motion while not focusing in on his work.

Nodding his head slightly at her response to joining him, he made certain to scoot towards the left edge of the bench so that two could sit down comfortably. In warning, he also mentioned "Just to let you know, I set my tea down under the bench, so please do not kick your feet underneath." His tone had been completely informative and had no sense of scolding to it at all.

Howl resumed his gentle dabbing, and managed to peek up when she asked him about sharing her food. He looked over the fries, and immediately felt his stomach get a bit queasy at the visible oil glazing those poor potatoes. With his free hand, he shook it slightly to signal he was fine.

"I think I will have to pass on your kind offer, Miss McMahon. I thank you, though."

Soon enough he had a partially damp napkin at hand, as well as a slightly dryer pair of pants. Of course, the slightly darkened spot where the spill had occurred was still present, but that would go away the moment all of the liquid had dried. For a moment, he turned to a nearby trashcan and tossed the used napkin in before retrieving his cup from under the bench. With his cup in hand, the then returned his full attention on the present company.

"So, Miss McMahon. Would it be too presumptuous of me to assume you have been keeping yourself busy? Such a charming young lady as yourself must have many appointments to keep!" That was Howl, tossing out compliments without even batting an eyelash. "Might I ask if you had other reasons to visit the Mall today? Aside from purchasing lunch."

"What book in particular were you looking for, if it was such a rarity?" He tilted his head curiously before replying to her question. He held up his cup of tea, turning it so the little Teasvatta logo was visible to the girl's pale blue eyes.

"I came to the mall for tea. When I find the time, I enjoy coming to the mall for well made tea. Unfortunately, Miss Konstantin was not there, so the clerk made my tea a bit hotter than I usually like." His cup was lowered again, and he drew his hand to his cheek as he politely kept his gaze upon the fawn-haired girl. All in the name of making conversation, he then brought up a rather evident theme in the mall.

"So it would seem that the mall has come down with the 'Prom Fever.' Will you be joining the festivities this year, Miss McMahon?" It was a simple, casual question which could have been read as prying, but that had not been the teal-haired lad's intent.

For him, it was foreign concept to pick up a book on manners, but that was probably due to his upbringing as a child. Father had always been very insistent that the young Howl acted on his best behavior at all times. The teal-haired lad was aware that most children did not receive such a strict upbringing, but even with this knowledge, it still felt strange that there were books on good manners.

"Your book sounds quite interesting, though I wonder if the author directed it towards a female audience versus a gender neutral audience?" He laughed gently before adding on "If it is meant for a gender neutral audience, I may have to ask if I can borrow it when you finish reading it. I could always brush up on my mannerisms."

Her mention of the prom seemed very unexciting at best. He usually was able to read people fairly well, but sighs tended to be a grey area at times. Did Miss McMahon want to go to the prom or not? This was the real question seeming to puff up in his mind.

Rather than focus in right away upon her intentions for the upcoming dance, he decided to mention his own stance upon it. "I know I will be attending. I am quite a fan of these formal events. I guess you can call it a bit silly, but I rather enjoy having an excuse to wear a formal suit on occasion." This was completely true, especially considering that Howl enjoyed wearing casual suits in public. He continued on with his explanation quite casually, moving into the area of why he had not made plans yet. "Unfortunately, I have yet to come across an appropriate escort for such an event."

Only Howl would call a date an "escort." Only Howl.

Her joke caused a small polite laugh to escape his lips. "I suppose you do have a point, Miss McMahon. Yet, I rather enjoy keeping a young lady company, even if sparingly, during the evening at such an event."

His blue green eyes thoughtfully glanced over the girl's features. Mentally, he actually was accessing the girl, though he tried to not let it show over his expression. She did have lovely hair, and her eyes were a rather gentle color of blue. She did not seem to have any blemishes that stood out awkwardly, and she was a student at Crystal Academy. This meant she was schooled in the fashion of manners.

His head nodded lightly, causing his earrings to sway slightly. Why he had nodded went unannounced for a while until he opened his mouth up again to speak.

"Miss McMahon, I have a proposition for you, if you would humor me and hear me out."

His turquoise eyes fell upon her pale blue ones, making certain to keep polite contact as he made his proposition. "If I were to ask you to the prom, Miss McMahon, would you accompany me? It would be strictly platonic, of course."

He smiled one of his more handsome and dashing smiles, carefully now moving into his reasoning.

"I am personally of the mind that I prefer going with a young lady that I have at least met prior to such an event. You are a rather charming, talented young lady. I would hope you could at least consider my proposition, since I am rather fond of your company."

He paused for a moment to try and judge her current reaction to his proposition before adding a final remark. "Please do not think of it as me asking you on a date, Miss McMahon. I would consider it more along the lines of two friends of the opposite sex keeping each other company at a formal event."