Welcome to Gaia! ::

It had not been Howl's decision to miss out on the ball. It had more been his mother's decision. If it had not been for the fact he had been tending to the clean up of the booth for the pumpkin decorating contest sponsored by his father's company, he most likely would not have even been out that evening. His mother had some superstitions, and Halloween was one of them. Certainly, she put on a neutral face when in the public eye, but when it came down to it, she preferred that her whole family was tucked away safely in bed before it grew dark.

Since his mother had not approved of him participating in this event, he had not been permitted to purchase the ticket needed for entrance. However, as he had finished up his clean up at the carnival (while still in costume), he found himself oddly curious. He had never found himself to be likened with a cat, especially due to his allergies to their fur, but he just could not shake that feeling.

So rather than call his mother to get a ride back to Hillworth, he walked. The teal-haired lad dressed as a musketeer seemed to forget he was in costume and walked along the sidewalks of the city which had only a year prior been foreign to him. It had also been approximately a year since his roommate had dyed his hair that awkward shade of purple in preparation for some sort of excusion to occur on Halloween night.

So much has happened in such a small amount of time... he mused as his feet continued to carry him forward. Had it been any other night, he might have been teased for his choice in clothing. Yet tonight was all Hallow's Eve. Costumes had infected the city almost like a disease. Howl apparently had not been immune, despite the reasoning for his outfit being a tad different from the rest.

When his feet stopped, he found the Destiny City Convention Center in front of him. From the outside, it looked just as it usually did. Yet, to the side in front of the planter of magenta roses (why did it always have to be roses?), he found a sight that should have melted any man's heart.

A child weeping her little heart out. Her face was quite red, meaning she had been crying for a little while to say the least. Certainly, her costume was not exactly that would have impressed the lad, but it definitely had a sort of childish charm to it. The thing to give away the child's identity were the few curled ringlets peeking out from her strange hat.

It had been that adorable, yet determined young lady from the Carnival.

Stepping forward until he was kneeling by her side, he asked quietly "Why does such a lovely young lady weep so much?"

Howl listened to the child's explanation as to her tears, offering as neutral, yet strangely sympathetic expression upon his face. In all honesty, if this child could muster all of this emotion on purpose within a moment's notice, she probably would have made an excellent child actress.

"Well, that sounds like a distressing scenario, young Miss." He stood, but then leaned forward so he was still relatively at the child's level. With his right hand, he reached out to her, holding his hand as if offering to assist her to her feet.

"Ah, yet what Princess has not had their stroke of bad luck at a Ball? If I didn't know any better, I would mistake you, young Miss, for a Princess. No real princess ever gets to the ball very easily."

His hand was still outstretched to the child, and if she had not taken it by now, he carefully offered the invitation. "Come now... let us go for a walk. Only around the Center, I would not want to worry your parents by taking you some place improper."

"Yes, young Miss... I mean, Miss Holywell." Her hand in his, he knelt down and did the princely thing, even if it was just within his standard mode of operation. As gentle as he could, his lips left a tiny kiss upon the small hand. It was a bit ironic that the child's mother seemed to think of him as a nice young man. Once upon a time, that would have been the expected. However, with all of the changes in his life and the issues he had with his physical appearance, it was quite strange to hear such a label placed on him.

He noted that he should never tell this child what school he went to.

"My name, dear lady, is Howl Wickham. I would be honored to be your escort." With introductions out of the way, he stood himself up. Rather formally, he did his best to place the child's arm within his own, but the final results were the child's hand touching the inside corner of the crook of his arm.

"I think I saw a rather lovely garden area about here somewhere. Would you like to see it?" His teal eyes glanced to the child. In all honesty, the lad was trying to judge her reaction to the suggestion. It was difficult to think of any young girl who did not like flowers, but every so often, they did pop up like a weed in a garden.

In a manner that was not mocking or cruel in the slightest, the elder of the pair laughed. "Mr. Wickham works quite well, or Sir. Whichever you decide to use, it is up to you. Both are fine by me." Formalities seemed to put Howl at ease, which was a contrast to most of his peers who seemed to shudder at the thought of manners.

He guided the child around the building, easily avoiding the entrance and any other security guards that might have been stationed about the Convention Center. It was a rather lovely walk, even at night. Soon enough they were passing a tree that was close to the balcony. "If the gardener did his or her job correctly, they should have some blooms that are in season all year around." He paused in step and glanced up the the large tree overhead.

There were two cats climbing up the side.

Cats? Though he was curious, it was not something he could investigate. His allergies wouldn't allow for it. So instead, he resumed their walk.

"I think I see the entrance to the garden area, Miss Holywell. Let us take a gander at what flora they have. Shall we?"

"Pray tell, what sort of trouble could a pair of cats cause? Aside from causing me to having sneezing fits." He laughed slightly as if joking, but he was 100% serious. His eyes would have become irritated and red just by being near those animals.

Either way, they were now walking away from the vicinity where the duo of felines were at.

The child seemed eager to move onward, so he did just such, escorting her into the garden. It was night time, and some of the blooms had closed up for the evening. However, there were many varieties of flowers still open. It was quite an array of colors, from basic reds to more rich gold and indigo colors. Since they were at the target destination, he unlocked arms with the child. "Go on, Miss Holywell. Just make certain to abide by the rules and do not pick any of the flowers. If everyone picked the flowers, there would be none left for us to admire."

"Does she belong to one of your friends, Miss Holywell? Or did you name the cat such a name?" It was a rather unusual name, but it was even more unusual the child would know one of the cat's names.

A rather well kept finger touched the petal of a trumpet like bloom of a deep purple color. "Well, this one is the Streptocarpus parviflorus... the more common name is the Cape Primrose." It was humorous to him that this flower had rose in the common name, even if it wasn't remotely like any of the other common roses on the market.

Allowing his finger to retreat, he then located another classic plant. This one was also rather good for entertaining children. It had been something he enjoyed when he was younger as well. His fingers hovered around the new oddly shaped flowers. "This one is the Antirrhinum... however, most everyone calls it by its common name. The Snapdragon." Carefully, he pinched his finger about the sides of the bloom, and with a small squeeze, the blossom opened almost like a puppet's mouth would.

"Fortunately, these dragons do not breathe fire."

"I suppose the only good place a fire breathing flower would be in a garden of flames. Alas, those do not exist, Miss Holywell." Though he continued to allow his fingers to puppet the mouth of the petals, his eyes were no longer upon the flower, but upon the child.

This was definitely much more like the child he had met at the carnival. She seemed the sort who enjoyed using her imagination, and her expression of wonderment only seemed to betray this notion further. As he continued to casually observe, but as he remained standing in place, he did notice something.

The music could still be heard from the garden area. It probably has to do with that balcony he assured himself.

Gently, he asked a simple question.

"Do you hear that song, Princess?" The corners of his mouth remained in a gentle smile.