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It had been time for the weekly hospital visit that he had been managing every weekend since he had found out about his roommate. Certainly, Franz could not speak back to him, but Howl had made it his duty to tell the unconscious blonde about the goings on in the school. As a group, the Polecats were beginning to slip between the cracks, almost becoming unforgotten. Had Franz been awake, he would have been proclaiming how it was only natural that they'd be lost without him.

It would have seemed like a normal enough visit. The lady at the front counter had been a bit too busy, so he merely signed in and made his way to the room where his friend had been resting the past month or two. The hallways were as clean as ever, all the doctors and nurses were making their rounds, and overall, everything seemed to be in its place. Yet when he knocked first, then opened the door to the room where his friend had been resting, something was definitely off.

The room had been decorated with plenty of novelties before, thanks to Miss Fitzpatrick. It had never really been all that well organized, usually with some sort of small clutter being left somewhere in the form of board games. There had also been the potted cactus that Howl had left at the corner table in the room.

Today, the room was completely clean. No mess. No clutter. No cactus. And most notably, no Franz.

If Howl had been more naive, he could have reasoned that Franz got moved into another wing of the hospital. Reasoned that for some reason or another, this room was not adequate. Perhaps they found a leak in the ventilation system that would require some amount of work in this room and a patient would have merely gotten in the way.

Something.

Anything.

Anything would have been better than this. Finding himself unable to stand after discovering the empty room, the teal-haired individual sat himself in a chair that was left there for visitors. His breath had almost seemed to vanish, adding the the heavy silence of the room.

Even with the steps and the greeting, things remained silent. Had he been in the proper place, he would have already shaken Miss Janice's hand and greeted her. Despite the fact that he knew the woman's gender, it just didn't seem right to kiss her upon the hand. It would have felt like kissing a young man on the hand.

These things aside, when Howl finally spoke, it almost sounded like nothing was wrong. Almost. "Oh, I did not see you there, Miss Janice! I beg your pardon." Though all of the manners and formalities were present in his words and tone, something seemed lacking. It was almost as if his voice was a tad weaker than usual. Perhaps it had to do with the fact it felt like an invisible baby elephant was sitting on his shoulders.

His eyes momentarily glanced to his current companion, then to the bed which Franz had been resting upon before. "So, how long has it been like this?"

"A day or two."

She also stated what he figured would be the case. Franz would not be in any of the other rooms. He would not be found anywhere. There was a lump in Howl's throat that seemed to be building up, which was rather uncharacteristic for the lad.

Once more, silence seemed to swallow all sound in the room. Again, his eyes found the other pair in the room. There was another question that had been gnawing at his brain. "How are his parents taking this?" Howl had never really had much of a chance to meet his friend's parents. He had never been able to decide for himself what sorts of people they were. Certainly, he had heard the occasional story, but they were always in Franz's perspective, which many times were not accurate to Howl's own perspective. It was always nice to be able to decide things for oneself. And now, it seemed like the teal-haired fellow would never have a chance to truly meet the St. Germaines.

Perhaps Miss Janice would give him some insight. Or, perhaps she wouldn't. She didn't seem all that eager to share information. Or talk.

Howl could not blame her.

It was vaguely disappointing to hear the way this young woman was phrasing things. The word probably meant she did not know the exact answer, which meant she had not bothered to check in on the St. Germaines at all. Certainly, all of the consoling in the world could not bring Franz back. However, it was merely the gesture of kindness that could have been appreciated.

"I knew. However, I never had the pleasure of meeting any from his family. Not even his parents." Thinking back, he had the opportunity the year prior, when he had been stuck at Hillworth for the holiday season. Yet, in all of his foolishness, Howl had stubbornly decided it was his own parents or none at all. Now with his own parents more present in his life, it felt absolutely childish of him.

It seemed as if the teal-haired fellow's manners were finally starting to kick in, for he stood up out of the chair merely to stand. He hadn't seemed to notice earlier, but now it was feeling extremely awkward for him to be sitting in the chair while she stood. Even with that unseen pressure trying to weigh him down, he still remained standing.

There was no avoiding it. This question had to be asked eventually. "How are you taking it, Miss Janice?"

There were two ways which Howl could approach the question. It was quite obvious that Janice was not the sort to mourn openly in any form or fashion. Her tone made it quite evident. Howl could have answered "It is the sort of question a caring person would ask another person after such a loss" or something equally as cheesy. Or, he could completely dismiss the question.

Both had their disadvantages. One was merely dodging the situation, and a weak choice. The other would most likely result in harsh words in his direction. He had never seen Janice as the sort to restrain her opinions. A strong woman to match his friend's strong personality.

For a moment, he stood there, mentally debating which to offer as the response. It probably did not help the situation in the slightest. After about 2 minutes of debating, he decided it was best to not press the situation much further.

"Forget I said anything, Miss Janice..." He offered her a smile, an ever so gentle curve upon his lips in an effort to mask his own feelings. Turning his head slightly, he moved to exit. However, he paused at the doorway, glancing back for a moment.

"I thank you kindly for updating me on the situation, Miss Janice."