(NOTE: RP transcribed from AIM)

It was nearing summer, and the buzz of the prom had started to reach the corners of Hillworth. There weren't any girls at the school, so the buzz was minimal compared to a public school. However, there was this lonely little table in the hallway during lunch time with a large sign labeled "Prom King Nominations." Thanks to Franz's previous influence, there was a teal-haired lad behind the table, volunteering his time selflessly. It was not the most exciting of duties, but it was something that needed to be done. Most times, his fellow classmates came by, picked up a ballot, and wrote some sort of joke nomination. Howl was sick of reading the upside down nominations for prank names like "I. P. Freely." Unfortunately, it was not his duty to correct the students. He was just there to put the ballots into a box. Making certain to remain as attentive and charismatic as possible, he occasionally called out "Come vote for your Hillworth Prom King here!"

Desustruction
Waylon didn't eat lunch. If he had to suffer through Hillworth food then it was going to be breakfast and dinner only. There was no sense in punishing his body with whatever food they decide to, for lack of a more disgusting word, prepare. If they could really call it food. So Mr. Cartier sat in the cafeteria alone, frowning over the only things he would be half-assed to eat so he didn't arouse suspicion. An apple and a small carton of milk. After thanking whatever god or higher power that was up there for not making the apple rotten or the milk sour, Waylon was finally able to tip toe away without the counselors following him. Just as he started down the hall, scheming up ways to try his best to find a place where he could enjoy a cigarette in peace, familiar teal colored hair stopped the need for a cigarette immediately. "An' what do we have here? I thought you had work to do, Wickham." He strode closer to the table, happy for the fact that his long legs could get him close enough in hearing range within a few steps. "Don' tell me they got you doin' this as a punishment? Or did you volunteer?" He may have been gone for awhile but he knew that sitting at the ballot box was never the most desirable job in the school


It wasn't like Howl didn't see his roommate approaching. It also wasn't like he hadn't figured out that the dark-haired boy was going to try and find a way to make this encounter absolutely miserable. Alas, the lad behind the table did not have a high opinion of his roommate thus far. However, it didn't mean that the teal-haired student was going to allow that to dampen his expression or mannerisms. "Good afternoon, Mr. Cartier," he greeted with a polite smile plastered on his face. "If having school spirit is a punishable offense, then I suppose I am being punished. However, I am volunteering." He paused for a moment to glance up from the chair he was sitting in. "It is like you do not pay attention to the schedule board in our dorm." He could have added a few tsks, but instead he felt it was better to not act the role of a mother. With a single elegant gesture, his hand pointed to the ballet box. "Shall I take it you are interested in voting for the Hillworth Prom King, yes Mr. Cartier?"

Desustruction
Waylon smirked as he leaned against the table, hearing it squeak under his weight. It was just like Howl to volunteer for the worst possible job in the school. At least he would have the dorm to himself for a bit. Though, Howl was always right about Waylon. He didn;t check the schedule board. Ever. "You actually have school spirit? Never heard that before." Prom King? They actually had proms around here? Maybe he had been gone longer than he thought. "Proms? Really? Are there girls there or is it just some boring, supervised party in the gym?"


Howl glanced to his roommate, his hair flopping slightly into his line of vision. He brushed it away delicately, but his glance remained upon the Cajun. "Yes, school spirit. It does not hurt to have any. I would almost venture to say that you are afraid of having school spirit." Teal eyes shifted from the other student's face to the box nearby. "If I am remembering correctly, this is something that has been decided by the Destiny City Board of Education. It is more of a city-wide prom, since last year there were some complications that made it difficult to hold prom as normal." There was one other issue that needed to be addressed, since Waylon had asked about it specifically. "Yes, Mr. Cartier. There will be young ladies at the prom. As I recall, our Hillworth King will be paired with the St. Magdalena's Seminary Queen." The teal-haired fellow's head bobbed up and down precisely three times to signal that this was a fact.

Desustruction
"Afraid of school spirit? Me? I'm hurt, Wickham. Real hurt." Had he been a better actor, the feigned look of hurt in his face might have actually passed for real before it melted into the sly grin most people thought his face had been frozen into. Maybe he should have listened to his mother about making funny faces. "Last year was that bad? Wow. No one ever told me what happened last year." He probably should have considering his oh so special position as the senshi of tar but it wasn't often that he ran into people who remembered anything beyond a few months beforehand. He had pretty much convinced himself that it probably had to do with a mod that started with a bowl of spiked punch. If only he'd been there. Still, at least there would be girls there. Magdelena girls, who just weren't his type most of the time, but you take what you can get. "You bringin' a date? I'm sure someone here has had their eye on you for awhile. Whateer happened to that roommate of yours? Fritz or Frank or somethin'?" The implications tacked onto that were just too good for him to miss. It was like him to never miss an opportunity.


"Did your mother or father ever tell you that fibbing is wrong?" It was obvious that Waylon was not about to fool Howl with his attempts at acting. Seeing as the darker haired boy was just standing there doing nothing, the younger of the pair slid a ballot to the other. He might as well do something while he was having this conversation.

"Last year was definitely different. I do not know how to explain it aside from a city-wide coma epidemic." He rolled out a pencil in Waylon's direction too. "I had a date lined up last year. A young lady from Crystal Academy named Miss McMahon." He was neglecting to mention the fact that he, himself, had been a part of that city-wide coma epidemic. Unconscious for an extended period of time, and the only thing he could remember was there had been a desert. It was something he could never explain, and so he had decided to not try. The mention of bringing date seemed like the most respectful thing that Waylon had said, until the boy then changed it into an insult. He pressed his lips into a straight line before allowing his lips to return into that polite smile. "I plan to seek a date for this event, but none from this school. Nothing here interests me." There was a pause as another boy approached the table and snatched up a ballot. Politely Howl mentioned to the newcomer "There are plenty of ballots for everyone, no need to be so hasty."

When teal eyes fell back upon Cartier's gold ones, Howl asked "Is there a reason you bring up the deceased, Mr. Cartier?"

Desustruction
"My Mom and Dad taught me only to lie when I could get away with it. This is just me being dramatic." When the ballot was sent in his direction, he just stared at it, contemplating who's name to write. It didn't really help that half the people he knew had probably graduated or actually done something with their lives by now. Besides, it wasn't like he could spell their names correctly anyway. He would've opened his mouth in response to the fact that Howl was actively looking for a date but the awkward moment as the other boy approached the table made his finally pick up the pencil. By the time he'd actually gotten a rather decent doodle of some kind of bird down on the white spaces of the small ballot, the other boy was finally moving on. "Yeesh. It's not that hard to write a name is it?" He chuckled as he continued the little drawing, only half listening to the teal haired boy before he heard of the unfortunate roommate's fate.

Deceased

"Oh wow. I had no idea that's what happened to him." He may have been a jerk but making fun of the dead wasn't up his alley. In a twist of fate, Waylon looked down at the empty 'name' line of the ballot and grinned. "Looking for a date are we?..."


The other boy might have left in what seemed like a huff, but Howl continued to smile pleasantly and offered a simple "Thank you for voting." This was perhaps the reason why Howl was well suited for such miserable tasks in Hillworth. He seemed to always work with a smile, regardless of his own mood.

"You would seem to be also having difficulties writing down a name." A casual observation as he glanced over Waylon's lazy doodle. Though his roommate had touched upon a rather sensitive subject, Howl still was polite enough to address the subject minimally with the same polite expression as usual. "It happened during the epidemic." That was about all he'd mention before addressing the next question. "Indeed I am. It is only proper for a young man to look for a date with the fairer sex for such a formal event."

Desustruction
Epidemic? Good lord. He'd really been gone a long time. Still, the little doodle he was working on was slowly losing his attention and he was sure that his class was going to start at any time. It wasn't like he was planning on going but, after seeing Howl in the corridor, there was no way he could get out of it now. Waylon figured that, the moment he stepped into the dorm room later that evening, some counselor would be sitting on his bed waiting for him after Howl had told them that he'd skipped. It was a bit farfetched to think Howl was not only psychic but that much of a teacher's pet. Crazy even. But that wasn't going to stop Waylon's paranoia from getting the best of him.

"Then I might as well help you with that date issue..." Waylon grinned as he scrawled out Howl's name, trying his best to match the loopy calligraphy Howl practiced in their dorm before dropping it into the ballot. He didn't need to spell check. If there was one name in the entire school that he could write off the top of his head, it was his roommate's. As an added bonus, he even crossed out the word king and replaced it with a much more fitting title. 'Queen'. How thoughtful. "Be sure to give your lucky lady a kiss for me, Wickham." He quickly rolled the pencil towards the teal haired boy, gave him a quick wink and slowly sauntered off to the opposite hall.


"I assure you, I do not need your assistance in finding myself a date, Mr. Cartier." It was not Howl's duty to actually count the ballots, but he was only human. A human who was able to read upside down writing. A vague rose tint colored his cheeks when his name was written down, and that rose color grew darker as another word was written before his roommate cruelly put his ballot in the box. Considering all of the prank votes that had been written down prior, the teal-haired fellow could not help but speculate that Waylon's version of a joke was probably the closest thing to a serious nomination. For perhaps 3 seconds, Howl glared daggers into Waylon's back. After those glorious three seconds, Howl decided there were better things to do. Such as packing up all of the items at his booth. After all, those pencils were not going to collect themselves.