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 Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 10:19 pm
(OOC Note: This RP is very backdated to just before prom)
Prom season. It always attacked the Destiny City mall fiercely each year. Certainly, with all of the clothing stores putting their fanciest dresses in the window displays, it was hard to ignore the facts that had hit him one year earlier.
Howl Wickham did not have a date to the prom.
One thing that did make it trickier to acquire an escort of the fairer sex was the fact he went to a school of young men. With all of the volunteer work he did on campus, it greatly reduced his ability to interact with young ladies.
Where as it wasn't considered an absolute sin if he attended a social event without a date, it still would have been his preference to be accompanied by a young lady.
Alas, he was not going to let that bother him at the moment. Right now, he had plans to get himself a cup of tea from Teasvatta.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 1:04 pm
Unsurprisingly Aurora was also at the mall for prom related reasons, having settled in the small teashop for a few moments peace and foot rest.
It was practically a SIN for Crystal Academy girls not to attend the prom.. or any other large dance or social gathering in the city. The events were highly publicized, highly encouraged, the perfect oppurtunity for the Academy to march out their young ladies. They did it to assure parents that their money was well spent and to convince others to send their daughters to be groomed for the future. Prom though.. it was at least one of the more fun occassions for the students, more about celebration then showing off their manners. Perhaps that was why the girls seemed even more excited about this dance then normal.
Many of the girls had male escorts.. either strangers set up by their families or, for the girls that actually got out more, boys they knew. Aurora had very little of either in near proximity however. But that was alright... as much as she would love to have a date to whisk her away on a perfect evening.. it wasn't terrible for a girl to go to a dance alone. Atleast she'd convinced herself of that.
With an afternoon free she had been looking into dresses. Deciding what colors and styles she liked the most... tsk tsking the terrible new fashion that had many of the dresses slinkier and sexier then she would have liked. She had already window shopped her way through four different stores before deciding to take a break.
Sipping her tea lightly, she gazed thoughtfully towards the ceiling. She really liked the cooler colors more so than warm ones. But what about style? Ruffled skirt or sleek? Long sleeves or something lighter?
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 1:29 pm
Howl was quite good at remembering people he had met. It mostly had to do with his upbringing, since his mother would have scolded him something fierce if he had forgotten the name of someone important. So as he entered Teasvatta, it was not surprising that when he saw the familiar face, he was able to connect a name to it. Miss Aurora Namid.
Rather than approach the girl immediately (for he most certainly was not that familiar with her), he offered her a smile in passing before he went to the counter to make his order. He was quite familiar with the variety of teas they offered, as well as which employees made which teas the best. There had been a newer girl who had been recently hired that was absolutely amazing at preparing Matcha and various infused teas. Since he was planning on having a cup of simple Earl Gray infused with the more eloquent Silver Needle tea, he was willing to wait the extra three minutes for her to finish with her previous customer before she'd assist him.
Which meant his eyes could stray for a few moments to the familiar girl. The way she sat, it seemed as if she was aiming to relax, but the way her eyes seemed to look away came across as if she was distracted. The specifics he obviously could not pick up on, simply because he was no mind reader, but he definitely was now intrigued.
"Thank you for being so patient, Howl. What can I get for you today?"
Turning back evenly, he smiled, then offered the young lady behind the counter his order. After his tea had been prepared, he then approached the Crystal Academy girl.
"It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Namid," he offered politely while keeping a respectable distance. She had been thinking from what he had observed. And people did the strangest things when startled.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 1:56 pm
And what about rhinestones versus sequins versus a silky fabric choice? The choices were so varied, there was almost no way she'd be making a decision today. Not that there was a huge rush... but Aurora did like being productive. Going home completely emptihanded after wasting hours was.. dissapointing. Not so dissapointing though as getting a dress she only half loved.
Luckily her reaction was not violent, her eyes simply swaying from 'nothingness' towards the familar figure, a soft syllable shifting to actual words as she gained clarity. "Hmmm... oh! Mister Wickham."
"Howl." His first name.. she was always digging for the closeness she tended to lack. But it was spoken nonetheless politely as she shifted in her seat to a position that was more proper, straightening her already decent posture.
"A pleasure indeed. Do you come here often?" She agreed with a greeting smile. Or was it just a funny coincidence? As she spoke, Aurora shifted her purse out of the way and under her chair, motioning softly towards the other chair at the small double table.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 2:40 pm
It was good to know that he had not startled her in a fashion that ended with tea thrown in his face. He reached for her hand, gave it a polite peck, before taking up the seat she had gestured for him to take.
"It is good to know that you do indeed remember my name, Miss Namid." He chuckled lightly to let her know it was quite appreciated. "Hopefully I am not interrupting anything important. You seemed quite lost in thought just a moment ago."
Despite having his tea, he had not even attempted to drink from his cup yet. In fact, as they sat there, he pried off the top in a well practiced manner before setting both lid and cup filled to the top with hot tea upon the table top. With all of the steam having more room to escape than a tiny hole, it almost seemed as if Howl was trying to conjure something up with a witch's brew. He liked warm tea, but the teas were always made too hot for him. It took time and patience, both of which he had readily available at the moment.
"I do visit Teasvatta when I have a spare moment or two. How about yourself? Do you visit frequently as well?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 10:38 pm
There was a smile as he lifted her hand, one that seemed to turn up from sheer politeness to honest to goodness heart fluttery as she withdrew it and resituated her position in the chair. He really was so sweet, so gentlemanly.
"It wasn't anything important" She assured him with a soft wave of her hand, slightly embarassed that she might have been making a face or something that strangely obvious. "I was mostly just trying to decide what I was going to do for my prom dress. Hardly a topic that needs to be addressed right this moment."
As he fiddled with his cup, her fingers traveled to her own, before lifting it to her lips for a small drink. Tan fingers tapped the cup softly as she set it back down against the table. "Not so often. Pretty much whenever I do come to the mall, but mall trips aren't too incredibly frequent."
"I shop for cooking supplies for more frequently than mall shopping." She added with a bit of a laugh. Rich girl that didn't just shop for fun? Strange...
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 12:19 pm
Howl nodded as the girl spoke, signaling not only that he was listening, but the fact he understood what she was saying. His hands were folded upon his lap, leaving his tea untouched. It was still far too hot for his tastes and it would probably go untouched for quite a while.
"I must confess, when I come to the mall, it is usually to visit this establishment. They have quite a lovely selection of tea, so it is quite difficult for me to pass on such a treat." It wasn't as if he couldn't go shopping at the mall, but he knew that it would be an activity best saved for when he wasn't at a school for delinquents. Last thing he needed was for one of his schoolmates to forcefully steal his belongings.
He had noticed something the girl mentioned which seemed a bit off, which he then addressed as politely as he could. "In the matter of prom dresses, would that not be something you would be discussing with your date for the evening? Color coordination usually is a good thing to discuss."
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:59 pm
There was a little bit of a laugh as she nodded to Howl's answer. The tea shop was definately a good one. She had never been dissapointed there and pretty much anytime she'd come alone she'd visited the establishment.
Aurora just wasn't the sort of person to simply.. go out for tea. It wasn't productive.. more so a treat.
He probably could have guessed the answer to his question off of her face long before the words were spoken. Her brows lifted a little, lip forming a soft o before puckering in a bit of a pout. There might be no harm in girls going to a dance alone. And most other might not have cared. But even as Aurora was trying her best to be happy with herself, and figure out a lifestyle she wanted to live other than 'happy homemaker'... boyfriends were still a very sore spot for her.
She wanted one so badly! Or even really boys to notice her. The closest thing she had was her best friend.. and he'd already made it apparent he liked someone else.
When she finally answered her voice was soft, her expression sheepish. "I... don't really have a date to be discussing things with so..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:15 pm
There were some subjects, no matter how politely brought into a conversation, that would be quite tender. Had she a date, she probably would have gone straight into the subject, but even the mere hesitation seemed to tell volumes. Her expression also hinted more than she said for what might have been a minute at most.
So when Aurora answered honestly about her lack of a proper escort for the prom, he was prompt to offer her some consolation. "Ah, that is quite a pity if you ask me. You are quite a lovely catch, Miss Namid, and any young man would be lucky to be in your company." In fact, he had observed the two whole encounters he had with this young lady that she had a sort of exotic charm, with her darker skin and her paler colored hair. Her face definitely was pretty enough that she should have had several boys in line to go to such an event. He only had the luck of encountering Aurora twice, and thus far, both encounters were pleasant, so any thought of it being due to an unpleasant personality were shooed away immediately.
He casually glanced to his watch, making certain he still had plenty of time to linger at the mall before he took up the lid to his beverage and began to place it back where it belonged on his cup.
"Since you do not have a date to discuss this with, then I would be glad to offer my services on such matters, Miss Namid. I have been told time and again that I have a good eye for fashion." Scooting his chair out without a sound, he stood up and held a hand out to the young lady.
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 10:54 am
She was incredibly thankful for Howl's kind words, which was likely just as visible on her face as the embarrasment had been. Her lips formed a soft smile, her eyes dipping down to the cup that her fingers were slowly tracing against. "Thank you"
Aurora wasn't unattractive and she was pleasant enough. Her problems more lied in her seriousness and over maturity compared to the usual highschool boy.. and her nagging. Few boys probably thought 'gee I should ask her out' after being griped at about acting like children or using nasty language.
And then Howl looked like he was trying to escape. Glancing down at his watch, starting to stand. Her fingers tightened around her cup, only to suddenly loosen, relieved when she realized what he was really doing.
"Really? Are you sure it's not too much trouble?" She asked lightly, though the hint of excitement behind her voice was evident, as she stood.
None of her friends had really been available to help her shop, so the offer was very much acceptable, very much wanted. Especially considering how.. utterly sweet he'd been to her during their two meetings.
"If you don't mind and have the time I'd love to have an extra pair of eyes"
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:08 pm
Once the pair had stood up, Howl took Aurora by the hand, guiding her arm until his own was wrapped about it at about the elbow. He was not merely going to walk with her through the mall, he was going to escort her as a gentleman should. Once they were hooked to each other, arm and arm, he finally picked up his cup of tea.
"It is no bother at all, Miss Namid. I do need to leave by a certain time, but we have plenty of time to look through whichever dresses you are interested in." He was able to guide her up and out of Teasvatta, but once they had left the shop, he glanced to the young lady.
"Which way shall we go?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 2:55 pm
Aurora gathered her things, her purse and the mostly empty cup of tea, before getting comfortable next to him, arm interlocked with his.
Led out of Teasvatta, she paused at his question, before motioning towards the left. "I saw a few things that might be promising when I went through Captive Couture"
It was a shop that was willing to take existing dresses and change them a little for the customers tastes. It was probably her best bet in the end, considering the.. current trend of dresses this season. What with the hugely exposed backs and some dresses so garish they cut almost down to one's belly button!
To say Aurora looked pleased as she was escorted through the mall would have been an understatement. She seemed to glow in fact any time a set of eyes traveled across the two, regardless of the fact that few seemed to bother to think anything of the well dressed pair.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 3:49 pm
Once the young lady at his arm had shown him the direction they were heading, once more Howl led the way. He could have tried dragging her along if he was a bit more rude, but instead, he walked beside the young lady, keeping at a pace she was most comfortable with. If it weren't for the fact they were not a couple, it might have looked like they were a couple. It wasn't everyday that a high school aged lad would go escorting strangers about. Yet here was Howl, doing essentially that.
Once they had arrived to the store front, Howl confirmed what he had suspected the moment the girl had mentioned the name of the store. "I do not believe I have ever been to this store. Has it been here long?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:38 am
"It is pretty new" She confirmed his suspicions with a soft nod as made their way through the door, their presence announced with a soft robotic chime. In fact.. with prom season drawing near the little shop was probably getting it's largest boost of customers since opening. Thankfully it wasn't over packed, but there were still a handful of others fishing through dresses and discussing with seamstresses.
It was busy enough that noone bothered them right away and Aurora pointed softly towards a rack empty of people before delicately unlacing her arm from his own.
Her fingers slide across dresses slowly, only pulling them out when both the color and fabric were pleasing to her senses. Pulling a rich dark green dress out of the rack, she inspected it for a moment only to visably grimace upon further inspection. "A bit slinky for a highschool prom I think..." She sighed, sliding it back onto the bar before searching some more.
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 11:31 am
Even now, after arriving in shop and having released the girl he had escorted from his arm, he still did not dare to sip any of his tea. In fact, he attempted to blow slightly into the tiny hole opening that was in the lid.
Aurora's first choice in dresses from the rack did not seem to impress the lad in the slightest. Since he was pretty much there to assist the young lady, he figured he should add his two cents when he felt it was appropriate.
And now would be appropriate.
"I do believe that the color of the dress would have not worked with your skin tone. It being so dark, it would have made your skin look much paler. I believe you should look for lighter colors, something that will accent your already lovely features."
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