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People were sort of blurring together at this point. In all honesty, the lad wanted to just get home and ice his eye, perhaps pass out on the couch. It would have been nice to forget that he had essentially just been beaten up by a girl.

He reality, he knew it would not be the wisest thing to forget what he had experienced. Otherwise, he would have made the same mistakes whenever he encountered the strange corrupted senshi again. It wasn't a matter of if in this city, it was a matter of when.

Howl had to pause in step, pressing one hand against the nearest wall to keep himself standing. He hadn't taken on too much damage in reality, but the punches to the face really had disoriented him quite a bit.

And then she happened.

Some young lady had grabbed him and shouted practically into his ear. His body lurched forward as he tried to keep his dignity by staying upon his feet. He turned quite sharply, whipping his hair out of his line of vision briefly to find a familiar face there.

"Goodness... you startled me!" he exclaimed.

Goodness!

He made certain to not say such an exclamation aloud as he soon enough had a girl borrowing his face to inspect it with a seemingly critical eye. Though, it was unfortunate that she had to ask the very obvious question.

It was not likely that he would tell her how some school girl covered in a dark aura had attacked him and beaten his face mercilessly. It was a humiliating story to tell in all honesty, and since this girl was not a part of the war, it would also have been giving up too much information.

"...I was mugged a few blocks back... they took my cell phone..."

In all honesty, due to Hillworth's ban of cell phones, Howl had gotten quite used to not carrying one around with him. So his cell phone was in the condo, tucked away safely.

This girl's mannerisms were always quite interesting. The fact she reached out to him with a fist first made it seem as if she was trying to distance herself, making her use of her open hand feel almost forced. It felt as if she was specifically opening herself up to him, which might not have been a usual manner in which she functioned. Perhaps it was outside of her comfort level.

Not wanting to seem overly intimate, as she rubbed his cheek, he kept himself neutral, face refraining from leaning against the affections he seemed to be receiving. He didn't want to push any potential thresholds this evening, especially considering his luck thus far.

"I assure you, Miss Theodora, I am always good." If he were closer to the girl, he might have attempted putting a hand over hers upon his cheek, however, now was not the time for such frivolous actions. Instead he extended a hand to her.

"I would not mind having company though... I am heading back to my condo." He did hope the young lady would take up his offer. There was still that senshi who had attacked him potentially on the loose. He couldn't imagine a young lady like Theodora being attacked without someone to protect her. Even if he was more than likely to just be a distraction rather than a true protector.

She had a rather delicate touch. Once she had taken his hand so gently, he was equally as gentle as to guide it under the crook of his elbow, lacing it through and soon enough linking arms with her. He was an escort, not a boyfriend, and if his hand was left to hold hers, it would seem as if they were more intimate than they really were.

Once they were linked, the young man soon enough was on the move again. Every so often, he would veer off slightly to the side. He had taken a blow to the face, and as much as he'd like to think that the injury was nothing, it still was affecting his balance slightly.

Not being the sort who wanted a lack in conversations, the teal-haired fellow eventually asked "So what brings you out on a night such as this, Miss Theodora?"

That was a coping mechanism if he ever saw one. He had not asked a "yes" or "no" question, but here she was nodding her head. Howl had already known about the fact she was an obvious foreigner, due to a prior encounter with the girl. So it made it clearer that she didn't understand what he had said.

He smiled, then glanced to the dark sky looming over the city. "It is a lovely evening." It was perhaps as simple a statement as he could muster.

At least with her inability to understand the question he had asked, he had managed to avoid the common place return question of what he had been doing out at that hour. He did have an answer ready, but it seemed as if fate was looking out for him.

Well, save for his new injury that was at least.

It would be a quiet walk for a while before he eventually led her around a corner, to which he informed her "We are about three blocks away from the condo..."

Her question caused the boy to loft his one visible brow slightly. He did already technically answer such a question, but perhaps her lack of communication skills in the English language was getting the best of her at the moment.

"...I graduated this past year from school, and I will be taking a year off to work, Miss Theodora." Without pausing in his quest to get home, he glanced about before casually gesturing to some other direction.

"I recently got a job at a themed restaurant... Maize Maizier... it serves all sorts of foreign cuisine." What harm was there in mentioning where he worked? It would become obvious quite quickly that he was not going to school when his acquaintances would start complaining about their upcoming tests and he had nothing to complain about.

However, he did eventually find an error with his comment, and soon enough fixed it with a simplification. "Foreign food." Theodora already had enough issues with language. It was tricky to remember to keep it simple.

One brief moment, he accidentally staggered into the girl, but quickly attempted to recover his steps without making much of an incident about it. It was embarrassing that he was in such a condition after some corrupt senshi had the gaul to punch him in the face. It would be a hassle to hide such an injury, and such an injury could give him an unwanted reputation as a wuss. Or potentially even a ruffian (which was possible, but he was not betting any money on such conclusions).

"...I... beg your pardon, Miss Theodora..." he apologized for his momentary balance-issues. She had asked about Greek food, and he soon enough was reassuring her "I am quite certain I have seen Greek food on the menu. I have not been present yet for a Greek-theme day, but I am certain that you would find yourself something nice to eat there."