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A melodic ringing could be heard as the door of the shop swung open, causing the small golden bells above the door to chime softly with the breeze. Seemingly unbeknownst of Edith, a tall, young man had entered the shop, woven wicker basket hanging loosely on his forearm by the handle. He allowed the door to gently swing shut from behind him as he stepped inside, the sweet, sugary aroma of the charming little shop immediately filling his senses. An effervescent, almost childlike smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he wandered about the shop, taking the time to examine each and every flower with attentive fascination and care. "Now, what on earth could you be?" he pondered to himself as he hovered over a small bouquet of white flowers, neatly wrapped in colorful wax paper and tied together with an elegant array of gold and royal blue ribbons. "Dove orchids, good eye." A voice chimed from behind him, clearly catching him off guard as he swiftly turned his head to see who the voice could have come from. Edith gently folded her hands in front of her as she gazed up at the man. "Sorry, did I catch you off guard? I was just unpacking some boxes in the back, hadn't noticed you'd wandered in." She offered a kind smile as she rubbed the back of her neck, leaning against the front counter by the old metal cash register. The man was tall, probably around 6'1, his hair was as black as a midnight sky without stars, eyes as bright as a river on a summers morning. There was something about him that felt so different yet so familiar, and in that moment he looked so boyish, innocent yet full of secrets. She'd never seen him in the shop before, considering most of her customers were regulars.  "Ah, you're just fine." the man waved his hand dismissively, emerald earrings shining in the rays of morning sunlight as he moved, casting a small glow as the light reflected from the crystals. "What a lovely shop you have! I can't believe I've never noticed it before." he chimed, looking around him at the array of flowers, all of which were freshly picked from the fields outside of the city. "Would you by any chance carry pink carnations? I've been looking everywhere, and just can't seem to find any." He chuckled, moving the little wicker basket to hold it in both hands."Hmm, I think you might just be in luck." She hummed as she moved behind the counter. "Pink carnations... Pink carnations.." Edith mumbled as she began to search around behind the counter, surprised to see that she didn't have any out on display already. "Ah-ha." she whispered as she spotted a small bundle of the bright pink flowers sitting neatly in a blue ceramic vase on a shelf under the counter.  Her shop was undoubtedly cluttered, often making it a hassle for her to find even the simplest things among the junk she had piled up in her workspaces. "Lovely." The man smiled as Edith pulled the flowers from the vase, beginning to wrap the stems neatly in a sheet of white wax paper. "So, who's the lovely lady you'll be giving these to?" She grinned as she opened up a drawer, pulling out a string of yellow lace before shutting the drawer again. "They're for myself, embarrassingly enough. I'll be using them for spell-casting later this evening." he answered, watching Edith's hands intently as she tied the yellow lace in a bow around the wax paper and stems, moving swiftly yet carefully in the process. "Spellcasting? Are you a wizard?" She asked with curiosity in her tone, looking up at the young man with eyes sparkling at the idea that she may just be talking to a wizard. She'd, of course, heard of witches wizards and whatnot, but she'd never actually seen any of the real magic up close, just proof that she really needed to get out more. "That I am. I'm Howl, by the way." he smiled, extending a hand for the smaller girl to shake. "Edith. Edith Favriel." She grasped onto his hand firmly, shaking it as her gaze traveled to meet his. "Lovely name for a lovely girl." Howl flirted blatantly, finding himself somehow holding onto the small woman's hand for a few seconds more before releasing his grip. Edith felt a warmth rise to her cheeks, her lips parting slightly as she stared up at him, a stupid look on her face. She honestly had no idea how to respond in the moment, she felt as if her mind had blanked and she was malfunctioning. She couldn't help but notice how familiar his name was, it felt to her like she'd heard the name a thousand times, yet she didn't know how or where she could have heard it from anyone else.  "I-is this all?" she finally spoke up after what felt like hours- which was most likely a few seconds, motioning towards the bouquet of pink carnations held in her hand. "Well- Actually, I better be taking  these, too." Howl momentarily stepped away, carefully picking up a bouquet of dove orchids and bringing it back over to the counter, allowing for the young woman to ring him up for both purchases. "That'll be 2 quid." she told him as she carefully and delicately slipped both bouquets into a paper bag, adorned with the shop's name and logo, 'Favriel florist'. After a few moments of fishing around in his black trousers, Howl came up with the exact amount of coin needed for the purchase, earning a "Thank you very much." from the small ginger as he handed the money to her. 
Edith was about to speak, only to have her words cut short as her sister hurried down the stairs, two cups of steaming hot tea in her hands, and an apron tied neatly around her waist from when she'd been cooking- only god knows what. "Edith! Dear, thought you might be thirsty- Oh, who's your friend?" Marnie stopped in her tracks at the sight of Howl, watching as he set the bag of flowers neatly into his wicker basket. "Marnie, this is Howl." Edith attempted to introduce the two, only earning a blank stare from Marnie. Howl flashed a kind smile. He knew too well of the rumors that circulated around the land of him and his intentions, he'd gotten pretty used to people's reactions by then.  "Howl... Sounds familiar. Howl... Nice to meet you, I'm Marnie." Marnie finally spoke up, shuffling over to Edith to hand her a small cup of chamomile tea, which she gladly accepted. "It's very nice to meet you, Marnie. Although I'd love to stay and talk, my apprentice is expecting me, I wouldn't want to keep him waiting too long. We'll meet again, Edith." He offered a nod towards the girl, turning and giving a wave as he stepped towards the large wooden door, pulling it open with a small, gentle chime from the bells before stepping out into the courtyard. 'We'll meet again, Edith.' The words played in her head like a broken record, eyes staring straight on at the front door of the shop, only being shaken from her thoughts by the sound of Marnie's surprisingly loud voice next to her head. "Oi, Edith." Her sister waved her hand in front of Edith's face in an attempt to get her attention. "Yeah- what? Sorry." Edith shook her head, looking down at the steaming hot cup of tea she held in her hands, where her reflection could barely be made out on the surface of the golden-brown liquid. "Did his name sound familiar to you at all? Howl. Howl Howl Howl. No clue." Marnie shrugged, taking a sip of her tea as she took a seat in one of the wooden chairs set up behind the counter. "Haven't got a clue either, unfortunately." Edith took a slow sip of her tea, leaning her elbows against the counter as she waited for their next customer.