A/N: Here's your chapter two. Please review.

Look! I made a rhyme!

Disclaimer: Don't you read enough of these things to know that no writer posting on here owns anything they're writing about? Puhlease! Just read the fic!


Howard was giving Stationary Village a rethink when the bell on the door jingled. He didn't look up, figuring it was Vince coming back because he'd forgotten something or Naboo back from whatever shaman business he was on this time. In the worst case, it might be Leroy coming to demand that money that Vince owed him.

"Um, excuse me?" That definitely wasn't Vince or Naboo or even Leroy. The voice was female and American. Howard looked up and immediately wanted to look down again. Where was smooth talking Vince when he needed him? Why had he told Vince he could have the afternoon off? Howard was rubbish at talking to women.

He cleared his throat and tried to muster his confidence, "Hello there, madam. What can I do for you, this fine day?" Howard was immediately embarrassed. He'd sounded like an old innkeeper from the nineteenth century.

The woman just smiled and put whatever she was holding on the ground in order to come closer to the counter and – consequently – to Howard, "Thank goodness. Someone I can understand."

Howard looked around the room awkwardly for a moment before settling back on the newcomer. She wasn't put off by him. She wasn't making fun of him. She wasn't running out of the shop screaming! He relaxed a little at the thought.

The woman ran a hand through her dark brown hair and looked sheepish, "I'm lost – sort of."

"You're only sort of lost?" Howard was trying to listen to what she was saying and study her at the same time. So far, it was working out. She was tall, for a woman, and she had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark blue jumper. Altogether, she looked pretty normal to Howard. Normal in a good way, that is. No glitter, feather boas, or Gary Numan surrounding this girl.

"Well, I know what city I'm in. Apart from that, I'm definitely lost." She tried to laugh but it came out as a noise that resembled the sound of a choked lemur. Howard remembered the sound from his days as a zookeeper.

He held his hand out over the counter, "Howard Moon."

Her eyes got big and she gingerly put her hand in his, "Twice in one hour. People here sure are nice." Her palms were soft and warm but Howard could feel calluses on her fingers, "I'm Lilly Emerson." Her smile was almost as warm as her hands.

"Dalston isn't exactly – well, I mean to say – there aren't that many friendly people here." He kept shaking her hand, enjoying her warm palm against his embarrassingly clammy one.

"Well, the guy I met was awfully chummy. And he was dressed like a David Bowie impersonator."

Lilly paused and looked down at their hands. She started to pull away but Howard held fast, not wanting to let go. She looked back up at him, a polite smile pasted on her face but a determined look in her eyes. Finally she yanked her hand free, leaving Howard's hand hanging, cold, in the breeze.

They looked at each other awkwardly and Howard cleared his throat, trying to regain some confidence, "That David Bowie impersonator didn't happen to be named Vince, did he?"

Lilly, still reeling from the failed handshake, gave him a suspicious look and nodded. Howard smiled, "Ah, yes. Vince works here as well. I gave him the afternoon off."

Lilly seemed to relax a bit now knowing that Howard wasn't some sort of stalker. There was another small moment of silence before Lilly spoke up again.

"Anyway, about being lost…" She trailed off, not sure what to ask.

Howard blinked, momentarily confused. Had she told him she was lost? He must have been lost in thought again. She was either very polite or she just didn't mind talking to him. He couldn't believe it. He was still rubbish at talking to women. He wasn't the socialite. That was Vince.

"-a place to stay or something, you know?"

Oh, he'd done it again. He'd been thinking and forgotten to listen.

"I'm sorry? I lost you there for a moment." Howard focused on her oncoming words extra hard this time.

"I said, I only just got here and I wanted to get out of the major part of the city. I need a place to stay or something." Lilly had begun to talk to him as if he were a mentally challenged goat. Though, if a goat were mentally challenged, no one except the other goats would know, would they?

"Oh, right. Well, there's a hotel just round the corner." Howard pointed to the left, "I've heard it's alright."

"Perfect! Thank you, Howard, was it?" She'd picked up the case she was carrying and then turned back around to him.

"Howard, yes." Howard was momentarily worried that this would turn into a Mrs. Gideon type situation.

"Well, thank you, Howard, for all your help and everything." Lilly turned to go and nearly made it to the door before Howard thought to say anything.

"Wait – um – Lilly?" Howard was kicking himself for asking her before he even asked her.

"Hmmm?" Lilly turned and made a noise that reminded Howard a bit of the noise Vince made when he was momentarily distracted by a question.

"I was wondering – um – Vince and I, we're in a – sort of – band, you see. And we're playing tonight at the – um – Velvet Onion. You should - come. It's at seven." Howard was fidgeting wildly with anything he could find. He hadn't been this nervous since he'd tried to flirt with that girl at his last birthday party.

Lilly laughed and Howard's heart sank. Before she could get in a word, Howard cut in, "You don't have to. I'm sorry – I didn't mean –"

"Howard!" Lilly interrupted him, a giant grin on her face.

Howard looked up, turning red with embarrassment. This is where she would tell him off for being a nonce.

"I would love to come."