❰ depending entirely on whether howard would have preferred an ugly woman or an attractive man, this could be entirely disappointing. gladio himself honestly didn't have a ton of preconceptions on what his date might look like, because frankly, he's still not over the sheer quantity of food vouchers that envelope managed to provide.

gladio actually cleaned up alright today. put on a tank top, covered his abs for the occasion, though now he's got no jacket and his arm muscles are basically just as obscene, and he washed his black pants (the only pair he owns that aren't painfully 90's, not that he even knows what that is). basically, it's hard to tell from an outside perspective but gladio kind of almost Made An Effort, even if it's probably a sorely mistaken one.

first stop: soda shop. and honestly, if the note hadn't told him to 'wait outside' if his date hadn't yet arrived, he'd probably not have realized howard was the person he's even looking for. but here the guy stands, envelope in hand, clearly waiting for someone... no way it's coincidence, right? so... ❱

Hey, ❰ is the greeting he offers. his hands slide into his back pockets, and one returns with an envelope, which he flashes vaguely. ❱ According to this, me and a mystery someone get to clean out half the food joints in town. Sound familiar?