Howl noticed Natasha approach him shortly after he took his seat on the stage, so he did not display the beginnings of comfort like someone else would have had they been sitting for a while, his body somewhat tensed up as his tired eyes stayed hinged open. He recognized Natasha from before, and smiled in a friendly manner as she stopped in front of him, it turning into a smirk as she voiced her obvious wonder in how she was selected. He briefly looked her up and down, then shrugged. "You're around the average height for a woman, though in comparison to other survivors, you'd be considered on the short-side...meaning you'd be more agile, and make a great shock trooper, especially with your weapon of choice being so close-range." He nodded to her sawn-off, his smirk having formed back into a friendly smile. "You'll be a great point-man in a squad...and yea, I'd much rather face death on the battlefield in the form of another man than some invisible, deadly force that's beyond my control."<br/><br/>He extended his own hand, lightly grasping Natasha's despite his rough exterior, shaking it with an odd level of delicacy for someone his size. "I'm Alek, though I go by Howl; I was the radio-op in my old squad, or 'RTO' as we're sometimes referred to, so during battles, I'd literally have to howl into the radio in order to rely my message, since those ancient paperweights had low transmitting volumes." He looked off toward the crowd for a moment, smirking once again. "Soon enough, the name stuck." Suddenly, Howl made the realization of just how long he had been talking, and blinked, chuckling as his gaze was focused back on Natasha. "Forgive my ramblings, it's very nice to meet you, Tasha."