Artie clicked his tongue in disapproval. "How does it not?" he says with a huff, gesturing to it. Sure enough, the Circhester prince is correct. The item that is currently in the scientist's possession is hard, heavy and beautiful, all important requirements for any good paperweight.

[break][break] And sure, it might have been good for other things as well, but it wasn't like Artie knew about any of that.

[break][break] As the blond cowers behind the other, he only peeks over the taller @dakota 's shoulder to watch him let the pokemon sniff him. "Yeah, whatever, I - " He steps backwards as the fossil pokemon tries to go for him again. Who knows what else that snotty beak has laid it's hands on? He places the Vulpix on his shoulder then, so he can use both hands to evade the strange pokemon's advances, but Dakota is smart enough to return him. Artie folds his arms with a silent hmph.

[break][break] Artie takes the fossil back when it's returned to him, turning it over in his arm and marveling at it. Even though he's positive it would be an excellent paperweight... he sights, and then actually hands it back to @dakota. "Fine, have it your way. I'd rather you entertaining yourself with it rather than some weird, government nutjob."

[break][break] Maybe - and it was probably very, very rare - Artie was wrong and Dakota was right. He pet the Vulpix on his shoulder, cooing gently at it. To be honest, Artie didn't really give a crap.

+

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

The room number was 813.

[break][break] That in itself was a fact that Artie found comical. He wondered if he had been intentional, giving him the same room number as his birthday. At least, that's what he asks as he types a text message to the family Butler, who absolutely Freaks Out. At least, that's what it seems like from the rapid way he responds to the next that Artie had sent him.

[break][break] The conversation goes something like this:

> 813? Really? [break][break]
> ARTHUR?!?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TEXTS I HAVE SENT YOU [break][break]
> It's a good number~ I'm not complaining, Gerald. Also, it's Artie. [break][break]
> 73 TEXTS. WHERE ARE YOU? WHY HAVENT YOU RESPONDED SOONER? YOUR HIGHNESS [break]
> That's not any better. A-R-T-I-E. Honestly, Gerald, Mother gave you such a thorough background check, you'd have thought you knew how to spell... [break][break]
> ARTHUR FINNIAN VANDERBILT

And that's when Artie puts his phone away, face-down on the table. It is good timing too, because there is a ring on the doorball and the blond only takes a few strides to meet it.

[break][break] His smile is blissful as he greets the "Maid", opening the door to his apartment with a flourish, in nothing but a bathrobe. "My apologies," he says to the other. "I just got out of the shower. Didn't have time to change yet."

[break][break] He gestures to the apartment behind him. "Feel free to start wherever you like. I'm gonna go get some clothes on."

[break][break] The Vanderbilt turns on his heel - of which he is wearing fluffy pink bunny slippers - and disappears into the bedroom. @jade is left in the main room. There are clothes strewn all over the sofa, random books spilled onto the floor, and a strange pink stain on the faux-fur carpet.

[break][break] In the kitchen, there is a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and somehow also more clothes, as well as a dozen beer bottles and cigarettes.

[break][break] In the bathroom... well, you don't want to go in there.

+ swept under the rug mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Her arms felt small and limp in her arms as he embraced her. Honestly, as far as Artie was concerned, this was still a win. He had half been expecting her to dodge — or at the very least, shove him away.

[break][break] His family had never been the loving type either. Well, at least not the hugging type. From anyone who knew the Vanderbilts, they would know Queen Ophelia loved her son plenty — perhaps a bit too much. Sir Arthur was the same way with his son. They did many things for him, but hugging -- they thought it was unbecoming.

[break][break] It was why he hugged Lilly and Nessie as much as he did.

[break][break] When he pulled away, he noticed the flat way she responded to him and thought nothing of it, watching as she picked the discarded box of hairdye from the floor. It was only then he noticed the color - a color that was nothing like his own - and mentally ticked it away somewhere in the recesses of his memory, in case he were to come across her again.

[break][break] As she turned away, he gave a big wave and crowed, "See you soon, sha-sha! Get home safe!"

[break][break] Wherever, was home for her anyway?

+ Lulu Flint

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"Well, then you must not have been to a good one," he rebutted, pouting, but then letting out a laugh as he puffed smoke into the air. "Have it your way," he said finally, relenting. He couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do — he'd learned that the hard way, back when they'd been kids. "But if you ever change your mind..." He let his voice hang in the air, just like that, though he doubted she would ever take the bite.

[break][break] With it finished, Artie threw the cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe. It was a bit ironic, his fancy italian shoes crushing a cigarette that he'd bought out of a convenience store of all things. How would mother have looked at him then?

[break][break] "Can't argue with you," he said, glancing at her. Sha-sha had never really fit in — not like him, who had always shined with all the attention. They were different, but at least for that, he could agree. Their family sucked, never let him do what he wanted, so he'd had to go.

[break][break] He grinned at her, and then tried to swing his arms around her in a loving hug. "That's why I like you best, sha-sha," he said, in a bit of a sing-song, as if he hadn't forgotten her entire existence until mere moments ago.

+ Lulu Flint

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

@dakota rambled, and as per usual, Artie barely listened to him. He'd grown used to it, having spent many hours in the other man's lab as a teenager, trying to get out of homework at any possible chance. That being said, as he leaned into his hands to listen to him, he had to admit that he was sort of cute. In an incredibly nerdy way, of course.

[break][break] It was a good thing that there was no quiz at the end of this lecture, 'cause Artie would not have done well.

[break][break] He blinked, however, as Kota leaned in close and suddenly exclaimed that his very cool paperweight was not a paperweight but a dumb fossil. His brows knitted together. "Uh," he said, frowning. "You sure? I'm pretttty sure it's just a rock."

[break][break] The Vanderbilt heir yelped when he felt something cold against his neck. He jumped out of his chair, bringing the Vulpix along with it and then hid behind Dakota. "Um," he said. It wasn't often that he felt flustered. "You can have his interest, thank you very much." He ran his fingers through the Vulpix fur to soothe himself more than anything.

[break][break] Artie wanted nothing to do with that weird, ugly pokemon.

[break][break] That's why he was grateful for the distraction. "Huh? Oh no, this is my paperweight," he said, trying to pull the fossil from the other's grasp. "It doesn't matter how much I like you, Kota, I'm not gonna let you steal it."

+

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

As Eva set the pokemon on the table, the Aerodactyl hopped forth, flapping it's tiny wings. He then walked over to the wooden tray that had already been set between them, poking at a cherry cheesecake decorated with tiny Swinub.

[break][break] Artie huffed, but then smiled. "Now you wanna eat?" It was a pokeberry cheesecake, actually, which made it safe for pokemon to eat. He reached for a plastic fork and cut a piece off so that the pokemon could nibble at it while he listened to the woman speak.

[break][break] Blinking, the Circhester prince leaned into his own palms and looked at the other. There was a bit of a twinkle in his eye. "Yeah, I know, " he said. "I guess I am pretty cute." Did he know that she'd been referring to his pokemon, not him? Or was he just playing stupid? Knowing Artie, it could have just as likely been a little bit of both. "I'm Artie, " he said, sitting up again, and offering his hand for a shake. "You can call me Finn too — it's my middle name."

+ Eva Morales

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

It was adorable, he had to admit.

[break][break] The Aerodactyl hopped to the other blond, taking easily to her presence like a fish to water, and chirped happily at her. The pokemon let out a trill of appreciation as she scratched him between the ears, and Artie had no choice but to watch, in half-amazement, that she managed to handle him so well. The entire time that Artie had him... well, he only seemed to give him trouble.

[break][break] When she sat down, Artie followed suit, swinging his legs over the wooden bench. He grabbed one of the takoyaki and popped in into his mouth, as she wave done of Remy's legs at him. He laughed. "Does he?" he said, before realizing his mouth was full. He swallowedd, then dabbed at his lips with a napkin. "You seem to know a lot." His eyes twinkled curiously at her.

+ Eva Morales

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

I’m not a salon kind of person.”

[break][break] Artie rolled his eyes. "That's only 'cause you've never been to one." He paused. Well, maybe she had. He wasn't totally sure. "Plus, I can always get you into a private one." His eyes twinkled. "I know a guy."

[break][break] Even though they were outside of Galar, the family's influence surely extended well beyond the means of the region. Especially when it came to the likes of appearance, which Artie was fortunately fluent in.

[break][break] He took another drag, and then blinked when she mentioned his responsibilities. Someone else might have scowled at the reminder of all the responsibilities he was avoiding. However, when Artie turned to her, his smile was blithe. "Could say the same to you too, you know." Even though she may not have had quite the same leverage he did, they were family for a reason. He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know — you know me, nothing can keep me down. I needed a vacation, I needed — " He gestured, and then let his arms fall flat at his side. He let out a laugh. "You're not gonna tell on me, are you?"

+ Lulu Flint

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

It was a little bit hypocritical, one might think, to give Artie such advise that Dakota couldn't even bother to follow himself. After all, the younger Jambini's smoking addiction was no secret. Or at least, Artie didn't think so.

[break][break] He decided he was going to be nice today and let it go. Instead, he saved the information for some other time, where he could push the other's buttons.

[break][break] Artie laughed as @dakota took the phone and they did a mini photoshoot. The boy was sure to use all different poses as well — crossing his legs, tilting his head and smiling, and even throwing up a piece sign at one of them. Of course, none of these poses amounted to anything because, as Dakota returned the phone to him to show, it was all very blurry.

[break][break] Perhaps the prince might have commented on it, but instead, the conversation shifted to some thing called an Arctozolt?

[break][break] "An arctowhat?" Artie blinked. It sounded stupid, and not at all like the cool pokemon that the researcher made it out to be. As Dakota released the pokemon into the air, and it materialized into view, Artie was even less convinced.

[break][break] "It looks..." He searched his brain for vocabulary to describe what he saw. Stupid? Broken? Messed up? He looked like Lily's first drawing of him, and Lily could be forgiven for that, since she had only been three at the time. "Stupid. It looks stupid." He frowned, and then sighed. "Let me show you something actually cool. I was in the market the other day, and found a really awesome paperweight. Well, it's more like a rock, but I think it would make a great paperweight."

[break][break] The blond shuffled into his bag, which was on the table and leaning against the wall, before pulling out what @dakota woul recognize as a Aerodactyl fossil. Ignorant as ever, Artie grinned. "Cool, isn't it?"

+

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

She could be so stubborn sometimes.

[break][break] Artie sighed, unable to do anything as she walked to the register - which was fortunately clear now - and she made her purchase. The Circhester prince didn't even have time to intervene and help her with the purchase! Though, perhaps, that was likely the way Lulu Flint had wanted it.

[break][break] Humming under his breath, the boy followed his cousin outside of the store just in time to see her lighting a cigarettes. Puffs of smoke were released into the cold city air, and he stepped beside her, reaching into his own plastic bag. He lit his own, and settled beside her. It was one of the few moments that Artie would be quiet -- unfortunately, it didn't last for long.

[break][break] "You're missing out, you know," he chirped. "I offered something nice and you turned me down." He glanced at her, blue eyes shimmering beneath the half-light of the convenience store.

+

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

The exclamation catches him off-guard and Artie spins, blinking with surprise as he is face to face with the most enthusiastic person he has ever seen.

[break][break] Well, at least one of the most.

[break][break] He is a bit stunned as he watches the woman approach the Aerodactyl, who immediately chirps and hops forward to the blond woman as if he is greeting an old friend. It is almost absurd at the way the rock pokemon takes to this complete stranger, and maybe, Artie would have half a mind to be offended at that, if he wasn't so shocked at the way the woman had approached him.

[break][break] Artie hasn't given a response yet, but it seems his pokemon has already. The small bird (?) flutters bit and attempts to land on the crook of Eva Morales 's arm, wings flapping slightly.

[break][break] The sight makes Artie laugh. "It looks like I don't have a choice." Not that, really, he would've said no.

+ Eva Morales

[attr="class","pokeclass"]