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"]

The bird — was it a bird? — chirped at him.

[break][break] Artie could only stare back at it. "What do you want?" he said, with a bit of a frown. It was not often that Arthur Finnian Vanderbilt found himself stumped, but yet there he was, bewildered.

[break][break] The blond had decided to expand his options in exploring the region's festivities and rather than going to a bigger city like Mauville or even Slateport after his excursion in Rustboro, he had opted for the smaller, seaside town of Dewford. They were in one of the main food areas, with a tray of food full of festival dishes placed in front of him, all of which the Aerodactyl had denied. With a Clobbopus skewer in his hand, he offered it to the baby Aerodactyl, who turn it's beak away in disgust. Okay, so maybe it didn't like fish. He offered another skewer to him, which was a combination of Bouffalant-themed muffins, but yet again, the rock bird did not seem interestedd. Instead, it chirped back at Artie, and the boy could not help but befuddled.

[break][break] He put his hands on his hips. "Well," he quipped. "If you don't tell me soon, I'm gonna eat all of it."

[break][break] And how would he like that huh?

+ Eva Morales

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Artie hummed.

[break][break] "Maybe a few years ago?" His head tilted to the side. "I was, like seventeen. And Thomas — Tommy, you remember him? We went to your lab together once." Thomas Bennett — a nobleman's son, equally as cocky and self-entitled as Artie himself, with none of the worth to prove it. He was a few years older than Artie in school, but had been kept back a year - maybe multiple - because he couldn't pass his exams. Now, Artie wasn't the type to judge — but you had to be a certain kind of stupid to not pass your exams.

[break][break] Well, he had his uses.

[break][break] "He taught me. At first, I thought it was gross — " His nose wrinkled at the memory. "But, you know me, I got the hang of it eventually." He winked at @dakota .

[break][break] The other's flustered nature went unnoticed by Artie, at least momentarily as he occupied himself with tapping his number in the other's phone, also going as far to quickly download Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, just in case the other didn't have it, and made sure that he followed Artie and Remiel Calcifet on all said platforms. Kota was pretty smart, but something told him, he was stupid when it came to these things.

[break][break] "Maybe I can ask you to take a photo," Artie said, pausing, as he returned his phone back to the other. "You good with a camera?" Though, it wouldn't really matter. Artie knew that he would shine — how could he not?

[break][break] The blond laughed as the other grew red in the face at his joke. It was so fun teasing him, how could he not? "What would you do without me?" he said, leaning his face into his palm again, gazing at the other affectionately. However, Artie leaned back with surprise as the other mentioned a... "An act of what?" His brows knitted together in confusion, head cocked to the side.

+

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"Yeah, you should." Artie nodded empathetically to the other's plight, when he brought up smoking. His fingers ran through the Vulpix's fur, absently. "I probably should too." Did Dakota know he smoked? He couldn't remember. Then again, he probably didn't — most of the royal family didn't know, and his mother certainly didn't know. Or maybe it was like with most things, that the Queen just preferred to look the other way.

[break][break] "Not that I'm going to," he said, with a trademark grin. "It's way too fun."

[break][break] Like a lot of things were too fun. God, a smoke did sound pretty good right about then.

[break][break] But nah, Artie had other things to deal with. Like the fact that Dakota didn't have his number! He gasped a little, and then clicked his tongue again in disapproval. Demandingly, he placed his hand palm-up to the other, fingers curling in "come hither" motion. "That's blasphemous. Give me your phone. I'll put it in." He couldn't do without not having Dakota's number. Who was he going to send memes to at 3AM? Well, there was Remiel Calcifet .

[break][break] Absently, as he typed in his number, Artie was distracted by the other's words but then he looked up. He blinked. Then he slid his phone towards the other, watching it spin across the wooden countertop. "I contact them plenty. Look yourself, I just responded to Lily and Nessie less than an hour ago. Plus, they follow me on Insta too. " He talked to his little sisters all the time. Mother and Father? Well... unimportant, as far as Artie was concerned. If they really needed him, they knew how to contact him. He wouldn't have had a choice in the matter, and Artie was well aware of it.

[break][break] The Vulpix reached up to lick his cheek to comfort him, and it worked. He calmed down, and leaned back in the chair, giving a big sigh. "So, I guess, you saw those articles?" He huffed. "And they couldn't even get my good side! Those pictures are from weeks ago." He looked at @dakota with a pout. "I got new shoes."

[break][break] As if to make a point, he lifted one of his Louis Vuitton shoes at the researcher. They shimmered beneath the room's translucent light, having recently been shined. He set them back down again, and then sat up in the chair, cuddling the Vulpix against his breast. "Hm?" he said, and then blinked. Man, for such a smart guy, Kota could sometimes be so dense.

[break][break] He blinked owlishly. "I walked in the door, of course."

[break][break] Well, maybe that wasn't the entire story but as far as Arthur Finnian Vanderbilt was concerned... hardly relevant to the matter at hand.

+

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Part of why he liked @dakota so much was because he was so fun to tease. The blush rose to the other man's cheeks, and Artie couldn't help but smile. Though, this wasn't something he was going to tell him. At least not yet.

[break][break] "Aw," he said, resting his elbows on his knees and looking up at the other with fluttering lashes. "You think you know me that well, Ko - Dakota?" He'd called him Finn before, so trying was the least he could do.

[break][break] The blond gave a gasp as the other said the most sinful thing ever. "Economy?" He clicked his tongue in disapproval, shaking his head as he sat up again and then leaned over to pick up the Vulpix and place it in his lap. "A shame. I thought better of you, Kota." Oops. Oh well. "You could've given me a call. I'd of given you my card." Well not his card, but the family card, but it was all the same difference anyway.

[break][break] His fingertips ran through the fox's soft fur, but then stilled.

[break][break] "They miss you. "

[break][break] He paused. Ten texts from his Mother just in the last week. Twenty from Father, and another hundred from the family Butler.

[break][break] "I miss them too," he quipped back a second later and then inclined his head to the side before looking at @dakota . "But I needed a vacation. You get that, right?"

+

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[break]

plots with artie [break][break]

@jade so i'm not too sure about if the "prince" is a literal or metaphorical one, but i think these two could potentially be pretty fun! artie is the only son in a long, long line of women, but he is pretty effeminate too! he is also full of sass, ass and class so we could throw them together and see what works!? [break][break]

@luna these two could be fun together! they're both fairly fun and easy going, so i could see them getting along. also since she's pretty naive, maybe she wouldn't get annoyed as easily with artie as maybe some other people?! who knows!!

[break][break] anyways, if you like either of these ideas or have some of your own, hmu on discord ^^

[break]

artie x Eva Dumont [break][break]

we already talked about this a bit on discord, but i think the two of them would be fun together! it could start maybe if she took an interest in his aerodactyl and she could tell him all the fun nerdy things while he ignores her and does his own thing.

[break][break] artie has pretty much not done any of the bb missions, so i'd be open to any of them! maybe artie is shopping somewhere and he mistakes her as an employee?? LOL whatever, pick any mission and start a thread and im up for it ^^