“I just… don’t feel like I’m going anywhere…”

“It feels like for every step I take forward, I’m still walking in a straight line as opposed to greater heights. It’s putting a blockage on my mind that forces further unwanted thoughts to pile on.”

he straightens out and places his back against the chair, a slight look of discomfort on his face.

“I’ve worked hard for a long time and put in the work expected of me to be someone in a better positon than I am, but I haven’t made it to the point where I want to be. I’m a face for a local magazine, not a model walking on star-lined stages for the world to see. I guess that’s where my frustration stems from…”

he shakes his head, snapping back into place. for a moment he holds his tongue, but the curiosity proves greater than his own self-control.

“How did you do it? How did you make it to where you were?”

Alison Everly

“Seviathan is fine.” he said with an easy smile.

as they set themselves across from one another, Sebastian patted a jacket pocket on his chest.

“I have a few flashcards in case I can’t think of anything, but for the most part I’m going to wing it. Had a few things on my mind to go off of.”

amber hues eye the woman, taking note of her physical profile as he brushed a bit of fuzz of his jacket and cleared his throat.

“Lets start then, hm? We’ve already met but just to reiterate, your name is Madd, your partner is Yakuza, my name is Sevastian, and while I did not introduce her, this little lady at my side is named Princess.”

the Mabosstiff gives a sneering ruff at the two as she lays prone.

“Tell us a little about yourselves first and foremost.”

Madeline McKenna

a chuckle left his throat, Sevastian clearing it soon after. “Right, Madd it is.”

as the Obstagoon neared, the Mabosstiff would bristle for only a moment before Sevastian was taken into the pokemon’s arms for a bear hug. after realizing the friendliness of the movement, neither party objected and Sevastian would attempt to counter with his own hug; though his strength was no match for the Obstagoons.

“Nice to meet you both.” said with a bit of strain as he pats the Obstagoon on it shoulder, signaling for him to be let go.

“And I think Yakuza is a fine name for him, he’d object to it if he didn’t like it right?”

straightening out his outfit, he waves for them to follow towards their actual set: a room with black walls with a white canvas set in the middle where a few seats and a doggy bed were. the Mabosstiff is quick to set herself in her seat, lying easily as Sevastian allowed the other two to take their seats before he had.

“Our interview will be recorded but it’s more for posterity than anything. If you object to this then that’s okay too, we can just sit down and talk to each other and I’ll keep notes. Whatever is more comfortable to you two.”

while he was no stranger to cameras he knows all too well that others might not be so inclined to be in front of them for long periods of time. but, it’s always nice to have some clips for Vanta’s youtube channel.

Madeline McKenna

"Remiel Calcifet , right? I heard he was decently effective before he resigned, his tenure never really concerned me so I never gave him the attention he deserved. Forgive me for not being too in the know about the political climate but what was it that made him step down? I understand that it's a strenuous job but it seems like it would be a labor of love, no?”

the facade is partially curiosity and partially to lead further into the ice-breaker portion of their meeting.

the Mightyena, once laid at Sevastian’s feet, rises to a seating position, the man giving it a pet on the head before it neared the counter next to the Magearna. without so much as a huff, the Mightyena is thrown a muffin, the pastry caught within its maw and eaten in seconds.

almost looking proud of itself- and despite being nearly the same height- the Mightyena looks down to the Magearna, a sense of pretentiousness felt as she held her nose up high.

Elise Calcifet

when she speaks of paperwork he chuckles flipping his phone to silent as he tucks it away.

“I can imagine…” said with a sly smile.

when the conversation furthers on he takes a sip from his own drink, the cup running nearly empty with almost- if that- a swig remaining.

with a flattening of his black cotton sweatshirt, he adjust himself upright, properly seating himself as he furthered on.

“Well, before we get into that, I think it rude not to properly introduce myself with all the airs that come with someone of your standing.” he chuckles.

“My name is Sevastian Beau, I’m with Vanta, a fashion magazine hosted in Lilycove, and we want to host a meeting with you some time in the future. We usually do interviews with people in the way of fashion, getting the scoop on what their taste is and what not. My previous interviews just sort of happened off the cuff; a meeting set, no prior getting to know one another, little contact before- the standard when it comes to this type of stuff- so the chemistry always fell a little flat in my opinion.”

taking the cup in his hand, he swishes the remainder of the tea back and forth rhythmically while he speaks.

“I’m hoping that this little meeting will help when it comes to that dichotomy.”

gulping down the beverage, he holds up a finger, a member of staff quickly coming to collect the glass from Sevastian. as they near, a small exchange of words was shared between the two before they both nodded to one another, each going back to their respective jobs.

“So, since we are basically strangers to one another, lets start in the way that strangers do. What do you do for a living?”

a calm smile forms on his sculpted features, shades of amber locked onto her own wine colored hues. as he settles in, the smell of freshly baked goods once more wafts through the air.

it seems as if a batch of sweets has just finished baking.

Elise Calcifet

mid-thought, the familiar chime of a newcomer reaches his ears, and the almost ritualistic approach he had taken finally had returning investments; the arrival of his invitee forcing a smile onto his face.

“No longer than I had expected.” he chirped quaintly. “Thank you for agreeing to meet me, I know you’re busy with…” eyes wander to the Magearna, “... well I’m not too sure what you’re busy with.” a chuckle follows as his eyes rise to meet hers once more.

“Which I suppose is why we’re here. Idle chatter, getting to know you a little before the actual interview. A heart to heart, if you will.”

something he felt he had been missing in his recent wirings was the human side of his Dark-Type Exposee; too focused on the pokemon and not enough on the trainers. hopefully this would aid in amending this oversight of his.

“I know Vanta and I might not make as much of a mark as you so I am a little easy to forget, but again, thank you for taking the time to meet up with me for this, I really appreciate it.”

Elise Calcifet

“I’ve got a fun one for you.”

was how his assistant had described his next interviewee.

Sevastian has known this person for years. they’ve been through thick and thin together. when this person describes someone as “fun” its a veritable pandora’s box of the word. that being said: it’s never dull when the subject rears its head.

there wasn’t much given to him in terms of information: the interviewee was a woman named Madeline, 20’s, tall, rough yet still feminine, and has an Obstagoon. the other information was what he sort-of remembered as the person isn’t exactly who he was interviewing, it was more so the pokemon.

this is to say, when the interviewees came into sight, Sevastian was caught with his pants down.

“They weren’t kidding…” Sevastian silently worded to himself in reference to his assistant, as Madeline walked onto the set.

while he was stunned for a moment at the sight he beheld, he got himself sorted within seconds, walking forward in stride with his Mabosstiff at his side.

“Hello, you must be Madeline, and this must be Yakuza. It’s a pleasure to be interviewing to two of you.”

the man presented himself in semi-roughneck clothing: a black leather jacket, a stripped pink undershirt, standard navy blue jeans, and black combat boots. while the boots did make him an inch taller, he still stood slightly lower than her, looking up at the woman as he extended a hand to her, and then the Obstagoon.

Madeline McKenna

the smell of fresh baked goods floats through the air as Sevastian takes a sip from his cup of tea, the other hand busied as he types away at the screen of his phone. a lazing Mightyena lays behind the feet of his chair, nested within the vicinity of her master.

every so often, piercing eyes peer to the entrance as the bell above its door tolls, signaling a new patron. as he spots they are not who he is awaiting, he looks back down to his phone, giving a nod and smile if he happens to make eye contact with them.

their meeting was scheduled a couple of hours before he had arrived, and it hade been a couple since he had arrived. considering he had a bit of editing to do for his most recent submission for Vanta as well as a few correspondences to send, he might as well do it within an environment as comfortable as where the has chosen for their meeting; a no-name coffee shop resting on the edge of Rustboro.

“Should I get a scone…?” he muses to no-one but himself, the Mightyena’s ears perking up at the sound of his voice before returning to her previous resting position.

Elise Calcifet

the reason he has started was her. though he strains to repeat this any more. but now that he’s sitting across from her, what was his drive to continue.

he has his coworkers, he has the money the jobs provides, and the connections he can get just from being directly associated with the company and it’s renown would only bolster any positions he could strive for in the future. but there was an underwhelming… sadness? melancholy? it was hard to place; always has been. from the moment he had gotten all he strove for, the rest seemed a little… pointless.

even now, as he sits before his muse, a knot in his chest formed, not the same as the embarrassment he felt earlier, that was fresh, this was something he’s felt long before, something all too familiar.

“I can’t decline because it’s how we get paid as a company. I want to because it’s a large workload.”

a finger traces the rim of the glass idly as he looks into the decanter with a practiced smile.

“I’m sure you’ve felt it before. The burnout that comes with being overworked. The strife that comes with that burnout that makes you only want to work harder to overcome this… mental blockade you’ve put on yourself…”

he exudes a huff from his nose before looking her eye to eye once more. she seemed lax, and his trained eye faltered, succumbing to the mood she cascaded forth.

“I just…”

as he begins, their waiter returns, refilling their glasses slightly as they take the tables orders.

“Oh… I’ll just take the… tostas de tomate y jamón?” spoken in the unfamiliar accent.

folding the menu, he hands it over to the waiter, a fisted hand resting on his forehead as he mentally admonishes himself and the lack of control he once again displayed.

Alison Everly

drying up huh? he doesn’t pry any deeper, fearing that he may offend. he can’t help but feel that maybe she's… deflecting?

her words settle onto his mind and he idly orders the same as her, a bottle of white and an ice bucket to house it.

a prying mind seeps into the cracks of her words, which only seem to echo his thoughts of deflection. however, they are quickly forced to rest, as who is he to not take what she says at face value. he only knows her in name afterall.

even with these creeping thoughts, she is still charming through and through; Sevastian as eager to eat up her words as a puppy is to see its master after a whole day longing for their return.

he returns her smile with his own, genuine, as these thoughts swell in his mind to take root onto his features.

“I’m from here- Hoenn I mean.” he sips coly from the glass before continuing.

“The shoots seem non stop at times but summer is just a busy time in general for Vanta. Lots of fashion statements to make and people need inspiration. Along with that a lot of brands are reaching out to us to advertise for them; we’re not exactly in a position to decline either…”

catching himself he quickly puts the glass to his mouth, accidentally tapping his teeth on the rim as he downed a portion of the wine.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to vent.”

Alison Everly

a chuckle followed her glazing, eyes rolling playfully as he expanded with his own input.

“Please. Small times don’t get on headlines, which is why we make our own.”

Vanta wasn’t as big a name as Devon or Silph, but an idea, despite how trivial it is to most, goes a long way as long as its expanded and thought upon.

“I appreciate the compliment though.” said sincerely as he refreshed his memory of the restaurants location with a quick look at his phone.

it wasn’t far away- in fact it was short enough where they could just walk- but after the noise they had made with their display, it seemed all to easy to run into one who would delay their dinner with questions or requests. he instead opted to have the two of them dropped off, a taxi called that delivered them to their location within minutes.

he was gentlemanly, opening doors when prompted and allowing her the luxury of the courted in a situation such as this. it was only when they had been seated that he truly struck up a conversation, a glance taken at the menu before it was pushed off to the side- his attention fully on her.

“So, how long have you been in Hoenn? I know it’s a pretty big place and there are a lot of people but… it’s kind of surprising that you haven’t been more in the news.”

even fallen starlets and burned out actors have their time back in the spotlight every once in a while after their limelight has faded out. it almost makes him bring his own fanaticism into hand. almost.

Alison Everly