geophile | cerealia

hey, i could brag for days about how humble i am.

not sure. someplace classy? you look like a guy who likes classy.

Good perception.

I'm sending you the coordinates of a café I've grown fond of. I can meet you there in an hour?

sounds good to me.

send it over and i'll see you then.

[ for a moment before sending the coordinates, steven hesitates. he may have gotten a bit over his head - he's still exhausted over the events of the past few days, and all he really wants to do at the moment is rest. that makes itself abundantly clear when he actually pauses, feeling the weight of stress on his shoulders.

but its too late to cancel now. he's made a comittment, and that means adhering to it to the best of his abilitites. a quick shower, a fresh suit, a splash of cologne and a polite, concealing smile later, he'a ready to meet his new aquaintance.

thankfully, while the place that steven speaks of is pretty quaint and swanky in its own right, its prices are comfortable enough that he won't feel ill of sans treating him (though that's not to say he won't offer to pay himself anyway). after sending the coordinates, he'll get them a table at the promised cafe and, well, wait for his company.

it's raining somewhere else.mp3 ]

[Steven is so special he gets the smooth jazz version.]

[Whenever Sans is late, which is often, he makes sure to hit that special sweet spot that's just approaching fashionable, but falling short enough that he still keeps up his appearances (and reality, let's be real) of a guy who happens to enjoy taking his time.]

[He's not quite as dressed up as Steven. Actually, he's not dressed up at all. But he understands atmosphere enough that, when he enters the cafe, he saunters with enough sway and off-beat confidence that there's little to no question as to whether or not Sans is in the right place, hoodie, slippers, and all. Over the years he's become a master of the art of social interaction: act like you belong, and everyone will assume you belong regardless of how you look. Fake it until you make it. All that jazz.]

[Sans makes his way to the table and slides into the seat across from Steven, leaning his elbows against the edge like the cool cat he totally isn't.]

'sup.

[ swag.

and while the way sans is dressed is certainly odd by steven's own standards, he keeps any and all judgement of outward appearances to himself. it's something that he's learned to do during his time in the colony - there's far too many instances of "strange" people to criticize everyone he meets from how they look. ]

For the first time in about a week, thankfully nothing.

[ he will never answer that like a normal person. ]

Nothing, huh? I like the sound of nothing.

And doing nothing.

Ever try doing nothing for a few days? Feels great.

[He says that with a knowing wink. Someone as dressed up and classy as Steven never does nothing for a few days.]

[Something about the way the guy carries himself tells Sans that he's not the kind of classy-rich that has maids doing everything or butlers driving him around or someone feeding him pre-cut food (that's what rich people do, right?).]

[In other words, Steven needs to cut himself a break. A REAL break.]

I'm afraid not - at least, not in recent memory. I make a point of trying to keep myself busy.

[ sorry, sans. when you're champion of a region and the heir to a multi-billion dollar tech company, there's no time to do nothing. responsibilities loom, and he's not about to have someone else do them for him. sans is right about that much - he's a very hands-on rich boy. ]

Okay, that's fair.

[Crazy productive people doing things and contributing to society. What'll they think of next?]

So that being said, what kinda things do you do?

[It's a question that's broad enough for Steven to answer as vague or as specific as he wants on whatever topics he's comfortable with. Just because Sans is using the time to check in on the guy doesn't mean he can't prod a little bit and figure out some more about him. Not that he expects to unearth anything shocking (Steven looks about as scandalous as a puppy), but it can't hurt to learn a few things. Kind of like interviewing a new babysitter. A babysitter who's better at watching your kid than you are.]

[ and while steven is a little more of a private person, he doesn't have anything to hide about his background. there's only so much he can explain to sans without infodumping everything about his world's mechanics, but he can be broad in his own right. ]

That depends on what the situation calls for. In my world, my family owns a large company that supplies technology and various goods to the public. However, that isn't my primary occupation.

[Sans leans back in his chair and raises a brow.]

[It isn't even a saracstic kind of 'Oh wow look at Mr. Hotshot here'. He's legitmately impressed.]

So what's your primary occupation, then?

In my world, humans and creatures known as Pokémon live together as companions and partners. People known as Pokémon Trainers catch, raise, and train them to compete in contests of skill and strategy called "battles". That's what I do.

[ there's no mention of him being champion or anything like that. he's proud of his accomplishments, but he doesn't brag. ]

So you, uh, catch these critters and then make them beat each other up?

[That sounds kind of illegal...]

[ that just makes him laugh. oh, sans... ]

I'm afraid that's a vast oversimplification. I don't "make" my Pokémon battle; they have complete agency over their own actions. If they were unwilling to follow a command, they would simply disobey me. Competition is something that they quite enjoy.

[ along with the fact that steven's pokémon respect him, they're fierce battlers in their own right. ]

Battles are just one of many ways to show the bonds that humans and Pokémon have. It's a way to create a wordless dialogue to not only understand your opponent, but also your own companions.

Gotcha.

[A little bit. Maybe.]

So they're more like peers than pets. You both come up with strategies together, and then try to outplay whoever you're going up against.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[ thank you for not calling him an animal abuser, sans. he appreciates that. ]

I wouldn't hesitate to call my Pokémon close friends. I've been with several of them since I was a child - we have a certain bond that can't easily be broken.

[Sans nods along, happily not accusing Steven of animal abuse while he listens to what he has to say.]

Sounds like you've got a good chunk of your family here with you. That's good.

I wanna meet'em.

Right now may not be the best time, but you're certainly welcome to meet them on another occasion. Most of them are quite friendly.

[ except for the ones that are assholes or not too privy to strangers. but most of them are good! ]

That's understandable.

Just let me know whenever is good for you guys, and I'll clear out my schedule.

[Because he's SO busy.]

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