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[geophile]

"You've reached Steven Stone. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

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[criticalhip]

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.]

[geophile]

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. ]

[criticalhip]

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.]

[geophile]

[ 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.

[criticalhip]

[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?

[geophile]

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. ]

[criticalhip]

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

[That sounds kind of illegal...]

[geophile]

[ 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.

[criticalhip]

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.

[geophile]

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.

[criticalhip]

[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.

[geophile]

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! ]

[criticalhip]

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.]