Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
Wait- wait hold the phone he was... apologizing?! Arietta blinked, as if stunned, before a very soft chuckle left her lips. "Look if I wasn't working it would have been fine- probably- I don't know- and I have a good PR team, they can manage stuff...." She moved to prop her chin up on her hand tilting her head slightly, "You...really don't have to pay though- cuz i'm over here on business I could probably get the meal for free by charging it to my managers account, and i'm sure they wouldn't give two ribs a second glance... y'know?"
She glanced to the sauces he was fiddling with for a second, unsure what exactly to say. The apology had cleared up the awkwardness a little but Arietta was still very much on her toes. She could have brought up how he said he was irritated and dwell on that but she was hesitant, it was almost like walking on eggshells. "But yeah, it was still a dick move..." Her gaze drew back to Gabe's and she moved to scratch at her cheek, "Erm...You had pigtails, right? They suit you."
A small puff of air escaped form Gabe, almost a laugh, at the mention of charging the manager’s account. “Well, then…” he shrugged his shoulders. He wouldn’t force the traditional roles when the economy was what it was.
What came after, though, earned a small sigh. “How would you feel if I named my Tsareena Arietta?” he mumbled more to himself than to her. At the change of conversation, Gabe glanced forward again. “Ah… yeah…I was having… a rough day…” he chuckled. “My hair’s still not really cooperating but…” he ran a few fingers through it and pulled it sideways as if to show the frizz at the ends. “Oh well…”
How would she feel if he- OH. Oh. So that's... Arietta moved to take a sip of her water again, feeling a slight tinge of embarrassment. "I didn't... name him Gabbie on purpose- I was drunk." Gulping down a bit of the water and fighting back a groan at her stupid antics she put the water back down. "Like- on my way home from a club- and I saw him like, crying in an alley- and my drunk ass thought it was you- and now all he answers to is fucking Gabbie. I've tried to get him to respond to Alto but..." Arietta shrugged and moved to rest her hands on the table, clasping them together. "Which is whyy I couldn't just- tell the reporters... because an idol, drunk after a night of clubbing? Put me in a rough spot there... nngh."
A fake scoff left her lips, "What a doll for young girls to look up to." she was at least talking more now, and crossed her legs together under the table as her eyes glanced at his hair "...Rough day- did somethin' like.. happen- not that you have to tell me, just curious- or is your hair at war with the sudden heat?"
Didn’t… mean to name him Gabbie? Gabe’s head tilted, and his brow raised. The explanation that came thereafter had his eyebrows furrowing— and then immediately had him blushing. Yellow eyes flicked sideways to the window instead. “Ah… I see…” he answered. So… it hadn’t been intentional… But she had thought it was him. Misgamius.
A small laugh escaped from him at the mention of a being a doll. The question, though, had his lips pressing together. “Ah, I’ve been traveling a lot lately, and that and this heat and the dryness isn’t good for it,” he answered with a small laugh and a shrug of shoulders. “Need to find a stronger conditioner I guess.”
Travelling a lot? But wasn't he supposed to be taking care of his mum- wait no he said his family were down for that. She couldn't imagine just... travelling around the region. "You like, sight-seeing then?" She moved to take another sip of the drink, pausing- maybe when the waiter came back with the food she could ask for something freezing and fizzy, that'd go well... probably? Thankfully Arietta isn't very observant, and missed his reaction to her words. "Or is it like a job thing, I couldn't imagine you with a weird travelling job, honestly..."
Her words died off and she sat there for a moment, gaze travelling around the diner as it settled on a few customers settling in, watching them... at least nobody recognized her, she didn't know if she could deal with fans when the exhaustion from a full day of shooting was starting to settle in.
"Oh- but you said conditioner, right?" She moved her attention back to Gabe, pushing some of her curled locks behind her, "The LilliGoop range does wonders- my hair'd probably be all gone without it- dye isn't healthy, apparently." And she was not just saying that because they sponsered one of Arietta's last photo posts. The amount of times she'd dyed her hair in the last three years was nuts...
She didn't have a problem, though! Promise! When was the food getting here, though...? She was starved.
Sightseeing? “Oh… ah… kind of…” Gabe answered. “I’ve been working jobs outside of Bass… but I also just… needed to get out of Bass.” That was a good enough excuse, wasn’t it? That was anyone else’s excuse wasn’t it? As Ara didn’t seem to focus too much on that, Gabe sat back and sipped his smoothie.
The mention of LilliGoop had him humming a little. A small snort escaped form Gabe at the mention of dye being unhealthy. “Then you’d have to style some wings…” he teased softly.
Right on cue, though, the waitress came out with a platter with two dishes on it and several small side dishes and spreads. Setting down one plate of ribs for Gabe and one for Ara, she then arranged all the smaller share-type dishes before standing and asking if they needed anything else. “Actually… maybe a beer….” Gabe stated. The waitress smiled and said she’d get to it before heading off.
Digging in, Gabe realized how hungry he was very readily. “Not bad…” he murmured. Not nearly as good as he had had in the last few weeks, but not bad.
Oh she could understand getting out of Bass, sometimes staying in the one city all the time made Arietta antsy, which is why concerts and career bookings were a literal blessing. She took the excuse easily and nodded her head, kinda explained a lot, actually. But styling wigs... "The day I start styling wigs is the day my life is over- it's like- my hair is a symbol!"
She was probably going to slip into another ramble, but thankfully the waitress showed up with plates with ribs and sides and.... oh it was literal eye candy, and Arietta's eyes were practically sparkling. Finally, some good fucking food- that saying that she hadn't eaten today. She was practically about to dig in and forget about the world when the lady asked about anything else, "Oh- and a raspberry pop please."
Now it was time to take on... the ribs. A challenge.She moved to grab the sauce, pouring it over her ribs. Oh she was going to devour this. Grabbing her cutlery she began to cut into it, digging in with a hum. "...This- this is good." she'd moved to dig into a side, barely registering as the waitress came back with their drinks. "Oh- uh, thanks."
Another bite, another slice of the good stuff. Oh- she- hmm. Arietta glanced at Gabe for a second, hand over her mouth incase there was still any visible food. "Erm...You got any exciting plans coming up in the next few weeks? Winters gonna hit soon which means it'll be hard to do, well, much of anything."
Gabe snickered. “A symbol of what?” he smirked a little already knowing what she meant. It was something she treasured about herself, a particular part of her appearance that was valuable. But still.
Gabe poured much less sauce on his ribs than Ara, but he was also a little strategic about it. Cutting into the meat right after and taking a couple of bites, he hummed back. It was good. Very good. As the waitress came back with their drinks, Gabe shifted the fork to one hand and then lifted the beer to his lips with the other. The mix of alcohol and meat immediately brought a sense of relaxation to him.
The question caught him off guard, and Gabe blinked a couple of times. He… couldn’t really tell her he was robbing a bank for the holidays but… “I’m looking to tackle a few more routes and maybe get through to the west before we’re snowed in…” he hummed after a moment. “But… aside from that, not much.” He paused and then slowly smirked deviously. “Have any Christmas lingerie events coming up?’ he teased,
A symbol of what? The girl took another bite of steak as she thought, technically it was like... a symbol of a lot of things, it was like a symbol of new love for Arietta, dying it, styling it was a symbol of a new day, Arietta adored her hair, it was changeable, always in style. "Well- me...I guess? Like- I love my hair, and there's always talk about what the new colour might be, bets between fans- it's easily changeable, like eye colour but it's just... there's so much that can be done, if that makes any sense?" A laugh and a shrug.
Oh, going down more routes and going to the west? Arietta has never really been to west Arciel outside of work, so she's never really... like... explored it. A sip of her drink was followed by another bite, and she was humming. "Well tell me what it's like! I've never really been over there for non-work things." She moved to have another bite of the rib, however that plan was foiled as she all but choked on what she'd just but in her mouth, having to throw a hand up to cover her shocked expression.
"F-Fuck- Gabe!" it took her a few seconds, and a chug of her raspberry pop before she could choke it back down, "No- oh my arceus." She wildly shook her head back and forth, ignoring the colour blooming on her features. "I- No! An Idol's imagine is important- I have like... a christmas dance-wear shoot, and like... a fuzzy coat one- I had a beach one last month but- No! N-No... No Lingerie, fuck."
The sudden choking noise had Gabe straightening in his seat. He’d been about to say something when she spoke first. A hand he hadn’t even realized he’d raised slowly lowered itself to his glass of water instead, taking a slow sip.
At the quick defense of her idol status, though, he sighed a little. She was one of those prim, proper, clean and pure idols apparently but…. A small forced laugh came and went from him. Didn’t she know… wouldn’t she know she was just fodder for randos…. “An idol’s image is important,” he repeated. “Heh…” He ate rather than spoke, focusing more on his food again than the lead up to that conversation.
At his echo of her words Arietta's nose srunched slightly, and she moved to eat her last bit of rib. Moving her fork up and pointing it at Gabe with a huff she went, "It is though! I'm not even allowed to swear, if I did anything risque the managers would be at my throats- i've had to delete posts because of em." She moved onto the salad side, munching on a bit of lettuce.
"Like- it's fun,but if somebody wants a lingerie shoot they're getting actual models, not idols. Idols jobs are to be happpppy and inspiring and dance and sing, all that jazz." She moved to take a drink now, a soft sigh leaving her throat, "It's a good thing that's it's enjoyable, you'd expect there to be more that i'd be needed to do being in this biz but I still have time to go out- I don't like being bored."
Gabe had a fork half-way in his mouth when Ara mentioned she’d had to delete posts. He stared for a moment unmoving before chewing and swallowing as hard as he could. “I’m surprised they haven’t made you take down those vent posts….” About him. About anyone else.
As she went on to describe what Idol life was like, he went back to eating casually finishing both ribs and then going on to a side salad which he picked at more precariously. Every couple of bites, he took a sip of beer (or a swig as the last would say). Holding the end of the bottle forward as to point at her with it, he answered those words with. “It sounds boring having to perform in front of people and act happy,” he stated— there wasn’t any malice in his voice, but rather a sort of blunt asserted fact on his part. “Especially when you’re not.”
At the mention of the vent posts Arietta averted her gaze, pressing her lips together. He still knew they were up. She couldn't really say that she managed to convince them they were something personal to her and that she basically had a fit in the office, comparing that to ripping out a little girls diary pages. No! "Well, when it's part of what makes up the idols character, and is said outside of blogs then deleting those sorta posts really does nothing." A very fake laugh left her lips as she adjusted how she sat, moving to take a quick sip of her fizzing, pink drink.
Her gaze moved to the bottle as it was pointed to her, the words he had said slowly sinking in. "I-I don't act half the time- though- if i'm dancing, or... with the girls, then i'm happy, gotta be happy." She shrugged, the corner of her lip twitching up, "I enjoy this job- really, it's just taxing sometimes. I wish there was more complexities, that I was challenged and... stuff... But I have to make the dances easy for the other girls."
There was a pause where she moved to grab some lettuce to munch on, "Like- if you were made to perform the same dance routine at every competition, like, every competition you'd get bored too... asked the exact same questions by the interviewers all the time, it's like..." She gazed around the room for a moment, she didn't know how to really... explain herself. "Nevermind. I just described the perfect job, didn't i?" She was happy, she was enjoying this! Realluy! "It's still worth it- there's a reason I didn't... leave... the girls. I enjoy the fans, making them happy. Performing with the girls- it's fun. Maybe it's not complex, but it's something- and i'm getting paid for it."
A small half-hearted laugh came and went from Gabe in turn. He didn’t really believe her words, but he had kind of already promised himself he wasn’t going to rip into her too much tonight. A low “Ah…” was all she’d get back.
No, instead, Gabe was going off on idols in general, he guessed. “Gotta be happy,” he repeated Ara’s words just for emphasis. As she went on, he lowered the bottle and exhausted it for a water glass. More complexities… more of a challenge… And then the word Have to. He could see it all. It seemed a Freudian slip just to go in again and admit how boring it was to do the same routines, receive the same question and comments, and the like.
The reference to the past had him pausing, staring, but his features relaxed a little again after. “So long as you’re happy, I guess…” he answered a little distantly before fishing up a fork and shoving some salad into his mouth.
Arietta hummed, though she had noticed his stare momentarily and shut herself up before she could go off further- remember who you're here with, what you're doing. The girl fidgeted- she'd gone to eat more to busy herself only to realize she practically scarfed down all her meal. Blinking, confused for a moment she realized she musta just been hungry.
Arceus this atmosphere was weird... Arietta instead moved to take another sip of her drink, holding it to herself before taking a small sip. "...I actually have a concert next week." She said, silence made her antsy. She'd moved to stir the straw around her drink now, glancing back up at Gabe, "I'm finding things to do like- other than idol stuff too. That's fun and stuff."
She paused, then let the straw slip back into her drink, blinking a bit more before a sigh left her lips and she moved to stack her plates. Her gaze once more skitted around the room- and she locked eyes with a little girl who... seemed to recognize her. Fuck- shit no. Arietta tapped her finger on the table a few seconds, glancing back once more just to make sure it hadn't just been a fluke- but no, the little girl was coming over with her mum and...
"My daughter here's a big fan! Would you mind taking a photo with her?"
Arietta took a deep breath before standing up, patting her jacket and giving Gabe an awkward glance before quickly making her way over to the duo. "Of course! It's no problem at all, really!" She'd moved then to bend to the girls high, a peace sign was given, a hug, then the duo was off. Arietta could only hope the other patrons didn't notice she.. really didn't want more people flocking over. She was just glad the mum didn't give a comment like 'enjoy your date' or she'd collapse on the spot.
Arietta moved to take another sip of her drink, not really saying anything for a few moments, toe tapping onto the ground until she moved to lean over, finger going towards Gabe's plate and hovering over a bit of lettuce. "Can I take this?"
A concert next week….and other things to do. “I see…” So long as she liked those things, so long as they made her happy, so long as— Why am I even trying— Gabe knew why. Gabe knew exactly why. He finished the last of his foot and then immediately jolted when a woman and her daughter came over. Looking sideways to her and then frowning, he said nothing before looking at Ara again.
Of course, she would. Of course, she would. Of— She’s cute— This thought hit Gabe the moment the camera flashed, and he stared for that moment wide eyed. She’s… so cute… Taking pictures with virtual strangers, acting peppy even when the situation between them was not, whatever else…Suddenly he found her leaned over with a fork at his plate with a little piece of lettuce and… and … Why are you so damn cute… He knew why. He knew why. He just… “I love you.” Arceus fucking damn it.
Scooping up the lettuce and pushing it into her mouth without waiting for a solid answer. Hers now. She'd moved to put the fork down, swallowing down the green veggie only to freeze right before her fork could officially be settled down. Oh he... he said it again. Uh... right- he... he said it at the masquerade- wasn't he supposed to.. dance to.. not... feel that- he- fuck. Arietta's grip on the fork tightened and she let out a soft breath. For a split second she was small, and on her first date, and so in love- and then the blinds were ripped open and reality crashed in.
"..oh..." The dancing at the studio was supposed to be a way to help him move on, because he'd said at the masquerade he was still... and then- she was putting him in these situations stupidly forgetting that. She was supposed to be helping him not feel this way- because he shouldn't- not after all the shit that happened, because she wasn't fifteen and he wasn't...
Love- love love fucking love. Of course he still- and- what did she do, or say- how did she... Putting her fork down and bringing her hands towards herself, crossing them over her chest she managed out, "...did you try jenga? That should help- right?"
“Ah… uh…” Very briefly, Gabe wondered if it was possible to kill himself entirely via spoken word alone. His chest felt tight enough to collapse in on itself as it was. Color held his features, and he glanced away from her out the window to the street beyond.
Did he try jenga? Did he try jenga? Did he try fucking jenga?? “Yeah,” he lied and gave a small shoulder shrug. “Though it’s easier to carry around a card deck than a log deck…” Just play it cool. He was fine. This was fine. Whatever. Whatever. Whatever, right?
Cards... cards... of course it wasn't helping. Arietta's arms hugged tighter around herself and her foot began tapping softly. Tightening, untightening. Her gaze traveled back to the little girl, watching- she seemed to be glancing over every few seconds, an excited smile on her face at having met a celebrity... right... right.. okay... she could...
"...sorry..." She managed out, a soft, fake laugh leaving her lips. She attempted to straighten herself out on the chair, arms folding into her lap. Breathe. "...I...still don't..." another pause, and she attempted to push herself to smile, like an idol does. This was not an episode of the fucking blame game. "...understand."
Her legs crossed and uncrossed, restless. "...Gabe." She said quietly, her smile dropping, "I don't know what to do." another pause, her gaze dropped. "If saying shit- like, spreading shit doesn't make somebody... fall out of love then- what does? Like, I can transfer you to a different dance place...I don't know..."
Shifting, she moved to grab the straw, staring down at it. She didn't understand, of course she didn't It took years for her to manage to pull herself away from what happened in Ivy Town. And still she's terrified of a long, commited relationship because she thinks they'll leave her, like she was nothing- like Gabe did.
And now the same person who did that is right infront of her confessing all over again, while she had to force herself to move on. "You can't be in love with me. Okay?" there was a soft breath of air that escaped her again, "Not very fair. So- i'm going to help you, not be in love with me."
The apology caught Gabe off-guard, and he found himself looking directly at her again. As she went on, his features scrunched up a little, and he found himself inadvertently forcing a smile. “Ah it’s…. fine…” he answered. She didn’t need to understand— she just— As his name was said, this thought was immediately derailed. His lips parted and sealed. His features scrunched up and relaxed.
You can’t be in love with me… A breath escaped form him as well. Going to help you not be in love with me… Hah… Hah… hah…. “It’s the little things…” he answered, his gaze lowered to his plate now, fixating right at the space in the middle of it. “The way you dance… and move… the way you smile…. The way you interact with people… not just me…. But like…” he made a small head gesture over towards the little girl. A smile pulled hard across his face for a moment. “You fit the idol image really well.”
A choked sound hit the air unexpectedly, and Gabe slapped a hand over his mouth. Suddenly he was standing up and making a bee line for the front to pay and get out of here.
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