[FIN] Hard to Handle

[Blood_Goddess]

Rodney tilted his chin up a bit when it was confirmed that his research was right, though he listened on as Luke elaborated.
"I see. Not too surprising it seemed to be growing at an impressive rate in popularity in Kodo." He tilted his head, a shoulder lifting up slightly "excuse me stating the obvious, trainers of course would know this. So what brought you to Kodo if not pokemon?"  

[Suudonym]

He had to think about this one for just a little while before he found the right words for it, "I just wanted to try seeing someplace new. With arrangement with the ports, I thought Kodo would be a good place for that."  

[Blood_Goddess]

"With the ports opening between Grand Ile and Kodo." Rodney nodded in understanding. "Because of the alliance that's been set up."

"What nice timing then, From what I hear about Grand Ile, its really nice, though I suppose if you've lived there all your life some different scenery might be nice for a while" Alex said a growing smile on her face. "So is that how you and Rosie know each other? One of the trainers that she met?"
Alex continued.

"Actually, we weren't trainers when we met." Rosie piped in, looking from Luke over to Alex.

"That was a while ago then, I remember you've been training for a few years now." Evan pointed out, seeming to have payed attention to when Rosie started this 'sport'  

[Suudonym]

"About two years ago," he clarified, thoughtful, "two and a bit. It was my first day in Kodo, actually. She looked kind of upset about something, so I let Mieu go over since he has a friendly disposition." There was a small smile to his demeanor, a light embarrassment at the memory of how entirely unprepared he had been. "I had no idea what I was doing, so she helped me a lot."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie smiled and giggled a little, remembering that day, lifting a hand to cup over half her face "Oh my gosh I remember that, of all the days to meet me, I just started crying out of no where right while we were talking, Poor Luke."
She still laughed a little at it though at the memory. "I feel so bad. He helped cheer me up though, and we've been friends ever since."

There was an oddly audible silence between the people at the table, all of their eyes on Rosie and Luke. Grins and smile from Alex and Evan, while Rodney looked on with polite interest and growing pointed intrigue as they listened, though there was a very clear and currently left unspoken understanding between them.
Bruce looked up from his meal, glancing over at the two youngest at the table, with a more quiet stare.  

[Suudonym]

The smile in his features was dismissive, "'Poor me,' yeah right. Knowing me, I was making up excuses about it the whole time." His understanding of himself was plainly and unquestionably as a jerk and a brat, and no amount of persuasion would ever separate him from the idea. Were it not for various thoughts bringing green eyes towards the table, the attention of the room's other occupants likely would have made him very conscious of the quiet warmth in his expression.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie laughed with gentle joy, looking over at him "Making excuses," she repeated him. "How can you make excuses for being nice?" She lowered her hand, putting her palm under her chin to support her head up, facing him in a conversational manner, though the expression on her face seemed much more invested and content. "I think that's just becasue you are nice."  

[Suudonym]

"Uh," he inclined his head away, mortified though good-naturedly so, "I think the idea was something like, 'If Mieu wants to go bug a sad girl, then that's none of my business.'"  

[Blood_Goddess]

At his words Rosie started giggling very suddenly with a great deal of endearment toward the boy's honesty as well as a different understand on her end, leaving her unable to stop for a short time, and of course prompting the others to chuckle and laugh as well from her infection delight.
"Okay, fare enough, but you know what- I know you knew exactly what Mieu would do, or you would not have let him out." She pointed out once she managed to get her laughter under control. In the mind set that she was very much enjoying a conversation with her friend.  

[Suudonym]

Her laughter drew a smile equal parts amused and embarrassed - though the sound was reason enough to smile regardless of context. "Well," he said, a light laugh and a shrug accompanying, "probably."  

[Blood_Goddess]

There was no fooling Rosie, and apparently there was no convincing her that Luke was not nice either. one of her happy grins joined his laugh.
"Absolutely." she glanced over to the pokemon where she had set up their dinner, and where Mieu would be, "right Mieu?"

Evan chuckled around his food, shaking his head lightly "Man that's just a losing battle. You learn quick not to argue with a lady, she tends to be right."
At that Alex grinned, reaching out to pat his cheek affectionately.

"So two years ago huh? Thats a long time to be away from your home. Do you plan on staying here?"
Bruce asked, glancing over at Luke from his food.  

[Suudonym]

An affirming "fieuu!" came in reply. Were he to evaluate it objectively, Mieu would have easily determined that there was a length of time where his master was much less kind than he had been in the past or than he was now, but that was completely inconsequential. He'd just had a hard time remembering how to show kindness was all.

Luke shrugged lightly in resignation; he had no experience to validate that statement as a general rule, but he surely enough had never won against Rosie on such subjects. The question that followed refocused his attention, though this answer came less easily than some others. "Uh, things with my family are kind of… complicated," understatement, "so I don't know if it's really possible to stay indefinitely, but I don't plan on leaving any time soon."  

[Blood_Goddess]

As Luke spoke to Bruce the older man watched an listened. Evan in the meantime leaned forward looking at Rosie to speak to her "So, is this the prince then?" he asked arching his eyebrows.

Rosie blinked, looking around surprised, forgetting that she had actually talked to them about that when she had been convinced Luke was a prince.year... ago.
touching the tips of her fingers to her lips while she finished chewing her food, a blush creeping over her cheeks, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding.. "He's not... actually a prince." she spoke back to her cousin.

"Prince? what?" Alex joined in, looking interested and surprised.  

[Suudonym]

"Prince--" The word was startling enough that he felt compelled to repeat it as if to confirm its meaning. With a light laugh and a warm color to his face, he waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing like that, definitely." Okay, maybe kind of like that. "My father is one of the governing lords, is all, so I'll eventually have to inherit the title…" Prince; he couldn't begin to imagine where that idea had come from… but despite its inaccuracy, it was oddly endearing.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"'is all' he says" Evan pointed out, though easily believing luke when he said he wasn't a Prince, but to go on and say he was the son of a Lord from his home town... "A lord, that's all. Wait, isn't that the same thing as a prince then?"

Rodney interjected. "Its not quite the same thing." He pointed out to his brother, looking to the larger blond. "though to my understanding its still a status of nobility." He asked, looking to Luke for confirmation. Of the three he seemed to be taking this news with much more polite intriguer then surprise.

"But, eventually you'll be a 'lord' though?" Evan continued. "Holy s**t! that's some family business huh?"

Complicated family life, traveling to distant lands to see new places, brat turned sweet and handsome to boot?... Alex leaned over toward Rosie who was still blushing and nodded "Alright, I see where you got the 'Prince' from." She reassured causing Rosie to giggle lightly in embarrassment as her cousins confused on their conversation, smileing at Alex.