Thought it was time for some more of Misty's nieces. She's a great aunt, and I think it's fun to write their interactions.
Elizabeth is here to be a bit of a munch ;)
Dakota: 13 years old
Elizabeth: 3 years old
Boy Talk
Dakota Sketchit sat in the booth of a bakery and café restaurant not far from her school, pressing her palms against the fabric-covered seat as she peered over the wooden barrier that separated her seat from the ordering and pick-up areas.
She'd had a half-day, one of the perks of being in the highest grade of Cerulean Day School. Of course, her mother hadn't been able to pick her up. She had an all-day modeling job out in Vermillion City. And her father was hard at work at Professor Oak's laboratory in Pallet Town, simultaneously working on some textbook artwork no doubt.
Fortunately for Dakota, her favorite aunt had managed to come through, as always.
The young teen's sea green eyes lit up as she saw her aunt walking around towards the table, a tray of food in her hands. The woman soon appeared beside the table, placing the food down with a smile on her face.
"Here's your and Elizabeth's lunches," Misty informed her niece. "I just have to go back and get mine. Do you mind keeping an eye on Elizabeth for just a few minutes?"
"Yeah, no problem!" Dakota chirped.
The aforementioned little red head popped up beside her cousin, a bright smile on her young face. "I wanna sit next to Koty!"
"Aw, that's so cute!" Dakota giggled. "Of course you can sit next to me, Lizzie."
Misty beamed at the two. "Don't wait for me to start on your food. I'm sure you're both starving by now!"
And with that, Misty headed back for the second tray of food. Dakota reached across the table, grabbing a small bowl of macaroni and cheese and positioning it front of her cousin.
"Don't eat it until I give you a spoon, okay?" Dakota requested.
Elizabeth nodded her head. Dakota picked up a plastic spoon from the tray and handed it over to Elizabeth, who grinned in response.
"Thank you!" Elizabeth warbled.
"Sure thing," Dakota calmly replied. She grabbed her own lunch; a rather intricate looking salad that her aunt had told her was quite good. Dakota had decided she wanted to start acting more like a grown up and therefore eating more like a grownup, which Elizabeth for one couldn't understand. After all, how could a bowl full of leaves be better than macaroni and cheese? It just couldn't.
Misty soon returned with the second tray, this one holding a cup of soup and half of a sandwich. She sat down across from the younger girls, letting out a content breath as she lifted her own spoon. "So, Dakota, how was school today?"
Dakota shrugged. "It was okay. Kind of boring. I like half days because I get to leave so early and do other stuff!"
"Like having lunch with me?" Misty asked with a wink.
"Exactly!" Dakota crowed.
"Hey!" Elizabeth cried, pounding her small fists against the table just once.
"Oh, obviously I love having lunch with you too, Lizzie!" Dakota quickly assured her younger cousin.
"Good," Elizabeth squeaked, returning to her lunch as quickly as she'd abandoned it.
Dakota smiled as she stabbed a forkful of her salad and gingerly placed it in her mouth. As she chewed her bite, she quietly watched her aunt, who was still wearing a smile on her face as she began working on her own food. Dakota had been meaning to ask her aunt something for a while, and figured now would be as good a time as ever, considering they were basically alone (Dakota didn't really count Elizabeth since she was so young).
"Aunt Misty, I have a question," Dakota said once she'd swallowed her first bite.
Misty swallowed a spoonful of soup before beaming at her niece. "Fire away!"
"How do you get a boy to like you?"
Misty was glad she hadn't eaten more soup, because at that moment she would've choked on it. Dakota was unaffected by her aunt's obviously stunned reaction, while Elizabeth switched her gaze between the two.
"B-boy?" Misty stammered, causing Dakota to nod. "Don't you think it's too early for boys?"
Dakota may have been her niece, but Misty couldn't help but to think of the girl almost like another daughter. She'd watched after Dakota since she was just a baby, and was very protective of her.
"No," Dakota quickly replied. "I'm 13! Besides, I've had boyfriends before, but not like…real boyfriends."
"Real boyfriends?" Misty repeated, furrowing her brow.
"Yeah, you know, like a serious boyfriend," Dakota continued. "My other boyfriends were just little kid boyfriends. They'd follow me around and give me little presents and stuff like that, but we didn't even hold hands. Didn't you have boyfriends like that?"
"No," Misty sheepishly admitted, bringing a small spoonful of soup to her lips.
Dakota inclined her head. "Oh. Well…how many real boyfriends did you have?"
Misty dipped the spoon back into the steaming cup in front of her. "One."
Dakota's eyes widened as she leaned forward. "You mean Uncle Ash was the only boyfriend you ever had?!"
Misty winced as the volume of her niece's voice rose. "Yeah, he was."
"That's so cute!" Dakota squealed, much to Misty's surprise. She had thought for a moment she was going to get teased. "Did you always know you liked him that much?"
After a beat of silence, Misty sighed, and her smile returned. "Pretty much. Truthfully, I had other guys ask me out, but I never said yes."
"Oh, because you were waiting for Uncle Ash," Dakota breathed. "Adorable!"
"Yeah, but not common," Misty reminded her niece. "Don't feel obligated to fall in love with the first, uh, 'real' boyfriend you ever have. Your mom had quite a few of them before she met your dad."
Elizabeth seemed disturbed by the whole conversation. After all, her mother and cousin were missing out on a very important detail, which she decided to take it upon herself to announce. "All boys –cept Daddy and Denny have cooties!"
Dakota raised an eyebrow. "Elizabeth, cooties aren't real."
"Yeah huh," Elizabeth softly argued.
"Your cousin is right, Lizzie," Misty giggled. "There's no such thing as cooties! Boys do have other issues, though."
Elizabeth blinked, not understanding what her mother meant. Dakota, however, had a better understanding of the statement.
"Yeah, like how they never know what's going on," Dakota huffed, resting her head in her hand.
"That's certainly one," Misty agreed with a giggle. "Is that a problem this boy you like has?"
Dakota quickly nodded her head. "I try and flirt with him all the time and he doesn't get it! He just thinks I'm being nice. It was kind of cute at first, but now it's pretty annoying."
"Hmm, sounds like your uncle as a kid," Misty snickered. "Fortunately, I became an expert at overcoming that little problem!"
"How?" Dakota asked almost breathlessly.
"Sometimes you have to get a little more…aggressive," Misty explained, trying to choose her words carefully. "You know, be more blunt about what you're looking for. But don't totally spell it out for him. You've still got to give him a little to think about."
"I guess that makes sense," Dakota murmured, furrowing her brow. "I definitely don't want to make it that easy for him."
Misty smirked at the comment. "So, what's this boy's name?"
"Zach," Dakota easily replied. Misty was taken off guard; she didn't think Dakota would tell her without any hesitation.
"I've never heard that name before," Misty admitted. "What happened to that other boy…um…Brady?"
"Oh, you mean Brody," Dakota breathed. "Yeah, he was one of those 'not really real' boyfriends. We're still friends, though."
"That's…good," Misty commented, still thrown off.
"Zach is so cool, though, and he's really cute!" Dakota continued, her whole face lighting up. "He plays soccer, basketball, and baseball. He also plays the trumpet, and he's always making these really funny jokes that make everyone laugh."
Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. "Dat's not in-tis-ting!"
"Shh," Misty gently hushed the girl, who scowled in response. "I always liked the boys who were athletic and talented and funny too!"
"Daddy's funny," Elizabeth commented, her expression softening.
"Yes, he is," Misty agreed with a giggle.
"But he's also talented and athletic, too," Dakota noted, rolling her eyes up in thought. "Did you like Uncle Ash because he was all those things, or did you like all those things because Uncle Ash was all those things?"
Misty's face turned a little red. "I always liked those things. Your uncle just happened to have all of them."
"That's so cute!" Dakota giggled. "You guys really are like…the best couple ever!"
"I don't know about that," Misty murmured, her blush deepening.
Elizabeth furrowed her brow as she grabbed her cup of lemonade and took a long, contemplative sip from the straw. Once she finished, the little girl glanced up at her mother and quipped, "nuh uh."
"Nuh uh?" Misty repeated, sounding somewhat amused. "What do you mean by that, sprinkle?"
"Not cute," Elizabeth refuted, shaking her head.
"Come on, Lizzie," Dakota practically groaned. "I know they're your parents, but you have to admit they're pretty cute together! It's just like all those princess stories you like! You know, where the pretty princess falls in love with the handsome prince who rescues her! Except your mom would never need your dad to rescue her."
Misty smirked. "I'm glad you know me so well, Koty."
"Well, duh!" Dakota crowed, sounding remarkably like her mother. "It'd be bad if I didn't."
"Daddy's not a pwince," Elizabeth argued.
Dakota sighed tiredly and glanced at her aunt. Misty, on the other hand, slowly shook her head and toyed with her young daughter's bangs. "He's a prince to me! Isn't that what counts the most?"
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, you're just stubborn," Misty teased, lowering her arm. "Of course, you get that from me…so I can't really be too mad about it."
"But isn't Uncle Ash kind of stubborn too?" Dakota asked.
"Yes, he can be," Misty agreed. "But I find that most men are."
Dakota smirked. "There's still a lot I need to learn about boys. I'm really glad I have you to teach me, Aunt Misty!"
Misty smiled sweetly at her niece before thinking for a moment and asking, "What about your mom? Don't you ever ask her?"
"You said it yourself, she had lots of boyfriends before Dad," Dakota replied simply. "She likes guys too much; she's not honest about all of their flaws."
Misty laughed, causing Elizabeth to furrow her brow. "You are so funny, Dakota."
Elizabeth huffed as she turned back towards her macaroni and cheese, quipping, "Boys still have cooties."
