"So, they all get a chance to hit the ball, run around the bases, then the other team gets to play?"

"What? Oh, no... each batter can only miss the ball three times before he is out. Out means you gotta go back and sit with the team. Once three people are out, the teams switch. It's up to the pitcher, that guy in the middle of it all, to throw it so that the batter could possibly hit it, but misses." Saph was satisfied with this session of game Q and A... He felt like he was getting good at dumbing it down to an extreme degree... Not that Andrea was dumb, she just didn't know the game. there was nothing wrong with not having knowledge. Saph was actually lacking a lot in the knowledge department, but that didn't mean he wasn't clever.

"Alright, so our team is batting right now... Pay close attention and don't be afraid to ask about anything. Anything at all." Saph popped open his crackerjacks and began eating, looking over at her gloveless hand for a moment. "Hey, your hands cold or something? I notice you always wear gloves... I, eh... you can have my baseball glove if you want..." He took off the mitt, and held it out toward her. Some people just had really cold hands, right? Bad circulation.

>>"Alright, so our team is batting right now... Pay close attention and don't be afraid to ask about anything. Anything at all."

"Why do they get to miss three times? And why does the...er... pitcher?... Why does the pitcher do that funny thing with his leg?"

>>"Hey, your hands cold or something? I notice you always wear gloves... I, eh... you can have my baseball glove if you want..."

"Oh, I uh..." She glanced at the mitt. It looked... synthetic, so... "..Sure." She slipped it on carefully with help from her giant foam hand. Wiggling her fingers inside the glove, she found that it was actually quite rough. She had figured it would be soft, since the outside looked soft. Almost a perfect match to...oh no.

"Ah! Get it off!"

Panic set in quickly, and with the might of a two year old (and the energy) she began flailing her about in front of her. No matter how hard she thrashed, the mitt stayed on. The opening had already started to turn Grey, as had the palm and back of the glove. It had hardened quite securely onto her hand... With another burst of panic, she stood and jerked back, unintentionally sending a bag of peanuts sitting in the mans lap behind her into his face.

She sank back into her seat, defeated and quite oblivious to the popcorn disaster behind her, before tossing Saph a disheveled, brooding look.

Saph's eyes widened as he watched the glove transform. Holy crap! He then saw her start to freak out, and quickly grabbed her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.

"Shh, Shh, Calm down, It's all right... Jees..." He reached out slowly to touch the stony surface of the glove, and quickly retracted his finger. "Holy crap... So the eye thing ain't the only thing you can do, huh? wow... That's crazy." He stared at the glove a little longer, and opened his mouth to speak, pausing as he caught sight of a finger reaching down to tap Andrea in the shoulder.

"Listen, lady... I've been really patient with you so far, but if you do one more thing to piss me off, I'll bite your goddam head off, Got it?" Saph looked back slowly to see the man with the large jaws, covered in popcorn, looking at Andrea with a frustrated glare.

"aww, crap...Hey, Buddy, Lets be reasonable about this, eh? How bout I get you a beer, on me. eh?" The man paused for a second, looking at Saph as a gritted his teeth in thought. "Alright... nona that light crap, either. I like a beer that tastes good." Saph breathed a sigh of relief, looking to Andrea with a flat look on his face. "Disaster averted, but could you try to be more careful?"

He went about getting the man his beer.

Crazy, yeah, that was one way to describe it. Andrea blinked away tears as they threatened to over take her eyes and wiggled her gloved hand pitifully. It wasn't budging, not in the slightest. When the mans finger dug into her shoulder, rather hard at that, she stiffened and froze. "Listen, lady... I've been really patient with you so far, but if you do one more thing to piss me off, I'll bite your goddam head off, Got it?"
A muscle in her jaw visibly tensed, and the Gorgon bared her teeth, not bothering to turn her head and look the man in the eyes. Never mind that he had taken the lords name in vain, but he had threatened her as well. Another wiggle of her hand caused the frustrated tears to rise again, and she sniffled quietly.

>>"aww, crap...Hey, Buddy, Lets be reasonable about this, eh? How bout I get you a beer, on me. eh?"-"Disaster averted, but could you try to be more careful?"

The dam broke; her tears spilled forth. Andrea shot to her feet, wiggling out of her hat, as well as that damned foam hand. She turned a fierce glare to the man behind her, before leveling it at Saphirus. "You know what? I have had enough of this game, this day, and you!" Barging past him, she wound her way out to the aisle and stomped down the stairs to the door, before disappearing within. Just inside,she stopped, and tried to pry her hand free from the solid glove. It dug it around her wrist, refused to let her hand slip free. The pressure in her chest was mounting, her anxiety over the events of the day was reaching its boiling point, and she was going to melt. With an aggravated growl, she moved to the nearest support beam and whacked her captured hand as hard as she could against the metal. The glove shattered, and Andrea wriggled her fingers- brushing bits and pieces of glove from her troublesome hand.

Saph was surprized at the rather timid girl's outburst, and remained speachless as she pushed past him and ran off. He looked to big jaw, who shrugged, said, "Broads." and took his beer.

Saph frowned and stood, looking off in the direction she had run off to... She had been crying. Was it his fault? He looked to the game one last time, and then reached down to grab the ball cap she had discarded, and hurry after her.

He found her quickly-she wasn't that hard to spot, and the halls were empty because everyone was watching the game. "Wait!" He said as he hobbled forward towards the woman. On his way he failed to notice the many cement fragments of broken leather glove, and stepped on one. His eyes widened as the peice under his foot slid across the polished floor, and he failed to catch himself, ending up with his feet over his head, and his back planted on the ground.

A loud 'Thock!" was heard in the back ground; Saph recognised the sound, but didn't have time to think on it as an object flew through the open door at his side, smacked against the far wall, and then landed square between his legs.

'OOPH!' His eyes went even wider as he let out a little wimper, and curled into the fetal position, clutching himself, and his brand new homerun baseball; oddly enough, he wasn't very happy to see it.

Why was she even here? Stuffed into an unwelcoming, tuna can with a man who felt it was right to leave hapless immobilized people out on the streets. Her frown deepened. Perhaps that was too harsh. He was nice... just to certain people it seemed. Maybe he didn't deserve her outburst... maybe it was just her nerved getting to her. She briefly considered going back to apologize before leaving, but decided against it. Why ruin his game any further? She had already ruined his seating, and taken a chunk out of his walle-...er...The other man's wallet. Her fingers curled at her side, and with a grimace, she laid her bare palm against the metal before her. "...I should just go home..."

>>"Wait!"

Rubbing at her cheeks with her coat sleeve quickly, she turned to see Saph heading towards her... It was almost funny. She had never noticed the man's peculiar gait before. She would have to ask him about it, later, or course. Her lips parted to murmur back a defeated, 'What..?', when he pitched back like a carpet had been yanked from underneath him. She watched, wincing a little, as he landed sounding on his back, and took a few slow steps towards him. "Are you-..."

Thock![/i]

She was interrupted, and hauled mid step and mid question to listen as the crowd outside when absolutely nutters. A small, round projectile flew into the room moments later, and much to her surprise, ricocheted off of the wall and into...er... Saphs manhood. She winced again, and continued forward as the proud man curled up like a babe on his side...and whimpered. While the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly, she managed to keep a wicked grin from contorting her face and muttered. "Karma."

"Karma?! What'd I do to deserve a homerun to the nuts?!" He winced again, writhing in intense discomfort. The crowd roared outside, like they always did when a home run was hit.

But then it got louder.

Louder, and closer. Saph slowly sat up as he heard a large group of people approaching. His eyes widened, and he scrambled up, pressing the ball into Andrea's hands, and then popping the cap onto her head. He stepped back as a woman in a fashionable business suit and high heels clopped on in, a camera crew following her, as well as a large group of fans.

"I know I saw it go this way.... Where... there! You, miss! You caught the ball?!"

Saph grinned, and piped in "Yes she did! I saw it myself!" He looked to Andrea and winked. The reporter approached, smiling widely as she held to mic up to the green girl. "Young, woman, how does it feel to have caught the 1000th homerun at the Yankee's stadium?!"

>>"Karma?! What'd I do to deserve a homerun to the nuts?!"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I would say that this properly justifies a few things, and I would greatly appreciate it if you refrained from using such vulgar language around me..." That aside, she softened visibly and dropped her crossed arms. "Are you alri-" Before she could finish, he was up on his feet and shoving the baseball into her hands. Andrea fumbled with it for a few moments, then protested loudly as the cap was once again pulled tightly onto her head. "Hey!"

>>"I know I saw it go this way.... Where... there! You, miss! You caught the ball?!"

Flustered, Andrea glanced from the ball in her hand, which was turning an odd shade of gray, to the woman and her hoard that was rapidly approaching. "What? No..I-" >>"Yes she did! I saw it myself!" Her jaw dropped, hanging limply as she turned and stared at Saph. This was preposterous! He had caught it! Not her!

>>"Young, woman, how does it feel to have caught the 1000th homerun at the Yankee's stadium?!"

She blinked, tilting her head back as far as she could from the mic, and glanced nervously at the giant camera pointed her way. Then, she moved to staring at the giant fuzzy black contraption hanging just above her head. Confusion set in quickly. "...I....uh..." Her eyes shifted back to Saphirus, hiding just out of arms length, behind the mass of people. She felt tears well up again, her nerves threatening to fray once more, but fought them back. She was alright... it was just... a mob with a camera. "I...um...." What was she supposed to say? She didn't even know that much about the game! Gulping, she pressed on. "I feel.... great?" Now, a smile, and maybe they would all go away. The gorgon grinned, baring her mighty teeth, and turned to face the camera as the woman and her mic shifted away.

"If you are just tuning in, This young woman just caught the 1000th home run ball, here at the Yankee stadium!" She swiveled back to Andrea, and the mic was once again invading her personal space. "You and a guest of your choice will be whisked away to an all expenses paid dinner at Jean Georges, and the choice between a One Thousand Dollar shopping spree, or a Seven day trip to Hawaii! Which do you choose?"

Her jaw dropped again. She was to choose?... She turned to Saph, eyes pleading yet shielded, and gulped once more. Decisions, decisions. She hated deciding things like this on the spur of the moment. "...Er....uh... The shopping spree?"

Saph stared blankly as she won the prizes... what the heck was jean gorges? 1000 dollars?! Holycrap! He hed never had a thousand dollars to throw around his whole life.

The reporters finished their segments, the camera cut, and they left, giving Andrea their contact information, and the appropriate documents. Saph slowly walked on up, as neutral of a look on his face as he could muster. "So... eh... Who ya takin with you...?" He looked maybe just a little hopeful as he asked.

The hoard had passed, she felt fairly safe now. Sort of. As Saphirus made his way back to her, she clenched her fists and threw the stone ball his way. "What on earth did you that for?!" She shook a bit, unused to feeling such anger, (and of course unused to being mobbed by a camera crew), and scowled deeply at the scruffy man. She neither wanted, not yearned for such attention, and had been trying (rather unsuccessfully) to remain out of the public eye... With a rather unladylike like growl, she threw her hands in the air and turned from him. In her safely gloved hand she held the papers, which her eyes traveled over again, and again.

>>"So... eh... Who ya takin with you...?"

Shooting a dirty look mixed with a frown over her shoulder, she found herself actually trying to figure out what she would do with the winnings. "... I suppose I could take Verdy with me..." She muttered, louder than she had intended. If she invited her roommate to dinner, and shared the money, both her and her friend would be able to fix up their room a bit more... but-

She paused, her frown deepening. This was not her money. It was Saph's money. He had caught the ball, after all. "I do not want it." She turned quickly and shoved the papers at him. "Do with them what you want, they are yours after all."

Saph's hopeful face dropped as she thought aloud about splitting the reward with her friend.
"Verdy? Oh... Okay..." He didn't know who or what Verdy was, but they couldn't deserve it any less than him...

And then she just handed him the papers. "M-mine?"
He looked down at the papers, and then up to her. "Well, then... You're coming with me, then! I wouldn't have been here to catch the ball if I hadn't come in after you. It's as much your prize as it is mine!"
He nodded, and handed the papers back again. "We'll split it."

"Split it?"

With a glance back down at the papers in her hand, again, she raised a quizzical eyebrow. Sure, they could split it... perhaps then she would be able to furnish her shared room some more, to make things more comfy. She would have to chat with her dark haired friend and see if there was anything she needed while she was out with Saphirus...

"I suppose... but what about the dinner?" Blinking again, she flushed all different shades of brown before she got her thoughts back under control. Just because a girl went to dinner with a man... it didn't mean they were a thing... right?

With a gulp, she pressed on, "Why don't you go to dinner with the person you were origionally coming to the game with?" Was that pleading tone in her voice?... She chose to think it was not, and be done with the matter. "... And, well, how are we going to split the shopping trip?"

"Nope, It wouldn't feel right. We split the whole thing, Dinner and all" He nodded in finality, and then smiled. "Hey, I'm sorry If I upset you... I haven't exactly hung out with a woman in quite some time. I forgot how touchy you guys can be. Eh... That wasn't meant to be offensive. Sorry. Anyways... I hope I can make it up to you." He paused awkwardly, and then looked about a bit before turning to her again suddenly."How about we go watch the rest of the game, eh? I'll try to make it fun."

He smiled a little, not wanting to upset her again; he had made her cry, after all. He couldn't call himself one of the good guys if he didn't make her smile afterwards.

>>"Nope, It wouldn't feel right. We split the whole thing, Dinner and all"

That nasty brown color was back, she could feel it. Thankfully, it was more from embarrassment than anything else. Dinner and all, he said. She could already feel a kind of pressure on her shoulders. What was one supposed to wear to dinners? She had never been to something so... formal? Hopefully she could get away with her normal clothes, for she didn't own any 'Dress to impress' articles of clothing...

>>"Hey, I'm sorry If I upset you... I haven't exactly hung out with a woman in quite some time. I forgot how touchy you guys can be. Eh... That wasn't meant to be offensive. Sorry. Anyways... I hope I can make it up to you."

For a moment, she felt her temper flare again, but it cooled quickly and rather than frowning at him, she was smiling. Then laughing. It was quite humorous actually, the awkward way he spoke to her. She would just have to remind herself, that what he said he did not mean- it just came out sounding wrong...

>>"How about we go watch the rest of the game, eh? I'll try to make it fun."

Nodding, she turned her attention back to the baseball he had caught, that she had thrown at him, laying still and unnoticed against the wall behind him. "I suppose that would be okay..." Edging around him, she retrieved the ball and turned, holding it out for him to take with her gloved hand. "Here is your baseball Saph, if it is a home run ball, doesn't that make it special?"

Saph smirked at the browning... She was blushing, wasn't she? It was oddly cute, in it's own way. He shook off the thought; he didn't even know how old she was, and she seemed naive enough to be ten... though... her body definitely wasn't that of a ten year old's.

He paused as she handed out the ball to him, and he grabbed it carefully. "Yeah... I've actually never caught one before... Almost did, once, but some tall guy swiped it up." He smiled, and turned toward the hall's exit. "Thanks for coming with me, Andrea..."

He smiled, and walked on out, knowing she would be close behind. Their seats were waiting, as was another great American ball game.