"I love children... They are pure, innocent, and adorable..." The smile slowly returned to his face as the statement pulled him from his focus on the kids. "Me too..." She wasn't done yet, though. She leaned into him, and as if it were normal, she recalled her childhood... He knew that she had been shut in a lot, but he didn't know just how bad it had been.

"Back home, there were always plenty of kids out in the streets, running around haphazardly... If I had been allowed outside, I would have probably played with them..."

"So... You said if you had been allowed outside... like you didn't have a choice. How often did they let you leave your house?" He didn't like the answer he was almost sure he was going to get, and depending on the answer, he was almost certain he wouldn't be a fan of her parents after this answer...

She went on about her feelings about him, and he allowed himself to get lost in their precious few memories together... They didn't have a whole lot, but what they did have was... beautiful. He would have liked to think her view of the kind of person he was was accurate, but even if it wasn't, he would do his damnest to make himself as close to it as possible... He wanted to be the kind of person she wanted him to be.

"..I was so afraid that I would hurt you, or someone else, Sloth and the rest appeared, that I panicked. I could not bear the thought of putting you in danger. I am still... very much uncertain..."

"The only time you ever hurt me was when you left..." It wasn't an accusation as much as an honest confession... "So you named him sloth, huh? I was pretty rough with him that first night... I hope he doesn't hold a grudge." He eyed the tired snake... It didn't seem angry. Heck, it seemed like it had earned its name pretty well.

She smiled, faintly, and nuzzled into him for a moment. Purely enjoying his warmth. "I played in the backyard quite often... We lived at the end of the block, so we never had to worry about people seeing me from over the back fence."

She could remember helping her mother in the garden, playing in the small blow up pool in the summers, and holding many tea parties under the shade of the large Cyprus tree in corner of her yard. They were bitter sweet memories for her... "Papa and mama didn't want people to know about me, because someone would take me away if they found out. I was the only one in my neighborhood who was different... They didn't want any harm to befall on me."

"I... Honestly can't recall any of my neighbors names. I know Papa spoke with them quite often... but I never actually met any of them in person." She had seen them from her bedroom window, and from the window in the living room... and she was sure that they had seen her more than once. ...But she figured that to someone who had never seen a person with her particular affliction, it was easier for most people to simply ignore the fact that she was even there.

When he mentioned how much her departure had hurt him, she buried her face in his short and sighed. The change of subject was welcome, and she jumped on it heartily. With a nod, she answered him. "You're at thirteen now... and yes, I have named them." She pointed at Sloth, who had already been introduced to Saph on... many occasions.

"Sloth..." She said, and then set about pointing out each of the others in turn. "Avarice, Ira, Gula, Hubris, Vana, and Lust..."

He honestly wasn't too sure about the whole 'we kept you locked up on the property for your own safety' concept... Then again, he wasn't sure what Greece was like... He remembered something about a debt crisis on the news recently, but everyone was hurting, right?

Maybe they were ashamed of her, or maybe they really did want to keep her safe, but there was no real point thinking about it now... he was really low on questions, and she was sitting high at... more than him.

He nodded as she listed the names of her larger snakes... he didn't recognize all of them exactly, but he had an idea that they were just different names for the seven sins. He already knew avarice, lust and sloth, and he'd heard hubris as well, now that he thought of it.

"I really have been asking a lot of questions... Maybe I should stick to just saying things for a bit... I've got a good one... You're very beautiful."

Her cheeks lit up instantly, and she pushed herself back up to blink at him.

"...Do you really think so?" A moment after she asked it, she realized her mistake and frowned. "Oh, damn! I did it again..." Shooting him a pout that could rival any child's, she set about trying to think up another question.

Did he really find her beautiful...?

Out of nowhere, a ball smacked soundly into the back of Saph's head, then landed in their small stockpile of food stuffs. Rather neatly, in fact. Andrea stared at it for a moment, startled and caught off guard, before she picked it up and turned to see what had happened.

"Hey lady! Can you throw that back please?"

With a giggle, she spied the children that had stumbled upon them before. A blush at the memory crept to her cheeks. Without a word, she threw it back... rather lamely. When they gathered their ball back up and scampered off, she turned back to Saphirus... and smiled.

"Do you want to have children... some day?"

"Yes I really think so, and wow, that went well!" He grinned a little, taking in her adorable pout, and winking in response. It was too adorable, in fact. He was determined to plant a peck on her lips right then and there, but he felt something flying through the air behind him.

He'd been too relaxed to do anything about it, really, he hardly noticed the round shape flying toward him until it was a few feet away, and it wasn't enough force for his reflex to consider it a threat. He winced just a little, however, when the ball smacked into his head, and dropped to the floor.

He turned and looked at the kids, who asked for their ball back. A slightly grumpy look turned into a smile; he would have to teach her how to throw.

She asked another big question, and he nodded. "Yeah... I kinda feel like being a father is something I could do... well. Y'kn- I mean... yeah."

He looked at her for a moment, assessing her. "Do you think you are pretty?"

"Do you think you are pretty?"

The question forced her to pause, fidget, and gnaw on her bottom lip. Pretty was not a word she generally used in her vocabulary while describing herself...

"I... I do not know." She didn't necessarily feel as though she was ugly. No, she had grown up with her skin the way it was, and her other odd features. She was used to them being a part of her, as much as she didn't like them sometimes.

...but, she had also seen herself as someone else. Pale peachy skin, blue eyes and brown hair. It was hard to think of herself as beautiful when she had been allowed to glimpse herself as someone... normal.

"I guess I am... but, I don't know. It is hard to think of yourself as anything other than what you are currently, and I am... kind of monstrous." She winced directly after her lips shut, knowing that her choice of words was probably not the best.

"Why do you think I am beautiful?... Oh, that sounds like such a selfish, vain thing to ask..." Her nose wrinkled, and she started plucking at grass again.

"I guess I am..."Oh, good. He'd been starting to think that she was getting back to that train of thought that something was wrong with her. He didn't think so... In a big way, her mutation made her unique- "but, I don't know. It is hard to think of yourself as anything other than what you are currently, and I am... kind of monstrous."

"Monstrous... Not at all... there is no way I could even come close to seeing you as a... a monster..." Wow... her view of herself had gotten even worse than before. "I think you are beautiful because... well, I just do. I like the cute little things you do... I like your smile, your skin, your eyes... The things that you think make you... monstrous, are the things that are most unique about you. Heck, I'm sure I could even get used to Sloth and the crew..." He smiled for a moment, and then paused.

"What put that idea in your head? Monstrous is quite a word..."

"I think you are beautiful because... well, I just do. I like the cute little things you do... I like your smile, your skin, your eyes... The things that you think make you... monstrous, are the things that are most unique about you. Heck, I'm sure I could even get used to Sloth and the crew..."

A shy smile settled on her lips, and she glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. He liked her for who she was, mutations and all. It was sweet... if a little surprising... and it only raised her opinion of him.

"What put that idea in your head? Monstrous is quite a word..."

The bug mans face popped to mind, and she winced. She had rambled about him earlier, well... not him exactly, but what he had said to her. She returned to searching Saph's face, before sighing and dropping her eyes to her hands.

"Someone once told me... that I am a monster." She could still remember ever word. Every single word he had spoken to her. It had struck her very deeply. "...He told me that I... am the worst kind of monster, because--" Her nose wrinkled, and she clenched her hands into fists.

"... Because I lie about what I am to the people closest to me."

The conversation pulled up a memory from a park a while back, where Andrea had been brutally attacked by some gangster... Given the chance, she defended herself, and she... well, she went a bit overboard... Still, he would have done worse to the man, in fact, he'd very much wanted to...

No, she definitely wasn't a monster, and anyone who tried to convince her she was could go straight to hell. She was the nicest person he'd ever met in his life; in his mind she could do no wrong, so he decided that anyone who told her otherwise was dead to him. "There are some people out there who have lost the ability to see the world as a good place... They think that since they are rotten, and the world is rotten to them, that everyone else is rotten... You just have to ignore them." He gave her an encouraging squeeze. "Did this person know you? I'm sure anyone who has spent more than a few minutes talking to you would know that you are an amazing person." He nudged her, and took a mental note to find the person who had talked to her like that in order to make them feel the hurt for it.

"So... are you going to stay here?" That was the question that had been on his mind the most... He wanted her to stay.

She couldn't help but feel her heart swell a little at his words. Everything he said spoke volumes about what he thought of her, and most of it she had never heard before. The closest thing she could find within herself, was old conversations she had with her mother. Most of which had been centered around what it took to be a goodhearted, righteous person.

"I had just met him." She stated, feeling little glimpses of anger flicker to life all over again. "He called me Medusa... and seemed to be offended when I corrected him.... You know, now that I think about it, a giant bug calling someone a monster is kind of ironic, is it not?"

His second question caught her a little off guard, and she wasn't quite sure what to say right off the bat. It took her a few silent moments of contemplation to figure out how she was going to answer that.

"I do want to. Really... I love everyone here, but... there are people over at the Sanctuary who I care about as well..." Lapsing into silence again, she settled down to really put some thought into it. If she stayed she would be closer to Saph and Verdi... those that he held closest to her. But, if she was at the sanctuary, they would know where she was, and she would be close to those that she knew from over there. ...Than again, that worked the other way around as well.

"I suppose I shall just have to let them all know that I will be moving back here. I am sure that they will understand... and we could visit each other all of the time anyway." With a small smile, she turned to look up at him. "...I do suppose I should inform Verdi that I am back as well... and that I will be staying."

A... Giant bug called her Medusa? His mouth hung open for a bit, and he nodded just a little. "Wasn't much of a question, but considering he just met you, and he called you a monster at first glance... Yeah, I'd say the dude's a hypocrite." Well, there it was... he was fairly certain there weren't a whole lot of big bug people in New York... he'd only met one in fact; and it was a girl... All he had to do to find the person he wanted to hit was find a bug man near the Sanctuary.

That all finished with, he got the sad news that she had friends back at the horrible place, and that she was hesitant to leave, and then the great news that she would be moving back despite her reservations!

"Awesome! I know she's missed you, and so has Mrs. Piggy! And... well, you know... I was hopin you and I could spend a little more time together; Like right now... getting to know each other."

He paused for a bit, and looked over at the kids... he caught a few of them looking their way, but they quickly turned around... odd, but they were prolly just kids being kids. He turned back to her, and contemplated his next question.

"So... What do you think of the X-men?"

"...I was hopin you and I could spend a little more time together; Like right now... getting to know each other."

Her whole face heated up, and she giggled nervously. "S-spent time with together? .... Of course!" Hopefully, most of that time would be spent on other things than picnics. She didn't think she could handle any more of those in the near future.

"What do I think of the X men?" She paused, reclaiming one of his hands so she could fiddle with it while she pondered on the question. She liked them alright, they were out there fighting crime and what not. Cops with... powers, she supposed? "I think...they are upstanding examples of humanity. They... strive to be good... and help those that cannot help themselves."

"Sometimes I wish I could be like that... brave enough to stand up for people and offer a helping hand..." She sighed wistfully, glanced at him, and decided to change the topic again. "...Do you have any family? I am sure my mother would just adore you... and I would just love to meet your family too!"

That was three questions in one go, though honestly, he wasn't even keeping track anymore... He just wanted an excuse to learn more about her, and didn't really mind if she learned more about him... well... there were some things he didn't want her to learn; a lot of the things he'd done, it was while he wasn't thinking very clearly.

Anyways, those thoughts faded away when she started talking about the X-men... His heart swelled with pride. She still didn't know he'd tried out and passed; he was one of the people she'd called... an upstanding example of humanity... wow... that was good to hear; he'd never actually asked anyone what they thought of the X-men before... He'd saved a good number of lives, so he should have figured, but it was nice to hear it from someone he cared a good deal about.

"Y'know... I joined em... A while back, now... I'm hopin they'll make me a full member soon." He smiled widely, leaning back to relax and soak it in, one hand in her own, and the other behind his head.

He frowned when she asked abut family, however, sitting up just a little. He hadn't meant to show her his discontent at the question; it had just been a reflex; he put on a less sad face, and turned to her.

"I eh... I don't really have a family... My mom died giving birth to me... and... well... My dad blamed me for it, I guess. Don't really blame him... He put me up for adoption when I was pretty young, and I... I guess I never had anyone who managed to stay too attached to me." A small, smile formed on his face, as if to say he wasn't too bothered with it. "I think I did alright by myself, though... Took me a while."

He turned away for a moment to get a look at those kids again. They repeated their earlier actions, turning away quickly... Were... they planning something? Nah...

"What d'ya like to do? Like... in your spare time, and all."

She couldn't help it... her eyes went wide and she stared at him for a moment in a very slack jawed manner. Most unbecoming of a lady. "You...you joined.... really?!" Her pitch elevated just a little, and she also could not stop herself from throwing her arms around his neck in a swift hug. "I am so proud of you! That is a wonderful accomplishment!"

She pulled away a little, beaming at him, before she realized what she was doing. The Greek flushed again and wiggled a little ways away, but remained happily grinning at him. "What is it like? Have you saved anyone yet? Oh! I bet there are just tons of people who adore you!" Her excitement dimmed a little as her last question fully hit him, and she was forced to pull herself away from her own thoughts.

His story was so sad. It struck her right down to the core... and he was left only wanting to hold him. Andrea wiggled closer as she spoke, nodding her head as she listened. Then, the last bit of what he said echoed around in her head, and she found herself smiling slightly. There was nothing she could say to make it better, not right at the moment, anyway. Her life was drastically different than his had been... All she could do was try to make it all better in her own little way. She leaned in to hug him once more, a little tighter, yet still gently.

"... I think you turned out just wonderful... and I am quite attached to you, if I do say so myself..." Leaning in, she pecked him on the cheek, and her smile widened. "There is nothing you could say that would change that fact. I love you, Saphirus... with all of my heart and soul."

She was tempted to just continue hugging him, but his last question was still unanswered. She didn't bother moving, instead managing to settle herself while still hugging him close. "I love gardening... reading, playing the Violin... and spending time with those that I love..."

Wow... She really did think highly of him... Why did that make him feel... almost guilty?

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that no one had every told him he was doing something with himself... He'd always kinda just done the best he could, and ran with it, but to have someone say that he'd done well, and that all of his work had paid off... It almost made him want to cry. He didn't, because... erm... MAN! RAAAWRR POWPOWPOW! But it really almost did. Her talk about his family warmed his heart as well, and when she once again confessed her deep love for him while snuggling in with him more, he could only stare into her shaded eyes and respond. "I love you too..."

Her answer to his question was better than he might have responded... He really didn't do much, did he? He prolly would have said. 'I dunno... punch things.' but no, she was cultured!

"Violin? I didn't know about that! You should play for me some-OOF!" A ball flew out of nowhere and smacked him in the head... once again he'd been too distracted to catch it in time.