Yup. It was a date.

I was definitely a date.

A. Date.

He broke out his best t-shirt, and jeans, got all tidied up, and did the best the could to make his car presentable; after all, they didn't have a limo to take him to their destination, which happened to be rather similar to the last one; The mall. It was mainly because she really didn't have a whole lot in the way of clothes after he'd burst into the Sanctuary that mean old jerk the Judge had broken into the Sanctuary.

He had some money saved up... Mostly in his "ohmygodineedanewcar" fund, that he was more than willing to fork over to give her some clothes... He could always make it up later, right? Yeah... He'd long since decided that her needs and wants would come before his in his mind; he simply felt she deserved more than he, especially after the hardships she'd run into while she'd been gone from the mansion...

So, it was with all of his gathered smoothness and charm that he left a note on her door, and ran off to hang out in the garage to work on his car while looking all nonchalant and whatnot... With his shirt off; he didn't want to get it dirty, right?

There was a note.

On the door...

Which she could barely understand at all. She figured it was from Saphirus... because it was his handwriting, and he was not present in the room with her. After much head scratching, she deciphered the words Meet me and garage.... perhaps he needed help with a chore, or something?

Tilting her head, while slipping into another of his borrowed shirts... and his jeans. Which nearly didn't want to button around her hips, and were waaaay too long for her short legs. After rolling the bottoms up and tucking the bottom of her baggy shirt in, she slipped a pair of flip flops on, that he had managed to find somewhere, and headed out.

The garage itself was a place she had never been before, and thankfully it was rather unsurprising. The sight that greeted her once she spotted Saph though, caught her completely off guard. Andrea turned brown instantly, from her neck all the way up into her ears. She pointedly kept her gaze off of his bare upper half, and coughed to clear her throat.

"...Um... Y-you wanted me to come down here?" Why did it seem like the man was allergic to shirts nowadays? In all her time with him, he had lost the darn things more than a beach goer in summer.

Hah! Perfect timing! He'd just finished changing all of the spark plugs! He stood tall and wiped just a little bit of sweat from his brow, accidentally getting some grease on his face. His face lit up as she walked into the garage, and he immediately walked over to give her a hug.

"Hey! Yeah, I figured that since you didn't have a whole lot of clothes, and I have a little money laying about... I figured you and I could go... shopping, y'know? We could call it a date!" He smiled wryly and reached over to grab his shirt, eyeing it for a moment... How did it get greasy hand prints on it? Huh... He would have to get a new one at the mall or something... It wasn't like he wasn't dipping into his wallet anyway, might as well dish out a little more dough, right?

"So, how's that sound?" He gave her a little wink, and slid his shirt on, which had hand prints on the chest, which looked like two dirty grasping hands had gone in for a grope. His eyebrows waggled, showing off his lack of awareness, and he motioned toward his car. It would have been very funny if the bumper had fallen off right then, but he'd made double sure to tape it on very well today.

All of the blood in her body rushed to her face as he enveloped her in a hug, and the she squirmed awkwardly. Him being shirtless off at a distance where she could avoid looking directly at him was one thing, having his chest pressed basically into her was a whole other mess entirely.

"...Um... You... should put a shirt on..." It came out as more of a squeak, rather than a request. Thankfully, he stepped away and allowed her some time to try and un-fluster herself once more.

"Um... yes, that sounds just lovely. I suppose I do need new clothes... even the ones I left at my room don't really fit right anymore." She eyed the grease on his face, and on his newly added shirt, and she couldn't help but smile. The Greek glanced around until she spotted a clean looking cloth behind Saph. Probably set aside for people working on cars to wipe their hands on.

"It looks as though you are in dire need of clothes as well." She stepped around him, picked up the cloth and returned to his side to wipe the grease from his face. "...And a shower!"

He chuckled at her reaction to him hugging her without a shirt on; he'd long since realized how flustered it got her, and he had to say it was probably the most adorable thing he'd ever seen. Still, he put the shirt on anyways; too much of a good thing made it less entertaining in the end. Besides, he wanted her to be able to focus, right? They had a lot of dating ahead of them!

He blinked as she looked him up and down and showed sudden amusement; did he have something on his face? A greasy hand moved up to try and feel for any dirt or the like, and succeeded in covering his face with more grease. He shrugged, and looked at his hands... pausing for a moment, and sighing. "Nah, I can take a shower later." He scrunched his face a little when she wiped at it, like a boy being tended to by his mother after a scuffle at the school playground. Still, he gave in after a second... Honestly, he liked that she was willing to take care of him; he was the kinda guy that needed that sort of pillar to lean on.

A grin appeared on his face. "Besides, we're both kinda dirty, see?" He poked her on the nose, leaving a little grease spot on it.

"No need to get cleaned up now, who we tryin to impress?"

The smile vanished from her face the moment he poked her on the nose, and she hopped away from him. "Ah! Saphirus!" The cloth she had previously been cleaning his face with was set to scrubbing at her nose feverishly, while she tried to pin a soft glare on him through her glasses. "You are a beast, I swear!"

Once she was satisfied with her face no longer being dirty, she huffed the tosses the cloth away, before returning to pondering over what he had said. "So... how are we getting to wherever it is we are getting to?" She eyed the car behind him, that he had been leaning over when she had entered. It wasn't exactly the nicest of cars, but she didn't really care for appearances. So long as it had a working seat belt... or seats, for that matter.

"... and where exactly are we going? I wasn't exactly prepared for shopping... or date like things..." Which, drew her attention back to her own clothes. She wasn't dressed for a date at all... but she supposed it would have to do. "Though, I do have some money... So I suppose it will work out."

He cackled and bowed as she called him a beast, and then looked up to her newly cleaned face. "And you, miss, are way too pretty for a man like me, but you said yes, so your fate is sealed!" He returned to standing, and reached out to grab the cloth from the air as she tossed it, rubbing his hands clean. He then discarded the rag, and turned to present his car.

It was... well... it wasn't much to look at, but it was safe! He backed that up by saying, "It's not much to look at, but it's safe!"

He leaned against the car, which groaned a little, as in if pain, causing him to stand right back up. "That's... that's nothing, really... gonna fix that soon. But yeah! I figured we'd go to the mall! There's plenty-a places to shop there... Also, y'need a new phone, right? They got that stuff there too!" He grinned a little, and walked over to the car, opening the door for her... It squeaked painfully as it opened, and revealed an interior that wasn't at all unlike the outside. "I'm, ah.... gonna work on that, too."

He danced on over to his side and got in, pausing for a moment. "Wait a sec... were'd you get money?"

Saph's explanation of the car earned him a grin and a few giggles, on top of the giggling she was already doing from being reminded of their actual boyfriend/girlfriend status. "Oh, stop it and get in."

She climbed in her side, shutting her squeaky door with a bang, and started to buckle herself into her seat. "...I do need a new phone... you notice that? ... I lost the old one you bought me... funnily enough, that last time I was at a mall." She thought back to that day, and winced. "I am really glad Kaitlyn showed me how to tuck the snakes back, or else I would fear another incident happening.. though, it wasn't all that bad after Jorge showed up." She mentioned it offhandedly, without really thinking about it.

Much like the next thing that came out of her mouth. "I have a job, Saphirus. I work at this place called Faust Pharmaceuticals as a receptionist... I have barely even been able to get situated there though... and i really should call in, I think I was supposed to work yesterday..."

A thoughtful, slightly worried expression settled on her face, and she turned to gaze out the window of the car.

She said a lot of stuff... some stuff that just didn't make any sense to him, but some that... might possibly. For example... Kaitlyn... the exploding girl? Nah... He did suspect she lived at the sanctuary, but she didn't seem like the teaching type... And Jorge... Like... detective Cervantes? Nah... that was just... impossible. He tucked those thoughts away, though... those were people the Judge had met.

The more important tidbit was that she had a new job... At a place that sounded... oddly familiar... maybe it was nothing... Faust, Faust... where had he heard that name...

Oh well, he'd think of it later. For now, they had to head out! "Well, you can call in when we get you a new phone! I'm sure your employer will understand!" He wasn't sure, but it just made it so the phone store would be their first stop. He pressed the garage door button, and started up the car, which took a few tries, but got there.

Before they could say... well... a very long sentence, actually... they were off!

"So tell me about these people... Kaitlyn, and Jorge? Did you meet them while you were living out there?" He asked in an innocent, in no way probing tone...He was just curious, after all... Perhaps those were the people she said she would miss from the Sanctuary.

Her attention turned back to Saph, got captured momentarily by protesting of his car, and then went back to easier things... like the questions he angled her way.

"Jorge and Kaitlyn? They are both absolutely darling." She smiled to herself, reflecting on fond memories, and folded her hands in her lap."I met Kaitlyn at the Sanctuary... She is just darling. The nicest girl I have met since coming here." She thought about it for a moment, their many meetings and the ice cream that had been involved, and grinned.

"I met Jorge when--" She paused, recalling the specifics of the first time that had met, and paled. Uh.. perhaps she shouldn't tell him about the awful men and guns.. and all of that stuff. "....um... when I was at the mall and I lost my phone. Sloth got attached to a bench and wouldn't let go... and mall security wanted me to leave. He's an officer, so he was able to help me out..."

It was a memory she could laugh at now, after some time had passed. Unfortunately, it also brought up the last time she had met him, which left her feeling a little sour.

"...He... He was also at the hospital after the attack. He sat with me for a very long while... just to make sure I was okay..."

Okay, so the Kaitlyn could just be any old person with that name, just Jorge... that was just strange... It really was a small world... Sure, there could be a few cops in NYC with that same first name, but he reasoned that there was most likely only one in the MRC, and they would be the type to step in when a mutant was attacked, it being a mutant related crime and all...


Still, it was nice to hear that the detective he'd chosen to work with as the judge had helped the woman he loved in her time of need. He sure did know how to pick em. "Sounds like a good guy... i'll have to thank him... I'm... I'm sorry I wasn't there..." His eyes locked onto the steering wheel for a moment as he stopped the car... He then turned it around slowly so they could drive up to the gate, and out of the mansion's property.

"Well, no use talking about that kinda stuff, though... I figure we can head to the phone store first, and then maybe we'll get some food.... Then clothes. Wachu think?" He forced a smile, and before too long it was genuine. He really had a hard time remaining in a bad mood around her... Saphirus realized that he would just have to get used to being happy...

Heh... Wasn't so bad, actually. He kinda liked it.

She smiled back, if a little timidly. It was hard to talk about such thing, and his willingness to let the topic change spoke volumes about him to her. "One of these days you should. He has been very helpful... I am sure you two would get long superbly."

As the car bumped along, she settled into her seat. Getting a phone would be helpful... and it would lay some of her fears to rest. At least, when it came to her time spent without Saph around.

"I think that sounds wonderful." A smile once again overtook her lips and she reached out to snag one of his hands. "You know... I had never dreamed of being in any sort of relationship... and I must admit, I really do not know what to do... I have seen people hold hands, and kiss sometimes.. as well as other things, but they do not seem like the types of things that should not be done in public places..."

The thoughts and images in her head made her blush slightly, and she cleared her throat.

"I'm sure we would" He replied to her statement, barely keeping the ironic undertone out of his voice. He pulled onto the road, and shifted the car into gear, as her hand touched his, and he accidentally stalled the car. "Oops.. Heh... My bad." He started it again, and then got them going down the road. "Sorry... S'hard to hold hands and work the stick at the same time."

He smiled a little, and nodded at her words. "I've been in a few relationships... I dunno, though... I suppose at this stage it's mainly about getting to know each other, and spending time together. No pressure or anything..." He kept his mouth shut about some of the more serious stuff. This girl was innocent, and classy... She didn't need to know about young Saphirus' many voyages into the unknown and whatnot. He was also perfectly fine with taking this whole thing at a pace that would be comfortable for her.

Still, he couldn't help but imagine... nevermind. They had to get where they were headed, right? It was still early, so they could get in before the lunch rush if they hurried.

She tilted her head at the stick he was talking about, and blinked. "What's a stick? What does it do?" After watching him shift it around a few times, she got the idea. "Oh!.. It is like the... um... transmission thing, right?" Her knowledge of how cars worked was painful, at best... but she liked learning things at least.

The Greek wiggled in her seat until she could place her hand on top of his, and just watched.

"I've been in a few relationships... I dunno, though... I suppose at this stage it's mainly about getting to know each other, and spending time together. No pressure or anything..."

She blinked again, and fixed her eyes on him. "Pressure? What pressure?" What a silly thing to say, she liked spending time with him, and talking to him hardly left her feeling pressured into anything. "I am more than willing to get to know you better, you should know that."

She grinned, attempting not to hinder him shifting the car at all as she went back to staring at how the gear shift thingy worked.

He blinked a few times as she bombarded him with questions. "Uhm... A stick? It's the thing you use to shift the gears... Yeah... with the transmission and stuff. Wait a minute, you dunno how to drive? Wait, duh... not leaving the house'll do that... Well... I could probably teach you some time... you know... if you want."

He went back to paying attention to the road, coming to a stop at a stoplight.. "Pressure? What pressure? I am more than willing to get to know you better, you should know that." The light turned green.

He stalled.

"Ah-ah- uhm. y... you are? Well, I just figured you would want to...uhm... take it a- at your own pace is all... You know... Um... Yeah. You don't mean... you want to speed things up?" The car sat in the middle of the road for a second.