Even Evil has to Work (OPEN)

[Tai Yang]

Economically things weren't playing out well for the Long family. With the only money maker's pay being cut as the company downsizes it left Tai Yang with absolutely no spending money. This simply would not do. Not only did he constantly have to go out and buy new cloths, often shredding his pants and shirts, and even at times his leather jackets, but he also liked to head down to the old movie theatre and watch the classic martial art films. With no pennies in his pocket he was forced to head out and get a job.

And thus we find the teenager bored and leaning against the counter at a batting cage. They were looking for help, he said he had experiencing using a bat, and that little stipulation led to him manning the counter at the semi-popular area. Mostly wanna-be pro's and minor league hopefuls came to the cages to work on their swing. It wasn't often that new faces appeared in the facilities, unless asking for a key to the bathroom, but work was work.

Frankly, the bored youth didn't get the point of baseball. The pitch was so far back that it seemed to easy to hit the ball, and after that you had to run around and return to where you hit? And you had to drop the bat?! It all just seemed a bit too boring for him, it lack a catch or interest that would get him into watching. Regardless, he handed out tokens and bats while wearing a plain white pin t-shirt. Since he was sitting behind the desk he was lucky as to not have to wear the entire uniform, and so he remained in jeans and sneakers underneath.

Supper had already passed, and it was just about 30 minutes before he could leave and go do whatever he wanted. The owner told him that basically nobody came around at this time, except on the odd occasion, but that didn't mean he could slack off. Well, if he couldn't slack off then what was he doing for the whole day? Whatever the owner thought didn't matter, as long as he got paid at the end of the two weeks.

Taking a peek over at the empty cages he thought about whether or not he should spend the last 30 minutes of his day hitting baseballs with an aluminium bat, but declined the thought. It wasn't that he was prohibited from doing so, he was given free time in the cages whenever he was off shift, or when no one was around, but he just didn't feel like it.

[reynolds]

||I'm not sure, but I'll assume its evening, and that it takes place inside. Feel free to correct me.||

~SS - First Up To Bat

Christie loved dragging her to places where she didn't want to be. Always, on every occasion, Christie would find something new that she hasn't seen or been to much, and it would always involve her in some way. Whether it was an inane reason or something actually valid, Christie always had some reason to justify why she had to come with her.

This was one of them.

After their shopping stint in downtown San Francisco, trying on new clothes, new jewelry, and shoes, they traveled around from place to place, window-shopping, trying out everything she could find. From the littlest, insignificant spots to grand malls and stores, whatever her friend wanted to do at the spur of the moment, she would do it. The only times she ever got a break from it all was whenever they felt hungry, but that was a big headache in and of itself. Complaints about her weight, her appearance, or even the number of calories gave Alicia new insight into how vain Christie was.

Well, it wasn't a fruitless trip. She spent a relatively small amount on new clothes and shoes, and was happy enough to replace her older clothes. But Christie spent nearly tenfold more than she did, forcing them to head back to their dorms numerous times to get rid of the baggage, only to get more baggage. This also gave her new insight on how large Christie's bank account was. And how happy she was to spend it.

When evening came, they just had a unfortunate encounter where a few guys decided to tag along for the ride. They were nice enough, but when Christie wanted a comment on how she looked, the guys were evasive, avoiding the question as they turned to her to help them out. She simply told them to tell the truth, even if they had to embellish it. However, it didn't turn out the way they would have wanted it to, and it ended with Christie running out on them with her left to do damage control.

She caught her friend just in front of a batting cage. She never swung a bat in her entire life, but she was stubborn. And like most kids, she would always get her way whenever she was stubborn. Without reservation, Christie entered inside and she followed.

There weren't anyone else inside, save the guy at the counter. It was a good thing so she could shout out her frustrations without anyone staring. But when Christie told her to set everything up for them, she couldn't figure out why. She asked but Christie, stubborn as she was, just waited at a nearby lane and insisted she do it.

She walked up to the counter, feeling somewhat irritated, but decided to go with it anyway.

"Hi, I'm really sorry for being a nuisance, but my friend really wants to try this out. Even if she never swung a bat in her entire life, but that's the way it is. If you don't mind." She asked, taking notice of his age and his physique.

He was young, definitely a high-school student, and somewhat of a rebel in his own way. He was built, toned from chest up, but sighed inwardly. He was definitely the kind of guy Christie would go for, but she was a little preoccupied with the comment the guys made earlier to notice.

"How much is it to rent for about thirty minutes, and are there any special restrictions that I have to know about?"

[Tai Yang]

As the seconds passed by slower then usual Tai Yang sat upon the counter, leaning back against the wall as he turned his head to the side. He was watching the door, mentally trying to lock it from his current position. So far he had no luck, but a distraction, no matter how temporary, was still a distraction. When something did happen it was quite the opposite of what he wanted. The door swung open and he slid off the counter, standing behind the register as he grabbed the bathroom key, ever so hopeful.

'Probably some nervous minors player, or a mom and child in desperate need of he facilities.'

Groaning internally at the thought of having to repeat the same boring tasks he tossed his head back, figuring it would be amusing if he took one of the bats behind him and swung through the bottom jaw of one of the many baseball hopefuls that came in here. His thoughts were quickly turned upsided down as he lowered his attention from the ceiling to two figures in the enclosement. Both female, one standing in front of him, the other over by the cages.

"That's fine." he replied in monotone as she vaguely explained the situation between her and her friend. He'd normally be ruder, stating something alongs the lines of: 'And I'd care about that why?' but she was cute, and he still needed a paycheck, and so he pushed away any malice thoughts of verbal abuse.

"Thirty minutes? Fifteen dollars for one, twenty for two. Always wear the helmet inside the cages, never stand in front of the base when the machines on, and pay attention to the speed its set at."

He popped open the register, removing four tokens from the right hand slot, placing them on the counter. Each gave fifteen minutes of use, with different settings avaliable once inside the cage. Turning away from her he grabbed two sets of helmets and bats, laying them across the counter as he waited for her choice of payment.

"We take cash, debit, and all major credit cards." Taking a look over at her friend, whom seemed furious beyond that of a usual highschool teenaged girl, he quickly added in. "And if you need any help setting it up, just ask."

[reynolds]

Listening to him, she ran through the numbers in her head, making sure she had enough for the rest of the week. She had little desire to actually go and bat, but when she turned back to Christie holding an imaginary bat in her hand, practicing her swing against an invisible portrait of the guys' from earlier with a smile on her face, she decided to join, if only to keep her entertained enough for her to forget.

After a few mock swings, Christie called out to her, "Alicia! Hurry up! I want to get started already!"

When he placed four tokens on the counter and the necessary batting equipment, she hid her irritation with a calm face and grabbed her purse. She searched inside and grabbed a twenty dollar bill, placing it on the table. With that, she grabbed the equipment and the four tokens, but when she looked back at the machines, she realized she actually didn't know how to use it.

Maybe Christie would know?

She looked back at the girl, this time, noting the awkward position she was every time she swung her imaginary bat. She tested the weight of the bat with a simple up and down motion, and looked back, watching her mysteriously stumble by no fault except her own.

Maybe it was better to ask not only to work the machine's, but to learn the proper batting positions instead of imitating famous baseball players on television.

She turned back to the young man, unsure of his name, but made her inquiry anyway, "I guess I'll need some help setting up the machine, and if you don't mind, can you also teach us how to properly bat? I don't know how to, and I don't think my...friend knows either."

She glanced back, noticing her fall again, this time on her rear. She looked back to him.

"Please?"

[Tai Yang]

"Sure, that's what I'm here for." He said, smiling as pleasantly as he could without seeming fake. Truthfully, he was just there to hand out and collect equipment, take money from customers, and every once in a while, help throw someone out. Given the time of day and it's already high degree of boredom, a change in situations would be welcomed with open arms.

Pocketing a few more tokens from underneath the counter, there for staffs personal use, he grabbed an extra bat and stepped out from behind the counter. His jeans and sneakers showed the drastic change between his upper and lower body - cosmetically. But, in terms of comfort versus fashion sense, comfort always won.

Taking the other bat-helmet combination from the counter he started to walk over towards the paying customers friend, slowing down his usual pace to seem more of the gentlemen, trying not to simply walk away from Alicia. Reaching Christie he handed over the bat-helmet combo, waiting for her to put her helmet on and the second female to do the same before he'd begin the demonstration with the bat.

"Alright, first is how to hold the bat. Whatever you dominant hand is goes on top of the grip, with your other hand below it so that your knuckles form a line." Taking his right hand he put it on top, just as he had told them to do, then grabbed the bottom with his left. Lifting the bat so that it was standing straight up he turned his wrists outward so that his knuckles lined.

"Once you have that, then comes your stance. You need to be sturdy, with your dominant arm in behind. Bring your feet out to at least your own shoulders width, bend your knee's a bit, raise the bat up so that your hands are level with your back shoulder. Tilt the bat a bit behind your head, and that's the traditional stance." Pulling the bat in he assumed the stance, even turning his head to the side as though he was looking to hit.

"Usually, from here, the swing comes naturally." He swung his arms down slowly, showing the path of the bat as he turned his hips and shoulders over. "But if your really looking to hit it hard, you might want to try stepping into it a bit. Raise your front leg up as the balls coming in, then step out with it and follow through on the swing." He pulled the bat back in to his shoulder, prepping his stance as he took his left foot off the ground a few inches, then stepped it out almost as though he was sliding it down a hill, and followed through with the swing - once again performing it slowly.

"Got it so far?"

[reynolds]

She was relieved to hear it. She couldn't imagine herself teaching Christie the proper way to bat. Considering her stubbornness, it was better left to professionals or people with actual experience to tutor her. As she followed him, keeping pace though somewhat behind, she decided to watch, keeping herself at a safe distance in case any stray bats happened to fly her way.

Once Christie took the bat and helmet, and wore it properly, her friend examined and listened closely to her instructor's explanations. She resigned herself off to the side, holding a token in her hand to set the machine in case she was ready. Still, the way he explained it was very detailed, to the point where she decided to follow along.

"Okay..." Christie replied as she checked her grip on the bat before her, looking back to him for confirmation. Her friend did the stances he instructed on the diamond in keeping with his explanation. Then watched him as he performed the swing twice; slowly at first as Christie watched, then at normal speed on the second.

Once her friend was sure of herself, Christie nodded when he asked if she understood everything, and decided to practice a few swings without his aid. There were a few problems, such as her stance, the way she held the bat, and her swing, but after a few trials, she said, "Okay! Let's get this started! Alicia! Start it up!"

Placing the bat down, she placed the token inside the machine, adjusted the settings suitable for a beginner, and waited for the launcher to start up. Once everything was set, the steady release of baseballs in several second intervals was enough for Christie to start on and gain confidence in.

"Ikkuyo!" Christie shouted out in Japanese, throwing all of her energy into each swing.

While Christie was preoccupied, Alicia decided to thank him. And so, she went over, hoping to catch him before he returned back to work.

She smiled as kindly as she could and said, "Thank you so much. You're a really good teacher. I didn't think she'd listen to anyone, but I guess I was wrong."

That was when she noticed his age. He was young, definitely a high school student. It wasn't odd for teenagers to be working, but his confidence made her mistake him to be older. Still, asking the age of a complete stranger was rude, so she introduced herself normally.

"Oh right, I guess I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Alicia, and my friend over there is Christie. What's yours?"

[Tai Yang]

'Thank you? I haven't heard that before... Wait, let me run through some scenario's. Thank you for sending me to the hospital? No. Thanks for the beating? No. Hm, guess this is a first.'

Having been so focused on the first portion of what she said he almost didn't realize it was followed up by more words, words of praise no less. Luckily for him the brain's able to take in 600-800 words a minute with no problem. What he didn't digest at first came whipping around, smacking him in the face as though it was a backhand from the 'thank you'.

'Good teacher? Never thought I'd teach anything... Isn't that hard, teachers just like to complain I guess.'

"It was nothing, I'm just glad she understood me."

Dropping the head of the bat on the ground he 'anchored' himself there, slipping his palm up onto he butt of the bat, making small circles around the center balance of it's weight.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Alicia, my names Tai Yang."

Now, when speaking to girls this was either the part where they became frightened and tried awkwardly to get away, or interested. Though, that was a certain type of girl, a catagory that Alicia didn't seem to fit. Well, at least she didn't look like she was into peircings, tattoo's, leather and motorbikes. But, he'd been decieved by appearances before as well.

[reynolds]

She smiled. Purely. For what was probably a first ever since she transferred to the United States.

Unfortunately, the flow of their conversation didn't allow her to register this record-breaking event in her mind, but it didn't matter anyway.

Tai Yang, was the name she heard from him. He was definitely nice, and though she normally was suspicious of most guys, she decided not to follow through. Tai Yang. She hadn't heard of the name before in Hircine, but then again, she may not have been with the right people - the kind who knew every little thing in the school about everyone, without her knowledge and, possibly, without her consent.

After all, the day was meant for fun without any strings attached to ruin her evening. Thinking about the possible hundred motives behind a guys' answer wasn't fun and a headache to go through; unlike the few guys they had met earlier.

While Christie's voice continued shouting out Japanese phrases vaguely translated as, "Let's go, you bastards" or "I'm going to kick your ass" followed with a home-run, she largely ignored it. It was one of her good days gone sour, so she needed time off to vent her frustrations.

"Tai Yang...ah, so you're Chinese? That's a surprise. I wouldn't have known if I didn't ask. You don't look like the average Chinese guy, but you don't look African-American either." She said politely, "But considering where I came from, I really shouldn't judge."

The words simply flowed from her lips, naturally with energy. But perhaps, it was too natural.

"Oh here! Okay, give me an honest opinion. What race or nationality do you think I am? You'll definitely be surprised if I told you."

[Tai Yang]

"It's something like my great, great, great grandfather is African-American, and everyone else is Chinese. That's why." His brief explanation was as friendly as he could make it. He didn't advertise this too often, not bothering with letting the masses know more about him, other then who he was and what he could do.

When she asked him to guess her nationality he inquesitively leaned back, attempting to get a better view of her from top to bottom. Rather then doing the over-used up-to-down-look, like so many leechers do. Judging from her appearance and style he was guessing something more along the lines of American, perhaps Britian, but she said he'd be surprised, and so that led him into a series of deducing what he knew about her from the five or so minutes he knew her.

"Based strictly from your facial features I'd say American, which I guess is like saying you have ancestors from Europe. From your mannerism's I'd say you were most likely from Britian, possibly France.

But you also hang out with someone whose, to my understanding, fluent in what seems to be Japanese. I'm guess you've been there for an extended period of time, possibly on an exchange. So, in terms of a twist, I'd guess French-Canadian, though without the heavy accent there so infamously known for."

He figured he was wrong, but if nothing else he found it better to demonstrate his reasoning, rather then just spout out some random sounding place and go from there. He was actually trying, which proved how much more interesting today had gotten.

"Am I close?"

[reynolds]

She listened to him, watching his gaze focus on her figure, hearing nearly the same things most people would assume. Except for one key fact he picked up on. And when he finished, his conclusion was the closest anyone ever picked up on her nationality, while her race was dead obvious.

She was still markedly surprised by how close she deduced his nationality and race based on visual observation. It wasn't often she met people like Tai, whose uniqueness alone was enough to stand out in a crowd of photocopied people, regardless of nationality.

Those were the painful results of such idiotic stereotyping made by people who didn't want to understand, or chose to remain in ignorance. And he, moreso than herself, represented to her why it was wrong.

She giggled to Tai's question, keeping her arms just below her chest, trying to control her overly enthusiastic self.

"Sometimes, I wish I was something else, but I guess French-Canadian works! Maybe when I visit there..." She paused, "But you've got everything right, and I have to give you points for actually adding in Japan somewhere. I bet Christie was the big tip-off."

She turned back to her, who was setting the machine before setting herself at the diamond. Turning back to Tai, she clapped a few times to celebrate his being the closest to guess who she really was.

"So, congratulations! For being the closest guy ever to guess my nationality! The biggest surprise is that I'm actually from Japan, citizen and all. My parents told me that my grandparents were from the United Kingdom, but the thing is, they don't really like Japan that much. I guess that's why they don't bother visiting..." She said out of nowhere, "Hey, do you mind me asking something rather personal?"

She paused for a moment, letting the sound of Christie's bat linger for a second, "I know America is the land of the free, full of opportunity and all that, but were you actually discriminated against at some point?"

[Tai Yang]

So he was the closest. That was a relief, though she was right on all accounts, the answer definitely surprised him. His detective skills weren't quite as sharp as he thought. He didn't care quite so much about whether he was right or wrong, it was just his process of deciphering the mystery that he cared about.

As she corrected him he couldn't help but smile, his original insight to her friends language had been the origin for the two of them - or so he could only assume that they were both from Japan. As the air turned a bit more serious he stopped rotating the bat in his left palm.

"Feel free, I'm an open book."

He took a moment to consider the question, tilting his head downward he stared toward the ground in front of her feet. If he wanted to play the hero, act strong, he'd tell her that he looked the other way, turned the other cheek method. But that was complete bullshit, definitely a lie. Something she'd probably see through in a second.

"Ever since I was little. Black kids called me a 'chink', Chinese kids called me a 'nigger'. I basically kept to myself, often going to the movies or finding something active to do by myself. I won't lie and say it was hard, or that I turned the other cheek. I just went about my way, creating a path along the way til no one bothered to say anything to me."

Taking a deep breath he peered back up at her face, his own clear of any sad emotions he would've shown had he been looking up before. A smile was drawn back across his face, almost genuinely happy by all appearances.

"How about you? The locals treating you kindly?"