Levey nodded.

"I've been a baseball fan for quite a while myself, but I grew up in Texas, so I'm a Cardinals fan myself."

He smiled and winked.

"Besides, the sox are right dirty bastards and everybody knows it. I mean, sure we all expect them to throw a game once in a while, but the World Series?"

He turned back to Aristocrat then.

Certainly you don't think they would do that again do you?"

There he was, Comiskey ball park. Marco stood in his spot for a while to enlighten his senses to this new environment. He had never been to a stadium nor a ball park before and the only sports he used to play was football or soccer is what they called it over here. The sight and sound was something he never had experienced before. The massive concrete and steel structure echoed the chants and cheers of the crowd inside and it sounded like there were thousands.

Marco walked towards the entrance with his ticket in his hand, it was given by his boss Mr.Lee a few days back and Mr.Lee suggested for him to tag along to experience a baseball game and even though the rules of the game were unfamiliar to Marco, he decided to give it a try. As soon as he showed the attendant his ticket, he was immediately ushered to his seat. The atmosphere was just like how he imagined, thousands of sports fans passionately supporting their local team. A huge grin formed on his mouth as he took his designated seat.

Marco looked over and saw his boss Mr.Lee seated alongside some prominent and influential people in Chicago and as usual Mr.Lee had his protection covering every angle. It had been a few days now Marco had been associated with Mr.Lee but Marco never really knew the exact nature of Mr.Lee's business. Ever since the first day they met at the soup kitchen line owned by Mr.Lee, Marco was often asked to do all sorts of tasks from sending messages to buying coffee for his boss and ever since then his communications skills got a little bit better or at least Mr.Lee doesn't need to use extreme hand signals again to communicate with Marco.

The crowd erupted in a roar and Marco got pulled out from his daze. Marco straightened himself in his seat trying to figure out what was happening on the field. Marco watched closely as he pretended to understand what he was watching.

Hunter walked into the stadiums, immediately realizing he had once again walked into a situation he was completely unprepared for. "Well, time to bullshit my way through another one." He browsed the crowd, eventually finding the slender woman he assumed  was Emily-Renfroe . "Ma"am, my name is Hunter. Hunter Everett. My cousin told me that if i was ever to find myself in the position to, to literally worship you. Well....Maybe not in those words. But he was a mushy guy, AYE." Hunter chuckled at his own joke flashing a row of perfectly white teeth before continuing. 

"At the risk of seeming unamerican, could you fill me in on how this game works? I've never been." Hunter then sat cross legged in the alley between the rows of seats, completely unaware of how odd he must look

Emily, recognizing the family resemblance before gearing hearing the name, immediately stood and hugged the young man. 

"Oh, you're Hunter. I had heard you'd come to Chicago. I'm so sorry about Gunnar. He was a dear, dear friend. And you - I hope you will be, too. Come, sit with me and I'll explain all I know."

She grins and flicks the brim of her cap. 

"I'm fairly new to all this as well, but I've read some."

The game went on, and Emily found herself greatly enjoying everything from the game itself to the company. It felt good to be out with the members of their growing organizations. Some talked business or broads, some talked politics and pistols. No one paid attention to the sideways glances and wary looks of passers by. Some knew they were connected, and likely the whispers spread, but the group in Section 23 were having just as good a time as everyone else.

At the seventh inning stretch, Emily stood and looked around, taking in the atmosphere. She took a few paces away from the section and leaned against the railing, just watching. Chicago was alive with so much potential. She couldn't help but grin at all the possibilities she saw before her. 

Levey leaned over the railing next to Emily and took a deep breath.

"Beautiful isn't it? The hum of the city, the roar of the crowd all cheering on their team. You know, you're their team now right? I know you climbed your way up in Seattle, and I also know how hard you must have taken that." He went quiet a second as the crowd roared again for a brief moment when a batter hit the ball. "You're here now though, make the most of it, same way you did today. Treat those around you with kindness and respect and they will treat you the same."

He took a deep breath and listened again.

"I find baseball, not the game, but the experience to be an allegory of life. There are thousands of people here watching, and in their own humble way they participate. There's nothing like the roar of the crowd on your side to get the adrenaline going. You and me and Aristo? We're the players on the field, we are making the moves that the rest of the crowd can't make, and we would do it even if there was no crowd because it's in our blood. But the crowd sure helps spurn us on, and when we fuck up? Oh boy they'll let us know it."

As if on cue the crowd booed as the pitched threw a fourth ball and walked a man. A bit late in the game to be pulling that sort of thing. Levey glanced up at Aristocrat then. Maybe the man had a hand in this, maybe not, but Levey was willing to guess in one direction at the moment.

"So, now we just have to work on not throwing too many balls. Make 'em strikes, make the other guys work for it."

Emily listened to Levey closely, though her eyes stayed on the game. She could very much see his metaphor in front of her. They were the players now- the captains. They had teams to lead and encourage. The coaches? The crew leaders that had gone before them and the ones from other cities that were waiting to see how they played the game. In many ways, it could get overwhelming if one thought about it too much- but again, Levey was right. She had left a lot behind in Seattle to take this chance, then watched in horror from a distance as all of those precious people and places burned to the ground. 

She nodded when he finished, taking her time to draw her eyes from the game and to her comrade.

"You're right. We've come this far. We've got to do everything we can with the time we're given."

With a somewhat somber smirk, she added.

"And in this life, that's not guaranteed."

Straightening up, she gave Levey a genuine, warm smile.

"This little outing turned out rather well, don't you think?"

Levey nodded and smiled. 

"It did, and of course we learned a thing or two about baseball, and about our friend Aristocrat here." 

He gave the other man a knowing look, a smile, and a wave.

"If we were to make this a regular thing, I wouldn't be opposed. Though I think we may have to beef up security next time, we will only be insignificant for so long you know."