Work Text:
The Tactics of the Investigator
by IrenaAdler
Don stared down at his adoring niece and realized, too late, that he'd been encouraging her. "Uh, honey, Legos aren't for launching."
"Lego spaceships are!" Nena responded.
"No, not even spaceships."
"But I'm making them to launch them, so they are," Nena said. Her chin stuck out, looking like her father, Colby, who could be world-class stubborn.
Don backpedaled. "Okay, I'll grant you that." He thought hastily. "But a baseball is aerodynamically designed to fly, the shape cuts down on air drag. Do you know about air drag?"
"Of course!" Nena said, but by the way her lower lip protruded, she'd say that regardless.
Don checked his watch. There was time before dinner. "How about we go to the batting cages? They have kid cages."
Nena eyed him. The word `cage' probably didn't sound too promising. "What's that?"
"Batting cages have machines that throw baseballs and you can hit them as far as you want."
"In a cage?"
"They have protection on three sides so you don't hit other people."
"The machine throws baseballs?"
"Yep," Don said, putting extra enthusiasm into his voice. "It's a lot of fun, the machine throws the balls at whatever speed or pitch you want and you just swing your bat. No need for Grandpa to go get the ball and throw it every time." He leaned closer to her. "And they're a lot better throwers."
Nena responded to his teasing smile and confided, "He's not very good."
"He never was," Don said with a grin. "And the other great thing about batting cages is that the machine has hundreds of balls and it just throws one after another."
"Wow, hundreds?" Nena gasped. She dropped the bat and ran towards the house, calling out, "Grandpa! Come to the cages and bring a really big basket!"
end