5998/Stuff!

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Stuff!
Date of Scene: 15 December 2018
Location: Avengers Mansion, New York City
Synopsis: Nat starts on the plan to set Thor up on a date.
Cast of Characters: Black Widow (Romanoff), Thor




Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    The Avengers Mansion is still under construction as the repairs progress from it's disappearance and subsequent reappearance. While the gym could use some love, it is usable. The sparring area is clear of debris, there is one of the heavy bags hung up in the corner although no telling where the other ones got off to. No really high tech equipment at this point but honestly, it isn't really necessary as long as you have something heavy to lift and know the right techniques. For that reason, a weight set has been brought in. The outside tracks are clear to allow for jogging.
    In the late hours of the night is the best time to use the facility. Often people are in and out during the day. So since Natasha has watch duty tonight anyway, she has JARVIS sending any calls to her in the gym as she works out.
    She's dressed in a pair of black shorts that are very befitting of that name. A white sports bra covers her upper body, leaving her midriff and arms bare. Her feet are bare but are taped. Her hands are as well.
    There has also been a change. She got her hair cut.
    At the moment, she is working out at the heavy bag, throwing punches and kicks as a light sheen of sweat covers her, showing she's been at it a while.

Thor has posed:
    With the change over of the mansion, its return from whatever netherworld had held it, it's still not fully recovered. Oh it's structurally sound for the most part, what with the walls having been magically repaired and the foundation returned to the strength it held at one time. But what has changed... is that not as many of the Avengers are there of late. Some still have their time split with the penthouse and here, or the Triskelion, or their own home away from home. So the comings and goings of the few that do spend their time here... they're noticed.
    Such as when Thor Odinson returns, when spared what time he can. Though, to be fair, a fair amount of the people in his court are pleased when he is away so the construction can continue without his 'help'. But he had returned, alighting outside and walking into the kitchen. Expecting nothing, he had been informed by Stark's AI that there was a meal in the fridge if he was hungry.
    Once he'd finished that he had asked the whereabouts of the others and the polite computer informed him that of all the people only the Widow was in residence downstairs in the gymnasium. For several hours. Alone. Having not eaten. The AI almost managed to sound peevish.
    So it was that Thor volunteered. Bowl in hand he had covered it with a bit of that aluminum foil the cooks of this era seemed so taken with. To the elevator. From the elevator forwards into the gymnasium.
    His arrival would be announced with a /ding/ from the hall that she might catch if she was listening for it. And then the door to the gym opened upon the tall blonde man's silhouette there in the doorway carrying something as he steps within.
    But he will not interrupt. He'll step forwards in his jeans and white sneakers, his grey hoodie zipped up over his chest as he carries that bowl in one hand.
    It's only when she takes a break that he lifts his voice, "You haven't eaten." Fact. Pronounced. From his back pocket he produces a fork, as if it held all the answers in the world.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    When she hears the ding, Natasha shifts her stance so she is facing toward the doorway. She doesn't slow the series of kicks she is working through but it does allow her to take a peek at who is arriving. She wasn't worried. The security systems wouldn't have let anyone use the elevator that wasn't supposed to but she still feels that need to look before someone comes up on her unawares.
    It's about five minutes before she will wrap up, putting her hands on the heavy bag to steady it back into stillness. Then to the bench nearby to pick up a towel and wipe off her face before draping it around the back of her neck.
    "Thanks for noticing?" Her tone makes it more a question of how in the world did he know her eating habits and why would he care about them.
    She closes the distance between them, taking the bowl and fork then carefully starting to open the foil to see what treasure lies within. Homemade chili. She had no idea who actually made it but it did smell good and she last ate...
    When did she last eat? A sudden hollowness she hadn't noticed before answered that question with a 'too long ago'.

Thor has posed:
    The Asgardian's smile is crooked, almost boyish despite his otherwise grim facade. That strapless eye patch speaks of such a grim past, but that smile might well remind her of the larger than life oafish ne'er do well who had flown into their lives. "I can take little credit, I arrived only some small time ago." He steps to the side to walk with her if a pace behind as she moves to perhaps find a place to devour the proffered chili.
    "Stark's automata made note and I offered to fulfill the need." That said he lifts his head a touch as he walks, his gaze following after her as she moves and perhaps lingering for an instant before she looks back. His blue eyes find her own and he gestures to the side.
    His smile is warm as he adds, taking a seat on one of those long benches against the wall. "Naturally I ate the best parts, but I made sure to save that little for you." He crosses his arms over his chest and takes a deep breath, looking at her briefly, then back and away to the still swinging heavy bag across the way.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    "It's chili. There are no bad parts to chili. It's especially good when made with sausage as well as beef," Natasha points out, as though she is some culinary expert. Certainly she can cook. She's no master chef. Never aspired to be.
    She leads the way to the only other bench in the room, closer to the door and further from the heavy bag where the other bench takes up space. That is where her towel had been. There seems to be a gym bag there as well, though it shouldn't be necessary when she has a room upstairs to change or a locker room nearby. For those that know Natasha, they'd realize it likely has her Black Widow costume along with her weapons, in case she needed to respond to something quickly. Emergencies didn't always wait for a shower.
    She settles down on the bench, setting the foil aside on the opposite side of her from Thor, allowing for him to sit and join her if he would like. She stretches her legs out in front of her as she cradles the bowl in one hand, taking the fork and scooping up a pile of beans and meat. "I appreciate your generosity. Bon appetit." She takes the bite, chewing thoughtfully and swallowing before speaking again.
    "Did they chase you out of New Asgard again for helping?"

Thor has posed:
    "A king is never chased out from his own court." Thor says with a measure of pomp that she knows to be his making light, and if she had any doubts that half-smirk might help divest her of them. "Well, unless there was a rebellion. And perhaps there was." He holds up fingers an inch apart, "A small one. Apparently I am something of what is known a micro-manager. Not entirely a flattering term."
    He settles upon the seat next to her and leans back, stretching his long legs out in those fairly snug jeans and crossing his ankles. Arms resting upon the back of the benchseat, he takes a deep breath, broad chest growing and then easing with a small calm exhalation. "Some things, I have found, run more smoothly without my presence."
    A glance upwards is given before he looks back towards her as she chomps on the chili, "What has you down here at this hour?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    As he stretches out, she looks to his legs which extend far beyond hers out in front of that bench. Looking over at him, she takes in the leisurely pose along with the quiet strength of him, even relaxed. It's one of those things she is used to, being the smallest of her teammates, but moments like this it really came home to her. He was just larger than life and not just physically.
    As he talked, she watched his facial expressions, unable to hide a grin. "A micro manager? You have got to be kidding me. I'd think you'd want them all doing things and leaving you alone but you have to have your fingers in all the pots?"
    She does give a shrug at his question. "Just things on my mind. Decisions to be made. I find I think better when I'm hitting something." That just does not sound right. Yet for her, it seems fitting. She playfully nudges his arm with her elbow. "Was even thinking about your situation with needing to find a queen and securing the line for the throne."

Thor has posed:
    The Mighty Thor makes it look so damnably easy. The way he seems to fit in with people and yet maintain his own voice so clear and true. The way he can go one moment from eating pizza, drinking coffee, playing at santa, and then the next be fighting a water dragon, or some giant fungus from space, or speaking in such haughty effortless prose that he comes across as a being who belongs on stage or in the storybooks.
    And yet there he is listening to her with a smirk as he replies, "I would prefer that, truthfully. But if I'm around it should be done properly, yes?" And /that/ is the attitude Bjarke likely can't stand. Thor, who hasn't built anything in his life with his two hands, thinks he knows best.
    "I find I am a better manager the farther away I am. Though they can still reach me rather effortlessly when needs be." Thor takes a deep breath, then listens as she declares that the hitting of something helps her think. His smile there likely agrees with her since there is a clarity there.
    But then she nudges him and he eyes her, smirking. "Oh? And what revelations have you come upon, MatchMaker Romanova, to the Court of Asgard?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    The earns a laugh as Natasha shakes her head. "No conclusions yet. Possibilities. But I will need more information before I can work my magic and send you forth on a quest for the woman that would be queen." She takes another bite of her chili, shifting her legs to bring the left one up and tucking her ankle under the right thigh. This pushes her left thigh and knee against his leg. Not that he likely can feel it since it's like a twig pushing on granite.
    "First I need to know what you want in a woman. Seriously. I mean I know you respect warriors so I'm guessing a fighter of some sort. Probably someone who can hold their own with Asgardians in a fight to help protect your people? But what do /you/ want in a woman, Thor? Tell me your type. And if you mention one of those dating apps again, I promise I will kill you and Tony both."

Thor has posed:
    So close, Thor is warm. Not preternaturally so, perhaps. Perhaps it is simply a difference in the physiology of Asgardians as compared to people of Earth. But with such a dense musculature, such a heightened metabolism, that it is inevitable that the warmth of him and those like him are several degrees above the norm. Not quite akin to an individual wracked with fever, but close that she can likely feel it through those jeans.
    Not that he notices, to be fair as his eyes hold hers as she gives voice to her thoughts. His half-smile growing as she asks and then asks that last. It's enough to push his gaze aside for a moment, before he turns back to look at her almost shrewdly.
    "In truth you likely know my answer, Natasha." He draws his hands up to lace fingers behind his head, closing his good eye for a time. But when it opens again he's looking upwards at the ceiling of the gym.
    "If she can fit that criteria, in truth, then I will be happy if we can tolerate each other. Perhaps, with time, love might grow. But right now..." He looks to the side at her, features turning a touc introspective, "I do not know if I am free to follow my heart."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    Taking another bite of the chili, she chews while listening to his explanation. The way he looks at her, the slight shifting of his position. She notices all the tiny nuances that she's been trained to pick up on for decades.
    As he closes his eyes, her smile fades ever so slightly. It is back in place when he looks at her again, the answer not one she approves of as she gives a negative shake of her head.
    "Nuh-uh. This isn't I'll settle. This is you tell me what you want in a woman. I mean personality wise. You want a person who talks a lot? Or an introspective type? Someone who likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain?" After she says it, she realizes he probably won't get that reference. "And if you want a woman who is going to stay home and make babies, tell me the truth." She'd like to think he wouldn't considering he fights alongside women all the time but, and Asgardian women are just as formidable as the men. Yet, if that is what he wants in his future wife, she needs to know that when she starts seeking a match for him.

Thor has posed:
    Uncurling a hand towards her sidelong in a calm gesture he says calmly, "An heir is of utmost importance." He looks back and away, then says as he continues to remain slouched there upon the bench seat. "But most Asgardian couples take many years to conceive as our lifetimes are rather long comparitively."
    He takes a deep breath and lowers his hands to his legs, shifting his weight to one hip subtly as if uncomfortable for a moment before he rises up to turn and face her, one arm now resting on the back of the benchseat behind him. "But if we are speaking if I were gifted the ability to create some lifemate from the aether?"
    He pauses then considers thoughtfully, brushing his hand over his forearm for an instant before he looks into her eyes again. "I thought perhaps I should find someone whose disposition was gentle, withdrawn. But I know now that for one to be able to stand at my side they will have to have strength within them. Strong character. Decisions. Courage. Such bravery as to put to shame most other warriors." He looks down and away, then continues as he ponders the question. "Aware of the world and what passes or could well pass if we are not vigilant. One who would know where my responsibilities lay and what cost they exact from me."
    Then he turns back towards her and meets her eyes as he says in such a gentle tone, so soft, as if confessing the ways of his heart. "But. In truth. I find what I most wish for..."
    A faint pause.
    "Is a large bosom."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    As he is speaking, Natasha is filing it all away. That's quite a large order. Throwing in that they need to eventually have babies and probably would be for the best they were long lived like his people. She almost laughed when he mentioned he had wanted a gentle and withdrawn woman because it seemed so wrong to her. Yet, it was what he liked, not what she thought was most fitting for him.
    Through it all, she is drawn in as she pieces together the important things, the way she will have to be there to protect his people and help him in his times of need due to the weight of the crown. Someone who is fully aware of this world.
    For her, it is sounding like a hero of some type. So she starts ticking off boxes on the various ones she knows or knows of. So when he gets so serious and he lowers his voice, she practically leans in to hear what he has to say because it has to be important.
    Until he says it.
    Her eyes go wide for a moment. Immediately she brings up her fist and she punches him as hard as she can in the shoulder. She doesn't go for a nice spot where it would be easily ignored due to his Asgardian physique. Natasha goes for a nerve, hoping that will be felt but again, only if she can get through his super durability.
    "That is /not/ a quality I will be checking for you!"

Thor has posed:
    To be fair the moment he uttered the words he knew there would be a price and so when she struck he was already wincing around his eyepatch as he /leeeeeans/ away from the punch only for her to hit and hit hard with that single extended knuckle on her fist slamming into that nerve ending. It has him simultaneously laughing that deep broad laughter of his even as he says around the laugh, "Ohhahahahahowww."
    But he continues to laugh even as she answers him so indignantly all the while rubbing at his arm as he continues to shy away from her, knowing that her temper at times gets away with her. "I yield. I yield." Though he continues to laugh.
    "Forgive me, Natasha. But I truly cannot say." He shakes his head, wiping some of the tears (of laughter of course!) from his good eye and still rubs at the small knot of a welt that she's caused to rise up. "Do you have any ideas of someone you wish to advance before me? Or are you just enjoying this as some sort of mental exercise? A puzzle to be solved?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    His laughing has her smiling although she is trying to resist joining in. There is no help for it. The more he laughs, the tears starting to flow, the more amused she becomes until she laughing right along with him. She gives his arm a little shove as though to say he deserved it but he obviously knows he did.
    When he manages to speak she shakes her head negatively. "Not precisely yet. A few ideas though. Is in team dating allowed or is that too much like dating at work and just leads to problems?" Some people don't seem to care. She has an ex on the team so for her, it's in the doesn't-matter category.
    "The first ones that come to mind are the Themyscirans but, considering their past with gods, not sure how they would feel about that sort of thing. Then there are lots of other races and heroes out there. Kryptonians, Justice League, even Alpha Flight." That makes her consider one that is both on Alpha Flight and the Avengers as she tilts her head. "I'll try setting you up on some blind dates. No, that doesn't mean they are blind. Just that you don't know who you are meeting until you get there. See if you hit it off, go from there."

Thor has posed:
    Still somewhat chuckling, Thor looks at her sidelong, then away as he shakes his head. "Do not feel this obligation rests alone upon your shoulders, Natasha." He sighs a little, fighting off the last chortle, but then turns to face her. "In truth, is it not a saying that it is often best to just stop looking and then often that is when you find whatever eludes you?"
    Having said that he shakes his head, "Do not feel you must go to such lengths. I'll put my mind to it one of these days and assuredly I will come up with something."
    Having said that he sits up straighter, leaning forwards upon the bench seat, resting his elbows upon his knees and his shoulders hunching a touch. It's only then that he finally tilts his head to the side and asks as if he only had just noticed it instead of having realized it the moment he entered. "Did you do something with your hair?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    While she recognizes she doesn't have to do it, Natasha feels like she wants to do it. It's the least she can do to try to help him. He's mentioned it a few times so she knows it is weighing on his mind. "That is what they say," she agrees. It's when people look the hardest, they never seem to find what they seek. Move on with their lives? There it is dropping into their lap. She glances down, seeing where her knee is touching his thigh but not bothering to move it. She's comfortable.
    At the mention of her hair, her smile is bright. She reaches up a hand to brush the back which is well above her shoulders. It's almost a boyish cut yet there is nothing masculine about how it fits her face. A few wisps seem to keep sneaking forward to fall over her forehead but she doesn't seem to notice them. "I figured it was about time to go for something short for a while. I do it from time to time but always seem to end up back with it long again. Do you like?"

Thor has posed:
    "It is lovely," Thor says as he turns again to the side somewhat. He seems to take his time as if taking its measure and nodding slowly in consideration. "It reminds me of when a young woman is accepted for training to join the Valkyrior." He lifts a hand and touches fingertips to that floof of hair over her brow, just a small gentle touch to brush a few errant locks from her eyes as he tells her, "They cut their braids to symbolize cutting their bonds to the houses of Asgard. As well as it helps them when they face each other." His lip curves up slightly, "Less hair to pull."
    But then he turns back and nods, "When first we met I thought you were one of the most beautiful women I had seen. And yet it seems you are capable of growing more beautiful still." His eyebrows lift as if he had just stumbled upon a curiousity in the wild.
    But then he looks back at her with that open boyish smile.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    His mention of the Vakyrior makes her smile even more, still so bright and pleased. To be compared to the women of his people is a compliment. Her experience with them has shown her they are a very strong race and not simply their physical strength. Their character, their love of family and home, be it Asgard or the hearth where they gathered together. Their warriors were beyond compare. It was a true compliment.
    The hair pulling gets a laugh as she nods. "It's very true. When we were being trained in the Red Room, we learned that fact the hard way. It was better to keep it short. It was only when I was a better fighter I felt I should try it long."
    When he focuses on her though and those words slip past his lips, she finds herself surprised. She had never expected to hear such from him. Certainly she's been complimented in the past but this just was charming and the way he phrased it so perfect.
    If she were a younger woman, she might have actually blushed. She didn't drop her gaze and look to the side, she didn't let her smile fade to a sheepish grin as she fought embarassment. "Thank you. Coming from you, that means a lot."
    She doesn't explain that statement. Instead, she quickly rises to her feet. "I should go get a shower. Get to work on that list of possibilities for you." She winks playfully as she walks toward the other bench, picking up her bag and throwing the towel from her neck inside of it. Then she realizes she left her bowl and fork on the bench by him. Returning, she retrieves it. "I'll drop this in the kitchen on the way."