7087/Smiting Is Good Therapy

Smiting Is Good Therapy
Date of Scene:	29 March 2019
Location:	Training Room - Avengers Mansion
Synopsis:	Thor is reunited with She-Hulk and relates issues with his royal obligations
Cast of Characters:	Thor, She-Hulk

---

Thor has posed:
    The Avengers' training area is always something of a Frankensteinian conglomeration of equipment and gear, ever-evolving with the attention from Tony who comes up with some device or another to help play to the strengths and weaknesses of the team. The automated systems tend to keep some measure of order to it, storing the equipment in the facility where they best stay out of the way, and then moving about recovering whatever is left unattended.
    But with the changes Tony made recently for Thor and the other strong Avengers, those cleaning bots are likely going to be super busy for the next few days.
    Down in that arena area, large hydraulic waldo arms hang from the ceiling whirring and clanking as they twist and turn, spinning giant spiked columns through their range of motion. Those columns have stacks upon stacks of sharp pointy objects, all jutting out and extending at various points while they try to slam into and stab towards their target.
    Six of them whir and roar, lashing out with a metallic hum and snap hiss of firing energy charges. All of them seeking to stab or crush the lone Asgardian that whirls and lashes out amongst them. Thor Odinson stands ready, balanced on the balls of his feet as he meets the charge of one of the columns, the buckler on his left hand smashing into the center of that column and sending it skidding back with the waldo arm jostling on its rails in its frame.
    He twists to the side, short sword slashing out as he cleaves at another, severing a trio of extending spearpoints and then hammering the blade home harshly into the system. The computer systems were engaged some six hours ago, and since then Thor has been down here, until this point where he's ragged. Wearing only heavy boots and a pair of breeks, his bare skin is sweat-kissed and slick from the hours of effort, his ragged hair pushed back from his eyes as he scowls.
    Almost dismissively he smashes another column and snaps out, "Computer, increase strength level!"

    // Error, system has reached maximum execution level. //
    "Damn you, computer. Increase strength level!"

    // Error, system has reached maximum execution level. //

    "Damnation."

She-Hulk has posed:
The door to the simulation room slides open. Perhaps the computer has found a new challenge for the Thunderer? Maybe one of the repair bots has finished returning one of the tougher automatons to operational status? An Ultron clone, or maybe a mechanical abomination?

No, far worse. She-Hulk steps into the room. She's grabbed an old HYDRA uniform from storage and has squeezed into it. The uniform was not made for a voluptuous 6'7" figure. The results are skin-tight, the uniform at the limits of what it can hold. She has a submachine gun clutched one hand, resting lazily over a shoulder as if she has no intention of using it.

She-Hulk steps inside the room and then leans lazily against the wall nearby the door. "I figured the robots shouldn't be the only thing you gave a good working over," she tells Thor, batting her eyes up at him before adding a playful wink.

She pushes off the wall to walk forward with a slightly sashaying sway, but managing to somehow look coy while doing it. Even though that uniform looks like it could pop at any moment. "Didja miss me?" she asks him with a hopeful look.

Thor has posed:
    An exhalation is heard coming from him as he takes a few moments to regain his breath fully. His blue eyed gaze finds hers and she'll see a half-smirk twist his lips into a semblance of annoyed put-uponedness, but it's a facade as the smile slips more genuine and pleased. "Jennifer."
    He lifts his voice, "Computer, disengage systems."

    // Systems disengaged, simulation ended. //

    The buckler is pulled off and then tossed with the sword off to the side near one of those bench seats as he straightens up to his full height, which is still a good four inches shorter than her. He smirks and wipes a forearm over his brow and then pushes both hands through his ragged hair as he tries to reach some semblance of being less disheveled. And failing.
    But that doesn't stop him from closing the distance and without even hesitating he pulls her roughly into a hug, both arms encircling her and holding her close for a few thumps upon her back and then a small almost euro-smooch on her cheek as he draws back, hands on her shoulders so he can look into the green of her irises.
    "You look as spectacular as ever. What brings you to us here?"

She-Hulk has posed:
She-Hulk's face lights up as Thor strides over to give her the hug. Her arms go around him as well, clinging back to him during the hug. Hugs don't normally involve the amount of squirming body movement that Jen gives as she hugs Thor. Her hands run down his back a little suggestively. "Ooo, you're all sweaty. Before I've even done anything with you," she teases and not seeming to mind. Eventually she relinquishes the hug as Thor steps back to look at her.

She-Hulk's grin is nearly ear-to-ear at the greeting. Her luscious green hair spills out from beneath the Hydra-issue cap to fall about her shoulders. A rush of magnificent silken tresses, as if the combination of Herbal Essence and gamma radiation are the perfect cure for split ends. She brushes some of it back as she tells Thor, "Well if I knew I'd get a greeting like that I'd have gone away sooner. And come back sooner," she tells him with a playful light in her eyes.

"I went out to LA for awhile. Working a case out there, dealing with some of the changes in National City. That whole landslide is still affecting people's lives. Redevelopment pushing some people out of their homes as the areas change so heavily," She-Hulk tells Thor, giving a soft, exasperated sigh.

She gives him a shrug of her shoulders and says, "But I'm back now. Case worked out well. So I shipped my stuff back, hopped on Baby, and had a nice cross-country ride," she says, making mention of her motorcycle.

Thor has posed:
    Still smiling, Thor squeezes her shoulder again gently and then steps to the side, walking past her. To be fair he could probably use a shower, definitely has the stink of too much exertion on him, but Jen's been around him before and knows that Thor is Thor.
    "Will you remain with us for a time or are you off to pursue your own adventure away from us while we mope and pine forlorn?" She can see the half-smile as he teases her back, at ease with her ever since their adventures of the past.
    He reaches the bench and pulls open the gym bag there, withdrawing the water bottle from within and opening it, tilting it back to take a few swallows before he lets the rest of it flow over his head and hair, down the lines of his features and that eyepatch, creating small rivulets along the curve of his neck. He grabs his face with both hands and then pushes them back through his hair.
    A deep breath is taken then his brow furrows, "Ah, forgive me, I should have offered you some before I..." He waves a hand expressively.

She-Hulk has posed:
She-Hulk hovers nearby, watching as Thor cools himself with the upended water bottle. The green eyes have a sultry cast to them by the time he looks back to her. "No no, go ahead," she tells him with a wave. One of She-Hulks fingers comes up to tap on her lips as she looks him over. "If you're in need of a shower, I could probably spare some time to help with the lathering up," she offers, pairing the overt words with a coy expression.

She wanders about the room still near to Thor, eyeing the destruction he hath wrought on the dangers and challenges that Tony had programmed the room with. "You look like you really had a lot to work out," she comments, familiar enough with what constitutes a normal workout for Thor, and recognizing this as being somewhat excessive even for him.

Jen walks back over to take a seat on the bench, crossing her legs. The Hydra tailors deserve full measure for the stitching that keeps that top button on her jacket from popping off. "I plan to stick around, though I'm still getting settled back into a place at present. Why, do you know of a bed that I could share in the meantime?" she asks him, a foot sliding over to brush against his calf 'accidentally'.

Thor has posed:
    The Thunderer smiles wryly, though he's been around Jen enough in the past to know how she just is around people. Well, him in particular. But he shakes it off with a rumbling chuckle as he meets her gaze with a mildly admonishing gaze.
    "I have been... thinking about things." He tells her, glancing again back to the wrecked columns and the damaged arena area. "Much has been on my mind of late."
    But he /is/ distracted in part by the uniform after a moment as he gestures at it with the now empty bottle. "Why the choice of such garb? Did you take it as a trophy?" For he knows they faced many a Hydra agent in their day.

She-Hulk has posed:
She-Hulk looks down at her 'uniform'. She reaches down and relieves that poor button by undoing it. It reveals quite a bit more cleavage, though the jacket still manages to serve the function of providing enough cover to keep her decent. "Oh this little thing? I just figured you were looking for something to work out your frustrations on. Figured I'd take one for the team and volunteer," she tells him, looking up from the view she's provided to flash a playful smile at the blond Asgardian.

She's not all flirting though. As Jennifer notes Thor's tone of voice about thinking about things, she motions to the bench beside her. "Come on, let's have a talk," she tells him, slipping into a more serious tone. "If something's on your mind enough to need all that," She-Hulk says, motioning to the wreckage of robotic arms and weaponry, "Then it won't hurt to work it out mentally now that you've worked off some of the physical."

She glances down his body. "Though if you need to work off more of the physical? Well, that can wait until later." She taps the bench beside her.

Thor has posed:
    For a time he looks away from her, his good eye scrunched up and his teeth worrying the inside of his cheek as he ponders whether he should or not. But then some inner monologue must bear fruit because he comes to the decision by nodding and then brushing the gym bag out of the way to take a seat next to her.
    He looks sidelong at her and smiles a little as he then says with a snort, "Pfft, even in my current state you could not keep up with me, Walters." Was that flirtation? Or a close proximity to one, but it does get him to smile a little.
    He does shift gears, however, by leaning forwards and resting his arms on his knees, fingers interlaced. He looks across the way even as a bolt on one of the waldo arms comes loose from the strain and drops another column to the ground with a crash.
    It's ignored.
    "You are aware matters are different for me now, with New Asgard and the like, yes?" He awaits some sign of agreement before he proceeds. "My people are in flux, in danger still even though we've settled. I am King." He says that last with some measure of authority as if it were self-evident. "So matters have changed. I..."
    He shakes his head as he looks away, brow knitting. "I have responsibility now. To my people, my line. As a king I have one main responsibility above all others."
    He looks to her and then says with a hint of a grimace, "I need to wed. To find a worthy queen. To have an heir. A daunting task in the best of times. But now with how my people are so disadvantaged... any marriage vows I take must be to create an alliance, to make Asgard stronger. My feelings must come second."

She-Hulk has posed:
For all her size and strength that comes with being She-Hulk, the gentle green giant doesn't lose the empathic senses of Jennifer Walters. As she sees how this matter is weighing on Thor mightily, a large green hand reaches over to brush back and forth over his back in a soothing manner as Jennifer listens to what is troubling Thor.

Jennifer gives a slow nod as her understanding of the situation of Thor and New Asgard is questioned, though it also carries a little side-to-side motion that suggests some uncertainty. "I probably know the larger points, but I'm sure some of the finer, and any recent developments, are lost on me so far," She-Hulk confirms to Thor.

As he goes on, She-Hulk slides the Hydra cap further back on her head and lets out an understanding sigh. "Something that has probably played out thousands of times, or more, throughout our history. Before most countries went away from hereditary monarchies," She-Hulk confides.

Her head tilts to the side and she leans over, slipping her arm all the way about Thor's shoulders. "And do you have feelings somewhere for someone, that are making this difficult?" she asks him.

Thor has posed:
    "It is, as your facebook says, complicated." Thor says with some solemnity, not knowing how snickerworthy that might be. He doesn't balk from the nearness and seems to be at ease with the comforting even as his thoughts are distanced.
    He uncurls one hand to the side, as if trying to explain, which he is. "There is one woman, who is... an /exceptional/ woman." He turns to her to look sidelong at Jen, at ease discussing this with her. "She is of a noble house, she is strong, a warrior. She fits all the criteria and would provide an alliance with another nation here on Midgard. She is comely, and I admire her."
    "However, there is an issue in that her people..." He chews on his lower lip for a moment, "Worship myself and my people. Which one would imagine might well make things simpler, neh?"
    He doesn't look to her as he thinks, but then e murmurs, "So we sit down and drink, discussing other matters. I had no intention to pursue her, for it would... it did not sit well. It felt as if I would be seeking to gain her love under an ill pretense. For the image she has of what a deity is... is not how we are."

She-Hulk has posed:
She-Hulk keeps the arm wrapped about Thor's shoulders as she listens. At other, more playful times she would be using the opportunity to make sure Thor was aware of contact with other parts of her. But none of that is going on now, She-Hulk taking the matter seriously.

She nods slowly. "So on one hand, you need to put aside your own feelings and wed where it makes sense. But on the other hand, you've a perfect match, and one who could love you. Yet you are reluctant to encourage her feelings when you fear you would be doing it solely out of duty, and taking advantage of her faith in doing so?" Jennifer says in summary.

She muses quietly for a few seconds and then says, "Sounds like the concern you show is the kind of thing that makes you a worthy king for others to follow, Thor Odinson." She gives his shoulder a hard squeeze. Hard enough even Steve Rogers might be wincing. Maybe she figures Thor's made of sterner stuff.

Jennifer looks over to regard Thor as she asks him, "So I guess the simplest question to ask is, do you think that you could fall in love with her as well? And, are you willing to pursue her love, as a man rather than as her deity?" she asks.

Thor has posed:
    "Ah, it gets worse." Thor says with a heave of a sigh, "We have quarreled."
    Thor smirks a little as he looks sidelong at her and rests a hand upon her leg, giving a small squeeze appreciating her support. He takes a deep steady breath and then says, "We sat down and she asked me directly about matters divine."
    A breath is taken, "And I dislike lying. I told her what I could and tried to tell her that her faith was not wasted, though I... at least, did not hear her prayers. " He gestures to the side, "She grew morose and we proceeded to drink further. The topic came around to paramours. I asked her if she was seeking one at a moment when she was looking across the room. She turned to me and told me that one of our friends was so smitten with me."
    Another breath and he frowns, "Which surprised me for I saw naught from her before. But I then told her how I was not free to pursue my heart. That I had to think of my people first."
    His brow furrows, "And she derided me, felt me a poor man for so betraying my heart. Though she said so more politely. Her message was clear."
    A scowl, though it's more inwards. "I grew cross and I told her that no I was not, but curiously enough she fit the criteria and I had considered pursuing her. Then I made to storm off like a petulant child." He pauses then adds, "And, of course, she berated me further. But she was right, and yet..." He shakes his head and looks away, "I could see she had something there in her eyes, the way she looked at me."
    He finally exhales slowly, "Only now. I cannot pursue her. A woman whose faith I have destroyed? Who I may be pursuing only because she fits the right pieces to a puzzle? What sort of man does that make me."
    And with that he smiles slightly, "Thus, I am here." He gestures with a nod to the fallen columns.

She-Hulk has posed:
"You give yourself too little credit," She-Hulk tells Thor, and reaches over to give his head a hard head-clearing bap with her hand, the kind she knows the Asgardian can withstand easily enough. Though a mortal would likely be concussed by it.

Jennifer withdraws her arm from his shoulders, but only so she can tick off points on her fingers as she makes them. "Destroyed her faith? You showed her the truth. Is it better to let her worship, or to see you as you are and let her make her choices?" Jennifer says. One finger ticked off.

She-Hulk continues. "You make it sound as if pursuing her isn't something you feel in your heart. And yet it's clear enough that this look in her eye she had for you was of interest to you. I know you, Thor. You're quite capable of having a romantic tryst with a woman and nothing more come of it." She leans over to give him a little side bump and a playful smile. "But that's not what I'm hearing in your voice now." A second finger ticked off on the big green hand.

She-Hulk shakes her head, the Hydra hat becoming partially dislodged. She reaches up to snatch it off and toss it across the room. "Always hated them," she says crossly. "Why'd they have to pick green to wear, anyway?"

Jennifer returns to the matter at hand. "You're a good man. You worry so about having to do your duty, about impacting her faith, about not following your heart, that you can't see they are all tied together. Give the woman a try. See if she wins your heart. Let her know you, as a man. As a king. See if she finds you worthy of following. Worthy of loving." Jennifer ticks a third finger off her hand.

"And if you're half the judge of character I think you are, Thor Odinson, she probably will," Jennifer tells him. She finally leans back and crosses her arms. "Even if you did let the best thing you'll ever come across slip away," she says, voice ultra-teasing now.

Thor has posed:
    A small chuff comes from him at the /thwap/ and he plays it up the echo of pain as he rubs at the back of his head, giving her a dirty look. Much like he does when Janet grabs his ear, it's only polite after all.
    But he smiles a bit and shakes his head, "I have only spoken to her a few times, so I cannot truly know her." He replies, "But what I have seen tells me she is an exceptional individual."
    But then he shakes his head and says, "Bah, in any case. Enough of that." A moment as he turns his head and considers her, a wan half-smile there on his features. A hand lifts and he cups her cheek gently, stroking her skin with a thumb for a brief moment as he looks into her green eyes. He leans in, his own gaze closing as he steals a small ghost of a kiss just at the corner of her mouth. Barely a brush of lips as if acknowledging the last thing she spoke of and then easing back to look into her eyes again.
    "I have missed you."
    Tha said he then starts to rise to his feet.

She-Hulk has posed:
She-Hulk's big beautiful green eyes shine at Thor as he cups her cheeks. There's a delicateness to her smile that is often lost beneath her extroverted veneer, but it shows now at the softness of Thor's touch.

She smiles at the gentle near-kiss, but as Thor goes to rise, her hands grip his shirt and haul him back down to the bench. Jennifer leans in and lays a deep, passionate kiss to his lips. Sensual, hungry and salacious, yet it is the kind of kiss that cannot be given without some emotion behind it either. Yet, it is a whispered memory of past times moreso than a promise of any to come, as she finally breaks the kiss and murmurs, "Just in case this is the last chance I can do that with you without it being considered infidelity. Needed to get that in."

She-Hulk tenderly smooths Thor's shirt as she pulls back from him, looking the man over with a warm gaze. "And here I was hoping for a bit more than just a kiss upon my return. But I won't send you with guilty thoughts towards your heart's quest," she tells him with a smile both rueful and teasing.

Thor has posed:
    There is a hint of surprise to that moment, and to be fair he does at first go tense. But then he seems to easily melt into the embrace and the kiss. His own arms settling around her. Assuredly there's some part of his mind telling him to not let go, to not allow himself to indulge in such. But then she can tell there is such a /want/ underneath the surface of the man, a low growl of frustration that might be torn from him.
    For an instant it might seem like the man is balanced on a knife's edge. But then his hands rest upon her shoulders and just as she's breaking the kiss he is as well. His breathing is slow, controlled, good eye closed. He heaves a small exhaled half-sigh through a smile, then shakes his head.
    "I... am going to go get changed. You are to stay here." He says pointedly, holding up a fingertip. At that he turns and starts to walk away, a little awkwardly.

She-Hulk has posed:
She-Hulk sits and can't suppress her grin as Thor rises and walks away with that odd gait. Her tongue touches her lips, savoring what might be the last time she'll catch that lingering taste upon them. "For his sake I hope so," Jennifer murmurs quietly enough to herself that she thinks he won't hear. "If not for my own. Ah, Jennifer. Day late and a dollar short. If only they hadn't appealed the trial." She gives a sigh and a shake of her head. Watching Thor walking away with that cute Asgardian butt.