9667/A Tastey Place

A Tastey Place
Date of Scene:	20 October 2019
Location:	Shawarma Palace - Manhattan
Synopsis:	Thor and Diana share a pleasant conversation and some time together.
Cast of Characters:	Thor, Wonder Woman

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Thor has posed:
This is it. The iconic 'shawarma palace.' Stark was the one who keyed him on to it, so many years ago. And ever since then, it became the most popular Shawarma place in all of new york, what with the Avengers clientele it frequently gets. He's actually taken Diana here before....and this time it's a second invitation. The difference, of course, is that Carol wasn't here this time. It was just them.

Well...this time he need merely wait for his guest to arrive, having invited her specifically. He managed to get one of the more private looking corner booths, from which sound did not travel easily. That mysterious 'credit card' Stark gave him seems to allow for all sorts of good things to happen, even if he stil isn't quite sure how it works or why. Currency was just never all that important to him.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana arrives via her silver Porsche that pulls up outside of the building and parks just a few vehicles down from it. A moment later, the woman is seen walking down the side street wearing a slim fit black leather jacket, a white top beneath it, dark red jeans and black boots with small heels making her stand just over six feet in height.

She steps into the restaurant and lets her eyes roam about it for a spell before she locates Thor and starts to walk to join him. She pauses though when someone speaks out to her, another customer. A young woman at a table with a child. Diana spends a few moments interacting with them, sharing words, even laughing softly before she excuses herself after taking a photo with them both and then she strides on toward the God of Thunder's location.

"Hey." She says with a soft smile as she settles in across from him, releasing a light breath as she does so. "How are you?" She asks in that Greek-accented voice, her right hand going up to pull her ponytail-tied hair over her right shoulder so it drapes down her front rather than her back for now.

Thor has posed:
Clearly, Tony must've picked his outfit out, because this was definitely not Asgardian finery he wears. He's got on a rather stylish black coat, a grey shirt with red accents, and greyish trousers. No, he's actually fitting in, even if he's fitting in 'rich' so to speak. The quality of the material speaks volumes. And yet, Thor doesn't really seem to notice what message the clothes might be sending.

Thor catches out of the corner of his eye Diana slowing down to speak to the customers and the child. He kicks back a little...he is well aware what she means to the world, and how important that moment might well be in the lives of mother and child both.

"Hey yourself. Kindness always walks a step behind you. Glad you could make it." Cause hey, those beaming smiles are easily picked out even from way over here.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana regards Thor and his attire, it makes her smile warmly to him as she sits straight in her seat and nods once toward him. "You are dressed rather nicely." She says to him then, having not seen him since the Superman ceremony. She hadn't said much to anyone that day, for obvious reasons.

Her hands rest on the edge of the table's top and her stare is leveled upon him while the restaurant around them remains yet at about half its capacity, fairly noisy but nothing overly bearable.

"What have you been up to? Is everything okay with Loki... and... all that he did?" She then asks of the Godly figure across from her.

Thor has posed:
"Loki has done...surprisingly well for himself lately. For all the mistakes that were made restoring Asgard, the people of Asgard appreciate him more than ever. I think the feast we had yesterday was the first time he's ever heard positivity and praise. Certainly the first time he ever received gifts from the craftspeople. It is always difficult to discern what he feels, but I'm fairly certain he feels something he may not have felt before. Genuine appreciation from those around him. Respect. I do not know how he'll react in the long run...but I hope the positivity he's been receiving is reflected back out from him." Is Thor being foolishly optimistic? Maybe. But still, nobody ever appreciated Loki till now, and it's difficult to discern how, or if, it will change him.

"How about you? It is a shame the rules more or less prevent me from visiting your home properly, but I hope things are going well among your sisters?" He can only envision it in his mind's eye, but it's surely a beautiful place.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's ever-attentive stare remains on Thor with a respective interest in what he has to stay, it IS interesting after all that has recently happened with regard to Loki and how she was involved. She'd never even seen him, point of fact, he'd evaded her at every turn... which was probably very lucky for Loki indeed.

"One can hope that this level of positivity returned to him for what he has provided your people may send him on a new path of seeking it... perhaps more? Kindness always feels better than otherwise showing it. Some people just haven't exer experienced how good it can feel to be as such."

She hopes for this, for Thor and his people, and Loki... but... even she may hold some doubts in its future results.

Another light smile is shown then. "Themyscira itself remains at peace. But..." The smile fades and Diana leans back in her chair, her hands drop from the table to her lap where they press together. "Someone broke into our Embassy. They injured one of my people, gravely, and they destroyed very... important artifacts from a long lost expedition party from Themyscira. While stealing at least one of them items, perhaps as a trophy, we are not sure. This has those of us here in the city... a little on the 'down' side of emotions. But we're trying to figure it all out and find the culprit."

Thor has posed:
"That...is actually exactly what I'm thinking. He's never experienced kindness or appreciation like this before. His life may actually be better than its ever been. Even if all he seeks is to be happier than he was, he may continue on the path he's on. My brother does have an ego...he used his cleverness before to try to prove himself smarter. Now...after seeing what actually works...after receiving the title of 'Homebringer'...he just might focus on doing other things. It is my hope his cleverness gets turned to trying to further improve Asgard, as he looks for more of the appreciation he just found. I'd always hoped that mind could be turned to positive ends. Now it might finally be happening." It might...of course, he could always regress, but Thor's got an optimist hat on here.

The news about the embassy caused Thor's mood to darken a bit as well, "Diana, if I may be of any use in bringing such ruffians to justice, I am at your disposal." The trick to criminals is that Midgard has some 8 billion beings on it, and finding the guilty one is often a difficult task. "I know how I'd feel if that happened to relics of my people. I don't imagine it's much different for you."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana softly nods her head to his response about the Embassy. "If something comes up where I do need your help, I certainly will come to you for it. You can be assured of that. But, whomever did this? It probably has only wet their appetite for a similar repeat offense. I expect them to expose themselves and then they will... well, be caught. I understand that not everyone is happy with what I do in this world, I just wish they would speak to me rather than do this sort of..." She gently shakes her head. "Cowardice..."

After a moment of introspective though, Diana shows the Asgardian King a smile then, soft and sweet. "I am hoping that having your home back will indeed give Loki a new path in life. I am not pleaesd with what he did here, but ultimately the damage was limited at-best." Mostly to Doctor Strange's house, but... she knows Strange is more than capable of fixing that.

"Be vigil with watching though, but... I suppose I do not have to say that to you. You know him better than anyone, after all."

Thor has posed:
"Well, yes. He will always bear watching, but...seeing him turn his life around towards positive ends is something I've been hoping for...for centuries. If this is the moment where my dream is coming true, than I need to support every step he makes, affirm him as he walks a path he's never walked before. Still...he can't help but backslide a little, somewhere. It's in his nature. So I'll have to catch him when that inevitably happens and set him back on the right path again. It's...rather like attempting to put alcohol aside for one who's had too much for too long. The siren's call of the bottle is always there, but...if they can set it aside, life changes. A lot. It would be wonderful to see what he can do in such a state." Thor truly is full of lots of hope here.

"I must agree. Cowardice is abhorent in my realm as well. Even when we fight mightier foes, we do not stand down, but press onward." But...he's also a little confused. "I confess, though, I do not understand what they could possibly be objecting to? You have done amazing things for everyone around you...and not just in battle. I didn't miss the mom and her child but a few minutes ago. And that happens for almost everyone around you. I could stand to do more of that myself." He's a little jealous, even, of her ability to simply pick people up as she walks by, and do it unconsciously like that. It's a trait he could continue working on.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana glances back over her shoulder when the mother and daughter were mentioned. They'd left already though, as she'd expected them to have since they said they were on their way out. She then looks back to Thor. "I have met them before in fact. Her child had come to the Embassy for a school field trip last year, around this time actually." She glances out the window beside their table, then looks back to Thor. "Sometimes, as you know, people hav expectations for us that we cannot live up to. Not everyone understand what our abilities and inabilities add up to. They think 'You saved this person, why were you then not able to save this one to'." She gently shakes her head. "They do not always know that we are simply not able to be everywhere that there are... dangers ongoing. Situations like that can lead to misgivings, or so I've noted."

Diana then spares a moment to smile lightly again. "I think you should give Loki some responsibilities to keep him busy and to make him feel as though you respect him more now than ever after what he has returned to your people. Give him... a job... or a position of leadership. People to watch over, or care for, to show that his work is making a difference and that his work is also something he should take pride in. Perhaps his problem, up to this point, has been a lack of feeling needed somewhere. A place where what he's capable of can truly shine and proof can be made positive."

Thor has posed:
"I have run in to such regrets many times. While I have the bifrost to get back and forth, and Heimdall to warn me of emergencies, there are still times I simply cannot get back to Asgard or Midgard in time to prevent something. I can only be in one place at once. There are probably people out those doors who could use us as we speak...and yet we must still trust the others who protect this world have it under control." Thinking, "It's about trust in the end, trusting in those who must cover for you while you're out of position." He has so many duties in two realms to see to, it's not easy to get it all done. "And then one must spend time with one's friends, and family, and all the rest of it. No matter how many years I have to live, there are still only 24 hours in a day, and each hour must be chosen well."

Thor is nodding by second part of that. "Indeed! That sounds like a fantastic idea. He was always so clever...he could improve many things in ways none of the rest of us would have thought of. Given charge of things, he could put it to use improving people's lives. In fact, he already has by restoring Asgard in the first place. If he further improves things..." If he gets to tinkering instead of deceiving..."He could eventually create wonders even father had never seen."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana leans forward again and folds her forearms atop one another on the edge of the table, she smiles lightly to his comments. "Yes. It is... easy for us to know what we are and are not capable of, but if we are to place our minds into the positions of others... well, maybe it is a little clearer to see the confusion others without our abilities may have. But, that is something we must deal with. It is one of our responsibilities to be upfront with those who ask us of ourselves. What we are and are not capable of. This is why I do not hide myself from the world, use a mask or an alias to hide my true self. I do not want people to have misinformation on what I am, truly."

"But yes..." She slows her speaking there and lowers her chin a little as she raises her drak eyebrows up just a bit. "I am eager to find out how things continue to evolve with your sibling." She states, showing a hint of a grin. "And I am glad it is going well, at leats so far to now."

Thor has posed:
"I've tried taking another identity before. It...just doesn't suit me very well. If I am to be Thor Odinson, then that is who I must be. There's certainly no use in taking another identity back home, and on this world...if I understand correctly, the point of having such a secret is to protect one's loved ones. There is truth to that...an enemy cannot strike at your loved ones if they don't know who to strike. But that is not a problem I face, since my family is not only in another realm, but they're quite capable of taking care of themselves. It should be similar for you. Attacking your sisters to try to get to you is not going to end well for the attacker, even before you get there." Mmmm. "Still, for those who are close to those easily injured or killed, I can see why they'd want to keep those people out of the line of sight of those with murder on their minds."

"With the initial feasting done...we might be ready to receive guests. Would you like to see our rebuilt home?" Diana would absolutely fit right in. "...Perhaps not as an official visit from Themyscira right away, though should it turn in to one, so be it. Just...as two people, if you'd like."

Wonder Woman has posed:
The part of Thor taking on a secret identity causes the Princess to show a quick smile. "I do not think you would be too challenging to spot in a mask, if I am being blunt." She teases him in good humor. "You are a rather unique... cut, the whole package that is." She then states before she nods to the rest of what he says. "But yes, you are right and I benefit from having all of my loved ones being on an island that... really no one can reach. This is also partly why I have not entered into a relationship with anyone, I would hate to make them a target." Plus she's still mourning a lost love from a long time ago. When you don't age, you mourn for a very long time!

"I was there when you settled New Asgard here on Earth." She speaks then. "I am more than happy to come and see the restored Asgard as well. Official or unofficially. You come from a great people, I am honored to get to experience and interact with them any time I am able to."

Thor has posed:
Thor does have a thought about that. "I do have a thought about that. You cannot risk relationships because of the target it would make them. My problem is...rather similar, isn't it? Perhaps the answer, then, might just be courting someone who is sufficiently strong that you would only smile if someone threatened to make a target of them." Pause. "My father did that, with Lady Frigga. She was high sorceress of Asgard, as well as Queen, and truly, none could contend with mother's magic."

That...is when the Odinson stretches a hand across the table. "Would you like to try?" Such things need not be rushed...neither of them are going to get older anytime soon. Still, it is a more direct way of courting. She can take his hand or not, as she sees fit.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana shows a soft smile at the talk of Thor's parents. "I would have very much enjoyed meeting both of them." She replies to him before she watches him extend his hand across the table and she has a flicker of a smile reaction to the gesture and the offer of what it implies.

Her brown eyes look up to him and she lowers her chin slightly as she stares at him. "You do understand that such a thing is... highly complicated, yes?" She asks him. "With a lot of moving parts and expectations that we both deal with on a daily basis." She reaches out and cups his hand between both of her own. "I value everything that you and I share, and I enjoy spending time with you a great deal. I just..." She trails off then. "I have trouble with entering into such unions. Even if they are presented as a casual affair, a friendly arrangement. I have so many places to be, people to meet, tasks to complete and responsibilities now?" She shakes her head gently to the right and left once.

"I am just not confident in my ability to be a good partner to anyone, let alone a ruler of a world far from here."

Thor has posed:
"Yes, there are politics involved...you are a princess, and I am a king. Both of those things carry a lot of weight. But that is the other point. We have something those around us do not. That is time. It is true our responsibilities will not fade. We will always have them, unto the end of millenia. It is equally true I am no less busy...between the Avengers and being King, and everything else I must do. But it is said the best person to share a busy person's life is...an equally busy person. You've learned more about time management with all of your responsibilities than most will ever know."

"And remember what I said about time. My parents courted a solid 25 years, I'm told, before Odin offered a ring. You do not have to be confident today. You only have to want to try. There's a very long time to figure out the rest." Patience is a thing two busy immortals (or near immortals) can abuse when necessary. "Stretch time out as long as you need to. I have plenty of it to give." Pause. "The choice is yours. If you do not wish to persue it, I will persue it no further."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana shows a simple and soft playful grin to the Asgardian King's words. "I have been a public figure for only a handful of years now and prior to that I was living a fairly average life, albeit a life where I had earned a great deal of luxury which I was always thankful for, but still." She pauses then before she speaks again. "Since becoming a public figurehead for my people, the world has gotten so much more complicated, let alone adding the responsibilities that come with the Justice League... and everything that has befallen it of late."

Diana's eyes go back to Thor. "Would you understand me if I said that of right now, what I really need is good friends and... really just that? People that I can be close to, but not beholden to more titles or additional expectations? If that makes any sense." She pauses then. "I very much do enjoy the moments we get to spend together though, and I have since we first met."

Thor has posed:
Thor halfsmiles. "Yes, I understand. Well. It seemed like a good idea on paper, but your heart is not truly in it, and you deserve someone you can give your whole heart to. Elissandra could not...that was too much an arrangement, and so it fell through. It was an important lesson to learn." As king, of course, Thor must keep looking...it's sort of necessary for a throne and all.

"Very well. You're still invited to see my home, and there may well be competitions when you get there. Your strength is well known, and Asgard loves to compete against the best when the best is available." Nobody gets it right on the first try.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana gives Thor's hand another squeeze between both of her own, her fingers and palms are soft and warm, softer than any warrior woman's ever should be in fact. She leans forward then to use her eyes to lock onto his and gather them up so he's staring sharply toward her. After a moment of staring at him like this, she speaks up again, her voice calm and compassionate.

"You are everything I could ask for in a partner. Everything I could ever dream of having for one. I think together we could inspire a great many people. We could accomplish wondrous things as a union." There's a very light pause then and there. "I just... would like to be friends for as long as possible, before such a thing would be explored. So we have more time to simply bask in what we have right now."

She strokes her right thumb over the back of his hand and then draws both of her own back to her side of the table.

Thor has posed:
Thor squeezes her hand in turn, with surprising gentleness for the God of Thunder.

"We have time for you to explore whatever you wish. You will know when the time is right, should the warmth you feel blaze hotter. After all...if Thunder and Lightning is my purview, Truth is yours. Whatever you decide, it is unlikely you are wrong." Pause, "That, and father once told me marrying a good friend is the way to go about it. Thousands of years is a long time to spend. You want it to last. My parents had celebrated their 4,238th anniversary before tragedy struck." Whoever and however it ends up going.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Another soft smile is shown to Thor then. "Well, that is over four times my lifetime... so should I find happiness with you, or anyone, as much as they seem to have had... I would be very grateful to make it that far and that long. It would... surely be a strange and beautiful experience. So I am glad we're on the same page then and that we have gotten that figured out... but still." She pauses. "Know that I am here for you and your people. I want to be known to be a close ally to Asgard, as I hope you and they will be for my people and I."

Diana takes a second then before she motions to one of the menus. "Would you like to order something now? We have not even glanced at the food yet." She states with a growing little grin.

Thor has posed:
"Always. You may count on Asgard's support should anything actually manage to threaten you and your people." It's pretty unlikely with that magical shield, but this world has some obscenely powerful beings in it. You never know when that support might actually be needed.

Oh yeah, the menu. The waiters were probably wondering why they were taking up the good booth and not ordering thing. "I like the Thunder and Shawarma platter..." In truth, they have shawarma platters named after each of the original 6 Avengers. So Thor naturally orders his own!