2548/Summer days in the city

Summer days in the city
Date of Scene:	21 July 2020
Location:	Oasis Community Garden, NYC.
Synopsis:	From farmers market to table in NYC.
Cast of Characters:	Thor, Ororo Munroe

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Thor has posed:
    It is not the venue that matters to Thor, nor how many it seats. It is not the draw of the media nor how many reporters appear that is a criteria for what he considers success. It is not, even in fact, a requirement for an event to even mention nor focus on him for it to be lauded in his thoughts. For him, a success is a day spent with others that leaves them with a feeling of warmth and perhaps fond memories that offer hope for the future.
    Though, to be fair, this often involves drinking and raucous celebration. But not always!
    For this hour just before the mid-day sun rises to its full height it sees the Asgardian Avenger kneeling beside the stall prepared for the community garden. One of many small displays that have been prepared for this strip of greenery and nature that is a small touch of green against the grey of the city. Rows and rows of plants being nurtured in several greenhouses and some flat areas of grass and dirt. It was a day when young gardeners of the city's neighborhoods come together to show what they've grown and to share the wealth of what they've produced.
    And for Thor, God of Thunder, it is to impart small bits of wisdom to those that will listen.
    "For you see, it is the contact you make with the seeds that inspires them to grow their fullest." He kneels beside a row of tilled soil, small gardening spade in hand as he holds up a handful o seeds in his hand to a small half-circle of about seven youths who leeeean over to see him holding those seeds. "Each one you touch you grant them your well-wishes, you tell them with your effort that you wish for them to do well, and it is in your effort, that you show to them that they must grow. For they will not willingly disappoint you. And all you need to do is show them the proper care."
    He lightly sets in a seed and then tap tap taps the flat of the spade upon the dirt to nestle it there. "Now come, Hector will you help me with this one? Inez you may the other, yes?"
    And soon there is a small line of children that are seeking to help the Thunder God tend to this garden. Though there is no signage that he would appear here, no fanfare. Though some of the event organizers are smiling and casually taking pictures with their cellphones and murmuring to each other.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
The day couldn't be more perfect, if Ororo had anything to do with it. Not too hot, not too cold, though there's a little storm brewing in the Atlantic, but there's always a storm brewing in the Atlantic at this time of year! There's a gentle soft breeze that keeps those in the sun cooler, and those many hands are making light work getting ready for the City Gardens' Market Day.

Ororo Munroe is deep in the work of the city, looking for ways to remain engaged with people, not only 'her' people, but all. And to do that is to include one of the very basic necessities of life: food. So, knowing that this day was coming, a phone call was made a few days ago, or rather, a text suggesting an outing in the city might be pleasant should the Thunderer not have anything such as saving the world on his calendar. (If he did, the chances would be better than even that she couldn't make it either.)

Storm is dressed in a turquoise, patterned sundress; light, long, volumunous with a sleeveless, bared-midriff top that ties up and behind her neck, leaving the back open. She wears beaded jewelry, both around her neck and about her wrists, managing to make the adornment as graceful and elegant as gold.

She's not far off from where Thor is, as she helps with the preparation of the pots, and with the decoration of the stalls. Childen also ring her, ages ranging from the young at about 6 to early teens, all races in full display as they seek encouraged guidance from the adults working. With each pot of dirt that is passed along, the planter has properly dampened soil without the benefit of a hose in its immediate location.

Ororo isn't a headliner here, no. The weather goddess is a worker, and enjoys the background as she teaches and guides and mentors. There's been whispers, rumors really, that the African lady must be some tribal queen back in Africa, but for some reason, due to politics or somesuch, she's been exiled here.

"Miss Ororo?" A young, dark-skinned girl in pigtails comes up, her tomato plant looking less than.. safe in it's pot in her hands.

"Okay, Tanesha.. let me see?" Ororo is happy in the work, "We need to stake that a little more, give it its support so it can grow." There's a quick, blue eyed search for a proper bit, and she lifts her head, calling out, "Thor, have you the tomato stakes? This needs our aid." Holding it gently aloft first, she then brings it back down to give it back to the young girl and send her off to the Thunderer, "He'll have what you need."

Thor has posed:
    The words offered in return are a touch hazy, "These?" He offers as he holds up some stakes for vinework not the stakes per se but ones that should work. Though his mistake is rapidly remedied when he sees the little picture on one of the packets and indeed notes. Those are tomatoes.
    "Ah these." He calls out as he rises up and then lightly pat pats Inez on the shoulder as he starts to step past her, letting her and her comrades get the efforts underway to plant the next row of seeds. It leaves Thor to cross the way with a few easy strides.
    And where Ororo is fashionable in that dress, looking as if she fits entirely with the tableau, Thor does not quite match nor reach that elegance for he is wearing but blue jeans and a black t-shirt, though it is augmented with a reddish overshirt that remains unbuttoned and hangs loose arond his broad frame.
    Once he's close enough he offers the small package as he turns back to stand shoulder to shoulder with her arms folding over his chest as he straightens to his full considerable height. With a quieter voice, lower and simply spared for her he says with a wry tone, "Should I tell them the one time I tried to grow a garden back home that it did not go so well?" A story there perhaps, his lip twisting up a little.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo draws herself up to full height as she watches the girl turn and head over towards Thor, waiting in 'line', as it were, for his attention. Leaning to look around others gathered, she smiles as the pair interact and she gets what she needs to help shore up that little plant. Now it'll grow! Moments later, another mother takes Tanesha and leads her back, and the work on the little plant pavillions continue.

She's 'caught' looking at the Thunderer, and as he approaches, her smile grows, and there's a warmth to it that easily reaches those startling blue eyes. She's not that much shorter than he, so it's a little easier to speak. Regardless, Ororo is sure to keep most conversations between the pair.

"Oh?" There's amusement wrapped in the more utterance than actual word, and brows rise as the humor enters her regard. "That surprises me." Though, to be honest, he reminds her of one who would enjoy the hunt more...

She shakes her head and lifts a finger to her lips in that 'shhh' gesture, "Already they believe that you can make life come from a pot, and with your aid, they can as well." Her voice is softly accented, the words lilting. "I, however, would love to hear that story later."

Thor has posed:
    Lifting one hand he touches a single finger to his lips as his eyebrows climb, signaling his silent agreement to her sentiment before he gives a nod to the others around them when they seek his eye. A deep breath is taken as he stands there, looking from each small gathering of people, seeing the small tasks and projects that took up their time.
    "Later then," He finally agrees and then his smile widens, "Ah, these." He steps across the way a few strides to a small display of bright green and red and yellow peppers, "I have had these before." He gives a nod to them, though perhaps recognizing them in their whole form, for assuredly he had them in various dishes. But the whole pepper, for some reason it sparks his memory.
    "Did you know they sometimes empty them and stuff them with various things and then cook them? Was delicious the one time I had them." Stuffed peppers not exactly being an Asgardian dish that is common with them. He lifts one up and ponders, then shows it to her as if she had never had green peppers before either. A curious exuberance in the man about it.
    But as the day wends on, and as the students and children flow through the small festival, things begin to ease as people start to head home. At one point a group of people showed up apparently because of some word dropped on social media about the Avenger's presence. Yet they didn't stay long after a brief bout of autographs and selfies being taken.
    It was only after two in the afternoon that things started to wrap up and the stalls were being dismantled. Some of the heavy lifting was aided with Thor offering to fetch and tote as was needed. But it didn't take too long and afterwards once the community gardens were secured, the Thunderer emerged from one of the greenhouses and murmurs toward her.
    "I, am famished." For his appetite is no small thing.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Stuffed peppers! Ororo knows them well, and to aid in the brief discussion regarding the proper cooking of them, offers helpfully, "Char the skins over a fire before putting them into the oven to cook. Some will put meat in there, but I find that oats with sweets such as figs works quite well." One day, she should make them, particularly with such a bountiful harvest such as this.

The weather does hold for the day, and not only will the Thunderer find himself asked for selfies, but there are a couple of Community Garden Market public relations photos that must be taken as well, so for that, there is the group picture of the entire gathering with the market as a back drop.

Ororo aids with the breakdown of the stalls as well, and as the afternoon seems still in easy progress, those that garden are ready to go home and nap! As a result, then, once all is away and the gates can be locked up, Ororo stands on the sidewalk outside the commons as the desire for food is expressed. Now the clouds move in up above; there's no need to hold the proper weather patterns back, and nods, adding a slightly wearied smile.

"I am as well. Work well done deserves a reward at the end of it. There are many small restaurants around. I particularly enjoy one that is tucked away on the second floor. A French-African place; much food, away from traffic so you can enjoy eating without too much interruption." There's a momentary pause before, "And they serve meat." Just in case he believes that all the places she knows are vegetarian! Brows rise in silent invitation.

Thor has posed:
    There's a small tilt of his head given, a fant distant look as if graced with a hint of puzzlement before he shakes his head and instead focuses on the words offered him. His smile broadens, "That sounds lovely."
    He starts to walk, hands sliding into the pockets of his jeans as that overshirt hangs loosely over his wide-shouldered frame. "Are you certain they'll..." He lifts his chin and his eyebrows, gaze drifting to the side as he seems about to ask something. But words falter as he perhaps seeks the proper ones, and eventually settles on the choice of, "Wish to host a meal with my presence? I have been told that my presence can interrupt the flow of certain workplaces." Which, to be fair, is true.
    "We could always bring our custom to yonder food trucks if such you would find acceptable." For it is that hour along the streets, particularly near the parks that rest within the city, that the food trucks will take up their spots and begin to ready to cater to the tourists who wander rather often. And no small number of native New Yorkers to be fair.
    Yet as to the choice he'll follow her wishes in this matter.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo's hair is barely contained in a braid that rests down her back, and as she walks, the tendrils that have found freedom dance in the breeze of her step. The pair do get looks, but they're in the 'native NYer' area, and they're allowed to pass uninterrupted. (For the most part.) Inclining her head in prelude to a response, her smile is a merry one,

"They are the second floor of a building. Unless you are aware of their existance, they will not be found." Still, the weather goddess is amenable to anything, and she gestures with a nod up the road. "I have heard 'city dogs' are the best in the world." But, she'll be straying from that, instead looking at something a little more.. vegetarian. "And the park is beyond that, just to gather your bearings here."

Perhaps later, then.

"Today, I think, was a grand success. Once again, the lives of many were touched in a positive way." Her pace is easy, her strides not forcing the Thunderer to modify his own. "I wish others would reach out as we do.." She has a school of students, and he? Well.. positive role model!

As the line of trucks are approached, there is much there from which to choose. BBQ. Fish. Hot dogs in all forms and flavors. "It will be on me." Even as the words come forth, there's a touch of humor in the realization that the Thunderer does, quite probably, eat a great deal. Which is fine.

"And I would love to hear that story. I may have a few to match." There's a wry tone to her words as well, "I have not always had successes in that area either."

Thor has posed:
    "Ah, it was the foolishness of youth. To be fair." Thor offers as to the story, to properly couch her expectations and perhaps lend some further insight into it. But when she brings up the idea that the restaurant being on the second floor, he smiles a little even though he does look longingly toward one of the food trucks. For food now is ever better than food later.
    But no. He makes the decision to hold off as he says, "Let us try your restaurant. It will be an adventure. Assuredly I could find something fine here, but I would enjoy seeing what you fancy and find to your affection when it comes to such things."
    That said he smiles and motions with a small tilt of his head, "And we can chat as we walk and I will tell you the tale of the Mighty Thor's attempt at a flower garden." For assuredly it will be a tale for the ages. And hopefully with a better ending than his 'Get Help' story.
    With that he sets one foot in front of the other though he takes his lead from her as to direction.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
That wry tone is matched with a good humored facial expression as she dips her head in acknowledged agreement; a shared early experience, apparently. "Where I grew up, the land required careful tending," she begins. "Enter a young woman who did not wish to listen to her lessons," obviously referring to herself. There is a laughed addition, "I find that is a common theme with a great deal of stories, regardless of who tells it."

Still, Ororo glances to her side and lifts her head slightly to watch her companion as they walk, her pronouncement easy with the offer of a story, "The inexperience of youth. I cannot but believe it was motivated by the finest of intentions." Uh huh..

Word of the restaurant, however, brings a larger smile to her face, and in the next few steps changes their direction. It's across town, certainly, but the likes of them? It's not hard to traverse. The restaurant is in the Village, on the second floor of a building, marked only by a handwritten sign in the window.

Thor has posed:
    As they stroll along, no seeming rush to it considering that the decision has been made and so his focus is now on the travel and his companion in that effort. Thor smiles as he nods to her, offering agreement given to her words as he begins the tale.
    "Well, my mother took hand in the raising of myself and my brother. Her lessons were often a touch gentle and a bit esoteric, so much so that I find myself even today coming to puzzle them out or appreciate them."
    He walks along, eyes lifted to the beautiful Summer sky, his smile is a pleasant thing as he offers, "She tended to the gardens in the palace in part. Oh we had gardeners, and some enjoyed the use of the plots. But she also enjoyed at times indulging and caring for her own small section."
    There's a pause as they reach the corner of the street, and the pair receive no few glances, considering the way they casually wander through the crowd yet part it before them. "And one day she showed it to us, I was..." He holds a hand out to the side, perhaps three and a half feet off the ground, almost four. "Very young, my brother too. She showed us what it would take to tend to the soil, and gave us our seeds and told us to mix them up to create a beautiful gathering of wild flowers."
    "But." Thor's smile is wry as the light changes and they start walking across the street. He instinctively steps subtly to the side, as if to interpose himself between her and the possibility of oncoming traffic, just custom perhaps or muscle memory from his time in New York.
    "My brother, ever the schemer did not plant anything that day. I asked him why he did not and at first he told me there was no reason he just wished to wait."
    His lip twists, "But that night I /caught/ him! Under the covers of his bed, light illuminating a tray he had with all his seeds upon it, and in a small bowl he had these tiny... snail shells."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
The city streets, while not her ideal location, is that which she's navigated before. The pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks is filled with those who are out to enjoy the weather; laughter ringing out in small gatherings outside shops. Crossing the busy thoroghfares is a lesson in speed and tactics on a good day, and on busy days? While it's unnecessary, there is the silent thanks given in the seemingly unconscious gesture of interposing himself as they cross. She'd never repay kindness with a statement of 'not needed, k thx'.

Take kindesses where you may, and when freely given.

They do garner more than a few looks, this pair that may at first glance look rather unlikely, unmatched. There's an easy comfort, however, at least on Ororo's part, listening attentively, but not to the detriment of their passage through the city.

"Your mother sounds as if she's taught you much," is gently given. Words of living in a palace, gardeners to tend doesn't make her wistful, no. While it's not a shared experience, after a strange fashion, it's a shared identity.

"You have a brother?" This is a woman that perhaps hadn't heard the news, before it does bgin to dawn on her of whom he may be referring. "I see," and she sounds as if she truly does. There's no judgement, but instead, echoes the humor in which the story is imparted.

Gesturing towards the oncoming block as their destination, she does pause in her step, with confusion and curiosity dancing in her tones, "Snail shells?"

Thor has posed:
    "She has, and I will never know half as much as she has grasped in her lifetime." The Thunderer's smile is a warm thing, but it slips easily as they walk on. A small smirk lights Thor's features as he reaches the other street and carries on with that steady gait. "But indeed, snail shells."
    A hand lifts and uncurls as he offers the answer as he can. "I asked him that exactly, and he looked at me nervously and said that never I mind and that I should mind my own business while trying to hide the snail shells from me."
    A small chuckle escapes him, "Which, of course, only served to draw my attention further. And to be fair I perhaps coerced him some to tell me. So after I let him go from the headlock he confessed to me that Wild Flowers, you see, compete with each other so much that only a few survive. He was putting them into the snail shells to protect them so that /all/ of his flowers would blossom and he would impress our mother so."
    A small snort, "So I, of course, insisted on using the snail shells and he magnanimously allowed me to use his since he could always get more." A deep breath is taken, then a sigh exhaled as he shakes his head. "And thus I spent the rest of the night stuffing my seeds into these small shells and smiling to myself at how clever I was to have caught Loki so."
    He bites his lower lip as he walks on, stepping around people and at times offering a smile and wave when someone might well recognize him. Yet it never interrupts his story.
    "And so we planted them, and I in my youthful arrogance teased Loki about how my flowers would be so much better. And then a week passed."
    His smile slips a little wider as he meets her eyes. "And then another. And another. And Loki had this beautiful growing garden of flowers and I... had naught."
    "I asked him what I did wrong and he looked sadly at my plot and told me that perhaps I was not made for gardening and best I just accept my place as second best. Which... did not sit well." His smile slips a little embarrassed, "And thus I of course ran crying to mother only to find the truth of the matter. And Loki roaring with laughter."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Snail shells.

Ororo is intrigued by the unfolding reasons for such an addition to the story, and as they walk on once more, crossing the last major road in order to gain the sidestreet upon which the restaurant, she's listening intently. The story progresses, and there's that awareness that //something// will come from it; sibling rivalry, she understands, has no limit placed upon it. It's not until the end, however, that those blue eyes dance and she laughs out loud at the finale, gently reaching to place a hand on the Thunderer's forearm to add to the sentiment,

"I am not laughing at you, I promise," and it's followed by giggles, "I cannot imagine how your mother must have reacted to this," and she shakes her head in mirth. "I'm certain, with brothers, the only lesson learned was 'do not place seeds in snail shells'." Never a 'don't trust your brother'.

There's a fond smile that replaces the mirth, and as they approach the restaurant, adds her own, "Mama Attie was very much like your mother, I think. But, she had to rule an unruly child that thought herself too important." She shakes her head, and seems to search for the correct word, "Too.. smart. Thinking herself too clever." She's come a loooong way from where she was.

"Hard lessons, though I shall remember your snail story."

Thor has posed:
    "Oh trust I shall not regret if my snail story shall slip your memory for it is not my most flattering depiction." Thor smiles and rests his hand upon hers for a moment, giving a friendly squeeze as they walk along, not sure where they are heading but trusting entirely to her leading the way and so giving most of his thought to the conversation and the tales told.
    "But indeed, no matter where parents are from they do share that common ground of dealing with willful children. And myself. My brother, we met the criteria strongly."
    Though once they approach that restaurant he draws up short, lifting his eyes upward then to the sign, remembering as much as she told he looks sidelong to her and gestures with one hand. "Do my eyes deceive me or have we come upon our destination?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"It is a lovely story of youth," Ororo offers, her bright smile remaining. "One that shows care and the desire to grow beauty only to have it taken from you. And, apparently, you have learned new lessons because your teaching of the children was appropriate and so well received."

As they slow in arriving at their destination, her own eyes rise to the sign in the window on the second floor before they lower once more and nods.

Stepping forward once more, the door is gained, and it's an old building, coupled with an old staircase that rises to the restaurant.

It's not a large one, obviously, and there aren't that many patrons there, but from the looks of it, that is fine. They'd not be able to handle a high population of customers; this is, as they say, a 'hole in the wall'. Those are usually the best; good food, a lot of food, good prices and attentive servers as well as chefs.

"I recommend the ox-tail."

Thor has posed:
    As the Asgardian enters he ducks his head low to slip beneath an overhanging lamp then smiles with an ease to host as he answers Storm simply enough with, "Then that is what I shall have." And with that he smiles to her before he follows after to be seated.