729/C'est le choix de monsieur

C'est le choix de monsieur
Date of Scene:	24 March 2020
Location:	Avengers Mansion - First Floor
Synopsis:	Thor takes Jessica on a tour of the Avenger Mansion
Cast of Characters:	Thor, Jessica Drew

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Thor has posed:
    The call had come and it was answered promptly. A few words exchanged by the Good Lady Drew and Thor Odinson. A quick back and forth, a few shared interests and with little to do she was able to bring up the possibility of a visit to the mansion. And Thor, being rather easy-going in such a regard said but of course. Thus it was during the day that the Thunderer had marched into the kitchen and addressed the computer console and display that was built into the wall.
    "JARVIS, we are to have a guest this afternoon. If you would be so kind as to make the needed preperations and security precautions?"
    << At once, Master Odinson. >>
    And with that the Asgardian retired to await the Spider-Woman's arrival...
    Which was not too far off. A few hours later and the door was answered, the tall man holding the door open and smiling. "Jessica." He greets her with open arms and a broad smile... while wearing orange beach shorts, flip flops, and a grey hoodie.
    A companionable hug is gently given with him drawing back with hands upon her shoulders, eyes meeting hers as he gets a good look at her. "You are looking better, how is your head?" He lifts one large hand lightly as if making sure she's healed sufficiently to be out and about. Which might be silly considering how quickly she heals.
    "Come, let me get you a drink. Walk with me." And with that he turns and starts walking down the hall of that foyer heading towards the kitchen.

Jessica Drew has posed:
The Avengers. A name that she had heard, an organization where she might belong. What better way to get to know them then through her new acquaintance Thor?

Jessica dithered in front of the closet pulling out pants and rejecting them, pulling out a suit and naysaying it. It was not a business interview; he had an old fashioned side to him - a dress, a simple one, blue-green like her eyes, scoop-necked, long-sleeved, form-fitting with a flared skirt and boots against the lingering cold. Done. There is a limit to dithering. Grabbing her favorite camel hair coat and a cloche she ran down the stairs in time for the uber to pick her up.

At the mansion, she feels slightly overdressed as well as amused at his flip flops and orange shorts. Gods evidently were not heroes when it came to choosing flattering clothes. Tentatively, she moved into his embrace feeling small, wrapped in the same male aroma she had noticed the first time he'd carried her. She frowns against his shoulder before following him into the kitchen.

"You look well, all the time, Thor. I suppose the cold doesn't bother you?"The mixture of high formality of the mansion and his flip flops erase the frown and unaccountably put her at ease. She follows him into the kitchen.

Thor has posed:
    "Ah, well," Thor turns and looks over his shoulder as he walks, those flip flops making a soft fnap-fnap-fnap sound as he moves, "As to that, we have the heat up, but indeed I do take to the cold reasonably well." And, to be fair, it was snowing not too long ago though the rain has long since washed it away this afternoon. Yet there's still a chill in the air.
    "Let me show you around a bit as we walk." He says as they reach that large main entry hall area, with the double staircase that wends its way upwards to the next floor. "Our quarters are upstairs," He points, then motions downwards, "Over there are some rooms, meeting hall, study, rec room."
    He then shifts to the side and motions the other way, "And yonder lies the kitchen and some storage areas and an..." His brow furrows as he tries to remember, "One of Tony's offices I believe?" He looks back to her and his smile broadens as he gives an easy shrug.
    "But here," He continues the walk to the kitchen, the lights flickering on as he enters, "In here is the food and drink, and the door to the backyard."
    He motions, "Ah, this is JARVIS. Say hello, JARVIS."
    << Hello, Jarvis. >> Says the robotic voice.
    To which Thor laughs, "Hah, clever."
    But then he nods, "What would you care to drink? If we have it not here..." He pulls open the refrigerator door and looks inside curiously, "Well then we can raid Tony's study."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Someone with money and taste had decorated the mansion, it had a timeless quality to it. The kitchen and JARVIS were straight from the near future, well, not very near future she decides listening to the computer quip with Thor.

"If it's not too early, a Campari and soda, with a twist of lemon, chilled, no ice?" She shrugs wryly, "I must sound like James Bond or a princess but Campari is good cold and the ice waters it down. What are you having?"

Thor has posed:
    "Ah, he..." Thor stands there, looking confused as he sort of points at the console a few times with one eye scrunched up. "He doesn't make. Drinks."
    << That is coming in the next patch, Master Odinson. >>
    To which Thor just blinks but then he smiles and nods to Jess, "However! If you tell me how I shall fix it for you, come." And with that he starts walking again back out into the hallway with that same fnap-fnap-fnap of those flip flops. Over his shoulder again he talks amiably, "So, was there aught you'd like to see in particular? Or something I could show you? Or did you need to speak with me in private?" For it must be one of those three things assuredly.
    He travels down that beautiful hallway with the perfect woodwork along the walls, then opens the side door that leads into the study with shelf upon shelf of books, along with several conversational areas and a bar upon the wall. It's the bar he walks to, moving behind it.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"I'd love to see your gym. Where you all work out. Weapons that you're allowed to show me. Otherwise, just spend some non-dangerous time with you. Get a feel for the Avengers." Jessica who shed her coat and bag in the hall, first walks the perimeter of the room looking at some of the photos and memorabilia then begins to study the books. Coming to herself, with a faint smile, "Excuse me. Books, I love them and you have a beautiful collection."

She glides to the bar and seats herself. "Let's make this simple, some ice cubes, Campari if you have it, and a lemon wedge, if that's not too much trouble."

Thor has posed:
    "Very well," Thor says, putting that on the mental list of things to do. He starts to dig around behind the bar and she'll likely hear glass clinking and the slight shift of footsteps while he examines /all/ the many liquor bottles hidden behind that particular piece of furniture.
    "All of this was of Stark's choice, though there should be..." He digs around still and finally produces a bottle that seems to say Campari upon it, and fits his understanding even as he rubs a bit at the dust upon it. He looks up and gestures with a nod, "There should be a scroll that holds an account of the War witht he Svartalfar by one of Asgard's historians. I contributed that some few years ago when we were still getting to know one another."
    The bottle is set on the bartop as well as a glass and that little bit of lemon, freshly cut that morning. He lets the ice clink into the glass, adds the wedge, then lets the liquor gurgle faintly as he pours it from the bottle.
    That done he extends it toward her, "There you are."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"What are you having? Tony Stark? He has lovely taste." Jessica's eyes rove the room again then come back to the tall man behind the bar, her eyes lingering on his face. "What was the war of the Svartalfar? Svart? Does that mean dark or black? Norse or Swedish are not one of my languages."

Thor has posed:
    "I'll have... some of this Camperi and see how it is." The Thunderer nods to himself and just pours some into a glass, no ice nor lemon for him, but that shall serve him well for now. He steps out from behind the bar and tells her, "As to the war,"
    Thor smiles and looks around the study, lifting his eyes up and about, since the large study has a second floor with ladders and yet more books where one can search all day most likely. But he takes a breath and hrms, "No idea where he's squirreled it away but I can tell you as I can my own experience."
    A sip of his drink is taken as he turns and starts to walk to the doorway leading out of the study. "Come we shall go to the training hall and walk as we talk." And with that said he puts words to action.
    "But back when I was young, barely a hundred, some... 1200 years ago I'd say. The Svartalf, or indeed yes the Dark Elves, chose to lay siege to Midgard and cast the realm into turmoil. It was my first war when myself, my brother, and my father we arrived here to protect your planet. It's where your people and mine first met."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Not too bitter for you? Campari can put people off a bit." Jessica lags behind him slightly as they walk through the double doors, her eyes shutting a moment in shock when he reminds her inadvertently of how old he really is. Ice rattling in her glass as she steps to catch up with him, she can't help but look hard for a sign of that age. Not even in his smile. Perhaps. He feels like spring to her at times when he smiles.

"Your brother? Loki? Of course. It must have been strange meeting us for the first time."

Thor has posed:
    "Not so strange," Thor says as he slows his pace a tad letting her catch up a little easier while they walk along the hallway and toward the distant elevator that is tastefully part of the woodwork as well, with small whorls and lovely carvings. "As you can see we are not so different, and I had met those who dwelled in Vanaheim, and in Alfheim."
    His lips twist a little, "I met a people that lived in a harsh land, but loved their land all the more for it. Strong warriors, wild, beautiful." Perhaps he speaks of someone in particular as his eyes... those bright blue eyes have distanced. "It was here I learned how to sail. And here I learned of true battle."
    He nods as they reach the elevator and he shifts his drink to the other hand to lightly push the button to summon the elevator.
    Which of course is already there, the doors dinging faintly with a small electronic chime when the doors whisper open. Inside he steps, making room for her and then waiting for the doors to close. "I have e'er loved your homeland, though I went long between visits."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Good that we are not so strange," Jessica replies thoughtfully observing that wistful return to a memory. "I would have thought that there were oceans in Asgard. And battles?" She sips her Campari aware of the warmth that radiates from the ageless man as they rise to the next floor.

"I would have thought that Asgard is so beautiful that coming here might be dreary." The doors chime then open.

Thor has posed:
    Out into that basement, the walls are no longer so tastefully decorated and instead are silver and austere. There is something of the industrial to the place now, but shiny and modern, almost futuristic. And that hall seems to go a long way, with a few doors leading off to the side as well as a pair of cross hallways.
    "There is a sea, and indeed some ships, though the ships we use to ply the waves are powered, and some even with their own spirit as JARVIS."
    He walks along, taking another small drink and then tilting his head to the side to consider her, "But here was the first time I was taught to trust the wind, to anticipate how it would blow and fill our sails. It was lovely. But you should not speak so ill of your home. Asgard is beautiful, yes. But it has been shaped by us over many years. Midgard... has a rawness to it, a purity."
    At that he sort of just smiles at her and shrugs once, then presses his hand to a control panel and the doors open smoothly with a whisper.
    "This is our training hall for conditioning and exercise and the like. For those of us with special requirements such as myself and Banner, we have another area for training to the extent of our abilities..."
    A pause as his eyes distance and he admits ruefully. "Somewhat, as best we can with what is available."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"You wouldn't have those limitations in Asgard," she observes and walks ahead of him, leaving a trace of her perfume behind: rainforest orange, spicy wood and a powdery note of amber. Jessica studies the room avidly, turning to Thor with a a bright smile of realization.

"Your hammer. Your hammer would could cause earthquakes practically no wonder. I have powers but yours." She turns away, unwilling to worship him the way she imagines so many have, she is her own woman.

Thor has posed:
    The tall man smiles back and offers a small shrug. But that room that is open before her is much more recognizable to her than likely the place with Thor and Banner testing themselves. In that room before her there's a track for jogging, a myriad of exercise equipment, free weights and variable weights, a boxing ring, some padded surfaces for sparring, and distantly across the way what looks like doors leading to showers and storage.
    "But here is where we spar or try to improve ourselves. I've only used it a bit, but it seems to serve its purpose for the others."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Would you show me your special room?" Jessica walks to the ring, and thrums the rope around its edge with a hand, nodding as she passes the state-of-the-art equipment. "I would use this room a lot. Strength training. Do you have an obstacle course? A shooting range? Or is that too much for New York? This is gigantic for this city and speaks of more wealth than a lot of people can imagine."

Thor has posed:
    "I believe so, I have an area I use for training with my hammer, accuracy and the like." He looks thoughtful as he ponders, turning away and then stepping across the way and back out the door, "Inside the room it's... well you'll see."
    And with that he walks across the way and opens that door, again with his handprint, whooshing open and revealing the interior of what looks like... a rather large room for sure, but the walls are plain and it looks all very metallic and tall and... not really that remarkable.
    "You see it'll at times create these..." He flares his hands, trying to conjure the image, "Targets and robotic creatures and then sometimes it'll have tasks for you to hit things in a certain way. It all becomes quite complicated."
    But then he gestures again. And yup, still just a metal room.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Anti-climatic, to say the least. Crikey, that is a lot of metal!" Jessica raps the wall which does not ring or flex under her considerable strength. Expecting him to walk to the left, she turns to the right, spider agility doesn't keep her from accidentally stepping into him. She grabs his arm, again that unexpected warmth, his skin smooth and elastic over the muscle, looking up into his face with surprise at how right it feels under her fingers, she startles backward.

Thor has posed:
    The Asgardian stands there looking in at the room and lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Indeed," Is all he offers at first but then he steps to the side and casually into her direction of travel, only for her to do the same and suddenly she holds him by the arm as he looks down at her, smiling a little.
    "Careful," He says, one hand light upon her side as if to brace her before she makes that small startled step backwards. "It's alright." He holds up a hand as if to allay any worry that she might have had.
    Then, perhaps perceiving her embarrassment he smiles a little and murmurs, "Tony often says I'm in his way and that I can be terribly clumsy but I think he overexaggerates."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Nodding vigorously in agreement, she scowls down at the ground taking a short, sharp breath that becomes a laugh. "I mean, I was the awkward one. I can't believe he would say that. I've yet to meet him." Clearing her throat awkwardly, she gestures at the room's walls. "No dents? How is that possible if you are tossing hammers or shields in here?"

Thor has posed:
    The way Thor just smiles with that open smile of his as he tells her his answer is just so typical of the man as he murmurs, "No idea." And that's when he turns and starts walking back down the hall. "Over there is the garage, and there's an armory of sorts for Natasha and Clint,"
    The Asgardian pauses there and folds his arms over his chest thoughtfully, shifting his weight to one hip as his brow knits with consideration. Then he looks back over at Jessica and uncurls a hand in her direction, "You know I realize I don't know much about this place after all."
    Of course that moment is when he seems to notice the subtle colour to her features, the flush and somewhat severe expression. "Is something the matter, Jessica?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Yes. No! Of course not!" She fills her lungs looking up at him and expels it, shaking her head. "You're 1200 years old and I'm 26 but sometimes you seem younger than I am." A smile begins, gently at first, growing as she shakes her head snorting softly. "I'm being silly. I think it is being in the home of all of the heroes of the Invasion of New York taking hold. Hero worship. Silly stuff."

Thor has posed:
    "Ah," Thor says and he bites his lower lip a little as he looks at her, "I had not thought you to be susceptible to such, you present yourself as so strong of character and will. I just imagined you took it all in stride."
    He steps toward her and rests a hand upon her shoulder gently, trying to find her eyes with his own blue ones, expression calm and conciliatory. "But what we did, any hero would do, and in truth many numbers of heroes aided the battle, fighting in the streets, doing what they could. We gained notoriety because of Stark's selfless act when he closed the wormhole. But we are the same as you. You just have your time ahead of you is all."

Jessica Drew has posed:
Covering his hand with her own, she shares his gaze, eyes sparkling merrily at her own silliness. Jessica's hand pats his as consoling as his expression. "Well, even strong woman can have moments of....of, whatever this is. My time is here and I hope that I will be one of those fighting in the street if ever there is need of me. We would be the same, facing an adversary, each with our own strengths" She punctuates her laughter by pressing his hand, "I was going to say weaknesses but I don't believe you would have any."

Thor has posed:
    "One or two," Thor offers in a hint of faux modesty. "But no more weaknesses than that." And as he says that he gives her shoulder another squeeze before he draws away, fingertips slipping from her hand as he turns his back and looks across the hallway. "I'm thinking I've shown you most of the interesting things, perhaps the Quinjet hangar? Or something equivalent?"
    He stands there in his orange shorts and flip flops, with that grey hoodie hanging loosely upon his broad chest, looking one way or the other.
    "Maybe there really is not that much too interesting to be seen here."

Jessica Drew has posed:
When he draws away, she realizes that she didn't want him to; taking a long breath through her nose, Jessica laughs in exasperation at her self. "Yes, I would love to see the Quinjet hangar. Why is it called that?"

She raises her chin, looking sideways at him, "Only one or two weaknesses?" Laughing, she closes the distance to him to take his arm. "Come on then, let's see it."

Thor has posed:
    With his arm taken by her, he'll smile and murmurs, "Very well." And with that they head down the hallway, footsteps easy and steady with those orange and red flower patterned flip-flops snapping after the soles of his feet with those short sharp sounds. He leads toward one end of that hallway, walking past consoles and displays, the ceiling illumination bright and not at all flattering really.
    But then a corner is taken to a large set of doubledoors that also offer mention of the Hangar being beyond. It's to that door that he walks and keys it open again, the doors whispering apart with that faint hiss of compressed air or haydraulics. It all reveals a very tall four story area with multiple quinjets all lined and connected to a catapult and ready to launch upwards into what seems to be a long tunnel.
    "Here we are, for those poor unfortunates who cannot fly this must serve." His lips twist with mild amusement.

Jessica Drew has posed:
The tap of Jessica's boots sound in counterpoint to the flap of his open beach shoes as they walk companionably along the corridor. "The way you dress. Thor, have you ever surfed? Somehow you belong on the ocean in one manner or another."

A low whistle greets the height of the building as her eyes travel upward, "Some of us can fly or glide some distance but I'm no Super Man. You fly with your hammer. Do you tire over large distances?" She stands admiring the hangar, spotlessly clean and orderly without relinquishing his arm.

Thor has posed:
    "You know, you are not the first person to say that," Thor offers in counter-point as they walk into that hangar, and Thor stops near the entry way, letting her take her look around while he does so as well, though his look about the place is likely less impressed. He takes a breath and hrmms to himself, then cants his head back at her.
    When she asks her question his eyebrows lift then he shakes his head, "I do not." But then he seems to rethink his answer and he murmurs, "Or, perhaps best to say I have never reached my limit." There that's more accurate so he nods again.

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Well? Have you? Surfed." Head tilted to look up at him at with a teasing smile, "Since I'm not the only person to have been struck by the idea."

In a lower voice, "Never reached your limit? Incredible. This whole complex is very, very costly, on the level of a government expensive. Pretty impressive, Lord Thor. Shall we? Where to next?"

Thor has posed:
    "I have not, actually." Thor offers to her about the whole surfing situation. He turns away from the hangar and its multiple aircraft, already likely having forgotten what he was thinking about regarding them, content to wander out with her on his arm.
    "Here, let's go take a look at some of Tony's labs."
    And with that the'll make their way around the mansion, looking at this and that, light comments shared back and forth. It is all rather gentle and at ease with the two of them enjoying each other's company. Eventually they went their way upwards until they reach that study where they were near the beginning of the tour and it's there where likely they'll end it.
    Stepping back inside Thor moves back to the bar and asks over his shoulder, "Something else to drink?"

Jessica Drew has posed:
Jessica makes a slow tour of the room again, stopping to look at a title, touching a finger to a spine, "What would you like to drink? I could use a glass of water. I love Campari but it can leave a bitter aftertaste if you don't eat afterwards. It's more an aperitif than a digestive."

Thor has posed:
    "Oh are you hungry?" He takes up a bottle of brandy from behind the bar, setting it down upon the bar with a light clink, then fishing out a pair of snifters and setting them there as well. Perhaps a cube of ice or two just to mitigate the liquor and then he lifts those blue eyes up to meet hers across the way.
    "I could find us something to eat or we could go elsewhere if you were so inclined. Though..." He rubs at the back of his neck thoughtfully, "I should perhaps remain nearby in case I am needed."

Jessica Drew has posed:
"Maybe we can find something in that incredible kitchen? I have a feeling that you Asgardans can drink me under the table. Not that I can't hold my liquor." Jessica looks at him oddly then comes to the bar to watch him pour the brandy. "No ice. A sin to put ice in good brandy. I might not have been in the world long but I've learned a bit about drinking. So, let's eat here. How do you entertain yourself Thor? Reading? Watching...I don't know, films?"

Thor has posed:
    "Is that what this is?" Thor asks as he looks at the bottle, eyebrows lifting then he shrugs a little and continues filling their glasses. With the alcohol properly allocated he nods to her, "Very well, there is usually something in the kitchen. Some chicken perhaps?" And as he says that he steps out from behind that bar, those flip-flops fnapping right along after him as he walks along.
    Until eventually they are in the kitchen, with a bucket of cold chicken from the fridge from someone's night out the night before. It's there with a drumstick in hand, and some staggeringly expensive brandy nearby that they'll settle down to talk finally.
    "I am working my way through the study, reading as I go. Sometimes I enjoy some time in front of the television. Though mainly I enjoy spending times with my friends, or going out into this world to see what it has to offer."

Jessica Drew has posed:
@emit

Waving a drumstick back at him, "A traveler then?" She takes another sip of brandy, its expensive fumes opening her sinuses and allowing her to forget herself. "It sounds like a good life. I'd imagine you more in the country than the city. The people from Asgard seem to value their companions more than us Midgardians. I don't know. Heidi and you both seem that way."

Without preamble, she can be a woman of sudden decisions, rash, sometimes unwise, she puts down her drumstick to walk around the high counter they sit at, he on one side and she on the other. Chicken, brandy, perfume and her natural warmth accompany the gentle kiss on his cheek. She draws back to look at him and makes a half shrug. "I like you?"

Thor has posed:
    It's a subtle change, a small one even as she steps around to draw near and then touches that kiss to his cheek. Thor tilts his head to the side, one eyebrow climbing as he holds her gaze and then there's a slight tilt of his head the other way almost like some curious canine.
    In those blue eyes she might see the way his thinking shifts, no longer quite holding her at arm's length as a comrade, a co-worker, or a worthy warrior. But instead as something possibly else. Those blue eyes soften a little and his fingertip lights just gently under the curve of her chin before she can draw too far away. His gaze flits between her own irises, as if seeking for some insight offered.
    Then his lips part as he murmurs in a low deep tone, a tone that whispers of the night, warmth shared, and the brush of skin against skin. "You missed,"
    And with that he guides her lips to his own as his eyes close and he turns his head enough... just enough so their noses drift past each other as he takes that kiss, lips finding lips, breath shared, and a faint caress of his thumb against her cheek.