(no subject)

[pirateangelbaby]

[OOC: Pretend this was posted after the first day of spring.]


It's not Thor's doing that the Nexus is sunny and cool, spring beginning to rear its head in those places of the multiverse that experience such things at all, but he's enjoying it regardless. With a raven on each shoulder and Stormbreaker disguised as a walking stick in his hand, he's venturing into the market to browse for seeds and seedlings to bring home to Norway. Looking for fruits and vegetables, mostly, or useful herbs for medicine or seasoning, but he is not immune to the allure of beautiful flowers, especially those that might remind him of his mother's garden.

He's already got a small bag with several seed packets in it before he makes it halfway down the row of vendors' stalls, and a tiny plastic pot of buttery yellow flowers tucked in the crook of his prosthetic arm. It doesn't feel like quite enough, though. The greenhouse and fields serve as a good distraction, hard work to keep his mind off that craving for what he's not permitted to have, but there's only so much he can do at a time.

"What sort of hobby is good for taking up time and thought? Especially something that can be done indoors."

Comments

[hybriddino]

The Prince gives a happy growl when he sees Thor again. He notices the seed packets and the flowers, smelling them before he sees them. He crouches on all fours, since he's a tight fit in places like this.

I don't garden, but sometimes I talk about making the place where I live out in the Wilds look better with Maisie and the others. She found an old cabin for us to live in. The pack lives there most of the time, aside from the Prince's mother, who prefers to live alone in her cave. It's not pretty, but it's home.

He's no expert on flowers, but he nods in approval. It's a good idea that Thor has. He might suggest flowers to Maisie the next time he sees her, since he likes the colors and the smell.

Are you planning to grow something? I would like to see what you make when you're finished.

[pirateangelbaby]

"Prince! Hello." Thor is, as always, pleased to see his friend well. The dinosaur seems to have weathered the winter well enough, though he looks as though he could probably stand to eat a boar or two. Maybe an excuse to feed him later, though it's a bit early for the barbecue trucks to be readily found in the Nexus.

One of the ravens makes a clattering noise and hops curiously onto the raptor's head, hopping further down his neck to investigate this strange enormous scaly creature. "Huggan!" Thor calls out, but the bird ignores him entirely. "Sorry about that. He's curious."

"I have a greenhouse in Asvera," Thor answers, proud of his little green kingdom. "Well, and a field, but that's outside so only the hardiest plants can thrive there. The growing season is short, but I'm learning how to make the most of it."

[hybriddino]

The dinosaur would certainly enjoy a boar or two. He's used to going hungry during winter, since it's more difficult to find game. Still, he looks healthy and fit - the stock of food the pack kept and prepared for winter helped him there. He's certainly glad that springtime is coming along, when the weather suits his needs more.

Prince gives a gentle snort when Huggan jumps on him. He's fond of birds, really - he thinks of them as family members, if distant ones. He's not bothering me at all. Hello, little cousin. He's aware that birds are distantly related to dinosaurs, especially raptors like he is.

A greenhouse! That sounds wonderful. It would probably be too small for me to visit, but I'm happy for you. The Indoraptor is all too aware of his large size and the awkwardness that brings, as well as its limitations.

[iwillcatchup]

Peter has been away from the Plaza section of the Nexus for a while. He wanted to see how far he could run, and what he would see in the multi-layered Nexus. And it was quite a trip. But now he is back.

He smiles at Thor. "I play video games. I even have a pool table, and a ping-pong table. It can be nice. Just to hit the ball across the table, and just focus on that. And only that."

[pirateangelbaby]

It's been some time since Thor has seen this young man, but he has not forgotten their sparring match several years back. Peter, wasn't it? One of many he's met, so the name comes to mind readily enough. "Videogames, hmm? Korg plays those, I think. I don't know much else about them but I gather it's a, er, virtual combat?" But not holograms or simulcrums, just flat images on a screen. Very primitive. That's impolite to say, though, so he doesn't.

[iwillcatchup]

"There are games that focus on a combat aspect. But most of the ones I play are more puzzles. You have to think, while avoiding enemies, or achieving your goal. So your mind focuses on the task at your hands."

"Are you familiar with Pac Man at all? Or Space Invaders? Or Frogger?"

[the_rebel_son]

Lucifer is out in the same location with some of his own seeds, bartering for the seeds of alien plants, or at least alien to his creation. He does have a few bare root apple trees he is carrying along to trade for larger plants, or to give to those who might be from struggling worlds if he comes across them. Spring brings out Lucifer's generosity and hope. It is his season, even more than summer and its heat.

He is absorbed in some wares, plants specifically and answers the question at first without looking up. "Is it not the truth that a hobby will take up as much time as you give to it?"

He finally pulls his eyes from what he was considering buying to see the man, god, with a prosthetic limb. It gets a curious look but no more. "Reading, cooking, meditation, art, music, they are never a bad choices. Improving the self is a necessity of life."

Lucifer dabbled in most things and obsessively worked on perfecting anything he thought worth his time or might have future use, usually most things fell into the category. His eyes looked around the area and the assortment of people, then he adds. "In this place, languages may be a good use of time should the magic breakdown or you found need to travel to someone else's creation, and learning them an effective way to socialize over drinks or food."

[pirateangelbaby]

It's not so much improving himself that Thor is after, so much as a distraction, but perhaps it's the same in the end. He recognizes this man - deity, or what have you - from their first meeting, though Lucifer had been in somewhat rougher shape at the time. So had Thor, to some extent, though he had not lost the arm by then. "Mm, I suppose. But some are naturally easier to spend hours in than others."

Art and music have never been his strong suit, and that shows on his face a little. Better than meditation or reading, but he latches onto cooking. "Ah. Yes. Kitchenwork could be a hobby, couldn't it? I, er, haven't had a lot of experience with electric ovens before recently. Still learning my way around a range instead of a campfire."

Language is an interesting prospect, although it does raise the question of how. Thor tilts his head slightly in thought, his one good eye sweeping the crowd as Lucifer's had done. "That's a thought. I'm not sure how to bypass Allspeak, or even if it can be done. My brother may know."

[the_rebel_son]

Lucifer's expression spreads into a pleased and happy smile. "That is the meaning of what is pleasurable to a person, what they can spend hours at as if it is not hours passing."

He did notice the expression and though he loves music, he knows it is not for everyone. Angels seemed to have a more universal love of the arts. "Humans have many ways to cook outdoors, some beyond the campfire. It may be worth entertaining if you have a fondness for outdoor cooking?"

The question though is one that furrows up Lucifer's brow. It was a problem, potentially. "I wonder if it is intuitive? It does not allow violence but it does allow sparring. Perhaps intent with language would matter? After all, if you speak multiple languages it does not appear to translate those you know into your common tongue, at least that is my understanding of the principles. I could be mistaken."

The nature of the Nexus was one of those things that the angels constantly picked at and observed. Perhaps it was their place as creators suddenly being tossed into a creation they had no hand in, but there's a definite thread of them pondering how it works; internally and in discussions as a group. He doesn't know that Thor is speaking about an internal God trait though the trait is not unknown among the angels, it isn't one of his skills.

[skyti]

The market is an interesting place that Atreus is quite fond of. There's always a near endless variety of interesting and new things to look at and experience. Right now he's experiencing a bag of pistachios from a seat atop a presently unoccupied wooden stall. They're not bad.

And there's a familiar face. With a raven on either shoulder. Atreus can't help the slight shudder, though he pushes the unease away. He's heard about these ones. They're not the ones from his world.

"Hi weird Thor!" he greets from his perch, flicking an empty shell in his direction. He takes a moment to consider the question before answering, "I like writing in my journal. Every day, sometimes several times. There's also cooking! It's kinda fun coming up with new ways to combine things."

The latter suggestion may be somewhat related to the fact that he's at that stage of life where he's growing and sometimes it seems like he can eat half his body weight in a day so food is kind of constantly on his mind.

[pirateangelbaby]

Both the ravens jerk their heads to follow the arc of the empty pistachio shell. One keeps peering at where it's fallen, while the other traces its path back to Atreus, beady little eyes on the bag. Oh, this child has food? Perhaps he can be persuaded to share...

The rather unflattering term of address gets Atreus a somewhat unimpressed look from Thor, but he's not badly offended. At least the boy is being more friendly than he was the last time they met, and if he has reservations still on Thor's nature, they're not a hindrance here. "What do you write about?" Thor asks, mildly curious. The appeal of a daily journal has never been clear to him, especially if one is not out and about experiencing new things every day.

[skyti]

The boy frowns momentarily, eying the raven eying him. That one. That one is UP to something. Perhaps he was too hasty making himself known too quickly without thinking things through. What's done is done now, he can't allow it to think he's suspicious of it.

"Anything and everything I want to," he shrugs. There's not much he won't write about it, "If I find something new I write about that! Or if I have an interesting conversation I want to remember later... or if just... Have you ever woken up in the middle the night with either a weird dream or a weird thought? I write those down. They don't always make sense come morning. I also write things I want to do and investigate... aaaand my chores to avoid getting in trouble with Father."

He cracks open another pistachio to much on, "I have two whole pages detailing you come to think of it."

[delphicbooksandbaubles]

Aal's looking for more medical-type things herself. But there are also some old standbys and ones for foodstuff she'd like to stock up on as well. She scents the air, glancing up slightly and then doing a double-take and then smirking softly. As she thinks she spies a familiar face.

Her ears perk up at the voice and question. "Oh,.Ello there." She greets warmly and then adds, "Well other than reading and some arts and crafts. I tend to lean more toward baking myself." She informs him. She gives him a look over her eyes brighten a the sight of the ravens. "Ah, I see they've been growing a mite eh? " She half asks warmly. Of course, birds of any sort tended to mature quicker than some beings.

A hand goes to her slightly more rounded belly to rest there a bit, half subconsciously.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor's attention is caught not by her answer so much as the energies around her, that gentle tug on his less earthly senses. He's slowly becoming more sensitive to them through his work in the greenhouse and the lands around Asvera, his long-neglected fertility magic finally coming to focus in a gentler fashion than his lightning powers had. Some of the women in the village have come to exhibit those same energies, a small lifeforce growing from within their own.

His expression softens, a sentimental sort of gleam in his good eye as he looks at her, even before she speaks. His attention momentarily goes to the ravens, now much larger indeed than the last time she saw them. "Ah, yes, they shouldn't get much larger than this, I think. Though they certainly eat as though they're still growing," he adds with a chuckle.

[delphicbooksandbaubles]

Aal smiles softly, her own face mirroring the look warmly if her tail had been out it would have been slightly wagging. At the moment however she happily squints and wiggles her ears a little. As she waits patiently.

Being a wolf shifter, whether she'd have say a 'litter' and or how big it would be as of yet was hard to say. She'd met a she-wolf once who had a shorter gestation period then her counterparts for example. But the pups and she had been perfectly fine.

She smiles slightly bemused, "Ah I see." She pauses to chuckle softly. "Hardly surprising I'm sure." That seemed the way with many younger beings. Or others with hearty appetites. She knew somethings took more energy to do than others after all. She knew Asgardians were supposed to be of more sturdy mass etc than most, logically so should the creatures native to their realm and some of the higher ones so to speak.

[stark_ravingmad]

"Hey there, big fella. That is a good question and one I can't really answer that well because there are so many answers here."

Tony offered Thor a smile and a nod as it was good to see the huge Asgardian again. That arm though---it still had the engineer vexed as to what technology powered it. But he deemed that rude and intrusive to keep focusing on the poor man's arm. Thor needed it and it was part of his body, not a toy to be tinkered with at will. Still, the question had Tony thinking for the most part.

"For me it has to be tinkering in the workshop and building new crazy tech that makes people go "wow." It's more me trying to improve on what I've already got. Perfectionist? Kind of. Yeah. More the I need to make this better sort of thing. It can also be done indoors. Surprising how much time I actually spend knee deep in scrap and wires."

The man was obsessed with tinkering and modifying his suits. That and creating crazy inventions for people and himself. The latest would be his AI-infused coffee flask. It was given to him as a gift from Lucifer and now it had FRIDAY inside as the interface. Wiggling it in front of Thor, Tony smiled.

"Do you like it? My new AI-infused coffee flask. Lucifer gave it to me as a gift and I added a few more bells and whistles to it. I can change the temperature with voice-activated commands. Hot, cold. Freezing. All kinds of drinks can be shoved into this baby."

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor's face lights up when he sees his friend, and if his hands were not occupied he might pat the man on the shoulder in greeting. He settles for a little wave of metal fingers, careful not to drop the potted plant at his elbow. The ravens on his shoulders regard Tony with some curiosity, tilting their heads this way and that to peer at him.

It's of little surprise that Stark would identify his tinkering as his main hobby. For as long as Thor has known the man, he's been nearly inseparable from his workshop and devices. Even tinkering with his Iron Man armor alone had led to dozens of variations of the suit, as far as Thor is aware. He'd never seen the reason for quite so many, himself, but Stark had seemed to think that they were necessary and it was never a hindrance to have more than one, so the hobby seems fairly harmless from where Thor's standing. He chuckles a little, amusement giving way to mild bafflement when Stark shows off his latest toy. "You put your house spirit inside a... coffee mug?"

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony eyed the ravens with a friendly smile but not putting his fingers anywhere near them because you know? They might bite. Most birds did. Even ones belonging to ancient Asgardian thunder gods. As for the question regarding his "techno-flask" Tony could talk about that all day and probably bore the beard off the poor god.

"Oh, you mean my new techo-flask? Yeah, FRIDAY is inside now. Lucifer gave me this as a Valentine's gift."

House spirit. It was a rather cute name though and he liked it. Opening the lid of the flask, Tony showed Thor the inside, which was empty at the moment since he hadn't put any liquid in yet.

"My AI is now FRIDAY. She replaced JARVIS as my "house sprit" as you call it. She can heat or cool anything I put in this baby."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia is on a similar mission, looking for seeds and plants for her garden. There is a long-term plan of crop rotation in Atlantis, but for her personal garden, she can be more liberal. For now it's only packets of seeds, but she's heading towards the seedlings and flowers when she runs into Thor.

"Oh! Hi, Thor." She smiles up at him, her gaze shifting to the ravens on his shoulders. "Wow, they've gotten so big!" When was the last time she saw Thor, anyway? It must have been a while...

As for his question, the answer comes to her easily. "Well, in the winter when there isn't as much I need to do outside, I like to knit. It takes a while to get started, but I find it really satisfying."

[pirateangelbaby]

"Adia, hello!" Thor smiles back at her, pleased to see a familiar face. He's missed this, the socializing and being out and about. He hadn't realized it when he'd spent most of his day drinking or staying shut up in his home, but the more he makes himself go out, the better it feels.

Spring's arrival helps too, of course.

One of the ravens fluffs up its feathers, preening a little at her comment. The other one shuffles a little further down Thor's shoulder, bobbing its head and clicking its beak. If she gets close enough, the bird may even hop over to her shoulder, despite its size.

"Ah, knitting. That's the weaving without a loom, isn't it?" Thor asks, vaguely gesturing with his hands. As much as he can with his purchases, anyway.

[chiron_survivor]

Adia has never witnessed Thor at his worst, but it is good to see him smiling and not overtly troubled over something. Too often lately, Adia has spent time with friends in distress, and though she will always be there for anyone who asks, it's nice to simply socialize for the fun of it. (As much as one can socialize 'simply' with a god.)

It's sweet to see the ravens react favorably to her words. "Hello," she says to the one shuffling down Thor's shoulder. She won't balk if he decides to hop onto her shoulder, as Zelus was fond of doing the same thing when he was a rufflet. If she can handle a beachball-sized bird perching on her shoulder, a raven should be no trouble. Her hair is even in an elaborate half-braid, perfect for messing with.

"That's right," she says brightly, pleased that he's interested. "You use two long needles and make a row of stitches at a time. It's not as efficient as weaving with a loom, but I'm only doing it as a hobby. I started with hats and scarves, but I can make mittens and sweaters now." She pulls out of her jacket pocket a pair of gray mittens with a chevron knit. "These took me forever, but I finally have the pattern down, at least."

[coldsong]

The children are with a play group for the next hour, while Loki does some shopping and earns some much-needed space to think. Thor buying plants is a welcome vision, but he wouldn't be Loki if he didn't harass his brother a little bit.

"There are these clever little things called 'books'," he says, wandering up to his brother's side. "Which one enjoys by a method known as 'reading'..."

A refrain Thor has no doubt heard before. Really, one is no less intelligent than the other, but Loki was the more devoted researcher when they were young. He's not trying to be mean, though, and has an idea why Thor is looking for distraction, so after that volley and a little smirk, he softens.

"The children have been making little hats and scarves on a knitting loom," he says. "I'm sure they'd be thrilled to show you. What sort of flowers are those?"

[pirateangelbaby]

A familiar refrain indeed, as is the reflexive eye-rolling that follows. There's a smile on his lips, though, and a gentle elbow nudging Loki's ribs. "Yes, yes, not all of us can lose ourselves in a library for a week without noticing the passage of time." A little teasing is good for the soul, and oh he has missed it dearly, even if he is the butt of the joke on occasion. That just means everything is right with the world.

News of the children's pet projects will always be welcome, as far as Thor is concerned. "Oh, no doubt," he says with a chuckle. "I'd love to see them. How much wool have you gone through over the winter?" It would not come as a surprise if Una has used the lion's share of it, especially if given access to bright colors, or that yarn with the glittery stuff in it.

He glances down at the flowers and hefts them an inch higher. "Some kind of primrose, or so I'm told. I thought the kitchen could use a little more color."

[itmeanscourage]

Isamu glanced up from where he and Mnoru were picking up some potting soil for the many plants that dotted their apartment. Many were due for a repot.

“Reading. Without a doubt, it is time well spent.”

Minoru couldn’t really offer up anything better, given that most of his hobbies involved being outdoors. Indoor parkour left a lot to be desired, and no one liked finding footprints on the kitchen counter.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor has never been much of a reader, and it shows on his face. In his defense, most books he's had cause to open in his life have been of the nonfiction variety, and often quite dry. "Oh. Um. And that's... interesting?" He's never really Gotten it, himself. Help him understand, please.