vαи dyиє (![]() ![]() @ 2019-01-25 12:55:00 |
![]() |
|||
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
There was absolutely little that meat and mead couldn't fix. It was the answer to many problems, and almost never the actual problem. Thor was pretty sure that was how things were, even if he would never say it aloud. Jane would probably inform him of things like 'heart disease' and 'cholesterol' and other things he did not need to worry about. After ensuring Jane was okay with guests (Thor was still worried about her fatigue and illness), he invited Hope and Scott, not sure if he would get one, the other or both. They were his newest teammates and yet he knew very little about either. It was poor manners not to reach out, so he was thrilled when everything came into place. As always, Jane insisted on working and was at her lab. Thor promised to text when the meal was ready, and had threatened to even go and pick her up if she did not take adequate breaks or eat. With each day, he grew a bit more worried as well as ...well, hopeful. He wasn't sure what was going on, even if he had some suspicious but true to his nature, he would never pry. He would ask, he would suggest, he would advise -- prying though? No Aesir would every indulge in that. When he heard the doorbell ring, he was in the process of pulling the marinated steaks out of the fridge. "Come in," he called out, confident he had left the door unlocked. There was little he was scared of, so most times he forgot to lock the door anyways. "I am in the kitchen." As for Hope, well, she was damn ready for some mead and meat. As soon as Thor had mentioned it, her mouth started watering - and hadn't stopped, really, but she'd gotten it together enough to ask if Scott wanted to come, since Thor invited them both. She assumed since it was at Jane's place that her fellow scientist would indeed be here, so before she left work she stopped by Jane's lab to check on her and teasingly make sure she didn't forget to come home for the dinner party. Hope had noticed she was there a lot too, more than could be considered healthy? If she had to stage an intervention and drag her out, she would. Jane was a ballerina-boned tiny thing, Hope could pick her up easily. But anyway. Mead sort of conjured the image of a grand dining hall, wooden tables laden down with turkey legs piled high - but she also knew it paired well with dessert so rather than attempt a disaster in her and Scott's kitchen, she went to a bakery and picked up a couple of cheesecakes. New York style, baby. She figured Thor had a Thor-sized appetite, so two cheesecakes it was. "Just us," she called as she entered, balancing her purse over one arm and one cheesecake in hand; Scott had the other. "Wow, it smells great in here." If there were food and friends involved then Scott was always along for the invitation. He was probably the most people person on the whole team, which said a lot considering he was formerly a crook? And he was glad that Hope had made friends with Jane and Thor on her own accord. Having spent so much time with the astrophysicist when they were working round the clock to bring everyone back to the correct world, well, Scott and Jane knew each other pretty well in a business sense. Double dating? He hadn’t don’t that since high school, maybe college. Since Hope handled the dessert and Thor had the alcohol that would probably send them to another dimension, he whipped up a quick pot of spinach and artichoke dip. Damn. That was such an old people thing to do right but hell if it didn’t taste good. “Us, and some delicious food.” Scott sing-songed after Hope, letting her go in first so they could set down their food offerings. “It does smell great in here, damn. I didn’t know you could cook, Thor!” “I can’t really,” Thor admitted. He’d tried over the years to learn the occasional recipe, but when you were crown prince, you weren’t really allowed in the kitchen. And to be fair, he’d never bothered learning. “What I have learned over the years was battlefield fare. Meats. Breads. Porridge.” He made a face. It was probably his least favourite meal, and yet the one he ate the most when in the middle of war. Opening the over, he grinned and pulled a skillet from out of the oven, which was the source of the smell. “I believe this is called...focaccia on this realm? We simply call it bread.” And it was delicious. With a quick glance at his phone (nothing from Jane yet), he thought for a moment. He didn’t want to start cooking the steaks until he knew she was on her way, to ensure that she had a good meal. He still worried she wasn’t eating much. “Can I provide you with a beverage?” He grinned at Scott, his eye twinkling. “I have Asgardian wine, if either of you feel up to the task. Jane doesn’t care much for it, but it is far better than the watered down ale Midgard creates.” ((as an fyi: https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/o Hope had a hunch that Asgardian wine was going to get her feeling reeeeeeeal happy, all sloshy and like her bones were liquified, and it wouldn’t even take much either. She was no lightweight in terms of alcohol, but booze from literally another planet was probably stronger. Which meant she had to drink it, of course. “Oh, I’m up for the wine,” she promised, placing their dessert(s) in the fridge to keep cool. No one wanted soggy cheesecake, after all. They could dig into the spinach and artichoke dip (her fiance was adorable, because it was totally an old person thing to do - did he even get that recipe from Janet?) whenever they felt like; it was still warm. “Scott may have to carry me home, but I’m up for it. Do I need to sign a waiver before I drink it?” she quipped. Scott sighed lightly but he had no problem making sure Hope didn’t drink herself into another dimension. He would try a bit of the stuff out of curiosity but unlike Hope...he was a lightweight. He put out the spread all warm and delicious. (No he did not get the recipe from her mother but he was sure her mother would like it and if she did then ha). Spinach and artichoke was delicious. No matter how old you were—Cassie always liked it too though...Cassie seemed to like anything Scott made her. She was bold enough to tell him if it was shit so he considered himself an A+ dad chef. “No, you just have to spit into your hands and seal the deal with a handshake.” Duh, Hope. He was Asgardian. They didn’t have waivers. “Seriously though man, just a little. We’re still tiny humans after all.” Thor shook his head. “Jane is a tiny person,” he pointed out. “You both are giants compared to her.” And giants when they wanted to be, really. Or at least one of them was. He was still a little unclear as to what their abilities were. All he knew was that they were formidable allies, which really, was all that mattered. Reaching for an antiquated looking bottle, he pulled out the stopper with his teeth and grinned. “Vanaheim’s finest.” Pouring a Thor-sized splash into each cup, he passed it to them before he began to pour some for himself. “One day, I should like for you to visit the other 8 realms. Well, 7 now that Asgard is no longer. Having the power to weild the Bifrost means there is little stopping me from exploring the branches of Yggdrasil and --” His phone chirped and his smile widened. “Ah, that must be Jane.” He glanced at his screen for a moment before sending a message back. “She has finished her work for the day and will be here momentarily.” Thor lifted his glass and implored his friends to do so as well. “Let us toast now, as I am sure Jane will refuse anything to drink. She has not been feeling well of late. To friendships.” Not feeling well and refusing to drink anything? Was she pregnant? That was what Hope’s mind immediately jumped to but she’d just keep that thought to herself. It wasn’t polite to go with an outburst like that. “Yeah, I saw her on the way out of the lab - I made sure she was definitely coming to a party hosted at her own place,” she chuckled fondly. Workaholics were a delight, weren’t they? “To friendships,” she toasted, clinking her cup against the others. Then when she took a sip she felt like she’d been punched with a Thor-sized fist too - that, plus this tingly feeling, wow, could she still feel her legs? Another sip was taken. “Wow, that’s good. Do all branches on the Yggdrasil lead to stuff like this?” Scott followed along suit with the toast and just took the smallest and most cautious of drinks because yeah. Sure. This was probably like water to Thor. He couldn’t tell you what it tasted like because was there even a taste in that chemical compound? It was hot and fire and he’d be washing that down with a heavy cracker full of that spinach and artichoke dip, thank you. Traveling around through the realms definitely sounded like fun. Janet and Hank would probably love it as well, or at least kick him if he didn’t record findings along the way and accompany Hope. But he frowned when he heard Jane wasn’t feeling well. “Oh no, should we be here then? Does she want to rest? Does she want me to make her some Matzo soup.” Or as they would call it, Jewish Penicillin. Thor shook his head. "She is well aware of this gathering and has giving both her her blessing and approval. I have been informed it is simply 'the flu'." He tried to say that with authority but he was still confused as to what exactly the flu was. His brief search on The Internet provided entirely too much information. Taking his drink over to the pre-heated stove, he placed the steaks on the grill and smiled satisfyingly at the immediate hiss. "And to answer your question, Hope, the realms all vary in appearance and content. There is Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Helheim -- that one is full of demons, you do not want to end up there." Jane, who had meant to leave with Hope but still had one last thing to finish at the lab, was surprised to find everyone still chatting about the nine realms when she let herself into the apartment. Poor manners to have guests over without you but she’d been so close wrapping up some calculations on particle data. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and Jane didn’t think she was that late. “Hello,” she said, scratching Severus when he meowed and then going to greet Thor with a kiss. “Have I missed something? Are we visiting the realms?” “No, we were just drinking this - “ Hope motioned to her cup, and honestly, the look on Scott’s face had been priceless. She wished she’d gotten a picture of that. “And I asked if it was similar in every realm. Because wow.” Wow about summed it up, yeah. It was good to see Jane though (outside of the lab, she meant - it had happened a few times, but she saw the woman at work everyday), and she wiggled her fingers in a proper hello. “Thanks for having us over, by the way. Scott made the dip if you want some. And I - definitely did not make the cheesecake, but it’s in the fridge.” Chomp, there went a cracker - and she’d testify to her fiance’s cooking skills. They were top notch (compared to her anyway). "I too am grateful you were both able to show up." He reached out a hand to brush it against Jane's sleeve, before turning his attention back to the meat. "I have to admit -- I did have an ulterior motive to. I simply do not know anything about either of you outside of the brief conversations we have had." Just a few more minutes. Checking the oven, he pulled out the foil wrapped potatoes, and turned off the pot with the corn. He turned and smiled at the guests. "I always felt slightly at a disadvantage since, well, there are many stories about me on this realm. All true, of course." “Well, nothing wrong with a little team building exercise,” Hope pointed out, chuckling good-naturedly. “And food tends to be a good way to bond.” She’d look forward to hanging out with Jane and getting to know Thor better too, and hey, maybe her and Scott would even learn something new about Asgard. Besides that the wine was really strong, of course. |