[action - semi backdated to midday]

[sublimating]

[at midday Bruce finds himself hovering at the edge of the sand near where the sand begins to give way to grass and trees, milling about and rubbing his hands, occasionally ducking down to survey the plants that are visible from the tree line. the heat is oppressive, but he's unfazed by it, having spent times in hotter climates. it's already been a trying day, and the last thing he wants to do now is dwell on the things he can't change about their situation]

[he promised Sif that he would forage for food, edible fruits and vegetables and berries; and Sif promised him volunteers. so he's waiting to mentor whoever shows up -- and/or who he stumbles across in the jungle while hunting over the next few hours]

Comments

[sublimating]

That's not bad, as far as evidence goes. [she definitely seems the part, but he didn't press the issue. he's inclined to avoid Asgardians in general. they make him a little itchy] In that case, I might suggest not checking for any other forms of realness unless you're -- suited up.

[sublimating]

Everyone's gotta have a hobby, right? [although he has to ask] I guess going... public with that isn't an option? Seems like you're providing a service as it is, but you could probably work out some sort of... endorsement deal. [lips quirking up]

[sublimating]

Stark Industries CEO, without so much as a working cell phone to her name? [chuckling a little faintly, turning his head up to the trees, scanning for fruits and berries] How does it feel?

[onehotpepper]

Half the time, it feels great. The other half, I'm worried for what the board may be getting into. [memories of Obadiah Stane's ultimate betrayal try to damage her calm further, but she shoves them away. nothing to be done about it now unless they suddenly find themselves somewhere with computers] I've almost forgotten what my ringtone sounds like. Oh, and for the record, I am impressed. As promised.

[cleanedslate]

[ cracking a wider smile ] Suit versus object of confused ancient worship hasn't worked out yet, but I did make some modifications. [ the Hulk Buster unit could probably take Sif, to a certain extent! ]

[antiapocalypse]

[ her lips quirk up ] Believe it or not, I kind of have a secret identity. Keeps my family and friends safe. Or safer, anyway.

[sublimating]

[chuckling] You don't need to be that good an audience. I haven't started yet. [he shifts, reaching out to a few creeping green vines, and taking one long strand from them in hand] Like -- this is a bora bean. It's like a super long string bean.

[sublimating]

Well, let me know when you've got the suit built. I'll keep an eye out for any corn so we can, you know. Pop it.

[onehotpepper]

Of course I do. I only offer the best. [peering at the bora bean] Think the climate is what made it evolve to that size? [don't the tropics also have bigger bugs? shudderrrr. starts looking at the trees for more bora beans]

[cleanedslate]

[ he hisses through his teeth ] I kind of blew it up, actually? Symbolic gesture. Getting my life back on track. That kind of thing.

Might be hard to reconstruct the blueprints without JARVIS... [ he misses you buddy ]

[sublimating]

I guess you can give up the free Nikes if it means looking out for the people in your life. Still, seems like there must be a way to combine the two. Maybe -- third-shift police work or something. You've got the advantage on regular criminals, and you can do a little moonlighting while out on patrol for other things. [lips quirking up] [knowing things about police work is not one of his specialties]

[sublimating]

Probably. Nature seems to range the spectrum from "hardy" to "big". [quirking a grin as he turns around again] They're actually related to black-eyed peas, if you've ever had those.

[gathering some himself. it's good, distracting work; it can be a mindless task, but it's also easy to focus on and take one's mind off everything else, if that's how you want to do it. and he wants to give her a chance at that]

[onehotpepper]

I will not make a terrible joke about a certain band. [but she smiles anyway, eyes on the trees, thinking about evolution, wishing it worked quickly enough for her body to sort itself out on its own. no such luck, of course]

[antiapocalypse]

[ she laughs ] Killing people is a big Slayer no-no, but I guess there's technically no rule against smacking them around a little. [ mischievous ]

[slim]

[yeah--yeah. boots and a hermit crab.]

Okay... Bruce. [huh, bruce banner. what a familiar sounding name.] I was told you could use some help?

[sublimating]

That's right. [offering him a smile] I have a bit of experience tromping through equatorial jungles, so I have a pretty good grasp on what the edible stuff looks like. If you're interested in lending a hand when you've got one, I'd be happy to share. There's only so much I can gather by myself.

You seem to already have a little guy there to look after, though.

[sublimating]

[he lifts his eyebrows]

--I guess as far as gestures go, that would be... suitably dramatic. You have more than one, though, don't you? [he thought you were on, like, seven, or something]

[sublimating]

That's probably for the best, I'm -- not exactly the best singer...

[but he notices her distraction and he thinks it might be a better time to ask]

How're you holding up? [easily]

[sublimating]

You could be the rogue cop who refuses to carry a gun.

[onehotpepper]

[twisting her lips, failing to properly salvage a little smile] Could be worse. [shaking her head, pushing the discussion with Tony out of her mind] Better now that I've got something productive to do.

[cleanedslate]

[ uh ] Yeah, I had. A few more than one, actually.

Like, forty-six more than one.

[antiapocalypse]

[ pffff ]

I might be able to manage that. I mean, I was almost a rogue soldier, there's gotta be some crossover there, right?

[sublimating]

It's always helpful to have something else to focus on. I tried a lot of techniques to keep calm -- I learned to meditate, and practiced aikido. Regular exercise can contribute to emotional stability.

But at the end of the day, I guess it comes down to willpower.

[sublimating]

--Forty-seven? [oh] You know what? I think you probably made a good call. It would be kind of awkward if you started getting into triple digits anyway.

[sublimating]

What, like in the army?