[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]

You're a great audience. [he starts to move forward, tilting his head back to eye the canopy as they step under it]

It's a shame. It could be kind of nice, if not for the circumstances. Kind of a vacation spot, you know?

[onehotpepper]

I've had a lot of practice at it. [small laugh as she follows]

Yeah. You probably don't even get service out here. That's possibly one of the very few nice things about this. [does she still worry about the company? yes, but there is nothing she can do, so she tries her best not to think about it] I never though I'd see the day.

[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.

[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.

[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]

[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]

[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]

[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.

[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.

[onehotpepper]

Mostly I just breathe deep. [shrugs, looks down] Earlier, I-- I don't know. I just felt like running. Anywhere. As fast as I can. [how fast is that now, she wonders]

[nope, not thinking about it] Don't tell Tony that.

[sublimating]

You got it. In fact, this whole... conversation never happened. [a brief smile at her, but he says] You didn't heat up, though.

[onehotpepper]

[the small smile she'd given him disappears as she shakes her head] No. But I could have, if I'd started running, I think. I don't-- [sighs] I don't know. But I never have, in all of this, so it's all the same. [except now she second-guesses everything she might do, wonders what triggers it. it's exhausting even without Tony looking over her shoulder]

[sublimating]

Is it really the same? It seems to me like every time you don't... every time you're better than that... that's a win. [tilting his head back]

[onehotpepper]

[were it anyone else telling her that, she'd laugh them out of the room, so to speak. she gives him a slow nod, digesting the information, tucking it in the cracks in her reality that have yet to be mended.] Being-- still alive. Not hurting anyone. That's a win.

[you're a good man, Bruce Banner. A+. she smiles.]

[also, she has located a bora bean within reach, so she grabs it and feels a little bit proud. it's the little things.]

Do you still do any of those things? The aikido, the meditating?

[sublimating]

Oh, yeah, a little. They don't help that much, but -- I'm not a guy who likes losing a skill. [a grin at her, gently gathering some of the beans himself] Honestly, I think I most enjoy the morning jogs.

[onehotpepper]

Oh? [smiling, plucking more beans off the vine] I think I might try that. And yoga.