Bless my soul [open]

[worldsaway]

WHO| Thor Odinson and OPEN
WHAT| Thor around the mall, beverages, roombas and shirtlessness within.
WHERE| Water fountains, food court, anywhere you want him.
WHEN| Week 3
WARNINGS| Standard Hunger Games stuff. He's dressed like this.

[Food Court.]
Thus far, this Arena has proven to be slower than the last. Thor wants to say duller, but deep down he knows admitting that would be coaxing chaos. The food court explosions had been eventful, but not in the way of a spirited battle. It's almost funny to him, how good he probably would have been at this sort of thing when he was a hotheaded fool. He's certain he would have fought any who opposed him, but he probably would have traipsed into a trap long ago.

He thinks this and yet, he's wandering back into the scene of the carnage from a few days ago. It seems as if all has settled for the moment, but he searches around curiously for anything that could be of use, keeping an eye out for anyone who might still be here. His searches bring him to cans of what looks to be drinks served alongside meals. The bright colours make him wary, but the promise of UNLIMITED ENERGY is tempting indeed. He packs some away to share, cracking open the gaudy can to try it. He wasn't sure what he expected, but the sweetness of it almost has him sputtering. He cannot deny that the flavour is appealing, so he'll keep hand of it as he travels.


[Chasing Roomba.]
The promise of UNLIMITED ENERGY was not folly, Thor feels abuzz with enthusiasm and adrenaline and he stalks the mall for a target. When it becomes apparent that the robotic creatures have become aggressive, they seem as good an opponent as any. Thor charges at them whenever he sees one, kicking and seeking to destroy the vicious little machines. He has weaponry, but he seems to prefer crushing them with his feet and arms.

The excersise is refreshing and he enjoys himself, so don't be too surprised if a wall of thunder god bellows at you to be wary, rapidly approaching with what looks to be hoped up energy drink. "This drink is most excellent." He assures, pressing it into the hands of strangers before taking it upon himself to protect anyone and everyone from small vacuuming robots with weirdly aggressive tendencies.

[Washing off/Fountains.]
A sugar crash is a most awful thing to experience. Two or three cans had him on top of the world and eagerly bounding through the mall, now he feels as if he could sleep for years or more. He can't afford the lethargy, so he decides his best course of action is to wash. He strips his dressing gown and armored shirt off entirely, realising he ought to replace the garment now that the weeks have progressed.

He splashes the cool water of the fountain on his face after cupping some into his hand, repeating the motion a few times over his face again and his chest. He certainly feels more refreshed and far more alert, so he'll flick his hair aside to listen for any approaching with a suspicious look. When he feels safe, he isn't inclined to put the gross and well worn shirt back on, so he'll continue his travels without it and in search of new coverage.

Comments

Roombas of course

[oopsright]

It's quite the show that she walks in on, spotting a tall and muscular man with blond hair down to his shoulders chasing after a disk looking little machine, his robe fluttering like a cape - oh yeah, this is entertainment at its finest. Tess is reminded of an overgrown child chasing butterflies in wild abandonment, she can't stop watching on until she's spotted and he's shouting at her, his voice booming in the area.

Oh. Um.

"What the hell?" She almost drops the drink when it's pushed onto her. "Hey - careful." No regret as she scowls up at him, his drink in hand, irritated by the show of enthusiasm while she's knackered beyond all belief, her injuries hurting under her shirt and sleeve.

[worldsaway]

Thor is practically the definition of manchild sometimes. There are days when he is a stern pillar of manly authority and commands respect and then there are days when he drinks too much concentrated sugar and chases robots like it's going out of style.

He doesn't quite notice her annoyance nor her scowl when he charges forward, catching up with the roomba in time to kick it hard. He sends it flying into the wall ahead so it falls to the ground with a shuddery, broken noise and he turns to her with a satisfied smile that falls when he realises she doesn't look terribly pleased.

"My apologies." His smile becomes more reserved as he reaches to take his drink from her, only to reach into his satchel and present her with an unopened can. "Take it, the taste is pleasant once you become accustomed to it."

[oopsright]

Tess finds herself staring up at the man, tall, broad and muscular. Very muscular. Or that's what she can make out underneath that ridiculous looking robe. He smiles and she straightens up, blinking. She's honestly a little taken aback by just how damn good looking he is.

"Uh." Find your fucking tongue. "Take it...?" Oh. "An energy drink?"

But Tess won't ignore the offer being presented, reaching out to take the can from him. Wow, she hasn't seen a proper one of these in years. Long expired and stale.

She squints up at him suspiciously. "How many of these have you had before you decided to come and play Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots?"

[worldsaway]

Ah, Tess. Thor is used to this moment and he just smiles casually through it. Or, well, it's more like a blinding grin because of how perky he is, but there's a casual air to him anyway.

"Is that what they call it?" Because a drink that gives you energy couldn't possibly be anything else. He continues to gesture it at her until she takes it, glad when she does so he can focus on his own.

"Two...Three perhaps?" Now he almost looks sheepish. "Is it so obvious?"

Fountains

[fiercestwarrior]

Sif's plan, and she thought it was a pretty solid plan, was to catch up to Thor and yell at him for going solo on careless roomba slaughter. What if he'd been swarmed? What if they'd managed to push him down an escalator? What if he'd been ground into Thor-flavoured mush by the gears?

Yes, he is the mightiest warrior that she has ever known and she is well aware that it's rather useless of her to fret but that is pretty much her job. Besides, things are different here. They are weaker. She would never consider such puny machines threats if they were but their proper selves, but here they actually have the power to hurt them.

Or maybe she's just frustrated and needs something to yell at, that is certainly a possibility as well.

The only problem with her plan was that when she caught sight of him while being out on her own little scavenging trip (so far it had yielded a sports bra and t-shirt to replace the corset she'd been wearing and also some food) she got swarmed by roombas and had to spend some time dispatching them before she could continue the chase of her best friend which led to him finding him not cheerfully crushing small murder machines but rather shirtless and washing himself off.

Now, shirtless Thor isn't actually a new sight to her, you don't spend centuries traveling the nine realms with a man and never see him lose his shirt, but even so the sight deflates her annoyance a bit.

Well, for a moment, and then it flares up twice as strong because how dare he be that beautiful?

No, it's not her most shining moment of rational thought, it really isn't. It is just much harder to keep her heart from simply tearing its way out of her chest and flopping down uselessly on the ground before him so that he can step on it without even noticing when it's just the two of them caught in this place, far from Asgard and everything else. Here she has nothing but Thor, which makes it that much clearer that in some ways he's really the only thing she wants.

Asgard first, always, but there is no Asgard here.

She folds her arms across her chest and tries to turn the way her eyes do indeed go wandering over his body into a look of appraisal.

"You're getting out of shape."

[worldsaway]

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Sif's fussing quite often falls on deaf ears. Thor doesn't mean any disrespect for it, but he's still quite stubborn, when Thor sets his mind on something he very well does it. It is in part why he did not notice Sif was troubled by roombas herself, most likely. But he doesn't notice a lot of things.

He's not entirely oblivious to the fact that many people find him attractive. It's flattering to be sure, but it isn't why he's here. Maybe his affections with Jane, at this rate, are born from that stubborn nature. He waited years to be with her, he gave up everything and here he is, again. Worlds away without a clue what life is for her now. She must grow tired of waiting, her life is a blink to him, her youth is more precious than his will ever be. He hates to dwell on it, but his mind often falls to Jane when he's alone and tired. He rarely tells himself no or lets himself believe he can't prevail in a situation, but this is beyond him. Truly his heart ached to know that Jane had considered another, but that is beyond him as well. He loves her, he would shift worlds for her, but he cannot bare the pain he knows he puts her through. He dares not breathe it aloud, but on occasion he has reason to hope that she moves on, that she is the stronger of the two and leaves what they have behind for her own happiness.

Sometimes, Thor can't see the forest for the trees. He thinks of Jane moving on, but he's not yet imagined it for himself. Not with Sif of all people. There was a time when he felt such affection for her, but that was a time when the two of them would not have complimented one another. Thor is a changed man nowadays, but Sif is still a permanent fixture that he has been unable to see as anything but a friend and ally. She would not have him when he was a fool, why would she have him now that he has abandoned her and Asgard? He'd hardly considered Sif in that light, not since she'd had her own love, but there was something different about the two of them here. It's comforting to have someone else from his Asgard, Loki was fine enough company, but he filled him with a distinct sadness from time to time. Sif understood him and, to his knowledge, he understood her.

He scoffs at her when she makes an appearance and so quickly berates him and he looks down at himself skeptically, it's hard not to feel a little bloated after so much sugar.

"I've not had much cause for strain, as of late." The Arena had been a slow one for him, as she well knows. "If you wish to express concern, there are gentler ways to do it. Though I suppose it is foolish of me to expect a gentle way from Lady Sif." He gives her a small, sly smirk, pushing his hair out of his face.

[fiercestwarrior]

They have passed each other by in this matter, desire waxing and waning like the moon and colouring their friendship but never pushing it into being something else. Still, even when she told herself that they would make a poor match, even when she found love in the arms of another man, even when she was certain that he did not want her the same way that she had come to (once more) want him, Thor was always... Special. Always something a little beyond a friend, which was perhaps not strange considering the many roles he played in her life. Friend, leader, occasional object of desire. Nothing was ever quite so simple as it more like than not seemed to many.

And now Thor loves Jane, and she knows him well enough to not make his father's mistake. Telling Thor that his devotion should be turned in a different direction is useless and would most likely only make Thor cling that much more fiercely to his feelings. Besides, she has carried her own useless affection around for long enough that she hardly has any room to judge.

She only hopes this Jane woman can truly make him happy when he can be together with her again. It has been a subtle kind of torture to watch Thor pine so over her, so she had better be worth it or she will answer to Sif.

"And there are better ways to strain yourself than to trample machines like bilgesnipe in heat, alone."

He is usually one of the few people in this world who actually can expect gentle treatment from her, but not today. Not when he is being all... Shirtless and smirking and frustrating.

[worldsaway]

It is beyond Thor's realm of understanding. Really, Sif's feelings have always been beyond him in all manners. Years ago he probably would have brushed it off rudely as if she were just difficult, but now he understands that people are strange and he need not fight the way they are. It's almost sad the fact that it's helped him fall into swing with her all the more without ever realising the depth of her affections. Though there are times when he does wonder and then it leads him to wonder if he'd best pull away entirely, but it seems so foolish to imagine Sif of all people would desire him without making it abundantly clear to him. She more than anything knows he's a fool, but such is the price of how far she's willing to go to protect him and their friendship.

He knows how they would all be happier, but thinking about happiness is almost pointless when they're trapped here. All he truly hopes is that Jane never, ever finds herself in this place. It is bad enough that anyone should be here, but at least Sif understands battle. Sometimes a little too much.

"And yet I am no worse for it." He quirks a brow at her. "You need not lecture me, Sif. All is well."

fountain but afterward

[molotov]

She knew that it was creepy, watching Thor rinse off in a fountain. But... well, he was the one in the wrong, right? Doing that all in public when there were perfectly functioning restrooms to use the sink in? How could anyone passing by not stop and stare at all those rippling muscles and the shiny water trails dripping down his perfectly tanned skin and the really pretty way his pelvic bones create just the perfect dip at his hips...

Also she wasn't stopping and staring like she'd been caught off-guard while walking through the mall. She was watching from behind a mannequin in the front window of NeverXXI. And she definitely hadn't stopped watching once she realized what was going on.

Molotov was pretty sure that Thor was still the one in the wrong here.

It's not until he starts walking down the hall, still all wet and drippy, that she moves to the entranceway of the store and whistles to get his attention. If he looks over, she's holding up the camping towel from her kit bag, waving it vaguely.

"Need this?"

[worldsaway]

Once again, Thor's lack of concern for his surroundings is pretty apparent. He's sure there are restrooms for discretion, but he has no intention of taking his pants off! And really, when has he ever cared for eyes on him? It flatters his ego, even if he's dismissive of flirting from anyone but Jane.

Perhaps he is the one in the wrong to Molotov, but in his mind he's created no cause for concern. He is but a damp man drifting through the halls as he pleases. Who is he to judge if people find enjoyment in such a gesture?

He pauses in his movement when Molotov whistles, turning with a suspicious glance before breaking into a smile. She was a strange woman to be sure, but she was good fun and a great ally.

"I would not object to it." Which suggests that he doesn't believe he needs it at all, but he'll approach for it anyway. "Do I look rather less like a hobo?"

[molotov]

A damp gorgeous man, and that definitely puts him in the wrong. People could die from being so distracted by his physical beauty. If someone had snuck up on Molotov while she was creepily watching him from inside a store, she would be beheaded, probably. How would Thor feel then, huh, knowing that his perfect body caused the death of a friend?

Molotov hands over the towel -- it's a little funky-smelling by now, but still as absorbent as ever, so he won't have any issues with it. "I wouldn't mistake you for one, no," she says, heading back into the store, "but you can probably avoid the issue altogether with what's in here. Besides, you've been wearing the same clothes for weeks."

[worldsaway]

Thor would feel incredible guilt for such a terrible outcome. If he were more insidious, he would use his beauty for the power of evil and lure people into traps with his smile. Together, they would rule the arenas and then probably take each other out before either of them can win.

The smell, if he notices it, certainly doesn't bother him. He uses it to wipe off his face and fluff his hair before draping it around his neck to hold onto for the moment.

"Glad to hear it." He smirks, following her without a moment of hesitation. "So I have. I've not thought to change." He glances around, unsure where to begin. "What would you recommend?" He assumes she knows better than he would.

Food Court

[rediscover]

On Tony's recommendation, Anna had been eager to check out the food court. It was only slightly disappointing, as she'd still sort of been hoping it was presided over by the Burger King he had mentioned, with cupcakes and sandwiches as lords and ladies. When it turned out to be more of a courtyard surrounded by empty food stalls, with tables laden with food at certain times of the day, she deflated a bit, but still came back whenever it felt safe to stock up on food.

It's quieter today, and when she creeps in on timid feet with her empty bag, she sees quickly that there's only one other occupant at the moment; the rush seems to be over for the day. The princess watches with wide eyes as the massive blonde man at the other end of the tables downs one of the canned drinks that Anna's been rather curious about, but has yet to try.

Skimming her hand along the table, tossing bags of chips and plastic-wrapped sandwiches into her bag for Elsa and Kristoff, she calls out, her voice sounding small and echoey in the high-ceilinged space. "Are those any good?"

[worldsaway]

A lot of modern Midgardian terms rise expectations more than Thor would like. He's started to stop taking terms like 'super' and 'ultimate' sincerely, which lends to his suspicion of the beverage initially. Oh how wrong he had been, it is delicious. Like nothing he has tasted and everything he needed.

Thor doesn't carry himself too warily most of the time, but with the recent attacks on the food court he does choose to be cautious. He tenses when he hears the very faint sounds of approach, but he turns and appraises her casually like they're two friends and not potential enemies.

"They are as sweet as they promise, refreshing too." She looks rather familiar, but he can't place why. He places a full, pink coloured can on the table and slides it toward her. "Have we met?"

[rediscover]

The man before her is certainly intimidating in stature--indeed, he reminds her a lot of the depictions of the gods in her childhood storybooks.

Oh, Anna, how ironic could you possibly be?

She gives him a tentative grin. "I can't argue with a pitch like that," she admits, leaning forward to pick up the can he offers her. She cracks it open, sniffing warily; it smells like candy. Good enough for her. Between sweet, delicious sips, she considers his question.

"Mm, no, I don't think so!" She cocks her head. "But maybe you've met my sister, Elsa. She looks a lot like me, only blonde." She might normally add 'and pretty,' but Steve debunked that idea with his very sweet compliments, so she's feeling a tad more confident about her own looks lately.

[worldsaway]

From what Thor can already judge of Anna, he's sure she'll have no objections to the drink. Really, he's the one who looks like he has no business drinking something so sweet, she looks like she could use it.

"Elsa, yes." He parrots with a moment of consideration. "We met last Arena, in her house of ice. It was a most impressive sight to encounter in the heat." He offers her a small smile. "If you are her sister, then you may consider me an ally."

Fountains

[plushaeusrumpified]

There are times when you get extremely lucky in life. For Bro, stumbling onto a hot guy giving themselves a bath is the equivalent of finding money on the sidewalk. Both things just make you want to reach out and grab them, though when it comes to people you kind of have to avoid doing that because they get a little offended or uncomfortable if you do.

So basically it comes down to if you can't touch 'em, join them. Except that only applies to hot guys bathing, you can't really lie down next to some money on the sidewalk and join it. But you sure can peel off your shirt and bathe with somebody, which is exactly what Bro's doing.

"Yo, I didn't realize it was bath time. Too bad I left my rubber ducky back in the Capitol." His shirt is tossed onto the floor and he's gonna slide up right next to Thor, who he doesn't actually realize is Thor just yet. They haven't met in person, after all, though he's known Thor is around for a while now. "Would it make you uncomfortable if I took off my pants?"

[worldsaway]

Thor feels as if he's experienced all manners of courting since his arrival here. Even before in his brief visits to Midgard he'd found people to be very forward, but he tended to brush it off with his profoundly friendly and casual air. Y'know, for a 6'6 wall of muscle.

Yet, somehow, he's a little taken aback by the fact that Bro is stripping before he's even graced him with a greeting. Perhaps it isn't courting at all, but Thor has every reason to be suspicious.

He wipes a hand over his face, mopping back stray blond locks as he watches Bro invade his personal space like it's nothing. So Thor just gives his shoulders a heavy shrug. "I had not realised there was a time." He just bathes whenever he wants, and he doesn't know what a ducky is so he ignores it. "It is no concern of mine, I cannot speak for others." God, they're in public, Bro. Not like Thor was doing soft porn all by himself before you made it weird.

[plushaeusrumpified]

"I don't see anybody else around, yo," he says, raising his eyebrow. But there's something weird about stripping when someone gives you permission. If Thor had a stronger reaction, then he'd probably be more inclined to actually do it just to get even more of a reaction out of him. But even still, he's gonna just casually undo his pants and let them drop- but hey, he'll keep his boxers on at any rate.

He still hasn't decided if this is courting or not, so maybe Thor is right to be a little suspicious. On the bright side, he's leaning towards not because he has a sexy ass drag queen waiting for him back in the Capitol, so banging a god isn't as much of a priority when you've got a queen.

Bro starts splashing water onto his chest, rubbing at himself to get himself all nice and squeaky clean, before he looks over at Thor. "You need somebody to get your back?" Eh, eh? "I'm gonna need somebody to get mine in a sec, I'ma leave that to you, man. Who are you, anyway? That's probably important, I mean I can't let strangers just have their way with my backside."

ROOMBAS!!

[fintastic]

While Sollux is busy on the computers, Feferi's off looking for something useful to do. Maybe it's about time she took this arena into her own hands, instead of sitting back and waiting for everyone else to kill each other. She doesn't want to kill, but she knows she'll probably have to if she's going to get a win for Sollux. (Despite their conversation before the Arena, that's still her ultimate goal.)

She doesn't get very far before she's accosted by a particularly aggressive roomba. As it advances on her, she manages to smash it with her crowbar, but only seconds before the rest of its little pack emerges from hiding. Six roombas versus one girl with a crowbar is a little unevenly matched. She can't smash one without giving the others an opportunity to knock her down, and they seem rather adept at backing her into the wall. She could probably jump over them but she'd have to leave her crowbar behind, and yelling for help would just be a signal to anyone who wants to try and take her out or hinder her escape. She has to think fast-- she is not dying to a stupid little robot barely bigger than a dinner plate.

[worldsaway]

It feels good to feel as if you are making a difference, Thor knows. He doesn't imagine he could ever pursue anyone in cold-blood unless they gave him good reason, so it feels pleasing to take months worth of pent up frustration out on some vicious, emotionless robots.

Though he'd begun his pursuit empty handed, he's picked up a flimsy chair from the food court for ease of robot-bashing. He's caused quite the fuss, perhaps that's why so many of the roombas have headed toward Feferi's direction rather than spreading across the span of the mall. Luckily, he's bringing his fuss all the way down to where she is, and she doesn't need to yell for him to invite himself into the fray. He charges toward her with a loud battle cry, kicking and hitting at the little robovermin in an attempt to clear a path for her.

He spares a glance up at her, recognising her instantly with a small smile. "Hello, frond."

[fintastic]

At first, Feferi's not sure what's happening, but as soon as she sees her rescuer, she smiles wide, and beans another approaching roomba over the top with her crowbar. The fish pun certainly helps.

"Hi, frond!" She laughs a little at herself while she whacks another out of the way to meet up with him, winning her freedom from the encroaching mini-robots. "Come on, let's go!"

Free of the roombas, she's ready to book it to somewhere they can't follow her. She doesn't want to give the remaining few a chance to rally the rest of the troops.

Rrrrrrroombas

[polyturtle]

Hi, Thor. Good to know you are replenishing your electrolytes?

"Ah..." Don looked down at the drink that had been randomly shoved into his hands, as he had been trying to sneak by Thor and the roombas. It was admittedly tempting for him to take a sip - his own coffee high was wearing off and he knew he'd eventually crash himself. "Big fan of lime?"

[worldsaway]

If there were ever a good and healthy time for excessive energy drink consumption, now would be the time. Thor has long struggled to find a way to replenish all the energy he loses in a day without proper meals, he feels he may have found an answer in this.

"Greetings!" He barks, undeterred by the uncertainty of his turtle friend. He takes a wide step forward and brings his foot down hard on the roomba. "Indeed! Though I did not know until now." He chuckles, bring his foot down a few more times for good measure before turning to grin at Don. "Try it, it is delicious."

[polyturtle]

"All right..."

He did, taking a few more gulps than he'd actually intended. It was...basically lime Gatorade. For Don, it was pretty normal for him. He doesn't say that out loud, of course.

"Yeah. Pretty good. Have you tried the other flavors?"