Grow Big or Go Home

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

The Iron Man armor restoration couldn't have come at a better time--it was getting nippy, and carrying around spare layers just seemed like such a waste of a good pair of hands (that's what he had Happy for, after all). With the integrated nanotech, his armor could be a pair of whatever Tony needed it to be, and a nice autumn jacket and synthetic pants perchance rain was the order of the day. And a nice thermos of black tea. Sure, 17 ounces was overkill, but it wasn't coffee on a day where he didn't 'need' it. Baby steps.

While he had taken stock of each resident and the keystone species of the surrounding terra, Tony wasn't feeling particularly enterprising that day, but he wasn't in the mood to do nothing either. Solution: analyze the flowers at the garden and cross-reference it with the Language of Flowers text he'd found perusing the library selection. An idle, sentimental sort of endeavor but frankly, why not? He'd been in a rut with his research and his clever mind was due for a reprieve.

His fingers toyed with the petals of a rose whose thick branches elegantly climbed over a white trellis, splashing it with thick bouquets of red. Was there a rule in place about touching the flowers? Ah, well. He wasn't removing anything--'There went a petal. And another. It was going to happen eventually.' He took his hand back and looked to the side innocently. There, his eyes caught a bit of movement past a boxwood hedge. Two broad backs, working in unison. Unable to catch their faces, neither Tony nor F.R.I.D.A.Y. could discern the identities. They seemed too animated to be one of the laboring automatons.

"Nice roses." Tony called, simply to get a reaction out of whomever it happened to be.

Comments

[st_evengrantrogers]

Steve wasn't sure who Bo was, so he continued shoveling dirt, eavesdropping on what he perceived now to be a conversation between Tony and Thor.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Bo's reaction to Thor's name had been intriguing. Thor's reaction to Bo's name was practically identical. Tony played it off with a shrug.

"An arch. Some kind of...ritual. I didn't ask." He had wanted to, but the end was more towards keeping himself busy, making himself feel useful, and (saccharine as it was to say) the warm, gooey feeling he got by helping others. He turned his attention to Steve, nudging the larger man with his elbow. "Wanna help?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"You two really should stay away from her," Thor suddenly rises to his feet to his feet. He brushes his hands off on his pants. "Take my place for awhile," he tells Tony, directing Tony to the space where he was pruning just a few moments before. "I'll be back later."

[st_evengrantrogers]

Steve stopped his shoveling for a moment to lean against the tool and stare over at Tony. "As attractive as some kind of...ritual sounds," he said, giving his best Tony impersonation--it was actually pretty good, "I'd need a little more info before I sign on the dotted line."

A wave of confusion and concern washed over Steve as his friend stood abruptly. "What's wrong?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"Everything's okay," Thor says, directing a finger at Steve with a smile. "Bergljot still needs watering. Tony, you take care of it. Rogers can let you know which one she is."

And with that, Thor departs.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

That was a reaction. Stronger than Tony had anticipated. He watched Thor depart and then shared a look with Steve.

"I'll ask." Tony said with a sigh. "Later. When the flowers are accounted for. I started this, I'll finish it."