|
   |
The sun is shining, some birds are chirping and the day seems like it's going to be splendid! Street vendors are selling their wares, and joggers are making their way around the park. Tourists mingle with the locals in Central Park.
However Yuliya has been enjoying her freedom a bit too much. With a bit of slack from her handler, she's been enjoying the American life. Sure, she's had drinks in the past, but she looks rather bad from the night before. It started with vodka, and then she doesn't remember much beyond that. She's showered, complete with lavender scented soap, but she still smells like a brewery. So it seems that the way to cure her upset stomach is visiting central park for traditional American street food.
Asgardians, blessed by Odin with long life, also don't get hangovers. Even the crystal decanters of Alfeim's fine spirit-wines make mornings-after a little more than a blurry memory, easily fended off with rich meats and hair of the dog.
But that also means that there's no reason not to stuff your face at any given time! Thor loves Midgardian cuisine; the fats, the salts, the fried foods and sweets in particular all leave behind Asgardian food. Good mutton and rich bread is no comparison to churros and falafel.
"Mm. Mmm! My friend, I think this is better than even the hamburger," Thor says, around a giant mouthful of giro in a pita. "The flavors, it is— mutton, but so /rare/, so tender!" he approves.
There's a weird sort of queue around Thor's position; some people look a little irate at the fact that he's commandeering the entirety of the vendor's attention with the stack of gold coins he keeps piling up on the counter. Others are delighted by Thor's random acts of generosity, as he proclaims a meal 'fit for all' and buys an item for everyone in earshot at the time.
The vendor's in a daze, but happy enough to keep serving the weird RenFaire refugee with the bottomless stomach.
Starfire is never going to pass for normal, but she can at least try her utmost to blend in. A warm winter coat and walking on the ground instead of floating goes a long way to not upsetting the locals! Of course she wouldn't care too much about blending in if not for the greatest Earth delight. Hotdogs with extra mustard. She may not have the appetite of an Asgardian but the alien princess can still put away enough food to fill her nine stomachs.
"I think it might be made from baby sheep?" She suggests. "Personally I do not think it blends well with mustard. Which I still maintain is the finest thing to eat on this continent."
Yuliya sighs, the vendor she was going to try has a crowd around it. She's hungry and not feeling the best, so with a little bit of foul Russian some of the people seem to give her a bit of room to push through. "It is Yankee made," she comments in an accent that might place her from Russia. An Asgardian and an alien princess who stands out in a crowd? She mightn't seem all that phased at the moment. She's got a mission, and it seems that she might be trying to figure out how to achieve it.
That mission, how to get some of the food left. "Lamb. That is what baby sheep are called." She then considers Starfire for a moment through one eye. "You know what goes really well with mustard. Mayonnaise."
Thor turns, hearing a familiar voice, and a grin splits his features. "Princess Koriand'r!" he roars. He sets aside his meal and throws his hands in the air, and steps towards Kori to throw a bear hug at her.
"'Tis well to see you again, my fair friend! You look hale and hearty, though ever you do glow even in the dourest of times," he says, laughing merrily. Starfire does have a /literal/ light about her sometimes. "Come! Join me, I am sampling this merchant's fine wares."
Kori and Yuliya confirm each other's suggestion, and he nods firmly. "Aye, lamb! 'twould explain why it is so succulent and tender. Come, merchant!" He bangs his hand on the counter and sets down more gold, apparently deciding a 'coin per giro' is a fair rate of exchange. The vendor hastily makes two of the biggest giros he can; Thor's obviously insane and is putting the man's kids through college at the rate he's spending, and clearly the fellow's feeling a little guilty about it.
But he still jams the coins into his trouser pocket.
Starfire gulps down her last two hotdogs at once, rather than risk them being jostled. "Yes lamb is the word I was looking for," she agrees, still looking at Yuliya even as Thor practically engulfs her with a hug. "Mustard goes well with almost /everything/."
"I am unsure if you are using the correct form of payment friend Thor," Kori points out earnestly. "American dollars are not so shiny. I hope you are not making trouble for the poor man by giving him strange coins."
At the mention of a Princess, Yuliya does give Starfire a look. It's a rather uncertain look at the most, and she does seem a tad confused, especialy with the hotdogs. She opens her mouth to say something at first, and then closes it. When Thor hugs Starfire, she does try to peek around the Asgardian. "Have you ever tried mayonnaise made with hot mustard in it?" she asks out of curiousity. "I… I find I do not usually like what the Americans made, and tend to make my own."
She then notices how Thor is paying, and her brow raises in surprise. Usually she wouldn't get involved in anything like that, but she might have noticed what's being involved. "The Bourgeoisie is right. Do not get me wrong, I like money, but this vendor is most likely taking advantage of you. I do not know what you are paying in, but he seems more than happy to shove it into his pocket."
Thor picks up the snacks and offers one to Yuliya, then one to Starfire. He looks a little confused at their suggestions, his wide grin faltering a little. "Coin of the realm confuses me, with the nonsense paper slips that you mortals exchange," Thor says, protesting a little. "His wares sell for a single of your 'dollars' each, aye? We have settled no standard transaction of currency between thy mortal vendors and Asgard." He hands Starfire and Yuliya a coin— it's small, but exquisitely carved. "A peningar each," he explains. The coin must weigh a little less than a gram, but the carvings alone defy mortal artisan capabilities. "Gold is one of those strange constants across the Realms— it spends well in every planet you attend."
"I do not understand what you mean by a Bourgeoisie," Starfire points out. "I would not say I am a middle class French woman. Although I have been to France briefly. It is quite a lovely place." The coin is inspected, then offered back. "Back home I never really needed money. I think we had coins in a museum for the historial value but that was it really. I prefer the designs on your peningar coins compared to the American money however." She hmms thoughtfully. "If your coins are a set weight you could check the value of gold by weight against the dollar and use that as your exchange rate?"
The snack? That's most likely a meal or two for Yuliya, who happily takes it. "Spasibo," she offers happily between mouthfuls. She closes her eyes for a moment, and seems to enjoy the unfamiliar taste of the food. While she might have been in the country for a while, the food is still strange and exotic to her. When Starfire corrects her and talks about France, she kind of stares for a few moments, and then nods in agreement. "It is a very lovely country. I lived there after fleeing the Soviet Union," she admits. The coin that is offered to her, she does inspect it closely, and she tilts her head to the side and seems thoughtful for a few moments. She takes another bite of the delicious snack and seems content to listen to Starfire explain things. "I do not know much about gold and how it converts to currency. I think it is something to do with carrots. I do not know why people would use carrots. They grow in the ground."
"See, it is too much botheration to work out," Thor sniffs, taking the coins back and pocketing them. "I do not feel I am paying too much; this is fine food, worthy of royalty," he says, winking at Starfire. "Mayhaps he does not overcharge me; indeed it is possible he undercharges all else, or conspiracy forces his wages to be suppressed. In either case, /I/ am pleased to pay him well for his services!"
"The young lady is well fed," Thor points out to Kori. "And you know all too well the virtue of noblesse oblige. So then let us call it the charity our station demands, and worry not about it."
It might occur to Yuliya that Thor is speaking Russian. A little archaic and stilted, but it's Russian, or at least when his words hit her ears, she hears it as 'Russian'— and not English, or French, or even Vietnamese.
"I am unsure if my people follow quite the same rules as you think they do," Starfire admits with a laugh. "And you are right, the food /is/ very enjoyable. However I do worry my friend Gwen will complain that I have been spending all day 'ruining my appetite'. And so long as the vendor is happy with the coins you are providing then I can't imagine there is a problem."
Yuliya stops mid-bite to consider Thor and his strange archaic, stilted Russian that she's understanding. She finishes the mouthful, and chews it quickly as she takes a step back. It's possible that her briefings never talked about things like this at all. <Be certain that the Capitalist Yankees do not try to take too much from you,> she offers to Thor in Russian. <Again, thank you. I will repay you for this.> She takes another step back, and she purses her lips as she considers Starfire again. "Maybe he enjoys it too much," she then offers to the space princess. It also seems like she's getting ready to leave.
Thor looks a little puzzled at Yuliya's offer. "My fair friend, there is no need for caution and even less for repayment," he tells the woman. "It is the privilege of nobility to share my blessings with others. To hoard wealth is foolish and cruel. Wealth exists to be spent, not for its own sake."
"Eat no more than you wish, friend Kori," Thor tells the Princess. "I sense no famine on the horizon. I must take my leave, I think— duties call to all of us," he says. He bows to Kori, then flashes a polite smile at Yuliya. "If you ladies will excuse me, then," he offers, preparing his own departure as well.
"You forget I don't really need to eat solid food," Kori points out cheerfully. "A days sunshine is plenty for me. Today I'm only eating purely for the enjoyment of it all." She grins at Yuliya and then adds in Russian. <I think friend Thor will be fine. He is crown prince of Asgard and I do not think this gyro stall could bankrupt an entire world.>
No doubt Yuliya is feeling more of a stranger in America with an Asgardian and a Princess from another planet. She sometimes get overwhelmed in some situations, and this time it's being overwhelmed as well as icing on the cake. She takes a deep breath again, no doubt trying to settle herself. She was meant to be the pefect Soviet citizen, and so she just kind of stares in disbelief at the two of them. When Starfire reveals who the man is, she gives him a concerned look at then takes another step back. She's no doubt heard what is said, and it seems that the shock has cured her hangover. "I… I have a meeting to go to," she offers in reply as she takes another step back. However she's not going to drop her meal though. "I will repay you, Thor. It would be rude not to." She offers a polite incline of her head to starfire as well. "Next time we meet, I will hopefully have some of that mayonnaise I spoke of."