2013-01-22 Terra and Hulk are Cool!

The Hulk is not exactly a common sight in Metropolis. Mostly he confines himself to far less populated areas by choice, but somehow has managed to wander into the city today. He has managed to avoid destroying anything -- he's not in one of his rages, but has, this cold January day, been seeking out a warmer spot to rest. Cities are warmer than the countryside, by virtue of the myriad buildings that trap the heat, vehicles that produce the heat, and so forth. Hulk found himself attracted to Metropolis like a moth to a lantern.
But as always, people run from him, shouting, screaming. Hulk means no harm, is, perhaps, a little saddened by their reactions, but it's nothing he's not used to. And so he finds a quiet spot -- Queensland Park, snowy and empty of people with his arrival. He stands, his huge face turning this way and that to survey his new domain, and then sits on a park bench, crushing it flat.
Terra is busy being the best at what she does, and what she does...well, it's helping people and the environment, healing the Earth wherever she can. That means, the screams of people in panic draws her attention. Surfing atop her flying rock, she flies swiftly to the area of Queensland Park, to be greeted by the...hulking sight of, well, The Hulk!
Swooping down lower, she still hovers atop her rock relatively about a head taller than Hulk, as she points a finger down at him, "what do you want with these poor people? And why destory that poor, innocent bench!" Yes, her tone is accusatory, but she doesn't just rush in for a fight, she waits to hear what Hulk has to say first. A true champion of justice!
Hulk looks up from where he's sprawled on the ground among the wreckage of the bench, looks around. "Hulk see no people but flying rock girl," he observes in a deep voice like an earthquake's rumble. "Bench break when Hulk sit down. Hulk too big." He picks up a piece of shattered wood, examines it a moment, puts it down. "What flying rock girl want?"
"That's because you scared them, and they all ran away, what did you do?" Terra asks, her rock hovering a big higher and lower in the same spot, as she studies the formidable Hulk, and muses, "did you just spook them by just being here? You look pretty intimidating." She nods as she sees the wrecked bench, and then snaps her fingers, "I can solve that!" Moving her arms, her violet eyes almost seem to glow as she shifts her hands like a puppeteer and all of a sudden the ground itself seems to move, rising up and shift as if it was clay, and before long there's a bench made of rock, big enough to support the Hulk, "ta da! How about this bench?" Terra asks with a smile, "will you not scare people as much if you can sit and relax without breaking a bench? I just want people not to be scared. Oh, and I'm Terra, by the way, who are you?"
Hulk appears surprised as the bench forms, and rises from the scraps to shift over to the stone bench -- given the nature of his flesh, this is no more uncomfortable to him than a feather bed. He nods to himself. Yes, this will do. "Hulk not want to scare people. Hulk just want to be left in peace," he explains in his gravelly tones. "But people see Hulk and run away. This okay. Alone is peaceful." He wriggles in place to make himself more comfortable. "Hulk Hulk," he concludes.
Terra raises her arm triumphantly in the air, "ha! I did good again! I'm getting better at being a hero!" Terra seems quite excited at the prospect, nevermind that people didn't flee because Hulk didn't have a bench to sit at, but rather, because Hulk is Hulk. "Oh, so, just because you're this big and green, people think you're scary, so they don't leave you alone?" Terra offers, already getting an idea in her head for what may have actually happened, "why not tell everyone that you won't hurt them? I'm sure they'll not bother you as much then," Terra offers with a sagely nod, a regular Dear Abby. Sitting down on her flying rock, her legs crossed Indian style, Terra hovers at about the height of Hulk's face so she can be level with him while they talk. "I like the name Hulk, it suits you! Just like the name Terra suits me!" She then looks around, "we need to find a way to make people realize you are not dangerous."
If Hulk were capable of so complicated an emotion as bemusement, that's what he'd be feeling just about now -- but he's not. Hulk's emotional array is pretty much that of an intelligent dog: happy, content, sad, angry, afraid. In the end, he's pretty much a giant green toddler. "Hulk is dangerous," he says. "But Hulk not mad now. Hulk just tired." He does, at least, recognize the fact that he can be seriously dangerous, a superpowered green wrecking ball -- but at the moment he's not aiming at dangerous. He isn't going to go causing any trouble. "Terra good name," he adds, agreeing with her previous statement.
"You seem pretty nice to me," Terra says, but then again as the Champion of Strata, she's had to deal with some scary looking creatures. So she doesn't judge on appearance, and Hulk has been very nice and sensible so far. "Good think I was here to make you a good enough bench then! So, what did you do that made you so tired Hulk? Also, why are you saying Hulk instead of I? Is it to sound cool? I want to sound cool," Terra says with youthful exuberance, before coorecting herself, "I mean, Terra want to sound cool too!" She looks delighted at the effect, "that's pretty cool!" She seems quite pleased her name is given Hulk's approval and gives him a thumb's up.
Let's be fair: Hulk isn't a bad guy. He's just really big, really dumb, and prone to temper tantrums that rate on the Richter scale. He is capable of being nice when people are not being mean to him. And Terra has hardly been mean. An inkling of a thought passes through his skull, though, at Terra's question. What did he do that made him so tired? He's not sure his new friend would particularly want to hear about how he devastated several hundred acres of northern Maine forest as a result of... something. Something about Banner. "Hulk came long way," he explains, wondering what it was about Banner that he doesn't remember. "Long, long way." Pause. "Why you talk like Hulk?" he asks, a hint of worry in his tone. "Not make fun of Hulk?"
"Terra wants to know how long? Like...countries long?" Terra asks, still smiling mirthfully as she picked up a new habit from Hulk. Only when he shows concern that she is mocking him, does she wave her hand dismissively to reassure him, "oh, no! No! No! Never! I don't make fun of people, I think you're cool! It's a new way to talk, I like it, and I want to be cool. So Terra now talks like Hulk too! Is it okay with Hulk?" There's no mistaking that childish gleeful smile on her face, she is somehow being quite sincere.
A puzzled look crosses Hulk's rocky face. How long? He's not the best at judging distance. He's fairly sure he was in this country, but he's not -entirely- sure what a country is. "Come from... that way." He lifts one big arm, pointing northeasterly. Terra would have little trouble should she try, tracking his point of origin by the huge divots in the earth where his tremendous leaps brought him down. He seems mollified by her explanation. He's never been considered cool before, but flashes a big grin full of broad, yellowish teeth. "Okay with Hulk," he agrees. "Terra... Terra cool too." He isn't certain exactly what that means. But it seems positive.
Terra looks at where Hulk points and nods, "fair enough, Terra come from there!" She points in the direction she just flew in from, she is fascinated by the giant guy who seems so nice despite the people running away earlier. "Awesome! Terra and Hulk are cool!" Looking once again in the direction Hulk said he came from, she makes a mental note to fly over and fix some damage she can feel was done. "Hulk...did you by any chance hurt some trees over there?" The question is asked in a friendly tone.
Hulk blinks a few times, as innocently as a giant ogre face can manage, before hedging, "Maybe Hulk knock over some trees that were in Hulk's way..." It's honestly of a fashion. But things are going well, and Hulk, for all that he prefers to be left in peace, does not object to making friends. IT just happens very infrequently.
"Okay...Terra will fix them, but Hulk try to be more careful, because trees are alive, did Hulk know that?" Terra asks, getting a bit of a lecturer tone, "nature is alive...the Earth is alive. It's a pretty world! Terra likes to keep it pretty!" She then looks back at Hulk, assuming he wouldn't mind what she had to say, she quickly changes the topic with a rather direct quesiton. "How come Hulk is green?"
Hulk certainly doesn't mind listening to Terra -- the girl is pretty, and Hulk likes pretty things, and, more to the point, she's not running away in terror. Or flying away on her rock. Or attacking him, which, really, is the thing Hulk likes least -- with the possible exception of Banner. "Hulk... not know," he says, which is not entirely true. He just doesn't understand. He knows it has something to do with the hated Banner, and that there were green lights involved, but beyond that he can't even begin to put all the jumbled thoughts in order. "Hulk try not to break trees," he offers, hoping this will be accepted.
"Awesome!!" Terra is so overjoyed by the news, she actually leaps at Hulk from her rock, trying to hug him, to the best of her ability seeing how he is incredibly bigger than her. "Hulk! You're the best! Thank you!" She didn't really expect him to make such a promise, or at least she takes it for a promise, but it makes her overjoyed that such a huge man would listen to her without having to resort to fighting. It's a pleasant change from what she's seen so far in the surface world.
Well, he promises to try. This will last about as long as the next time he gets really, really angry, probably. Or the next time Banner gets really really angry. But Hulk is more than surprised that she's leaping off her rock at him, and after he thought things were going so well. In fact, he thinks he's being attacked at first until he realizes... she's trying to hug him? Whoa! Crazy! The Hulk is not known for his gentleness, but he is very careful when he raises one tremendous hand to pat Terra on the back. With luck he won't even knock the wind from her. "Terra welcome," he replies in that same deep rumble.
Terra does gasp as Hulk pats her on the back, making her fully appreciate just how strong he is, considering she can tell he was being gentle. "Waw! Hulk is strong!" Terra says once she's got her breathing back in order. "So, because Hulk is so awesome, Terra now offers to help Hulk whenever he needs, ok?"
Again, Hulk flashes that broad grin. It could be menacing -- and sometimes, since Hulk's level of affect is as limited as his emotional maturity, it is. But no, this is not intended as a menacing grin. This is very clearly a look of delight, akin to one that might be seen on a small child given a wonderful gift. "Hulk is strongest there is," he observes factually. "Hulk help Terra, too, if Hulk can."
Leaping back away from Hulk, the flying rock moves in perfect timing so Terra can land on it once again. "That sounds like a great partnership, Hulk! Villains better beware! It's going to be very dangerous for them to face Hulk and Terra!" She seems rather pleased at the prospect of having this giant Hulk on her side, he can definitely provide needed firepower against super evil types!
* fade to black
 
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