The tall blonde strode through the mall, straining to take in every sight he could. These human things still perplexed him. He had had glimpses of the how these people lived, but he never ceased to be confused. Lost in his own thoughts, he did not notice the man in front of him that he plowed into. He instantly tightened his hand… and realized that he didn't have his hammer with him. However, he relaxed once he saw who it was.
"Captain America!" he laughed. "What in the name of Odun are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Thor." Steve Rogers grinned. The two men shook hands warmly.
Rogers looked around, his facial expression a mix of awe and wariness.
"You know, I'm an American. I grew up here. And I'm still lost." He muttered.
"Ah but you forget, friend, you are old." Thor chuckled.
"Ah, shaddup." Rogers grinned.
The two men walked together down the mall, commenting every now and again on the strange 21st century human trends. They came to a halt outside a store that had a simple drawing of a large apple with a chunk missing plastered to the front. It was packed with people. Some were holding little thin boxes in their hands, some were perusing the shelves and some were holding some device that was very thin and flat and slightly bigger than a piece of paper. A young lady suddenly bounded up to them.
"Well, hi there!" she giggled. She wore a blue shirt with the same picture sewn onto it and a nametag that read "Mallory".
"Hello, there." Rogers smiled. He cast a sideways glance to Thor, who seemed to be reading his mind.
Should we retreat? Rogers raised his eyebrows.
No, she doesn't seem dangerous. Thor shrugged.
"Welcome to the Apple store!" Mallory chirped. "What are you two cuties looking for? Perhaps an iPhone 4S? It's the best one yet! And the iPad is amazing too! But don't take my word for it, see for yourself!" She spun on her heel and nearly skipped towards the other side of the store. The two men looked at each other, struggling not to laugh. They cautiously entered the store, and instantly zeroed in on the sparkling iPad that was on display.
"What does it do?" Thor whispered.
"I'm not sure. Are you supposed to touch it?" Rogers murmured back.
Thor gingerly raised his hand. He reached forward to touch it, but hesitated.
"Don't be a chicken," Rogers snickered.
"I am no coward," Thor said, miffed. He boldly extended his hand and tapped a little orange square on the screen. Music blared at them suddenly, making the two men jump slightly.
"This little machine is like, amazing!" Mallory squealed as she popped up behind them. She whisked the device off the display and started tapping random spots on the screen. Thor and Rogers struggled to keep up with her lecture.
"So this little guy has a 5 megapixel camera, and it can record 1080p HD video. It's fully equipped with the iCloud, which is fantastic way to store all your pictures and documents. Plus it can also store your music!"
"iCloud? Is that to monitor the weather? And what would music have to do with that?" Thor said, looking more confused by the second.
"You wouldn't happen to have Glenn Miller in your…um… music service would you?" Rogers asked hopefully.
Mallory looked at him blankly for a moment. "Well, I don't know who Glenn Miller is–" Rogers cringed, "but I'm sure iTunes does have him! Is he a rapper or what?"
Rogers winced internally. "Just a guy from the 1940s."
"Oh." Mallory said nonchalantly. "Anyways! This also has FaceTime installed already, and there are so many apps in the app store!"
"App store…" Thor said, mystified. "Where is this store?" he frowned at the door in the back of the store, thinking that perhaps there was another room with these said "apps", whatever those were.
"Yeah, this little button right here!" She jabbed a little purple square and began to run her finger up the screen. When she did, the things on the screen moved.
"Oh, and there's also a YouTube app!" she said.
"And what is this tube for, exactly?" Thor asked quizzically.
Mallory giggled. "You're funny!" she squealed.
Thor looked at Rogers, bewildered. Rogers just shrugged, looking just as stumped.
Mallory placed the iPad back on the display.
"So, how many do you want, one or two?"
Thor and Rogers looked at each other for a moment, and then Thor broke the silence.
"We'll take two!"