12774/Just another day Again

Just another day Again
Date of Scene:	02 March 2021
Location:	Penthouse - Stark Tower
Synopsis:	Tony and Pepper reach an accord in regards to the nature of their work day! It's progress!
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Iron Man

---

Pepper Potts has posed:
"It's time."

That could be the beginning of a statement for many, many things in the life of Anthony Stark. Some for the good, some... not so much. In this case, however, it is spoken by one Virginia "Pepper" Potts, armed with a Starkpad on one side of her, her laptop settled before her.

Pepper is seated on a couch in the sunken living room, a cup of coffee beside her work equipment. Hair is up in a ponytail, her tailored suit slightly awry in that her jacket is off and folded neatly along the back of the couch, and her heels are off and tucked underneath the couch.

"Quarterly reports are in, and the Board is really expecting you. I have the presentation ready; all you have to do is read it.."

Iron Man has posed:
"It's always time..."

Tony murmurs, standing in the living room about six fee from the table in front of Pepper with a virtual baseball field on a floor to ceiling theater wall adjacent to the stairs leading down into his bunker. He wiggles his hands, the holographic bat twirling in the air as the pitcher lines up to throw one down the middle. The swing is wide, but strong, and comes within centimeters of hitting the ball.

"Why do I need to read it? I know what it says... I'm rich, the company is financially stable, and the Board is still full of old rich white dudes who are capitalizing on my business acumen. Just like last year... just like next year."

He lowers his hands down and points at Pepper, "You know, that's a good idea. Why don't we just start recording these things and every year we can play it back... but interject like thirty seconds where I say the right month year? Save us billions on my wasted time."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Tony," and the word comes out like a sigh; a sound very much that expresses a light exhasperation mixed with a hint of denied humor. Don't smile, don't laugh! It'll only encourage the incorrigible. "Because they need to see you. If they don't, they'll start questioning your moves," Pepper's hand starts to roll in a circle as she continues, "then shares start to go down.."

She watches him for a long moment, still perched on the edge of the couch, waiting for the changeout from batter to field. "Every time I go, they all look disappointed."

Iron Man has posed:
"Shares go down, we buy more shares, I own more of my own company." Tony swings the bat up with a twirl, holographic as it is, readying for the pitch... which comes in fast and passes just over the plate and under the swing of his bat. "Which, I suppose, looks like I'm doing it intentionally, but that's not true. The point is, I don't want to see them. And they don't want to see me. They want to clap their hands and call and watch me come running, which they know I'm not going to do."

He shrugs sadly to Pepper, glancing over at her, waiting for that strained look she gets when she's trying not to smile. Then back at the holographic pitcher that could be real for how lifelike it is. "Besides, most of them can't see at all. They're old and on deaths doorstep. I'm doing them a favor by letting them spend their precious few hours of remaining life with their families, rather than obstensibly arguing with me thinking they'll change my mind."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper exhales in that sigh again as she sets that bit aside. "Right. I'll send them your regrets and kindest regards for them and their families."

In a quick shift, then, from business to something perhaps a little more pleasurable, Pepper pauses in the moment before, "Your preseason training invitation arrived this morning." Baseball season is coming! "Opening ceremonies are the beginning of next week, and they're expecting your reply." A trip to Florida would be nice, to escape the City's winter weather!

Iron Man has posed:
"Send them all hams." Tony adds on the tail end of Pepper's rather pleasant promises to take care of all the details surrounding the unfortunate regret of him not going to that board meeting.

He wiggles the bat a few times, waiting for the pitch. "Oh yeah? Good, let them know we'll be down there opening day. There some kind of orphanage or something we can take with us for Public relations?" Not for good will, certainly. She knows better, of course. "We'll take them all. JARVIS, make sure the private jet is stocked with lunchables, gogerts, and PS5s for all the kids, huh?"

"Yes sir, of course."

He nods, swings through as the pitch comes in...

Only barely missing.

"I'm getting rusty..."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Hams, right.." Pepper nods her head in such a way that the red ponytail bounces as she looks sideways to her 'not quite ready for the major leagues' boss and... well...

Brows rise at the next suggestion, however, and finally Pepper rises from her spot. Her skirt is absently brushed at to hint at removing wrinkles before she stands just 'outside' the batting area. "We're not taking an entire ophanage, Tony.. JARVIS, no. Standard outfitting, please." She's gotten used to JARVIS and no longer lifts her head as if she's talking to the ceiling, or some being in the air. It's all purely conversational; as if he's simply in the room with her.

"We don't need public relations like that." Even now, she's considering calling the different 'wish' foundations. "We'll bring one, and their family." Her hand lifts as if to forestall argument, "I don't want to babysit an entire gang of orphans."

Iron Man has posed:
"She's right, JARVIS.." Tony turns off the simulation, sighing at his own inability to hit the curveball, "I need to work on that... Mental note." Where was he? Right, "Yeah, she's right." Walking towards the kitchen, several shuffling steps backwards until his shoulder touches the divide wall. Spinning around it to head directly into the fridge for one of his juices.

"We need to bring the orphanage staff too. We're going to be too busy to babysit all those kids..." Coming back with a thermos of that thick green drink he's always sucking down these days. Likely something healthy!

At least he's putting in the effort.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Wait... what?"

Did he say those words? She's right? Pepper's back straightens a touch more in that moment of victory as the simulation is shut down. It's when he begins to move, walking away that she quirks her head, watching his progress. Another sigh exits the woman, and she makes to follow him, setting her mind to making something to eat for the pair of them, or barring that, take out.

"You'll see. It's better--" and the second part of it drops. Stopping in her progress towards the small bar, green eyes widen and she's ready for that battle again. "Tony.. you.. we can't just do that." They could, actually.. and she has the power and ability to do so. But!

"Don't you think that's a little bit.." Much? Her eyes roll and she shakes her head, pretty much answering her own question. "I think that we really should rethink that.."

Instead of the full cross, then, to the small kitchen area to cook, Pepper notices that he's taken his green smoothie shake.. thing and adds, "Dinner. Thai? Italian?"

Iron Man has posed:
"What's to think? We made progress." Tony has one arm crossed beneath the elbow of the other, holding his smoothie so he can lean his head forward to suck on the straw attachment, "We agreed on something without arguing. It's a positive step in the growth of our relationship, Pepper. I feel like we should be proud of our acomplishments, small victories."

He grins, always charming, and shrugs. Sucking a bit more of his drink, he puts the smoothie down on the counter and crosses back into the living room at a slow jog, "Thai... no, Korean. I want some begogi." Turning to walk backwards, clearly intending to head down into the bunker.

"Let me know when it gets here, we'll have date night. Watch some one of those house flipper shows?" Double pointing her way, "Just twenty minutes in the lab. Otherwise I'll feel guilty for skipping out on the board meeting if I don't do some real work." He's just going to tinker.

That isn't work.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Will there ever be a time when Pepper doesn't //sigh// at something Tony says or does? Each one of them carries a slightly different message, from exhasperation to fond amusement, with everything in between. Tony's summation regarding this particular wrangling match gains, yes, another sigh, though she can't help but ghost a smile. It's slight, but there as she watches him.

"Accomplishment.. right," she nods as she pads back to the couch to retrieve her phone. Now, she settles back down, but this time, she tucks her legs up and under her, getting comfortable. Work, while not over, is settling into paperwork and finishing touches while Tony gets ready to depart, no.. disappear into the lab.

"Korean, right.." she nods her acknowledgement. Her head quirks again, and once again, there's that dubious expression on her face, complete with a dip of her head and a raise of her brows. "Date night. Really? I'm going to hold you to that." Beat. "JARVIS, did you catch that? Twenty minutes."

"Yes, Miss Potts," comes the calm, cool response.

Pepper looks, at the very least, mollified now that she's got JARVIS as witness. "Twenty minutes. I'll call you when it gets here."

As Tony makes his way to the bunker, she watches his progress. She's a realist... he's not coming out tonight. If he did? She'd be very, very surprised.

Iron Man has posed:
"You're a traitor, JARVIS." Tony says, JUST loud enough for Pepper to hear it, "Mom and dad are fighting and you immediately go with the empathetic neutral party... I see how it is. I brought you into this world and you show me nothing, but disrespect."

"I have no idea what you mean, sir. I am only keeping you honest."

More grumbling as Tony disappears into the bowels of his penthouse and the bunker beneath. "I've only got twenty minutes, thanks to /someone/, so we better make it count. Bring up the data on the Artimus and let's get something done before you cut the power off on me." Is he giving commands to the AI?

Possibly.

He's just doing it in subtle Tonyese.