14343/The Waiting Game

The Waiting Game
Date of Scene:	26 April 2022
Location:	Penthouse - Stark Tower
Synopsis:	Pepper and Alexander wait nervously (well, Pepper is nervous) for news about the people they love on a very dangerous mission.
Cast of Characters:	Phobos, Pepper Potts
Tinyplot:	Avengers Exploration Corps

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Phobos has posed:
    A minute ticks past the hour, the second hand wandering along its path. Perhaps on some level there had been a thought to not think about it. To let the time drift by unmarked and for matters to reach a moment when the decision or path has already been made. Yet early on they likely knew that was a losing proposition.
    So on the table was Alexander Aaron's black cellphone. Standard SHIELD issue in that it's a model designed to look as much as many many other models with as little to stand out as possible. Until the person swipes it in a particular way which causes the SHIELD eagle to appear with the designated app on display...
    Which for now was a face of a clock ticking along the path of a minute past midnight. Foreboding.
    At first the idea of Alexander and Pepper getting together on the night of the first mission was half-formed. But as the day approached messages likely had been sent back and forth. The idea of tea. Biscuits. Some fruit maybe? Props merely. Things to occupy the hands and thoughts while that clock ticked.
    Which is when Alexander spoke, "I would have chosen a different hour."
    Than Midnight.
    Then he adds, "I'm not superstitious, but... ehn."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I mean, what is time in space? Maybe this is a perfectly reasonable time up there, and that's why they had to do this now. Besides, if Tony wasn't up there, chances are he would be in his bunker here and I'd still be up worrying. Just not... this much." Pepper confesses quietly. She's happy for the company, in truth. It was nice not to be pacing the floors alone. She stalks over towards the liquor cabinet again, picking up the big bottle of red wine and bringing it over for both of them. It's useless to pretend they aren't going to drink it. She pours herself another glass.

"It'll be fine. They're all... trained. Highly capable."

Phobos has posed:
    For all the stress of the moment, the young Olympian seems to be relatively at ease. There's no sign of trepidation, no fidgeting or pacing. Though he does accept the offer of wine with a nod as he reaches forward and lightly curls fingers around the base of a glass. A nod of thanks is given then he rests the glass on the table that ostensibly might be for dining? Or could be for meeting. Or conversing. It was a big penthouse.
    "Local time?" He tilts his head to the side, "No idea." His pale hazel eyes distance, then return to her. "I'd feel better if I could listen to their comms but..." That's impossible.
    For a time he simply watches Pepper moving about, that sense of agitation from her is a palpable thing, felt in the subtle disharmony to the world's song. He lifts his chin slightly, "Are you okay, Ms. Potts?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
While it was quite late at night, Pepper's still in her proper clothing for the day. If she was alone, she might be lounging in pajamas while trying to distract herself, but she's entertaining company. Therefore, it means she's in a pair of designer skinny jeans that skim close against her slender frame and a slightly oversized cashmere sweater that hangs comfortably off of one shoulder. It's an outfit made to look like she's relaxed while being very precisely planned, down to ever last hair tie and the small gold earrings in her lobes.

She forces herself to stop pacing, folding down into the couch across from him instead. A faint smile crosses her lips at the question of her being okay. "Of...of course. I mean, I'm perfectly fine, other than worrying about them. I'm not the one in space. Why wouldn't I be fine?" She asks with a nervous little laugh. "Just... just worried about Tony. He and space don't always... get along. I wish I could hear their comms too."

Phobos has posed:
    The young SHIELD agent with his calm manner, he's at the least dressed rather casually as well. White sneakers, blue jeans, a gray t-shirt with a black over-shirt loose and open. He seems put together rather haphazardly, loose clothes to complement that easy manner.
    She stops pacing and when she looks his way his smile mirrors her own. Then he nods along with her words and he murmurs, "Space has a way of taking you entirely out of your element and plopping down in one where it's like reality laughs at your pretensions."
    His nose crinkles then he takes a deep breath, then looks again at her. A frown touches his features. "Really, of all of them, I think Mr. Stark is the most likely to keep himself together and overcome whatever weirdness there might be."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"He's been there before. Or... close, at least." Too close for Pepper's tastes. There's something haunted behind her eyes, a memory replaying that she has to physically push off with a shake of her head. Instead of dwelling, she forces herself to take a good, deep sip of her wine, downing a third of the glass of wine before she forces herself to rest it on the table.

"You...you've been through a lot. Have they taken you up there before? You talk about space like you have some first hand experience."

Phobos has posed:
    A glance is given to the glass, the bottle, Pepper, then back to the glass. He tilts his head slightly to the side, but doesn't say anything yet. Instead he answers her question, "When I was fifteen." He starts, smiling a little.
    "My father had to take me up to a place that was very strange, where a large collection of... deities gathered. It was like a council, with the windows looking out onto this... tableau of chaos. It felt very alien. And the general sentiment while I was up there was that..."
    He looks down, then back up and smiles a little, "No matter how big of a fish you are in your pond, there's always a bigger lake. And so that was very out there. It was in space, but... yeah." Something else too.
    Then his brow knits, "It's very nice that you care about him so. That you feel that fear about his fate. I'm... a lil envious."

Pepper Potts has posed:
The next sip of wine she takes is a little smaller. She doesn't want to be drunk by the time Tony gets back and all this worrying is clearly for nothing, she just needs a little something to take off the edge. She keeps the wine glass between her fingertips now, though, so she can quietly fidget by rolling it's delicate goblet back and forth between the length of her fingertips, from one hand to the other.

"So, you HAVE been. I bet if you told then, if you *wanted* to go, they could use you on the team. Maybe. They aren't all super enhanced. But maybe it's just better to give Natasha someone to come home to. She knows better than to leave you alone." Pepper flashes a smile that is trying to be reassuring as she says that.

Then his last comments get a bit of surprise from her. Her head tilting, she gives him a strange smile, "Of course I do. I... god, I don't know what I'd do without Tony. He really is all I have in the world. But don't you feel like that about Natasha? Aren't you scared for her? Worried?"

Phobos has posed:
    "It was once, and likely doesn't... relate well to what they're doing." He says, trying to minimize the experience as he smiles a little sidelong. "I was there to present myself for various celestial people to sit and judge. It wasn't..." He shakes his head, fingertips lifting slightly from the tabletop. "Wasn't like exploring a new world."
    Which has him turning his head a little to the side as his thoughts likely wander to the team, trying to imagine... /something/ of what must be passing.
    But then Pepper asks him about how he feels, and Natasha. Which has his brow furrowing and he says, "I..." His smile breaks a little, then he starts again. "I... don't really feel fear. Or anxiety. Because that's my... gift, as an Olympian. In a way. It translates differently I think. I am anticipating her coming home. And if she doesn't. If something happens?"
    Another look to the side, then he murmurs, "I'll... likely be very angry." Then he looks back at her and tries to ease the moment by saying. "Then go invade the underworld and steal her back from my uncle." Because that always works out well.

Pepper Potts has posed:
The strawberry blonde listens quietly as he explains his emotional state. That gives her a fair bit more understanding of exactly why his expression looks like that, and why he's not nervously pacing the floor the way she is. A weak chuckle escapes her lips, "Well, it's nice that you have the option to go invade the underworld and do that. I... I don't have many options beyond sitting nervously and waiting. Thinking I've lost him... again. Waiting for the relief to know I didn't."

Pepper's done a lot of sitting nervously and waiting in her life. Tony's been in many bad situations and she's the one that keeps the lights on waiting for him at home. Only now, this is the first time it's literally her home as well. If Alex has taken note, there's new touches of her all over the penthouse. She's clearly moved in full time, not just staying for temporary safety.

Phobos has posed:
    "I'm envious," Alexander says, as he looks to the side, around the room a little, then back to her. "Because it's clear you love him. That what you feel is love, and that's a great thing."
    A look back and to the side slightly, that instinctive way one has when their thoughts wander toward the past, then return to the here and now as he sits up a little. "But." He finally takes a sip of the wine, and then says. "Sometimes what helps me pass the time in situations like this..." He smiles and then takes another longer sip. "Is I make plans for what I'll have to do in case someone kidnaps Nat, or makes things difficult."
    His lip curls up a little, "So suppose the Klingons capture Tony and the gang, what should we do? We'll work together."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Oh god," Pepper lets out a quiet laugh at the thought of what plans she could make in such an instance, "I have a strong feeling your plans are... rather more violent than mine. Or, at least, more forceful. I don't have much I can do that isn't picking up a phone. Getting the other avengers involved. Getting Tony's security suite looking every corner of the Earth. But this isn't even on Earth and that's where most of my resources are."r
Pep realizes he's trying to help, to distract her, even if her worried brain is always making plans within plans. She knocks back another gulp of her wine, finishing off the glass before she sets it off to the side, not pouring another. Not yet. "And I do love him. We... spent a long time avoiding it, but I can't imagine my life without him. So, nights like this... it's hard planning for a future that is my nightmare."

Phobos has posed:
    "Well," Alexander says with a smile even as he bites his lower lip a little. "We each love our counterparts in our own ways. And I think..." He lifts a hand to scritch at the back of his neck, "We would both shake the pillars of heaven to help them. So really if something did happen..."
    He points at her from the hand that holds his wine glass, "Then you'll get people on the phone, we'll need to coordinate with the renfest people in New Asgard," Dirty ren-festers, "We'll contact the people near us and get their help to create a rescue mission. Put together a team."
    His eyes lift thoughtfully, "You can get the lawyers on whomever is heading up all of this craziness, so we can buy time to do what we need to do. And before they're done arguing if we have permission we just go and do it and beg for forgiveness."
    A short nod is given, "And then we yell at our loved ones."

Pepper Potts has posed:
A little chuckle escapes her throat as he mentions dirty ren-festers, shaking her head, "When...*when* they make it back from this, I'm going to have to gently bully Steve and Tony into introducing me to the Asgardians, so we CAN have a back up plan if they disappear, or things go wrong. I'd rather put a proper plan into place with the whole team than you and I scrambling at the last moment." The thought about how they could form some actual back up plans, and have contacts up in space to do it, helps Pepper relax just a bit more. But she's still a nervous wreck.

"And yes. I can handle any lawyers, any time. Practically anyone who thinks they have government, legal, or financial power on this planet? I've got them in check and I can manage it. So, of course, Tony goes running off in all those areas I can't handle." She shakes her head, leaning over to pour the rest of the wine bottle out between both their glasses. "I don't know how much longer my heart can take this but I know I can't take being without him, so..."

Phobos has posed:
    "Why don't we..." Alexander leans forward then, looking thoughtful as his wine glass clinks softly on the tabletop. "Once tonight is over, consider a back up plan in case we need to do something." He tilts his head, "Then we can put all our ducks in a row and make sure it's viable. It'll give us something to do. And when they're off doing all of this..."
    Though his words falter as his eyes lower to the cellphone on the table...
    And the clock ticks over to 12:42.
    Which has him frowning for the moment, silence settling in with all the grim portent of a black-robed reaper pulling out a chair at that self-same table.
    The tendons in his jaw bunch and his frown deepens, then he shakes his head and continues. As if nothing happened. "We can... make sure we have all the other avenues covered."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pep is smart. Her pale eyes catch his looking down to the phone and her lips tighten. "...three more minutes unti we lose our head worrying, right? Or, well, at least... I lose my head worrying." That gets another nervous laugh from her. She's trying to keep things light, but her heart is in her throat with worry.

She scoops up her glass again, taking a deep sip of it as she tries to concentrate on his features and not the phone. Her eyes keep dropping, however, looking down ever thirty seconds. It's like watching a boiling plot. "Yes. We... we'll talk to them about back up plans when they all get home safe and sound this time."

Phobos has posed:
    "We could do it secretly, keep it from them... and then swoop in all heroic and courageous and save the day." Alexander's eyes remain on the phone for a time then he looks back up at her and smiles a little. Trying to make light, to keep things light.
    "And then we can extract very strong terms in negotiation after we save them. Like I get permanent dominion over the remote control and the thermostat." Which has him nodding a few times as he bites his lower lip with eyes widened a little. As if that was some big deal.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I don't know that I could keep anything from Tony. Well, anything other than meetings he doesn't want to attend and sweating about our yearly budget." Pepper admits with a softer smile. She really is an open book to her boss. Well, now boss turned lover. "But I promise not to tell Nat, if your thermostat that important to you." She gives him a little wink.

And then her phone rings. Pepper lets out a yelp of relieved sound that is almost sonic, probably bothering a dog somewhere, as she jerks forward and scrambles to open her StarkPhone. "Tony?! Tony! Is that you? Is everything alright? Oh thank god...Tony." She breathes out raggedly.

Phobos has posed:
    A few moments later the phone on the table trills as well. And as Pepper talks to her loved one, the young Olympian leans over and picks up the phone. A small smile lights his features as he swipes it to life then touches it to his cheek. He takes a deep breath, looks upwards for a moment. Then finally gives voice to a single word.
    "Hey."