15134/Basement Remodeling

Basement Remodeling
Date of Scene:	24 May 2023
Location:	Basement, Avengers Mansion
Synopsis:	Tony is remodeling the Avenger's basement. Jessica hates early mornings. But they both agree on breakfast! Updates are given as they wait for food and no one gets stabbed.
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Spider-Woman (Drew)

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Iron Man has posed:

The Siege of the Avengers Mansion began in the small hours of the morning. It was heralded to those living in residence by the steady 'beeep-beeep-beeep-beeep' of a heavy series of trucks all backing up each in turn to the rear entrance of the mansion, the ramp leading down into the garage where the various and sundry vehicles are stored. As early as five in the morning it began, with men calling out and the sound of gear and equipment being shifted.

Sometimes there would be a loud BANG and then voices shouting. Sometimes there would be the whir of more vehicles, the pitch of heavy hydraulics whining, and then the shuffle of boxes sliding or pallets unloading.

Then it was around 10am when Tony showed up. Latte in hand, sunglasses on, wince on his face. He could be heard following people around, offering words of wisdom such as 'careful with that.' 'oh that's an antique' 'the up arrow means up.'

Though his timing was impeccable because at around 10:30 was when it was all finally done and the larger basement storage area had been vanquished. Commandeered. Conquered. Most of the cement floor was covered with boxes and gear in various stages of unboxing. A bare skeletal framework of a work area was created, and a display console was at least assembled against the far wall. Which was what had Tony's attention at first, even as behind him a hefty service drone was busy unboxing another crate, its large forked limbs moving surprisingly delicately for such an exo-skeleton.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew has been back for maybe a week. Before -- before she went on her long term undercover assignment -- she didn't often spend a lot of time at the Mansion, largely due to her worry about her pheromones and living in close proximity with team mates and the inevitable awkwardness if she forgot to apply judicious amounts of the neutralizing perfume Banner perfected.

A lot has changed since then though, a lot of it subtle.

Stuff like: Jessica sleeps in late. She calls it a post-mission vacation, tells herself (and the new mansion AI, and whoever will listen) that she's owed three years of holidays and damnit, she's going to make the most of it. Apparently by sleeping a lot and eating her way through the Avenger's pantries.

It's the incessant beeping that wakes her. She tries stuffing a pillow over her head, but it doesn't help. Not when you have supernatural hearing. It really is a curse. Dressed in unicorn pajama pants, fluffy yellow slippers and a t-shirt that says 'I can't adult today', Jessica's hair is a mess and she looks like she just woke up. Because she did, literally. Her detour via the dining hall means she secured herself an ice-coffee, and she leans in the doorway of the basement, regarding conquered basement space with rising bemusement.

"...did aliens land? Or a new secret group spring up? Mind control? Ugh, please tell me it's not mind control." All of these would be the only valid reason in Jessica's book to be making this much noise this early.

Iron Man has posed:

"Hello hello." The voice is heard in the depths of that makeshift laboratory. One of the drones props its 'head' up which is more just a conglomeration of cameras and sensors, Jessica's face suddenly appearing on one of the myriad displays near that console.

Tony's silhouette can be seen, still holding his own latte light in one hand, pinky slightly extended though it could be less affectation and more that he's pointing at one of the screens, a point of light on one of the holographic terminals following that movement. In the middle of that display, however, is a whirling spiked simulation of some sort of orb with jagged bits that rise and lower in a soothing rhythm while down in the 'corner' of the hologram is a steady stream of data. Likely coordinates.

Tony turns away, sunglasses coming down slightly as he looks over. "Heya Jess." A beat, "Or not Jess. Saw the memo. Welcome. Hello. Greetings. Nice to meet... you?"

That last word hangs there unsure, though it seems he's not hugely focused on the whos and whys of whether or not she should... be here.

Though for a moment it seems like he feels he should as he sort of squints at her. Then a heartbeat later his eyebrows rise as if resigned to some reality and a single checkmark appears next to her image on the screen.

"Sorry for all the noise. And the mess. Necessary evil. In an unjust world. Sleep in next weekend on me." He's already turned his attention back to the screens, biting his lower lip in thought.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica stares at that drone. No, that's not quite accurate. She /glares/ at it. "Seriously though. Who's making all this racket? I have three years worth of sleeping in to catch up on. Did you know, in the Hydra base, there's a chime that goes off at five am and it's incessant and if I ever hear another chime I swear I'm going to punch someone in the-"

It seems Jessica Drew has some unresolved issues to work through. To her credit though, her ranting diatribe is derailed by her noticing Tony, and his casual greeting of her. Her posture shifts, trying to decide between anger and acceptance. The latter is the first step, and she sighs out a long, tired sigh.

"Hey, Tony. I remember you, sort of. Especially after I got a load of that statue of you in the garden. Nice likeness of Cap, by the way." She rubs a hand over her eyes. "I don't remember specifics, though Wanda says she thinks she can work through that, eventually."

Jess is not a hopeful person, by no means optimistic. So she doesn't put much weight on that, as much as she admires the witch. What she does do is notice Tony's reaction to her: impossible for her not to given she's a well-trained spy. "I can move back to Greenwich for a bit. I get it, it's... weird." For her, for him, for everyone. "Fucked up," she self-corrects, after a beat. "If it makes you feel any better I passed the battery of SHIELD tests so apparently I'm not imminently going to murder anyone." There's no judgement in her voice. She totally gets it.

Shifting her weight within her bright slippers, she pads a few steps closer, but it's no coincidence she lets a bench remain between her and Tony. She's trying to make him feel at ease? Or maybe she feels better about it. Her gaze takes in the various mess, focusing on that. "So... which was it? Aliens, right? Is that the thing She-Hulk won't tell me?"

Iron Man has posed:

"Yeah, trust Wanda." He says that at first, perhaps a little distracted, and one might imagine he's being sarcastic. Then he seems to realize that and sort of comes up out of a layer of his deeeeep thinking. "I mean no, seriously. Wanda's a good sort. Good about the tests."

Tony turns away from the screen a little too quickly. He points at her even as behind him that sphere with the spikes grows a little more prominent, the spiky bits protruding all the more as the statistics in the corner climb. Yet it doesn't seem to concern him.

"You had breakfast yet? Let's have breakfast. Is Parker around? I half expect him to be telling me about Wheat Cakes again. Kid's obsessed."

As he says that he walks to the end of the padded area on the floor, some of the cabling still needing to be tended to so he steps over it carefully. He moves in Jess' direction, smiling to her a twitchy double smile that might seem a touch apologetic for some reason, then he steps past... back toward the stairwell leading up to... the kitchen area.

Which it's when he's throwing the door open that next floor up when he resumes speaking, perhaps assuming she'd be walking with him. If she's not she'd still hear him loud enough though fading a bit.

"You haven't been here for a while. So you... are slightly above suspicion. That's useful."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica can't but help hear that maybe sarcasm, and it makes her look at him keenly. "Yeah, she's-" a hesitation. "-she's a good sort." The careful reptition is deliberate. She likes Wanda, but she knows trust in the team is a delicate balance.

"Now you're speaking my language." Breakfast, she means breakfast. No one should look at Tony like he's a hero when he's done nothing but offer food, but Jessica is a simple woman who enjoys food with absolutely no apologies and no worries about putting on weight.

Jessica smiling must seem kind of weird. Granted, old Jessica used to do it a lot. Now Jessica, it's a lot more rare.

She trails Tony up through the stairs, sucking down her ice coffee. "Slightly above suspicion. I'll take it. For a former Hydra agent it's practically a glowing response." She's not being sarcastic; she knows why everyone's wary. One of many reasons. As she follows: "Hey. You're good with putting stuff into things and taking stuff out of things, right? I could use a hand. I haven't been able to pry Banner out of his lab yet and the medics are being twitch about it being a prototype." Probably helps if she describes what she's talking about, but she doesn't.

Iron Man has posed:

"Well, above suspicion for my thing." Tony offers conversationally.

"You still might be sekritly evil, or Loki. But do that stuff later on your own time, I'm busy." Which is said as he's sidled up to the fridge and then he stops. "Wait..."

He turns his head and lifts his voice, "AVINA?"

'Yes, Mr. Stark?'A female voice from the household speakers is heard, slightly British accented and polite.

"We were thinking of having breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, orange juice, coffee. Tooooast?" That last word is said as he gives Jess a sidelook as if checking as if that was alright to add to the order...

But then AVINA ruins the moment, 'My apologies, Mr. Stark but I am not currently fully in control of the drone system with sufficient dexterity to complete the task. I can, however, arrange for a delivery if you wish? I heartily recommend Beatrice's Breakfast Nook from 47th. They can be here in 22 minutes...'

Which causes Tony to look grumpy. Very grumpy for a moment, his face pinching up a little. Then he nods, "Yeah, sure. That works."

' Order placed, Mr. Stark.' And then AVINA falls silent.

Tony taps a finger on the countertop, "I mean. I suppose I could cook. But would you eat something I cooked? I wouldn't."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"French toast," Jessica helpfully amends Tony's question when it's directed her way. Everything else gets a big thumbs up from her, and she goes up onto her toes, practically humming with anticipation. "Pancakes," she sighs with delight. "I haven't had one of those since-"

And then AVINA has to go and break the Spider-Woman's heart. She actually looks genuinely upset. Seems she and Tony have something in common after all!

"Twenty two whole minutes? What are they doing, waiting for the hen to lay the eggs?" So, yeah. Early mornings are grumpy mornings for Jessica. Actually, probably most days of late are grumpy days for Jessica, granted. Even as difficult as that wait will be, she's not, judging by her wary regard of Tony, /that/ desperate for breakfast.

"No offense, I think I'd rather wait. You can cut the implant out of me while we wait?" Wait, what?

Oh, yeah. So three years ago Banner designed a prototype implant to deliver some of that neutralizing agent for her pheromones. It should've gotten removed at least two years ago, but surprise long-term missions being what they are, well. "Pretty sure it stopped working towards the end there and it kind of hurts when I sleep on that side," she glances down at her shoulder. "Banner probably wants to salvage it for another round?"

Jessica producing a knife from like... somewhere? Inside her pajama pants? Under her t-shirt? -that might not help with that being slightly suspicious thing at all. Nor her willingness to just be cut open at the breakfast table, as she offers the hilt to Tony.

Iron Man has posed:

That stops him, Tony had been about to say something else but the offering of a _knife_ to him stops his train of thought. He lifts his chin and looks at her, then looks to the side motioning with that glance for her to put the knife down on the kitchen table.

"I don't do that. I prefer to work on things that, you know, don't say ow. Much. There's probably at least... 3 people who would be a better choice." Arrogant even out of his bailiwick.

Then he squints a little and points at her as he steps away, moving around toward the back door of the kitchen, that door that leads out onto the yard. And the porch. He shoulders that door open and says, "Though I'll help you get it done, at least. If you help me with a thing."

"You're a detective right?" Tony asks out of nowhere, just straight up as he looks at Jessica as he takes those sunglasses off, folding them up and tucking them into the pocket of his hoodie. "Or wait is that the other two-fisted hard-drinking tough as nails Jessica?" Such a flatterer.

"I am looking for a thing." He says so succinctly as he casually pulls his cellphone out.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Will it help if I promise not to say ow?" Whether Jessica blustering or is this a Hydra thing, it's probably disturbing. Hard for her not to be aware of Tony's reaction though, and she just sighs, twirls the knife around her fingers a moment, and sets it down next to her empty glass of iced-coffee.

"Are those three people I won't want to stab if they get it wrong, though?" the woman asks, and it's hard, really hard to tell that she's actually joking, at least until there's a little twitch at the corner of her mouth. Hey, this is progress. Also the fact that it seems to imply she doesn't have the urge to stab Tony.

Knife and glass are left behind on the table as Jessica paces him towards the door, rocking back in her slippers and hesitating in the doorway. Daylight. /Ugh./ She hasn't got sunglasses with her, and her eyes squint down into slits as she grimaces and paces quickly to follow. "Sure. I can find all kinds of things. People-things. Object-things. Occasionally unwanted stuck-in-the-couch for three-years things." Personal experience is important. "You might need to be a little more descriptive, though."

Iron Man has posed:

"Aww," Tony's voice lilts up as he steps outside, "You don't want to stab me, that's the nicest thing someone's said to me in weeks."

Out on the porch now he's quick to slip under the awning. Perhaps his reason for choosing this particular place to pass the time until the food comes? It has a direct line of sight to the delivery gate.

So he grabs a chair, and with the slightest hint of gentlemanly courtesy he pulls one out for Jess first, motions at it, then takes the further off seat and drops into it with a whumpf and a slight sigh, the metal frame of the chair complaining with a faint creak. Cellphone still in hand he tap tap taps, then gestures with it in her direction.

"So there's this image, search for it, put it up online, anything public facing. It gets et. This nifty recursive data crawler that runs around and nom-nom-noms the data like a malicious little..." He pauses and looks up, slight smirk. "Well like a spider."

Then he continues, and says, "It's a symbol I came across while having some problems with JARVIS. If you have any contacts or angles you can work while I work mine... then yay?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"I warn you, I'm pretty mercurial. Any more early wakeups and you're back in stabbing territory," Jessica warns, though it's hard not to respond to that lilt in Tony's voice with anything but a smile. She tries though!

It takes her a while -- until she's crossed the porch and taking a sweeping lay of the land -- to realize why Tony chose this spot. "Huh," she says, with a note that is almost admiring, hands settling on her hips as eyes narrow. "Is /that/ how my deliveries always get intercepted so fast? I always thought sitting at the door was sufficient. Didn't realize I was dealing with a master."

There's a nod of thanks as she drops into the pulled out chair, her sprawl even manging to be graceful, stretching out her legs and folding one fuzzy slipper over the other. Out in the light, it becomes obvious that the horns of the unicorns on her pajama pants have a little glitter in them, too. She seems completely unbothered about being dressed in her mismatch of clothing; it's obvious she just feels comfortable, and that seems to be what matters to her most right now.

Twisting a little in her chair -- so she can get the best angle of both the driveway and Tony both -- Jess considers. "Interesting," she says. "Could just be a lone hacker who wrote accidentally bad code. Could be purposeful. But sure, I can look into it. If its eating data probably the best place to find records of it is offline files, or finding someone who recognizes it."

Iron Man has posed:

"I am a man of many secrets." Tony offers even as he's putting his phone back into the pocket of his hoodie. He promptly _slouches_ in his chair, feet sliding out as he drops a foot deeper into the seat, hands in the front double pocket of that sweat shirt. He tilts his head to the side, catching sight that her posture somewhat mirrors his own. He makes a small sound that's like a simple, 'hnh.'

"Exactly, it's a calling card. A hot shot hacker kid who was all pesty. I'm resisting the urge to imagine them as some pasty guy in a basement slamming pudgy fingers into a keyboard and shouting, 'We're in!' every few minutes. Not resisting it very hard, but I am resisting."

His nose crinkles for a moment then he adds, "Think he might be involved with what happened to JARVIS. But not 100% on that. Still." He then, for the first time but definitely not the last in the next 20 minutes... he checks his watch.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"I'm looking forward to finding out what they all are again and pretending I don't know," says the spy. I mean, what else was Jess going to say in the face of a man declaring he has many secrets?

Jessica makes a noise at the back of her throat. It could be some sign of deep, thoughtful consideration, but her words when she finally speaks belies that. "I think it's time to watch Hackers again. If only real hackers actually looked like Johnny Lee Miller." She sighs. "It's a stereotype for a reason. Honestly, probably some kid trying to make a name for himself. We can throw a few shiny SHIELD badges his way and convince him to come work for them. Problem solved." A beat. "Most of the time, anyway."

But then Tony mentions JARVIS and she pulls herself straight, looking right at Tony. "Wait, what happened to JARVIS? I... assumed you were just testing a new AI."

It's not logical to have affection for an AI. But Jessica was born in England, and there's something about British accents that appeals to the little girl she was a long time ago. She might not remember much about their interactions, but she does seem baselessly upset by this news.

Iron Man has posed:

"Mmm," Tony says at first, and for the space of five seconds that's all he says. Which, for Tony, is an eternity.

Then he sits up a little. "Some confusion. Data crossed, had an incident with a suit. Hijacked. Went and tried to rob an investment company. Seriously. Like... they were able to appropriate a suit of armor that was worth billions, and used it to try and steal a few hundred thousand? Makes no sense."

Tony's eyes distance for a moment, then he realizes he's not actually answering the question. "JARVIS warned me about it, but then when I asked it to inventory the suits, it told me they were all there. And when I checked his feed it showed it there, until I got localized eyes on scene in about 12 seconds and the live feed was nope, not there. So."

He lifts his chin. "Tracking that down. And that..." He points at her pocket, presuming her phone would be there, "Is one of my leads."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica, for her part, doesn't seem bothered by silences. So it doesn't become awkward, if she's even aware of what's normal for Tony.

She tilts her head, listening intently as Tony describes what happened. "Sounds like a test run. Pretty common. Same deal with credit card theft. You test a small amount, to make sure the card's not canceled. Then you go the big purchase." Is she foreshadowing? Nawww. "Something like that, have to make sure you have all the control kinks worked out. I mean, I figure it takes at least some practice operating one of those suits, right?"

Jessica has never wondered about that before, and never wanted to try. Until now, just because the idea is planted. Fortunately she has some kind of impulse control. For things other than food.

"Huh. So someone's sharp enough to outsmart JARVIS, too? Could it be another AI?"

Iron Man has posed:

"I hope not. I hate those."

A pause, then he adds. "I mean _my_ AI are great. Just... you know. Other peoples'."

As he says that he makes a face, then he turns to her and says, "Alright. But anyways, if you need something to occupy your brain while you're getting back into the swing of things that's a thing. A good thing. Seek it out. Find it my minion. Or you know, teammate."

He smiles.

Of course that's the moment when the back gate opens, and a young man who is apparently out of breath comes trotting up the driveway carrying two bags in his hands, the gate automatically sweeping open for him. AVINA might not have been able to make breakfast, but apparently she could facilitate the delivery.

Tony's already lifting a hand, "Hey kid, over here. Bring on the yums."

The kid runs up, skidding to a halt, setting the bags down on the table. "Two of the Home Run Breakfast Hits, you're all set, sir."

"Thanks heaps, kiddo. Early even, nice."

A moment as the kid's still standing there then he asks, "Umm are you...?"

"What? Oh yeah, that's me. The actor guy on From? That tv show. Yeah, slumming it here. Thanks for recognizing me. Seeya."

Which has the youth lifting his chin and nodding a little blankly, though he does turn to leave.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Minion. /Minion/? He actually called her a-

-oh hey, food! What fantastic timing. Today's lesson, how to defray a brewing Jessica-storm in one, ready made, pleasant smelling delivery. She's up on her feet making grabby hands for one of the bags. "Thanks kid," she tells the delivery kid breathlessly. "Oh, yeah. He's totally that guy from that show, but he got old so you know... harder to recognize him."

Jessica. Helping.

Also eating the food!