15233/UPS! Rampage!

UPS! Rampage!
Date of Scene:	19 June 2023
Location:	Upper East Side, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Pepper rescues Ivory from a speeding reckless UPS truck and then dotes over the cat-person to get them treatment.
Cast of Characters:	Ivory, Pepper Potts

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Ivory has posed:
The roads on the Upper East Side are safe compared to other areas. Safe as in, there's only little chance to be robbed or gunned down and most drivers are somewhat sane. Most drivers decidedly excludes Taxi drivers, who like everywhere are driving hyper agressively, but at least pretend to care not to run someone over. Which is... very unlike delivery drivers at times...

On this glorious monday, Ivory is on the way back from some bank business, and even checking the sides as they cross the street, yet... one of those brown trucks owned by UPS is seemingly so much under time stress that the driver does neither care that the stretlight is red, but also is darting right at a couple people! Stopping on the road, Ivory spins and pushes someone on a wheelchair backwards, out of the way, but that act doesn't carry them themseves out of the hulking brown vehicle's way...

Pepper Potts has posed:
"No, Kerry. We're not ... ... I don't care what Mark ... ... ... Yes, I've spoken with Tony, and we both ... ..."

It's so hard to eavesdrop on cell conversations right beside all the traffic, but there's the famous Pepper Potts standing at the crosswalk, so engrossed in whatever call she's having that she was sluggish to get started crossing when the signal changed. And what ever she's talking about, it doesn't look like she's happy about it.

Of course, a moment later, it didn't matter if she was happy about it or not. While she might have been slow to notice the change of the walk sign, it didn't mean she wasn't paying attention to the flow of traffic. She was just starting to cross when she caught sight of the brown truck and the people in front of her.

The UPS driver's horn doesn't even blare, but Pepper's phone and disposable cup of coffee both hit the ground as she takes three giant strides forward. Both hands reach out to grab Ivory's wrist, and she pulls them back towards her with all her might, wrapping them up in her arms and stumbling once as she turns her back on the truck.

This is the part of the movie where everything shifts into slow motion and the camera zooms in on Pepper's shoulder blades, showing the inch or two of space -- all of the distance that stood between her and getting hit by the truck herself. Ten slo-mo seconds of swirling strawberry blonde hair, flying coffee, shattering phone, arms locking around a complete stranger...

And then it's over. In the blink of an eye. Real time resumes. Pepper's heart pounds. And it takes her another two seconds to realize they aren't dead before she loosens her grip.

"Are you okay?"

Ivory has posed:
Yanked forward, Ivory's body is dragged out of the way in the nick of time, the rampaging UPS truck psassing right behind them. The draft pulls at the clothes, the side mirror makes contact with the back of the pulled whitehead, gaining a very surprised, pained yelp from Ivory.

Dragged around as the truck speeds off and triggers at least one of the trafic cameras, Ivory is protected from the speeding off back end of the sverving truck, which ever so barely misses Pepper. And then... Time resumes.

People at the edge of the road scream, someone curses and dashes to help the wheelchair driver that ended up stuck at the side of the road but very much alive and unharmed but for his pride... and Ivory? Ivory was hanging in Pepper's arms, the eyes closed and a tiny streak of pink on the back of their head... but they groan as they are moved some. "I...I'll live..." they mutter.

Pepper Potts has posed:
There's horns blaring in the distance, the general sights and smells of waiting cars and exhaust and New York in general. To anyone not familiar with it, it can be overwhelming. Towering buildings. Throngs of people moving about. Shouting. Sirens.

Pepper's grip doesn't slacken enough just to drop Ivory. All the support they need to remain standing is there (for the most part.. it's not like Pepper has super strength or super balance in her designer heels), but a loosening sufficient to indicate that she wasn't trying to keep them there against their will can certainly be felt.

"Yes, you will, but you need to sit and let someone look at that."

They're still in the crosswalk, and it's New York. They didn't have forever to figure this out. The coffee stain still colors the faded white stripes dull brown, but the flimsy cup is nowhere to be found.. carried away by the wind, probably swept somewhere out into traffic. The broken cell phone, however, has been swept up and is being handed to her by, of all things, an actually decent human being.

"Thank you," she offers the stranger, clutching device in one hand and then turning to face the Avengers Mansion, still offering that support as she tries to coax Ivory that way. "We should get out of the road. Can you walk? I can take you somewhere you can sit."

Ivory has posed:
"I'll... be fine. I mean..." Ivory reaches up to touch the harmed head where the impact happened, wincing a little. "A big headache but... usually I pull through..." Ivory notes as they are slowly guided to the edge of the road, and Pepper recieves her phone back.

Reaching for a lamp, Ivory inhales some, then checks the hand from the head, wincing again. "You have some spray adhesive of sorts?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I'm sure we do." Said with the utmost confidence of a woman who has for years been used to running interference for the likes of Tony Stark, and yet there are no alternatives offered. Pepper might be in crisis management mode, but she was not, in fact, a paramedic.

Although, as she thought about it, getting some private lessons on trauma treatments might not be the worst use of her time, all things considered.

Pepper helps Ivory over to that lamppost and lingers close by, concern that stops short of panic written into her features. "Do you have a phone with you? Mine's..." She lifts it, twisting it a few times to show off the broken screen. "If you'd be more comfortable, I can wait with you while you call an ambulance." After all, there was no sense trying to kidnap them into a mansion they didn't want to go into, even if she did know they had the tech and the AI to check out the wound faster than the ambulance could get them to a hospital.

Ivory has posed:
Ivory leans against the lamp post a little, trying to assess their situation. "I... I guess..." they mutter, checking over everything else. "I guess I got away with less broken bones than I should have for saving someone... thanks to you."

There's a dry smile from the white haired one, the hair somewhat disshelved. The hand once more moves up, this time to remove the hairband and shake out the head slowly, the eyes wincing. "It's ok... I mean, I guess the truck wouldn't have like... killed me but... I'd be in a cast for some months."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"It was a very brave thing you did," Pepper says, her tone motherly -- that is, absolutely sincere despite carrying undertones of subtle, concerned disapproval. That being done, however, she falls silent as she watches them check themselves over, that concern still lingering in her features.

She was, unfortunately, somewhat helpless in this particular situation. She could leave Ivory to go try to find help, but she couldn't call anyone herself. And if she left, there was no way to guarantee they wouldn't just have disappeared by the time she got back. Or worse, gotten suddenly much worse with no one to pay attention to it.

"I'm just glad it wasn't worse."

Something she read, somewhere along the way, said that you were supposed to keep people with head injuries talking and conscious. How true was that? Did it matter?

"I'm Pepper." There's a small, encouraging smile that touches her lips as she raises her eyebrows. "What's your name?"

Ivory has posed:
Ivory shudders a moment, offering the hand, eying it and then wiping off the bloodstain on it before offering it again. "Ivory. Ivory Valentine." A moment they seem to ponder, the head tilted.

"Pepper... that's an unusual name... By chance... Potts? Like in Pepper Potts? Stark International?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper's pale green eyes dip to the blood-stained hand when it's extended, apparently hesitant to accept it as-is, but when it's wiped and re-offered, she does take it, giving it the pleasant squeeze of a woman who's confident in herself, her place in life, and has nothing additional to prove.

"Exactly like in Pepper Potts," she says, her expression turning slightly amused as one corner of her lips tugs a little higher than the other. "Stark Industries." It's a gentle correction, like she was just completing her title. Which she didn't actually give.

"It's nice to meet you, Ivory. How are you feeling? That's a /very/ nasty bump on your head. Are you sure you wouldn't like to at least sit down?" Her gaze shifts briefly to a nearby bench. "It would make me feel better if you would have /someone/ look at it for you."

Ivory has posed:
Wincing a moment as the bump is mentioned, they reach up to check it again, noddding. "Well... a nasty bump compared to broken bones is nothing, right?" they note with a pained smile, but nod. "Well, I don't have somebody who could pick me up like on call or such. Family lives hours away, and friends in town are working. Sorry..."

Inhaling again, they close their eyes, leaning back against the lamp post and letting it to half the carrying of their weight. The eyes close tighter as they seem to concentrate, pulling on something and... there's a ripple running over their body, but not much changes. At first. Then, the feline ears fold up from the hair. "That's a little better... I mean, I won't stumble over my feet like that... right? Or at least land on my feet..." they offer with a slight amusement in the voice, but can't overshadow that the head hurts still.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I mean a professional," Pepper insists, her patient smile clearly insistent. "I'm happy to help you get to a doctor. And I'm willing to get you a safe ride home, if that's what you really want, but I think someone should keep an eye on you. Head wounds are..."

And then there are ears. Cat. Ears.

And for a moment, it leaves Pepper stunned to silence. Let's face it, that's not the weirdest thing Pepper has ever seen, but she certainly wasn't expecting it to happen.

"I thought it was the tail that helped with balance.. not the ears?"

Eyebrows lifted, there's a little amusement in Pepper's eyes and voice, too, but there's still that underlying concern that never really seems to go away.

"Help me help you, Ivory. What would you like to do? There are people that I can call to take you home or to a doctor, or the Avenger's Mansion is right there." She lifts a hand slightly to indicate it. "It's up to you."

Ivory has posed:
"Tail is to balance stuff out. The sense of balance comes from the ears... But I'd need to get to... you know, where tigers go alone to fix the pants to not squeeze a tail into my leg, you know?" Ivory explains, shuddering a sec. "Stripping on the street to sort out a tail isn't the most acceptable. Plus, I'd wear the pants like, below my ass?"

"Doctor is ok, but.. I'd just take a good place to sit down too... unless... you prefer being followed around by ten pounds of cat to that."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Well, you'd be the expert, it appears," Pepper muses about the ears, apparently still not quite sure what she's dealing with after that entire explanation, but at least they didn't seem to want to claw her face off.

Doctor is okay. Just a good place to sit down. With no more specificity than that, Pepper shifts into take-control mode.

"Okay. We're going to work our way to the Mansion," she says, lifting an arm as if offering.. it. Or a hand. Or the ability to lean on her. Or, anything else Ivory might need in terms of balance. "If you need to sit, there are benches along the way, but at least if we're there, I can call someone if you start to feel worse." Or try to die. "You can lean on me as much as you need."

Ivory has posed:
Ivory blinks at the offered arm, the head tilting just a few moments before a little nigh mischivious smile creeps over the face. First they take the hand, then... the hand and the whole body seems to turn into mist, even the contact of the hand going somewhat slack and soft. Then the body seems to condense back again, jsut much, much more compact. A 10 pound floofball of persian cat, that tries to climb up on the arm like a goofball, flailing with three legs and the tail. Someone might have forgotten how physics work.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Physics? Who /really/ understands physics when you're talking about transforming from a whole person into a /cat/? Probably someone. Probably Tony.. actually. Regardless, Pepper seems less interested in blaming Ivory for the lack of planning than she is recusing them from a fate of even /more/ injury... assuming that Ivory /was/ in fact the cat.

Which made sense.

Ivory. White cat.

Shifting quickly one more time, Pepper turns and scoops, gathering the kitty up with her other arm and cradling them up against her chest like she would any /other/ kitty.

"Alright. This is.. one way to travel." Pepper smiles almost nervously as she looks down at Ivory. "Sorry, if this is uncomfortable. This is a new one for me, believe it or not."

And then she starts walking, heels clicking on the sidewalk on her way to the Avenger's Mansion.

Ivory has posed:
Cat scooped up, the much fluffy white persian with blue eyes - and a wound on the same spot that the mirror hit Ivory - does arrange itself for several moments before the head finds a good spot to look forward, while the legs hang over the arm on either side. The short muzzle seems stuck in the forever slight 'not amused' so typical for persians, but then the cat yawns and cranes the head back, licking the own nose at the comments about the carrying method. Obviously it wasn't too bad at all, because the Ivory cat does purr.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I'm.. not sure if I should be petting you," Pepper comments as she walks, talking to the cat like she might any other cat that couldn't understand what she was saying. "I'm not even sure you can still understand me, at this point."

Click click go her heels with every step. "With my luck, between Tony's stolen suit and carrying a fluffy, white Persian around town, my picture's going to show up on social media -- hashtag supervillain."

Still talking to herself. At least she was getting closer to the mansion.

Green eyes scan down to the top of Ivory's head, focusing on the red stain.

"I worry what transforming does to a head wound."

She worries a lot about a lot of things, actually. It's how Stark Industries stayed running.

And then there's the outer gate of the mansion. She hits the call button.

"How may I be of service?" It's a female voice, not JARVIS.

"AVINA, it's Pepper and a... guest. Ivory Valentine, for the log. My phone's broken. Open the gate, please, and have the office send over a replacement."

"Yes, Miss Potts."

And just like that, Pepper Potts carried Ivory up the walkway to the mansion and in through the front door.

Ivory has posed:
The cat might not verbally answer, but there's a nod as Pepper wonders about if Ivory might understand, and the face changes to a somewhat amused one as she jokes about being a supervillain.

If the mansion alerts would record animals, they might recognize that cat, but possibly not the name.

Once at the mansion and decently up the stairs to the office, Ivory yawned once more, stretching some to try and indicate that they could walk, but only once the office door was clear and open would actively try to pursue that move. Why would get instantly noticeable once the cat did touch down - and turned tinto a cloud of mist that expanded and condensed again, back to a person.

"Thanks... for carrying. I hope I didn't hair too much?" The face of them flinches a bit as they rub over the headbump to try and sooth the pain there. "And.. .you don't happen to have some painkiller?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
Instead of up, the two of them go /down/. The mansion is beautifully decorated with paintings and mirrors and rugs and hardwood. Down the stairs, into the basement, things get a little.. well.. basementy. More utilitarian. And finally, there's the medical facility.

When Ivory leaps out of her arms, Pepper does brush a bit at her jacket, but she smiles and shakes her head at the question. "You're fine. Why don't you sit on one of the beds and I'll see what I can find? AVINA?"

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

"Can you run a medical scan on Ivory?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Potts. That's outside of my capabilities."

Pepper wanted to say something about missing JARVIS. It's there in the frustration on her features.

"Ivory's been injured. Can you summon one of the medical staff?"

"There are currently none on the premises, but I've paged the on call nurse," the disembodied, feminine voice answers.

"Thank you, AVINA. Can you tell me where to find some Tylenol, in the meantime?"

"Cabinet A7."

"Cabinet A7," Pepper parrots, looking around the room like she didn't spent too much time in this particular part of the facility. "Ah." Locating it, she pulls the cabinet open, grabs the bottle, and turns to the sink. Plastic cup. Water. And then she's coming back, handing over the plastic cup first and then dumping a couple of the pills out into her hand to offer those, too.

"This is as strong as I'm willing to offer until a professional looks at you."

Ivory has posed:
"It'll have to do then." Ivory muses as they settle on the bed, reaching to take the cup of pills, but instead of swallowing all of them, they pick a single and then get some water to swallow it down. "Just... need to wait till it kicks in.... wasn't there a male computer? I mean, I think it was..."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"You've met JARVIS before?"

Pepper puts the rest of the pills back in the bottle and seals it up again.

"JARVIS is currently offline for.. maintenance." A PR-focused answer if ever there was one. Pepper strides back of the the cabinet and opens it, replacing the bottle where she found it. "In the meantime, AVINA is filling in for him."

About a month ago, one of Tony's suits got stolen. It was used in a robbery, which got plastered all over social media. It wasn't nearly immediate enough for the public, but Tony eventually shut it down, with the help of a few others.

There was no way to know how long it was going to take for the nurse to arrive, so Pepper arrives back at Ivory's side, doting like a worried mother. "How are you feeling, other than the pain? Any problems seeing or remembering things?" She wasn't a doctor, but she did sound a bit like Dr. Mom, sometimes.

Ivory has posed:
"I can't say I met your computer, but heard it." Ivory notes, nodding slowly, hands reaching for the edge of the bed to stay on it easier. "A massive headache... and maybe a little bit that nagging feeling that I should get a lintroller."

Is there a slight amusement creeping over the corner of their eyes as they reach over to try and pick up a little of their own cat hair? "Eyes are good as a human can be, though I might want to avoid other eyes. The light sensitivity of cat eyes made me dizzy on the arm. A little."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper smiles a bit. "You've been here before?" It's a curiosity, but she obviously seems more interested in the answers to some of her other questions. Keeping Ivory talking was just a way to make sure they didn't pass out on her or anything. She does seem amused by the way they reach over and pick cat hair off of her coat, though, just following the movement with her eyes without shying away.

"That's quite a talent you have."

The words are barely out of her mouth before the door opens again, and a uniformed woman with short, brown hair steps through the door.

"Miss Potts, you called for a nurse?"

And then Pepper's turning, nodding. "I did. This is Ivory Valentine. We had a bit of an accident, earlier, and I was hoping you could run some tests to make sure everything's okay."

"I'd be happy to. Let me just start a chart."

Pepper turns back to Ivory, then. "That's my cue to leave you alone. Please let me know that you're okay? You can have them send me a message from here if you prefer, but I'd rather you stop by my office at Stark Industries, if you're feeling up to it." So, it's genuine concern, then.

But a moment later, Pepper's retreating, turning to let Ivory have the privacy of the room.