2202/Office Hours

Office Hours
Date of Scene:	28 August 2017
Location:	Stark Tower, New York City
Synopsis:	Natasha brings some information to Tony and surprises Pepper with her early arrival.
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Black Widow (Romanoff), Pepper Potts

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Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark is working at his desk. It's evening time but you do enough work with enough people that it's always interesting to see what it is that could bring you buy. Looking up as you enter, Tony smiles. "Well look who it is. It's my faithful assistant Natalie...oh no wait...no that's not right. Natasha? Well but she wasn't my assistant. Then there was the brief period that you worked for Pepper which if I recall was a total betrayal on your part. It's really quite frustrating. Though I think you've managed to not totally mess with me since you flipped to the whole black clingy wardrobe so...I suppose that's something. Is it only in street clothes I have to worry? Or are you just biding your time in this outfit too," he is of course completely full of jest, but apparently he's decided to be pain in the ass Tony today.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    All that earns an arching of an auburn brow as Natasha walks across to the desk. "Aren't you in a mood. Someone break Jarvis or steal one of your suits again?" she asks flatly. She's dressed in those very civilian clothes that he should perhaps worry about, clad in black pants with an emerald blouse that matches her eyes. There is a lightweight, black leather jacket worn over the top. Easier to hide all her toys that way. He knows she is always armed at least.
    "See if I bother to come to the next barbeque you and Pepper throw." She tosses a memory stick on the desk in front of him. "The data you had asked about. Had to get clearance to or would've had it sooner."

Iron Man has posed:
"If I wanted to deal with getting clearance, I would have done that myself. Don't I ask you for things when I don't want to have to deal with clearance or red tape?" He takes the memory stick though and as he's plugging it in, he asks idly, "Who said you'd be invited to the next barbecue me and Pepper throw? Save a few lives, be part of the token quota in order to make sure that our little club doesn't get sued by the EEOC, and now you think you run the place," he says. "Hmm....that's an idea. I haven't had a vacation for a while. And you're looking remarkably business casual. What do you think the worst thing to happen would be if you ran things for a week?" He sounds...annoyingly serious. As if this is an actual consideration.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    "Well, if it was something you wanted that badly, without the red tape, you would've gotten it yourself instead of asking me," she points out, frowning a bit at that commentary on her status with the team and the reason for it. If he wanted to be annoying, he's managed to do so. She folds her arms over her chest as he plugs in the drive.
    "The worst that would happen is Pepper would kill you. And I'd help her. If you go anywhere, she gets to run the show. We both know she's more qualified to do so than even you are." She glances toward the office door, as though expecting Miss Potts to come in and prove it.
    No such luck. Too bad. She looks back to Tony.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark is completely full of witty response to that one. "Well...yeah..." he says, agreeing that Pepper would run this better and really, she does, since he spends so much more time on research and planning and the Avengers than he does the day to day. Until, of course, those moments strike him. "She wouldn't kill me though. She's too nice." He ponders...."Which does mean she'd have to have me killed. But would also make it look like an accident cause she's clever....nothing that would mar the face though. I'm too pretty for that..." he says and finishes skimming over the first few pages of the data you sent over. "That's not true, by the way. What you said earlier. There are certain things you're amongst the best in the world in getting and information is one of them. If I needed something that badly, I absolutely would ask you to do it instead of doing it myself. There's a lot of sciencey and techy things I'm good at...alright I'm fantastic at, but I still don't think i've designed anything out there you couldn't hack into given enough time. Maybe we'll have to start that project next - hmmm. Find the world's next best hacker by setting up an impenetrable shell and figuring out who can get the furthest in with you sitting there trying to bounce them back..."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    "That doesn't sound like much fun to me. And there are plenty of hackers out there better than me. I just happen to have a few skills in that area," she says with a shrug, dismissing it as nothing. It's just part of the job. Part of what makes her what she is. There are plenty of other things she would consider herself better at in the field of espionage but most of them aren't for polite company. It's why she's part of the Avengers. Not because of her gender but because she's lethal, able to kill someone in more ways than most people even know is possible.
    "SHIELD probably employs half of them already."

Iron Man has posed:
"Quality control, Nat. Quality control," he says, spinning around in his chair again, all the way around once before he turns to face you. He grins, his fingers steepled as he says, "Just because we have them in our employ doesn't mean they're still working for us or that they're as good as we need them to be. Nothing says it's fun, and it's not as glamorous or cool as kicking ass but it is something you'd be good at. Though, I'm also thinking it's time for a personnel review again. Maybe sit down with the on-staff 'counsellor' and go through a how are they doing sort of review. Make sure that everyone still seems pleased to be here, loyal...etcetera. Things have been frustratingly quiet which only makes me believe something big is coming, or that somethign big is already here and we haven't seen it." Paranoid, much?

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    "Tony, why in the world are you talking to me about this? I have nothing to do with the inner workings of your ivory tower anymore," Natasha says with a smirk, waving a hand at the room but indiciating the building at learge. "If you want to assess your employees, have a good time doing so. I know you had a big hiring drive recently. I'd think you would be in a good place but corporate business is beyond my interests." Not her knowledge. She can pull it off if she has to. She just would probably rather shoot herself in the foot than deal with office politics.
    "Have you been hitting the caffeine again? I thought you weren't allowed to have that anymore."

Iron Man has posed:
"You wound me. Here I am, guy with a heart condition," he says, looking down at the glowing shape under his business shirt, and then back up to you. "And you'd just leave me out in the cold. Here I thought we were friends," he says, affecting an injured tone even though you know he's full of shit. "Fine then. If you won't help me with my inner workings, what's going on outside? As I said, it still feels like things are too quiet. THAT is not an...what did you use? JARVIS, play back what Natasha said about our building."

<<I believe the section of conversation you're looking for is>> and in perfect Natasha tone and speech, you hear <<I have nothing to do with the inner workings of your ivory tower anymore.>>

"Ivory tower? Well...I'll just let Pepper know that I asked you for help and you were too busy doing what it is you do to help us out in a way that's completely out of your job description just because I asked nicely." Which is all true - there's no reason at all for her to do it legitimately and he totally didn't ask nicely.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    "Nothing going on outside other than the normal load of stuff. Hydra, AIM, cold war that no longer exists still going on to some level." Natasha doesn't elaborate on the details. It wouldn't do for any of them to know she helped in trying to capture the Winter Soldier, but not for SHIELD or the government despite them having reason to take him in. Better not to share that sort of thing. Nor should she share that she is feeling a bit more on edge of late herself. Not the level of paranoia that Tony was exhibiting a moment ago with his ascertion that it was too quiet. She can't disagree with that. Her situation is more personal.
    "I'll be sure to have Jarvis quote how nicely you asked me when you share that information with her," she shoots back, arms still folded over her chest.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"...Share what information with me?" Pepper asks, probably being a bit presumptive, but she knows what goes on in this household. Where DID she come from, by the way? She's like a delicate, business-like ninja, just appearing out of the foyer, still wearing her Prada pumps but somehow silent as death. She gives them both a happy smile, her eyes warming a bit more to see Natasha there, as she neatly picks her way over to the sitting area so she can set down the tablet she's got tucked under her arm and her cup of coffee. She has the look about her of someone having just come up from the offices, even though it's a Sunday night and no sane person is working. She's still in her suit, neatly buttoned, tailored shirt, her hair pulled back behind her neck, all business and propriety.

Iron Man has posed:
And for the first time, Tony pauses. He's been sort of egging on Natasha, to say the least, but at the mention of Jarvis quoting HIM back to Pepper, well, "I don't think that'll be necessary. JARVIS, any chance of you having a really wierd electrical issue that causes you to lose about the last five minutes of data?"

<<None, sir,>> answers the somewhat humanoid and yet still also somehow vaguely electronic voice of the assistant before Pepper decides to come in.

"Pepper, hey, we were just talking about you," says Tony, standing up now as he claps his hands together. "Nat was just suggesting that we should have another barbecue. That sounds great, doesn't it?" For those with their internal BS meters turned on, they're pinging like a broken Pac-man game.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    "I don't remember suggesting that," Natasha rebuts, giving a smile to Pepper as she unfolds her arms into a less hostile posture. "Oh wait, that's right. I seem to think I run the place because I saved a few lives and meet a token quota. Silly me. So yes, I guess I was suggesting we should have another barbeque."
    She gives Pepper a wink out of Tony's line-of-sight. "Just let's not invite Tony to this one, okay? His ego is getting bigger by the second, I think."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Smoothly as ever, Pepper steps over in Natasha's direction and, if the woman permits, leans over for a fast hug and one of those cheek kisses that female friends often do. It might be a bit of a show for Tony -- this is my friend and I'm on her side, whatever it is -- but there is also a momentary, warmer squeeze from Pepper's hand against her shoulder. Something protective and tender, an honest expression that she has missed the woman, without really needing to put it into words that might make things awkward. Then Pepper is standing up and arching a skeptical brow in Tony's direction.

"...Barbeque. Mmhmm. I think Natasha might be right, Tony...you have an awful lot of work to catch up on and I'm still waiting on you to go over mid year budget reports... You could work on those. Or, you know, JARVIS could just tell me what I actually missed." No, Pepper is not taking one inch of his bull, and that's made extra certain by the straightness of her back, fold of her arms across her chest, and slightly amused smirk over her still perfectly lipsticked mouth.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark winces, eye slightly twitching as Natasha relays the 'highlights' of the conversation in a fairly accurate way despite the lack of context. A wordsmith, that one. "Her english isn't so good, you know. ESL student..." he adds, cause that defense always works. Tony is about to open his mouth when that voice kicks in again.

<<Actually, gramatically speaking, Miss Romanov's use of language would be deemed by most academic standards to be of a university bordering on phd level. Yours, sir, with the stop-starts and run on sentences would be middle high school level. Technically speaking, of course.>>

To which Tony just looks back around the room. "I get it. I'm outnumbered. I know when a tactical repositioning is in order. You two have your little barbecue and don't invite me. I'm sure I can find something to do - a casino, research some strange alien device. I'm sure I'll stay out of trouble completely with both of you somewhere else and neither of you keeping an eye on me." He grins though and it may be a bit impossible to notice the slight upturn to his lips as he looks over at Pepper. Her arrival completley changes his tone, quite likely for the better. Psychoanalyzer Romanov could probably pick up on that one in her sleep. Still though, not having properly acknowledged her arrival, a tip of his head, a slight bow, "Miss Potts," he says, walking over to the bar and pulling out...some cranberry juice and a bit of bottled water and with some ice clinking in a glass, starts to pour some as he uses the water to cut the tartness of the juice. "Anyone need anything while I'm over here?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
There are moments she loves Jarvis. This happens to be one of them. "Vodka. Neat," is her automatic response to the request from Tony. She turns back to Pepper though.
    "Been too long since we've chatted. I need to schedule a lunch with you." Something about spending time with Pepper seems to get her dark side under control for a little while. There's a light about the woman. A goodness. It's something she needs to be exposed to, see if it helps. That or she's going to have to volunteer for an assignment that will let her use those urges. Not a place she should go. Besides, she's actually missed the woman.
    "I know I've been pretty hard to reach lately. Lots of work on my plate. But it should be slowing down a little now." Now that her team of allies have managed to capture their prey.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Nothing...I have coffee. Have a conference with China in..." Pepper flickers pale eyes up to the clock, "Three hours. So..." She gives a little, almost apologetic shrug, not quite certain how it's going to go over with Tony that she's working this late on a Sunday, but then she's never asked permission in the past. So, she finishes her greeting with Natasha and then actually steps over to the couch area, settling down into the cushions and kicking off her heels so she can neatly tuck her thin legs beneath her. There, she looks a bit more relaxed.

"And Natasha, that'd be... lovely. I've been wondering. I know you are busy but... I thought maybe... I... well, after the incident in the sewers, I just... " Pepper shrugs slightly, not quite sure how to find words for still not being certain someone is your friend. "I simply did not wish to annoy you." But Tony has seen her internet searches. The quiet questions Pepper asks among the Avengers. The few favors she's tried to pull to set her heart at ease that the woman is safe and healthy. She didn't always get answers, but she always keeps a quiet, worried watch. A concerned friend, even if from a distance.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark comes back over with vodka, and hands it to Natasha, before taking his juice over to the couch to sit next to Pepper. It's interesting, how he sits, in just the right spot for her to be able to lean her weight on him if she wanted, and yet somehow it could look totally casual. Anyone who has seen the two of them over the last year or so, however, knows that even if they haven't figured it out, the two of them are on a collisoin course that's going to require a heart to heart conversation. Which should go about as smoothly as asbestos loofahs.

"Sewers? That's...actually you know what? I think I'm going to take a pass on taht one. I don't actually need to know. And I'm pretty sure if I did know, i'd wish I didn't. So I'm going to skip to the end and stay in my blissful little non-sewer knowing happy bubble. With my juice...." he says, taking a sip as he adds, "But on to something really important that came up earlier."

"You're not actually going to not let me come to the barbecue are you?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
    Natasha knows that he remembers. This is just his way of avoiding the topic. He made it abundantly clear to her at the time that he was displeased about Pepper being in danger. He appreciate that Natasha had helped save her but at the same time, there had been a bit of bad blood for a bit there. That it all had followed the betrayal just made it worse. Sure, they'd all moved beyond it. Gotten to a point they are on friendly terms. She thinks of Pepper as a friend, even moreso than Tony. Though he falls in that class as well.
    "I think that would be up to Pepper," Natasha says, keeping out of the barbeque discussion. She takes a sip of the vodka, realizing he'd poured the good stuff and not that cheap American potato juice.

Pepper Potts has posed:
A smirk deepens on Pepper's lips as she looks over to the man who has come to settle suspiciously close to her, despite the fact that there is a whole living room for them to sit within. "Yes, that whole... laid up in hospital thing. Well past us now. As for the barbeque..." Pepper sinks back just a bit against him, making a slightly overly dramatic sigh as she considers this before looking back to Natasha, "Perhaps I'll ask your advice on the matter when we go to lunch. Tuesday? Wednesday? I'll open up my appointment book for you. Just let me know when is good."

Her expression goes a touch more somber, looking Natasha over for another heartbeat or two, "I...really would like to catch up. Really. Just... let me know." Pepper insists, softer, not in her teasing Tony voice, even as her thin, tense shoulders remain leaning against his arm and she's daring to relax slightly into him.

Iron Man has posed:
"I could always get one of those competitive food trucks to come in. You can use the penthouse..." he says. Which means maybe he trusts Nat again, if he'd let her into the living quarters and not just the office. "Could feed the whole office, and let you two enjoy your privacy without my having to pretend I didn't have an entire security team following you. Which Nat would see and she would get totally annoyed, then one of you would end up driving like a maniac trying to ditch them..." and as he goes, looking back and forth between the two of you, "Or...I could dial down the megalomaniac level to a 2 and not have to be in control of your lunch together. Unless you want me to plan something...cause I could...hey look, drink..." and so he takes another sip of his juice.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Of course, Pepper," Natasha says with an easy smile, giving a nod in her direction. "Tuesday sounds great. I need some down time. Too much work makes Nat a dull girl. Or something like that," she adds with a rueful shrug. She takes another sip of the vodka. At the 'offer' from Tony, she has to shake her head a bit.
    "You are not in charge of the girls lunch date. Unless you are putting on a skirt. In which case, I'd change my mind even while taking video and posting it on Youtube."

Iron Man has posed:
Quick as a whip, Tony can't help but throw in, "Like that's the first time Youtube would have me in a skirt..." he says with a smirk...surely not at all sending JARVIS on a quest to find and broadcast Tony Stark, the college years, on one of the walls.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Fine. I'll send up Mr. Langin to get your measurements. He's my tailor. I'm sure we could put you in a very nice salmon one piece..." Pepper states with a wry smile. But then her tablet starts buzzing a bit, lighting up. Her eyes go wide as she picks it up and looks at the display. "Shit...it's China... did I miss a time change? Anyway, I... need to take this. You both be good. Natasha, lunch, this week. Tony, if you aren't in bed by the time I'm done with this I'm dragging you out of the lab and putting you there. I need you in the conference room 10 am tomorrow." Pepper has given up scheduling 9 am meetings.

And, with those brief orders, Pepper springs up from the couch and takes her tablet with her towards the 'Guest' room that she often stays in here, uses as an office, and might as well be called her own. Of course, she still keeps her condo up town. She isn't living with her boss, surely not. Just... on the late nights. And nights where she needs to take a 9 pm call to China.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony Stark stands up when Pepper does, a brief touch to her elbow as she walks past - surely to make sure she doesn't lose her balance as she gets her shoes back on again. "Fine, I'll get back to what I was working on before you two showed up," he says. "I don't remember what it was but I'm sure it was super important." And as he waves his hand to bring something up on the screen, wahtever he was working on last, a Galaga game shows up on the wall and he purses his lips thoughtfully. "I really should close out of these things if I'm going to try to make what I'm doing seem super important...." he mutters and winks to Natasha. "I can get you a to go glass if you want one..." and by to-go glass he reaches down and pulls out the bottle, offering it as a gift of sorts...or maybe an apology for the quota 'joke' that was about as funny as a puppy serial killer joke.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Not necessary," Natasha says but she does toss back the rest of the drink before she takes the glass back over to the bar. She drops it in the little sink there. She starts to head for the door then pauses. That is a really expensive bottle of vodka. Not one she'd be buying anytime soon.
    She changes course and grabs the bottle, lifting it up a mock toast. "Thank you. For that, maybe you can come to the barbeque. Just not the girls lunch date."
    She heads to the door and and doesn't even give a backwards glance on her way out.