7592/Memories and the Lost

Memories and the Lost
Date of Scene:	23 May 2019
Location:	Tony's Office - Stark Tower
Synopsis:	Peggy meets Tony. Feels are experienced.
Cast of Characters:	Peggy Carter, Iron Man

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Peggy Carter has posed:
After the brief but mysterious meeting on the Triskelion last evening, Peggy's requests to finally get a chance to meet Anthony Stark were finally met. That was momentarily awkward, because she didn't really have any clothes suitable for going out wearing. But SHIELD had a fair amount of things to borrow for if an agent returns from the field covered in something or other. So, she's chosen a simple blue dress, always one of her favorite colors, in a more 1950s cut with a smaller waist and A-line skirt that came back into style with some of the retro clothing in the last ten years. Her hair is down in simple waves and she looks like little more than a non-descript, 30-something business woman, not the ex-director of SHIELD and rockstar of the intelligence community she was most of her life.

After being buzzed through, she took the elevator up to the proper floor. Not realizing you can speak to the computer, she simply pushed the button, so she's not realized her old friend's voice is living in the building all around her. Not yet, at least. Once the door is open, her low cut black heels carry her out into the penthouse area, "Anthony Stark, please? He's...expecting me..."

Iron Man has posed:
JARVIS doesn't attend to everyone, so there's no intrusion onto Peggy's sanity or feelings: the AI doesn't address her at all. The elevator ride is uneventful. She's greeted by one of the assistants on the office floor that contains Tony's office, among others. The assistant checks a tablet and smiles at her. "Ms. Carter, please, follow me, I'm Theresa. I believe Mr. Stark is in his office, and ready for you," she says, with a little measure of relief that she mostly hides well under professionalism. It's always a relief when she doesn't have to stall a visitor for who-knows-how-long.

The assistant crosses the hall at a smooth clip, and opens the office door leading into the impressive, huge office that Tony occupies. He isn't at his desk, he's perhaps disruptively close: just on the other side of the door, probably having been walking towards them. He's in one of his immaculate suits as always, though he's lost the tie somewhere, giving him a more relaxed demeanor. "Ms. Carter is here," the assistant says quickly, stepping aside: she's never surprised anymore.

"Great. Welcome," Tony says, smoothly, offering a hand to Peggy with a natural ease.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The woman gives him a single once over, but the look in her eyes says she's the sort that can probably profile a person in thirty seconds by gaze alone. The lack of tie is noted and a slightly deeper breath of air is taken, scenting the smell around him. It was practically habit from her time with Howard, and how she started any meeting with him. She needed to know if a Stark was too tipsy to be totally trusted with business. Perhaps an unfair habit to push off onto his son, but habits are habits. Her smile lingers, though. Slightly sweet and slightly sad. There is a lot of weight behind that smile.

"Thank you, Anthony. It... I'm Margaret. But really, you can call me Peggy. I... I know this must all be strange. I knew your father quite well, though. And Edwin." She's just managing to keep her cool expression together but, if Tony is paying attention, the pain behind her eyes as she mentions both names is immediate. She misses them something fierce. The wound is still raw.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony was looking right at her, until she slams him with mentioning both his father and Edwin. He doesn't falter under it: he'd prepared himself for it. At least, he thought that he had. His smile doesn't disappear, but the welcome turns into something that's a little more wary.

"Tony," Tony corrects immediately. He doesn't reek of alcohol, but his turn away from her as he gestures for her to come in and sit has some flinch away from the bright window. There's some forehead pain, from last night's imbibe.

Unfortunately, Tony doesn't know about that particular piece to not step in, and offers, "Something to drink?" to her, with a circular motion of hand that includes the assistant: she knows exactly what she's supposed to do: get drinks. She looks attentively at Peggy.

"I know you were a great friend of my father's, before I was around," Tony agrees. A lot is no doubt conveyed in that phrasing: 'my father' screams distance. It isn't 'dad'.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Tea, if you have some. That'd be lovely." Drink-drinking this time of day isn't on Peggy's mind, no matter how hard this conversation might end up being. She arches a brow as she catches that wince away from the bright light, but doesn't ask about it. She's just quietly piecing together a picture from bits of the puzzle as they drop, step by step, as always. She gives the assistant a thankful, neutral smile before turning back to follow Tony deeper into the room.

'My Father'. Not dad. Another piece for the puzzle. She dips her head moment, "Yes... we founded SHIELD together. I will admit that I did not think he would ever actually... Settle down. But from everything I've read about you on the Google, the world is lucky he did. Though...I'll admit to still being a hint confused about how Edwin is still around?" Peggy gives him a slightly more apologetic smile, "Forgive me. I find I have little time for small talk and many questions."

Iron Man has posed:
The assistant nods and looks at Tony for direction. He gives a funny little motion of fingers from Peggy to himself, which the assistant interprets correctly as 'I'll have that'. She nods without judgement, and disappears, closing the door behind her. Tony moves towards the edge of his desk, near the visitor chairs, but doesn't sit: he leads back against the edge of it some, close and familiar with the visitor chairs. It's something his father did a lot, and Tony does without thinking. A way to feel somehow more intimate with those in the room, use his charisma at close range. Make people feel comfortable, without the sea of intimidating desk in the way.

"Yep, I've tacked a lot onto the Stark legacy," Tony agrees, smile amused, but not actually kidding. "That's fine. Edwin died just after I turned twenty-five," Tony explains. "A handful of years ago, I created an artificial intelligence."

Tony addresses nobody, the ceiling: "JARVIS, say hello, and state your duties as of today."

The disembodied voice of JARVIS replies, "Hello, Ms. Carter. I run a number of systems within the Tower, as well as assistance domestically for Mr. Stark, and the Avengers."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Margaret Carter is up for handling a lot of things. A dozen soldiers trying to kill her? Someone threatening to blow up the world? Sure. But the sight of Tony leaning against that desk just the way his father used to do as he gives her news about when Edwin passed and then Edwin's voice actually filling the room but a heartbeat later? That's enough to actually slightly shake her.

It's not until Edwin's voice comes does her smile crack. The expression on her face is heart deep grief, even if just for a moment. If there was any doubt about how much she cared for the man, it'd be washed away by that single look. She slowly sinks down into the chair in front of Tony, letting him have the higher ground, literally, as she processes the whole situation. A deep, steadying breath in through her nose as she asks softly, "When did your wi... When did Ana Jarvis pass?" She's not certain if she's asking that disembodied voice, or Tony in front of her. But she needs to know. Rip it all off like a bandaid. She's got a cracked smile for Tony a moment later.

"You...must be quite brilliant, to create something like that. But I shouldn't be surprised..."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony doesn't know, and he does a little gesture upwards. JARVIS knows his cue, and assists with details. "Ana Jarvis died on February fourteenth, six months prior to Edwin Jarvis." JARVIS's voice isn't robotic, there's a gentle sense to it. Compassionate. Which speaks, perhaps, mostly volumes to the quality of Tony's work. It has .... Heart.

"Yeah, built my first engine at six. Everyone is all very impressed," Tony jokes, dropping his hands to the edges of the table on either side of his hips, posture still relaxed, one leg crossing the other at the ankle. "But surprised, no." His smile grows somewhat, a cocky humor there.

"I pulled some of my father's pictures. They're over on the side table there, if you're feeling nostalgic." Tony pauses, since the assistant returns. She offers tea directly to Peggy, but puts Tony's on the desk near him.

"You were a big part of the Captain America project, then, huh," Tony asks.

Peggy Carter has posed:
JARVIS' voice isn't helping. It's just uncanny valley enough that she knows it's not him, but only JUST. It still sounds like him with every syllable spoken. A ghost of an understanding smile haunts across her features, "Thank you, Mr. Jarvis. That... that doesn't surprise me. They were very close." She'd cry or hit things later. Now, she simply had to keep herself together and keep a strong face in front of Howard's son who, somehow, looked the exact age she did herself, despite her having been director all the way through 1975 according to records.

"The pictures would be... Lovely. I've been avoiding looking... Back. Just mainly trying to adjust to being here, first, you know?" Peggy clips out, taking the tea with her after a nod of thanks is given to the assistant. She stands up again, then, and steps over to where Tony indicates the photos are. She doesn't pick any of them up, but she turns dark eyes across some of the prints. It's an easier way to hide her features from Tony anyway, so he doesn't quite see those emotions.

"Yes, I was the SSR's lead intelligence representitive on Project Rebirth. I, along with Dr. Erskine, were the two that strongly recommended Steve Rogers for the program, despite many... hesitations on other's parts. I never doubted us, or the program, and Captain Rogers has clearly proven it effective." She says the words 'Captain Rogers' with the tone of someone who is used to putting forced distance there.

Iron Man has posed:
"Steve's something else. /And/ my friend. Suppose there's a thank-you to you, for that," Tony laughs, somehow thanking without actually saying a real thank-you. He appreciates her going to the pictures, because he looks at his tea with displeasure, but drinks it anyway. He had originally been going to be 'good'... but he changes his mind after having some tea. This conversation isn't pleasant; he'd like a hard drink...

But he'll get to that; there's no hurry. He stays at the desk, letting her look at the images. Some need to be moved, others are in a book, to see them all. They weren't laid out with care, just kind of put there by some assistant. "Half of my childhood involved chatter about Captain America," Tony says, with a shrug of indifference that is hardly indifferent. There's some undertone of bitterness. "And SHIELD, to some degree. Things don't change, huh? I built those helicarriers, if you've seen them -- don't judge me too harshly, that was a few years ago."

The massive helicarriers are, of course, extremely impressive. That was some bragging: necessary, somehow, to do with someone that knew his father.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A low sigh escapes her lips. Whether it's at the photos, or at the comment about Howard's obsession with Captain America, it's not totally clear. But her shoulders do slightly fall and she forces dark eyes away from those old images of her and Howard, back towards his son. His so familiar, and yet not, son. "...Steve's loss hit your father hard. I don't think he ever really recovered from it. And I know... know SHIELD kept us away. I don't think it was fair to my children and I highly doubt it was fair to you. For that, I'm sorry. I'll never be sorry that we build this organization but..." She gives the tiniest shake to her head, struggling for a few words as she looks back to the photos.

"Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he was always there for you and always made it home in time for dinner. I... doubt I am. Howard drank. He womanized, in my day. He lost himself in work so often that he wouldn't come out of the office for two days in a row. I... somehow doubt that changed. I can't imagine it made for a good childhood. And probably explains why Edwin is your computer's voice, and not your father." Oh, she was good. Another few pieces to the puzzle. Another bit of clarity.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony isn't distressed by any of it; social media and the news, growing up as the prodigal son, hit all those marks in his childhood. Repeatedly. There's a desensitized look to Tony when she lays out some suspicions. And Tony's really good at evading. Perhaps another Howard-learned thing.

"It's all in the SHIELD files on us. I know, I've read them," Tony answers evenly. "You'll read all about my being sent to boarding school, and so on; happiest day of his life. Work was everything to him."

Tony shrugs, disconnected emotionally. He isn't going to let some strange woman see him upset over this. He does drum his fingers on the underside of the desk, where his hands are hooked on the edge.

"If you've come to look for him, he isn't really here. Just his legacy." Tony gestures around to the building, indicating the physical place they're standing in.

And not referring to himself.

Peggy Carter has posed:
As he gestures to the space, Peggy is staring directly at him. She does not look around the space. She does not waver in any way. "I know. That's why I'm standing in his office, staring at his legacy, An... Tony. That's the only reason I came here. To meet *you*. Not... this." She motions to the room, almost mirroring as he did it. "You." And then she's walking back over to stand in front of him. Her hands fold before her but she doesn't sit. She faces him calmly, at about the same height since he's leaning on the desk.

"If all of this has taught me anything... if what happened to Steve... Howard, Edwin... All of us, if it's taught me anything, it's that we have so little time. So... very little time. We can invent all the things in the world. We can't invent more time with those who matter... or should matter to us." She tries to smile. It doesn't quite make it. "I don't know you yet. I... hope I'll get that chance."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony doesn't move, he watches her, one brow raised a small amount, dark eyes intelligent. There's a great deal of Howard's legacy in Tony, even just through visually, as well as the sound and style of Tony's speech. And perhaps beyond physical, as well: the other marks left on Howard's boy.

Tony doesn't physically withdraw, even as she comes over, but faces all of it with a (okay, somewhat dismissive) returned look to her eyes.

"'No amount of money ever bought a second of time,'" Tony quotes for her, with a slight little smile and shift of eyes to the pictures, a tension in the side of his eyes brief but apparent. "He never even told me he liked me. So, mostly we go off actions more than words," Tony chuckles. He switches topics fluidly, with a gesture to her in a move towards friendliness. "My birthday parties are next week. Come by for one of those ... if you've got a fun side. Don't bring all this with you," Tony teases her, with a wink. But the door is opened, in Tony fashion. "Steve's already overly serious."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The quote hits her hard. It wasn't actually something she'd ever heard from Howard. But then, ostensibly, it was Howard's mess up that made her disappear. Maybe he started debating that quote. Maybe not. "...It really doesn't." She echoes to the money comment, but it doesn't hit home for her those are Howard's words. No matter how smart they sound. The dismissive change of topic isn't missed, a slight narrowing of her dark eyes coming, but she gives a simple nod.

"If I'm not away on a mission, I will do my best to attend. Maybe I'll even ask Captain Rogers to accompany me..." A bit more of a smile dares to steal across her lips at a long distanced memory, "He still owes me a dance." She then leans over and grabs her tea, finishing it with a long sip.

"Anyway, Tony, I am certain you are incredibly busy. I shan't take any more of your time but it... It was quite lovely meeting you. I hope we might get the chance again."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony lifts a brow at the dance comment, but doesn't push on that particular button. He'll address it from the Steve side, not this angle. But this will be an interesting nest to poke at later, for certain. He's gracious with Peggy, though. "I'm sure he'll honor his promise," is what Tony says, sleekly, with a smile that doesn't show problems at all.

"Sure. Come by again, ask JARVIS to get you a spot on my calendar. Usually easier than going through the front desk," Tony says, as if giving her a special tip. It's realistic, and yet arrogant, in a manner. That Tony's aware he's impossible to get to, and he's fine with it.

"I do have something, but I'll walk you out; I'm headed out myself," Tony says, remembering, and gestures towards the door, finally standing up fully, parting from his desk spot.

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" Tony asks, as he leads the way. "JARVIS, get her a car..."