11968/What, more meetings

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What, more meetings
Date of Scene: 10 July 2022
Location: Stark Tower: Penthouse
Synopsis: After a full day's work in the lab, Tony allows himself to be pulled away for a movie. It'll give him the distance needed to clear his head!
Cast of Characters: Pepper Potts, Tony Stark




Pepper Potts has posed:
It actually is, was, a lovely day in the City. The sun was shining, giving off a glow to the streets below. Not too hot, not too humid for the Island that suffers from both, regularly. The sun has set, and the lights are coming up, inviting the night life to truly come into full swing. Not that it needs encouraging, mind!

Still, the streets are filled with tourists and natives alike, wandering and looking at the sights, partaking of the sounds that the metropolis has to offer. That, of course, includes the more cultural aspects of the city, such as the Philharmonic and the museums. Yes, and the current musical venues as well. (Do I really have to mention Broadway?)

Stark Industries, in the main guise of Ms Pepper Potts, has insinuated itself into the more cultural end of the pack, with minor memberships here and there, but there is one that Pepper does pride herself on, does a great deal of work for, and that is the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. For those nearby, it is simply, 'MoMA '. Over the years, she's helped curate special exhibitions, invited different artists and artisans in, helped underwrite programs for the community; it takes a bit of time from her already busy schedule, but it's a labor of love.

Finally, then, Pepper is driven home, the sleek, dark sedan coming to a stop in the private parking garage at Stark Industries. There were more than enough gawkers trying to get a peek as to who was in the car, thanks to the license plate emblazoned 'STARK1'. But, it wasn't Tony, sorry adoring fans. Just the redheaded once and future PA, and girlfriend to the man, myth and legend.

Up the elevator, and with a *ding*, it lets the business-suited Pepper out onto the personal living area floor. It's not three steps before she's pulling off her heels with a soft noise of relief, and pads the rest of the way towards the central space, the recessed seating. As she makes the cross, the familiar English accented voice lifts in the air,

<<Welcome home, Ms Potts. There are 5 mail messages for you from Mr Akito, 3 from Mr Russo, and one from Mrs Potts.>> There is a pause before, <<She wishes to know if you'll be visiting in August.>>

Pepper chuffs a laugh as she sets her heels down on the side of the couch, responding to JARVIS as she would any normal person. "Thankk you," and her tones turn a touch bemused, "And what did you tell her?"

<<I told her that your schedule was such that it would be a hardship.>>

A laugh actually rises from her this time, and she nods, pulling off her jacket, revealing a form fitting short sleeved shirt beneath. "Thank you." And she sounds as if she means it.

"Where's Tony?"

Tony Stark has posed:
Down in his lab, Tony is hard at work on his latest endeavor. With some Golden Earring playing over the speakers (Radar Love, naturally) his fingers are deftly manipulating the 3D holographic image of an engineer in front of him. He frowns a bit, as he brings his other hand over, tinkering a bit with the placement of a very circuits against the membrane surrounding the engine and leading back to what appears to be a tiny arc reactor.

"Ok, Friday, let's run that simulation again."

The engine whirs to life, and Tony nods slowly. "Ok, come on, come on..." Then there is a flash of blue as spectral energy emanates from the arc reactor, cruising along the membrane, and in a flash of blue it all dissipates.

"Damnit," Tony mutters, as he waves his hand in the air in frustration, dispelling that simulation. He leans over to pick up a glass and sip from it as the display reboots into a new iteration of the engine.

Pepper Potts has posed:
<<In the workshop.>> Do those words hold a hint of 'where he usually is'? Maybe.

Okay, definitely. If he is home, it's a better than even bet that he's working on a known project, or it's broken off into a tangent of another. Such is a great mind.

Pepper nods her head in acknowledgment and pads towards the bar, working the hair tie out of her hair, allowing the strawberry blonde to fall to her shoulders from its earlier pony tail. The blender whirrrrrs up in the silence of the room, only to fall again, and her green, lemon-grass based smoothie is complete! Now she can pad down the side stairs leading to the workshop.

As she descends the steps, she can catch the glow of the workshop in use, and once upon the landing, a hand rises to type in the command sequences to open the glass door. Green eyes watch the man as he is engrossed in his work, following his form and motion, and her hand stays motionless above the 'enter' for a second before allowing the catch on the door to open.

Probably not the best idea to enter a workspace barefooted, but the robots do keep things pretty clean! Pepper approaches slowly, deliberately, holding onto her smoothie, and stopping at one of the tables, she puts out a hand to rest on it lightly.

Nodding her head at the production, she waits for the music to fall to a more conversational level before, "Have you been at that all day?" Make no mistake, her tones are filled with affection, a most definite fondness for the inventor in his home environment. "Tell me you ate something."

Tony Stark has posed:
There is an abundance of evidence that Tony has, in fact, been there all day. He is still wearing the sweatpants and t-shirt he had thrown on in the morning before Pepper left, he himself barefoot. There is a plate with sandwich crusts next to a plate with what appears to be some kind of red sauce, and three glasses that at some point contained liquid in them.

"Of course. I could hardly focus on this with an empty stomach."

Tony's fingers make another subtle manipulation, moving the bulk of the circuitry in the membrane down to the dorsal side of the engine. "Alright, Friday, let 'er rip."

His hair is still as it is when he woke up, and there is a fair trace of frustration in his voice. And a bit of that hoarseness that comes from a day spent mostly not using it.

The simulation fires up, only this time it explodes into a spray of blue pixels far sooner than the last one.

"Friday, reboot simulation, scale back membrane 50."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Brows rise as she glances towards the plate with the bits of evidence of Tony's noshing, and she nods ever so slightly, mollified for the moment. She sets her drink onto the table, and shifts such that she can perch, her head canting as the exploded bit of engineering comes together under Tony's expert hands. In the next few moments, under his direction, what appears to be that blue whir hits the engine, and it explodes rather remarkably. Pepper actually pulls away, back, in the virtual 'blast', her expression making a //face//.

"Oh.." If there was another word that was to come, it's overtaken by Tony's command to his current AI helper.

Lips press together consideringly, ready to watch the next iteration of experiment, adding, "Yes, all day." At least he ate something.

It's pretty obvious right now, even to Pep that things aren't going quite so well, which could mean one of two things; one, he works on it all night, drinking coffee to keep himself focused, or two, he might be convinced to come upstairs, if only to take a break before going back downstairs.

Sliding off the corner of her spot once more, she takes the couple of steps to approach and stand next to him, ready to press a quick kiss to his cheek. Her tones hold a subtle hint in their softness, "What do you say that after this round, we go upstairs and maybe take in a movie?"

Tony Stark has posed:
From the frantic energy of his fingers, it's clear that he has been at it for a while. It's not going how he wants it to go. And not going nearly as fast in the direciton he wants it to go either.

"Run the same simulation, same positioning, at 50." Yes, he is ignoring what Pepper is saying, it seems.

The simulation kicks off, and it starts progressing past its prior explosion. "I think I might be close, Pep," he mururs towards her. Focused, not ignoring.

He waits, with anticipation. It takes about 10 seconds this time before the same explosion happens. Tony's shoulders slump, and he sighs deeply. "Friday, save, results, end simulations." He turns to look over at Pepper, and his face is defeated. "Sure. Movie."

This is not a case where Pepper has swayed him by her charms - although she is certainly capable of it. This is Tony admitting that he sees no clear path. Giving up for the night, it would seem.

Pepper Potts has posed:
'Might be close' turns into 'no cigar' in the ensuing seconds, and Pepper watches the machinations as closely as Tony does, even if she's not anywhere near savvy as to know exactly what it is she's seeing. She gets it, mostly. At least what it's supposed to do? Maybe? Her breath is held, and as the simulation fails, even though it's further along that before, she lets it out slowly, offering a sound of disappointed support to Tony.

The look on his face has never failed to touch her heart, that look of disappointment; disappointment in himself, in his abilities, of the project. She knows him well enough that all that will eventually turn to resolve sooner or later. It just needs a nudge, and there's no predicting in what form the catalyst will take. Instead, she reaches out to him to take his arm, siding down to entwine her fingers in his. "Movie. Come be a warm body, and you can try and unwrap yourself from that axle." Round and round he goes! Pepper offers up a warm, fond smile and she offers a brief tug, "When I fall asleep on your arm, you pull yourself free and come back down."

Tony Stark has posed:
No matter how many times it has eventually come to him, Tony always takes the disapointment and frustration along the way as hard as anyone possibly can. He shakes his head as the simulation dies away, and then gives Pepper's hand a squeze. "Sure," he says softly, before looking up at her and trying on a smile. He doesn't quite succeed, but it almost looks convincing. It might fool anyone other than Pepper and Happy. "That sounds nice. Can we make a nice boring one?" He waves his free hand around in a circle.

But, nonetheless, Tony Stark does come away from the lab without further protestation, leaving the designs of the arc-powered electric car still well esconced on the drawing board.