1215/Stark Expo Opening Ceremonies

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Stark Expo Opening Ceremonies
Date of Scene: 18 April 2020
Location: Flushing Meadows Park
Synopsis: Stark Expo opens with a (good) bang. The wheels of social discourse turn.
Cast of Characters: Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Yami Kuroki, Morrigan MacIntyre, Riri Williams, Karen Starr, Caitlin Fairchild, Shuri, Pietro Maximoff, Lorna Dane, Peter Parker, Damian Wayne, Natasha Romanoff, Samuel Morgan, Daniel Hastings




Tony Stark has posed:
The Stark Pavilion is a large, partly open-air venue that normally functions as a forum space for the demonstration and discussion of ideas. Tonight, however, it looks more like a rock concert than anything else. Giant LED screens over thirty feet tall flank the stage, displaying the Stark Expo logo between clips of the many technological innovations that have been displayed here both today and over the years. Black and white footage from the 1940s depict Howard Stark and others at work on all manner of devices, clad in lab coats and serious expressions.

Dotted throughout the area are bars serving all manner of drinks from beer to cocktails, the countertops rimmed in bright blue neon to make them easy to spot. Before entering the area, each guest is given an RFID wristband with their basic details encoded into it. The bartenders check these wristbands, making sure nobody under the age of twenty-one is served alcohol. There are also food trucks lining the sides of the area, New York's most delicious industry taking advantage of the large gathering of people.

On the stage itself a form of 'VIP area' has been laid out, with sofas and a bar towards the rear of the platform. A catwalk stretches out from the middle of the stage and into the audience, cordoned off by a velvet rope. A DJ booth plays house music of all sorts, and the multicolored lights overhead give the entire thing a dance party atmosphere ...

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Wearing a sports coat over a simple button up white shirt with an assisted tied bow tie around his neck, Strange steps into the convention and his loafered feed clap on the sidewalk as he stops to look around the building. "Takes way too long for the cabs to get here from the pier..." Strange notes to no one as he looks around and tries to keep his hands burried into the pockets of his slacks. The black hair on his head wafting in the soft wind as Strange starts to walk towards the center of the convention, feeling he could use some more booze if he's going to be outside like this.

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    "Flushing... Meadows..." Yami's voice mutters as he looks down at his phone, flicking his thumb down across the screen to scroll it down. Getting around New York wasn't particularly difficult once you knew how all of the public transport systems connected. It's just /getting/ to that step which can be hard! Fortunately, these days there are numerous apps that allow one to really take it step-by-step if you really have no idea how to get somewhere. Given the state of concentration and relative anxiety Yami felt building (hoping he wouldn't get lost), it's thus with a relieved expression does the teenager from Japan enter the fantastical boundaries of the Stark Pavilion.
    "W...woah." With the wrist-band slapped on, he can't help but feel at least a little bit underdressed. With a pretty old Yankees cap on his head, Yami is otherwise dressed pretty plainly. A hoodie can be seen over his body, with matching sweatpants and shoes on his feet. Hey, at least the sweats look clean and semi-stylish? With a shoulder pack slung across his frame, Yami immediately heads for the food trucks. The light show was impressive to be sure, but the delightful smells of food had struck him like a slap across the face. Slipping in between the crowd, perhaps bumping into a few people, he starts to line up, digging into his pockets for any loose change.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Doctor Morrigan MacIntyre didn't have much else to do on this particular Saturday evening, so, this is where the woman ended up. She's at least dressed for the occasion in a dress that hits just at the knees and is well tailored and is a hunter green in color. Black flats are the shoe of choice this evening because lets face it, she's going to be walking a lot. Her bright violet gaze sweeps over the RFID bracelet that is placed on her wrist and there's a smile and a murmur of thanks after she's let through.

Riri Williams has posed:
     Ordinarily, Riri wasn't one for big crowds. Fortunately, she'd just managed to get the Mark II assembled to a state where it was flight capable. Some of the more exotic stuff and the non-repulsor based wapon systems weren't installed, but it was a layer of armor between her anxieties and the crowds. First impressions, it was so much more nimble and maneuverable in the air and on the ground. ...Should be able to let her move through the crowd pretty easily too once she's inside.
     Landing a block or so out, Riri merges into the crowds. She wouldn't be the only 'cosplayer' there, and while she gets some looks and compliments on her 'costume', she doesn't get /too/ much staring. Exchanging a knowing look with one of the security guards, she swipes the palm of her armor across the RFID scanner, and her SI ID flashes up. All access, minus the booze. Eh, not like she wanted to drink anyway. Eating on the other hand... OOoooh, that food truck has gyros!

Karen Starr has posed:
    Riding in from an erstwhile unopened section of the Expo, the form of Karen Starr is a sight to make the eyes sore.

    Standing tall in a grotesquely unfashionable salmon pink business suit, the fit of which is meticulously tailored to cling to an intensely unflattering degree, the middle of the suit let out for her stomach and the pants clinging to perhaps, somehow, TOO much thigh, it seems as grossly expensive as it is just -gross.- Her hip length blonde hair flows freely, brushed maybe twelve to fifteen times too many, and her glasses slung low over deep, chestnut brown eyes.

    She stands upon a float made of screens from about twelve different manufacturers, all sporting various demonstrations of "STARROS, THE OS THAT WILL RUN ON ANYTHING" which is apparently one of many INVENTIONS that one will see at the STARRWARE pavilion, when it opens.

    Though she hasn't spoken, her arms are flung wide, inviting anyone to gaze upon her and the garish, but impossibly well constructed float that seemingly glides its way in on nothing, as if riding on a cloud.

    Competition for StarkInd repulsors, perhaps? If so, why is it so quiet?

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin Fairchild's not typically one for dressing up; a nice collection of business suits with skirts and pants, some jackets, a few nice shirts. Most of the time the redhead's in the lab anyway, and rarely required to be wearing business attire.

For something like the Stark Expo, her usual practical preferences are out the window. It requires something a little more stylish as she goes from manning demonstration tables to the evening's festitivies.

Her outfit's a decided throwback to the '40s, a wiggle dress in a blue so dark as to appear black. It's cut close with a subtle mermaid flare just below her knees. The hourglass cut emphasizes her figure; the dress clings tight to her hips and a grey embroidered belt is wrapped around her ribs just below her breasts. Matching fabric suggests shirtsleeve cuffs above her elbows and a pretend lapel around a modest v-neck. There are even large grey buttons sewn down the left hip as if a seam is designed there.

The redhead pauses once she's given her RFID tag and clips it around her waist. She sports minimal jewelry, just simple clip-on emerald studs, and her sole sop to the occasion is her hair piled up atop her head in an intricate bun and a touch of eyeshadow to go with a deeper shade of lipstick over gloss. Her clutch is held close to her stomach with one hand and she steps to the bar with carefully attentive strides so no one gets their feet crushed by her wedge heels.

"Apple juice, please?" she requests politely of the bartender.

Shuri has posed:
The car that pulls up outside is unmarked. Sporty, black, and sleek. One could say that it looks something like a cat up front, ready to pounce. However, what make? What model? Unknown. Stepping out of the driver's seat is none other than Shuri. She smiles as she steps out and looks a little annoyed when a woman in more traditional gear than hers steps out. She looks back at her bodyguard for the evening with a frown but then shrugs a little as she adjust her white shirt a bit. She smiles brightly when she steps away and the car simply drives away to go find itself a parking spot. THe windows are so tinted it would be hard to tell that no one was driving it and the diplomatic plates mean it will be left alone by the police at least.

Shuri simply walks in, smiling brightly as she looks around, sending her eyes this way and that to see who and what is here. "I really hope that Stark is showing off a new armor or perhaps Riri will be here." She says excitedly to the woman who is showing as about as much excitement as one might show for a freshly painted white wall. Shuri looks back at her briefly before looking ahead.

"I know you are very excited, too." She nods her head, "I can see it on your face." SHe smirks and keeps walking even as the other woman very briefly rolls her eyes.

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    Still standing in line for the food trucks, Yami leans to the side to get a gauge of how fast the queue is moving. The items for sale smell fantastic, but he's honestly unsure of exactly what they are. Certainly they're different than whatever cuisine he's used to.
    "Gi...ro?" Trying to order a gyro is no easy business. The food is pronounced a lot different to how it reads. Fortunately the man in the food truck recognises that Yami is not a local, or perhaps he's encountered such mistakes before. With a small nod and an exchange of currency, Yami is presented the gyro as if it were a wonderful gift. Stepping off to the side and letting the queue move on, the teenager opts to stand off to the side, taking in the sight of Karen Starr upon her float. It's sort of hard NOT to see her, really. A grimace flashes across his face as he takes in that grotesque salmon pink dress, but he hides it cleverly by taking a bite of his food. Eyes widen in surprise as he chews slowly, marvelling at the street-level concoction he is experiencing.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    The VIP section is a venerable who's who gallery...full of either rich, famous, or a mixture of the two. Chances are...if you have seen a face in the news or public society and can name them in two guesses or less, then they are in the VIP section.

    And...that includes Avengers. Even self-centered, somewhat arrogant Avengers.

    Such is the case of Pietro Maximoff. Certainly a known figure, striking with that white coif of hair and dressed in his usual speedster ensemble. After all, it is a public event and people expect the costume, even if there is no real reason for it. With his holo-id in one hand, the other extends to his sister (and quite possibly fellow VIP) Lorna as the two take a moment's pause to see where to sit.

    "So, do you want to sit close, so we can appear that we are actually interested? Or shall we sit in the back and take potshots with a running commentary?" There is a pause as Pietro seems to think for some sort of remark. "Like...oh....MST3K?" So, yeah, Pietro might have seen Mystery Science Theatre 3000. He gets bored easily.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna wore a more relaxed variant of her costume, she wasn't an Avenger, she never had aspirations to be one either. But two of her siblings were, and she was a known public figure all the same. She wore most of her usual costume, minus the headpiece and with a loose fitting, flowing cardigan made of a shimmery silk. All embroidered with golden accents and with a brilliant 'M', emblem on the back.

As her brother spoke, she arched a brow, "What, you mean you'd actually sit in the back to be snarky?" She joked lightly, shaking her head at her older brother. "I'm fine where ever you think we might get a chance to speak to Stark. I know it's not necessarily the best time," She shrugged, "But I've already managed to hassle Luthor. It's only fair I do that to both candidates, don't you think?" She mused, and then paused.

"We should definitely get drinks though first."

Riri Williams has posed:
     Fortunately, contactless payments are in vogue, and Riri doesn't need to mess with cash to pay for her dinner and deliver a tip as well. Peering around while she waits, the armored teen's gaze lands on Karen. ...Okay, Riri's no fashionista, but even /she/ knows something's wrong with that. Oh hey, food's here. Her faceplate retracts, and she's free to take a bite of delicious meaty yogurty goodness. Mmmmmm. Foood truuuuucks. She gives a knowing nod to the other teen who's seemingly having his mind blown, before continuing to make her way through the crowds. ...Probably holding off on going to the VIP area until /after/ things are about to start. Right now, It's mostly rich people and a few heroes she recognizes.

Peter Parker has posed:
Of COURSE he was late to the Expo.
Peter Parker had hoped to make it on time, but Vermin had picked tonight to escape and go running off into the sewers, so he had to find Vermin, catch him for the cops, then go home and shower in scalding hot water, then websling out again. And believe you me, it's not often that a man wearing a rented suit and a Spider-Man mask is seen swinging through town. Thank God the place was in Queens.

Peter steps up to the perimeter of the Expo. It takes him a bit to show his ID to get in, but they let him through and he looks around.

Well, the party is in full swing.

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    With a gyro wielded in his left hand, a few bites taken from it, Yami lifts his other hand to wave in a friendly manner at Riri as she walks by. Given she's in a suit of armour not too dissimilar to that of Iron Man, she also stands out from the regular folk that are just mingling about the food trucks. Yami is no stranger to cosplay, but he can tell that the effort Riri has put in is really next level. Heck, it even sounds like real metal!
    The wave turns into an innocent looking 'v' peace sign with his index and middle fingers, doubtless a gesture to show that he appreciated the outfit she was wearing. At least it was better than salmon pink.
    Then? Adjusting his baseball cap, he takes another bite and chews down his tasty food.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin accepts her drink and looks around. It's hard not to feel a little accomplished. Self-satisfied, even. At other tech expos and events, she's been everything from the presenter to the booth girl to the designated 'heavy equipment mover'.

Now, as the social hour kicks off, the redhead gets to relax with a drink and even, dare she say, socialize a little! The redhead enters the VIP area to exchange 'hellos' with a few people she knows personally; spotting Riri entering, Caitlin lifts a hand a little, then waves more enthusiastically at the younger woman when she can. She lifts her bracelet to her lips and depresses a button. "Ping Riri," she says, and the jewelry emits a shortwave radio ping designed to get the attention of Riri's own on-board assistant.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan starts to head off in one direction for a drink when she is alerted to something, "Ah, that is very nice of them." she murmurs as she realizes she's gotten VIP access. Drink in hand, the Irish woman heads that way. She's glad she's got a reprieve from the sun today and can actually be out and about. She gives a look over the sea of people, seeing if there are any faces that she knows this evening. It's a big place and there's a ton of people.

Shuri has posed:
Walking further into the expo, the wristband in place, she stares at it briefly and idly taps on her beads and the hardlight projection pops up and just as she is about to do something she gets a loud noise of someone clearing her throat behind her. She looks back at her guard and smirks, "What? I was just...looking at things." The projection vanishes and she rolls her eyes, "As if i would listen to you when I will not listen to my own brother."

She sighs and leaves it alone...for now. And instead she walks toward the stage, looking over the many items on display that she passes till she gets close enough to peer into the VIP area. Wakanda apparently didn't have an invite but she was curious as to see who was in there. She peers at the various spots before frowning when she doesn't really yet spot Riri. She shrugs and wonders if the girl will be part of the show. She does blink and tilt her head when she notices Karen in the distance before shaking her head and starting to look around.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    It is just a second of consideration before Pietro replies back. "Right. Up front, then. Able opportunity to critique in few view while also providing access to Stark. Or...at least as close as we're going to get." But first, drinks. Drinks would be good. "Anything in particular you want? I'll get it while you pick out a space you want." Because, really, he will probably be back before the decision was made.

Tony Stark has posed:
As is traditional (or, more accurately, 'because Tony Stark'), there's a brief lull in the music to draw everyone's attention and then the peppy house music gives way to something harder. A remix of 'Iron Man' by Black Sabbath, interwoven with soundbytes of Tony Stark and synced up with video footage on the giant screens. There's touched-up news footage from the Battle of Manhattan, as well as some in-house footage made with higher production quality. The music thrums, the colorful lights that were flashing all over the audience adjust in unison to point at the stage.

The roaring of repulsor jets can be heard, louder and louder overhead until it threatens to completely overtake the music and the din of the crowd both. Then, with a metallic clang, Iron Man lands at the end of the catwalk in a half-kneeling pose. Slowly he rises to his feet, head turning to examine the crowd with the glowing blue receptors that serve as eyes. He stands there for a moment, lifting one hand before him with a palm outstretched towards the gathered assembly. The repulsor there begins to glow, brighter and brighter until ...

From amidst the crowd, a man steps up onto the catwalk deftly. He clasps his hands together, momentarily revealing the flash of a metallic bracelet at his wrist, and swings both arms sidelong in a hammer blow at Iron Man. The suit of armor immediately bursts apart, scattering in several directions all at once with no one inside. Before it can hit the ground, though, miniature repulsors guide it upwards to reform in mid-air before jetting upwards and back the way it came.

The man standing behind it, when the cameras and the video screen feed make it clear, is none other than Tony Stark. Dressed in a sharply-fitted tuxedo, he fires off a mock salute towards the departing Iron Man suit and holds up a hand with fingers splayed to the cheering crowd. One of the stage hands moves to pass him a microphone, which he takes and holds up to his mouth to speak.

"Somebody didn't tell that guy I don't share the spotlight, huh?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
     The Stark Expo was something out of the normal sharp implement related things Damian had looked forward to.

  Of course, his last name was enough to get him in. And of course, Gotham's most famous teenager shows up in style, a Tom Ford suit that had been bespoke for him, complete with tie. Classic lines, classic style, the teen nails it, just like his dad.

  Damian watches the spectacle, giving the Iron Man himself a round of applause and a cheer from where he was standing, which, along with much taller people, meant it gets lost in the crowd.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna smirked faintly at her brother as she smothered a laugh, "Sounds good, up front it is. I'll grab you a seat. I'll have something sweet." She paused, "Whatever their house specialty is in that regard." She murmured and waved a hand as if to say it didn't truly matter to her. Either way, the green haired woman didn't overly care as she turned to go pick her way toward the front of the VIP section to find her and Pietro seats. By the time she was sitting down, she fully expected her brother to return.. depending on the bartender's speed that is.

As Stark pulled off his show, she arched a brow, head tilted back to watch. She sat down with an amused look pulling a the corners of her lips, and she shook her head slightly as she waited for Pietro to return.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter blinks and looks skyward as Iron Man/Tony Stark arrives. It's his usual style and showmanship. The guy could control a crowd as if the suit had a wireless connection to every person looking at him.

Well...he couldn't get an audience with the king, but at least he wasn't barred from entering the castle any more.

He began walking towards the food truck, thinking about brick-oven pizza.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Normally this would be one of those 'Siiiiiiiiggh, Tony...' moments for Natasha, but Natasha Romanoff isn't in the building. Rather Natalie Stark just claps slowly with the biggest 'isn't he great?' grin on her face from her place just offstage, charmed and delighted!

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Or, in this case, makes Sam start to build things which shall, euphemistically, be called 'dual purpose'. Just call him Q, really, if you're so inclined. So it was time to get out of the lab, and what better place to go than the ever lively Flushing Meadows in Queens? Especially with the Stark Expo opening, now there's a treat.

    But the best treat of all is that he gets to share it with Damian.

    This is technically not the first time they've gone somewhere as a couple, but until now the most public place they had gone together was the school prom. This is several magnitudes more public, considering the sheer amount of press that is hanging around, just waiting to be the first to snag the next big headline. They may get their wish, considering how close Sam is standing to one of the more famous Waynes, applauding Tony's intro, exactly as spectacular as expected. He's done the best he could, but his suit is at best altered to fit rather than tailor made.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin joins the applause at Tony's entrance, though like many of his longtime employees, the smile is more one of amusement than surprise. One learns to get accustomed to Tony Stark's theatricality when they work for him long enough. The patter stops after a polite few seconds and she takes a sip of her drink to cover another surveilling sweep of the crowd.

Caitlin's face brightens and she makes a few furitive gestures with her hands to get the attention of another fire-haired Irish redhead nearby. "Dr. Macintyre!" Caitlin says, raising her voice a little. She glances around, then tries to pitch her voice to get Morrigan's attention. "Mo!" she waves again, grinning, and beckons her colleague over.

Riri Williams has posed:
     <Riri, Caitlin is trying to reach you.> "Thanks, AISHA." Riri takes a break from gyro eating long enough to drop her faceplate again and get an idea of where her fellow scientist is. ...Oh hey, yet another ping. And mostly on the way... Riri makes her way over to Shuri, getting her head close enough to be heard over the cheers. "C'mon, let's go! The show's about to start!"
     Riri is able to get both her and Shuri into the VIP area, just in time for Tony's 'arrival'. Riri's still busy eating gyro when the suit splits and re-forms, swallowing and letting her mouth hang open a little. ...Individual repulsor thrusters, but the chassis... How'd he maintain integrity? "...That is so freaking cool." She grins over at Caitlin, giving an upnod of greeting.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Strange watches the display of Stark and his ego stroke with a roll of his eyes, but ... he does get a smirk on his face, even at the outskirts of the center area. Strange does take his hands out of his pockets to clap a couple of times slowly to look like he's part of the pleebs. "Good show." He mutters amongst the din of applause from the crowds as he decides it's time to start making his way towards the center, because what else is the Sorcerer Supreme going to do?

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    Yami just STARES at Iron Man as he lands so dramatically, his position given away so easily by the sounds of the thrusters above. Eyes are as wide as can be, taking in the blue receptors of the eyes and the sharp red paint-job of the suit. Take note, salmon-dressed woman. This is how you look when entering the area! When the armour explodes from Tony's body and zips into the skies, Yami unconsciously squeezes his gyro in awe. As he does so, a large chunk of it breaks apart falls onto the ground not far from his shoe. Jumping in a bit of fright and snapping out of his awe, Yami looks down with some embarrassment before slowly edging away to escape the now-rubbish.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    There was a line. Pietro *hates* lines. But, with a little bit of celebrity, lines tend to dissipate. And Pietro isn't above using his status. Two of the 'specials', whatever they were, and Pietro is back in short order, sitting down by Lorna. He missed the grand entrance, but, really, it wouldn't have impressed him that much.

    After all, Pietro works with Tony on a semi-regular basis. Grand entrances are kind of Tony's thing. And ignoring them? That's Pietro's thing.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Alright, so," Tony begins, prowling back and forth along the end of the catwalk with the microphone held up to his face, "It's been a long time since we had one of these, huh? In fact, I hadn't been born the last time we did one of these. You definitely weren't born yet."

He points at someone in the crowd, amidst the throng gathered around the foot of the stage. A chuckle ripples back through the gathering and he takes another step forward, gesturing behind him towards the screens. The logo for the event appearing in tandem with his words:

"Stark Expo. My dad used to use these as a way to show the world what it could be. What he hoped it would be ... and maybe a place to dazzle some Dee-oh-Dee bigshots and sell them on the next big thing. We're not judging, pop."

Another few steps, the toes of his well-shined shoes now right against the edge of the stage.

"So, what is it now? This is the world of the future. Have you ever wanted a glimpse into what's around the corner? Here it is. Open for all to see. All you've got to do is take that first step ... "

Tony lifts a foot to step off the stage, and there's a collective gasp as it looks like he's going to fall off the edge. But the shoes he wears begin to glow about the heel and toe and instead he's hovering. He holds out one arm to the side, as though walking a balance beam, and continues to step upwards and out into the air. Up and up, like he's climbing an invisible and intangible staircase above the crowd.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," he carries on speaking as he ascends, "There's a lot to see and we're adding to it every day. And just as a little show of magnanimity and to maybe get you thinking about how you're going to vote in November, all those passes you're wearing?"

The RFID tags at once blink from red to green.

"They're valid for the entire year now. Enjoy."

Shuri has posed:
A blink as she is caught by Shuri and then she nods, "Oh yes." She smiles, blinking a little at about how forward Riri was. She is dragged along and she looks back, "VIP only, sorry." Her bodyguard squinting at her while she moves after but doesn't quite enter the area. She knows she could be there quickly if need be...that and that Shuri can pretty well take care of herself. Once up there with Riri, she looks at the entrance and her eyes go wide, "Wow..." She states simply and then watches all the pieces leave before she considers the technology, already her mind is going a million miles a minute, trying to figure out how he could do that without vibranium.

She leans over to Riri, "This man has done something amazing with the available technology." She nods her head, "I would like to see it closer at some point."

She then looks down at her pass before looking to Tony walking on air before she hmms, "Anti-gravity?" She asks of literaly no one before she starts to lean to the side. It'd be rude to pull up her visor but she kinda wants to and to start scanning...

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan looks up when Tony makes his stunning entrance and there's a round of applause from the woman, "Well...it's always impressive." she muses. It was really. She then looks around when she hears someone calling to her, "Doctor Fairchild!" she waves back. Her lips quirk into a smile as she does. "It's packed in here!" she adds. There's a look back to the rest of the VIP folks and there's a bit of a nod to them, "Evening." she states in a friendly tone. Then she's back to listening to Tony's speech and a smile lingers on her lips as she does.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Damian's hand came back to join Sam's, he did not care about how the press would get their pictures, or what the headlines would be. Those with any sense would make it a positive because making fun of a child just having fun with his boyfriend would look terrible on their papers.

  "Admittedly, he puts on a good show, following Aristotle's principles of showmanship." He comments back to the blonde teen.

  Admittedly, he hated doing this, but he took time to remove his phone from his jacket, and held it up to selfie with Sam. He gave a small smirk, and clicked the shutter button. "Brand visibility." He said, with a small chuckle. This Damian was a bit different than behind closed doors, at least more agreeable.

  While close to Sam's head, he manages a whisper. "Stark Tech, more focused than Wayne. Different, but useful all the same." Admittedly he liked the unabashed qualities in Tony, where his own father was much more reserved and close to the vest.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna snickered slightly as her brother returned in his usual fast paced manner, and she gratefully took the drink in hand to sip at it. She watched and leaned toward her brother. "Oh boy, humans stepping on air and stuff." She wiggled her fingers, and grinned, "Think he or Dad had the bigger ego?" She mused over the rim of her drink.

Pause followed as she considered her sibling, "Is that enough snark yet?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks over at the stage from the line for the food truck. Yeah...that's Stark all over. DEFINITELY high on showmanship. The stairway-to-heaven concept is a nice touch. And the tech is next-gen's next-gen.

He smiled to himself, then looked up as the guy behind the counter snapped at him. "Hey, next in line!"
"Right, sorry. Could I get bacon and beef personal pizza?"

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    Yami was one of those suckers that gasped in anticipation, completely believing that Tony is about to fall off the platform he is walking upon. When the foot begins to glow however, he squints. "What?" Does he have magic shoes? That squint turns into another stare as Tony walks up the invisible stairs, head tilting like a dog would when trying to understand a new command or instruction. Chewing on the rest of his gyro in an attempt to process what he's seeing, he swallows what remains of his street-food with a satisfied gulp. As his wristband switches to green, he 'ohs' a bit in surprise. "All year? Awesome." Said to no-one in particular. Though he's not sure any other day could top this.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natalie sucks in a sharp breath through her teeth, her expression a mix of 'ohnoohnoohno!' and 'I should have stopped him from drinking one for the road!' before the gag becomes clear, and she heaves a sigh. From now, she needs to clear any and all surprises beforehand before she has a heart attack.
    It's also significantly harder to tackle him out of the way of gunfire at his current height, but that's another matter entirely.

Riri Williams has posed:
     "I /know/, right? Like... He has to have independent repulsor thrusters and a guidance package in each segment, and they all have to network together, plus somehow lock together to form a full seal and not sacrifice durability. I'm asking him how he did that." Nom. More gyro. Riri is practical, and delicious food can be eaten during speech. The airwalking though... "I have no idea. I was looking into zero point energy fields, but unless he beat me to it and shrunk the equipment /way/ down, or it's hidden under the stage..." AISHA, meanwhile has also noticed Pete's cell phone on the local tower, and Riri gives him a wave as well.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    Those blue eyes of Pietro's glance back towards Lorna as he gets settled in, with the ghost of a smile upon his features. "It's a toss-up. Depends on the day." That smile grows bigger. "Father may have had more style, but Stark makes up for it with brashness and deep pockets."

    And then, another reply. "No. We have not yet begun to snark."

    Let the games begin.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Hand firmly held, Sam mugs for the selfie with the inevitable 'peace' sign, head tilted close to Damian's. There's no falsity there, not a hint of being anything but genuine, even though he too seems a world apart from the Sam that is so focused on the projects in the lab. Some even know another facet of his personality, and those, if they were still alive, would absolutely not believe that the teenager was capable of any smile without a hint of menace in it.

    "He knows how to work a crowd. And how to present a plot twist." Yes, the armband had flashed green, and in the split second he knew the necessary code to, if required, replicate that feat. Not that he intends on losing this armband, oh no. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think your father should take a few pointers from this. I can't imagine him walking around above a crowd with repulsortech shoes. I wonder where I can get a pair..."

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "Show off." Strange mumbles to himself as he has to squint to be able to see Stark from this far back. The taller wizard looks around at the crowd as many look down at the their tags and the RFID changes colors and this gives Strange a sense of forboding. "This doesn't seem like it will end well." Stephen's paranoia flairs once more as he continues to move through the crowd. Reaching out with his hands to try and 'swim' through the people and get closer and closer towards the VIP section and the main platform Stark is at.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Oh god, it moves.

    It was a comforting assumption that Karen Starr was merely a zaftig sculpture of How Not To Fashion, but that her arms slip to the railings around her, and from speakers unseen, through a microphone definitely not visible on her person, the voice of Karen Starr calls loudly across the crowd.

    "GREETINGS STARK EXPO!"

    Bubblier than champagne and with this warbling trill, Karen's voice is as far from Power Girl's as can be.

    She begins tondescend a staircase, brilliantly hidden by forced perspective and very clever blocking, making her way to a runway at the fore of the float, just as it finishes gliding to a predetermined halt. "This year. and hopefully for many more to come, Starrware will be exhibiting how we are bringing the future to you, today. Beginning with our newest offering, STARR OS, the moat secure platform ever designed, compatible with devices new, old, and as yet unmade!"

    Settling in at the end of the runway, she opens her arms wide tonthe heavens again.

    "So, please, come by the pavilion for a true demonstration and.... ENJOY THE MAR-GA-RITAAAAAS!" Each syllable is pulled apart, and the last includes this extended call that emulates everyone's favorite bringer of free cars.

    Punctuating it, though, is a serving line that is entirely automated, crafting and rolling out bright green, salt rimmed drinks in crystalline glasses that just might be bulletproof. there is a glowing light on the perimeter that hides an unseen forcefield, which only relents when the grabbing hand is dated- instantly, impressively- to be more than 21 years old by means that aren't entirel clear.

    Afterwards, Karen is stepping down another small staircase, making her way towards the VIP area, where she definitively ASSUMES she is allowed.    

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Yep. It's the Stark Expo. SCIENCE! It's everywhere. He loves it. Only.. well.. he could love it more. Daniel Hastings finally managed to slip out of the lab and come down to the boisterous gathering to mingle with the crowd and catch the various offerings and amazing new developments. He found himself a snowcone vendor and lifted his head to the sudden greeting from.. Karen Starr. Huh. Go fig. But then he was back to wandering the crowd.

Tony Stark has posed:
After a little bit of walking, Tony is at the very top of that invisible staircase he's climbing. He stands there high above, the microphone still clasped in one hand and the other just slightly off to the side to maintain his balance. The speech now over and given way to the Starrware float, he reaches out to grasp a dangling rope that has been lowered from the scaffold above. He slips his foot into the loop and clasps it with his free hand, the blue glow about his shoes immediately disappearing. The rope lowers him backwards and down, landing off to the side of the stage where he steps into the wings and right up to Natasha.

"Now, I know we said I couldn't be in the suit," he begins, holding his hands up to her defensively, "But you never said which suit and I think you should understand by now that definitions and distinctions are important when dealing with me."

Peter Parker has posed:
With what Riri has in that optics package, she can clearly see Peter...fumbling in his wallet, being glared at by the guy in the food truck taking his order, and wearing a suit that someone must have dared him to wear - ill-fitting enough to make him look like a kid wearing his dad's suit.

Peter's ability to spot her? Please. With all the lights and fanfare going off, with Karen Starr now making it even more glitzy, the only way Peter would even notice her presence was if she pointed a SNIPER RIFLE at him.

"I got...here." Peter hands the last few dollars in his wallet and is told brusquely, "Five minutes."
"Right."

Shuri has posed:
A look over at Riri and she hmms before nodding. "I imagine that it is an interconnected network held together by near field communication that can swap to cellular tower communication if distance is greater than NFC would allow." She nods her head and then she looks back to the man in the sky and then she considers, "That trick on that scale..." She nods her head and hmms, "I might have to figure out." She grins a little even as she starts to think of ways to use vibranium. She can already come up with ways to walk on walls...air is a bit trickier.

She then notices Riri waving and looks out over the crowd to try to see at who, "Who do you see?" She asks and glances over before looking out again.

Of course, then Karen starts up and she looks over toward her before she blinks several times, "Wow...she is bold." She grins and nods her head, "Good presentation and to interrupt the man of the hour." She smirks then over at Pietro when he speaks and hten she laughs just a little. Maybe she's encouraging him but she loves a good snark herself and then says allowed, "Snark expo..."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna glanced from the stage back to her brother, "Oh boy, we really should've brought Wanda so one of us could be a nice person." She mused, and sipped at her drink. She shrugged once, leaning back in her seat. Of course, then the stage was lit up by some other talking point and she winced slightly at the volume of the speakers. But she didn't do much else.

"This drink is sickeningly sweet." She made a face, but sipped it anyways, and glanced around once.

"Well Stark seems to have shown up and left with minimal time spent in front of people. That's a record."

Riri Williams has posed:
     "Peter Parker. You were both at my lab that one time? He got hired on with the Ironworks recently too. ...And yeah. Although I'm pretty sure if anything happens, Mr. Stark knew about it ahead of time." Oh hey, the gyro's finally gone. ANd Riri's managed to use a napkin to get her fingers clean desepite them ebing armored. "I did think his speech would be longer, though. Maybe he's taking things a bit more seriously since he's campaigning?" It says something when magician stunts are 'more serious'.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    The only thing protecting Tony from the full force of Natasha's dry stare - a look that could reduce an unprepared man to dust - is the cover, which dictates that she must give up on it and drop her head with a suppressed laugh, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "That is a lesson I seem doomed to never take to heart." She says, considering this keeps surprising her. She rises up a little to give Tony a sweet little kiss on the lips and says. "You did a good job. Near heart-attacks aside."
    She squints a little, and leans to the side to look past Tony as she hears some loud speaking and says, "Is someone drunk out there already?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian gives a loud "HA!" At Sam's statement. "I agree, but do you see Bruce Wayne doing something like that? Doubtful."

  "So, that was quick. What shall we do now?" He asks, looking around, and to the VIP badge that now was a year access pass. "Long-range RFID? Wonder how small the cell is in this." He says, almost foaming at the mouth to reverse engineer it.

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    Yami's dark eyes drift to Karen as she makes more announcements. Taking off his hat with a hand, he scratches at the top of his head in some confusion and wonder, before putting the hat back on and sliding hands into his pockets.
    That's when it hits him. The smell of PIZZA! Better yet, /bacon/ on pizza. "Oh... wow." Still near the food trucks himself, the young lad cannot help but drift over, coming to a halt not far from where Peter Parker waits for his order to complete.
    "What did you order?" Yami asks his fellow teenager, curious tone evident. Given his accent, it's clear that he's not from this country. "It smells amazing."
    "And... nice clothes?" The strangely fitted suit earns an quite, assessing look from Yami. But no more than that.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    "Oh, don't count on it, Lorna. After all, this is the Stark Expo. He wouldn't just leave anything with his name plastered on it. He'll be around. Trust me on this." There is the start of a laugh before he takes a sip of his own drink, with the suddenness of his repulsion a little too much to hide with his normal stoic mein. "You are absolutely correct. I can't believe I waited in a line for this." Still, Pietro isn't all that eager to wait in another line, so he resigns himself to sipping again. Albeit with more caution.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Nothing that can't be fabricated with commercial parts." Sam notes, his smile turning into a quick grin. "Especially now." Giving an RFID wristband that allows full access to a technopath? That's just begging to have it reverse engineered. "Pretty robust though, I pity whoever goes at this thing with a pair of pliers and a screwdriver." Looking at you there, Justin Hammer.

    Caught by the moment, Sam puts an arm around Damian's shoulders and just looks around. "First off, let's get away from the carnival float with the cut-price knock-off tech, and maybe go say hello to the other VIP's? You know, mingle, be known as a normal couple, keep up appearances..." In other words, social camouflage.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter blinks and looks over at the Japanese teen in the casual clothing. After a moment, he smiles. "Brick-oven pizza, beef and bacon. Cheddar and mozarella. If you want one, order the Bacon Cheeseburger special." He looks down at himself and chuckles. "Oh, this. Yes, occasionally I like to play practical jokes on myself. Have to make up for the shortfall when spring rolls around." He has time to socialize; the pizza will take a bit.
The young man extends a hand. "Name's Peter."

Tony Stark has posed:
"That's Karen Starr," Tony tells Nat, glancing over his shoulder towards the hovering float and the nerdy billionaire making her way to the stage, "She struck it rich with something last year and her company blew up overnight. Kind of like the dot-com boom but, you know, now and completely localized around her. This is the part where we scoff and our monocles fall in our champagne flutes."

He makes a gesture for the security to let Karen by, recognizing the trouble snubbing a fellow billionaire could give his campaign and deciding not to risk it. He turns back to Natasha then, holding out his elbow for her to loop her arm about it.

"I've got to go glad-hand. Want to come with me and make sure nobody shoots me in the face?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
     "Ugh. I guess." Damian responds quietly, leading on from their spot. "Define normal." He quips back after a while.

  "I...you lead." Yes, he had found it hard to navigate the taller people while also keeping up appearances. It was not something he was pleased about.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natalie blinks once and rhetorically asks "That still happens?" and shrugs. "Huh. Good for her." She says and gives a friendly little wave should eye contact be made, and briefly adjusts an imaginary monocle.
    Natalie smiles and takes Tony's arm with a playful purr, saying, "It's a full time job, but somebody's got to do it. I'd be delighted." Plus it's probably better for her performance review if a presidential candidate doesn't get murdered on her watch.

Shuri has posed:
A blink and she looks more out at the crowd, still tempted to bring up her visor but she was not supposed to be...too much of a show off right now but part of her was thinking she'd have to make said announcement about Wakanda if her brother would not. She looks back at Riri and smiles, "I know him, yes. I met him earlier today at a coffee shop. He was there with a new friend...or making a new friend." She nods her head, "And we spoke of tonight." She then looks back out and then smiles, "And maybe but then I do not pay much attention to American politics." A total lie but then again, she does find it odd sometimes. She shifts next to Riri and grins, "Should we go meet the lady who was showing off while Tony was showing off?" She asks and gives Riri a nudge.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna grinned faintly at Pietro as he claimed Stark would be still about somewhere. "Well, I won't bet against you. You know the man better than I do." She drawled, sipping at her overly sweet drink. She sighed softly, and muttered under her breath of being careful of what she asked for. Never again would she ask for the sweetest thing on the menu.

A laugh followed as Pietro spoke of how horrible the drink was, but he too sipped at it regardless. "Want to get a margarita?" She ventured, glancing around. "I should've asked Emma to come to this. I'm betting she can put names to faces better than I can. Oh well."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a look from the VIP section and there are a few faces she recognizes in the sea of people that aren't Caitlin and Tony. While she doesn't know Doctor Stephen Strange personally, he's hard to miss once he's closer and there's a nod of greeting to the man, "Good evening Doctor." she offers with a smile. Then she spots at least one of her students in the crowd. Were they drinking? Better not be!

Ahem.

She was sure they were fine, really. When Tony passes by there is a smile, "Good job up there Doctor Stark." she tells him.

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    "Bacon Cheeseurger Special." Yami repeats, a bit slower than how Peter initially described it. Pete's subsequent quip earns a wry smile, before he offers a hand in return. "Yami. Good to meet you, Peter." Despite the casually dressed and rather comfortable looking attire, it seems that he's at least a polite young chap with good manners. Giving the hand a firm shake, Yami dares a look to the line that has begun to form in front of the food truck. "Maybe I'll wait a bit for the queue to lessen. I'll be waiting all night otherwise! I might miss some of Iron Man's demonstrations. Did you see the way he was walking up the air before? Without his suit on? It was like magic."
    Pursing his lips, Yami digs his hands back into his pockets. "Have you seen Iron Man before this evening?"

Riri Williams has posed:
     "Well, we could go down there and say hi, if you don't mind your shadow showing up again." Cue a one shouldered shrug from Riri. The nudge isn't quite as noticable as it normally would be, given that Riri is now much heavier and armored. "Sounds okay. ...Pretty sure neither of us can get margaritas though. Not that I want to. ..I did see a place selling fizzy milkshakes, though. Those sound interesting." Meanwhile, AISHA is getting to have all SORTS of fun with facial recognition. "Lead the way, Princess."

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Strange approaches the VIP section finally and hears someone call out to a doctor and this of course causes the wizard's ears to perk up and the goatee'd man to start looking around but then hearing the same voice call for Doctor Stark, he assumes it was a clarificaiton and he lowers his head. "What're you doing here Stephen." The mage sighs to himself as he starts to turn around already disregarding the RFIDs as something he needs to be worrying about, but he keeps it to himself if he does so.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    One thing that can always be safely assumed, is that Sam is not drinking. Especially not during public functions, in the middle of a crowd. Damian's hand gets an involuntary squeeze. It's a crowd. He really, really does not like crowds. But there's appearances to be kept up, and needs must. Or, in other words, Noblesse Oblige. He will happily guide Damian, given he's marginally more of a social butterfly. Just... he needs to think of it as a mission. It helps. Infiltrate, blend in, do not stand out.

    Smile.

    "Can't wait to see the full expo. Figure they'll still have some of the old inventions around?"

Shuri has posed:
A giggle and she looks over at Riri, "You think I could not get a margarita?" She laughs and shakes her head, "Trust me...I could get a margarita." She then stands up and shrugs, "Not that I want one either." She then walks over toward Karen to intercept her, smiling as she approaches, "Hello." She says to the tall woman, "I am sorry to interrupt your entrance but I am Shuri and this is Riri." She gestures to the girl in the armor, "I could not help but hear your presentation and I was curious about what makes your OS so secure." She nods her head.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckles. "Yami, you'd better get in there now. Because after the show is done, people are going to get hungry, and then good luck, sucker. Get in the line now, avoid the rush."

Peter does move alongside Yami so they can still talk.

"Meet Iron Man? Well...I met Mr. Stark once. He seemed like a nice guy then. But I requested a meeting to talk to him and he couldn't make it. Never found out why. I figure he was doing all his Running-the-Company stuff. It's okay, really. He's got a multinational company to run, right?"

Riri Williams has posed:
f
     ...Ohcrap Shuri was serious about actually 'seeing'. Riri swallows, faceplate dropping back into place with a whirr and a clang. Cue very awkward wave, which looks /weird/ coming from someone dressed like she is. ...Probably best to let Shuri ask the questions. ...Oh, hang on, I can text Peter. <<thought id test the mark 2 tonight. flight systems are in and most of the sensor suite, no other weapons. feels awesome though.>>

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    Following the advice from the local, Yami 'ahs' before getting into line as advised. Once again leaning to the side to examine how far the queue is, he sighs a little once finding out it's at least several people long. Peter's question earns an honest shrug. "I don't know. I think if Mr. Stark tried to see everyone that wanted to see him every day, then yes. It would be hard for him to run the company and invent magic, floating shoes." A small smile grows across his face. "We know about Iron Man in Japan, but he is really popular over here. I saw a girl just before in a really good outfit that looked just like his."
    "Did you have a school project on Mr. Stark?" Yami asks, looking back at Peter in his ill-fitted suit. "That is why you wanted to meet with him?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian reciprocates the hand squeeze, involuntary as it were. Damian disliked large crowds like this, where he couldn't just stab at whomever he wished.

  "From the sixties? That could be interesting." He comments, keeping up the pace with the taller teen. "How many Iron Man armors do you think he will display? If any. I mean, they are weapons. But, he has many of them, surely some of them are gathering dust in some Stark warehouse or something, right?" Yes, he even spoke differently while in public, there was a big difference between the Damian that worked in their lab and the one out here.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    There is a slow shake of the head from the elder Maximoff. "No. I think one of these is going to be more than enough. I doubt I will taste anything else for at least a day. Maybe even a week." There's more of that cutting commentary as Pietro glances out to the stage proper. "Just what I thought. It's going to be a parade of technological marvels that is going to completely put me to sleep. Invent an operating system that can keep up with me and then I will be interested."

    A sigh escapes him as Pietro runs his fingers through his hair. "I suppose we are to 'mingle'." The air quotes are given. "Should we, or shall we let them come to us?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter blinked. "One that looked like his? I..."

He stopped as he got a text on his phone, peering at it. "Hang on, sorry. I have to answer this text."
Peter typed, <Just heard about it. Congrats on that, I know that was important to you. I'm over at the food trucks right now, getting something to eat.>

He looks back to Yami, then smiles apologetically. "Sorry about that. It was for a...personal matter. Thought he might be able to relate. That's okay, I know where I stand on the matter."

He looks forward. "So, what brings you to the Expo? I wanted to get a look at the technology that's driving the SOTA for the next five years. I'm going to ESU in the fall."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna hmmm'ed under her breath as she glanced about again, "I seriously don't recognize most people here. So I dunno how important it would be for us to mingle and try to make nice." She sort of recognized Shuri at least. That was one person. But that was about it. She sighed, and glanced back at the stage. "You're right, technology which is all well and good, but eh.." She wiggled her index finger in a circle. "Won't do much for us, will?"

A glance back at her drink and she shrugged once. "We could get better drinks somewhere else? I mean, I dunno if even sitting here up front in the VIP area is even going to get me a chance to pester Stark. I'm sure others are jumping at the bit to do so." She paused.

"Or I could always show up at your place and hope he's around. Either one seems just as likely."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Margaritas dispensed- and dispensed, and dispensed... With seemingly no end, frankly- where the float is storing that many glasses is the -real- question here- Karen makes her way to the security and is paused, only momentarily as they TOTALLY FORGET (and are "Very Sorry Ma'am" for it) that she's definitely a VIP.

    She strides with that liberal arts confidence, the kind that you only have when every door opens for you all at once, as if you became an overnight billionaire and now people have to Accept You despite your Many Faults.

    This confidence carries her up to Tony, whom she greets so casually you'd imagine they were FRIENDS in some fashion, despite that this is absolutely their first meeting. So confident is she that she wraps Tony up in this full-body hug that only the horrifically touchy-feely would do, something that for exactly -half- a moment seems nearly impossible to escape, as Karen seems to be a good deal stronger than she looks.

    "Tony STARK!" she exclaims, some of this highly feigned hero-worship in her voice that might just be difficult to believe save for the fact that she -sells- it and, admittedly, the personage of Karen Starr was the sort to live in a basement until she had more money than some deities. That she'd idolize what is now a competitor makes a whole lot of sense. The hug is, though, all the more awkward thanks to the fact that Karen is like a bean sprout if it let itself go, a couple inches taller than Tony.

    Once the hug is finished, she keeps her hands on his shoulders, almost looking like she's SO HAPPY SHE COULD CRY- but, that is held back. "You getting out of the arms market is why I've never touched it with Starrware. You're my IDOL." Some of that is even more genuine than Karen wants to put on- as if they're things she never said to somebody.

    Just then- apparently- she realizes she's being spoken to by someone who isn't Tony. She turns her head, finally regarding Shuri. Power Girl, of course, is aware of who she snubbed when she sidestepped to make her way to Stark. Karen, however, is not. She doesn't leave Tony to respond, but she -does- respond.

    "Oh, we included a staging area for OS functions on the kernel level, without sacrificing the functional speed of the system's integral functions. It's like adding in your own DMZ, except this one is -basically- artificially intelligent. It works best with Starrware processors that we're rolling out simultaneously, because they'll have a coprocessor dedicated to those functions, but it provides an unprecedented level of anonymity to the actions of the system such that the best black-box testers on the planet have been completely unable to do anything but get the snarky responses we've built into the code."

    Much of what she's saying seems impossible- because the operating system would have to be some sort of tesseract-like system within a system... But the only way to test that would be to, well, test that.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "From before that, I hope." The throng, at least, thins out into what can only be described as a better class of throng. A Thröng, if you will, which is still a dense mass of humanity, but most of it floating on an exaggerated sense of self importance. Faces Sam knows from old dossiers, briefings, social (and regular) media, and the inevitable few who are famous for being famous. Usually, those float the highest of all. They all get a smile, they all get a few words without any real meaning, as hollow as the words returned. He's with Damian in that he has to repress an urge to stab half of these oxygen thieves.

    He desperately tries not to overhear the conflated response to a tech question, wincing enough at the sheer impossibility of the claims that it's almost impossible that Damian doesn't notice his discomfort.

    DEEP breath.

    Back to being Social. Which is like being social, but less sincere, and more emphasis on Being Seen.

Tony Stark has posed:
"You're doctoring me again, Mo," Tony says as he passes by Morrigan, pointing a warning finger at her in jest, "Don't doctor me. I'll sprout glasses and a lab coat. If I end up with that fly-away Einstein hair, I know who to blame and I'm coming for you. Did you bring any of the kids? Make sure they're not drinking. Take them for a ride in the flying car."

"Hey," he calls past Morrigan, spotting a familiar tall figure in the crowd near the VIP section, "Wizard! Doctor Wizard! Hey, let that guy up. Him." He points towards Doctor Strange, and the VIP security look back and forth before taking a few steps towards the magician in an effort to escort him up to the platform.

"No touching. No touching." Tony says urgently as Karen wraps him up in a hug, his arms raising up defensively only to get pinned back against his chest. He turns his head slightly to look at Natasha, with a very pointed look that almost screams 'some bodyguard'.

"That's - " Tony begins, only to be cut off by Karen's long stream of techno-talk. He opens his mouth to say something again but it turned out to only be a pause for breath and Karen is still talking. Still talking. When she's finally done he waits probably longer than is normal in regular conversational cadence and says: "Need any alpha testers? That sounds interesting."

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    "That's okay." Truly, Yami doesn't seem to mind about Peter getting distracted by text messages. He's more keen on getting close to the food truck again! Despite having the gyro just a moment ago, the teen is still fangin' for some local cuisine. A curious look is given Peter's way when he reveals that the hopeful-meeting was for a personal matter, but it's eventually just met with a small nod.
    "I only arrived into America this morning." Yami admits when asked what brings him here, looking back ahead of him. "I saw online that the Expo opening was tonight, so I just thought it was great timing. Like I said, we know about Iron Man back home. But to actually see him? I didn't think that would happen. I thought we might just get a light show or something like that." That smile of his widens. "And the food is really good."
    Peter's technical (not even that technical) talk earns a blank expression. He isn't across the various acronyms whatsoever. "What is SOTA? And ESU?" The acronyms are pronounced as slowly as possible, though some of the pronunciation he does struggle with.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's bright violet gaze looks amusedly at Tony, raising her hands in a 'giving up' gesture, "No more doctoring. Promise." the Irish woman gives a chuckle to Tony as he speaks. "I'll be sure to take them for a spin around the block once I find them again." she chuckles. Maybe Samuel could fly it? Who knew. Then there is shouts of 'DOCTOR WIZARD' and she tries not to look too interested. Thankfully she wasn't the one being yelled about.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natalie just smiles pleasantly, seeming charmed by the enthusiasm but also just as likely enjoying Tony's torment. She meets Tony's look with a breezily, silently-mouthed 'You're fiiiiiiine', though she IS watching Karen's hands, and she IS super armed.
    If Karen was a Hydra assassin, they've finally mastered the ability to keep their act up this close to an assassination; and also managed to bankroll a billionare cover. So honestly she'd be pretty impressed if Karen turned out to be an assassin. Nat wouldn't let her get far without breaking her neck, but still. Pretty impressed.

Riri Williams has posed:
     Riri gives Tony a somewhat awkward wave as well. ...Darn, she never got her milkshake. That'll have to wait. Not like she could drink it with the helmet down anyway. Mute external speakers... "AISHA, don't even think about trying to break in. We can buy one of the phones to test /later/. Or ask Mr. Stark if we can borrow his when he gets one." Oh hey, Natalie. Natalie also gets a wave.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckles. "Sorry. SOTA is short for State Of The Art, i.e. the current level of technology. ESU is Empire State University. I graduate high school this May, and plan to attends classes at Empire in the fall. They have a really good set of science programs. I'm leaning toward Neuroscience..."

"Order up, Peter Porker!"

Peter mentally groans. "Hang on." He heads forward to get his pizza and drink. "Yessir, that's me, Peter Porker. Seems apt, considering how my name got butchered."

Peter walks back, seeming unmindful of the slight. He's endured worse.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    A glance backwards, then a slight prod as Pietro gives a nod to Lorna back behind them. "Well, look who decided to make an appearance." The nod, of course, is in the direction of the man of the hour and presidential candidate himself, Tony Stark. Saves Pietro the time to pull out his Avengers holo-id to try to do a trace that way. "You wanted to meet the man. There he is. Nevermind the technobabble. Just walk up there and have fun. He can never quite resist a beautiful face." Wait...did Pietro just call his half sister beautiful in some sort of backhanded compliment?

    Maybe.

    "Just watch out for his wife Natalie. She might get a little jealous." For some reason, Pietro actually smiled saying that. No idea why...

Shuri has posed:
A blink as she is bypassed and she blinks at Karen who apparently is enamored with Tony Stark only to finally get an explanation, "Ah, I see." SHe states, looking at Tony carefully for a moment before back to Karen, "Well, I see. That sounds interesting. I look forward to seeing it up close in the future." And digging through it completely with her systems until she knows it inside and out for, ya know, totally reasons not related to helping her brother break into places or get past security at places using it. Totally not.

She then smiles, "Hello, Mr. Stark. Nice show. Sorry my brother could not make it." She then looks to Riri and grins.

"Ok, wanna go find Peter?" She asks and then nods into the crowd and starts that way.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Sometimes you have to look for assassins in the most unlikely of places. Given the current glut of HYDRA activity surrounding certain people, it might be considered to be quite a bit of a coincidence to see Sam here. Near Tony, even. Not too close, oh no, but definitely within pistol shot. Easy pistol shot, even, if Natasha has ever looked up his evaluation reports. And he's in the company of the Wayne of the hour, exchanging frequent gestures of genuine affection.

    A suspicious mind might call that a bit too much of a coincidence, a bit too convenient to be entirely genuine.

    But if it's a ploy, it's one Sam's sticking to rigorously, giving no sign of anything untoward going on. Even if his meandering path is taking him ever closer to Tony.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "No, you don't have to... Stark, you know I'm not gonna take this kind of treatment." Strange tries to turn away the security guard who's doing what the boss ordered him to do and so Strange is rounded up like cattle and moved in with the rest of the wealthy herd.

    Strange stumbles into the VIP lounge and stuffs his hands quickly into his pockets and looks around. "Hi." He mutters to the crowd, recognizing a few in having actually met some. Shuri the one time they met in Wakanda, and then Lorna, at the same meeting, as well as the woman he thought called for him, Morrigan. Who else might he know know...

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    "Aah, of course. Neuroscience? You must be very smart." A nod in understanding is given as Peter Porker goes to fetch his pizza. As he does so, the queue has moved enough for Yami to place his order. "Um," He starts, trying to remember exactly what it was. "Pizza cheeseburger special, please." Reaching into his pocket again, the teen hands forth some extremely crumpled American dollar bills. He's only been in this city for about twelve hours and he's /already/ got more one dollar bills than he cares to have.
    Once ordered, Yami vacates the line and heads back to the waiting area he was in before, joining back up with Pete and his meal. "You do not need to hang around now that you have your food, Peter." The comment is made in a friendly tone as Yami adjusts his baseball cap again. "You probably want to see Mr. Stark, right? The man in the truck said I'll be waiting for about ten minutes. After I eat I'm probably going to head back into Manhattan. I still need to find the apartment I am supposed to live in."

Riri Williams has posed:
     <"...Probably a good idea."> Tony's got bigger issues than Riri or Shuri right now anyway, and Riri is a lot more comfortable with people her own age who don't expect a ton of stuff from her. The armored teen is carried along in Shuri's wake, presumably off into the crowd and towards the food trucks.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    "Hey, Riri!" Natalie gives a friendly little wave and smiles, "Glad you could make it!" She says pleasantly, before her eyes wander to Sam, narrowing faintly and lingering for a moment. Suddenly, however, Doctor Strange is a thing! Ha ha! Oh crap! Damage control! Natalie steps close to Strange as he makes his awkward greeting and reaches out one hand. "Hiiiii, you must be one of Tony's friends~. I'm his wife, Natalie."She smiles very pleasantly and looks him dead in the eye. "We haven't met."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckles. "Nah. Smart I may be, but I'm also smart enough to know that untested peasants don't invite themselves to the royal wedding unless they intend to fill the court jester position. VIP stands for Very Important Person, after all."

He raises his soda cup to Yami. "I'll just hang out here and avoid being the focus for uncomfortable conversation. This ain't my first social rodeo."

Shuri has posed:
A smile at Riri and she nods before she walks down to the crowd where the Bodyguard was waiting. She smiles at the woman before gesturing to Riri, "See, I had a bodyguard while I was up there, too." She reaches back and pats Riri's arm, "Bulletproof armor." She then points to the food trucks, "To the food trucks. I wish to have another gyro." She nods her head and starts that way, "Hopefully he is still there." She smiles back at Riri.

Tony Stark has posed:
"It's a party," Tony tells Strange once he's corralled into the VIP area, "You like parties. Start partying."

That's a thing Stark has no idea about, but he just makes the assumption. Tony likes a party, and Tony is the most important person that Tony knows. Ergo, most everyone else should also like parties. He blinks owlishly, as though momentarily confused about Nat's reaction to Strange when the realisation dawns.

"Right," he says, stepping in quickly to place a hand on Strange's shoulder, "This is my wife, Natalie Stark. It's good to finally introduce you both. For the first time."

"Hey, Thorium-Palladium," he says, spotting Samuel winding his way through the crowd and pointing a finger at him, "How's school?"

Riri and company are given a nod as well, Stark doing his best to perform maximum glad-handery.

Riri Williams has posed:
     Riri assists in the demonstration by tapping a finger against one of her plates. It makes a nice tink tink noise. <The Gyros are really good, I had one on my way in. ...I do want a milkshake now though." Presumably, milkshakes are acquired, and Shuri and Riri emerge from the crowds fairly close to Peter and Yami. "Hey." Riri's faceplate is open again, and she's sipping said delicious milkshake through a straw.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen nods to Shuri, and there's a gratuitous smile that's worth as much as she is. "Ah, then you'll -love- the Starrware pavilion, there'll be a few machines for you to play around in." Sure, she -really- means that they're allowing blackbox testing at her pavilion and that anyone can try their hand, but it comes -off- as a crack about Shuri's relative youth. Karen looks to be in her thirties. Whether that's intended or not, is entirely unclear. "Plus, word on the -street- is that Karen Starr will have a release date to announce during the Expoooo~!" That last bit is sickeningly sing-song in a way that will, some day in the future, be played back for her and remixed if Tony ever finds out who she is.

    It'll probably be on every screen in the mansion.

    She turns back to the other billionaire the -moment- he states that he wants to try some Alpha testing. She grins so wide it almost looks like her face might split in half and consume Tony wholesale, and she strides over to him once more, hands hitting the man's shoulders again, giving him this FRIENDLY SQUEEZE even though there's no hugging involved, this time.

    "We're far out of beta, but I can do you three better." she states, tapping her... Earring? "Harl, get a laptop on a drone and fly it over to center stage. We're giving it to TONY STARK!" The way she says it, were she actually putting on the face of another business magnate, would be mocking- but in the proper context, what's actually conveyed is how Genuinely Excited Karen seems that Tony might own, and maybe even -use-, something that she made.

    "Oh, and make sure that the drone doesn't hand him anything, he doesn't like to be handed stuff." After that aside, she lets Tony's shoulders go.

    "You're going to -love- it, we outdid ourselves, it's so secure your IT department'll even clear you to do your -banking- on it, and we've included some amazing hardware in the display models for the pavilion that if you hook it up to a solid monitor, I don't think there's a better gaming rig out there.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a dip of her head to the Sorceror Supreme, "Strange." she greets him with a smile. Though her gaze is drawn off to the side when she notices someone is approaching that she recognizes, "Samuel." she gives a wave to the young man. She then gives a look back to those in the VIP area, her faces takes on a confused look for a split second. Tony is married? Huh!

Her eyes go to Doctor Strange, "You look about as thrilled to be in a crowd as I do." she whispers to him.

As long as no one got stabbed or shot and started spilling blood everywhere she'd be fine. Really.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shot her brother a look, and a raised brow but she did see Stark at least. Her brother was right, more often than she'd ever dare to admit, but he was. She smiled, and waved her hand at the crowd that quickly bundled up to see the man of the hour. She sipped at her drink, and she exhaled a breath. "Yeah, and beat that whole line of humans there that are trying to cluster up." She snorted a laugh into her drink.

Then she frowned, squinting, "I've met that woman before.. where did I..." She shook her head, turning to look at Pietro with a slight frown. "I've seen her before. With Wanda." And Clint, she just was hazy on the 'where'. It would come to her, she knew it.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian continues to follow Sam, though the path they follow has one outcome that is plain and simple. "I guess you want to meet the man himself." He says, suddenly glad to have the VIP passes that he came across back at Wayne Tower.

  Soon enough, they were there, amongst the most elite of the VIPs, eager to meet the man himself. "Oh, so you have met..." He comments sidewise to Sam. "Mister Stark." He says with an air of adultishness that most teens lacked in large doses. "Damian Wayne." He says though through his small stature, looked enough like Bruce at that age. The scion of the Wayne family did his best to keep up that Wayne style, though he was still young.

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    "I think you could make a good jester." Yami muses with a chuckle. "You have the right suit?" DAMN. Shots fired. "You attend a lot of these events, then? How often do they happen?"
    Riri's re-emergence from the crowd earns a stunned expression. Now that she's approaching him and closer, Yami can tell that the suit is... seriously good. That isn't just plastic she's wearing! A nudge is given to Peter, indicating to him that this is the girl he was talking about just before. "Hello." He greets plainly. "Your costume is really good. Is it very heavy?" Pause. "Oh. Milkshake." A point goes to the delicious looking drink.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Strange looks at Natasha and squints at her and then down towards her hand, but he swallows his pride and reaches out with his damaged hand to place within her own and gives a weak shake. "I - don't believe - we - have?" He asks more than anything. His eidetic memory remembering her face after the Genoshan attack. "I assume you haven't made any ground in control?" He asks trying to sound cryptic when she could catch onto his subtext.

    Strange looks up to Stark, "You know I liked the more lavish and hellish parties." Again with the cryptic remarks towards the two, heroe and heroine. "Nice meeting you both again, keep him under wraps, keep an eye on those cards with the lights too... something feels off." Strange tries to whisper to Natalie.

    Turning to Morrigan, "Crowds aren't exactly for the thinking person. Mob mentality and herd mentalism. Don't much care for it."

Tony Stark has posed:
"What's banking?" Tony asks Karen with mock confusion, canting his head slightly to the side, "You mean that thing where I exist and money just flows in? I didn't know that had a name." He turns his head to Nat now, "Did you hear that, dear? Banking.."

But Tony Stark is a billionaire, and billionaires do not get that way by not accepting every and anything free that gets sent their way. He raises his eyebrows at the idea of a laptop and nods his head, making a mental note to put tape over the webcam as soon as he gets it.

When he hears Damian's voice, Tony looks around for a second before looking down and spotting the Wayne heir.

"Oh, hey, Bruce's kid. Good to meet you. Your old man talks about you all the time. Says you're why he got so good at basketball, though I think that's because of all the traveling. Did you bring him?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Briefly." Sam admits, both to the deduction of his plans and the query about previous acquaintance. And to the greeting, Sam returns a smile, a nod, and a cheeky "Mister President to be. Going well, looking to graduate next year. MIT." And then Damian introduces himself, and Sam just has to put an arm around his shoulders again, with a fond smile. They're a couple, that's for certain. "Be careful there, sounds like you've got a phisher trying to get your banking details." It's said with a smile, but he can't help but take just a small dig at Karen's bombastic claims.

    But he's still totally planning on trying out that hardware. But this is the Stark Expo, not the Starr Expo, and hopefully he'll be able to get nice and close to Stark Tech.

    Morrigan gets a friendly nod. Yes, it seems Sam is going to be on his best behavior.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter was about to reply to Yami about the cheap suit when Riri stepped up, and...

Well, wow. That was the only word. He'd heard her talk about the Mark 2, but seeing it in the flesh...well, metal...was another thing altogether. She looked...well, awesome. To continue the analogy, the Captain of the Guard in her Sunday-Go-to-Meeting armor, and it looked nearly perfect.

"...Okay, wow, Riri. I am suitably humbled." And feeling more like the court jester all the time. "A masterpiece of mechanical engineering."

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    There is the slightest of headshakes...barely perceptible, but amusement, nonetheless, upon Pietro's face. "Oh...yes, it is possible you have seen her before." Pietro isn't going to flat out deny Lorna by telling her otherwise...but he is certainly finding the situation funny, to say the least. Still, he does take a moment to compose himself before tilting another nod in Stark's direction. "The key to getting to him is just to go. You've seen Father handle situations like this. Just do what he would do. Except without the usual collateral damage."

    Easier said than done, of course. But, Pietro isn't quite done. "You're a Queen. He's only a presidential hopeful. Make him want to talk to you. I know you have it in you." Then...as an aside. "I could clear the way." Clear the way? That sounded ominous, from Pietro.

Shuri has posed:
Stepping up to beside Riri, Shuri has aquired a gyro and smiles as she takes a bite. She swallows and then carefully makes sure she isn't dripping fluids down her chin before she grins at Peter, "Hi, Peter." She states and then looks to the armor before looking back to Peter, "Is it not wonderful?" She asks and then grins and nods before looking over at Yami and blinking, "Oh, you have another friend? Is this also a friend you just met or an old aquaintence?" She asks even as the tall bodyguard steps to behind Shuri, looking stoically over her and her friends.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natalie nods slowly to Strange, though her expression doesn't change one bit.
    The weakness in his hand is noted. You can't turn off the part of your brain that profiles everyone. Or the part of your brain that figures out all the best ways to hurt somebody. So it goes.
    When Tony speaks to her she smiles brightly and nods with a playful "Amazing what they come up with these days."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"It is good to hear I am not the only one that feels that way in most crowds." Morrigan muses with a look to Doctor Strange. Then Samuel and Company are heading to the VIP section and she gives a smile to the Happy Harbor student, but, she doesn't move from where she is for the moment. He looked like he was doing fine. For now she is quietly listening and taking things in.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shot her brother a //look// feeling very much as if he were having a go at her expense and not entirely sure //how//. It was all very frustrating and the green haired woman vowed to pester Wanda over it at a later date. After all, Wanda knew practically everything. She huffed a breath, squinting in her half brother's direction for a moment as she drowned the overly sweet drink in her drip and set it aside.

"Father didn't talk to politicians unless he had a threat to offer." She muttered, and shook her head. "Alright, alright, I'll go up and see if I can get through the hoards. If I can't I'll need you to come in and save me, deal?" She drawled, and got up from her seat. Her head already feeling the sweet syrupy drink and she grimaced as she made her way over to the gaggle of people that seemed to constantly surround Tony Stark.

Riri Williams has posed:
     "It's not heavy to wear. I used a special alloy." Riri grins, having dodged the question. ...But then Pete gives it away. "You come up with cool stuff too. I just figured I'm not really good with..." She gestures towards the thousands of people around them. "...So I figured why not?" Pete and Shuri have met before, so no introductions needed, but... Yami gets another look. "Riri Williams."

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    Yami listens and absorbs as much information as he can from the teenagers as the exchange small talk. Looking between Shuri, Peter and Riri, he really starts to feel like he's underdressed for this event! At least Peter was wearing a suit. Even if it was the subject of a friendly jibe or two. "We just met." Yami explains to Shuri. "Peter introduced me to the Cheeseburger special pizza." He may have gotten a few words around the wrong way there, but oh well. "And brick oven food. It smells good."
    "Yami Kuroki." The introduction is made quickly with much more of his accent in swing, doubtless because his name remains the same between languages. With a polite bow made, he tips his head to both Riri and Shuri. "Good to meet you both. What did you both think of Mr. Stark's magic boots? Did you see them?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
     "Uhh, that's my brother." Yes, brother, at least Damian isn't playing basketball any time soon.

  The arm around his shoulder gets a bit of a smile from the abnormally stoic boy. "I do the science." He comments, among being an assassin, not Tony's assassin though.

  Damian's attention is paid all towards the presidential hopeful. "He's in Gotham, something about a new test he needed to do, but he does send his regards." That was a lie, the boy hadn't said much to his father in the last weeks. But deception is part of the game.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Strange finds Natalie to be curious but he doesn't worry about it and turning back towards Morrigan, Strange takes a breath before he pauses and frowns. "Sorry, I'm sure we'll talk more later, but I must be going." Stephen then reaches to Morrigan slipping his card into her hand, certainly they must speak.

    Stephen looks skywards and then around himself before his suit shifts to something more mystical. The wizard's sport coat and bow tie shift into the blue tunic with a trident design on the front and a garrish red and gold cloak before he takes a single step forwards towards someone in the middle of the VIP crowd. Before they collide, Stephen is simply gone, faded away out of reality like dust in the wind. He's gone.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks over as Shuri steps up, and the analogy is perfect now. The Princess, the Captain of the Guard.
Peter snerks. "Just like the man said." He lifts one small quarter-slice of the pizza on his plate and takes a bite, hmming at the taste. "This is good, you two ought to try it."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen seems perplexed, and then for a moment seems to think about it. "Oh wow," she states, "I never realized that I don't open my bank account anymore." There's this, sincere moment where Karen just sort of marvels at the idea that she never has to think about having money. It's just there.

    Then, her grin returns, "Well, isn't that just AWESOME, huh?" Then, there's the laugh. Dear god, if there was a crime committed here tonight, it's that laugh. It's more of a continued cackle worthy of Fran Drescher, including the snort that happens in the middle, enough that she is out of breath at the end of it.

    "Well, you'll be able to do plenty of stuff on it that's supposed to be secure. You can even store passwords in plaintext, click all the virus links like we -all- want to, I mean, I mostly just try and test what the ad bots are capable of responding to but that's just because I made my own on a lark and I just -have- to see who did it better. It's always me." Another laugh. That she can do it twice is just thoroughly unacceptable.

    "OH YEAH. You're running for PRESIDENT. Naturally, you've got my vote, and that's not JUST because it takes you out of the competition. I don't know if I trust anyone who went bald that early. Hollywood has taught us that the guy's definitely the world-conquer type." Christ, it's the triple-play. Someone. Anyone, just- punch her in the throat so it'll stop, because she just thinks she's SO FUNNY.

    "Oh PHISHING. We included a small algorithm into our built-in email client that tells you not to answer those emails or click anything. It'll check mail headers for faulty addressing and you can even send them on a wild goose chase with a setting, I admit I got lost in a pit on the net with this one guy who does all these voices leading on scammers, I just had to build something like that -in-."

Shuri has posed:
    "Maybe after I finish my Gyro." She smiles as she looks over at Yami and nods to him, "Oh, well, it is good to meet you. It seems that Peter is in the business of making friends whereever he goes." She nods, "I believe that I have never seen him without a friend around him." She grins at Peter. She then looks over to Riri next before glancing back to Yami, "The pizza does smell good but I have already got this gyro." She then considers the area around, "THough I am also wondering if I shouldn't check on a few things myself." SHe nods her head, "I did leave a few things running back at my...home." She nods her head. Pausing before saying lab.

Riri Williams has posed:
     "Likewise." Riri returns the nod. She also doesn't do handshakes, so this is good. Oh yeah, the shoes. "I'm still trying to figure out how he did it. It didn't sound or look like normal repulsors, and there wasn't any of the usual thruster wash you get with those. I'm thinking it's something to do with zero point energy, but I don't know how he fit that in shoes. Remind me to show you the prototype some time, Peter. Might be useful for moving heavy stuff in your basement if you ever have to reorganize." Riri raises her own milkshake in response about the pizza. "I left stuff too, but it's mostly machining time and I have somebody keeping an eye on it." Even if that somebody is also in Riri's helmet. "Maybe we can all come back again when there's less of a crowd?"

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Oh that's no trouble, Doctor Strange." Morrigan tells him with a bit of an understanding smile. The card is looked at, then she slips it into the clutch she has with her. When she looks back up there's a blink and then the other Sorceror is gone. "I wish I could do that in public." she mutters. Then she's looking at her phone and there's a sigh, "I should get going." she sighs.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    There is a nod to Lorna. Then, with a sigh that is more for show that actually real, Pietro consents. "Alright. I'll go with you. But just this once." He tries to sound stern....but a hint of the jesting eeks through his words. This...must be what it is like with Wanda. Pietro actually cracking jokes. With a grin, he bows gently to Lorna. "Lead on, my Queen."

    Now...that was definitely snark. No doubt about that.

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    "If he walks around with oven-brick pizza all the time, then I can understand why he has friends everywhere he goes." Yami grins widely at that, ears prickling as his own order is finally called out. Licking his lips in anticipation, the teenager from Japan saunters over to the truck in his sweats and hoodie and takes the warm bread in a box. "Did you leave water running?" Yami asks Shuri curiously, that being the only thing he can think of that one could leave 'running'. "That's bad. You could get a high water bill, right?"
    Opening the pizza box, Yami begins to chew on the pizza with delight and awe. NEARLY as much awe as when Iron Man landed before. "This is amazing. You must eat this every day, right Peter?" The question is posed as he chews some more, burning the roof of his mouth in his hurry.
    "Wait... you build all of this yourself, Riri?" The gesture to the suit is made with an incredulous expression. She certainly sounded pretty smart too! "Does it fly as well? And explode into pieces?"

Tony Stark has posed:
"He's testing a new Callaway two wood on the Fairway, would be my guess," Tony tells Damian with a half-smirk, poking fun at the famous Bruce Wayne absenteeism that is well-known even in billionaire circles, "Tell him I said hi."

"President to be?" Tony says to Sam, weighing the words in his head, "I like that more than president hopeful. Hopeful sounds like I'm trying to win the Voice. Believe me, if I wanted to win the Voice, I would. You haven't heard my rendition of Brandy. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn to feel again."

He can't help but spot the green haired woman kind of making her way through the crowd, and he steps past Damian and Samuel for a moment to stand in front of her.

"Who are you and why is your hair that color?"

Then, he leans to one side to look at Pietro: "Ah."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
    Natalie pinches the back of Tony's arm and whispers in his ear, "*That* is the Queen of Genosha, and Wanda's sister. And she's seen my face. Be nice. Don't introduce us." She says, and suddenly becomes VERY interested in the goings on in the background, wandering away for a bit, but still keeping a protective eye on Tony.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna paused as if considering how best to broach the man, and well, that was made up for her as Stark promptly cut through the conversation happening to turn to her and... ask about her hair. She blinked, she exhaled a breath, and glanced to her older brother. Her lips pursing together as she crossed her arms and hmm'ed. "Yeah, so that explains your stance on Genosha and mutants in general rather nicely. Thank you, Stark for deciding all of that so quickly for me." She mused, her lips twisting into a fixed smile.

Her gaze swung back to Pietro, "Okay, I've done the thing. We can go out for drinks somewhere that has taste." She murmured.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter actually laughed at Yami's comment. "Maybe in two weeks, when I get my first paycheck from the new job. Most of the time, it's home cooking."

He is still snickering when he looks to Shuri. "Yes, well, I travel all over the place. At least it doesn't cost very much to be sociable." He glanced over to the VIP area, where Stark is rubbing shoulders with CEOs and heads of state. "Well...some of the time, anyway. Although it helps to have a handy bribe of Aunt May's apple pie every now and then." He winks to Riri. "If anything would convince you to head down to the burg to help move heavy stuff, that would be it."

Riri Williams has posed:
     "Fly, yes. Seperate pieces, no. I'm good, but I'm not /that/ good. This is only my second armor." Third if you counted the ill-fated prototype, but that had been used precisely once before exploding into pieces. and not reassembling. "...It is really good pie. YOu should see Peter's lab sometime, Shuri. It's pretty nice. And we could test the gravity gun." Please don't sue me, Valve...

Damian Wayne has posed:
     "Ha! I will." Damian says, letting the man through to gawk at emerald vixen. But then again, he knew exactly who she was. With Genosha being so in the spotlight, who couldn't?

  "So, that was interesting." He comments to Sam. "What do you say?" He asks, could just hit the pop stand and paint NYC red like billionaire heirs are want to do.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan winces when she hears Tony ask the question about Lorna's hair. She shakes her head, "I think it's lovely, but, that's me and my opinion doesn't matter much." she states with a chuckle and dip of her head to Lorna and Pietro. She had mutant students. So it was something that didn't bug her or seem weird. She gives a dip of her head to those within range, "Have a good evening all." the Irish woman states. Then she's off to do...something. Probably wizard stuff.

Shuri has posed:
A grin over at Yami and she laughs, "No, soemthing much more important." She then looks back to the guard with her before she looks to Riri, "I will see you again soon, yes?" She smiles and pats her on the shoulder, which through the armor is not nearly as effective. But still. She then smiles at Peter, "And I hope to see you again soon. Congratulations again on teh new job." She then starts away and waves back, "Catch up soon, Riri. Seriously, I wish to see more of the armor." ANd with that she is heading to the car that is already being called to drive itself to her as best it can given the crowds.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Beg your pardon, your majesty," Tony carries on, not missing a step as Natasha surreptitiously fills him in, "But that doesn't really illustrate my views at all. I'd be happy to discuss them, though.

Still, he doesn't bat an eye. It's only now that Karen's crack about Luthor kind of filters through his transum and he turns a little to look at her, eyebrows raised and voice lowered, "You realise he's only doing so well in the polls because half the country can see themselves reflected in his forehead, right?"

Then, back to Lorna, "I would appreciate the chance to discuss Genosha, though. I've been there, personally. I've seen it first hand. I'd rather here your views on how we can help than just tell you."

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    Ah. One simple expression speaks volumes on exactly the sort of relationship one Tony Stark and Pietro Maximoff has. And yet, there is still a ghost of a smile as the two see each other. A smile that quickly dissolves into Pietro's passive expression he uses when he has to tolerate, well....people. And, he gives his own one word greeting.

    "Stark."

    Then, Pietro shifts to his sister, the eyes lingering on Stark for a moment more before back to Lorna. "You did say you wanted to meet him. But yes, I think it is high time we go." He does wait for Lorna's call, though, as it does seem that Tony actually comments on more than just hair color.

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    Yami is trying to keep pace as best he can with these teenage genius prodigies, chewing on his pizza and listening intently. In the same breath, Riri reveals that Peter has a lab AND a ... wait - did he hear /gravity gun/? Yami's chew slows considerably. Surely he must be mistranslating that part. "Gravity gun?" He repeats in wonder, looking up to the sky with some thought. "Juryoku... gravity." The audible translation is done as he looks back down, then back to Peter Porker. "You have a gravity gun? And a lab? For science? What does a gravity gun even do? Do you make black holes?" Good thing he didn't joke about that suit too much. This kid was clearly heavily armed.
    Watching as Shuri departs, Yami lifts a hand to wave. "It was good to meet you, Shuri."
    "What is it like to fly in your suit, Riri?" His gaze goes back to his other new friend. "Are you a partner with Iron Man?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    There's a wince when the mutant issue is stepped on for a moment. Or stepped into. Stepped, at any rate, with the application of feet to parts they were not intended to reach. Sam gives a soft shake of his head to Damian, taking a surreptitious few steps away from the matter. This is a political Thing, and his opinion as a mutant doesn't really enter into it, could potentially muddy the waters even further.

    "Genosha was... it's hard to describe." He mentions to Damian now, in an undertone which he hopes nobody can pick up. Hopes. Everything's possible. "Looking at those survivors, all of them shell shocked. Even Bear didn't know who to help first. Someone's going to pay for that." But he's been cut out of that loop, for reasons which should be self evident.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna eyed Stark, the man was brilliant with tech and had too much money, and it seemed had a politicians tongue when he needed it. She didn't unfold her arms and she tilted her head toward her brother when he spoke. Rather than directly respond to Tony, she nodded to Pietro instead. "I know you warned me." She murmured, her expression still carefully polite. Fixed in its state of a permanent smile.

"Perhaps another time, my brother and I are just leaving. Thank you, for the show." She drawled, and turned to leave just as quickly as she'd arrived. Which was still too slowly for Pietro.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter grins and waves to Shuri, then looks back to Yami. "Don't confuse me with her. She's the one with the multi-million-dollar lab and the second iteration of her powered armor design. I'm...a guy with some ideas that haven't gotten off the drawing board. Maybe when I actually MAKE something..."

Riri Williams has posed:
     "Bye, Shuri." And then Riri's being bombarded with questions. "Uhhh... "No black holes, it just lets me lift and throw heavy stuf. And yes, a lab. I work for Stark Industries. Flying's fun, Not a partner, kinda... an apprentice? Maybe? Don't quote me on that." She takes another long draw from the straw, but the milkshake is depleted and makes that sucking sound. It's quickly tossed aside. "Uhhh. Oh hey, phone call. I have to go." She takes a few steps back into a clearing in the crowd, faceplate dropping with a clang, and shoots into the sky as white fire sprouts from her palms and feet. Other benefit of armor: Quick easy exits!

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian listened to Sam's comments on the matter. Though he lacked a stake in the game when it came to Genosha. "I would suspect it was something like Hiroshima and Nagasaki." The sheer amount of devastation...it was huge. Just all of those lives lost.

  "Come on, let's find some more trouble to get into." He says, taking away the Genosha talk for right now. He'd give his own opinion when it was appropriate.

Karen Starr has posed:
    There's a fourth laugh. There is no count on the number wrongs she has committed today, but she couldn't ignore Tony's quip. If it weren't so full-body and genuine, it could have been called fake, but the Karen Starr persona is just so -genuine.-

    However, her attention drifts then to the erstwhile paragon of the Wayne family line, and she has so much harder a time interacting with the young man than the others, with her height. However, while what Tony does might be construed as a joke- having to look for him amongst the other patrons- Karen makes her way over and then kneels down, bringing herself a little lower than eye-level by removing her thighs.

    An affront, egregious. Perhaps unacceptable.

    "Oh my god you're Damian WAYNE, I went on a tour of WayneTech when I was your age. You're a spitting image, too- I've seen some pictures of Bruce when he was younger, and you've got some... Exotic features but you're for sure his kid, huh." There's a pause, then, as her brow raises, "Gotta be a bit of that heiress- or... Actress, or... Somebody. Got your eyes on a university yet?"

Yami Kuroki has posed:
    Riri's sudden departure earns a confused look from Yami, who glances to Peter with a head tilt. "I did not mean to offend. Did I say something wrong?" As he finishes his pizza, the teen moves to discard the box into the nearby recycling bin. "The day is really starting to get on. I need to find this place on the 'upper west side' before they close." The way he says that makes it sound like he's about to go visit the damned moon! "It's been good speaking to a local, Peter. Thanks for sharing some of the local cuisine." Lifting his soda cup to salute, he turns and pivots on his foot, assessing which way he should head first. "I guess I can just Uber it from here. I should still have some money left." Digging into his pocket to pull out his phone, he flicks his thumb to cycle through some apps.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Very regal," Tony says to Nat after watching Lorna and Pietro go, raising his shoulders in a shrug, "Walks up to me then says she doesn't have time to talk. Aristocrats, huh?"

After a moment he begins to move away from the VIP crowd, shuffling instead in the direction of the off-stage wings that lead to a more secure and private area that has been set aside for him. He moves in to loop his arm with Natasha's again, attempting to leave that way if he isn't stopped.

"Hey, I've got a joke for you. There's this family act, right? They go into see this talent agent and the father says 'I've got the ideal act for you, let me describe it ... '"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "We're a high tech expo with all access passes. I think we can find trouble." Sam winks to Damian, his gloom suddenly forgotten. He's just about to saunter off when... Karen appears.

    It takes some will power not to give the usual reaction to someone blocking his path, and certainly some serious self awareness to bite back the remark that was about to escape his lips. Breathe... Deeeeeeeep breath.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks up, then to Yami. "Nahhh, you didn't do anything wrong. Geniuses with unlimited funding are funny sometimes." He snickers. "I should probably get going as well. I have a few things to do tonight."

Like check up on the White Dragon in Chinatown to relay some info to Lady Shiva, follow up on his checks on Silvio Manfredi, and set up the listening station. Busy, busy busy.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian's head looks up as he's seemingly cut off. He was used to talking to those taller than him, but when Karen straight kneels down, his eyes flare open in surprise, positive or negative, the jury is out.

  He wanted to backflip into a kick SO badly, he practically cuts off Sam's hand's circulation. "Yes, I am." Sam had known his mother's identity, not to mention the ire she drew from her son currently. "Yeah..." He draws a breath to calm down a little. "that's indeed how genetics works."

  The cringe-inducing conversation turns to another thing altogether. "I have not decided on a university." He already could qualify for multiple doctorates, if he had gone to normal institutions.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen can't particularly well estimate how much Damian hates her. However, she -does- have the ability to hear just about every biological sign that he's agitated. Sadly, she can't act on that, because Karen Starr can't hear those things, which means she has to keep doing Karen Starr things. Not that she's enjoying it.

    Damian quips at her, and Karen smiles in this unacceptably friendly way. Following that, she reaches up and just- plucks Damian's cheek between her thumb and index finger, tugging it in a few directions.

    You know, like a child. The thing Damian isn't.

    "He's got the Wayne Wit! I always thought your dad just had a good speech writer, but apparently it's genetic!" she chortles then, apparently having enough sense not to just laugh in Damian's face. "Well, you'd be a shoe-in at Yale, or wherever you want to go. I hear Gotham U is pretty solid if you don't want to go straying from home, but by then maybe you'll be following Bruce's example- just maybe not -too- closely, huh?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "We certainly wouldn't want anything or anyone /too close/ now." Sam interjects. His hand twitched when he saw Karen begin to reach for Damian's cheek, but by now the smile has been wiped off his face. It's been replaced by an expression of utter neutrality... resting assassin face. Mentally he has already devised half a dozen ways of dispatching this odious apparition permanently, and is quietly confident that he can make at least four of those look like a complete accident. Right now he's dwelling on the wisdom of going for the other two instead, just for novelty shock value.

    "Sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to show my boyfriend the sights of the expo..." in other words, get thee hence.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian has the cheeks of a child, because he was one, just that little bit of skin that old ladies loved to pinch. At that point, his heart started to race, adrenaline pumping through his system.

  Then she had said it, her last line, his narrowed eyes go wide again, before Sam brings him back to reality. The Family Secret, has to be kept of course. That would need some following up on. "Y-yeah. I should go, it was nice to meet you." He adds, before the two of them start to make their way to the exhibits.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen unleashes Damian's cheek, and stands up, looking between the two with this happy expression one can only wear when the two people she's talking to aren't a threat. It's easy enough to assume that Karen just doesn't know they're assassins of the highest caliber.

    "Oh aren't you two -adorable- together!" she states, still grinning mightily. "You HAVE to come by the Starrware Pavilion. We've got a lot of gaming going on, some exhibition of the new hardware offered by Starrware. I can even manage some swag-bags for the two of you when you come by. You'll -love- it." she states, stepping aside to let the two of them continue on.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    It's well out of earshot of anyone, /anyone/, that Sam finally drops his voice and whispers to Damian. "She's right about one thing though. You are adorable."