1286/E Pluribus Unum: Sorry!

E Pluribus Unum: Sorry!
Date of Scene:	22 April 2020
Location:	Avengers Mansion - Meeting Room
Synopsis:	Lorna visits the Avengers Mansion to speak with Pepper and Tony about the Genosha Situation. Earnest words are said!
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Lorna Dane

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Tony Stark has posed:
The word had gone out through diplomatic channels to Genosha. To his credit, Tony had asked Pepper to make the call and set the wheels in motion - figuring the Genoshans probably wouldn't want to hear from him so soon after that tiny little incident at the Expo. It was a simple invitation to a meeting at the Avengers Mansion between Genosha's Queen and Tony Stark. A private discussion that would be off the record and out of the public eye. Highly unlike him but concessions have to be made.

"Are you sure we shouldn't have hung some flags up in here or something?" Tony asks, pacing the room near the head of the meeting table that for now is vacant except for chilled pitchers of water and some glasses. He glances towards Pepper, visibly uncomfortable at not being the fashionably late arrival of today's affair.

"I got the dossier you sent me," he continues, waving a StarkTech tablet in her general direction, "I didn't read it, but I got it. Thank you." Sweet, angelic smile.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Whether or not Tony has noticed it, the physical presence of Pepper has been lessened since, oh... the beginning of the month. Duties outside the normal realm of 'personal assistant', such as making sure there is food available, sleep is gained, etc really isn't part of her 'other duties as assigned', and it's taking something of a toll. Still, work is done, meetings are planned, releases are pressed, and interviews are lined up to correspond with value-added activities on the part of Mr. Anthony Edward Stark.

This is just one more.

The red-headed personal assistant had (hopefully) abundantly clear that anything said in the Avengers Manse would be off the record. After all, they //were// teammates, right? Avengers, and all that?

"No, Tony," is murmured. Pepper's dressed in one of her more conservative suit-dresses, her hair set into a loose bun with tendrils framing her face. "If we did, it'd look like the UN. It'll be okay." She's trying to be soothing, but there's just a tinge of something in the background.

"Good.." comes out, though it's before Tony finishes up with the fact that it was largely unread, and she simply adds with a briefly pursed lip, "Good to know."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna had had an interesting few days, a night out with Warren had fairly well cemented her mindset when it came to one Tony Stark.. but she still wanted to give the man a shot of some kind. When news through the official channels came through that he wanted to speak with her again, off the record... she'd been sorely tempted to turn him down.

But the fact that Wanda and Pietro lived in the Mansion, and worked with Stark had meant something too. She rarely saw her brother respect anyone, and he had some brief moments that showed her there was something there. So she gave it a chance and agreed to meet. She'd driven down from Westchester alone, no bodyguards, no secretaries, no Councilors.. just her.

The green haired woman had made a point of leaving her green hair hanging freely around her shoulders, and wore simple black dress and silvery metal jewelry. All of which was highly magnetic. She approached and entered the Mansion without any issue, after all, her siblings lived there and she had visited a few times. The doors opened under her powers with a flick of her wrist, and closed behind her the same way. Her green eyed gaze scanned the room, before they landed on Tony and Pepper in turn. She arched a brow, approaching. "Do you purposefully surround yourself with only redheads or is that just a coincidence?"

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony is still smiling at Pepper when the word comes that the Queen is on her way, and he turns his attention to the door just in time for it to be opened with a casual use of mutant abilities. Interesting. He'd not had the opportunity to see too many of those powers work up close, and there's a definite inquisitive glint in his eye.

"They symbolize my communist sympathies," Tony says dryly with a gesture in Pepper's direction, "Once I'm in the White House, I'm looking forward to reinstating the Soviet Union and I hoped you'd join me in plotting out the beet farms, comrade."

It was a joke that got him into this mess, and here he goes joking again. He steps around the table towards Lorna, affording her the bow that is given to monarchs in the Genoshan court. Even if he didn't read the dossier, someone somewhere along the way briefed him on the proper etiquette for meeting with Lorna.

"I'm glad you were able to make it, your majesty," he offers, eyes turned downward to the floor as he completes the bow, "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk more at the Expo. This is Virginia Potts. Pepper. She's ... well, my right hand. And left hand. Occasionally parts of my brain, too. She'll be my liver too if my lifestyle ever catches up with me."

He glances towards Pepper to waggle his eyebrows at her. He's joking. He's got to be joking, right? He better be joking.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper is trying very, very hard not to crack that indulgent smile. She's still riding on her own personal wave, and Tony is making it so very hard to stay angry, to stay sad.. to find that comfortable distance that will allow her to keep her sanity. Now is neither the time nor place to air such things, and professionalism is really the call to duty. Loyalty.

"Beets? Tony, you do know they're vegetables, right?"

Pepper offers the slightest of curtsies, a smile tingeing her face. It disappears quickly, however, at the 'red head' quip. Ouch.

"I don't want your liver, Tony. It would kill mine with a glance." It seems almost too easy for a response, the back and forth a standard of patter that simply is.

"Thank you for accepting our invitation." There's a pause before she gestures towards a chair, "Please? Be comfortable." Pepper won't sit before anyone else does.

"I know you're very busy, but this was important." Guess who the more serious.. sober? one is?

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna glanced around once, her attention shifted from Tony as he greeted.. and joked, and then to Pepper as the woman greeted her. Lorna nodded her head once, and cracked a faint smile. Though if that was at Tony's words or Pepper's it was hard to say. She moved to the seat indicated and she sat down smoothly, and folded her hands on her lap, her legs crossed. "Well, you'll have to give up your vast fortunes then, and start up that beet farm." She quipped finally, and she sighed heavily. Whatever humor was there fading just as rapidly as it had appeared.

"I'm giving you a second chance to speak with me because my siblings work with you, and because people I know and trust seem to have faith that under all the snark, that you're a good person. Otherwise, I would be listening to my advisors and turning you invitation down." She murmured simply, her gaze flickering between Pepper and Tony.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Your siblings are good people," Tony adds, waiting until Lorna is seated before pulling out a chair for Pepper and then seating himself - manners! He has them sometimes.

"They're good people, and they'd be the first ones to tell you about the kind of life we lead. It's ... big. We're in front of cameras almost whenever we step out that door. Ours are names that people just know. When things get too dangerous for the authorities to handle? They look to us to step in. That's what the Avengers are. A very public-facing group that spends a lot of its time risking their lives. Or just trying to help people."

He holds out his hands towards Lorna, palms facing up. As he speaks he glances sidelong at Pepper, as though silently checking his words with her before pressing on.

"My comment was ... spur of the moment. I'm not trying to defend it. It was the wrong thing to say, and I stand by your reaction. Your advisors might even have been right, as far as they know me. But this here is an opportunity for you to get to know me better than they do. I won't lie to you and say I haven't had my misgivings about Genosha in the past - anybody who tells you they haven't is a liar. I'm sure if you trace your way back through history you'll find every first generation of royal families gets side-eye."

A deep breath, turning his palms flat on the table.

"But I've been to Genosha. I've seen the destruction there. No worries I've had in the past warrant that. Even if you turn around and walk out of here and throw every bit of influence you've got behind Luthor, that's not going to change where I stand on this. Whoever destroyed Hammer Bay is going to be found. They're going to pay. And if I end up in that office, the mutants of the United States will never have a reason to be afraid of their government again."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Once Lorna is seated, Pepper looks to Tony with a slight nod and before she can put a hand on the back of a chair, Tony's got it pulled out for her. //Damn him!//. Reaching out to smooth out her skirt, she sits down and glances up at her boss.. and sees the same man he's always been, and she murmurs a soft, "Thank you". Once she's seated, she's got her own StarkTablet, and it's laid on the table, the screen dark. Off the record.

Delicately landscaped brows rise at the mention of 'second chance', and her expression turns thoughtful; an expression Tony is sure to recognize. It's the 'how to salvage this' look that borders on 'disapproving', but stops just short.

It's his words, however, that work to dig himself out of that diplomatic hole he'd placed himself in, and she's proud of him. Her body language says as much with the slight straightening of her shoulders, and her attention on his words.

"If you know Tony, your Majesty, those aren't just empty rhetoric. Once he gets an idea in his head?" The smile rises, a hint ruefully, "There's very little to stop him. He can be many things, but a liar isn't one of them. When he gives his promise, he means it."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna leaned back in her seat, "The whole world had Magneto protocols, and when I went to Genosha the world watched. Just as they watch me now, I am well aware of being in the public eye. I made that choice, when I tracked down my birth father to confront him." She pursed her lips together, "I wasn't born into a privileged lifestyle. I didn't even know I had powers until I was in high school and the Professor found me. Before that I was just the bipolar girl with green hair and dead parents. So you can see why perhaps the comments you made were taken as untoward." She exhaled a breath, her jaw working over feelings that remained unsaid.

"There are a great many mutants out there with physical mutations alone, and no powers. So in particular, what you said was hurtful and cruel. Regardless of whether or not you recognized me, if you become president, you will be representing a great deal of people from different walks of life. And you need to do better." She glanced at Pepper then, and then back to Tony and inclined her head slightly.

"That's all well and good, but Genosha needs support more than revenge. Revenge won't put a roof over survivor's heads, nor keep others from looting the remains. I know you can be a hero, it's all people talk about. But I need you to show me that you can and are willing to help my people with the full political force you'd bring to the table."

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony pauses for a moment, taking in Lorna's reply. For his part he doesn't answer to the allegations of cruelty, though he does not his head. He pays a momentary glance towards Pepper when she speaks on his behalf, and the corner of his mouth twitches into the ghost of a smile. But then eyes are back on him, and he presses on.

"The Maria Stark Foundation has already started putting together humanitarian aid deliveries," Tony answers evenly, "It's difficult to get boots on the ground given the situation, but we've been fundraising for those and putting them together since it started. I know some of the survivors are being shipped to Wakanda, but Wakanda is in a ... tenuous position."

He may know the truth of the secretive nation, but it isn't his secret to share.

"These aren't problems I can just throw money at, you understand. I need you to tell me where you're hurting and what you need. I'm not in the business of airdropping bibles and flyers that say 'America #1'."

He lifts his hands from the table, holding them parallel to his chest and cycling them over one another.

"This is a back and forth relationship. I won't lie and tell you I don't have influence now, and if things go my way I'll have several orders of magnitude more than that a year from now. I'm going to help you. But you'll understand, I hope, that you can't just stand there and raise and eyebrow at me and expect me to know where to put the bandaid. I want to be partners in this."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Not only that," Pepper adds, her shoulders are still squared in the pride and perhaps not a little bit of defensiveness for her employer, "the Foundation has it's hands in quite a few philanthropic endeavors. Science fairs, STEM classes, internships for those who 'don't make the grade' elsewhere but have talent and drive. Please don't assume that we..." There's a pause before she takes a breath and exhales in a soft puff before continuing, "... he doesn't understand that there is more out there than those with a silver spoon." She's still so very polite, but there is that decided ability to negotiate that has served her so well when addressing other corporations.

Does Tony know about half the programs she's spearheaded? Don't know..

"This really is a two way street, and to do justice to it requires an even exchange." Partners, as Tony said.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna pursed her lips together briefly, and she glanced down at her lap. "T'Challa jumped in as soon as the news broke about my people. I can never hope to repay Wakanda's generosity toward Genosha. The supplies, the medical care.. it was phenomenal. I am trying my best to run Genosha opposite to my father's way. He did so entirely in isolation, and going forward.. that isn't something Genosha can do. I am attempting to increase our presence internationally, as well as develop ties to other nations." She exhaled a breath, and pushed her hair back.

"The point I am attempting to explain is that I am unable to point at one thing and say we need this or we need that. The whole of the country is in tatters. There are bodies to bury, rubble to clear, pirates and looters crawling over the island, and simple utilities required. We've started only in Hammer Bay because that's all we can manage at one time. We haven't even been able to consider Carrion Cove." She shrugged, and glanced once toward Pepper.

"I can't offer a two way street, Genosha has nothing at this point to return."

Tony Stark has posed:
There's another look from Tony to Pepper. Whatever is on his mind, he doesn't say it aloud but he seems almost apologetic. There's a definite trace of sadness in his eyes, something altogether unusual for him. It only lasts a second as his eyes drop down to the darkened tablet in front of him, tapping it thoughtfully with his index finger. But then he's speaking again, shaking his head lightly.

"Genosha has its people. It has its monarch. It has its friendship - that's all I want. I want the world to see that the days of Genosha being a dangerous question mark on the map are over. We're standing together now. We're all Genoshans now."

He rises up from his chair now, apparently building up a bit of a fervor as he paces back and forth at the end of the table.

"I'm not looking to profit off this. If I sink a billion dollars into your country and never see a dime in return, I couldn't care less. I spend billions of dollars designing suits of armor that I spend my time destroying in ludicrously dangerous situations," he gestures towards Pepper now, "Ask Pepper to show you the books sometime. You'll weep."

"What I'm seeing here, now," he continues, pointing to his temple with an extended index finger, "Is your vision of Genosha. A safe haven for your people. A strong ally. A friend. We can make that happen - and we're going to. That's what I want. Pepper and I are going to work towards finding the best organizers of relief efforts that money can buy and we're going to put them on Genosha around the clock. All we need is access."

Pepper Potts has posed:
And there it is. Pepper's posture lightens some, her expression turning towards the warmer towards the new monarch, though without pity, and there's that hint of a smile. She inclines her head towards Tony, and seemingly echoes his own sentiments effortlessly, though that flicker behind his eyes isn't missed. She knows him too well.

"You do have something to give to the world, your Majesty. Your friendship. Your trust. Your aid and desire to work together to build your country to where it deserves to be. Understand that this isn't charity, it's not a hand-out and it doesn't put you in a less powerful position. It's.. and investment in the world's future. Everyone benefits."

Sitting back, Pepper looks down at her hands that are pulled to settle on her lap. She's missed this, missed being out and about, but finding that she retains such natural agreement with Tony doesn't make anything any easier. A rueful smile hints upon her face and she shakes her head, "You don't want to see the books. I don't want to see the books, and I need to see them. Stark Industries, the Foundation can help."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna bit her lower lip, watching as Tony got up and started to pace. She wasn't entirely used to seeing people moved to physically get up and pace over Genosha's issues. It did mean something beyond the carefully polite words she'd heard from others. Though she still looked unsure exactly how to react to it. She grew more surprised though as Tony spoke of how much money he could easily sink into her country... and wanted nothing back in return that she couldn't attempt at least.

A rough exhale followed and she looked down at her hands. "I can't promise that everyone that stays in Genosha will be as accepting as I am of any foreign ties. A lot of the mutants there don't look kindly on humans, many were slaves before my father took over. There are scars and they run deeply.. but for all that has happened, mutants... Genosha... we can't afford to stay isolated anymore. We're part of this world, and we can't ignore that." She grimaced, and glanced back up at Tony.

"I'm not saying no, not in the least.. but I want you to understand that many people that survived there... are wary. And I plan to give you full access to Genosha with my blessing.. but know... not everyone will accept my word yet."

Tony Stark has posed:
"Finality is not the language of politics," Tony offers, pausing behind his chair and grasping the back of it with both hands, "Your people have a right not to trust me. Not to trust anybody. The world turned a blind eye to what was happening on Genosha for a long time, and some of us even had the gall to be suspicious of your father. They've got every right to want to fend for themselves."

He starts to move around the table now, taking a few steps to the side and speaking as he goes. When he moves past Pepper he rests a hand on her shoulder for a moment. Just a brief touch as he goes, eyes and attention still focused keenly on Genosha's Queen.

"We're not sending aid with the expectation that they'll smile and sing our praises. Like I said, I don't need them to love us. We'll give them help where we can, and the tools to help themselves where we can't. And maybe, over time, we can start to move past those scars."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"It's not going to be an easy path for you either," Pepper adds softly, "but you have access to a great deal of help. Don't be afraid to call."

Pepper is very aware of Tony's progress through the room even if she doesn't really want to look at him. She can't help it, though. It's just, keeping a watchful eye? She hasn't been prouder of him than at this moment, in this meeting, and the touch on her shoulder burns hot, even briefly.

Her expression flickers, and she makes the grand attempt to recover, the last bits of his words echoing in her head. It's not for her, no. For Genosha.

"It'll be okay. It won't be overnight. It may not be in a year, two years.. but I'm sure with those you surround yourself with.. Tony, the Avengers, your friends at Xavier's," her head bounces lightly, "It'll be okay."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna exhaled a breath, and some of the tension in her shoulders loosened as she leaned back. It would seem that Tony's words had slowly begun to convince the young woman that he was sincere and more over, willing to do more than just say pretty words. It was what Scott had said up and down, that Tony was a hero, and someone he trusted. She had never been quite so sure. "I appreciate it, and I say as much because I've struggled with factions within my own people. Many followed my father for years, and think that it makes me.. and Genosha appear weak to work with others. I've had to fight my own people and I was attacked... all the while I've tried to defend these people from looters and pirates..." She shifted in her seat and as Pepper spoke she gestured toward the other woman.

"The X-men have set up a base of operations there. To try to combat against the pirates and looters. But there's bound to be issues between them and the Brotherhood and my father's Acolytes. I've tried my best to keep the two factions separated but we'll see how long that lasts."

Tony Stark has posed:
"At the risk of sounding flippant again and putting myself back where I started," Tony answers, still moving around the table slowly, "Your father didn't have to deal with the beating heart of the country being turned to ashes. Comparing you in anything finer than the broadest strokes is unfair and ... well, wrong."

Another careful look is cast back towards Pepper. He is used to doing things his own way and plowing on ahead regardless of the consequences. But in this situation he seems to defer to her, as though checking her for his own errors. He catches that flicker of an expression, but there's no look of recognition on his face.

Now he does something else strange for him. He takes to one knee besides Lorna's chair, kneeling there for a second and looking up at her pointedly. There's determination in his eyes.

"We'll let the X-Men handle the peacekeeping. I don't want to put a single weapon on the ground there if it can be avoided. If I go there again, I'm going without the armor. We're going to help you. It's like Pepper said, you can talk to us. I don't have any interest in pushing you towards one agenda over another. My agenda is peace and prosperity for Genosha."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Now that? The wherewithal and specifics? Not Pepper's department. Where Tony puts his money and why is up to him; there's this rich history of funding factions and wars that she simply doesn't want to relive, thank you very much. Underlying that, of course, is the perfectly rational fear that Tony will get personally involved. (And there it is!) Taking a soft breath, Pepper smiles tightly and shakes her head, before looking up at the other woman, "I wish there were more answers."

Manicured brows rise for a second time at Tony's gesture, the knee in front of Lorna. Shifting in her seat, she watches as well as listens, no longer feeling the need to interject. What they've said, they've said, and it appears that it's been accepted. Now, it's a matter of how all this will play in the media later, that is, action without words. Reaching for her tablet, Pepper lays it in her lap, the screen still dark.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna blinked in surprise as Tony spoke in such a... well, honestly insightful way. It took her aback. No one had ever said that to her, not once. There were oaths and promises that she was nothing like her father, lectures from those that wanted her to be more like him.. and well, Tony's words hit home, and it showed in her stunned expression.

She stared, rocked to silence as he shifted about and knelt at her side. The young Queen blinked repeatedly, as if struggling with her emotions for a moment. She took a breath, as if trying to process what to say. "I think I know why Wanda and Pietro trust you now.. a little bit." She smiled slightly, but it was pained. "I judged you wrongly, I'm sorry. And thank you. I appreciate it, and I know my people will one way or another."