1316/Treasures in Brooklyn

Treasures in Brooklyn
Date of Scene:	23 April 2020
Location:	Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Looking for small bits of treasure in Brooklyn leads to larger conversations, in passing.
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Dmitri Pushkin, Tony Stark

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Pepper Potts has posed:
The City is never truly quiet, even in the early hours. One, three peop,e on the sidewalks every couple of blocks, loud voices that travel even further, and headlights. Always headlights.

Dressed down in something appropriate for both the area and season, Pepper is walking with some purpose towards a dark colored sedan, package tucked under her arm. The shops she passes, however, catches her notice as if she'd never seen them before. One, an antiques shop with some baubles in the window; perhaps not thought to ho,d much value as they were never pulled from the display. One seems to catch her eye, and she wants her

Pepper Potts has posed:
... One seems to catch her eye, and she cants her head, approaching the window to see it closer.

Dmitri Pushkin has posed:
     Inside of the antiques shop a man in a dark brown searsucker suit talks with the alderly attendant. The two have been speaking for some time before he slaps his hand in the hand of the owner. A smile crosses his face showing a lone missing tooth on the top row of his teeth.

     The brown haired bearded man turns to one side revealing his crimson tie and Russian flag pin. He moves over to one side grabbing hold of a small plaque with the words Justice League embossed across its surface. He brings the plackard in close kissing it firmly on the surface. A moment later he's tucked it under his arm.

     His hand goes back out shaking that of the elderly figure vigerously before he turns back for the door of the antiquities dealer. There's a spring in his step and a song in his heart as he steps out into the world beyond the store taking in a deep breath of air.

     (How beutiful the day!) His words echo out in russian as he swings the door open with one hand. His plackard is under one arm and a strange looking helmet is in his hand. It's a red and white metal with a yellow disk at the center of the head. He holds it like one might hold a bowling ball.

     "Ah." He speaks looking towards Pepper. "Miss Potts, I did not expect to run into you of all people around here." He reaches out a hand for a shake before pulling it back and switching which hand holds the helmet. "Dmitri Pushkin, CEO of Elektronorgtechnica." Spoken with a friendly smile, as he extends back out that hand which just a moment prior had been holding onto the strange combat helmet.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper knows how to window shop, she really does. She doesn't have to go in, which means she avoids clutter. Taking a step back and turning to begin her path to her waiting car, she's stopped by the broad voice.

A polite smile rises to her face, practiced and seemingly genuine, and she turns, "Mr Pushkin," is repeated, and she extends a delicate hand for greeting. Brows rise and she continues, "The City holds treasures, and you only have to take the time to look."

Dmitri Pushkin has posed:
     His boisterous voice carries with it a great deal of weight. He lets out a loud laugh from the bottom of his heart smiling wide and happy. "Many great treasures indeed if you know where to look for them." He adjusts his grip on the helmet rolling it around in his hand. "You would be suprised how many parts of old combat suits I am finding in pawn shops and antique stores around the city."

     He holds up the helmet in his hand spinning it around on a single finger. The glass visor is baddly cracked the glass itself partially shattered with a large hole in it and the side of the helmet.

     "I was just telling friend the other day about the wonderous little artefacts for sale in this part of town." He tosses the helmet up into the air catching it once more. "Uniforms. Weapons. The possibilities they are endless I am telling him."

     He looks back over towards her for a moment. "So Miss Potts, I was doing thinking and an idea has come to me, how much would it be for one of those full sized reactors Stark Industries makes?" He walks along the sidewalk with her. Stood in its own parking spot belonging to the antiquities dealer is a full suit of red and white armor on the chest the numbers 04 and a bright red hammer and sicle on the shoulder along with a russian flag. "If there are any that are being sold of course." He would keep up with her pace. "I am looking at building space station and it would be nice to have green energy to power it, solar pannels and perhaps one of those fancy arc reactos at the center of it all."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Once retrieving her hand, Pepper shifts her own package, still tucked under her arm. The polite smile hasn't yet faded in conversation as she tries to recall the company name; aaaah, yes.

"Military artifacts? I'm sure there are a lot around, some collecting dust simply because families don't know what they have."

Though, as the topic moves towards Stark specializations, she does offer the seemingly apologetic shift to her expression and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but not as of yet. I'm sure when Mr Stark decides how to introduce it to the free market, you'll hear. There are a great many considerations, though I do applaud your desire for clean energy." Her pace has politely slowed, but not yet stopped.

Dmitri Pushkin has posed:
     "Truly that is a shame Miss Potts" Dmitri shakes his head letting out a low sigh. "In that case I suppose I will have to stick to other sources of energy such as solar panels for my little project." He smiles up towards the sky. "This may not be exactly well known but I am doing my part to put the Justice League back together." He looks back down over towards his suit of power armor.

     "The way I see it there is no better way to have a truly independent heroics group then to place it somewhere that governments do not reach." He nods his head. "Space seems as good a place as any for that, a place in geosynchronous orbit where there can be an eye kept on the state of the world"

     "It is freeing idea to be sure, even with superman dead and buried." He places one hand onto his chest. "I believe there is still place in the world for the Justice League, but I speak too much on these things I am sorry." He pauses taking his hand and motioning in a slight bow. "It is most rude of me to fill your day with such talk" He moves over towards the suit of rocket red armor and begins strapping the plaque to the back of the suit for transit. "There are not many opportunities for a word with someone such as yourself without lengthy waiting lists" He chuckles under his breath. "So it seemed good idea to take opportunity where it presented itself, though I worry I overwhelm you with chatter of business."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Evening, though the City never truly sleeps. People are still out and about, even for the chill in the air. A dark colored sedan is parked a block away, its lights on; a beacon for the window shopping Pepper. She's in polite conversation in front of an antiques shop, a bag tucked under her arm.

Pepper actually laughs softly and shakes her head, her expression lightly amused. "I don't blame you a bit. I would do the same thing, honestly. And I think the Justice League does deserve to return," she begins s again cautiously. "Space, though?" Dubious...

Tony Stark has posed:
Mutant Town is not quite a haven for the wealthy elite, and it's uncommon to see a car like the sunset orange Audi R8 that now hums with electrical quiet up alongside Pepper's car to block traffic. The window hums as it lowers, and a man in sunglasses despite the hour and a finely-tuned goatee leans out of the window. Tony climbs across the passenger seat reaches a hand out of the window, tapping his knuckles noisily on the driver's side. When it slows down, he's now face to face with Happy.

"There's a forehead emergency back at base, we need our top guy. I'll take care of Pepper."

As Happy begins to argue, Tony is already moving back into his car and sliding the window shut.

"I can't hear. There's something wrong with the car. I can't - " his voice is muffled as the window thunks shut.

Once Happy has moved the car out of the spot, Tony slides the Audi into it and climbs out to look towards Pepper first and then Dmitri over the top of the car.

"Antiquers."

Dmitri Pushkin has posed:
     "Yes Tovarische. SPACE! The one and only frontier left for man kind outside the depths of the ocean itself." He ties off the rope to his suit of armor locking the placard into place with one last tightening of the rope. "A place where man can operate without fear of reproach from the unjust laws of the land that would see heroes unmasked and futures ended."

     He tosses the red and white helmet from one hand to the other before tossing it into the carrying bag of the suit. "A project such as this requires independence first and foremost a protection only international positioning can provide." He smiles broad as he speaks of this plan. "It will take dedication and planning, and a fair bit of money but I have many good feelings about this plan." He places his hands down onto his hips. "I will construct what I can on earth and then fly it into space for final assembly this way it will create a perfect staging platform for heroic efforts"

     Then he turns his attention towards the car that's just come up on the two. He pauses for a moment looking over at it with a somewhat confused expression on his face. One hand raises for a moment before returning back down to his side. A moment later that same hand rises back up to give a small wave in the direction of Stark.

     "So this is Stark?" He looks for a long moment. (Oh sometimes, rarely in this world do I wonder if there is not a god looking down and laughing at me.) He adds in Russian (Then I remember to count myself lucky that no such god exists.)

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I like being on the ground," Pepper admits, "though I have to admit..." and her voice begins to fade as the familiar sound of a performance car throttles up the street, passing the pair initially in order to cause the dark sedan and its occupant no little grief. Pepper's own jaw drops before she clamps it shut again, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Excuse me, p,ease?" A step is taken, but no more before she calls out, "Oh no.. no you don't, Tony.. Happy, stay..." but, alas and alack her ride departs. Pepper's shoulders slouch and she exhales in a soft chuff. Turning back around, she smiles tightly and gets herself back together. Inclining her head, she continues, "Yes, it's Mr Stark. I guess right p,ace, right time."

Tony Stark has posed:
"Yes, it is I," Tony says with a haughty air that may be either put on or just how he actually feels - one can never quite tell, "No flash photography. No tapping on the glass. Selfies using Stark-approved filters only. Tiktoks welcome."

Tony says all this as he steps around from the driver's side of the car and up onto the pavement. As Pepper orders Happy to stay, he turns his head and watches his erstwhile driver and bodyguard nevertheless peel off into the night. He watches the taillights fade for a moment before turning back to Pepper, eyes raised behind his sunglasses.

"I had to ditch the security detail," Tony tells her with a slight pout, "The least you could do is let me drive you home."

His head then turns to regard Dmitri casually, asking Pepper without turning back to her: "Who's your beardy buddy?"

Dmitri Pushkin has posed:
     Dmitri takes in all that is Tony Stark for a moment. His hands go down into the pockets of his brown searsucker suit. He gives a quiet humm. His bright red tie is caught in the wind slightly billowing to one side, his Russian flag pin on his lapel catching the light.

     Behind the 6'7" Dmitri man is a 7 foot tall suit of bright red and white powered armor. Rocket propulsion system on the back of the suit, laser systems mounted on each wrist with large cables leading to the back of the suit. It's an elegant work from a forgotten era, specifically the 1950's. The number 04 is embossed in red on one breast a hammer and sickle in bright gold rests in the center of a red star on the other breast. The suits helmet has the letters CCCP just above the brow its visor made from an advanced alloy with a single strip of gold shining through the helmet.

     "I, am Dmitri Pushkin at your service." He takes a slight bow nodding his head down low. "I am of the Rocket Red Brigade, a hero of the people." He smiles showing off that one missing tooth on the top row. "I have been since the seventies, and now I am looking for a way to bring back the Justice League." He smiles broader still. "But enough about me, I do not come this way to talk about myself, it would be rude to do such a thing!" His voice is booming and boisterous every word filled with a confidence and joy.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper, too, watches those taillights disappear, and with it her chance to get back to her apartment on the Upper West Side with sanity intact. She exhales in that sigh again, and with a concerted effort to make things outwardly 'normal` for the world (as the world is always watching!), she shakes her head. "I had a perfectly good ride home.." is started softly before she animatedly turns about again for introductions. "This is," and her free hand gestures in Dmitri's direction before the other man fills in the gaps. Right.. "Mr Pushkin is looking to bring the Justice League back, Tony. Considering a presence in space." Casual information lightly offered. "Perhaps we should all talk later?"

The fact the security detail was ditched in favor of finding her isn't missed on her, but that still gets a slightly repricing look. Her voice cants low as she finally takes that step closer to Tony, her voice lowered, "You know you can't keep doing that.." She worries? Or was that about the name calling?

Tony Stark has posed:
"We need a Justice League?" Tony asks, sticking his lower lip out thoughtfully, "We've got the Avengers now. Hell, we've got the best one."

A reference to Wonder Woman and her presence on the Avengers roster, no doubt. As Pepper chastises him, Tony takes a pointed step around Dmitri to get a closer look at the armor. He wrinkles his nose a little, clasping hands behind his back and leaning forward to get as close a look as he can without actually laying a finger on it. He knows the kinds of security countermeasures built into his own suits, after all.

"I've heard of these," he sniffs, standing up straighter and looking back to Dmitri, "You not so much, but you've got to be twenty pounds of shit in a five pound bag to outshine the suit, you know? You know."

When Pepper mentions ditching the security detail he just kind of waves a hand and shakes his head, leaning back a little to whisper to her: "They believed me when I said I was buying a soda. If they believed something that patently false they don't deserve to guard my body. I'll guard my own body."

Dmitri Pushkin has posed:
     "Afraid of the competition Tovarische?" Dmitri's words are pointed and jabbing. "The world is a big enough place for more then just the avengers." He moves to one side allowing Stark to take a better look at the suit. "Just because you are the newest kids on the block does not make you the best for every situation comrade."

     His suit has been highly modified over the years slim and sleek to the core with a design that makes use of alien alloys that are almost unheard of on earth. It's a weapon of war to the core that shines in the light of day standing tall and proud. A complex series of metal tubes run the length of the armor for coolant or something more it's not easy to be certain.

     "The problems of the modern age require multilateral solutions that one group of vengeance bringers alone can not provide." He chuckles to himself. "I can not expect you to agree of course but bringing the Justice League back to full force is something I have decided to dedicate my life to." He pauses for a moment setting his hand on the shoulder of his suit. "The Justice League is more then petty vengence, more then the sum of its parts." He pats his hand onto the shoulder of the suit."A collective of people banded together around the core ideals of doing what is right no matter the costs." He looks into the visor of his own suit for a moment. "You may have the latest toys, may even gain membership from some former Leaguers, but I think time will tell the two approaches apart one from another."

Pepper Potts has posed:
    here are so many things Pepper could say regarding Tony's ability to guard his own body, but she's silent on the matter. She worries; more than she should, really. Instead, she wraps her jacket around herself, holding onto her package in front of her as Tony is lured towards the suit. She watches him, them now, and is content in her moment of listening to the two men talk of suits, heroes..
    hat doesn't mean, however, that she doesn't cast a glance towards the direction taken by that dark sedan...

Tony Stark has posed:
"Could be. Could be I'm concerned about the idea of a cabal of superhumans living in orbit deciding what's right without any form of oversight. I trust the Avengers because I know who to hold accountable at the end of the day."

Tony pauses to listen to the spiel on the Justice League, chin tilted upwards slightly to keep his eyes hidden behind the sunglasses that reflect the streetlights and the people around him. He's already attracting a little attention as a passing many with a shock of white-blue hair across the street waves a hand in the air and calls out 'Hey Tony!' to him. Tony offers a tight-lipped smile and a wave before focusing his attention again on Dmitri.

"Now whose sounding a little competitive, Tovarische?"

Then he smiles broadly, that political smile he's been practicing in the bathroom mirror.

"I'm looking forward to hearing about it," he says, moving towards Pepper and trying to politely and unobtrusively shepherd her towards the parked sports car, "That Hall of Justice is prime real estate, though. If you're thinking of selling I'm already looking for the future home of the Tony Stark Presidential Library."

A mere look towards the Audi prompts the passenger side door to slide open automatically and Tony tries to do the chivalrous thing of taking the package from Pepper, though he also tries to tear into the paper a little in order to get a look inside because chivalry is for dorks.

Dmitri Pushkin has posed:
5r     "I would argue the world needs good people accountable to each other rather then the United Nations." Dmitri takes a step to the side clicking opening the suit. He steps himself in one foot at a time sealing up the suit around him as he walks into it. "The world requires many different approaches to find its function Mr.Stark" He chuckles to himself as the helmet closes down around his head altering his voice somewhat as it seals.

     "Or is that President Stark?" He chuckles to himself once more as the suit seals air tight around him allowing him to flex his hands. A low hiss of air escapes into the night. "I tell you that it is a strange move for you to seek presidential status in your country." He pauses a moment. "Still I wish you best of luck in tieing yourself to this world, and hope it brings you all the joy you are looking for."

     His feet kick together striking the ignition on his rocket boots. In a moment he is gracefully airborn causing him to lift up in the air. A few seconds later he's soaring off into the sky at hyper sonic speeds letting off a low crack as he breaks the sound barrier.

Pepper Potts has posed:
There is the Tony that she knows and... well, knows. The one that she is so honestly proud of. There might be more diplomatic ways of saying things, but at the end of the day, he is who he is.. and there is no reason to change that.

The ushering towards the car, regardless of chivalry is met with that moment of regained clarity and a brief voiced complaint of, "Tony, I can get.." home without.. but of course it lands on deaf ears. while the door slides open and the fingers move to tear the paper, Pepper pulls it away. "No.. later. You're worse than a..." and the rest of the words are muffled as she finally relents and gets into the car.

"Home.. right?"

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony watches Dmitri depart from his place by the open door, eyes narrowed behind the reflective glasses he wears. He might also be recording the footage for dissection later. The armor is certainly a little more vintage than his own, but it functions and that's more than he can say for most versions. Attention is paid.

Then he's moving around the car, climbing into the driver's seat and letting the door shut after him. He clicks his seatbelt, glancing for a moment over at Pepper as she jealously guards the parcel for ambiguous 'later'. Part of him still wants to try and snatch and open it, but he knows better.

"Oh, right, drive," he says after too long a pause, looking around like he didn't realise he was in the driver's seat, "Guess I'm Happy now, huh?"

He affects a heavily knitted brow, puts his hands on the steering wheel, hunches his shoulders and glares about the car.

"Everybody got their security pass? Security pass?" He pats his own empty breast pocket. "Security pass?" He turns on the overhead light to shine it on Pepper as though briefly interrogating her before he turns it off again.

"I'm stopping for burgers," he announces as they pull out of the parking spot and into traffic, trundling away into the night.