16042/Avenger's Halloween Plans 2023

Avenger's Halloween Plans 2023
Date of Scene:	08 October 2023
Location:	Avengers Mansion - First Floor
Synopsis:	Greer, Pepper and Janet have a casual meet-up at the Mansion to discuss decorations for Halloween.
Cast of Characters:	Janet van Dyne, Pepper Potts, Greer Grant

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Janet van Dyne has posed:
The Avengers always go all-out for holiday decorations. Part of it is that there are a lot of tour groups, including children, who want to see the Mansion as part of special field trips. Of course the rest of it is that the Avengers have a lot of highly creative, 'Type A' personalities who live for any excuse to throw themselves into arts and crafts.

Janet is right in the middle of the late-afternoon activity, making countless small corrections and changes to the work being done by the support staff. Dozens of people are milling about and hard at work, whether it's hanging up spider-silk or creating paper-mache decorations to scatter around the premises.

Steam curls out of a nearby cup of hot cider, which smells suspiciously like it's mostly rum. "No-- we do have to *live* in here," she reminds one of the staffers holding a leering, bloody skull the size of a beach ball. "Put the scary stuff out back for the haunted mansion. I don't want to have electronic witches gibbering at me every time I go down the hallway," she says, and points at the passage leading out of the main room.

Pepper Potts has posed:
While Janet might have the workmen busy in their tasks, Pepper has borrowed a few of Tony's robots for just such an occasion. Type A is absolutely in play here. The Mansion itself is a monument to such! Above and beyond the decorating for kids and the occasional tour group, it's also the opportunity to be in a 'neighborhood house decorating' community effort. They'll never win, no.. not with the amount of money and ability that lives within, but in this one thing, it really doesn't matter.

Decorating and being a part is what is most important.

(Right?)

One of the drones is furiously whistling at one of the workers, to the point where it may come to blows. Pepper catches the red gleam that lies just under the surface, and clears her throat, "C-24, don't you dare. Get back to putting up the hooks for the lines." The response is a sullen but agreeable whistle as it flies off to the third floor, calling out to the others.

With that nipped in the bud, Pepper's got a couple of boxes worth of do-dads to place in the front yard. Looking up at that skull, the redhead wrinkles her nose and nods her agreement with Janet. "I.. I think that should go somewhere else. Clint's room, maybe?"

Greer Grant has posed:
"You get enough of gibbering witches whenever you have to deal with federal regulators," Tigra says to Janet. "No reason to have more of them here." Not exactly a Type A herself, but it's fun to be out and decorating for the kids to come, reminds her of being one herself. There's a cup of hot cider set aside for her, no rum in hers, buat the moment she's clambered up a wall to help some of the staff secure a line with cut-out ghosts hanging from it that are about as scary looking as Blink, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. She gets the line secured and then drops effortlessly to the ground, crouching to absorb the impact, and then step over to the cider.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet grins at Pepper's devilish suggestion. "Oh, I like that idea," she concurs, and hands the skull off. "Maybe in his closet? I don't know, get creative," she bids the staff member, and dismisses them with an airy little flicker of her fingers.

"Who should be in charge of the haunted mansion bit out back?" Janet asks the other two women. She collects her mug in both handles and cradles it on her fingertips to take a long, self-indulgent slip. "I think Tony might get too creative with the electronics and Bruce would see it as a frivolity." She narrows her eyes in thought and wrinkles her nose. "Steve, maybe?" she hazards. "Not that anything much scares him anymore, but at least he knows what scary is supposed to look like."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper saunters towards the rum with apple cider flavoring and fills a small mug, wrapping her hands around it. She's casual, comfortable, and genuine in these moments; it's when she can relax and not worry about 'the outside'. "Don't I know it," she empathizes with Greer. "It's rare that one can string a sentence together beyond 'because it's policy'." Mind, Stark Industries //might// be a multinational corporation with its own tricks up its sleeves when it comes to federal regulations...

*ahem*

"I," Pepper's looking at Janet, and once she's got one sip of that apple cider, she's joining her best friend. "I think Tony would be insulted if he wasn't asked, and.." there's a pause before, "Steve's past the 'put a sheet over the head and cut out holes' for a costume, right?" There's a gentle humor within. "I can't see him as the 'jump out with a machete' sort of person. It might scare the kids."

Greer Grant has posed:
Tigra crouches down to pick up her mug and take a quick sip. "Trouble I'm glad not to have. Punch bad guys, look good doing it, that's about my speed, thank you." She considers Steve and scaring folks. "I can see him dressing up kind of spooky, but not super horrible. Kids kind of want to be scared at Halloween, and I can see him trying to scare them precisely that amount, but not anymore. Enough to be fun, not enough to give 'em nightmares later. I'll bet you twenty bucks he's got sketches done up for it already."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"You two are wildly underestimating how devious Steve can be," Janet says with a smirk. "You do know he's an artist, right? Trust me, if you give him the right motivation, you can make him do just about anything." Janet laughs wickedly into her cider, taking a sip to hide a wholly unrepentant grin.

"I'm not trying to put a strangehold on the party planning," Janet clarifies a beat later. "Anyone can decorate, it's a team effort, right? But I think we can all agree, it would be nice to have some people responsible for making sure things get done one way or another. I am very much hoping we can do a fundraising dinner here, for instance. Or at the Met," she amends, "but I feel like if we get a smaller crowd and really give them a chance to get 'in' with the Avengers socially, I can pry a lot of money loose from their purses. I can't float the bills by myself if Tony decides he's gonna take his toys and go home over something stupid," she grimaces, and looks at Pepper for support.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper sips her drink and as Greer lays her odds, or rather, is offering to lay a bet, she makes an 'mmm' noise and points to her with a finger of her hand that holds her cup. "I'll take that bet." Uh huh. "I can't see Steve doing more than telling a story by a backyard campfire with a flashlight tucked under his chin." All this is said with one of those warm, amused smiles, a laugh underscoring her tones. "Please."

Green eyes shift towards Janet, and catches the smirk, which makes Pepper actually laugh and reaches out to gently 'shove' her friend. "No. He is still the most wholesome man I've met." Still.

Though as fundraising rears its head (not ugly, really!), Pepper nibbles at her bottom lip and nods. "I think a dinner party of potential donors would be good. With subtle decorations." There's that bit of warning! "Or, we really could try the Met. We have a new exhibit coming through that kicks off on Halloween. Spirits, Magic and Art. It is going to focus heavily on the South Pacific, but it is definitely a potential." A sip is taken again; the rum is a bit heavy, but it's perfect to warm a soul from the inside. Besides, she's not driving!

Her head nods ever so slightly; she can't guarantee anything when it comes to Tony. What can she say that would be accurate AND supportive? "I don't see him pulling his support in the near future." Politic, as always?

Greer Grant has posed:
"Oh definitely know he's an artist, what I meant by saying he'd sketched something out already," Tigra says with a quick grin. "I'll trust you when it comes to his deviousness, though. I haven't been on the receiving end of it." A quick glance up at the decorating in process, and idle flick of her tail as she enjoys the smell of her cider. "I'm sure it'd be cheaper here, so more net to the charity, but thinking about how things go, with our luck if we had it here, there'd be a supervillain attack." She tilts her head, looking over at Pepper as she talks about the exhibit at the Met. "Actually, they might just go for that one instead. Any idea if any of the exhibits are genuine magic?"

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet's eyes go up thoughtfully at the suggestion of merging the events, and by the time Greer presses her questions, she's nodding support for the idea. "I mean, we could rope in Stephen to assist," she suggests. "Or whatsername, the chick with the fishnets. Zatanna," she amends, a beat later. "I was pretty floored when I found out her stage routine uses *actual* magic. Couldn't decide if I was thrilled or disappointed," she admits with a breezy laugh.

Janet glances up at a wall clock, frets her lip, and looks back at her companions. "I should probably get out of here before the whole day is shot," she apologizes. "I've got a call in to Dubai I need to get ready for. But the Met idea?" she says, laying fingers on Pepper's wrist. "-Love- it. Let's make it happen." Both women get offered a one-armed hug and an airy cheek-kiss, and Janet breaks away with a wiggle of her fingers. "Toodles, then, darlings, I can't wait to see what you come up with!"

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Oh god, I hope not," is said by a slightly deflating Pepper. Apparently the thought really hadn't occurred to her. It's an art exhibition, not a magic show! "If there is," she begins again, "we'll," her words emerge slowly, "come to that bridge when we get there."

Yes, Stephen!

Pepper looks to Janet with relief and no little thanks in her features. "Perfect. I'll look into the Met," and addressing Greer's concerns, she shakes her head. "I'm on the Board. It'll be fine."

Janet's need to depart happens to coincide with her own, and the hug and air-kiss is returned. "Go knock 'em dead. And if you need to go out there, you can stay at our place." Of course Stark has a mansion in Dubai! Why wouldn't he?

"C-24! Get your brothers. Clean up, we have to get home."

Greer Grant has posed:
"Zatanna's great. She helped me out of a big jam, once. Absolutely lovely person, and she does rock the fishnets." A brief sip of her cider and she leans in to the hug and cheek-kiss. "Hello, goodbye, to Dubai," she says. A return waggle of fingers and flick of her tail in farewell. A slightly amused eyebrow goes up as Pepper slowly draws out her words, realizing the ramifications behind them, and there's a quick grin at the relief that comes with mentioning Stephen. "If I can help with any of that, let me know. Could reach out to Zatanna if you like."