16231/Every child a winner

Every child a winner
Date of Scene:	31 October 2023
Location:	Stark Tower: Penthouse
Synopsis:	The last Halloween party of the night is suggested by Janet. Jen is all for it, Pepper is dubious until Tony finds a costume that goes with hers. Then, it's off to the party, and the entire Manchester United football club.
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Jennifer Walters, Janet van Dyne, Tony Stark

---

Pepper Potts has posed:
October is coming to an end; the weather is a lovely fall temperature with the sun shining during the day, and a big ol' full moon to round out the evening, giving that glow over the land to guide the children in their quests for the sweet and the spooky. In the City, schools made sure that the 'big day' could be celebrated by its children, regardless of home-life, and those children absolutely made it their own. Elementary schools were bedecked and festooned with construction paper pumpkins, cardboard black cats with their backs arched and tails puffed, and tissue ghosts dangling from next to invisible fishing line from the ceilings.

Of course there were pageants and parades to show off the clever costumes, some just marched inside the school, down the corridors and some took to the streets to take the walk around the block. Ghosts, ghouls and goblins are always there, with horror movie characters tossed into the mix. In all? A great day for kids and a great day to be a kid.

It is the lucky few from the outside who get to share in this, and for some of the schools, 'special guests' were invited to be judges. Those honored few now have returned from their day, and with promises of holiday fare, there is a retirement to Stark Tower.

The Penthouse is decorated in Halloween as well, though a little more understated than the Avengers' Mansion. The scent of pumpkin spice (of COURSE) fills the air, though when one gets closer to the kitchenette, the warm, soothing scent of cinnamon and apple cider can be detected. Cupcakes with orange and black icing sit upon a plate, with cookies in all Halloween shapes and sizes sit upon another.

Upon entering, Pepper pauses at the door to pull her shoes off and sets them off in a corner. It's the beginning of her ritual to get comfortable; she's home.

"Please, make yourself at home," she begins, as if she has to? "I.. am going to turn off the televisions," that are always on, "and actually have some of that cider." Pepper's tones hold a hint of 'long day', but her words are decidedly upbeat. "I don't think we do that often enough."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer lives for this shit. Instead of her sexy Bride of Frankenstein costume that she's been wearing for the more adult parties that she's gone to, she's wearing a more modest Wicked Witch of the West costume. She didn't even need to paint herself green! While the adults got the costume's reference, to the kids she was just a giant green witch. Good enough in her books.

    Upon entering the penthouse, she slips off her shoes. "Something smells good," she says. "I think I'll have some of that cider, too."

    "You know," she says, following Pepper into the kitchen, "I loved Halloween as a kid. It was the one day I could pretend to be somebody cooler than who I was and people would go along with it." She lets out a rueful chuckle, "Kinda sad, I know, but you have to remember that I was a huge nerd as a kid."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"Then first thing I'm doing, is changing into club attire," Janet quips. She follows Pepper inside, waits for Jen to pass, then takes a small duffel bag from her assistant. "You're a dear for coming in today, Arthur," she praises him. "Go see your niblings. Get a pile of candy and charge it to the corporate card," she encourages.

"Yes'm. Thank you very much," Arthur says, and bows his head in a way that would be obsequious were he not so properly British. It's all somewhat undercut by his costume, disguised as the Ace of Hearts to complement Janet's attire as the Red Queen.

The socialite shuts the door and makes a beeline the nearest convenient room to change in, shedding her costume in a trail of clothing and accessories in her wake.

"Don't get too comfy, ladies," she calls to her friends. "Jen, make sure Pepper doesn't put sweatpants on. The entire Manchester United team is going to be at the club tonight, so it'll be free and easy pickings," she says, leaning around the half-open door while changing outfits.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Once through that door, everything of the world outside remains 'out there'. The Penthouse is still sanctuary, Pepper's sanctuary, and once in, it is a little harder to get her to leave that Tower again. "Yes, thank you Arthur." A real British personal assistant!

"I can see that, Jen," Pepper offers up in pleasant conversation. The cups are pulled down for the mulled cider, and the passing of the drinks begins. "Oh, I am pretty sure you weren't a nerd, though. I bet you were a lot of fun then, too."

The Penthouse has many rooms, guest rooms off to the side, and when Janet disappears with her admonition, Pepper's brows rise. "Oh no," she calls, "I'm in." Once she's in, she's in? "I don't need to go.." The WHOLE Manchester United team? Really?

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen just snorts. "No, I was a nerd. Complete and total nerd. You've seen me when I'm not tall and green." She grins as she accepts the cup of mulled cider. "Me and Bruce would get together and just... read for fun, you know? You can't get any nerdier than that."

    When Janet announces that the party has only started she asks, "Do I have enough time to go home and get into my sexy Bride of Frankenstein costume?" She holds up her arms and inspects her modest attire. "This is a bit too PG to be clubbing in."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet emerges from the bedroom wearing a ... slightly stripped-down version of her court outfit. A close-fitting red corset, white puffy armbands below her shoulders, and a hoop skirt cut almost indecently high. The makeup's been toned back significantly, ditching the white and red for smoke and sanguine.

"Pepper, don't make me start a fire again," she says with a (dangerously) casual tone. The socialite holds up a suit jacket carrier and hooks it to a wall sconce, then unzips it so it hangs wide open. Pym tech is definitely in play as she makes a Bride of Frankenstein outfit appear in the bag. "I took the liberty of making some alterations to it," Janet promises Jen with a sunny smile. And it's no stained rag, it's a carefully fitted, hemmed, and tailored outfit that conveys 'Bride of Frankenstein' while looking like an art piece all on its own. There is, also, a *lot* of missing fabric even compared to Jen's original one.

"Pepper, I've got some outfits for you too if you don't have something hot to wear," she assures the redhead. Janet leaves the bag open and goes right to the bar, tapping her nail on the counter to wake the robot attendant. "Cuba libre," she requests of it, and turns back to face her friends. "I've got designated drivers on standby, my jet is at O'hara fully fueled and ready to go, and I brought my cruise ship up from the Bahamas earlier this month. We can keep the party going through Hawaii time if we want."

Pepper Potts has posed:
A barstool is pulled a couple of inches so Pepper can slide on, serving as a silent statement of her desire to stay put. The cider, too, is taken into hand and cradled, the mug warm beneath her fingers. "Uh huh," and there is that smirk that Janet so knows and relies upon at times for her own shenanigans. "You do know that I know that nerds and geniuses are worse than the general public out there." She lives with Tony, after all. "For all I know, you did something and set a timer for it to go off in 10 years." Revenge is a dish best served cold, anyone?

When the Bride of Frankenstein is mentioned, however, Pepper whistles softly and takes a sip of her cider. Green eyes are dancing in amusement, her tones echoing the sentiment, "You're encouraging her, Jen." Of course she is! They are both ready to feed off the other, and Pepper can feel herself being pulled in.

It's when Janet questions if Pepper has anything 'hot' to wear that she dons something of an insulted mien, though totally theatric. "Of course I do." There's a pause before, "I just.." No.

Exhaling in a long sigh, however, those chinks in the armor are weak, and Pepper shakes her head. "I thought they were in New York?" Janet's appearance at the door has Pepper's brows raising, "You.. you look amazing." The fact that Janet has a plane ready and fueled, though, really doesn't surprise her; Tony has one at his beck and call, as well as the yacht, the helicopter.. and his houses/staff around the world. It's a fact of life when one lives as they do. Her head does tilt, however, "When did you get a cruise ship? Yacht isn't enough?" A chuckle exits soon after, and after another swallow of cider, Pepper is setting it down once more. "You are going to have your hands full not letting them get a handful," is offered dryly. "I'll go.. but as your wingman. And I need to be home in order to reconcile last quarter and make sure our filings for fiscal year is done before the Board meeting on Thursday." At least she's realistic...

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer snorts. "If I could have planned becoming seven feet worth of green sexiness in my twenties I would have been too embarrassed to do so. The thought of anybody just //looking// at me that way would have made me try to crawl into a hole in the ground." There's a bit of a chuckle and a shake of her head. "Becoming a Hulk is one of the best ego boosters in existence, I tell you."

    She accepts the costume that Janet has planned for her and holds what little of it there is up. "This is positively //scandalous//. I'll be right back." She disappears into the bedroom to get changed and when she comes back out the costume she's wearing is scandalous indeed. Instead of basically a white bedsheet she wears a low cut white pencil dress that's been artfully torn in several revealing places. On her arms are the bandages that the Bride wears, but they look more like evening gloves than anything else, and her hair has been artfully teased into poofiness, with white stripes flowing from the temples.

    "Well, Ladies," she says, posing in the doorway, hip cocked and one hand up. "I think I'm ready to meet my Monster tonight."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"Did I say cruise ship?" Janet asks in a bemused tone. "I knew I shouldn't have done uppers and downers at the same time." Her drink appears at her elbow and Janet slakes her thirst by immediately drinking half of it in a few gulps.

The Wasp parties with a purpose.

When Jen sashays out of the room, Janet puts her fingers to her lips and blows a little wolf whistle. "Oww oww, girl you are -hot-," she admires Jen, and walks a quick circle around her, tugging at little spots here and there so it sits Just So. Any corrections she is making are visible only to Janet. "Oh yeah. Yeah, this is gonna burn the club down," she says, and swings her hand to give Jen's tushie a smack while walking back towards Pepper. Janet's eyes bulge a little and she grips her wrist with her other hand. "Shitkickers," she hisses under her breath, and promptly scoops up some ice in her 'injured' hand.

"I would literally cut a bitch to be able to do your core workouts," she tells Jen with a sour note of envy. Because it's JEN'S fault, of course.

Janet looks over at Pepper and her eyes narrow slightly. "Pepper. Costume. And I will-- Pepper, honey," she says, eye pointing. "I will do *unspeakable* things if you mention stocks, bonds, trading, meetings, or budgets to any of the boys tonight. Okay? Good talk."

Pepper Potts has posed:
When Jen disappears for those moments, Pepper looks at Janet and lowers her voice, "I am NOT going to pick up anyone. I don't want to, I don't need to." Whe the green bombshell returns, though, Pepper's brows rise once again, meeting her strawberry blonde hairline. "You look.. amazing." The little corrections Janet makes, well, she can't help it. Fashion eye.. she does the same, only where business is concerned, though Janet is no slouch there either.

"Really. I think they're in trouble." Between Janet and Jen? Hell to the yes.

The mulled apple cider is finished, and Pepper plays around with the cinnamon stick that remains behind, tapping it on the side of the mug. "I am going to keep the two of you out of .. unreasonable trouble. I am perfectly happy with where I am." The warning gains a softly barked laugh, ending with a smile. "Just stop me."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer stands still enough to let Janet adjust her costume, and lets out a surprised little 'eep' at the buttsmack. It's adorable, really. She laughs at Janet's antics, though. "I've got buns of steel to go along with my abs of steel," she says. "My workout regimen is pretty simple. A daily run with Diana, and combat training with the Amazons three times a week. Be//lieve// me," she says. "They'll make you sweat. You're welcome to come along," she offers knowing full well that they probably won't. "On Thursdays they offer kanga riding lessons."

    "So what kind of costume do you have in store for us?" she asks Pepper. "Get yourself a slinky red and gold dress, and steal Tony's gauntlets, you can go as sexy Iron Man."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"I'm not saying take them /home/, I'm just saying, get out there and get your flirt on," Janet assures Pepper. "Nothing's better for your self-confidence than getting some dude to the point where you get to tell him 'thanks but no thanks'. And confidence is the sexiest weapon in our arsenal," she reminds Pepper. It's not like Tony lacks for confidence, after all.

Janet looks from Pepper to Jen and wrinkles her nose. "Speaking of Amazons: no. I can put up with Diana in small doses, and-- yes, Themyscira is the sort of place that'll turn the Kinsey scale sideways. But hanging around here is just..." she visibly bites back a few things. It looks like the self-restraint is hurting her a little. "I just can't be around Princess Perfect for too long," she exhales, almost in one word. "I'm pretty sure I caught Steve checking her ass out when he and I were dating." She throws back her drink and shakes her head, cheeks puffed out. She swallows with a wince and holds a finger up. "--to be fair, I was looking too," she admits. "I just wish she had *some* kind of ... I don't know. Defect? I asked her what her skin routine was and she said 'saltwater scrub'." Janet scoffs and holds her hands out, beseeching the other two women to see her side of it.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper's laugh comes to the surface again and she shakes her head, "I have no idea what to wear. Really." She's not about to steal Tony's gauntlets, or boots, or anything like that! "Janet did say she had a few things," the dubiousness in her tones are there, but obviously teasing and fond. "But you are a knockout."

"Good, because I'm not going to take them home. I'm not even going to use a side room." Or a table, or the kitchen... or.. no. Pepper shakes her head quickly to dislodge any thoughts in that direction. No. Just, no. A single brow rises in that 'self confidence' speech, though she nods through it a couple of times. "It really is," she agrees readily. "So, what you're saying is for me to go and find out if I 'still got it'." There's a dry note to the end there, as if doubting the entire 'it' thing for her. This is //not// her lifestyle. She and Janet are worlds apart when it comes to this, which is probably why they get along so well. "I.." there is that dubiousness again before another exhale happens. "You know, if it makes the papers, it can be a real problem." There she goes, thinking again!

Pepper rises from her seat and approaches Janet, lending not only that 'nod' of seeing her point, but physically 'being there'. "I get it. I think our Wednesday yoga meetings are find, though I am finding that I'm doing more jogging lately." She's over 30, after all!

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer chuckles with a shake of her head. "I, for one, am grateful to have them around. I get to really exercise my mind along with my body. I get to be more than just 'Hulk Smash' you know? Not that there isn't a good time to smash every now and then but..." She shrugs, tapping the side of her head. "I've got brains. Might as well use 'em, right?"

    "Pepper, don't be such a spoilsport," she whines. "It's going to be a heck of a lot of fun. There'll be drinks and plenty of eye candy around. And regular candy." She looks over to Janet for affirmation. "It's not a proper Halloween party without bucketfulls of candy."

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony comes up the stairs from his workshop on the floor below, saying "Pep, do we have any high intensity... Oh, company." He smirks, "Scantily clad company, too. Pepper, you shouldn't have." He walks over to her and gives her a light kiss, then calls over in the direction of the bar "Gin and Tonic." After a few seconds a coaster sized tray with a glass on it hovers over to him.

    He picks up the glass and takes a sip, then looks at the three women. "Ok, one of these things is not like the other. Where's your almost there costume Pepper? We might have a few of those Iron Man dancer outfits from the Expo around here somewhere if you don't have anything else planned. I assume these two are plotting to drag you out somewhere, right?"

    He looks to Janet and Jennifer, saying "Make her do fun things, she works entirely too much. I keep telling her that, but she just doesn't seem to get the rich playboy lifestyle."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet rolls her eyes in agreement with Jen, and not-so-subtly, Janet brushes her tongue over her lips before catching her lower lip between her teeth.

"Alll the eye caaaanHey, Tony!" she calls, and beckons him to come on over. Even though it's his and Pepper's apartment. "Pepper's being a spoilsport and won't pick an outfit, so you can choose for her," she congratulates him. Janet walks over to her portable Pym wardrobe and starts pulling improbable amounts of fully assembled costumes from it. "Let's see, we've got Alice in Wonderland, nun, Batman... oh here, I've got one of Natasha's jumpsuits in here," she proclaims, and pulls the hanger out.

"There, you can go as Black Widow. The hair is even pretty close," she marvels. "Anyway, Pepper pick, Tony pick, I don't care, 'cause we've got to go crash the party at my nightclub while the choice meat is still being served," she explains with a self-satisfied tone. "And yes, Pepper's coming along as my wing-woman. I'm still gonna get her drunk though," she declares. "It's Halloween, it's expected."

Pepper Potts has posed:
There's the theatric whine which has Pepper laughing, "I can hear my mother now, 'If your friends said jumping off a bridge was fun, would you do it?'." As Tony rises from the depths of where his workshop lies, she's quick to add, "Don't answer that."

Tony's arrival, however, almost seems to cement her resolve to //not// going out. Tony vs the entire football club of Manchester United? Everyone should know by now who wins out on that one. If not, someone hasn't been pay attention!

The kiss gains him an affectionate smile with a quick kiss in return before she ducks her head, those brows rising again. "They are. And I think the best choice would be one of Natasha's jumpsuits. I'll go as Emma Peel. An Avenger."

Take that!

"And I'm only going as a wing-man. I really don't need to live the rich playboy life."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer gestures to Tony like, 'See?' "I told you. Sexy Iron Man." Then Janet pulls out one of Natasha's catsuits, which she snappoints at. "Yes! Emma Peel! That way you're ready for any clandestine meetings," she says wiggling her eyebrows.

    "I've jumped off a bridge before," she mentions casually. "Several times. Never for fun though. I don't recommend it unless you're a Hulk."

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony watches the parade of costumes that Janet pulls out, nodding at one or two, but when Pepper chooses the catsuit, he hmms and considers it for a moment. "Not quite as out there as the other two, but you should look pretty good in it. And you do too, because I live the rich playboy lifestyle and I need you there with me. So you need to get used to the parties, galas, general hedonism and the like. Being the top dog at Stark Industries involves more than just spreadsheets, it's an attitude."

    He waves around at the penthouse. "We flaunt our success to intimidate competitors. Not that _my_ designs really have competitors, but not all of Stark's stuff comes straight from the source. And besides, it's fun. What's the point of all of it if at the end of the day it's not fun? Why work so hard if all it means is that we have to work that hard every day?"

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet makes a slow, snoring sound, then pretends to jolt awake when Tony finishes speaking. "Uh! Oh! Did I miss Tony's speech?" she asks the room. "Tony the Philosopher," she teases him. "I'm kidding, you're very inspirational," she soothes with a little flickering of her fingers.

"Okay, 'Emma', go get changed," Janet instructs Pepper. "Tony, I might need you to throw her off the balcony or something before she finds where I hid her sweatpants."

She collects another drink from the auto-bar and rests her elbows on the bar behind her, rocking her frontmost foot back and forth against a stiletto heel.

"Who is Emma Peele, anyway?" she inquires of Jen and Tony. "Is that someone we actually know?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
Brows rise again before she shakes her head, taking the few steps to cross the short distance to get the catsuit. A look is given in Tony's direction before she excuses herself without a word regarding the hedonism, parties, galas.. she attends the parties, the galas. The hedonism, though? Huhn..

Draping it over her arm, Pepper disappears into the bedroom to change, with 'Don't you dare touch my sweatpants, Janet!' thrown out behind her. She'll be in there for a few minutes. After all, what does one //wear// with a catsuit?!

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer grins at Tony. "All work and no play yadda, yadda, yadda," she agrees. "I don't get to go out //nearly// enough, between my practice and the Avengers, so I take every opportunity I can get. Especially Halloween. I mean, when else can I dress up as sexy Bride of Frankenstein?"

    As for the question of Emma Peele, "Oh, she's a character in an old 60's British television show. The Avengers. No relation. You've got the dapper John Steed, and the sexy but capable Emma Peele who has a predilection for tight leather suits. Show was bizarre in the only way that a 60s British television show could be. Used to watch it as a kid, alongside of old episodes of Doctor Who." She blinks. "Which you probably don't know either. Don't worry about it." She takes a breath and says with a grin, "I told you I was a giant nerd."

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony simply sticks his tongue out at Janet when she comments on his speech, then nods at Jennifer "Quite sexy, indeed. I dedicated quite a few childhood daydreams to reruns of the Avengers." He pauses, then says "Homer, have I got a bowler hat around here somewhere?" Almost immediately the AI replies, "Yes sir, second shelf in closet two of the guest room." Tony tosses back a good portion of his drink, puts the glass down on the coaster and says "Back in a few." He heads off through a different door than Pepper took and is gone for a couple minutes.

    When he returns, he's in a tailored suit of an older style, a bowler hat and has an umbrella hooked over his arm. "I thought I had brought some of dad's old stuff when I built this place. Apparently I was thinking ahead. None of my suits really fit the sixties style."

    He walks over to the bar and snaps in the direction of his glass, causing the floating coaster to bring it over to him. Picking it up, he leans against the bar and says "Pepper might be a few minutes, I'm fairly certain she doesn't have much experience putting on something like a catsuit. One of you girls might want to check on her before she gets so tangled up in it she can't move." He's obviously having a little fun joking about it, but she might actually need a hand. At least it's not leather like Emma's, or it probably would take several people to get her into it.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"Yeah, double-breasted is 'the look' from that era," Janet agrees. "I just can't believe you two are pulling from a show that's been off the air for... fifty years? Sixty?" she hazards. "....Well, Tony, I could believe, but Jen--" she just shakes her head at the green bombshell in mock exasperation. "Nerd," she accuses her, and pushes off the bar to walk over to Tony. He gets the same treatment, a critical looking the outfit over and making a few little picking corrections. It does flatter him, despite the boxy 60's cut, and Janet ends up in front of Tony and gives him a short nod of solemn approval. "You definitely look like a superspy, Tony," she informs him. Janet gives his shoulder a pat and steps around him, heading towards the master bedroom. "I'll make sure Pepper hasn't strangled herself," she assures the other two, and walks into the room like she owns the place.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Within..

Pepper's sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the catsuit that lies beside her. A pensive, middle-distance sort of expression is on her face before she rises once more to take it in hand and wrangle it. If it's not leather, it certainly is something.. Natasha doesn't go for anything that won't lend her at least a little bit of security.

So, by the time Janet comes in (without knocking!), Pepper is finally zipping up the front. She rolls her shoulders, trying to get the fabric to sit a little easier, and looks up at the newly arrived. "O- Janet." She chuckles and sits //slowly// back onto the bed. "All I need to do is my hair, and I'll be ready. It'll be fine."

She rises once more, and grabs a brush to run it through long strawberry blonde hair. "Wingman only. It's the only reason I'm agreeing to go."

Once done, the brush is set down, and she looks to her best friend, brows rising in askance. Clad now in a black catsuit with zippers everywhere and a pair of //boots// to go with, her shape is hugged. While she's more of a waif than buxom, it does allow that she does indeed have curves, which aren't always evident in the wearing of her business suits.

And there.. Tony on the other side looking - very handsome. And Jen.

With that tableau before her, and Janet beside her, those green eyes do seem to gleam as she looks at everyone, her gaze landing finally back on Tony.

"Well," and Pepper cocks her head slightly, "are we ready to go?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "Lookin' good," Jennifer tells Tony. "Like a proper gentleman. Which we all know you aren't." She gives him a playful wink and saunters over to the bar, making sure she puts her hips into it.

    She's about to ask for a drink when Pepper finally comes out. "That's what I'm talking about," she says. "It looks good on you, Pepper. You should wear hip hugging leather more often. I'm sure Tony would appreciate it."

    And is she ready to go? "Ready, willing, //and// able."

Tony Stark has posed:
    Looking over when Pepper comes out dressed in the catsuit, Tony's face lights up with a smile. "You look amazing, my dear. I'll need to find ways to get you out of business formal or workout clothes more often." He walks over and offers her his arm like a proper gentleman. Turning back to the other two, he asks "So did you two have a specific Halloween party spot in mind? I think we're about ready to go, so now it's just a matter of where."

    "Homer, bring up Stark 3 to the landing pad, I'll be driving." He heads for the glass doors leading out to the outdoor section of this floor of the tower. They open as he and Pepper approach, while at the same time a dark shape rises over the edge of the roof and lands on the pad.

    "Ok, I admit I kind of stole the idea from Reed, but flying cars are just way more convenient than streetbound ones." He walks Pepper around to the passenger side, then pauses and says "While I'd normally put you up front, I think Jennifer might need the leg room. Trying to fold her into one of the back seats probably won't work." He holds the doors for each of the ladies, then slips into the driver's seat. Getting the name of the club, he brings the vehicle up to a haver, then shoots off in the direction of the party like a bloodhound on a scent.