1868/Flawlessly

Flawlessly
Date of Scene:	27 May 2020
Location:	STARK Yacht, 'Bouyance'
Synopsis:	Tony, Pepper and Steve prepare for Tony's party.
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers

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Tony Stark has posed:
It's mid-afternoon. The yacht is being prepared for the birthday party extravaganza for the following day, and Tony is overseeing his realm like a king from on high. He is settled comfortably in the upper covered section of the yacht near the windows, observant of the preparations going on below on the other tiers of the yacht. He's near the bar, at a plush corner booth-like spot, and the pool is below him, a waterfall of clear blue water splashing down into the pool below just feet from where he sits.

For the moment, people have cleared away from Tony as they bustle about, and he relaxes with his drink -- after pressing his sunglasses a little further up his nose against the warm sunlight, and reclining, propping his feet up on an adjacent chair.

Pepper Potts has posed:
It actually is nice, even if there is a breeze coming off the water. Pepper's in a pair of shape-holding straight legged... leggings with a sweater tossed over a light shirt. Her hair is up in a pony tail, and she's down on the deck, offering suggestions, comments, and the occasional 'No, I really don't want it there.. please move it' in that polite but 'You will actually do as I ask before it's a do as I say' sort of tone. She's enjoying herself, or appears to be as she works to get everything ready.

Checking her watch, Pepper makes a face as she looks to the gangplank before she turns to face the more than comfortable Tony. "Okay, you heard me call the caterers, right?"

Approaching the spot where he reclines, her arms cross before her and her brows as her nose wrinkles slightly, "A little help? At least a 'no, I don't like that there?"

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve, of course, somehow managed to get involved with preparations. Either his good-natured wish to aid or his build has him roped into moving items into place and this task is just finished out. On the next tier down from where the bar and Tony both exist, he's dusting off his hands and saying something to the staff member, who laughs. A quick grin from the Captain and he then makes his way upstairs to the next level. He's in a plain white tee-shirt and khaki cargo shorts, long enough to cuff at his knees. Sandals make soft sounds of approach and then there's Steve, partially blocking off the sunlight as he stands and looks at the view beyond the windows.

"Not half bad," comes the opinion, accompanied by loosely folded arms and a glance almost sly at Tony. He knowns the opinion might garner a reaction.

He does look over at Pepper and back at Tony, having no immediate wisdom as to where things have been placed.

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony blinks at Pepper owlishly when she asks for backup about caterers. He wasn't listening, though he may have been present. The next question gets a look at Pepper over the top of his glasses, and a move of hand to pat-pat the booth seat next to him.

"I'd like you here for a minute. Breathing. In, and possibly out. If you can manage it in that order, also good. It'll be fine, Pep," Tony asides to her, before flicking his hand at the bar to signal 'drink for the lady here'.

Then, Tony sits up and pulls his feet off his footrest, with a flash of smile at Steve, expectant, while he pushes his glasses back up his nose. "By the way, I've decided on adding something to tomorrow," Tony says, as if he just remembered. He probably did just remember.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Tony, I can't.." Beat. "We only have.."

Pepper sits down with that //look// on her face that speaks volumes about how much work there is, how much has been done.. and.. and..

Looking up at Steve as she takes that momentary break, her smile reaches those green eyes. "I'm hoping we get that other half to be 'not bad' too." She looks at Tony, her expression a touch on the playful side, "With some help."

Still, Pepper's not above having a quick drink, and puts the request in for a white wine before returning her attention to ... "Oh.. what." Beat. "If I have to call someone, I really should have known last week. Tony, everything is locked in.."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's little smile down at the two seated people is relaxed, meant to convey his own especial aura of 'everything is under control'. He turns in place, the better to be part of the conversation, and unfolds his arms to sling them off his pockets by thumbs.

"Everything'll pan out just right. Have a feeling about it." He does glance between Pepper and Tony, however, very much aware of how much has been fielded and what more is potentially yet to cross the busy desk of Miss Potts.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Hey, no need to worry. This won't impact you," Tony says, with some mock insult, but mostly amusement. That probably means it will impact her at the last minute in an awful surprise she may or may not appreciate. "Something I'm putting together. No calls need to be placed," Tony amswers, fanning one hand across his drink some, as if sending the worries away like so much dust.

"If you don't want to put America's Ass in this chair, I'm going to put my feet up again," Tony voices to Steve slyly, though, tilting to eye said chair and send a hooked grin to his tall blonde friend.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Tony, I really hate surprises," is reminded softly just before the glass of wine is delivered, and Pepper has the grace to thank him before looking back to America's sweetheart, "Steve? Want anything?"

Still, with both of them lightly 'beating up on her', Pepper huffs softly and smiles every so softly, "You do know that things don't magically come together, right?" She's teasing, keeping things light, "That's up there with, 'making it look easy'."

Green eyes narrow as she glances back at Tony, still hanging on that 'surprise' that she doesn't have to deal with. "Uh huh.." Does she sound dubious? Absolutely.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Inasmuch as Steve wants to roll his eyes, he abstains from doing so. Tony does get one of those drolly-amused lifts of brows from the man before he does take up the chair with his American Ass. Settling into it comfortably, the Captain interlaces his hands atop his belt buckle, looking between Tony and Pepper again.

"'m fine for the moment, Miss Pepper, thank you," the super-soldier demurs as to a drink. "Had a bottle of water earlier." Now he's looking too at Tony and, yes, he too is a touch dubious.

"Not gonna give us a hint?" he asks of the genius-inventor, smiling faintly -- and knowingly.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Don't look so horrified, Pep. I'm not shooting anything or anyone out of a cannon," Tony scoffs. But then hears himself, tilts his head a little with one arched dark brow. "Then again," he says, thoughtfully serious, yet playful. Or serious? Tony's impossible a lot of the time.

But the thing that makes him impossible also is something that has been lagging or missing for a while with the Avenger. It's a piece that shows he's //happier//. That the weight of politics being lifted away has allowed some of those missing (and yes, impossible) pieces to come back into the light.

"He's had water, the lush," Tony whispers in a loud confidential voice to Pepper while staring at Steve, leaning towards her. He finds himself closer to Pepper, and orients on her, lifting the near arm to attempt to put it behind her on the booth. "Do you //also// want a hint, then? Fortunate for you there will be hundreds of people to still appreciate my surprise...."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Okay," Pepper acknowledges Steve before she nods to the bartender who'd been so kind as to walk the drink over. "We've got," well, a fully stocked bar to be certain! "Almost anything you'd want, including a Coke."

At Steve's friendly urging, Pepper's looking back at Tony, and holding there for a few heartbeats. He does look happier... rested? If that's a thing? At least to her eyes. Relaxed. Of course, Pepper's more than aware that the moment an idea catches him, it won't let him loose until it's completed... and even that thought makes her happy. So, for all of his relaxed manner, Pepper's echoes his own.

"Oh, shhh.. he's right there," Pepper stage whispers back. It's a theatric sitting up as she offers that bright smile to Steve before she's back to Tony. There's that second, that moment when Tony's arm moves behind her, and she pauses before, "Yes, yes I do. And you're right. Hundreds of people, which means I have to have this boat set up just right.."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Those golden brows lift at Tony for his stage-whispering. Steve makes no comment, content to let his mobile face do the speaking: he's amused, yes, still easy-going in his reserve where he sits.

"Thank you, I'll grab something as I'd like it." The reassurance is for Pepper in particular after the whispering ceases.

To Tony, he adds, "Might as well give us a hint then. You know we're not gonna go nattering about it to anybody else if you truly want it to be a surprise."

Tony Stark has posed:
"'Nattering', my old chum?" Tony teases Steve, and gives a sideways 'oh dear' look to Pepper. "Wouldn't dream of suggesting you'd natter. This will be the one and only time I'll mention it," Tony says, moving one hand to turn an invisible key next to his lips and flick it overboard like a cigarette.

"I intend to be the giftor, not the giftee," Tony says, with a grandness to it. "Give those here first shot at one of the new products. The SI-BEE. Everybody'll get a BEE." Pepper will know quickly that Tony's referring to one of the new handheld mobile devices. This will likely entail just some cargo onto the boat. Considering how extreme Tony could have gone, that's probably a relief.

"See? You worry too much. I'm not announcing I'm lord of Midgard, or something," Tony says, with a stealthy wink at Steve while he attempts to tug Pepper's ponytail.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Nattering? Pepper looks over at Steve as well, her head tilting slightly, the smile not fading at all. She reaches to elbow Tony in the ribs for picking on his friend, but it's probably a little too far.

Still, the surprise is met with raised brows, and she exhales in a soft breath. "That's.. perfect." And from a marketing standpoint, well.. perfect. "I'll check with production to make sure we've got the inventory." Her voice lowers, but still holds that light amused affection, "If we'd thought of it before, we could have engraved them."

Still!

Pepper squeaks as her ponytail is reached for, moving it out of the way as she makes to rise, the wine virtually forgotten in conversation. "We have to find a spot for it." Beat. "Especially if we're expecting about 200 people."

Tony Stark has posed:
"What makes you think PAULA is not personally engraving them all as we speak?" Tony questions while drinking from his glass, emptying it, his cheeky tone hardly masked by the drink.

"Also, two-twenty-five. Two-sixty max."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"A bee," echoes the Captain, again dubious. He shifts in his chair, outstretching one long leg and wiggling his toes peeking out from his sandal. The tease from Tony has Steve then scoffing and smirking.

"Hey, hey -- no formal announcement was given about that title." Things have been quiet as it stands and for this, the man is grateful. He looks over at Pepper as she rises and, through the banter between assistant and tech-creator, concludes that this is a device of some sort.

Tony's addendum has him glancing over at Pepper again, his arms now rising to loosely fold.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Yep; all the stingers removed. Part of the inside joke on that one. We had a run that was less than honey," Tony observes, looking down over himself. He doesn't have his coat on, it's draped past Pepper on the other end of the table area. "Left front," he instructs Pepper, extending his hand out, with an expectant gesture that pepper should give the contents to Steve.

It is indeed a device, much like the high tech mobile phone devices SHIELD has started to use as well. Possibly connected. The logo on the back is the STARK zig-zag shape, but there's a little bee under it. The phone is very lightweight.

Tony gestures for it to end up on the table in front of them.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Once back on her feet, Pepper does take a sip of the (almost) forgotten wine. "A bee," she repeats. "You'll see." She's being cryptic, after a fashion, and she looks between the two friends.

She's on her feet, so it's all fair that she's asked to go through Tony's jacket. Setting the glass down, she lifts the light coat and dips her hand into the suggested pocket. What comes out is easily palmed; light, compact, and so very new! Setting the jacket down, folding it carefully, Pepper turns to take the couple of steps to set it down on the small table. "The bee."

Turning around again, she finds a spot to sit again, pulling a seat closer.

"Aw, poor Paula. You know, one day she's going to refuse to do something. It's the way you program them."

Steve Rogers has posed:
It's familiar by design enough that when it appears on the table, placed there by Pepper, Steve doesn't hesitate to reach out and pick it up. He turns it over in his hands a few times, looking over the design with a calculating keenness, seeing the logo as well as insect imagery beneath it.

"This's nifty, Tony. Nice and light." The device is tossed high into the air, shy of the ceiling, and deftly caught again. "Folks'll like 'em. Seems sturdy enough. You crash-test 'em?" He asks, of course, with that signature dry humor twinkling in his true-blues. Walls rarely withstand the super-soldier, so hopefully this new tech can if it goes into the field with him.

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony flicks a hand out suddenly, to snatch the phone as Steve plays with it, smirks, and flings it back over his shoulder into the pool below them.

"A little," Tony says, with a teensy-space between his fingers. "Also I've shot it and PERCY has stepped on it." Percy is huge.

"There were also some tests related to explosives that were //not// just for fun," Tony adds.

"...That was just a perk."