2340/Just Dropping By

Just Dropping By
Date of Scene:	04 July 2020
Location:	Steve's Room - Avengers Mansion
Synopsis:	Tony hands Steve something rather than the other way around. Information as to the latest events is discussed as well as the chance that there will be more fireworks than last year.
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Steve Rogers

---

Tony Stark has posed:
"I come bearing gifts," Tony announces as the door opens.

It's no doubt a little bit disorienting: Tony has been buried in his lab working on saving the world from the most recent massive threat - Brainiac. He looks exactly like he's been doing just that: staying up to all hours in a lab with the weight of the world on him. And there's the gaze of everyone looking at him expectantly to come up with //something//.

No pressure.

It means there's an exhaustion just under the surface of the mask of easygoing chatter. "Though no birthday cake yet; you'll have to wait for the party proper, and give compliments to Lang's daughter for that," Tony jokes. He does come inside, and extend an envelope, with a self-satisfied smile and wink. "Happy Birthday, old man," Tony teases his friend.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The creak of a rolling chair turning is proof of Steve being present at his desk. Whatever he's working on is kept away from sight by the closure of the moleskin notebook with fine pen still tucked away inside to keep place. His blond brows lift to see Tony indeed out of his native environment and then at the envelope offered out to him.

"She's making the cake this year? That'll be a sight," the Captain says as he rises to take the envelope. "Thanks, whippersnapper." A small smile as Steve looks down at the white rectangle and then up at Tony again.

The genius-inventor will know when his friend notes the darker circles beneath his eyes. It's the slight fall of expression. "You remembering to eat?" A quiet if imperative question. Steve knows better than to ask about sleep -- that's Pepper's job.

Tony Stark has posed:
Recently Pepper's job has expanded to food as well as sleeping, it seems, though Tony just rolls his eyes and laughs, with a vague gesture of hand, fanning away the concern. "Now and then I eat," Tony agrees dryly. "You've been talking to Pepper," Tony guesses. He isn't insulted, more just ruefully amused by the guess. "A good party will be all the fuel I need." That actually might be true, to some extent, though is probably also a bit of a lie: Tony knows he needs to focus and work, he won't get to actually party at all.

"Making it? She's involved, I think. I know you appreciate sentiment," Tony teases. "And I'm pretty sure that is something she'll do very well. How edible the cake will be, I can't say, though."

Steve Rogers has posed:
A small quirk of a smile at Tony's guess; it's true enough, the Captain having been in contact on and off with Miss Potts. He still listens with the quiet air of concern, his stance settling into something focused.

"Can't let her down by not eating a slice of it," the man then laughs. "Even if it's questionable, I've eaten worse things. I'd feel terrible if she was disappointed." He pops the envelope off his palm once or twice, still smiling quietly. "It doesn't have to be a big deal, the party. We can keep it quiet this year, what with what's all going on. You got any leads?"

Tony Stark has posed:
"Do I have leads on quiet, mild parties? Who do you think you're talking to?" Tony snarks. "Speaking of people that want parties in a corner with a single glass of wine: Pym is still MIA. Entirely. And we have someone here that claims to be his daughter but was trained in the red room ---, and a whole mess releated to that. He has horrible timing for when he decides to have family problems. He should push these off to when the world isn't ending. So when he's back, maybe you could talk to him about that. We have some cities to un-shrink, and his hermit thing is obnoxious."

Tony stretches his back a little, coming in more. He does know what the leads question is about, and does answer it. "I'm tracking the ship of Brainiac, have a lot on his coding language to nullify what he's doing. We're organizing both relief efforts for families and people here, as well as a space away-team to go deal with him. Lots of things in the air."

Steve Rogers has posed:
A sigh from the Captain. "Haven't heard from Pym. Lab's still in the yard, so figure he's still alive." Painfully pragmatic sometimes, the man. "Heard about this claim from his daughter through SHIELD...if she's his daughter," Steve amends, brows deeply furrowing. "Helluva time to vanish though, you're not wrong... Man's prickly as a cactus, but his tech'd be a saving grace right now."

A rub of a large hand across the back of his neck as he glances back to Tony again. "Any luck tracking his signature? The particles've got to have some signature to track?"

Tony Stark has posed:
"I haven't been focused on him, honestly," Tony says with a brief laugh and roll of his eyes. "Maybe you can aim Janet at it, if she's more familiar with where he'd lurk, or signs of where he could have gone? I'm buried up to my eyeballs in this other stuff; it's a constant ongoing fight over satellites and other systems. He isn't just sitting out there in space on vacation," Tony reminds.

"Also, on the daughter subject -- maybe get Natasha to do a report? I feel like, from what I read, that this kid is too ... cheerful and sunny for what happened. I mean, I'd have expected somebody with... I don't know. Some issues more like Barnes. Not seeing those in a clear way makes me think she's a spy, and-- not in a /good/ way, like Nat."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Janet might have a few ideas," the Captain agrees after he's taken a moment to look away and off to one side, brows furrowed. There's a distracted element to the reply though, just as quickly, he's sighed and returned his attention to Tony once more. "We'll see what she can scrounge up for ideas. Probably knows'im better'n most of us still." An oblique acknowledgement to the state of being a divorcee from the man.

"Nat..." He nods almost with resignation, as if he might feel guilty in a way for needing her to dredge up those past experiences and the gritty, painful wisdom that came of it all. "She made it out of that place alive. I'd trust her judgement in this. Haven't seen the kid yet myself, but if she's..." By the mild twist of his mouth, Steve hates the word he chooses, pragmatic as it is: "...more functional than expected, there's probably something going on there, more'n we can see off the bat."

Tony Stark has posed:
"Anyway," Tony says, stretching his back a little, and starting to add something.

"Mr. Stark," JARVIS entones, disembodied. "You asked for a notification for when the code suites were complete. They are ready for your review."

"Oooh, long strings of data to look at; bestill my heart," Tony says, rapping knuckles on his chest, making a faint sound of click against the reactor's cover there.

"Let me get this out of the way, so we can birthday-party it up, huh? I've a //spread// of fireworks prepped," Tony says, upbeat, pointing back at Steve as he starts to exit.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve flicks his eyes to the ceiling, his chin lifting as he listens to the sudden informative blip from JARVIS on high. Tony gets a friendly little smirk and his gaze briefly falls to the metallic presence of the reactor at the man's chest.

"No rest for the wicked 'nd the weary," he says drolly. "'nd a whole spread of fireworks. Thinkin' you're gonna out-do last year with 'em?" Another pop of the envelope on his palm and he glances from it to the genius-inventor. "Should I open this now or later then?" The little white present, he means, always preferring to err on the side of politesse involving gifts.

Tony Stark has posed:
"The coffee does wonders for 'weary'; I am insulted to be called such, when I am entirely alert and prepared for anything," Tony defends, entirely leaving off any defense of the 'wicked' adjective. But with a smile, a sly, easy one. Tony alters his course a little to attempt a companionable clasp on the shoulder of Steve.

"Open it anytime you like," Tony invites, with a relaxed quality. He doesn't need to witness the grand opening, it seems. "It's hard to out-do the best -- myself -- but I continually do it in all ways. So yes, have faith." Tony winks, and then breezes on out.

Steve Rogers has posed:
There goes one of the busiest bees in the Mansion other than himself. Steve watches the genius-inventor disappear to go deal with the missive from JARVIS and the closed door for another handful of seconds. Then, patiently, he takes his thumbnail to the closure of the envelope. Opening it, he meanders over towards the sturdy oak-wood work desk and plucks the items from it.

Firstly, a note on a fine stationary that he opens with the fingers of one hand. The handwriting he recognizes as belonging to Pepper Potts: 'I asked which one, and Tony said 'both'.

"Both? Tony." A ruefully-fond rendition of the name from the Captain raised in a time where excess was frowned upon. Still, he sets the note aside and then plucks out two tickets for the most luxurious seating possible at the next baseball game Steve had mentioned a few weeks back. "Ooh." Delight despite himself. The last thing to come out is a delightfully-vague voucher for...a vacation, it appears, set for two -- intended for him and Janet, by appearances. "She'll like that," the man murmurs to himself with a small smile.

A glance up at the ceiling. "JARVIS, would you mind conveying my gratitude to Mister Stark? He's very thoughtful 'nd 'm grateful for it."

Tony Stark has posed:
"Absolutely, Captain Rogers," JARVIS replies smoothly. "I will also convey your pleasure to Ms. Potts, as well, as she had a hand in the gift selection and reminders."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"I appreciate it immensely, JARVIS, thank you." Ever polite, even to the AI, Captain Rogers. He then seats himself once more and disappears into his own paperwork once more, opening the notebook he'd closed upon Tony's arrival. A cross-comparison of information, apparently, and the room falls into comfortable silence once more.