2899/It's a Perk

It's a Perk
Date of Scene:	13 August 2020
Location:	Stark Tower: Pepper's Office
Synopsis:	Somebody sent Pepper flowers.
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Pepper Potts

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Tony Stark has posed:
When Pepper arrived to her office, there was a strangeness in the air. The way her assistants sort of /looked/ at her as she walked by towards her office, as if they were curious, but didn't actually voice anything. One of them trailed her into her office with some paperwork, though, entirely professional.

In Pepper's office, on the desk, is a beautiful array of flowers. It's a lovely arrangement with white roses and carnations; lavender Peruvian lilies, accented with baby's breath, with seeded eucalyptus. The vase is a clear tone, sleek and slightly metallic in finish, with a loop of dark blue ribbon. There's no card.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper does notice some things; stares, a whisper behind a hand, and neck craning as she walks by. It's strange, and as she collects papers and quick reports from assistants, and the way they say, 'Good morning, Ms Potts', just feels different. So, when she turns to take her files slowly to look over them, she starts walking away again, brows creased in that 'okay, that's weird' expression. A hand on the door to her office, and shaking her head as if to dislodge the thoughts, she opens it to step in and-

It's not three steps in that Pepper notices the burst of flowers sitting on her desk. The perfectly formed white roses, both bud and in bloom, carnations.. and she stops dead in her tracks, her mouth falling open, only slightly. Breathe. Time to breathe. "Oh..."

The movement behind her quickly reminds her that she's //not// alone, and there's nothing more, other than that soft utterance, and she takes a deep breath and tries to recover from this surprise.

It takes her a couple of heartbeats before she composes herself, and again, she looks to her assistant and smiles a quick, tight-lipped smile and continues to close the distance to her desk to ostensibly look for a card. She knows she won't find one.

Clearing her throat, Pepper looks up at her assistant, "Hold my calls until my 9 o'clock is done, please?" and she's shifting the vase to the side so she can work and have a view of the blooms.

Tony Stark has posed:
The assistant nods, and offers the rest of the paperwork over, before answering, "Of course, Ms. Potts." She lingers a little bit, interested, a smile curious but still warm, hand on the doorknob. Just in case Pepper wanted to say anything: both for the assistant's curiosity, but perhaps also for Pepper. Sometimes it's fun to share, after all.

"They're beautiful," is what the assistant offers, before gracefully taking the hint to shoo, closing the door behind her. It's just /unusual/, after all.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper is friendly but not to the point where she'll go spilling her guts about who could possibly have sent her flowers. Of course, all they're looking for is confirmation that she's got a special guy, and she's not willing to give it. She turns green eyes from the flowers to her assistant, and waits for the woman to depart before walking around her desk, fingers trailing on the desktop as she moves. "Yes, yes they are..." is responded, a touch distractedly.

Reaching her chair, she sits down and takes the moment again to smell the fragrance of the roses that have started to fill the immediate space with their scent. It's lovely.. and..

Pulling out her tablet once her files are settled on the tabletop, Pepper's fingers move quickly across the screen, hesitating only when the prompt offers up 'call' in that bright, green 'button'. For a long moment in her mind, in a few heartbeats in reality, she pauses before hitting that button. She can't help the happy smile on her face..

Tony Stark has posed:
"Good morning, Ms. Potts," HOMER says helpfully, not long after she has tapped the call. "Mr. Stark is..." a pause. And HOMER doesn't add any more, since the call is taken over per the demand of HOMER's inventor: the only one that actually can redirect something like that, and stop the AI mid-sentance. Tony's priviledges.

"Hi Pep," Tony greets. He's not in his office, he's clearly walking somewhere, but has his mobile device out: meaning she's getting a bit of an upshot of him. He's outdoors, his sunglasses a warm ruby-bronze. His smile is sly but confident: he knows what he did, of course.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper can see that look, and it actually makes her laugh, the smile left behind for good measure. "They're lovely, thank you," and her tones underscore the warmth and affection in the simple words. "It was very thoughtful, and I love them." Her tones turn amusedly wry as she adds, "Keep it up and people will think that I actually have a social life." She's teasing!

Her head cants as she fully takes in that he's on the move, and brows rise. "Where are you going?" It is a nice day, and she's not catching any bits of suit, or his being driven anywhere, "And is Happy with you?" Truthfully though? Her questions can be translated to 'will you be back for lunch and/or dinner?'. "If you have him, that's okay. I can reschedule." Her self-defense workout. "I don't mind. Really."

Tony Stark has posed:
"Going on morning dates with my eight other girlfriends," Tony teases her in deadpan in return, then angles the view of the camera so that she can see Happy, who gives her a sort of confused and bashful look. He has no idea. And is somewhat lost about what exactly they are talking about and why he's part of it.

"Hi Pepper," Happy says. That's all that she gets, though, as Tony is back now. "/Actually/ meeting the Henderson Charity group, showing some support. They are most notably /not/ eight hot women," Tony chuckles. "Won't be more than a few hours, I'll be back by lunch."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Mmmhmm," Pepper nods, her lips turning to a smirk, green eyes bright and amused. As the small camera pans towards Happy, she tries to stifle a laugh before she waves; whether or not he can see her, it doesn't matter.

"Good," is declared. "He'll keep them from getting too bad."

His destination, however, and the fact that it's something of a surprise to her? Pepper headtilts, and there's that other, soft expression. She really is proud of him; the time and effort he puts in when it's something he finds to be important. "They'll be thrilled to have you. They've done a lot for the Foundation," which she really didn't have to tell him, did she? "I think they have a fair coming up. Hired the circus for the convention center."

Tony Stark has posed:
"I don't know; maybe. I can ask when I'm there, though they'll probably fill me in on it anyway," Tony chuckles. He's not upset - if he didn't want to meet with the group, he wouldn't be doing it all on his own.

"Of course they'll be thrilled; only supervillains are upset by my attendance," Tony brags in amusement. "Anyway, we're meeting at the NYC university campus...." There's a distraction nearby, and Tony's diverted by a question from Happy briefly.

"Sorry Pep, Happy's stealing me away," Tony says, but flashes her a smile. More warmth than usual. "...for the item I added to the schedule, so, guess I can't really blame him too harshly. Glad you liked the foliage."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"They probably will," she accedes. "They'll talk to you for as long as you are listening." Pepper adds to it, and her voice drops, "and after you stop listening." There's that light smile that plays, the amusement tingeing her tones. "Selfies and autographs."

Brows rise again in curiousity, and her voice rises again in question, "Tell Happy he can't have the mocha. It gives him heartburn, then I never hear the end of it." Assuming, that is, a side visit that she knows Happy has a fondness for. "I won't blame him too much. But he's only got one job."

It's when Tony mentions the flowers again, the 'foliage', that there's a hesitation, and her tones drop to almost a whisper, the sound intimate, even over the com. "They are lovely.. and they mean a lot."

Tony Stark has posed:
There's a spark of the pleasure reflected in his expression as she tells him that they meant a lot. Her approval made a difference to him; some of that streak of his attempts to prove himself, even in small ways. "You are most welcome," Tony says, also dropping his tone. That more private set of words for her.

"Bye, Pep," Tony bids, then. The tone of 'Pep' though was the same as if he'd used another pet name, such as 'babe' or something. Happy definitely gives him a look as he hangs up.

"What?" Tony asks, smirkingly, to the man, who just laughs and shakes his head.

"Nothing, sir. Just, about time," Happy replies.

Pepper Potts has posed:
It is the only way she could truly get him to understand how much the flowers, how much the gesture means to her; to echo words spoken in those first moments. It adds weight, conjures those simple, happy emotions.

He means the world to her, and what he does, what he says? It means a lot.

A bright smile escapes her when suddenly that nickname she'd been given becomes something more. An affectionate diminutive.. and really, it all started with him.

"See you for lunch." There's a relight of an already bright smile before she, too, reaches to turn off the stream. Once done, she sits back in her chair, looks at the flowers again, and takes a few extra heartbeats just for her before the day's work begins.