2924/Training Extravaganza

Training Extravaganza
Date of Scene:	15 August 2020
Location:	Avengers Mansion - Training Facility
Synopsis:	Steve observes Tony fixing a hologram, and gets a bit more on Tony's dating life.
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Steve Rogers

---

Tony Stark has posed:
There are a LOT of sounds coming out of the training area that aren't quite the normal ones. It sounds like monsters are attacking the room, and that it's full of terrified people that were on some kind of tour. Shrieks, movement, roars of monsters and booms of broken structures echo out of the room!

A look inside will reveal Tony Stark, in comfortable attire, squatting in one side of the hologram training zone, fiddling with a pad ... while hologram-people run about and scream in terror.

"MY BABY IS IN THE BUILDING!" howls one of the women urgently at Tony, who entirely ignores her, working on his tablet, as flying monkey-monsters appear to zoom all over the place, and a hydrant is assaulted, blowing the mother sky-high into the ceiling, where she goes flying. "OH NO CATCH ME," she yells.

Tony again ignores her, fiddling with the hologram control.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Definitely sounds like a B-rated monster film -- or one of the newer ones with that giant dinosaur-like creature who breathes radioactive fire. //Godzilla//, Steve thinks to himself as he meanders off-course from another errand with his coffee mug in-hand. His head appears first in the entryway, quickly followed by his broad shoulder and the rest of him. He's casual today, a plain heather-grey t-shirt and jeans, and...slippers on his feet.

"Flying monkeys. I get that reference," he says as greeting to the genius-inventor, wearing a small frown for the tense nature of the hologram world in terror within the training room.

Tony Stark has posed:
The woman flung in the air lands with a horrible, sick SPLAT right in front of Steve, as nobody went to catch her. It's a little messy, and she adds, "I HAVE EIGHT CHILDREN," by way of some weird guilt-trip before she fades out. There was a small drone inside her, which looks 'sadly' at Steve before moving off to be another character, this time a kitten in a tree, that's on fire. In the distance, there's probably a kitten orphanage. It's for training, and some amusement, clearly. Not every training simulation has to be dull and serious business.

"I try to put something in it for everyone," Tony comments over his shoulder, and then turns his head to smirk towards his friend and fellow avenger. "It was malfunctioning earlier; this is just me running my debug, technically," he comments of the odd world going on. "Have you had any problems with it lately?"

Steve Rogers has posed:
There's a wince from the Captain at the hologram. Actions do have consequences and sometimes, they appear very real. He watches the drone zip off to be a kitten in a burning tree and then gives Tony an eyebrowing.

"No problems except for gravity mysteriously inverting every time I go to throw one of the enemies. Go to throw 'em down 'nd they go the exact opposite direction. Really makes a man blink to see it happen. Enemies flailing like Raggedy Ann dolls into the sky. Figure you're debugging that." He thinks, sipping at his coffee again, standing by a fire hydrant appearing to have been knocked half off its mooring. The cascade of water shoots off at an angle away from him, appearing to flood the room slowly. "Nothing else comes to mind," he decides.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Oh, is /that/ all," Tony laughs. "That's a feature. Randomly inverted gravity option." A smirk follows. "You never know when an insane mage will change the laws of physics for his own ends." It does happen, sadly, though Tony is mostly joking.

"Other than that, any requests?" Tony wonders. "A different garden needed do to zen yoga in?" he wonders.

A pause. "I've got one in the works for Pepper's use," Tony explains, with a sly smile and rub of fingers along the edge of his jaw, moving fingers over nonexistant keys to switch it over. It's the opposite of the chaos that was just present; cherry blossoms blow softly in trees around, as soft pinked blossoms float loose now and then over a carpet of green and pinks, the sky a bold, endless, cloudless blue over the grove.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's brows lift. "'s'a good option if that's the case. Unpredictable," he allows because if pressed, he'd admit that gravity randomly changing its weft and warp can be a threat when the Avengers take on their enemies. He sips his coffee again, clearly curious by the subtle tilt of his head, as Tony informs him of a specific module coded into the system.

A few clever movements of fingers and chaos melts away into something very quiet and calm. The Captain blinks, almost startled by the contrast. He watches a petal brush over his slipper and away across the green grass before he glances up. "That's impressive." And Steve means it from the bottom of his heart. "Missing a pond, maybe," he muses, glancing over at Tony again.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Yeah, good call. A pond...." Tony snaps his fingers twice, and then works rapidly to input and call up the pieces he wants, working with his AI to handle most of the back-end of it. Nearby, a pond arrives - not just a pond, but one with an island out further, that has a red wooden arching bridge, leading to a soft little special spot. Koi fish move in gold and white in the clear pond, slightly unnaturally. It's unnatural, but it gives them something of an oddly peaceful quality, too, as if they were magical.

"No racing stripes or glaring lights, I'm proud of me too," Tony laughs some. "But then, it's not /for/ me." And Tony has managed to understand that someone else might want something else other than what HE likes best.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The island with its little bridge comes into being through the hologram's effects and Steve nods once it all settles into place. He steps over and to the edge of the pond itself, observing it all with an artist's eyes. The glimmer of the scales of the koi fish are a particularly nice touch.

"Definitely missing some loud rock music." The First Avenger gives Tony a knowing grin as he turns in place, lingering at the pond's edge. Another cherry blossom petal blows onto its surface and sends silvery ripples out. "But not for you, hmm? Gotta be honest, Tony, no loud rock music's not your style. For Pepper alone, this one? I can't cue it up and meditate myself?"

Like he would, but still -- the Captain asks simply to see what answers he gleans.

Tony Stark has posed:
"It's a gift," Tony chuckles some, "You're here helping me make it better. We already have a pond added. You can have... what, an empty baseball stadium to do YOUR yoga in? Smell of hot-dogs on the breeze?" Tony suggests. He smirks, though, and rolls his eyes. "Yours can wait until I'm done with this one. I'm not dating /you/."

Flippant and amused, Tony continues to work with the hologram, moving the trees out a little. He's not really an artist: so the whole of it ends up slightly crowded, because MORE TREES is probably better. More serenity.

Tony does in fact know what he implied, and his smile is a little private, but still shameless. He'll own his statement.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Well, if you were dating me, I'd tell you to spread those trees out. You're clumping 'em all together too much. Give 'em room to breathe," the Captain deadpans back, still smiling to himself. Another deep sip of his coffee as he stands there, watching the hologram react to its minder.

"'nd it wouldn't be a baseball stadium, Tony, c'mon." The grousing isn't really full of anything but friendly razzing in turn. "It'd be something else. But I heard that 'nd Janet's gonna hear about it too: dating? Dating Pepper then?" His true-blues rest on Tony now as the best gauge against lying on the entire Avengers team.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Yeah, we're giving it a whirl," Tony says, extremely casually, as if he were trying a slightly new shade of paint on one of his cars. It's not, though, there's all kinds of tells going on to prove it isn't just any casual thing. But Tony's protecting it, in a way: keeping it a little close to his heart.

Which means it means a lot.

"Leave it to her to tell Janet, though, will you? I think Pepper wants to do it in her own time," Tony says, perceptively. He's been paying attention to what Pepper wants: and cares about it. "It's still... new. But it isn't." Tony lets go of the flippant expression to return the true-blue gaze with a more honest and serious version from his own dark eyes. "I think it's going to work, though."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Cherry blossom petals continue to blow about Steve's slippered feet as he gives Tony an outwardly surprised look despite himself. Wow - it's a true thing, this dating and it is indeed Pepper and he's seen this look from the genius-inventor before.

A lift of his coffee cup in salute. "Well...not my place to take Pepper's thunder 'nd tell Janet before she does. Congratulations, you two," he says quietly, meaning it as well by his quiet smile.

Tony Stark has posed:
"It was a little out of the blue. We're still sorting it out," Tony says, amused, as if they were bargaining over which theme colors would be in his next party. But Tony isn't great at dealing with Feels, and this is crossing into that area. It's just easier to be nonchalant about it.

"But the objective is being happier, and, well. So far so good." Tony clears his throat, though, with a quick flash of smile. "So /not/ a baseball field? What's your spot, then? Or did I stumble upon the keys to your heart by accident?"

Steve Rogers has posed:
"That's the best kinda start," agrees the super-soldier on the matter of happiness attained for the immediate moment. "But no, not a baseball field." He shakes his head, laughing quietly. "It'd be someplace else. But you weren't fussing at this for me, you're fussing at this for somebody else. Trust me to help you out a little here. Pond's a nice addition anyways, right?"

Steve then walks over to one of the trees and gestures with his free hand. "Move this one...five feet to the right 'nd the other one three feet to the left. You do that 'nd the shade's gonna cover a bit of the pond. Gives the eye a break from reflecting light."

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony lifts an eyebrow skeptically, but then laughs, and moves it, getting to his feet to follow after and walk the environment. "I don't just let anyone edit my work," Tony reminds in amusment. "But --- You're the artist. What else? Mountains back there? A temple? Peaks of serenity...?" Tony asks, attention now mostly on his tablet, making adjustments.

"Maybe the lights of Vegas, to remind her of me?" In the background, Stark tower erupts, looking entirely out of place. And yet it has it's charm, that goes with the wink from Tony himself.