View source for 38/E Pluribus Unum: Surprise Announcement

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2020/02/20
|Location=Financial District
|Synopsis=All the lovely people gather for Tony Stark's small announcement.
|Cast of Characters=48,498,448,369,503,45,375,99,168,532,342,472,147,339,25,194,38
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> Federal Hall. The old building sits squat amidst the towers of Wall Street, almost out of place with its bronze statue of George Washington at the base and short flight of stone steps leading up to the colonnade. As well as being a popular national historic site and a popular location for tourists, the Hall has the distinction of being the site of one of the fiercest battles during the Invasion of New York in 2018. Though any damage it has sustained has been painstakingly repaired to its original glory, a plaque at the base of the stairs commemorates the fateful day.<br><br> Today, however, the entire façade of Federal Hall has been redone for the special event. The colonnade at the front of the building is now mostly concealed behind a gigantic screen that stretches almost to the full height of the building. At present it displays a rotating highlight reel of Iron Man's achievements, ranging from cell-phone footage of his first appearance to the Battle of New York to professional video of the Avengers. The afternoon is already getting dark, and several red and yellow spotlights create a flickering light show in the air and against the Hall's stony front.<br><br> A podium has been cent up front and center, with the Stark Industries logo imprinted on the front. Though there are no chairs, the stairs themselves have been carpeted and it seems as though the whole street has been closed off to allow the crowd to spill out onto the road if necessary. There are bars set up strategically throughout, so the lines aren't so long and nobody has to walk too far, while waitresses in red and gold tuxedos move through the crowd handing out canapés.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:498|Sebastian Winters (498)}} has posed:'''<br>Sebastian Winters heard about the press conference and being new in town he is curious, besides he knows a party about to happen when he hears it and this is just as good an opportunity to see NYC at its most exciting than anything.<br><br>Sebastian wanders in with the crowds, now sporting a new Stark Event T-shirt in one hand and a large gulp soft drink in the other. (Nothing alcoholic from the bar, they carded him. Darn.) He finds a spot where he can see the stage and the screens but still not be right out front in the push and press of the crowd as things start to happen.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:448|T'Challa (448)}} has posed:'''<br>T'Challa's arrival is a quiet one. This is not his event, it is his friend's. And as such, there is no need for spectacle. Dressed in a custom suit with tribal markings among the lapels in a metal that softly glows in the light, the Wakandan King is flanked by a single guard. "This should be interesting, General." <br><br>Okoye glances aside to T'Challa and smirks. "Another showing of American excess, interesting? Perish the thought. But so you know, the press area is to the left, and yes, she's here." The tone is teasing, good-natured. <br><br>T'Challa rolls his eyes and tries to play it off. "Who is here, Okoye?" <br><br>"Miss Lane from the Daily Planet. Since you are... on the record?" <br><br>That earns a soft groan from T'Challa as he shoots his old friend a look and moves to be seated. "I should have left you at the embassy." <br><br>"You'd done far worse without me." She points out. <br><br>And indeed, is Lois does seek out T'Challa's present, she'll recognize the woman next to him. Sort of. Just picture her in a wig. And a waitress' outfit. A very expensive waitress outfit.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>Seated in the VIP section is one out of placer. Wearing a baseball cap real low on her brow, with a little bun of dark hair sticking out the back, Riri Williams sits with her legs tight and her whole body bent over to hug her shins. Legs up so her feet are in the seat with her, she's got the sleeves of her sweater over her fists, and her fist up near her mouth chewing the frayed him of said sleeve. <br><br>She's wearing a Captain America sweater to be obstinate. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:503|Achilles (503)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not really caring about the man himself, Angelo Tampambolus... yeah, that's a mouthful, but it's the name Achilles has been going by for the past decade or so. Anyway, he finds himself in New York for some other business related stuff, and he heard about the event in the financial district.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So he made sure that he'd be in the area as it was going down. Thus, Angelo finds himself looking up at the footage of Iron Man and muttering softly to himself something about the ancient Narcisus of Rome.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But he is polite for now, and accepts a snack and a beverage from the waitstaff, giving softly spoken thanks to them as they perform their duties. Sure, he is dressed in a charcoal business suit with a black tie... and his blonde hair is tied back. Of course, his face might be recognized by other ancient beings. But in all seriousness, a face in the crowd might not trigger But he stands and observes quietly for now... waiting for the show.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:45|Clark Kent (45)}} has posed:'''<br>There's a /lot/ of reporters. The press is heavy: all sorts of coverage, from the major companies to smaller ones, and those trying to squeeze in to get something for their 'blog'. The biggest news groups get their first front row, though, and the best access.<br><br>Clark Kent, Daily Planet reporter, does not have any drinks in hand. He's fixing his hanging PRESS tag on the lanyard, and looking over the who's-who of all of the names that have shown up. "Thank you," Clark says to one of the security that was able to give them a little more information.<br><br>"Not long yet," Clark says to his partner, Lois Lane, moving out of the way for a bigger cameraman to make his way through the press zone.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:375|Morrigan MacIntyre (375)}} has posed:'''<br>Doctor Morrigan MacIntyre is in attendance and the redhead with the vibrant violet eyes is dressed in business clothing. A well tailored dress that's a hunter green shade. There's a bit of a curious look given to some of the attendees, but, she smiles and dips her head in polite greeting to those she runs across.<br><br>She finds herself a spot to get comfortable near a wall where she can keep an eye on things.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yeah, it should be soon." Lois is taking a moment to look about the area, trying not to be jostled by too many people as they make their way by. She shoots a look back to Clark. "This is going to be big, whatever it is. So be ready. I will--" Her gaze is momentarily caught as it sweeps the area, pausing briefly on T'Challa before she returns it to Clark. "Uh, what was I saying? Right. Big event. We've got this, Smallville."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Diana Prince (168)}} has posed:'''<br>Diana Prince is amongst the crowd, moving and mingling at a casual pace, wearing a deep red colored dress, her dark hair tied up upon the crown of her head and accentuated with lovely golden jewelry. She's not making a big presence of herself, she's merely moving here and there, mingling with those who recognize her and sipping from a glass as she does so.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:532|Nick Lytton (532)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In t Hecrowd, Nick Lytton lurks.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fundamentally, his interest is in t Heslight chance that&nbsp;&nbsp;Hemight bump into one of t Hereally rich and famous -- because exposure is exposure is exposure.&nbsp;&nbsp; Hemight get lucky -- and who knows, someone may recognize him from one of t Heart magazines.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fingers crossed.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And if nothing comes of it, all that was wasted was a subway fare and some time.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:342|Maxima (342)}} has posed:'''<br>Frankly, Maxima has no idea whatsoever what is going on. She's still staring at this strange device that the teenager named Parker helped her retrieve. She's figuring it out quickly enough but the thing is so archaic. She is being careful not to break the little thing. What did he call it? An android? It was like no android she had ever seen but it did allow her to see what people of the world were saying on Twitter (a mistake), look up various places around the city (interesting), and search the web for various things (turns out only half a mistake given some of the things she found and were annoyed by).<br><br>Either way, she slides it away into the pocket of the pants she is wearing and looks up at the spectacle before her.<br><br>"Tony...Stark?" She considers that name idly to herself. The tall woman towering above many here with her height, boots and hair. She pushes her way through the crowd toward the front of the group, or as far as she can get without being completely terrible. She holds her head high, blinking when she spots T'Challa. She looks at him carefully and his entourage before smiling and starting in that direction. She knows the bearing of royalty no matter what planet it is on.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:472|Jamie Madrox (472)}} has posed:'''<br>Two nights in a row have seen Jamie Madrox's bail posted by two seperate,previously unknown benefactors. One more and he's pretty sure a free t-shirt is involved. Out on the streets, free to roam and -still- in need of a shower and a bite to eat, Multiple Man zeroes in on the place to be. One of the guys in lock-up said there was a big to-do at Federal Hall. The spot lights and television chatter on the way from Brooklyn agreed. Having stopped at a 'friends' place on the way, Jamie geared up. The usual attire. Overcoat. Jeans. Butterfly stitches. He's back in it to win it. What was it? A show before heading back to the estate.<br><br>Disheveled, bruised and battered but with no loss of spring in his step, Jamie Madrox skulks into the crowd. Scooping canapes up as they pass. Not about to turn down double fisting free snacks, he lifts his scruffy chin while making his way into the mix. Craning his neck a little to peer over heads for familiar and famous faces alike. Free snacks. Maybe a free t-shirt or a swag bag. Yeah. This was the place to be for Madrox.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:147|Wanda Maximoff (147)}} has posed:'''<br>Wanda Maximoff is over to the side of the stage, watching the proceedings. She's in street clothes, a black skirt and a sweater with a turtleneck beneath it. Her auburn hair is pulled back, revealing a face that has cheeks and nose slightly reddened from the cold.<br><br>She glances about the crowd, her arms crossed to help keep her hands warm as she isn't wearing gloves. She notices a few familiar faces. If she meets eyes with King T'Challa and Okoye, they both get friend smiles before she continues looking about. A faint breeze stirs the air about her, Wanda reaching up to brush back some strands of hair. She doesn't appear like she plans to be on the stage, but then she usually prefers to stay out of the public eye except for charity events.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br> Over at the planet, they seem to be firmly of the opinion that the best way to teach you how to swim was by throwing you into the river and see if you managed to come up. At least, that's the way it looks like to Terry. As he makes his way into the press area, he checks himself, his outfit, and a mental checklist of anything he might have forgotten. <br><br>This was an audition of sorts. "Don't screw it up, O'Neil," he mutters to himself as the intern looks for the other Planeteers. When he catches sight of Lane and Kent, he proceeds to make a beeline, squeezing and sliding past the human obstacles. <br><br>"Sorry I'm a little late," he says hastily as he gets within earshot, "Got into a minor accident." He hastily finishes adjusting the knot in his tie, and adds "Very minor, everyone's fine." <br><br>He omits the point where it was his fault.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:25|Clint Barton (25)}} has posed:'''<br>Clint is late. Shocking right? Though a SHIELD badge is a wonderful thing for getting through security and being an Avenger doesn't hurt easy, so the Avenging Archer is able to make his way through the crowd and slip over to the side of the stage appearing at Wanda's shoulder.<br><br>"Did I miss it?" whatever it was. "I got lost," he lies as he gets settled in to watch the show. Clint's in street clothes too, a leather racing bike jacket in black and purple (naturally) over (gasp!) jeans and a t-shirt. He may just lack for variety in his wardrobe. <br><br>As he talks to Wanda he scans the crowd letting out a low and quiet whistle, "Nice turn out though."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> As the crowd mingle, watch the sizzle reel, and take advantage of free food and drink, a number of technicians dressed in white 'Stark Industries' t-shirts and matching ball caps with headsets move this way and that. One, bearing an all-access placard, moves around near the rear of the stage with a tablet computer and a concerned look on her face. She squints at the screen, then up towards the sky, and then back at the screen. She lifts a hand to the headset, yelling something into the microwave that cannot be heard over the din, and then immediately appears stricken with panic. She runs towards the sound booth, waving her arms in the air and pointing skyward.<br><br> All at once the high-powered opening bars of 'Don't Tread On Me' by Metallica ( https://youtu.be/fh-TKJTCtnw ) begin to blast through towering speakers built into either side of the stage. The music loud enough to shake glass and be felt deep in the cavity of the chest - metal music, almost ominous in its sound.<br><br> Everyone rolls their eyes at the excesses of Tony Stark, but nobody wants to miss out on the spectacle either.<br><br> High above, there's a starburst of golden light in late afternoon sky. It streaks against the wash of orange-grey, like a meteor burning through the atmosphere. But soon it begins to grow, the footage on the giant display screen also picking it up as one of the technicians points a camera at it. It grows until the sight is unmistakable - Iron Man descending from on high towards the stage.<br><br> Still moving at breakneck pace and looking though he may crash through the stage entirely; the suit suddenly orients itself into a standing position and descends the last ten or so feet slowly. It lands in a standing position before the podium, both arms raised in the air. Only then does the front of the suit clatter and clank away, revealing the figure of Tony Stark in a finely tailored blue suit. He steps out onto the stage, arms raised in the same way as the armor behind him and laps up the applause and cheering for a while.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:448|T'Challa (448)}} has posed:'''<br>Lifting his hand to his Kiyomo beads for a moment around his neck, a brief hologram flickers to life - tech perhaps more suited to Maxima's speed as he sends a quick message to Lois. <br><br>'My wager is that he is introducing a Children's lines of Iron Kid armors. Just in time for Christmas.' comes across her phone. <br><br>After sending the message, his attention is caught by that of a fellow Avenger, and the Panther smiles quietly to Wanda, happy to see the woman out of her room and at a social event. There's plenty of room for her to join him, but apparently that is not the only redhead to have attention on T'Challa. Okoye stiffens slightly next to him as Maxima makes her approach, but the King's hand settles on her wrist. He's sure that there is enough security here as he glances up towards the rather tall titian woman. "Are you a companion of Princess Diana's?" he asks. <br><br>Because Maxima could totally fit the role of an Amazonian. Speaking of Diana, however, T'Challa does notice her in the crowd -- the perception of a cat, after all -- and gives her a polite nod of his head as the Wakandan King greets the Amazonian Princess.<br><br>Clint's subtle arrival is noted, and he gives the Archer a friendly enough smile, just as the build up of music from Tony's armor and presentation works it's way up towards a cresendo as he comes in to slam into the ground -- but comes to a halt and floats the rest of the way down as Tony reveals himself. He offers up polite applause from his position, but his attention is more on what this could be about. The music offers no clue, unless he plans to introduce a tank.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:45|Clark Kent (45)}} has posed:'''<br>Clark steps out and aside, with a little stumble, as if pushed: but he actually just moved to be a physical barrier to protect Lois from some jostling, and some moving camera equipment of another group of reporters. "Head's up," Clark says, lifting a hand to help steer somebody's camera past them and to the left further.<br><br>"Did we forget to instruct the intern about your coffee needs?" Clark teases Lois when she loses her focus for a moment, with only a curious look towards where she'd been staring. He doesn't catch meaning there, and instead, there's a big distraction in the form of Tony Stark to pay attention to anyway! Clark adds to the crowd of applause, infected by it, though his applause is mild-mannered and subtle, comparitively.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>Riri glances up, head tilting back just enough that her dark eyes can stare in the direction of the golden burst and descending figure of one Red and Gold armored Tony Stark. The music, while not unpleasant, is not exactly her particular style... so her earbuds move from where they're hanging around her neck to plug in her ears where her cellphone can mask the sound with something far more suitable for her particular proclivities, a little Hail Mary Mallon - Dollywood. <br><br>Which, over the spectacle of Tony's landing, actually syncs up quite nicely. At least her particular place in all of it, which she's still not entirely sure about: <br><br>Happy to be on the food chain at all. <br>Happy to be on the food chain at all. <br><br>She stares at her ''mentor''(?) with slowly blinking eyes and returns to chewing her sweater sleeve like there's pixie dust flavoring in the fabric. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:503|Achilles (503)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yup. It's a superhero landing. Achilles can't dispute the dramatic effect of it, though the showboating is something he might've done in his much younger days. I mean yeah. He would have -totally- done that to inspire his men in battle, or just for fun.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But the smirk on his face is a subtle one. Just... mildly amused by all of the glamor. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Either way, he just sips at his beverage and does his best to -not- draw attention. A task far easier with the Invincible Iron Man on stage. Invincible. Achilles snorts a laugh at that thought.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Diana Prince (168)}} has posed:'''<br>Diana is near the back as the event begins to progress and the very loud music starts to play. Her eyes catch the look from T'Challa and she offers him a soft smile of her red hued lips and a light nod in return before she takes a sip of her drink again. After lowering the glass though her eyes fall upon Clark and shouldhe meet her gaze she'll just lean her head forward a little and show him a soft smirk before she places her gaze back upon the stage and all that is to come this evening.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:498|Sebastian Winters (498)}} has posed:'''<br>Sebastian tries to keep from getting crushed in the press of the crowd as Tony Stark arrives in his usua; spectacular fassion. Arms up now trying not to spill his drink he watches just as much in awe of the display as with the crowd's overwhelming reaction of glee. Yup, a party allright! And a good one!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>Lois glances over to Clark for just a moment before she looks back in Terry's direction. "I do need a lot of coffee, but you're good," she assures him. "Just keep a close eye on what goes on, get photos if you can." She feels her phone buzz in her pocket, pulling it out and reading it before glancing in T'Challa's direction with an amused look. She types in a quick reply, 'It'll be a giant Iron Man, created for construction purposes to speed up the process.' <br><br>Once she's sent it, she looks back around again. "Well, he always knows how to make an entrance, I'll give him that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:147|Wanda Maximoff (147)}} has posed:'''<br>Wanda Maximoff smiles over to Clint as he arrives. "You haven't missed it yet," she tells him. The woman takes a glance over towards Clint. "Lost? Tell the truth Barton. You were in a dumpster again, weren't you?" she asks him, her lips quirking in a bit of a grin.<br><br>Iron Man zooms down from above. "There's room for the t-shirt gun, along his arm," she remarks quietly, still smiling. "Yes, it is a good turn out." Her eyes drift back over the crowd towards those who stand out. And then focusing as well on those who do not. As she spots Jamie Madrox and his facial marking, she gives him a nod of greeting if their eyes meet.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:342|Maxima (342)}} has posed:'''<br>A blink at the response from T'Challa upon her approach and Maxima tilts her head, "Princess Diana?" She asks and looks around briefly as if questioning that someone like that were here, "I am not aware of any such person." She shakes her head, "I am, so far, called Max." She states simply enough and nods her head as she looks to the stage in time to blink at the presentation. She crosses her arms and looks in the direction of Tony stark before shaking her head.<br><br>"That man appears to have quite the ego." Maxima, future Queen of Being the Pot to someone else's Kettle. She shakes her head briefly before looking back to T'Challa, "I am merely here to see what the fuss is about and I believe I have found it." She nods to Tony before looking back to T'Challa, "I simply noted your presence here and you seemed like someone of standing." She nods her head, "I am new." She nods her head. Hey, it worked on Spider-Man, "I am from far away and I do not keep up with the news of the world." She shrugs, "A tourist I believe is the word."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:375|Morrigan MacIntyre (375)}} has posed:'''<br>Morrigan's eyes follow after the white clad Stark Industries workers and the Master of the Mystic Arts looks up to the sky for a moment...was Tony going to crash?<br><br>Maaaaaybe?<br><br>But he doesn't! This is good news. She claps for the man though and there's a little nod of her head when he doesn't splat to the ground. Her violet gaze flicks over the crowd and she spots Jamie and there's a little wave to the man she helped out recently.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:532|Nick Lytton (532)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nick is a little surprised at the big name turnout, athough he really shouldn't have been, as it's a Stark affair.&nbsp;&nbsp;He does wince internally at the music choice... no accounting for taste.&nbsp;&nbsp;For the time being, he works on wriggling his way forward -- without actually discommoding anyone.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:472|Jamie Madrox (472)}} has posed:'''<br>You know who appreciates eccess, flash and over the top showmanship? Jamie Madrox, that's who. When Metallica suddenly booms out over the gathered crowd, he feels goosebumps rise along forearms. Can you blame him? Arm lifted high, he points to the speakers. Mouth half full of free food(which we all know tastes better) as he declares his approval. "Whaaaaat?! This is great!" Nodding decisively to the drums, Jamie finds himself near enough to recognize Morrigan among the varied citizens. Sideling up next to the doctor, Jamie bumps -gently- shoulder to shoulder. "Hey. Pretty sure I owe you my life or a lifetime supply of waffles. Stark fan or, oh hey. Yoink." He asks with a smarmy grin, snagging a drink off a passing red/gold clad server before his attention is drawn up... up...up.<br><br>"Oh no way. That's cool. Never have seen the suit this close before. Pretty neat, right? Bet he got a new paint job. The red is more red. That's what this is all about." Jamie says almost to himself while sipping at and immediately spitting out Sprite when Tony Stark steps out of the legendary Iron Man suit into a blaze of flashing lights and shock. "Okay, that's probably bigger than the VIP list. Ummmm." Eyebrow jolting upward, brows immediately furrow back down in suspicion when he catches an upnod from Wanda Maximoff. An upnod back, pensive before a little chuckle. Not every day you get noticed by an Avenger... Not every day you see a Billionaire out himself as an armored tank with legs either. Looking like a great night so far!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:25|Clint Barton (25)}} has posed:'''<br>"No comment," Clint replies quickly to Wanda with a smile. Annnd boom there goes the music thundering away behind him. He taps his watch to adjust the settings on the fancy high tech hearing aids his wearing got to protect that last 20% of hearing. <br><br>Amidst the tumult Clint spots T'Challa and gives his majesty a nod. He almost throws in a finger gun, but he figured T'Challa's body guards might take that the wrong way. <br><br>The comms traffic however takes his mind of the usual Clint Barton goofing off, and after critiquing the landing and music choices, he can barely be heard over the music. "They a threat?" speaking into comms.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>Coffee. Crap. Did he--? "I've some coffee right here, actually!" Terry says, with all the over-eager enthusiasm of a puppy as he digs the thermos out of his satchel. The thermos is one of those sleek overpriced models, advertised and sold to students unofficially as the Iron Man of their kind- supposedly because they took a beating and hardly dented, though less kind interpretations said that it was because they usually ended up full of booze. <br><br>He is distracted by Tony's approach, and finds the thermos slipping from his fingers. "Oh no- oh cra-"<br><br>In the din, nobody can hear the tink-tink-tintintintintink the bullet-shaped object makes as it falls, then bounces, and then proceeds to bounce and roll across the floor, to be lost in the human jungle. <br><br>With the sorrowful look of someone who just watched forty dollars run away from him, he grabs his camera. "Photos, yes'm!" He quickly puts his mind to the task (that was good coffee damnit) and tries to get a few good pictures (JUST bought that thing damnit) of Tony's touchdown. He occasionally has to crouch to get a good shot through the crook of someone's elbow, but he thinks a few of the pictures might be usable. <br><br>Or so he hopes.<br><br>He mutters a little under his breath as Tony stands, arms spread, to take in the applause, "He's a bit of a canned ham, isn't he?" after all, who is going to hear that comment over the infernal din?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> Tony opens his mouth to say something as he steps onto the stage, the armor he arrived in sealing shut behind him and then walking under its own power to stand stoically in the VIP section. He gestures to one of the technicians, who hands him a more streamlined and less-intrusive headset that he immediately sets snuggly on his head. There's a brief 'pop' and the music draws down to little more than a backing track as Stark begins to pace back and forth across the stage.<br><br> "Hello, Hi - wow," he points at people in the crowd as he goes, waving to one and winking at another, "Thank you. Thanks."<br><br> Then he moves to the other edge of the stage, approaching the gathered press so the cameras and microphones can all get their fill of him. He holds his hands out laconically to either side, a self-assured grin on his face: "The Fourth Estate. Glad to see you could make it." A finger is pointed through the throng towards Lois, along with a tip of his head. Then he's on his way again.<br><br> Moving towards the VIP area now, he steps <span class="bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">over</span> the velvet rope and into the small crowd there. He pauses by Riri, crouching down to pluck one of the headphones from her ear and place it in his own. He listens for a minute then glances towards the girl, nodding his head approvingly: "Good choice."<br><br> Then he's back over the rope, moving towards center stage once more. The music finally fades away to nothing and he takes a look around once more at the gathered throng.<br><br> "Alright, thank you for coming to the Stark Industries free t-shirt giveaway ... I'm kidding. It's not that. This is, well, this is actually big news. Really big news. And good news, too, in case you're sitting there wringing your hands and thinking I'm announcing my retirement. I promise you - it's not that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:503|Achilles (503)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Diana? That name rings a bell long silent in Achilles's memory. And when his eyes traverse towards the Amazon, he lifts both brows. Her face, so reminiscent of her mother. Shit. Achilles closes his eyes and shakes his head, but... one can -never- escape one's past. He never apologized, for what it was worth, for killing Diana's aunt Penthesilea.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But this is not exactly the time for that. Either way, he slowly maneuvers towards Diana, intent on arranging to speak with her as this event winds down.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He isn't sure that she'll have any memory of him. After all, it's not as if the two of them had -direct- connection back then. But he is -sure- that her mother painted him to be all manner of evil. It was war, and people on different sides of wars killed each other. Sure, he was an arrogant prick back then. But still.... He takes a breath as he approaches, trying to make sure he is actually in sight. That is one woman he does -not- want to surprise with his presence. Nope. No siree. No.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:448|T'Challa (448)}} has posed:'''<br>"Tony Stark is the one that is hosting this event and is on stage, yes." T'Challa offers to 'Max' as he settles back in his seat for the presentation to begin. "I am T'Challa of Wakanda." he offers in greeting. No title offered. He doesn't feel it's needed most of the time as he folds his hands into his lap and nods with his head to a nearby seat. "A tourist? And from where do you hail?" he asks her curiously. <br><br>As Tony starts his spiel, at some point, he's reminded of the 'Monty Python' skit and imagines Bast suddenly appearing and telling Tony to 'Get on with it!'<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Diana Prince (168)}} has posed:'''<br>Diana's brown eyes are upon the stage, upon Tony, off in the limelight doing what Tony does. She smiles at his general mannerisms and takes another sip of her drink before she lowers the glass and it is then that she spots the approaching figure from her past, from her people's past. When he draws near enough, Diana spares another glance toward him before she look forward again to the 'main event'. "Achilles." Diana says in her non-American accented voice. "I am surprised to see you here." And she very much is, though she doesn't outwardly show it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:45|Clark Kent (45)}} has posed:'''<br>Clark spots Diana looking right at him, and there's a funny little reaction from him. Embarassment, but it's a mixed emotion as he's 'caught' by his teammate. A small smile, and a lift of hand to push his glasses up his nose just a hair. The body language, of course, to those in the know, would read as 'Yes, I'm in my secret identity right now and I see that you see me'. --- Or to those not in the know, the reporter just gave a small smile and blushed while returning a look from Wonder Woman right at him.<br><br>"Lots of big names here, we should talk to Wonder Woman before we go," Clark observes, to cover his staring at her, but fortunately, Tony has his announcements, and Terry is a busy-bee intern. "Slide under those big cameras and do some upshots," Clark suggests to the eager intern as an aside, before returning his attention to Tony's stand up comedy routine. "Always," Clark observes to Lois, with a smile that's rueful but appreciative of the big personality of the Avenger.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>Riri hadn't expected to be part of the show, it literally was not at all in the contract she hasn't signed regarding he presence here in the VIP section. But here comes Tony, kneeling down beside her with a headset, and plucking one of her earbuds out to listen to whatever she's listening to.. She glances around sharply at all the people, smiling sheepishly, "What are you doing..." The words are quiet, but when he's right there, it's into his mic, so everyone heard it. <br><br>"Thanks.." To his commending her choice in musical cover to his musical choice. Her arms wrap tighter around her legs, huddling them up closer to her chest with her face buried in her bent knees to hide it from all the people doing the thing with their eyes that are directed at her, through him of course. She's nobody! <br><br>NOBODY HIDING! <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:375|Morrigan MacIntyre (375)}} has posed:'''<br>Morrigan gives a chuckle to Jamie as he bumps her shoulder, "Hello, Mister Madrox." the Irish woman states with a smile to him. "And you could say a fan." she nods to that. "You look like you've had a few rough nights." she states. Then there's a shake of her head, "No payback needed. Figured you got arrested the second time for sheer bad luck." she tells him.<br><br>"It's a great suit. I sometimes kick myself for not getting into that field." she muses to Jamie quietly.<br><br>Then there's a look to see how others react and a smile at a few other faces that she knows. "Shield picked up those stragglers that jumped you. Figured you'd like to know they're going to not be a problem for a few." she explains.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:147|Wanda Maximoff (147)}} has posed:'''<br>Wanda takes a few steps away from Clint, just getting a better vantage point on someone in the crowd. Just a phone they are holding, recording the proceedings. Wayne Tech from the looks of it. Small ironies.<br><br>The auburn-haired woman moves back over to join Clint's side. "So where exactly do you hide the quiver in a moment like this?" she asks him, voice kept low so it won't carry to the crowd watching Tony. "My money is you got Hank or Scott to shink it down and you're wearing a little tiny one on your belt right now."<br><br>She keeps her eyes on the crowd, though grins softly at her comments to Clint. "So do any of us know exactly what Tony is announcing?" she asks. "I asked JARVIS and he made some comment about, if he told he me he 'would have to kill me'. And that that would be a shame. He's so sweet."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:532|Nick Lytton (532)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Musical taste aside, you just can't deny showmanship when you see it, and even Nick gets swept away in the crowd reaction.&nbsp;&nbsp;Aw, lucky, whoever that was that got her earphone sampled by Stark....<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>Lois gives a little wiggle of her fingers when Tony points in the direction of her and the press, then she gives Clark a small nudge. "Brilliant guy, clearly a showman, but he sure draws things out a bit too much." She looks up at Clark as he mentions Wonder Woman. She abruptly looks between Clark and Wonder Woman. "Yeah, we could talk to her. Maybe catch a few others while we're here." She seems to be studying him for a reaction.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:498|Sebastian Winters (498)}} has posed:'''<br>Sebastian Winters is surprised at how fast the crowd has grown since he arrived. There arent just a lot of people there are throngs of them now. When Tony Stark puts on a show he puts on a show for the masses. In some ways he's kind of glad to be lost in the thicket of people whose eyes are all directed at the screens. There is a certain annonymity to just being 'yet another fan'. But at the same time he secretly wishes he had shown up in his hero persona. It wouldn't have stood out at all. He could have shown up wearing a giant pink bunny costume, with antlers... yes it would have to have antlers... and he would still fit in with the crazy mix of people NYC has offered up. A roman centurion wouldn't have so much as gotten a second glance in this mass of humanity.<br><br>"Does this guy know how to put on a show or what?" he comments to a stranger next to him. He marvels at the display of people in the VIP section. So many heros and big names up there. (Man, that's gonna be me up there someday. I know it!)Oo. he thinks to himself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:342|Maxima (342)}} has posed:'''<br>A look to T'Challa and Max smiles, "Far away." She states simply enough and nods her head before considering, "I am not familiar with Wakanda." She nods her head, "I shall have to use the android given to me to look it up." She nods again and looks to him, "You strike me as someone of regal bearing." She nods her head even as she looks to the stage again and hmms as she looks over the man doing his little 'dance' across the stage. She looks back to the others here and considers all those in the crowd, idly wondering just how many might be the types she is seeking out.<br><br>She then hmms and idly pulls out that smartphone that Peter helped her get and starts to look up Tony Stark and Wakanda in the method she was shown.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:25|Clint Barton (25)}} has posed:'''<br>As Wanda focuses on the guy with the crappy phone (buy a Starkphone you jerk!) Clint covers the other angles, while trying to keep an eye on the stage. It's a bit of an exercise in futility. <br><br>Before Wanda comes back Clint says into comms, "Hoping we don't need it but something goes off I'm crowd control."<br><br>Wanda's teasing little question gets a look of surprise. "That... is actually a really good idea. Just have an ICER from work though, wasn't expecting that kind of party." Hank and Scott? Totally getting a call about that idea though. <br><br>He shakes his head about the annoucement. "No clue, Stark's being super secret about it, so life's likely about to get reeeeal interesting for all of us.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>"Wonder Woman?" Terry echoes. He turns to look in the direction Lois turned, and then his camera turns that way, trying to snap a few pictures. It's ok, you don't have to /talk/ to Wonder Woman, that's what Lois Lane does. You'll just go about taking pictures and won't need to speak to her much. At all. <br><br>Conforting himself with this line of delusion, yet somehow dreading that the fates might conspire against him, he remembers what Clark said. "Upshots. Yes. Definitely."<br><br>Terry proceeds to find a good place that will allow him to slide under the big cameras, and then take some good shots. It's not as easy as it might appear at first, mostly because of space, and also because his satchel has everything he thought he might need, and therefore has the approximate weight of Monaco. When he crouches, he feels it tugging back at him, so he has to balance forward in a precarious balance where he might end on his ass or his nose, not knowing which one is worse. He doesn't dare set the satchel aside for fear it might be trampled, or lost. But the pictures will be worth it- not to mention the job.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:472|Jamie Madrox (472)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh, I'm getting that free t-shirt..." Jamie says to himself decisively. Eyes mostly on stage, drawn by the charismatic ways of one Tony Stark. It's more the principal at this point. Drink in hand, he's had his fill of free range grub and settles into some people watching while this all unfolds around him. "Yeah. Got drunk and fought myself on Thursday. It's been a weekend. Still, I appreciate it." Jamie says with a soft, shoulder shaking chuckle. It really has. Add in the other guys and woooooo buddy. He's looking forward to Monday already. "You too, huh? Genetics and Communications... total waste. Tsk, tsk."<br><br>Brow beneath the black M upraised curiously, Jamie pouts his bottom lip out in wandering thought. Yeah. Those guys. His gaze loses focus. The vision Rachel showed him still lingers like a bruised rib. Background pain. He snaps himself out and finishes his Sprite. "Good. Those guys were jerks. You see Wonder Woman over there? Aaaaand... there's a straight up -King- over there. Twenty bucks says you can't get a selfie with...ahhhh...crap. Arrow Guy." Fingers snap, snap, snap. GOT IT! "Hawkeye! Twenty bucks. You in, Doc?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> "So," Tony says, taking a step towards the podium and clapping his hands together, "Short and to the point. Neither are things I've been known for in the past, but I'll do my level best."<br><br> For a moment he stands behind the podium, placing hands on both sides of it before a disconcerted look crosses his face. He shakes his head, pointing a finger at it, and a moment later one of the technicians hustles by to roll it off the stage. Now it's just Tony, walking back and forth - practically prowling the stage.<br><br> "The world's changed a lot. Back when I was a kid, the weirdest thing I'd ever seen was the Fantastic Four. Now? They're just as much a part of civilization as everything else. People flying through the sky, calling down lightning, turning light into substance, shooting arrows exceptionally well."<br><br> He turns his face for a moment towards the VIP area and winks, before moving on.<br><br> "But there are new dangers, too. People both here and out there," he jabs a finger towards the sky, "Who hate what we have here, or just want to tear things down. The sort of dangers we didn't even believe existed until they landed right on our doorstep."<br><br> Behind Tony, the screen shows footage from the Dominator Invasion followed by footage of the Justice League's titanic battle with Doomsday.<br><br> "We need to adapt. America needs to adapt. The old ways of doing things don't work anymore, and the more we cling to them the less ready we'll be for the next big disaster."<br><br> Moving to the center of the stage again, Tony turns to face the bulk of the crowd where they stand in the road and straightens the lapels of his suit.<br><br> "So, I'm going to step in where I need to step in. For all of you. Today, I'm announcing my candidacy for President of the United States."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>Well that's a thing. <br><br>Riri blinks owlishly at Tony's revelation.. <br><br>Then blinks again. <br><br>AND AGAIN. <br><br>There's a lot of blinking. <br><br>Slowly, suuuuper sheepishly, her hand raises.. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:448|T'Challa (448)}} has posed:'''<br>The phone comes up quickly with the information. Well as fast as a phone on America's least favorite network. <br><br>Wakanda<br>A Country in North East Africa <br>Population: 6 Million <br>Capital: Birin Zana<br>Politics: Monarchy<br>Ruler: T'Challa. <br><br>There's a lot more information that Maxima can scroll through if she wants, but the major information is present. As Tony starts to speak, T'challa's attention returns to the stage, he listens intently. And when Tony announces his candidacy for the Presidency, there is more than a little surprise on the Wakandan King's face. His hand reaches up to rub at his jawline in thought, giving him time to cast his expression into neutrality. <br><br>Wakanda, like it's King, does not put it's place in American politics. <br><br>However, he has other things to tend to. He focuses his attention on Riri for a moment in thought. And he subvocalizes quietly as he takes her picture. "Shuri, find me all you have on this young woman." He is curious as to what has Tony's interest in her. Because he's always curious.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:498|Sebastian Winters (498)}} has posed:'''<br>Sebastian Winters shifts uncofortably as the crowd goes wild around him. Even for him this is a bit much. (Stark for President?)Oo. he thinks amazedly. "Whoah! This is huge! Like history huge!" he says to the guy next to him, his voice lost in the roar of the crowd as everyone starts talking and cheering and even a few boos cat calls here or there but mostly cheers. Sebastian adds his own voice in among the cheering variety feeling kind of glad that even though he cant vote yet he can feel like he's a part of the whole thing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:147|Wanda Maximoff (147)}} has posed:'''<br>Wanda moves a hand to press two fingers over her ear, like people do in movies when they are using radio comms. Not that they need to, but it lets the audience know, they are using radio comms. She says quietly, "Testing. Testing. 123. Think my comms are garbled. Almost sounded like Tony said he's running for President. He does understand you actually have to show up on time for that job, right?" <br><br>She glances over to Clint, more seriously, eyebrows going up a bit. "What was it I was saying about how peaceful the week had been? I take it all back." She glances back to the crowd, watching people's reactions. Her eyes seek out T'Challa as well for a moment, before continuing to keep a close eye on things.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:375|Morrigan MacIntyre (375)}} has posed:'''<br>"It's no problem. Figure I'm good for bail money." Morrigan tells Jamie with a bit of a chuckle. Then she's giving a shake of her head to the man, "Fought yourself? That sounds like a discussion for another time." she mutters. Then there's a smile, "Sure, I'm sure he's up for being bugged for photos." she mentions of the 'Arrow Dude'.<br><br>But Tony's announcement makes her head snap back to the stage and she's stunned. Tony Stark for President? "We're going to need t-shirts." she murmurs to no one in particular.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:45|Clark Kent (45)}} has posed:'''<br>There's a pause. Not a long one. <br><br>Then the press zone explodes with a clamor of questions and demands, in a burst of shouting. Questions about his party, his platforms -- all of it launched in a big rush of demands.<br><br>Clark, as mild-mannered as he is, is not part of that grabbing burst of NEED. "I think our 'in' with the Avengers is about to become a lot more important," Clark says to Lois instead. Her 'look' at him related to Wonder Woman seems to be nothing, at least - not in the face of the announcement for President!<br><br>Clark pauses, distracted, as if trying to hear something over the explosive din of the reaction, the music, and the loud press. Something more distant. Perhaps just a thought or a daydream, the ones Lois usually has to nudge him out of.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:342|Maxima (342)}} has posed:'''<br>A look over at T'Challa a moment after she reads and she nods, "I see." She states softly to her phone and then looks to T'Challa, "It is as I thought, you are the King. I didn't know for sure but I could see it in your bearing." She nods again before smiling a little to herself even as she looks to Tony's announcement and there is no surprise or even thought to it. She considers and then nods, "I assume that running for President here involves a lot of flare and fanfare, yes?" She looks to T'Challa briefly before looking out to the crowd.<br><br>She then considers the people there again. So many reactions and faces. She hmms and considers, "Perhaps it might do well for me to meet this Tony Stark more directly later." She blinks at all the questions coming from what appears to be reporters.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm sorry, did he just say President? I thought this was going to be some wild tech reveal!" Lois looks baffled for just a moment. It doesn't last, though, she's the image of professionalism when she needs to be and right now she needs to be a journalist. She's busily jotting down questions on her phone. She looks up only briefly to find Clark in a world of his own. <br><br>She gives him a bit of a nudge. "Smallville, snap out of it. This is big news." She gives a brief glance in Terry's direction to make sure he's still hard at work and not being trampled by any other members of the press. She looks back to Clark. "Besides, you have Wonder Woman to look forward to." Although for all she knows that might send him /back/ into daydreaming.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:25|Clint Barton (25)}} has posed:'''<br>When Tony calls out Clint and his 'superpower', Clint can't help but laugh, though while he does he makes sure to scratch his head with his middle finger, all of it aimed in Tony's direction. <br><br>Though all of that's forgotten in a second when Tony gets to the point. "Holy shit," Clint swears with a grin and a shake of his head. "Good thing we didn't have a pool going at the mansion nobody was going to guess that one," he says into comms for the rest of the team as he glances back to Wanda for a look at her reaction.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:472|Jamie Madrox (472)}} has posed:'''<br>"No problem but still a big deal." Jamie Madrox, discarding his empty cup, starts rummaging around his overcoat pockets. Vape pen found, he rolls it between nimble fingers. Smarmy smirk intact. "Yeah. It'll be a pretty weird conversation." A little laugh and roll of his eyes when Morrigan brushes off the Hawkeye Selfie Challenge. Nobody ever takes him up on these. "Who wouldn't?"<br><br>Blink. Buuuuh-link. Jamie double-takes. Yeah. A whole lot of blinking. "Yeah, that might be bigger than adding Spanish Red to the color palate." He says in stunned monotone. He was expecting maybe a newer, bigger laser cannon. Maybe a movie. Perhaps he was going to have a robot baby. These things Jamie anticipated. Presidential run? "Well. I don't even know who he's running against but I already feel bad for them. It'd be like Rick Moranis running against Keith Richards." Jamie simply nods in acceptance of this new insanity. before lifting a fist for a dap from Mo. "Kinda have to now."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:532|Nick Lytton (532)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Huh," is Nick's analysis of Stark's announcement.&nbsp;&nbsp;He'd actually expected the announcement of a hotel in orbit or on the moon or something, not... well, actually, come to think of it, this isn't out of the question for someone of this guy's ambition.&nbsp;&nbsp;He rummages a couple marbles out of his pocket and fidgets with them in his left hand, trying to inch his way a little closer to the front.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>"Holeeee fu-" Terry's eyes go wide. He can see it now, the eighteen-point headline blaring "PRESIDENT IRON MAN?" or something equally hystrionic, surmounting a picture of Stark at the podium. Or maybe one of his upshots. If he's lucky. <br><br>"He can't be serious-" the surprise was sizable. So much so that he doesn't immediately notice something that is incredibly /wrong/ with him, and it is that one of the hands holding his camera is rather odd. He finally catches it when he has to adjust the strap around his neck and he catches a brush of fur at his cheek. The red-headed intern turns his head quickly to see if, improbably, someone was rubbing a cat against his cheek.<br><br>His hand is covered in fur. What's worse, salmon-colored fur. There's fingers, but they end in, apparently, claws. <br><br>It's one second of utter, complete shock, and then he recovers enough to recoil. The result of which is that his satchel finally pulls him back, and Terry O'Neil ends up falling unceremoniously on his ass- and someone's foot.<br><br>"I'm sorry! Sorry!" he says, quickly getting up and nearly beaning himself on one of the large cameras. By the time he manages to get his bearings, he looks down and sees-<br><br>Two perfectly normal human hands. He stares, and then quickly looks up and around to see if anyone had noticed, as he brings the camera back up to eye level so that he can start taking pictures again, looking as if though he had seen a ghost all the time.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:503|Achilles (503)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a shrug, Achilles gives off a vibe of -not- wanting to be the center of attention, or at least not wanting to showboat. Quite different than he used to be. But it -has- been three thousand years. Two immortals meeting in a mass of humanity for the first time in centuries.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"As the American Author Clemens once said.. The report of my death was an exaggeration." Yes. He says that with a straight face. But then he allows one corner of his mouth to quirk upwards. "It has been quite some time." he says to Diana as his eyes turn towards the stage. "This man knows how to put on a show. He reminds me of myself ... in my younger, impetuous, and dare I say.. stupid days." A shake of his head and he doesn't really need to -say- it. How many regrets -can- a thirty-two hundred plus year old demigod have? Answer? LOTS!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Diana Prince (168)}} has posed:'''<br>Diana is showing a soft smile at Tony's announcement. His bravado knows no bounds. When Achilles approaches and responds to her though she adjusts her gaze to him and she just glances between him and the stage, then back to him. "The deaths of our ancestors are often greatly exaggerated. Time and again. In fact, exaggerations run rampant amongst their pantheon as a whole, you might say." Another sip of her drink is had then and the princess crosses her left arm over her stomach and rests her right elbow down against her left hand holding her side as she holds her drink glass up at shoulder level. "What brings you to a... political rally?" She then asks the man.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:194|Hal Jordan (194)}} has posed:'''<br>Hal wasn't planing to come to this. He was planning on doing several other things. He has to smile, though, when 'turning light into substance' was on the docket for things people could do, because that's sort of his bag of chips. Hal has questions, several of them, most notably...how, exactly, does he think he's going to save the world and be president at the same time? The president has too much to do...<br><br>Well, maybe Wakanda can set an example for there for how it can be done, but...it seems to be difficult for one man to split responsibilities that many ways.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> Tony turns enough to see Riri raising her hand and points a finger at her, "No questions. No questions right now." As he turns, he spots Clint's surreptitious flipping of the bird and grins broadly to himself, before he turns back to the crowd.<br><br> "I'll be doing a more <span class="bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">traditional</span> press conference later to answer any questions you might have, and the indefatigable Ms. Pepper Potts will be putting out a press release with the basic facts and figures for you. For now, I'll tell you this ... "<br><br> Tony moves to one side of the giant display screen, where the information he gives appears in written format as he speaks it out loud. Sort of like an irresponsibly expensive and flashy PowerPoint presentation.<br><br> "The current political parties? We don't see eye to eye, and I think it's time we said 'bye' to bipartisan politics. So, I'm also announcing the formation of the Future Party - because that's what we're looking towards. A shared, brighter future for everyone."<br><br> The imagery changes now, and Tony continues to narrate.<br><br> "You'll find out more about my platform soon. For now, I want to say that my major focuses are protecting America and its people from threats that not only threaten our country but the whole planet. The world stage is going to be replaced with the galactic before long, and we need to be ready to step into that arena as a bright, shining beacon of hope and technological advancement."<br><br> Finally, the screen depicts the upper half of Tony with his hands on his hips standing before the background of a waving American flag.<br><br> "And, since I know you're all wondering, I <span class="bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">am</span> serious."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:503|Achilles (503)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Sheer happenstance, chance you might say. But... with our parentage, you have to agree that coincidence is just events arranged in a manner that we cannot fathom... yet." suggests Achilles. "I was in town on business." That said, he smirks, a real amused smirk as he reaches into an inner pocket of his business suit and produces a card. The card is handed over to Diana.<br><br>Myrmidon Personal Security Services<br>The best bodyguards for the best clients.<br>Address listed in Metropolis.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I was meeting with a potential client around the corner and walked out of the office into..." he gestures to the crowds. "So, Stark as the temporary ruler of this grand Republic. There could be worse candidates.." he says with a shrug. "I find myself curious as to whom he will name as a running mate. Doctor Doom?" he asks in jest.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>Riri slowly lowers her hand. <br><br>And resumes blinking. <br><br>So in the span of a handful of days she's... field her own Iron Man armor. Been discovered by Tony Stark and brought to this here press released. And discovered said new mentor is going to be running for President. <br><br>The earbud slides into her ear where Tony removed it. <br><br>Happy to be on the food chain at all. <br>Happy to be on the food chain at all. <br><br>Her legs pull back up to her chest, arms around her shins, sweater sleeve back in her teeth. She's not entirely sure what that means for America, but she's pretty sure it's going to be a heck of a show. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:375|Morrigan MacIntyre (375)}} has posed:'''<br>Morrigan still might be waiting for it to be a joke, but, Tony says it's not. Well then. She looks to Jamie and then to his hand as he wants to dap. A pale hand is raised in response and touches to his gently. "It really is going to be hard for whoever runs against him." she nods to that. "Apologies, brain is going through the process of who might actually stand a chance." she muses to Jamie quietly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:147|Wanda Maximoff (147)}} has posed:'''<br>Wanda Maximoff looks back over to Clint. "He's serious," she repeats. "And, you're going to make all the breakdowns of the press conference. Hope you have a good, current selfie out there for them to use," she comments with a faint grin before looking back to the press conference.<br><br>"What... have we all gotten into," she asks. "Or, has he gotten us into?" She glances around the crowd again. "Think there's a Secretary of Archery position in it for you?" she asks. She slips a hand up onto Clint's shoulder for a second to squeeze before moving away from, getting a better look at someone in the crowd. It turns out he's just pulling out a phone from his pocket. Wanda wonders back to her teammate's side quietly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:45|Clark Kent (45)}} has posed:'''<br>"I....? Oh," Clark answers, embarassed as Lois calls him out on ... whatever it was that he must have looked like while he was signalling Diana. Or a lack of signal, really. There's a different 'Signal' on Clark's face as he looks to Diana once more with an expression that reads of tension and Heavy Importance.<br><br>Clark hedges for a moment, adjusting his tie, as if deciding if he'll remove it to get a bit of air. He doesn't, yet. Clark makes a decision, and quickly pulls out his phone. "I... you can handle this, right, Lois? I just realized --- I, uh, left my neighbor at the airport, I promised to pick him up," Clark says, with anxiety. "I'll follow up on Wonder Woman later, though, I still have contacts with the embassy!" Clark promises Lois, before he's off, weaving with the speed of a man who often runs away from dangerous situations off into the crowd.....<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>"Well, if there's anyone with enough power and resources to break the two-party system, I suppose it would be Tony Stark. If he doesn't win, he probably will at least be able to get enough sway to have a new political party in the game and change the face of politics as we know it," Lois taps her chin with the stylus from her phone. "Huh. I'll have to markup this press release and see where to hit hard." Not that she's trying to undermine things, just get to the heart of them. <br><br>She turns to look at Clark and just blinks at him. "Really? Your..." She /stares/. "Must be an awfully close /neighbor/!" She calls after him, folding her arms over her chest. "Yeah Clark, I'll handle it. As always." She shakes her head, turning back towards the front.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:448|T'Challa (448)}} has posed:'''<br>'I have a feeling I will have a meeting with Tony in my future'. T'Challa sends that to Lois, a light shake of his head as he considers this whole thing and tries to weigh it all in his mind in thought on how this will all play out. Glancing towards Maxima, he gives her a nod. "I am King T'Challa. But this is not my land." He smiles slightly towards Maxima. <br><br>"Though I am wondering what quadrant of the universe you may hail from." he says to the redhead quietly. She's not the first alien to visit Earth, after all. "And what you may be here for."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:194|Hal Jordan (194)}} has posed:'''<br>Hal is interested to hear of Tony's desire to get into Galactic Politics. The Lanterns have usually been doing their best to steer Galactic politics away from Earth, and keep alien politics from bothering it too much. He might have to talk to Tony about what he's really getting in to if he truly wants to go Galactic and enter that sphere, because...well, there are alien races who'd want to get trade going if they were suddenly allowed to, and empires who might start giving this little blue ball the eyeball if they could.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:168|Diana Prince (168)}} has posed:'''<br>Diana releases a soft and short laugh at Achilles' running mate comment and she glances down and away for a moment before raising her gaze back up and over to him. "Tony Stark knows when and whats best for the situations that he is challenged with, so whomever he choses, I am sure that they will be specifically aligned to help him overcome the obstacles that he has... taken upon his shoulders here today. Doctor Doom? MIght be a long shot. But I would not rule them out." She shows a soft smile then to him before her gaze catches Clark's across the way and she tips her chin up to him to acknowledge his expression. She then looks back to Achilles. "Well it is good to see you again. It has been a very long time."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>"Mister Kent's leaving?" Terry says, sidling up to Lois as he takes a moment to readjust his satchel. His hands are still normal. There's nothing about him that says he is turning into some sort of monster or anything like that. He turns them this way and that just to make sure. Yep. Hands. "This is going to be... wow. If he wins, will secret service screenings require that any of his team-mates who aren't publicly known disclose their secret identities, you think?" he muses, putting something into his satchel and then returning to snapping pictures- but not of Tony, this time. He's getting reaction shots from the crowd. He missed the first golden moments after the announcement because his hand was /completely/ normal and he is just having a day, okay? But he plans to make it up with a few shots here and there.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:25|Clint Barton (25)}} has posed:'''<br>Clint shakes his head, "Yeah this is definitely what has /he/ gotten us into moment," he says still amused but that comment about making the news has him flinching. "Maybe they'll skip that part, do you think?" he sounds hopefull. <br><br>"Oh definitely, Madam Secretary of the Occult," Clint replies with a mock bow. "Wild though, President Stark, never going to get used to that," then a smirk as something occurs. "Feel sorry for his secret service detail though, unless they make Pepper an agent they'd have better luck wrangling the Hulk."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:472|Jamie Madrox (472)}} has posed:'''<br>Eyebrows knit low in rapidfire wanderings of the mind, Jamie's listening to Tony and trying to see it all in his head. It's madness. Eyebrows up, eyes widen as he starts to accept the possibility. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I can get behind thi-" Jamie throws his hands up in the air at the announcement of a third party. "Oh come on! Can he even do that? He can do that, right?" He's going quickly through a great deal of emotional jumps and sprints here. "Ahhhhhh, I got nothin'. This is nuts." Jamie says while raking a hand back through his hair. "Do I have to register with a new party now? Do they align with my political leanings? What's the logo going to be?" Nodding his head to the side, he he asks Morrigan the real question of the day. "What are the odds he -literally- programs his running mate into existance? Ten to one? Three to one?" <br><br>After taking a pull off his cartridge pen, Jamie's voice strains. "Yeah, we're gonna get aliens again because of this." Exhaling upward, he glances around cautiously after the fact. Doesn't smell like blueberry pancakes, that's for sure. "Totally getting alien'd."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:532|Nick Lytton (532)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nick applauds politely; he does his best to look pleasantly neutral about the announcement, but truth be told, politics bores him, especially when it involves ambitious billionaires.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:342|Maxima (342)}} has posed:'''<br>A look over at T'Challa and she blinks several times. She looks him over before saying, "I'm sure that's not relevant or something I'd reveal if true." She states simply to him before looking to teh stage again and looking over the would be president. She glances briefly back to T'Challa, "As for my business here, I have already said it. I am a tourist." She states simply enough and nods her head, "I am learning my way around this place and considering its various features." She nods again, "I understand you do not rule this land as this is the United States." She looks to the man on stage, "So, does this man have a chance then at becoming the leader of this country?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>"Clark has a habit of disappearing, though usually he's running away from danger. So I wouldn't get too close to the podium, it might explode." It's actually a little hard to tell if she's joking about that. She looks pretty serious. Lois gives Terry a look. "There's a lot of good questions that need to be asked. So if you come up with any, you make me a list and I'll go through them. I might have a way to get in on a meeting with him anyway." <br><br>She looks back at her phone for a moment, tapping in a reply to T'Challa: 'If you happen to feel inclined to invite a reporter along, I think I know someone'.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> The announcement made and the fulcrum point of the whole press conference now passed, the thing rapidly begins to turn into a party. A number of women dressed in those same red-and-gold tuxedos as the waitresses move out onto the stage with what look like large, metallic tubes that begin to fire - yes, they're firing t-shirts into the crowd. All the shirts bearing the 'Stark 2020' logo.<br><br> Stark himself steps off the stage, moving towards the VIP area as Hendrix's rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner begins to play over the speakers. He steps towards his fellow Avengers first, one corner of his mouth quirked up into a grin as he plucks his Tom Ford sunglasses from his pocket and fits them back over his eyes.<br><br> "Surprise."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:503|Achilles (503)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You also. We should get together and speak in more detail soon." says Achilles to Diana as he drifts back away from her, letting her engage however she wants to so he is not in the way.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:194|Hal Jordan (194)}} has posed:'''<br>Surprise? Well, it's definitely a surprise alright. Hal is busy cataloguing everything he knows of Galactic Politics in sector 2814, the neighboring sectors, people from further away who just might want trade with earth, which empires it's going to want to stay away from, which galactic conquerers Tony needs to be aware of, and a whole bunch of other things...he'll sort it out once he has time to figure it out. The Galactic stage is not to be entered lightly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:498|Sebastian Winters (498)}} has posed:'''<br>Sebastian Winters thinks to himself .oO(I wonder how many Avengers will make it to the Cabinet. -- This is gonna be one heck of a party!) He tries to push his way back through the crowd to one of the bars. He's noticed that they arent being as careful about carding now with all of the distractions and it might be a chance to get some beer and definitely a few extra t-shirts for some friends of his.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>Riri is still wrapping her head around all of this. The 2020 Star Logo is sized up and she blows out a long sigh, replacing her chin upon her knees with arms wrapped tight around her shins. "This sure would've been nice to know before I agreed to anything..." Said under her breath, recognizing there's a lot of spotlight that goes with being near Tony, but even more when Tony is running for president. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:448|T'Challa (448)}} has posed:'''<br>'I'll feel it out, see how it stands on that. I still owe you an interview.' T'challa responds. <br><br>'And some time off the record.' <br><br>With that, he attention returns to Maxima. "If it is the will of the American people and the electorial college, yes." he responds to her as Tony makes his way over, and he listens to the change of the music. <br><br>"....Hendrix was protesting America's involvement in Vietnam and politics in general when he recorded this." he points out. But he's probably sure Tony already knows that.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>Terry whews, letting his camera hang from his neck. You had to hand it to the man, Stark knew how to make an announcement. As the T-shirts start flying, he looks around in the hopes of seeing his thermos on the ground.<br><br>And there it is, a silvery bullet full of precious life-giving liquif. But before he has a chance to grab it, it is accidentally punted by an august member of the press, and the thermos is sent careening away, bouncing on steps, and giving one last glint in farwell before becoming obscured from sight.<br><br>Terry sighs and mournfully salutes it before turning to Lois. "Questions. Right. I'll try to come up with some..." he pauses, suddenly horrified at what he thinks his statement sounds like, "I mean, to add to the ones you'll have. If they're any good. They probably won't be." Horrified pause again. "Mine. Not yours. I mean." Yes. Tell Lois Lane she's going to need help asking questions.<br><br>Maybe it wasn't too late to run after that thermos. The two of them could hide somewhere.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>Lois cocks her head to the side as she looks at Terry. "Don't doubt yourself. Most of us have to start from the bottom and work our way up. What you were saying before about the secret identities is a good angle, it brings up a lot of potential policies that he might run with and his personal views on things. It's a good instinct. That's the kind of thing you have to lean in on in this profession." <br><br>She glances at her phone and types a quick reply: 'You got it. Keep in touch.'<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:375|Morrigan MacIntyre (375)}} has posed:'''<br>Morrigan just shakes her head, trying to clear it, "You might be right, Jamie." the Irish woman tells him. She digs a card out of her pocket and hands it over to the man, "In case you need something...or find yourself getting jumped by Rocketmen that aren't Elton John again." she muses to that.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:25|Clint Barton (25)}} has posed:'''<br>Clint laughs, "Surprise? Damn right it's a surprise," he says shaking his head not sure if this is all real or he just got really, realy wasted last night this is all some weird dream. "I'd kick your ass if it wasn't a federal offense now," he grins picking the 'this is real' approach for now. <br><br>He falls in by Tony knowing offering to shake his hand didn't fly with Tony's little ticks, "You really going to do this? I mean like Wanda said, they sort of expect you to show up from time to time," he teases lightly keeping his eyes on the crowd. "And you should have invited Fury to this thing, I'd pay good money to see his face right now."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:532|Nick Lytton (532)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Something *bimp*!s against Nick's foot -- a thermos, huh.&nbsp;&nbsp;He picks it up and waves it in the general direction it rolled in from, not that he has a lot of hope that the owner will spot it, but hope springs eternal and all that.&nbsp;&nbsp;He doesn't join the scrum for any t-shirts that land nearby -- that's probably just not going to be safe.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unbelievable some of the people that have shown up here... Nick has a definite feeling of being well out of his league.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>To say that this part of the press conference isn't really in Riri's wheelhouse is an understatement of the comical kind. She doesn't like crowds of people and is awkward in social settings with small groups, nevermind large ones ala this. She remains in her chair with her feet in the seat, clutching her shins. Glancing out and around as she chews on the neck hem of her Captain America sweater waiting for an escape route to present itself. One has not yet. She is vigilante though. <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:472|Jamie Madrox (472)}} has posed:'''<br>"Okay. That happened. Jesus, what a weekend." Jamie says in utter disbelief. What else could possibly happen next? That thought alone sends a trigger of paranoia through his mind. Dark eyes narrow briefly as he quick scans the crowd. Just... keeping an eye out for cops looking his way. "Yeah, but don't tell anybody. I'm right enough as it is, don't wanna upset the crowds, you know?" Taking the offered card, Jamie nods in easy acceptance before sliding it away into a pocket. "Okay, so it wasn't -just- me thinking that the whole time. Thank god." A wink at that and Jamie turns on heel, making his departure without lingering. He needs a shower. A shower and a beer. Oh. Shower beer. A chipper bounce to his step, the battered Mutant trouble factory starts the hunt for a cab.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Steve Rogers (38)}} has posed:'''<br>The chatter of the comms had beaten him to checking his phone and then the nearest access for live news. This...warranted leaving his deskwork behind for the day. As such, the throaty thrum of his Harley can barely be heard overtop the continuous volume of music as he parks it off in the private VIP parking zone dedicated to Stark and staff. He's easily recognized; Steve makes no point in hiding his presence, even if he's in a leather shearling-lined jacket against the cold and jeans rather than his spangled outfit.<br><br>Politely, he declines any immendiate comments to any journalists who reach out to him -- sorry, have to go congratulate his teammate first. Here he comes, parting the crowd with his build and quietly intentful pace, and there he is, pulling up beside Tony with a bemused little smile on his face.<br><br>"If somebody'd asked me what you'd be up to today, this wouldn't've crossed my mind 'nd that bet would've been lost." A hand's offered out to the genius-inventor now. "Congratulations on your announcement, Tony."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> "Someone has to," Tony says to Clint with a serious look for a change, "You know better than anyone how dialed-up-to-eleven things have gotten. Loki was just the tip of the iceberg. The quickest, most efficient route to that change is this way. Besides, I can always palm off the boring stuff to my vice president."<br><br> As he says that, he plants a hand on Clint's shoulder and gives him a long look before it cracks into a smile: "I'm kidding. You should have seen your face, though."<br><br> He turns around then to hear T'Challa's comment, pointing at him and adding: "I <span class="bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">did</span> know that, King. Thank you. It figures the true, incisive understanding of American cultural phenomena comes from a small African nation."<br><br> "And my impending victory," Tony adds when Steve pulls up alongside him, turning to face the man and shaking his hand, "I figure I have America's blessing? This is one step shy of Uncle Sam climbing out of a poster and giving me a thumbs up. Oh, here, there's someone I want you to meet."<br><br> Then he looks towards Riri, holding out an arm and trying to shepherd her over to the other Avengers: "This is Riri Williams. She's also a genius."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yes, miss Lane. I'll keep that in mind." Terry nods, looking somewhat relieved. "You know, I wonder how Cap A feels about all this." The redhead cranes his neck to see... and quickly brings his camera to bear to get a shot of the handshake between President Iron Man and Captain America. It's a bit of a feeding frenzy and he has to assert his space long enough to get a good snap before being edged out. <br><br>"So... what do we do now? This is my first PR-turned-Superhero political rally and my sense of reality is a little unstable right now..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:342|Maxima (342)}} has posed:'''<br>For the moment, when things start to focus on those over there, Maxima backs away from the VIP area and starts away into the crowd a bit. She doesn't precisely belong and is not yet ready to be the center of attention yet. Sure, she should be but that's beside the point. She wishes to know more about this world. She turns and starts back into the crowd and blinks upon spotting Jamie Madrox. She walks toward him and nods, "Ah, you were the man attacked by the men from the future or whatever that was." She states simply enough, "I am glad to see you are freed and ok." She nods her head to him and then simply turns to walk away.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>OOPA <br><br>Riri's eyes go moon sized. We're talking Hotel on the Moon, balcony seats on the patio of one of the Penthouse suites, moon sized. Staring at Tony with the shirt between her teeth, tugging it tight until it pops free and looks all wet where she was sucking on the fabric. "Why are you like this?" She wonders to him, sliding her feet down and standing in one slow motion. Her approach is more of a shuffle, left hand gripping right arm. The right hand comes up to wave at the FREAKIN' AVENGERS, "Hey... I'm Riri. I'm a genius, but I don't like labels, so can we just say I'm highly focused in my intelligence skill set? I always thought things sounded way better if you think about them in terms of Dungeons and Dragons traits." <br><br>"I've never played dungeons and dragons." <br><br>Frowning up at Tony and then over at his super friends. <br><br>"I ... I uh... I need to go pick a friend up at the airport..." It worked for Clark Kent okay... <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:448|T'Challa (448)}} has posed:'''<br>Sending a message to Lois, T'challa communicates, 'I hope to see you slightly later. I'll let you decide to plan.' He did last time, after all. However, he does turn his attention to Tony and his smile is thin. "Us goat herders can think on occassion." The tone's flat, but playful, for those that know. Then he adds. "I believe that Miss Lane has asked for the chance to be your first exclusive post-announcement interview, Tony." <br><br>May Lois never find out the favor hs just pulled for her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:532|Nick Lytton (532)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The crowd starting to thin out now that the main excitement is over, Nick takes the opportunity to move forward, and pulls his camera out to go celebrity- and hero-snapping.&nbsp;&nbsp;Plenty to choose from, after all, from the crowd on the daïs to the star reporters.&nbsp;&nbsp;He'd've been shocked to have been noticed, much less recognized.&nbsp;&nbsp;'Up and coming artist' can not compete with 'honest to Bob superhero', after all....<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:25|Clint Barton (25)}} has posed:'''<br>That serious look gives Clint a bit of pause, "Oh sure, play the Loki card," he says lightly but, his face reads plainly Tony made his point. Shit's been getting weird, he'd said the same thing earlier this week. <br><br>As for the VP thing, yeah, Tony got him, he crinkles his nose, "Jerk, go get your picture take with America's Ass," he says pushing him on towards Cap. <br><br>When Riri's roped into things, he glances her way, "Hey, I'm Clint, and if that's the case what's your dump stat?" he asks Riri about her 'stats', before smiling at the shirt she picked for the event. "Good choice," he adds with a grin.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Steve Rogers (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Let's talk over drinks. I want to hear your reasoning," replies Steve quietly to Tony before he settles into a stance with hands on his hips. Patiently, he watches Tony herd over the young lady. She gets a polite once-over as the Captain patiently waits to see what Riri does now that the spotlight's firmly settled upon her and multiple eyes to boot.<br><br>"Nice to meet you, Miss Williams. Steve Rogers," offers the super-soldier as he gives her a small and knowing smile. Ah, publicity. Nothing like a nice cold sweat between your shoulderblades. He glances over at Clint while his smile deepens into something just shy of dimples. "I appreciate the support." This is accompanied by a nod towards Riri's sweater.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>Lois glances at him. "Well, you've got two options. You can take what you have and go sift through it. Check photos and nix the ones that are blurry, do some research..." She peers in the direction of the cluster of heroes. "Or you can wander that direction, casually be looking for that thermos of yours, and listen in. You never know what you'll hear." <br><br>She glances back at her phone, still talking to Terry while she reads the message there. "If you're lucky, someone worth talking to will take note of you and then you can ask all the questions your little heart desires. That's a page out of the Lois Lane playbook." Because she has most certainly done that. <br><br>'I've got a place in mind.' She texts. 'I'll let you know the time and location.'<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:375|Morrigan MacIntyre (375)}} has posed:'''<br>Morrigan watches Jamie leave and there's a bit of a smile after that. But, she needed to jet herself. Too many people tended to make her start sniffing at people and looking for an easy bite...and she didn't need an incident here. She'd not had one in years. There's a nod of her head to those she knows on the way out and she reclaims her jacket from her assistant before they head out.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> "Well," Tony says to T'Challa as he turns slightly to look in Lois' direction, "Who can say no to Lois Lane without being pushed down a flight of stairs later?"<br><br> That said, he pulls out his own phone and holds it up before him. He squints in Lois' direction and then makes a subtle hand gesture as the phone fires off a meeting place and time. Look at him scheduling things for himself. Maybe Pepper really did jump on a dirigible and fly away.<br><br> The brief exchange between Riri, Clint, and Steve draws Tony's attention and he clicks his fingers in the direction of one of the technicians: "Can we get her an Iron Man t-shirt, please? Remember whose party we're at." He then mercifully lets Riri fade as much into the background as she might like, putting his phone back into his pocket.<br><br> "Drinks it is," Stark says to Steve with a nod of his head, "Maybe we can talk about how you pull off wearing a flag."<br><br> He gestures now to the uninhabited Iron Man armor that stands perfectly still nearby, "What do you think? Paint it red, white, and blue for the campaign?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:448|T'Challa (448)}} has posed:'''<br>Those that know T'Challa best knows that things this large tend to eventually push the Panther to his sensory overload. He gives a polite nod to Tony and chuckles. "Thank you." he responds, but he's moving to rise to his feet. "I would like to continue the thought of this conversation, but I need to step away." he admits. There's a polite nod, and he sends a text to Lois. 'Look forward to it. And dress code.' he adds. With that, he's moving to depart the VIP area, with his guard following him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>"Knowledge: Crypto organic lifeforms with bioluminescence." Riri answers Clint without even thinking about it or looking away. We're talking full on awkward, prolonged eye contact here. IT isn't until Captain ''Freakin'' America addresses her Captain ''Freakin'' America sweater that she looks away from the archer, towards the All American Hero. <br><br>Then down at her sweater, which she's basically chewed up along the neckline and sleeves, then back up at Steve 'freakin' Rogers. "I like how you punched Nazi's. They suck." Affirming nod. She's very... not deadpan, but dull in her tone. "I bet that was cathartic.." Added on the end, because it felt, at least to her, anticlimatic. <br><br>While Tony is offering her Iron Man t-shirt. She smirks up at him, from beneath her hat, and then looks to the Iron Man Armor. "You should see how Iron Patriot runs with test audiances. People love patriotism in blue states. You could definitely corner the ''not terrible bright'' market with a controlled capaigne of returning to old world values where it's okay to punch Nazi's. I just thought of your campaigne slogan: Punch a Nazi, Captain America did it, and he's over a hundred years old. Stark twenty twenty." <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:339|Terry O'Neil (339)}} has posed:'''<br>"I can try that!" Terry says enthusiastically, holding on to his camera and starting to make his way towards the cluster of heroes. In a roundabout, 'where did I put that thing which I lost because I totally did lose a thing?' way. It helps him that he actually has lost A Thing, which lends a certain genuine quality to his performance. You could just buy it. <br><br>He stops fore a second and squints. Did someone wave his thermos? He thought he saw it out of the corner of his eye.<br><br>"Must've imagined it," he says out loud to himself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:25|Clint Barton (25)}} has posed:'''<br>Wow... so girl genius is a bit odd, no shocker there, Clint holds the eye contact with a smirk, before Cap grabs her attentiom leaving him to shake his head. <br><br>"Yeah, wasn't Rhodey going to do that at one point? The paint job?" he asks Stark. Before Riri pipes up and Clint nods, "Found your press secretary Tony," he grins. <br><br>That's when his phone rings and he pulls it up. "Really? No shit," beat and a look back at Steve. "Sorry," back to the phone , "You found them, okay on my way. Thanks a million."<br><br>He clicks off his phone and looks back at the group "Gotta go, got a lead on my gender-swapped mini-me from the other night, going to go track her down, but grats Tony and the rest of us, I think after that we deserve shwarma some night, yeah?" he asks even as he's heading for the door.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:99|Lois Lane (99)}} has posed:'''<br>Lois looks at her phone, the tiniest look of surprise on her face, then a bit of a grin. Look at that, she'd struck gold. She taps something out on her phone, glancing around as she realizes Terry's off doing as instructed. "Eh, he'll find his way back eventually." She heads off to go prepare what she needs to before her appointment.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Steve Rogers (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"It was cathartic." Mildly, the Captain agrees with the sentiment about punching, because it was frankly true. His eyes continue resting on Riri with a patient amusement. "Honored to be a part of the slogan, but let's see all the options first, maybe bounce a few off a test crowd before the campaign settles on it. Not everybody's a fan of Captain America." He's not offended by his tone; it simply is a thing of humanity: not everyone likes everything.<br><br>Clint gets the most bland side-eyeing for his curse word, but Steve makes no comment. This modern age, oy.<br><br>However, hearing his phone go off in a high-pitched ringtone, he plucks it from his pocket. "'nd there's the other half. We'll talk, Tony -- 'nd your short answer about the flag is I've been told it matches my eyes by someone who's got a good knowledge of color palettes." Clint's abrupt departure has the Captain pausing, but only briefly. He'll touch base with the archer later, when things have settled.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:194|Hal Jordan (194)}} has posed:'''<br>Well...Hal can't help with this. Not yet. His job is dealing with the Galactic Stage, and if Tony wants to step on to that stage...well. The phrase 'no going back' doesn't even begin to cover it. There are rules about messing with 'underdeveloped planets', and if Earth wants to declare itself 'developed', than a whole lot of things open up. Still...he'd better go ahead and put that whole 'basic situation report' about Galactic Politics together. He'll deliver it later.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:532|Nick Lytton (532)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nothing else to be done here -- Nick pockets his phone and regards the found thermos as he makes his way towards the subway station.&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh hey, there's some info on the bottom -- he'll have to email the owner soon as he gets back to the studio.&nbsp;&nbsp;He gives the remaining crowd a look -- naw, there's no way to identify the owner in this mob.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:48|Tony Stark (48)}} has posed:'''<br> "She's already Secretary of Technological Innovation," Tony tells Clint with a raise of his shoulders, "She can't do both. Got to spread the love around a little bit."<br><br> Clint's mention of a gender-swapped mini-me raises his eyebrows and he turns to look pointedly at Riri, not saying anything but there are a great many words that pass between them in the sheer magnitude of the stare.<br><br> As his fellow Avengers depart, Tony turns fully to Riri and raises an eyebrow at her: "Well, I've got to go and be interviewed. Can you go find Pepper if you need anything?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:369|Riri Williams (369)}} has posed:'''<br>Riri shrinks a little beneath Tony's scrutiny, knowing exactly where it's coming from, with a sheepish... comically so.. expression. She doesn't rat out her compatriot in vigilantism though! "Yeah, I can do that.." Said to her benefactor in regards to finding Pepper to pester if she needs anything. Right now, however, she needs free food. There looked like there was some cheeseburgers and it don't get no more awesome than cheeseburgers. "I'm going to go stuff my face while I still have a fifteen year olds metabolism." Jaunting off with a little wave over her shoulder to the Presidential Candidate. <br> <br>
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