5916/Business Requirements

Business Requirements
Date of Scene:	12 April 2021
Location:	Stark Tower: Offices
Synopsis:	Tony and Pepper chat between business meetings.
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Pepper Potts

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Tony Stark has posed:
The day has been covered in meetings - and not the kind that Stark tends to like. These are the arrays of accountants, lawyers, and similar board meeting groups. They all work for Stark, at least - so there isn't any battle at hand, here. It's more a series of meetings following the giant all-hands one that was held in the large ballroom on the 11th floor.

Tony enjoys his all-hands, big announcements - and employees don't hate them either, because Tony is always entertaining and invigorating in some way: rallying those who work at Stark Industries to greater heights. The charisma at work, there.

A break between goverment contracts has everyone off out of the meeting room - other than Tony and Pepper, anyway. Tony spins his chair and tiredly leans it all the way back, eyes closing for the moment - allowing the private tiredness to surface only where Pepper can witness it. He's been working on 'something', and was up late with it in his lab. Still, he's doing well to maintain in the meetings anyway.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Long meetings with lots of information passed along the way is difficult when of a single topic. When there is an information-palooza, with all hands on deck, it's a circus that needs careful minding and coordination. Who speaks when, what information is shared at what time, in which order, and by whom (it's not always by department heads), and making sure the message that Tony sends is the one that is brought back. It's a huge morale booster to the rank and file to see the boss so on top of things, and the experience of being in the same hall, albeit with many others, is enough to send them on their way properly energized.

It's behind carefully guarded closed doors where the theatrics can be dropped. It's also where Pepper can be more closely attentive, as in, the concern that is held in her features, radiating from her emerald-hued eyes as she watches him. She walks slowly in those spiked pumps to put herself beind him in order to massage his weary temples, "You know," she begins, "at some point in time, you're going to figure out you can't keep doing this. Your hours.." It's not a harsh admonisment; it's one born of worry as told by a woman who hates to watch it all unfold before her.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Evidence has shown that I can, in fact, keep doing this," Tony answers teasingly. He's reclined back in the chair, though the swivel of it is just as likely to lift back up at a small flex of body. For now, though, he's back, and he doesn't aim his gaze up at Pepper as she comes around behind him and puts her fingers in the sides of his hair. He lifts one hand to draw her fingers off his head and instead to some tension in the neck, though.

It's a quiet admission and direction of where the stress is currently living. "SHIELD just didn't pick good timing to have a massive infight," Tony observes with a sigh. "Putting it on top of all of our business needs for Spring." There's a scoff in the tone, but seriousness under it. "Though what I'm doing is very limited - some aid for the Avengers still stuck in there, but... staying out of it otherwise." Still, he wasn't going to leave friends to rot, when there were things he could do.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Mmmhmm.." Pepper sounds a dubious tone, but shifts her ministrations to the requested spot; his neck, which brings her a little cloesr to him. Finger dig gently into the muscles there in an attempt to reduce some of the tension that is obvious under her hands, and a soft sigh exits the woman. "And the same evidence has you crashing hard afterwards," she reminds. "I can actually have HOMER put together a montage for you."

Still, she doesn't press there. Instead, she does take the request for ministration seriously, and as she attempts to loosen up the muscle, the discussion regarding SHIELD does make it a little more of a challenge.

"I'm lining up people for the Expo, so moving that will be problematic." Read: she's not moving it. Not unless there is a perfect storm of hurricane, tornado, and/or tsunami threatening NYC on that partiicular day. His mention of aid, however, causes a brief pause in the massage, though she doesn't lift her fingers from his warm skin. "Don't put yourself too far into the firing line, Tony. I don't want them to have a reason to go after you." There's a pause before, "I don't like going to DC."

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony laughs softly, "No, no. Just some tech replacements for Avengers. Hardly anything that would catch us in the ass," Tony clarifies, moving both hands now to snare her wrists and draw her hands together, down to his mid-chest, which requetss that she lean forwards behind him in a hug from behind. A quiet lead and request for that comfort. He also turns his head to put a kiss on her cheek near her jawline, if she comes into range of it.

"Expo's still on. I'm looking forward to it. You don't get to move it," Tony says, with a pat of fingers on her arm, and then release. "Think it's time to let the other suits back in?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper is drawn easily down, so that she has a lean in. Here, she can take a deep, centering breath without eyes. It's something she finds she needs in order to properly relax and get back to an appropriate frame of mind. She smiles at the kiss and easily returns itt, though she'll be cleaning the spot soon after so her lipstick color doesn't remain upon his cheek.

"Good," at least she's heartened there. "Though, if I was the paranoid type, I would wonder how long it would take the government to shut down the Avengers Project." After all, it was the brain child of SHIELD, wasn't it

Pepper smiles soon after at the confirmation of the Stark Expo. They've been running it for too long; it's an established tourist draw (very much like the World's Fairs had been), and because it's familiar, it almost sets up and runs itself. Once more, she presses a quick kiss to his lips before she releases and stands straight again, remaining behind his chair.

"It's time. I think the next thing on the agenda is from HR; hiring and retention within the departments."