9299/Bloody Afterparty

Bloody Afterparty
Date of Scene:	27 December 2021
Location:	Stark Tower: Penthouse
Synopsis:	Peggy and Stark have a holiday visit - while Pepper suffers the aftermath of a shooting.
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Tony Stark, Peggy Carter

---

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I am FINE," comes a familiar female voice, the tenor of it just on //this// side of angry, frustrated, not quite hysterical, but given time and inclination, it can get there. For the moment, it's just combative. "Really, all I need is a shower,"

"But, Ms Potts, you could-"

"I could what? I'm cold, I'm dirty and I.." Pepper reaches up into her hair, mostly protected by the winter hat, but there are still bits of ooze at the tips, "Oh god.. no. Let me go.."

The words are outside, at the elevator, the sound and fury wafting its way to the Penthouse proper.

Pepper apparently wins the argument enough that the door opens under her volition, the security detail trying to follow closely on her heels as if to give explanation before they're called out on the carpet. She doesn't give them the chance, however, and she makes sure the door is closed before they can gain entrance. Once inside, then, there's that sound of,

"Ohhh... my coat." Her favorite.. now that she can see it a little more clearly. Dirt scuffs, a tear, and she's a little messy looking herself. Her fleece lined Uggs have tell-tale dark stains on the soles; another casualty. The coat needs to come off, the shoes.. and the hat is pulled off as well, only to have her quickly release it. Spatters are there, too..

Tony Stark has posed:
In truth, Tony has no memory of what exactly is in the gifts for Peggy. It isn't that he doesn't care - he does - he just didn't look it up. He had another heroic mess on his mind, and he explicitly trusts Pepper to handle all gift-giving. So the gifts Pepper got for Peggy? Mysterious for Tony, as well. Not that he's worried about it: again, the trust is there. Because Pepper's great.

Tony's covering any sort of uncomfortable quality with a warm bravado that may be casting a big shadow of his father on Peggy, as they recently sat together in the main living space. That is, until Pepper's voice floats in, and Tony turns to look...

And promptly straightens up, giving her a very sharp and notably protective stare. "...I hope the other guy is worse?" Tony asks, but his 'joke' has a yawning concern under it for what happened to Pepper as he starts to get up. His view rapidly narrowed to JUST concern for Pepper, and it did it very very quickly.

Peggy Carter has posed:
When Peggy stopped by (after giving a few hours notice, she isn't completely rude) it was with two fairly large bags full of various gifts, her and Daniel's return gifts and a whole bunch of home cooked food because Daniel insisted. She's in a holiday cheer of a swing dress -- black, red, and gray plaid trimmed with black velvet. She's also looking incredibly *good*. Like, 29 years old again good. Like her first SHIELD photos ever good, maybe even her SSR file, if a bit soft around the edges. SHIELD being back in the good graces of the world has done well for her.

She's about to say something when Pepper comes in the room, her whole expression falling as she stands up immediately. Instinctively, her hand reaches for something beneath her skirt -- probably where a small gun is holstered on the outside of her thigh, beneath her crinoline, but then her mind catches up to the fact that this is quite a secure building. There is no way Pepper got up here being followed. "Oh god, Pepper... Do you need *medical*?" Peggy's double timing over to the bar cart to cover a cloth napkin in water. She can help start cleaning, if nothing else.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I think I'm //wearing// the other guy, Tony.."

The response is just shy of her losing that bit of control she's mustering, and she's trying to divest herself of the coat without .. stuff falling off of it and having it clog up the cleaning drones. "This is.."

Once the coat is off, the pants and sweater underneath is unharmed, but the Uggs are a lost cause, and heel to toe, they're pulled off and piled with the coat. Her hands are scuffed, her face is dirty both with that dark.. red color and dirt, and her hair, well..

"I don't need medical.."

Oh... and it takes a moment to recognize and realize that they have a guest. (!!!) "Oh, oh my god, I am sorry.. I am so sorry I look like this.. Tony, why didn't you tell me.."

Not fair, he didn't have a chance, much less now to get a word in!

"I.. I.. I need a shower."

Tony Stark has posed:
"Did he explode?" Tony follows up with, now on his feet and moving over to her quickly. He's not going to search her physically for injuries, but he's definitely going to get in the way of her progress into the shower. "What happened? Wasn't Happy with you?" Tony asks, lifting hands towards her cheeks, to try to gently catch her face. He'll likely delay her long enough for Peggy to get a clear scope of any physical injury.

Tony's already getting some of the stuff on him, but doesn't care about mess. A cleaning drone does start to come out towards the carpet, and Tony rephrimands it without looking. "B-41, /not/ now." The cleaner drone immediately reverses and gets out of the way.

Tony attempts to pull Pepper into a hug (goo and all), and it's then during that, that Tony passes a glance to Peggy, where he projects some barely-cloaked worry that he's trying to keep control over.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peg is immediately at her side, hovering and careful, though she does give Tony room to comfort his partner. She won't intrude there. She offers that fairly damp cloth napkin instead of physically moving to clean Pepper's face -- she's respectful enough not to entirely invade their space. "Pepp... Miss Potts, it's fine. It's more than fine. Here. At least get your face clean, and some of your hair. Enough to take a breath. Do you want to sit and calm down a few moments before a shower? Please... it's quite alright."

Peggy's tone is gentle. As calm and reassuring as possible. She's someone who is accustomed to holding it together no matter what, to being the grounding point for others when they are in crisis. She gives Tony a look in turn as he stares at her in worry. A gentle, reassuring smile follows for him a heartbeat later. She'll be the calm boat for them both. "Tony, get her a drink... Have something to drink, at least. And a breath. Then a shower. Don't worry about this. I've come home covered in much the same before."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"No, he was with the car. I had Edison and Hanover," two others, just not often used. They're more 'suits' for when Tony has to look properly official. "I was just at the Zoo, walking and taking in the light display." The words start to tumble out, but when Tony takes her for the hug, there's a moment of 'No, I'm disgusting, you'll get it on..'

In the embrace, however, she's given that moment to //breathe//, and in the first moment, she's tense, but relaxes as soon as she truly feels his arms around her.

"I think someone was shooting. The lights went out completely, and I didn't hear anything, but people started going down. Dropping. Blood was everywhere.."

The gentle sound of Peggy's voice is also quite soothing; the woman knows, understands, has been there where someone like her own mother just couldn't begin to understand. The washcloth is taken by a hand that wraps around Tony, the feel of it warm. She nods once, and once another breath is taken, she tries to smile gamely, and a chuckle that makes an attempt at a laugh exits, "A drink would be wonderful."

Tony Stark has posed:
"If this is an attempt to one-up me from being covered in monster mucus from the other day -- you should know I'm just impossible to beat; I mean, it took a hose," Tony fusses at Pepper. His words carry their usually semi-obnoxious content, but none of his tone meshes with it. It's like teasing someone while the quality of the words is close to 'I love you'.

Tony takes a second to search for a non-gross place -- and picks one, her left eyebrow, to kiss, before releasing.

"I agree With Ms. Carter about the mess. Muck up this couch. I can buy a new one," Tony assures her indifferently of said couch. He looks at the damp napkin but doesn't force-clean Pepper or try to take it. He's freaked out but not controlling about the situation, she can wipe with it when she's ready. "A drink. Sure."

Drink duty. Tony moves to get that, while also instructing HOMER to pull everything about the zoo altercation (is it still an active shooter scene?), but to wait to display any visual details until Tony's request. If Pepper's in shock at all, he doesn't want sudden gore on the monitors.

"Any drink requests?" Casual.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The older woman -- the one who looks mysteriously young and hale nowadays -- stands calmly by. She's here to catch either of them, physically or emotionally, should they need. But she also has the grace not to intrude. Even as Tony is doing the right thing and hugging Pepper so tight. Peggy quietly steps to the side, just getting another damp cloth. Tony will need it too, most likely. She pulls one of the bar towels off the cart as well and is coming back to Pepper just as Tony is stepping away.

"Here, if you don't want to have to get a new couch..." Peggy puts the towel down, plenty of room for Pepper to sit (or perch, at least) and get off her feet while the drink comes. She hands over the second damp cloth, tying not to mama bird hover over the woman, but she certainly slightly is. "Gin is often best for nerves... " Just in case Pepper's shaken mind has no ability to make a decision. "And you are home safe. That's what matters. You got out of there in tact which is always the priority. We can handle all this...later." She motions to the blood. "Oh. And when you do get all this off your body, just burn the thing. Suits are replaceable and it's not worth keeping these memories, cleanable or not." Peggy truly acts as if this happens every day. It probably had to her, in the past.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"It took fire," Pepper returns. "That always scares me."

She closes her eyes to the gentle kiss, and once released, she takes another centering deep breath. Finally, she looks at the two of them, her shoulders slouching slightly. She's not used to this; it's strange. "I like this couch," comes as a complaint, even if it is pretty weak.

The towel on the couch is another good idea, and crossing the short distance slowly and deliberately, she does perch on the edge, making sure there's nothing that falls that might stain it. As for Tony's search?

At the Central Park Zoo holiday lights exposition, the million lights display went black.. and the shooting started. Silent. Deliberate. Any search of victims would bring up names of gang members. Vigilante justice, perhaps? And that last ganger, well.. he was a little close to Pepper when he'd received the headshot. It all lasted only a handful of minutes before sirens in the distance could be discerned, but that's usually how long gunfights last. They just //seem// longer.

"Burning does seem like a good idea, though." With the wet cloth in hand, Pepper starts to daub at her face, looking at the result on the cloth before turning it, and going over the same spot again.

"I am so sorry about this. It's Christmas, and I'm sure you didn't come here to have to worry about this."

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony does pull the info up -- discreetly on a monitor over by where he's getting the drink per the request. Specifically focusing on the man that was shot by her-- if there's a health hazard from the guy, he wants those records immediately.

So as Tony comes back, he's able to report, "It's over, at least. We'll see what more turns up. Some sort of gunman, specific targets. I'd say vigilante, but this was deliberate murder, and I won't give that title to those types. Vigilante is one thing --- mass public murderer terrorizing the public is entirely another." Tony's no fan of killing people, gang members or otherwise.

"But what's imporant is you're safe now. You have nothing to be sorry about. Here, Pep." Tony brings the drink to put into her hands, and sinks down next to her.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Once Pepper is settled, Peggy neatly crouches at her side to help ease off those Ugg boots that are so covered in ick. She looks over to the cleaning drone that WAS trying to help, uncertain if it will listen to her, but she does try: "Hullo, young...robot, could you get me a trash bag? The biggest you have. That will be a big help. Thank you, dear." She does treat it as politely as she would a human. She has no clue how much they think or know!

Then she's trying to ease off Pepper's other boot, not making a big deal or show of it. She has the clinical distance of a nurse with the gentle smile of a worried friend. "Get me the things. I'll properly dispose of them. We have protocols for this sort of thing. And if what he said was right, you're safe. This was poor timing, but you...you were never a target. Hold tight to that." She gives both of them a reassuring smile as Tony returns to sit with Pepper, "And honestly?... Christmas has been a little quiet. Don't apologize. I don't know that Daniel or I know what to do without at least one crisis." Though the flickering look behind her eyes is one of guilt. There is something else weighing heavy on her heart that she pushes off with the smallest shake of her head. "Tony, could I get a drink as well?...Tea, or coke, or... Something. I'll find it. Stay with her." Peggy then moves to the barcart, searching for anything sans alcohol.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper sets the rag in her lap briefly, and pulls her hair to the side, finger-combing first, and then wiping her hands on the rag, her face screwing up in a silent 'yuck' every time a piece of something emerges. Upon Tony's return, however, green eyes rise to listen to the final report, and she nods, reaching up for the glass as placed into her hands. (Don't think that it has gone unnoticed, Tony Stark..)

That she's not a target, wasn't a target does ease her mind. Things have gotten stranger and stranger since the aliens in the City skies (which, thankfully she missed!), but now there's magic, and creatures, and.. and.. and..

She's really not used to being fussed over, and when Peggy calls the little 'bot over, Pepper does smile supportively. "They're smart. They can do it."

The topic of Christmas, and it being quiet seems a touch on the melancholy-side, if she's reading it right. She glances over at Tony with that quick bout of concern, then she's back to Peggy again. "You don't need crises. There's a Christmas present, right there."

Tony Stark has posed:
The robot does chirr at Tony. "Yeah, do whatever she needs," Tony says to the robot -- which will grant Peggy full access to determine what the robot needs to do.

A piece of brain/skull/something falls loose from Pepper's hair, though, and Tony changes his mind. "You know what --- let's prioritize the shower. Wash off the whole experience, set it behind you," Tony suggests. He looks towards Peggy, then Pepper. "Do you want any help, or you got it?" Tony doesn't assume Pepper's a china doll, but will help if she does want.

The drone robot comes out with a little 'wash-wash, scrub scrub!' motion of its front limbs. "Not what I meant," Tony sighs at it.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Everything that Peggy has gotten off of Pepper and every bit the woman took off already is quickly put into the bag for the incinerator. It's been a while since she had to bring a burn bag home, but she handles it all like second nature. It's a distraction from looking for something to drink anyway. She then gazes back to both of them, "Go. Shoo. Clean up proper. Yes, it is Christmas and there are presents... but we can open them after a hot shower. Go. I'm not going anywhere." And with that, Peggy helps the robot get to cleaning, giving the couple some space to breath and recover.