appt: 1 - video

[didknowthat]

[Well well, isn't this a familiar face? Should be for at least some of you. Same strawberry blonde hair, same proper dress-suit and perfect hair and worried crease in her brow. Yep. It's Pepper alright.]

I'm back, for those of you wondering. Sorry about ... disappearing like that. Business I had to attend to. [Not at all awkward or uncomfortable about that, at least.] For anyone who doesn't recognize me from before, my name is Miss Virginia Potts, but feel free to call me Pepper.

[And with that? End goes the feed. She's not in the mood to lolly-gaggle.]

Comments

[didknowthat]

Thanks.

[didknowthat]

Hi. [You're.. Castiel, aren't you? Recalling names, hnn. It's been a while.]

Cas, wasn't it?

[didknowthat]

[Won't it just.]

Don't know if it's that great to be back, but thanks.

[didknowthat]

[Briefed. Sob.]

That's one way to put it, but yes. [And doesn't she just look thrilled?]

[trenchcoatedly]

Yes. And you're Pepper.

[Video]

[didknowthat]

[... H m. He's not from the same time, is he.]

Uh, no. I'm not an Avenger. Or a superhero or- I'm Tony Stark's- PA.

[And girlfriend. Uh. That still sounds so bad to say. PA and girlfriend. Ugh.]

[video]

[didknowthat]

Well enough. I'm back for the same reasons. [Noiseless sigh.] I had to run back before- a bunch of suits and their ridiculous egos decided they could jump in and take the company while both CEO's were AWOL.

text;

[didknowthat]

[NO. Also she might still be texting, but she is on her way down to you, Tony Stark.]

I'd rather you didn't. He's staying where he is.

[Private]

[didknowthat]

Ok. [Was there really any doubt she'd be on her way down already?]

Of course. Was there any particular catalyst? Something that set him off? Or was it just ... general schematics.

[didknowthat]

[...So astute.]

Yes. Sorry. It's been a while for me.

[trenchcoatedly]

I'm not offended. Did you leave and return by choice?

[Private]

[wedonot]

[Nope. :c Yes good Pepper, help him get back to normal. :c]

He's been on a downward spiral since you level, but Agent Barton recently came aboard and was being taunted by Loki, apparently similarly enough to how Loki manipulated Tony to make him and Captain Rogers want to "teach Loki a lesson". He was already drunk when it happened. I found out about it before he could do anything to Loki, we fought and he got drunker and broke into the art room. A friend of mine helped me bring him down to Zero.

[didknowthat]

Yes, actually. Bit of business I had to take care of at home that, unfortunately, couldn't wait. Suits with big wallets and egos to match trying to take Stark Industries for their own. And with Tony and I being the only CEO's, things could have gone very bad with the both of us gone.

[trenchcoatedly]

[It takes him a bit to parse through this. Corporate speak is tough on him.]

But you're both here now.

text -> text/private;

[aggravating]

[He's so taking back those bff bracelets he got Charles.]

Right, right. No touching the Hammer. Still sending him Iron Man soap every Christmas.

[He switches to a Private filter, though.]

Look, next time leave the company. I don't give a crap about the company right now. We can blow something up and grab it back when we go home.
As your still kind of boss, that's an order.

[You're not allowed to leave him here alone again, Pep :c ]

[can_has_vodka]

Right, I'll whip one up.

[private]
The lad's going through a rough time. I like him, even if he is five sometimes. If you ever need a non-gossiping ear I am good for it.

[persuadeyou]

At least you missed a few ugly things. You've got to start looking on the bright side, Ms. Potts. [ Why, is that sarcasm? Yes. Yes it is. ]

[didknowthat]

Yes. We are. [Not that it helps anything back home, but.]

[trenchcoatedly]

So, your business in jeopardy now.

private;

[thestarspangledman]

She's going to find out sooner or later if she hasn't already, Tony.

private;

[thestarspangledman]

[He was trying to be discreet, okay. ;;]

I've been keeping an eye on him, as often as I can.

private;

[aggravating]

Yeah, uh. Rathering it be later, thanks.

text/private;

[didknowthat]

[It shouldn't take that long to get down there, should it? Not really. Pepper is quick. Even in heels. Especially in heels.]

Noted. [But that doesn't really mean much.]

[Besides. She's ... here. There. In Zero. Or at least in the place where you can visit or however it works. She's not saying anything though. Not yet. Regardless of whether his back is to her or .. whatever.]

spam;

[aggravating]

[He... looks like shit. His hair is plastered to his forehead and neck, his skin is pale and drawn. He's lost a good ten pounds over the last week just from puking, not eating, and sweating up a storm. He's still shaking, despite this being his last day in Zero, still looks like death but honestly?

He looks ten times better than he did just a few days ago. And he'll be even better once he can get up and walk around, once his freedom is returned to him again. When he can tinker and get coffee into his system. When he can bicker and have a place that's his and not a cell. When he can get some control back.

Still, he's not facing her, not really paying attention to his surroundings right now. He's fiddling with the communicator, flipping through the other replies, playing voice messages back, reading over text, trying to see who's told Pepper what, and who else she might be talking to.]

Damnit. [It's a quiet hiss as he scrubs a hand roughly through sweat drenched hair, his voice rough, like he's been gargling rusty nails and washing them down with a swig of acid. Charles. He knows his warden would have jumped on Pepper by now, and the fact that he couldn't see it...

Finally, he raises his eyes from the screen in front of him, head tilting back to thunk lightly against the wall before he lets it loll to the side, eyes still bloodshot but clearer than they have been in days, expression tight with something almost akin to guilt as he takes in the woman in front of him. Tight lines, curves, skin and freckles and strawberry blonde hair. That neck, those collarbones, quick and nimble fingers and a firmly set jaw. Pepper Potts.

His Pepper.

And here he is looking like a homeless man crawling his way out of a puddle of puke from his latest binge.

It's pathetic.

And still, all he wants to do is crawl right back inside of a bottle.]

You know, I was thinking. [He says around the guilt clogging his throat, passing it off as being too thirsty, swallowing and clearing it, licking chapped lips, all too aware of the fact that he hadn't shaved in over a week, now. There just hadn't been a point while trapped down here.] This place sucks, it's- there's not even anything to do. We should invest, get something down here. Aquarium or something. Video games. Yeah, I know. Punishment, whatever. Make it pong. A week of playing pong and reading Cosmo.

[He chuckles, pushing his hair back in a futile attempt to fix something about himself.]

Not sure what I'd want more, at the end. Another round of a two-bit video game or white walls and silence.

private;

[thestarspangledman]

If she doesn't know, I'm going to tell her.