16418/Stark Tank!

Stark Tank!
Date of Scene:	09 July 2024
Location:	Penthouse - Stark Tower
Synopsis:	Peter proposes a thing and gets all the things!
Cast of Characters:	Spider-Man, Ghost Spider, Pepper Potts, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch

Spider-Man has posed:
It's earlier in the morning than Peter usually likes to be up and around. Especially when he had to ... sigh ... dress up. So he's got his best weddings-and-funerals suit on, which mostly fits him, and cheap dress shoes that are an unscuffed as a determined attempted polishing could make them. Paper copies of the proposal, electronic copies of the proposal, and his Dad's old briefcase-satchel-thing in one hand.

Gwen's hand in his other.

Just stay calm, Parker. That's not your Spider-Sense, that's just nerves. Deep breaths. You got this.

It's only the second-biggest thing you've ever done. OK, third. Second is standing next to you, first was becoming Spider-Man in the first place.

He needed to pee. He needed more coffee. He _definitely_ didn't need more coffee.

He needed for this to go well.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen Stacy -- famous for both having her face on the side of one of the midtown busses advertising advertising cosmetics (not hers -- she's just the model) and for being the drummer in the Mary Janes -- has chosen a deep emerald green sheath dress for the occasion, the rich color complementing her blonde hair and bringing out the striking blue of her eyes.

Tailored to perfection, the dress manages to exude both chic, professional sophistication and an understated elegance that doesn't overshadow the genius beside her. It's a designer label, but it's not flashy at all. On her feet, she wears classic black pumps, their sleek design adding a few inches to her height and a touch of professionalism to her ensemble.

As they step into the sleek, modern lobby, it's apparent why Stark Tower is a symbol of cutting-edge innovation. Today, they're here to (hopefully) secure a bit of that success to launch Parker Industries.

She steals a glance at Peter and squeezes his hand reassuringly, offering a warm smile that she hopes will steady him.

"You've got this, Peter," she murmurs, her voice confident and soothing. "Just be yourself. They'll see what I see -- a brilliant mind with a vision that can change the world."

There's a twinkle of adoration in those blue eyes, a girl who just happens to be absolutely smitten with this talented nerd.

"I mean.. Mr. Stark came to your birthday party, we got attacked by dinosaurs, and he's _still_ willing to meet with us. That has to say something."

Mirth curls her lips.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper Potts, administrative assistant to Tony Stark himself, was waiting in the lobby for the duo. She had a tablet in hand that she was working on though her head came up as security pinged her device to let her know the visitor had arrived. Though it seemed it was visitors. Security checks had been completed and they were allowed to continue to where Pepper waited in the main lobby.

She was dressed in a charcoal-gray, pinstriped dress suit. The skirt was straight and fell to just below her knees. The jacket was unbuttoned, allowing the cream blouse she was wearing underneath to be visible. Matching charcoal gray shoes pumps with a low heel covered her feet. Her red hair was pulled up at the back of her head in a bun, held in place with two hairsticks in black. She put on her brightest smile as she stepped forward to greet the duo.

"Mr. Parker. Ms. Stacy. It's a pleasure to see you. Mr. Stark is waiting though this may be a bit of an uncoventional meeting as he is unable to go to his office currently. Thus, we will be meeting him in one of the private areas. I hope that will be alright?"

And with that, she would lead them toward the elevator bank and right past it. A turn down a couple of hallways--and past more security who simply gave them a glance as they passed--then they would see the hall eneded at an elevator. Which was sitting open and awaiting their arrival. She led them in. "I will have to ask that you do not use any recording devices while you are in this meeting, unless Mr. Stark says otherwise." Since he was about as reliable to do what she expected as a goldfish. "And everything you see is proprietary to Stark Industries or Mr. Stark himself."

And with that, the quick elevator trip was over. The doors opened into the living area of a penthouse. Her heels tick-ticked as she walked forward as though this was normal, leading them to another door. This led them to the smaller area that led to the bunker itself, where the science happened.

And where Tony had been for too many days without coming up for air.

"Mr. Stark. Mr. Parker and Ms. Stacy are here for your ten o'clock," she offered to her employer as she motioned the duo forward to greet the man himself. And his guest.

Iron Man has posed:
    High above most of the Manhattan skyline and dominating a good part of it, Stark Tower stands sentinel providing a bright greeting to the sun as it rises, the reflection of its light bringing warmth to the city below. And a bit of a headache at times for people in traffic in Midtown and the Financial District. It is such a bright tower, although the majority of people working in its depths greet the morning with a positivity...
    There is at least one who does so without such a sunny disposition.
    "What? No. No peeking. You'll collapse the wave function and ruin everything." Tony's voice is just a touch grumpy as he gestures toward the floating drone on its miniature vectored-thrust engines, its tiny claw manipulators abruptly dropping the lip of one of a myriad of purple boxes that are settled and scattered _all_ through Tony Stark's bunker of abundance and technology. Hovering over the various work stations, holographic displays provide a steady cascading readout of data as a myriad of floating and stationary sensors take in the observations of the objects.
    As several other robotic assistants hover behind him, Tony turns toward an individual that stands out markedly against the tableau of technology. "Wanda!" He steps to the side while pointing at her then snapping his fingers, walking around behind a handful of those boxes who are set up on a workbench, their purple facades seeming oh so terriblly mundane.
    "Hit that one with a little more of the Spell Juice." Said Spell Juice being a simple slight empowering of the object granted by her miraculous talents and role as an arbiter of reality. But for now, Spell Juice.
    He turns and makes sure to adjust a few of the sensors to get the readings before the needed application in what assuredly is a very formal and regimented experiment.
    Tony looked a bit bedraggled, still wearing the Team Banzai shirt he had adorned... Saturday? No Sunday evening. His blue jeans, however, there were no promises as to when they had first found their place on the Billionaire's clothes rotation for the weekend. The white sneakers he wore though were put on and taken off so often that any gauge was a difficult thing to measure for them. Wanda had likely noted that state, though it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before assuredly.
    Then the slight trill of announcement as to the elevator was heard, and the approach of voices. "No tours through this area!"
    Those harsh words hurled absently as Tony leans over a console, but then he actually turns to look. "Parker!" A glance at Gwen, "Not Parker. Welcome. Enjoy all the things and the sentiment of good things."

Scarlet Witch has posed:
In the bustling ambiance of Tony Stark's tech-laden bunker, Wanda Maximoff sits serenely, her attire a perfect fusion of elegance and casual grace in her signature color. As she sips tea from a cup suspended over a floating scarlet plate crafted from her hex energy, her presence forms a calm oasis amid the technological storm. When Tony offhandedly requests more of her "Spell Juice," a flicker of irritation crosses Wanda's features. She sets her cup down gently on the floating plate, her brow furrowing slightly. "Tony, I'd appreciate it if you referred to it by its proper name---chaos magic. It's not just some 'juice,'" she remarks, her tone both calm and corrective, emphasizing the profound nature of her abilities. As the elevator announces the arrival of new visitors, Wanda's attention shifts to the newcomers. Observing Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy for the first time, her expression is one of polite curiosity, paired with a warm smile. "Hello," she greets simply, offering a nod of acknowledgment to the unfamiliar faces, her demeanor welcoming yet composed. Turning her focus back to the task Tony requested, Wanda extends her hands toward the designated object. "I'll need a moment of concentration, so please, no disturbances," she states, her voice embodying a blend of request and command. Delicate fingers trace the air, summoning scarlet energies that dance and swirl, preparing to channel her chaos magic into the device as requested by Stark. Her serene concentration starkly contrasts with the dynamic energy of Stark's laboratory, showcasing her ability to maintain tranquility and control amidst chaos.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter swallowed heavily. Mostly to try to keep his breakfast coffee where breakfast coffee belongs - on the inside. "Umm, Mister Stark?" Peter said, and then mentally winced. Great. Now you sound like you're fifteen and meeting your idol for the first time. Up your game, Parker, it's only the rest of your life on the line here.

He looked over to Wanda, noted the floating cup and the red energy cushion it sat on, and mentally shrugged. Augmented of some kind. No, mage. Chaos mage? He used to play as one of those in an old Warhammer RPG. Kinda pretty - no, really kinda striking - but gentlemen preferred blondes.

He let go of Gwen's hand, pulled forward by incessant curiosity to go check out one of the purple things scattered all over the place. Even Tony's oft-stated-by-the-Bugle-as-a-womanizer status faded to the back of his head - Gwen had a way of dealing with people that just saw the outside - in favor of SCIENCE!

Ghost Spider has posed:
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Ms. Potts," Gwen assures with smile so warm it might have raised the temperature in the room by a degree. She's excited, and there's a palpable sense of anticipation, though she manages at least to keep it constrained to her eyes and her lips rather than the bouncing, clapping, and whooping she'd rather be doing.

It's not easy for her, but sometimes life is pain.

"I _love_ your outfit." Spoken to Pepper in the elevator ride up, because five seconds of silence had fallen and Gwen simply couldn't abide that.

Fortunately, before she knows it, they're stepping out into the penthouse... something she takes an eye-full of on the way through, eyebrows raised in the universal symbol for 'Holy crap.' Yeah, she's been in some swanky places for modeling gigs before, but... wow.

And it only gets more and more impressive.

Her heels and Pepper's seem to make that almost machine-gun rhythm together as their steps fall out of sync and it's a steady 'tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic' all the way to the 'bunker.' And there's Tony! And.. holy crap. The Scarlet Witch is here?!

She doesn't even seem to notice Peter's hand slipping away from hers when he steps up to make the greets. Or maybe she expected it. Either way, her hands fold politely in front of her, though the keen of eye might notice the way her weight shifts to the balls of her stiletto-clad feet and she does everything in her power not to bounce on them.

"Wanda Maximoff!" it's a hiss of an excited greeting that makes her blush just a little. "Sorry." She clears her throat. "Sorry. Just.. a fan."

'Not Peter,' then, brings her attention back to Tony.

"Gwen Stacy," she offers, raising a hand to briefly touch the top of her chest, but she doesn't interrupt beyond that, especially once Wanda's asked for no interruptions.

Pepper Potts has posed:
There had been a brief murmured Thank You to the compliment from Gwen. Thankfully the elevator trip was brief, since it was the fastest in the building. Only the best for Tony. Nevermind he was tweaking the system at least once a month as well to try to go for even more speed. Pepper had made sure to swallow briefly in order to clear the pop of her ears after that rise in altitude at speed.

She stepped to the side and waited near the door, eyes going to the tablet as she began to tap away on it. Pepper never was doing one thing at a time when she was working. Multitasking was her way of life. In a lot of ways, her brain worked just like Tony's. It needed to be focused somewhere, stimulated, or she might just go insane. She didn't have his genius level for tech and creation but she had her own skill sets.

Her purpose now was to observe and wait, just in case information might need to be accessed for Tony as the discussion began.

Iron Man has posed:
    "Please, Parker. Don't disturb, Wanda." Tony's voice has a hint of feigned admonishment to it as he steps around the edge of the bunker, closing the distance toward the pair of newcomers. Though, of course, his first target is Ms. Potts. He quirks an eyebrow at her, "These them?"
    As if they weren't. He looks at Peter, eyebrow still quirked, then at Gwen. "Kiddo. Ms. Stacy. Forgive my earlier gaffe, I offloaded some of my brain onto a Blackberry in the early aughts." A beat, then he adds, "Ms. Potts has the rest."
    Turning to the side he starts to gesture in Wanda's direction, about to say something, perhaps introduce her as his lips part, but then he checks himself and confides to the visitors and Pepper, "Not supposed to disturb her. Almost forgot. I'm a chronic disturber."
    Then he slaps his hands together with a loud CLAP!
    "So."
    He spares a second glance over at Wanda. Then back to the two youths. "What's the haps? How are the things? How's May?"
    Then, as if to set the tone, "We're a little busy here."
    Show time, Parker.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Having meticulously directed her chaos energy into Tony's mysterious device, Wanda Maximoff completes her task with a flourish. The device emits a final, bright flare of energy before the scarlet stream subsides, and Wanda, with a graceful movement, flicks back her hair, a look of satisfaction marking her features. She turns to Tony, her expression turning slightly serious. "Tony, I do wish you'd be more forthcoming about why you need my chaos magic," Wanda begins, her tone a mixture of concern and reprimand. "You do realize the inherently volatile nature of this power, right? It's not just a tool to be wielded lightly. The consequences can be... unpredictable." She pauses, ensuring her point is clear, her eyes locking with Tony's for a moment to emphasize her cautionary words. "I trust your genius, Tony, but I urge you to tread carefully with forces you may not fully understand." knowing Tony's view on magic. After addressing Tony, Wanda offers Pepper a warm smile and a friendly wave, acknowledging her presence with genuine appreciation for the order she brings to Tony's chaotic world. Turning her attention to the newcomers, Peter and Gwen, Wanda crosses her legs elegantly and retrieves her tea, taking a sip before addressing them with a sophisticated and welcoming demeanor. "It seems my introduction might be somewhat superfluous given your reaction, Ms. Stacy," Wanda says with a smile, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. "But nonetheless, I'm Wanda Maximoff. It's a pleasure to meet you both." Her gaze softens as she observes Gwen's excitement and Peter's curiosity, her smile inviting and open, ready to engage further with the young visionaries in Tony's vibrant setting.

Spider-Man has posed:
That's your cue, Parker! "So, Mister Stark." he started. "I've got a proposal I wanted you to look at. See, I think I've got more to offer the world than, err, what I've been doing." he said with a quick sideline glance at not-in-the-loop Wanda. "And with your backing, I think we..." he said with a quick gesture towards Gwen "... can bring some innovations in the biochem and engineering spaces that are traditionally left to the rust-belt era firms like DuPont or 3M. I'm proposing that, with some financial and equipment backing from Stark Solutions, Parker Industries can move much more quickly and bring a number of potential products to market quickly and profitably." he said, then paused to A) take a breath and B) read the room.

Ghost Spider has posed:
It's obvious Gwen wants to talk to Wanda. And to Pepper. And to Tony.

And more than obvious that she wants to touch _all_ the things in the lab. Especially the ones she's not allowed to touch.

But this is Peter's moment. And though Gwen is still there, hovering a respectable distance behind and to the side, it's also apparent to anyone present who she considers the real star of the show to be.

The 'we' does soften her smile a little, however, as her blue eyes cut over towards Peter with a bit of appreciation in them.

The less well-known (but certainly easily find-out-able) fact about her is that she's a Molecular Biochemistry PhD candidate that's been working as a research assistant at Alchemax. She's even written a few papers as part of her graduate studies. But of course, if she's ever going to be recognized in public, it's probably for that one poster somebody saw in passing.

She doesn't say anything, though, to modify his pitch. She doesn't add ideas or interject about how awesome she thinks he is, even though that's there in her eyes, too. She just waits.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Ms. Stacy seems to be quite the busy woman. Between her studies and work in molecular biochemistry, she also was part of a band and a popular model. Or so it said on the information Pepper had pulled up on her tablet upon having the surprise second in the meeting. Always good to deep dive about someone in a meeting, one never knew when it might be helpful.

As the pitch was given, that drew Pepper's eyes back up. Not to Peter. Directly to Tony, who had turned his head her direction briefly. It was a dance they both knew well. In return, he got a brief raise of her eyebrows and the smallest tilt of her head to the side. He would know that as an indication she would need far more data to be able to advise him a yes or no in response to his unspoken query.

She went back to tapping on her tablet while still having her full attention on the meeting.

Iron Man has posed:
    "Exactly, we're trying to predict the unpredictable. You're right there with me, Wandas." Tony offers sidelong without quite looking toward her, his attention momentarily pulled in her direction. But then with the weight of several anvils he levels his regard upon Peter and _watches his pitch_.
    Tony's gaze casually drifts back and forth between Peter's irises as he stares and listens. Full attention given. For the space of roughly five seconds.
    Right as Peter says the word 'profitably', Tony lifts his chin slightly, eyebrows rising as well. That glance given toward Pepper as a silent question is asked between them, then he's looking back toward Peter. A slight flick of a glance to Gwen before he asks, "If this has anything to do with nanites and fossils count me out." A glance back and forth between them. Then a beat and he adds, "Or possibly in."
    That said he nods towards Pepper and gestures toward Peter and what he's carrying, though he makes no movement to take it. Instead he clears his throat. "Look, Pete. I'm going to level with you." He lifts a hand slightly, extending it for a brief moment, but then refolds his arms over his chest.
    "I back people. Not ideas." Another pause as his eyes distance ever so slightly over Peter's shoulder, as he can likely just imagine Pepper clearing her throat. So he clarifies, "Ok, what I mean is I _usually_..." He turns to give Pepper an admonishing look she doesn't deserve at all. He looks back to Peter, "Back people, not ideas. And you know I have confidence in you, Peter. You're the man. You've been Johnny on the spot..."
    He shakes his head, "At least a good half dozen times. You're smart, your clever, and you don't need me hyping you up. You've got your pal here to help you with that."
    He turns and starts to walk away, gesturing to the side. "Give what you got to Peps, and if it makes sense we'll figure something out."
    Then, for some reason, he flashes a grin at Wanda before he turns his back on the petitioners. "Come on, Wanda, back to work, enough slacking."
    Though he does turn, still walking away, albeit backwards. "You guys need some money to start? Something to get groundwork? Pepper?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
While subtly channeling chaos energy into Tony's device, Wanda Maximoff remains fully engaged in the unfolding conversation, demonstrating a deft hand at mystical multitasking. Her face lights up with genuine interest as Peter lays out his proposal, her smile a clear indication of her approval. Turning to Tony with an encouraging look, Wanda leans slightly forward, her voice both playful and persuasive. "Come now Tony, you should absolutely consider what Peter's proposing. I may not have your technical expertise, but I can tell he has that spark of brilliance---something akin to what I see in you." She continues, weaving a tantalizing vision designed to appeal to Tony's ego. "Just imagine the potential of late-night brainstorming sessions with you, Bruce Banner, and Peter Parker. It could be a think tank of the finest minds in science. The world would definitely further exalt the great Tony Stark for assembling such a distinguished group." With a playful wink directed at Gwen and Peter, Wanda adds, "And really, how could you resist supporting such a delightful young couple?" Seizing a natural pause in the conversation, Wanda gestures gracefully with her hand, and two additional cups of tea float over from the nearby counter, mirroring the one she's been enjoying. "Please, have some tea. It's a special blend from Stephen Strange---yes, that Stephen Strange. He's quite the connoisseur," she chuckles softly, adding, "And don't worry, it won't turn you into frogs or anything of the sort... maybe." Her playful jest is delivered with a twinkle in her eye, inviting Gwen and Peter to relax into the conversation, feeling both welcomed and intrigued by the magical yet warm atmosphere Wanda effortlessly creates around her.

Ghost Spider has posed:
"That was _one_ time," Gwen can't seem to help protesting at Tony's reference to her botched attempt at Peter's 30th birthday party, though it's so good-natured she has a hard time keeping the laugh out of her voice. Then, just as just a whisper of an utterance, she rolls one delicate shoulder. "I mean, he said he liked dinosaurs..."

There's humor still lingering in her eyes.

Spider-Man has posed:
The absolute last thing Peter wanted to do right then was to relax. Still, the offer was a kindness and Peter took his tea, only to look for someplace to set it down. He settled on the floor, as there was a ton of stuff here, there, and everywhere and some of it might not have reacted well to being used as a coaster. "I've got copies of my more detailed proposal here, which include several candidates for space to work out of and what equipment we have a most criticalk need for..." he said, trying to prop up his Dad's old briefcase on one arm while trying to open it with the other. Luckily for Peter, he was inhumanly agile and had no real trouble in popping the case open.

However, Peter was a Parker and his luck held true - as he was reaching for both a paper and an electronic copy of his detailed proposal, the briefcase finally gave up the ghost and the top half split from the bottom half, spilling papers and USB thumb drives all over the ground. One paper copy of his proposal, feeling especially puck-ish, landed in his carefully-discarded tea, sending it splashing into the floor. "I'm so sorry, mister Stark..." Peter babbled as he tried to A) recover the only artifact he had left from his father and B) retrieve his proposal before C) it drowned in Lake Tea.

Pepper Potts has posed:
As everything came crashing down, Pepper started to take a step forward. Immediately she stopped as she glanced around at the various machines in the room. For in the past, she had indeed rushed in to try to fix things as that was her nature. Only to find herself amidst a sea of drones and robots that had caused her to practically break an ankle.

In short--she now knew better.

"I will be glad to inquire, Mr. Stark," she offered to the question from her employer before turning her smile back to the visiting couple. "Mr. Parker, if you would like to provide me with a copy of your business proposal, it will be looked over and we can give you an answer within the week. I will be certain you have my information so you may reach me directly as I will be your contact should any questions arise. Or should I need clarification on something you have provided."

Iron Man has posed:
    "Good, sounds great, Pepper!" Tony calls out now as he's heading back to the control console, gesturing with one hand over his shoulder in a somewhat nebulous motion though she assuredly knows, and knew ahead of time what it would mean.
    And then it's back to work. Though as the others are departing, he calls out. "Food for thought, Pete! Arc Reactor power output diminishes asynchronously with declination of scale at a rate of .11 above expected size differential. Give me your thoughts next week."
    Then he's leaning over the console and calls out, "Okay get outta here ya crumb bums."
    Though he does shoot a glance at Wanda and whispers, "Did he break any of my stuff?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda watches the chaotic scene unfold with a calm, discerning eye, then gracefully rises from her seat, still holding her tea cup. As Tony returns to his work and Peter scrambles to collect his scattered papers, she offers a wry smile to the young couple. "Well, Peter, Gwen," she says dryly, "Pepper can probably confirm, that's probably all you're going to get from Tony today. But look on the bright side---he didn't say no. In Stark-speak, that's practically a win." With a playful flick of her fingers, Wanda sends a ripple of hex energy toward the disorganized mess on the floor. The scattered papers and USB drives begin to levitate and sort themselves, magically assembling into neat, organized folders that materialize out of thin air. Each document finds its place, forming a tidy stack by Pepper's side. As she completes the task, she glances at Pepper and Tony, then turns back to Peter and Gwen. "Tony once practically put up a force field when I pitched an idea to him, so you're already ahead." Her expression softens into a genuine smile. "It was lovely to meet you both. Best of luck with your proposal. I'm sure you'll do great things." She gives them a reassuring nod before turning her attention back to Tony, ready to resume their work.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter just stared as Wanda either rolled back time, which was a frightening thought, or told entropy to hold her tea, which was far, far more terrifying. But everything seemed to be re-assembled and from there it was a simple matter to make sure Pepper got a physical and an electronic copy of the Parker Industries proposal. Looking back at Gwen, who nodded back with her own slightly-glassy-eyed gaze, it was time for the two of them to beat a hasty retreat while the getting was good.

16418/Stark Tank!

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