thisavrou_log | Down for the Count

[Hawke hangs up her new device after speaking to Tony and shoves it into her pocket (Pepper had to help her with it a little bit. Technology is dumb.) and turns to Pepper with a casual shrug like she hadn't just spent most of the conversation jabbing at him. This is the most normal friendship ever, right?]

He's going to meet us at the medical tent when we get there. I can't wait to see his face.

[She moves to wrap an arm around Pepper again to continue helping her make her way across the terrain then suddenly she pauses, her eyes dancing with mischief even in the darkness.]

What if instead we really give him something to be shocked about. It was a very daring rescue after all.

[Then she ducks and puts one arm under Pepper's knees and hoists her up into a princess carry. It's obviously a lot of work. Both Hawke and Pepper have a similar slight build but Hawke is firmly committed to trolling Tony Stark and seems to think everyone else is too.]

You have to be the one to tell the tale though.

[ It's all very stressful and she still can't see properly past the length of her own arm, but Pepper thinks she's doing okay, all things considered -- the prospect of seeing Tony goes a long way to calm her too, as funny as the notion might strike to anybody who knows the man. Anyway.

She breathes a faint laugh at Hawke's assessment, carefully replacing her arm over Hawke's shoulders as they prepare to go on. The quip is on the tip of her tongue, but then the other woman pauses and looks too much like she's up to something. ]

Oh? What did you have in-- oh, okay!

[ It comes out sounding a little alarmed when Hawke determinedly hoists her up, Pepper's arm going tightly about the other woman's neck and her body tensing up, slightly worried Hawke will drop her. Pepper remains as still as she can so as not to make this any more difficult, her ridiculous heels in the air and all.

This probably looks ridiculous. ]

...I did promise to make you look good.

[ Clearly they're off to a great start already! Pepper certainly looks the part of a damsel in distress with her bloody temple and torn, dusty clothing, her ponytail unraveling sloppily. But off they go! ]

I wouldn't let just anybody haul me around like this, you know.

[ Tony actually shows up to the med tent before they do, which is beyond strange, because Tony Stark is never early to anything in his life. (He can't say he's enjoying it, either.) But since he's here, he may as well make himself useful. By the time Hawke and Pepper make their theatrical entrance, he's requisitioned a small corner of the med tent to pull apart one of the armor's gauntlets and fix a wiring problems that may or may not have put him in a life-or-death situation at least twice this week. But look, he's getting around to it! No big deal.

He doesn't even need to look up to know when Hawke has entered the tent; her self-assured gait is announcement enough. His hands just keep flying over the exposed circuitry as he greets her. ]

I was expecting a Nerf gun barrage or something, you're really slacking—

[ He glances up almost as an afterthought, but his eyes end up skipping Hawke entirely to zone in on - Pepper.

Pepper Potts. Pepper Potts being princess carried into the med tent by Marian Hawke.

The disassembled gauntlet hits the rocky ground with a loud clatter in his haste to get to his feet. ]

Holy shit.

[ Is he shocked by Pepper's presence, or the apparently incomprehensible fact that Hawke didn't lie to him? Toss-up. ]

[The sound of the gauntlet clattering to the ground is like a victory horn to Hawke's ears. Something that she'll be able to play in her mind when she's sad or lonely. It's just that good.

Doing her best to avoid looking smug (at least for now), she gently deposits Pepper into to one of the cots and then sits next to her on it, ignoring Tony.]

There we are. You'll have medical attention soon. Much poking and prodding, lucky you. I suppose it makes sense, you did go through such an ordeal when you arrived. Thank the Maker I was there to find you.

[She pats Pepper's shoulder emphatically.]

[ Pepper focuses on not stabbing anyone with her shoes as they clear the entrance of the medical tent, trying to tuck her long legs close without hindering Hawke. Being a graceful damsel is a lot more work than movies make it seem! Her heart skips a beat when the loud clattering draws her gaze unerringly over to Tony's corner -- though she can't see him clearly yet from this distance with her blurry vision. ]

Tony? [ She breathes the name out so softly she's not sure he even heard it, just before Hawke sets her down on the cot and takes a seat next to her. Despite the emotional upheaval she's suddenly going through, she manages to huff a tiny laugh for Hawke's benefit. She has her end of the bargain to uphold. ]

Yes-- I don't know how I would've made it without your help. Thank you, so much.

[ She does her best but she's still distracted, unable to help the way her attention strays back to Tony, a wobbly smile spreading to her lips when he's finally close enough for her to see clearly. Relief and affection are evident on her expression, a glassy shine in her eyes. ]

...Hi. Surprise?

[ Tony distantly registers what Hawke is saying - somethingsomething stuff Tony's gonna seriously owe her for later, something - but he'll address that in a minute. For now he crosses the space between himself and the cot faster than some of the actual superpowered people running around here, his heart deciding to re-situate itself somewhere in the vicinity of his throat. ]

Pep, Jesus Christ. [ There's a hand at her temple, briefly, checking on the state of the blood there, but then his hands are firm on her shoulders. He just barely resists the urge to shake her. Barely. ] Are you alright?

[ Of course she's not alright, who here is alright? Stupid question, Stark. He has to wrestle with some overwhelming mixture of selfish relief and alarm as he takes in the sight of her, battered and tired but undeniably Pepper and here. She doesn't look right against the backdrop of this place, like something is fundamentally out of sorts. ]

Edited (fingers pls) 2016-12-19 19:54 (UTC)

Would have been worse without me. Just don't forget that part.

[Hawke comments cheerfully before standing up from the bed to allow Tony to take her spot at Pepper's side. She moves away from them, giving them some time to reunite as she takes the opportunity of being unobserved to wince and rub at her bad shoulder. It hurts like hell from supporting Pepper and then from taking it a step further by lifting her up.

Worth it though, she thinks, as she stretches her arm over her head to pull at the aching muscles. Showboating will probably get her killed someday. But at least it will never be boring.]

[ Pepper lifts a hand immediately once Tony's in her personal space, curling her fingers gently about his wrist but not hindering his touch. She gives a tiny, tired smile at the question, nodding her head a little. ]

I have no idea what's going on, I bumped my head falling down a hillside and probably have bruises all over-- but other than that, I'll be... okay.

[ Hopefully. Maybe. She doesn't want to come out and admit how wonky her vision is right now when he looks so terrified. In a bit, then. She motions toward Hawke with her free hand instead. ]

Your friend here found me and was kind enough to help me get to the camp.

[ Tony scrutinizes her for a moment, but since there are no other (obvious) injuries, he accepts that answer as the wholesale truth. At Pepper's gesture, though, he finally turns his wide-eyed attention to Hawke, who's playing it totes cool in the background. ]

You—

[ First Dum-E, now Pepper? This is getting out of hand. This is getting embarrassing. ]

You need to stop doing your job, it's starting to alarm me.

[ Since Hawke speaks Stark, that probably sounds a lot like thank you. ]

[Hawke yawns as she idly listens to their conversation off in the distance, debating if she ought to fake an injury to sleep on a cot instead of the ground. Though she could sleep on the ground... she might be feeling tired enough that it might not matter.

Then suddenly Tony is addressing her, she blinks at his unusual wide stare from behind her hand and another yawn. Aww he's thanking her. It's nice. Since she knows that Tony actually means it unlike... oh the entire population of Kirkwall. This is why she likes him. Not that she's going to tell him that.]

Nothing to do with the job. I can't resist pretty women in distress. Or pretty women at all. But the distress is an especially compelling reason for action.

[ Pepper can't help but smile at their very sibling-like interaction, taking the moment to rub her aching eyes with her free hand while Tony focuses on Hawke. ]

It was really very impressive.

[ Oh wait, this is where she's supposed to make Hawke look good!! ]

Very selfless and heroic. Me and my shoes thank you profusely. I think that's what Tony is also trying to say in his own, inimitable way.

[ Tony glances between Pepper and Hawke a few times, mostly succeeding at keeping the slow smile off his face. Mostly.

(Not at all.) ]

I think the picture is getting clearer now.

[ He turns his attention back to Pepper, giving her shoulders a brief squeeze before he deposits himself in the spot Hawke evacuated on the cot next to her. ]

You're not about to leave me for your daring rescuer, are you? 'Cause then I'd have to fight her, and it'd be really embarrassing, because her weakness is that she's ticklish.

I'm glad we didn't have to spell it out. It's alway so uncomfortable when that happens.

[Hawke responds cheerfully and then drops into a chair across from them, straddling it backwards and resting her arms on the back.]

Well, I freeze your hands together but you get so sulky when I do that with your feet. I care about fair fights you know. Besides, I am sure you have plenty of weaknesses.

Right?

[She glances up at Pepper with a half grin.]

Oh, I don't know. You might have a serious contender, here. What girl wouldn't like to be fought over?

[ So she says, but the look she gives Tony when she drops her hand and blinks the white spots dancing across her vision away is so full of affection and warmth that nobody with half a brain could ever mistake it for what it is. Her usual pep (heh) and poise sag slightly under the strain of exhaustion and soreness, and she's tempted to rest her head on Tony's shoulder -- only the blood staining her temple stops her from doing that. ]

Plenty enough. [ She agrees with Hawke on a wry little smile. ]

We'll just have to keep the fighting to a minimum, for the sake of my extremities and Hawke's dignity.

[ He flicks a sideways glance at Pepper, not oblivious to the exhaustion bogging her down. Nobody'd blame her for not being CEO-perfect right now. Hell, Tony certainly isn't. He makes a mental note to get a doctor to her ASAP, even if it's only for their mutual peace of mind. ]

Don't go telling her all my darkest secrets, though. I'd much rather hear about this romantic rescue.

[ And, more importantly: hearing more about the circumstances of her arrival. Does this mean those broken Ingresses aren't so broken after all...? ]

You can't save what isn't there. Besides, life is easier without dignity.

[She snorts and then glances at Pepper. Hawke likes to claim that she is completely oblivious to everyone and everything because life is just easier if you only see what you want to see. Keeps you out of everyone else's business. Except she always ends up knee deep in other people's business all the same.

She leans forward and runs a gentle hand down Pepper's face, a green light surrounding her fingers. The brief sensation is something like warm water moving down your body. Then Hawke pulls away and rubs her own face. Her magic here is weak already and she's tired and not the best healer. Best not to do more than she can but hopefully it gives Pepper some small relief.]

I found her at the base of some of the hills out there. You know. The perfect place for someone to wander all alone and die if someone didn't come along to save her. Unless those shoes also turn her into a metal person.

Maybe just a few secrets.

[ She pats Tony's knee with a small smile. There, there. Her lips quirk further at Hawke's brand of humor, but then she's reaching out to paw at Pepper's face. She can't help but twitch, taken aback by the touch, but managing not to freak out too badly and pull back. The sensation is funny, a little shiver running down her spine, but the pounding headache lessens to a more bearable level. ]

What...? [ Pepper touches her own forehead, a little baffled. ] Well, that's handy.

[ She recovers from her surprise in time to chime in after Hawke. ]

One of those round portals spat me out on top of a hill, I didn't really have time to realize what was happening before I was tumbling down. One moment I'm home, and the next... here.

[ And it's all extremely confusing. She glances down at her shoes and gives a tiny smile. ]

Unfortunately they just look pretty. [ No lip from either of you ok!! ]

[ Tony squints suspiciously at Hawke while she works her - literal - magic, less because he suspects any wrongdoing and more because he's onto your shit, Hawke. But any outcome that seems to ease Pepper's discomfort, even the magical kind, is ultimately not worth him bitching about. He bites his tongue at great personal cost. ]

While I hate to humor the narrative happening here, you actually are damn lucky nothing more nefarious than her found you first. [ A furrow is forming in his brow the more he considers it, not just because of how poorly Pepper's situation could have gone, but - what about others? Are they coming through right now? How far-flung are these Ingress machines? Are people wandering, injured and lost, right as they speak?

He latches onto the quip about footwear before he can chase that thought too far down the rabbit hole. Making sure Pepper is situated comes first. ]

But, y'know, this place is dangerous. I could make some enhancements...

[ He scratches his chin and eyes the fancy heels with a look that is nothing short of Dangerous. ]

[Hawke now moves to the bed on the other side of Tony to reach out and smack his hand from his chin. With the utmost affection.]

No. Bad metal genius man. She doesn't need weird science-y shoes. She just needs a pair of good boots. And maybe a sword. We're stranded here and let's not get ahead of ourselves with our invention fetish even if it is part of your defining character traits.

[ After Pepper's injuries have been seen to and they finally have a moment to breathe, Tony leads her back to the tent that's been a shelter for other people more than him - he's spent most of his time scavenging and exploring, rather than resting. And since J and others had more or less requisitioned it as their own during that time, well, he'd had no inclination to kick them out. They were getting more use out of it than he would.

But by this time, J is nowhere to be found and giving Pepper a place to decompress that's free of dozens of unfamiliar prying eyes seems like a good priority. He holds the flap aside so that she can slide into it first, then makes an expansive, sardonic gesture. ]

Home sweet home.

[ A far cry from the Malibu house or a penthouse, to the point that it's actually laughable, but you make do with what you have. Better than sleeping on a rock, he guesses. ]

No.

[ Pepper denies emphatically in concert with Hawke's admonishment, lifting her free hand up in a hold up gesture. She can only give a weary chuckle soon after, amused and gratified that they're on the same page with Hawke -- she thinks she likes this woman. ]

What she said. [ She knows saying that risks objections of being ganged up on from Tony but yolo. ] I don't know about the sword, though...

[ The cut on her temple is covered with a small white bandage, but no clear medical reason for her declined eyesight hadn't been found, much to Pepper's chagrin and frustration. She keeps close to Tony as they go partly because of this, relieved to finally grab a moment in private. Or, as private as a tent ever could be, anyway. ]

Well, it's... cozy. [ She purses her lips as her dulled gaze roams the small space perfunctorily before shaking her head with a tired little smile. ] Honestly, I'd take a bed of rocks under the sky right now.

[ It's no mansion, no, but it could always be worse so she can't really find it in herself to complain. It doesn't even matter now. She's got other, more pressing things on her mind, namely Tony and how he's really doing. She'd get to that soon. ]

Oh, Tony. This whole thing is insane. [ She sighs and pushes back strands of hair escaping from her disheveled ponytail, longer now than it was the last time he'd seen her. ] How did you handle it when it happened to you?

[ Tony holds up both hands in affronted defense, looking between them. He can't say whether or not he likes this synergy forming. Seems dangerous. ]

It's practical! C'mon, at least let me put a knife compartment in there, or something. We fight monsters every week.

[ Okay, so that's an exaggeration. But only barely. ]

[ Tony drops himself onto one of the meager camping pillows on the far side of the tent and gestures for her to join him. At the question, he offers a cavalier shrug. It figures that Pepper would be concerned about him when she's the one whose world has been flipped upside down. ]

When I got here, we were docked at a vacation colony and given credit cards with an unlimited credit line. So I mostly handled it at an open bar.

[ It sounds dry and hyperbolic when he says it, but actually, that's exactly what happened. ]

You've gotten the short end of the stick here, in my opinion. [ Y'know, what with the shipwreck and the dwindling supplies and the injuries and just... everything. ] You must have half a million questions.

You know that using a knife takes training, right? You can't just take a knife and shove it up your arsehole for storage right? Besides, a knife in a boot is classic. It doesn't need- [She gestures at him. Silly metal man.] Whatever this is.

Also, I'm here. Doing the job you never paid me for despite no ship. And it probably extends to her too.

Down for the Count

Hawke + Tony + Pepper

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LATER

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