Talk about a crash landing [Closed to Gene and Tony at first, open later at request]

[lasergrenades]

Characters: Pepper Potts, Gene Khan, Tony Stark
Date: May 14
Location: Metal Sector, possibly the Midnight Hotel and/or the Welcome Center
Situation: Pepper gets pulled to onto Tu Vishan, and someone she's familiar with happens to find her
Warnings/Ratings: N/A

This isn't the first time Pepper has experienced the teleportation of the Mandarin, but it definitely feels like it. Normally she ended up on her feet, or at the very least in the same position as before being beamed out in a giant bubble of light. It always made it hard to see properly afterward, like a huge camera flash going off, and she had to wonder how the Mandarin avoided developing photophobia. Maybe that was why Gene always wore sunglasses, even indoors? she thinks idly.

Her head is spinning - she can tell even though her eyes aren't open, and all the bumps and bruises from the fight with the Makluans are already starting to hurt. Slowly, Pepper peels her eyes open. Her armor's display is still on, which is good, but it seems to be very dark outside for some reason. Oh - she's lying facedown, which is weird, because she was definitely standing up a moment ago. Groaning, Pepper rolls over and sits up on her elbows. She's lying in the entrance of an alley between two tall buildings; her view of the city beyond is...confusing.

Did Gene give Times Square a makeover after destroying it? Makeovers were her territory, how dare he! Either that or he took her to a completely different city, which was almost as offensive. 

"Owww." Pepper's head is displeased that she's sitting up fully to look out of the alley. She's glad she's still got her suit on - wherever she is, Pepper does not want anyone to know who she is. She needs to get home, like, right now - Manhattan is still in danger, and even worse, Tony is still in danger. Right now, though, she's just going to lean up against this nice wall here until she trusts herself to stand.

"God, Gene, the least you could have done was drop me off in one of the boroughs!" she complains loudly. "Computer, location."

"Unknown," the interface replies inside her helmet. "Power levels at critical."

"What? Check again."

"Error. Unable to comply."

Pepper is starting to get a little worried now. What's going on?

Comments

[wrathfulkhan]

"There used to be fewer, around thirty," Gene says. "But we beat it. The kedan...could be a little more appreciative, I admit." And that's an understatement. At least some of them don't totally hate the Foreigners now.

"We demolished the old Palace and built some homes there. Mostly people have been living in the Midnight Hotel, but some of us are planning to move into the new housing." Bigger than what you'd get in New York, and totally free. That's all kinds of points in favor of the Sky Sector, in Gene's opinion.

[highprofilerichkid]

"Yeah, I guess so." It's kind of neat, sure. It also tends to be unsettling, frustrating, and dangerous, but your mileage may vary.

"The whole plan didn't seem very well-thought-out, if you ask me," Tony agrees, which is a pretty damning assessment, coming from someone who literally never thinks his plans through, ever. "But we did beat Malicant in the end." He shrugs. True, the whole thing could have gone a whole lot better, but at least it's over with.

He brightens at the mention of the new Sky Sector housing, and says, without thinking, "Me and Gene built a really nice place. You should move in with us, Pepper!"

...and as soon as he's said it, he remembers that there are just a couple, uh, complications involved in that proposition. Whoops.

[lasergrenades]

Glancing around the cafe, Pepper wonders how many of the stares they're getting are barbed with dislike. It feels like a middle school cafeteria.

"Well, that's good. It doesn't sound like he was a picnic."

Pepper's eyebrows go up when Tony invites her to move in to their house. Their house? Things have changed that much? They had been good friends before Gene went all darkside, but this just sound like loonytown.

"Uh, you're living together?" Meaning: You somehow manage not to kill each other over who drank the milk and left a black sock in the white wash? On the other hand, cool! Blanket forts and baking parties shall abound.

[wrathfulkhan]

Keeliai in general is much like a middle school cafeteria. Including the bizarre food. You get used to it.

Nice job upending the bag with the cat and shaking it, Tony! The cat is not right out of the bag yet, but Gene scrambles to make it make sense to Pepper until they can tell her.

"I need someone to keep an eye on me," he says, irony in his voice. Hey, he ain't lyin'. That's also not the primary reason he and Tony are sharing an abode, but...small baby steps. "And Tony knows exactly how to stop me if something happens."

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony winces, but— nice save, Gene. That's actually an explanation Pepper's likely to accept at face value, given when she's coming from. "...Right. So, uh, the more the merrier?" Ha ha! So funny! Not really.

"Anyway, there's some extra rooms, so you can stake out whichever one you want." Aside from the obvious issues (well, really, just the one big issue), it will actually be nice to have Pepper around.

[lasergrenades]

This is a bit boggling. It's also really funny, in a sort of messed up way, and she is definitely giggling a bit at the two of them. Gene is essentially saying that he's whipped.

"I guess that's one way to try to keep each other out of trouble," she admits. It wouldn't have been her first strategy to reform Gene, but if it works then it works. "Um. That would be... Nice, I guess? I'm probably gonna need to borrow a toothbrush."

And everything else, basically.

[wrathfulkhan]

And Pepper is far more correct than she knows about that. Though, really, they're both whipped.

It's like that strategy of matching up reformed convicts with current convicts to mentor them. We'll let everyone decide who's who on their own.

"That's right, we have to get you set up," Gene says. "The Welcome Center's good for that, they'll give you some basic supplies, and some juulan to start."

[highprofilerichkid]

Don't think he doesn't see you snickering at him, Pepper! But honestly, he's okay with a little giggling. If she thinks the situation is funny, that's way better than most of the alternatives.

"We'll have you settled in in no time," Tony says, cheerful again. "Maybe Alanyne or Katara or Raine can take you clothes shopping."

[lasergrenades]

There had better not be actual whips.

"Juulan is...what, money?" She had seen Tony pull out some coins that were definitely not quarters when they paid for the tea.

Pepper immediately perks up at the idea of shopping. Plus, since she's got literally nothing but the clothes on her back, she can start a completely new wardrobe.

"Ooh, shopping! I can't wait," she says cheerfully. There is the small matter of funding the shopping spree, however. "How do you get money, here, though? I don't think I'll be able to borrow from your wallet all the time anyore, will I?"

[wrathfulkhan]

Don't ask, and they won't tell.

"You'll have to get a job," Gene says, and then imagines Pepper getting a job, and regrets every single life choice that has led him to this moment. "I wouldn't recommend Stark Industries right now, though. Zanru doesn't like to hire Foreigners."

Not strictly true, she just doesn't like Tony.

"But there's lots of options. We can help you find something."

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony rolls his eyes. "She might give you a job if you don't tell her you're friends with me. She can't wait to kick me out again as soon as my contract is over." Then he adds, grudgingly, "They do still pay pretty well."

Then he imagines Pepper clashing with Zanru and... stays mum, trying valiantly to contain his evil glee. Man, if that ever happens, he needs to figure out some way to film it. YES PEPPER, BY ALL MEANS, GO AHEAD AND APPLY TO SI. He'll cover all your shopping spree expenses by selling tickets.

...except kedan self-determination something something goodwill something foreigner-kedan relations blah blah blah. "...There are plenty of businesses actually run by foreigners, too. And it's not too hard to start your own, if you want." See? He can still be diplomatic.

Am I going to have to make a plot request of the mods at this rate? xD

[lasergrenades]

"Sooo, you're working there but not running the place." Pepper gives Tony a funny look. "Are you sure you're Tony Stark and not some robot replacement?"

Better get working on that Keeliai camera, Tony, 'cause Pepper doesn't care who or what is running SI when Tony should be at the helm. She's an equal-opportunity disruption. Where does she sign up?

"Oh." She looks a little crestfallen. This is genuinely concerning. "I don't know what I would do. I doubt SHIELD has a satellite office here."

triple dog dare you

[wrathfulkhan]

"You can do pretty much anything. I'm teaching at the dojo now." Teaching at the dojo, which is owned by the guy he rage-murdered. Pepper does not need to know that. Not ever. He smiles. "Want to see me beat people up for money?"

It's not a bad gig, all things considered.

Okay, okay, he's nice about it. And he actually does let himself be thrown from time to time, to demonstrate. Otherwise, how would they learn?

fuckin do it

[highprofilerichkid]

"Yeah, it's this thing called 'diplomacy,'" Tony says, with sarcastic air quotes. "I don't like it."

Gene's suggestion of the dojo briefly distracts him from his perpetual resentment over the state of Stark Industries. He grins. "Hey, maybe you should work at the dojo with Gene. You could get paid to beat people up, too. Isn't that your dream job?"

I so will I am excite

[lasergrenades]

"You're teaching." Pepper is not sure what to say to that. Gene always had this 'holier than thou' attitude and was always irritated whenever they didn't know as much as he did. "Well, it's a lot better than seeing you beat Tony up and way more productive." She thinks about this for a moment. "Could you teach me to beat people up? You know, without the armor."

It's almost as good as getting to arrest people and is probably good training for when she does try to arrest someone, which, let's be honest, is inevitable.

vigilante pepper? vigilante pepper

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene's changed a lot in the past three years. Granted, he still has a bit of a short fuse, but he's been working on that. Honestly.

"I could," Gene says, a little warily, sine he knows Pepper and thus knows just about exactly what he'd be getting into. "Though you would have to do what I say."

It's really a toss-up between how mad she still is at him and how much she wants to learn the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon shit he pulled off while fighting the Makluans.

so, you mean, normal pepper

[highprofilerichkid]

"That'll be fun to watch," Tony says, stifling a snicker by taking a sip of tea. "Yunxu's going to have some competition, if you learn to kick butt in and out of the armor."

You know, maybe he shouldn't have said that. If anybody would have the nerve to challenge Yunxu and Zanru to their faces, it would be Pepper. If he gives her too many ideas, in place of a kedan mafia they might find themselves with a Queen, as beautiful and terrible as the dawn. All shall love her and despair!

Yes, basically ;)

[lasergrenades]

Gene's offer, in the abstract, is highly appealing. The addendum to that offer is much less so - Pepper doesn't like listening to the rules set by other people. She's not entirely sure she could listen to and follow Gene's directions on a good day, much less when she can't decide between hugging him and punching him.

"Well, it sounds like I'm gonna need it around here, if people are getting attacked. It's not like I can wear the armor everywhere." She takes another sip of tea. "Who's Yunxu? Is he part of SI, too?"

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene let out a tch! at her question, though more in annoyance at Yunxu than at Pepper asking. "He's the leader of the Snakes. They're the local gang that's taken it upon themselves to act as law enforcement around here. They're corrupt, and they took advantage of our absence to overrun the city."

That's...a little vitriolic for someone you barely even know, Gene.

[highprofilerichkid]

"I don't have what I need here to reconfigure your armor to fold up into a backpack like mine," Tony agrees apologetically. Some non-armored self-defense lessons couldn't hurt.

He nods at Gene's description of the Snakes, his expression darkening. "At least the Metalworkers want to help the kedan." Even if Zanru's a huge bitch about it. "The Snakes just want power and control."

[lasergrenades]

"Gasp, the great Tony Stark has been bested by magical turtle alien dimensions?!" Pepper teases. Now that she's had some time to absorb all of this information (as well as the tea - Gene wasn't wrong), she's starting to feel more normal.

Just as with the mention of Zanru, Pepper's expression hardens at the explanation of Yunxu and the Snakes.

"You're saying a lot of words that I both don't understand and really don't like at the same time." Gangs. Power plays. Violence. "Just like home," she muses absently.

[wrathfulkhan]

"...more like home than you might expect at first," Gene says, and nods. "I guess some things just don't change, no matter where you are."

And some things do. Exhibits A through Z: this entire conversation being civil and not full of punching and handcuffs.

[highprofilerichkid]

"Resources here a really limited," Tony grumbles, feeling the need to defend himself even though the conversation has already moved on.

"At least the criminals and gangs here don't have power armor and laser rifles." He pauses, then concedes, "...though they do sometimes have magic." Case in point: the gravity orb that the mugger had used to steal his soul gem.

[lasergrenades]

"I think I'd prefer the armor and the lasers and the really stupid villain names." Pepper yawns, suddenly very tired. This has been a Day. "Are we sure it's magic and not, like, Doom quantum whatever?"

She tries to stifle another yawn, and fails.

"So, this has been a completely not-awkward reunion, but I think I could use a nap," she says tiredly. "Please tell me they have normal beds here."

[wrathfulkhan]

"Some of it's definitely magic - or at least, something we don't understand yet," Gene says.

And...yeah, they should probably get Pepper to the Hotel. "The beds are normal enough, even if little else is. We can take you to the Hotel and get you set up."