( 001 | video. )

[petitehands]

[ The video feed clicks on to show a now relatively calm Pepper, even if her mouth is set in a fairly thin line of mild discontent. Her hair is scraped back and tied in a neat bun, with her fringe still plastered a little wetly to her forehead, but at least she's clean now. She's been making regular use of the showers since arriving, just to make sure that every last bit of blue hideousness is washed away from her. For now, at least. ]

Now that everyone's had at least a bit of time to recover- [ herself very much included, even if "recover" is something of an overstatement ] -I might as well introduce myself, though from what I've been told, it appears some of you may already know who I am.

I'm Pepper Potts, an associate and coworker- [ this is still new, Tony, don't complain] -of Tony Stark's. [ The next words are a little practised, ones she's gone over in her mind and made sure that they're absolutely clear before speaking them. ] Not the same one from before, though. I have absolutely no memory of having been on this ship before, even though apparently I was, and I'm sorry to anyone that I might have met previously.

[ She pauses, briefly, before going on. ]

I just wanted to clear that up before any confusion took place. I think some of us have more than enough of that already, what with being on a spaceship and everything. [ The thought still makes her want to shudder a little. ] Thank you for your time, and I hope everyone's successfully washed off all of that awful blue stuff.

[ With a good natured, mild smile, Pepper shuts off the feed. She realises it's a rather mundane sort of addition to the network, but she'll leave revelations and interesting matters to Tony. She still isn't sure if she has the entire picture here - Tony has a curious understanding of what he should and shouldn't tell her, she knows this from experience - but god knows she will have it, one way or another. ]

Comments

[petitehands]

[ nooo robb no it isn't ]

If I can make things easier for him at all here, then I gladly will.

[ Pepper smiles to herself, a little. She's always been there for Tony, and she isn't about to change that, spaceship or no spaceship. ]

[northerner]

A good wife always does such. He is very fortunate you have arrived.

[ casually ruins tony's life nbd nbd ]

[petitehands]

Excuse me?




[ Pepper is smiling in a very normal fashion, albeit with a very pointed blankness and a slight arch in her brows that - to anyone who knows her - would be considered a somewhat dangerous sign. ]

[northerner]

[ this will absolutely not end well. ]

Did this device not deliver my words?

[petitehands]

I really hope not.

[ She must have misheard that. She must have. ]

Did you say wife?

[northerner]

I did. Is that not the term in your land?

[petitehands]

Oh, it is, except it only applies to people who're married, last time I checked.

[ Please let this be some other worldly mix up of terminology. ]

[northerner]

Are you not? You are his partner, aren't you? His partner in all things?

[ IS TONY DISHONORING THE FAMILY. ]

[petitehands]

[ Oh god. ]

No, we- I'm his partner in business, and we're, uh, seeing each other as well- [ Pepper didn't realise she'd have to put whatever it was she and Tony were doing into words for other people quite so soon ] -but we're definitely not married.

[ WHY IS THIS A CONVERSATION THAT IS HAPPENING ]

[northerner]

[ southern starks clearly do things differently. ]

He's made you no offers?

[petitehands]

No. [ She's losing her cool. Just a little bit. It's translating into a certain pinkness in her cheeks. ] It hasn't exactly been a long-term thing.

[northerner]

[ uh oh. danger robb stark, danger. ]

You and he are newly courted?

[ thank god he decides it's wise not to follow that up with, are you not a bit young for such? ]

[wont]

[ THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE A TOWER. ]

Lady Pepper is of House Potts, Your Grace.

[northerner]

[ NO YOU CAN'T MAKE HIM GO BACK ]

And our lady mother is of House Tully, but perhaps she did not wish to introduce herself as Lady Stark so hastily.

[starked]

[ please someone kill him where he stands right now. ]

We're- Robb- we're not from the exact same time. [ never mind wife. ] We just started officially courting from where she was pulled onto this ship.

[ tony, that's not going to help. ]

[petitehands]

Is that what they're calling it these days?

[starked]

[ f u c k. ]

They do. We call it dating. I- I never said you were my wife. And technically, you used partner first.

[petitehands]

You must have said something. [ That is the most pathetic excuse, Tony. Partners indeed. ] Why would I use "partner" as a substitution for "wife", anyway? I meant in business if- if I wanted to say I was your wife, I'd just say it-

[ She stops herself, abruptly. Repeats. ]

There must have been something.

[starked]

I said you were my girlfriend, I think? I know I never said wife, because you're not my wife. [ So mortified, god Robb why did you do this. ] Because marriages can sometimes be business arrangments. Not that- if we did- If we contemplated it- It wouldn't strictly be business.

[ Stop. Tony. Just stop. ]

Partner can mean like, partner in life. You know, like you introduce someone as your life partner and that's the person you have a romantic attachment to. I really didn't say it. Come on, Pepper, you know me.

[ You know he wouldn't have. ]

[petitehands]

I- a business arrangement? If it ever comes to that then I hope it's not even remotely to do with business. Seriously, that is the last thing I'd ever want in a marriage.

[ This conversation is terrible because it is an inadvertent way of talking about the future and marriage, and Pepper's getting herself accidentally sucked into it. ]

Anyway, that doesn't matter- for clarity's sake, don't ever let me call you my partner again without also referring to you as my boyfriend. [ Oh there we go, now Pepper's admitted that, at least she's got that out of the way. ] So that we just don't do this again. Ever. Unless- [ NO STOP RIGHT NOW ] -no, ignore that. Let's not do this again.

[ You know, confusing your adoptive space family about your relationship with her isn't how she wanted to kick things off here. ]

[starked]

I meant- What I meant is that it wouldn't be business at all, minus the company and- Okay restarting this, not business arrangement but there's been some marriages that are and again, you know me. We're just going to stop talking about this. Hypothetically, it'd be the last thing you'd get in a hypothetical marriage to me.

[ What might actually make it worse is that it's public. Dear Tony's Stalkers: Yes, he's this stupid about this relationship forever and ever. ]

I won't even begin to let you do it. Though, it's really only a problem when talking to people who automatically think partner equals wife or significant others. But, noted, and I'll even occasionally pop up and say it.

[ ...Pepper, are you tumbling down the hole too? ] We're- You and I- let's just not even contemplate that on the ship. It's- Let's just not.

[petitehands]

[ Is this a good time to ask if it's possible to get a martini with at least three olives on board? She wouldn't mind one of those at the moment, even if she doesn't necessarily trust Tony not to suddenly disappear if she was to ask him for one. Anyway.

If it's any consolation, Tony, at least Pepper's rather silly about this relationship too. ]

I think we can do without the popping up and saying it part. Only if I'm likely to introduce you to anyone, which, given that you've been here for much longer than I have, seems unlikely for the near future. Maybe I'll just write it down somewhere. [ She almost follows it up with a confirmation of "partner and boyfriend", but just about stops herself. For the record, Tony, she's only tumbling into the hole because you seem to exude a magnetic field that is very specific to Pepper and drags you after her every you go. Including the holes you dig for yourself. ] I'm totally okay with not contemplating that on the ship. Absolutely.

[ ... wait does that mean this is being contemplated off ship?? ]

[northerner]

You've left the business of wife and heir late, haven't you?

[ tony ]

[starked]

[ if anyone was privy to the inner workings of tony's head, they'd know that his thoughts are in a constant state of moving and it's very rare for them to be completely stopped.

if someone was privy to those inner workings when robb just said that, they'd have heard the squeal of tires, possibly a lot of loud crashing sounds and then finally silence. because what. ]

I- [ never has there been a more awkward moment in tony's life. oh my god. ] Not for lack of trying. The others I courted may have been unfit. And a few of them might have decided to get married in secret to other men.

But- the whole heir thing. It's complicated. I've got time. We have time.

[northerner]

[ there are so many implications of dishonorable stuff in those statements that robb doesn't even know where to start. ]

Not an overabundance of time. To wait too long would be to doom our line.