℗ oo2. a headache the size of stark towers

[quits]

[Needless to say, Pepper did not have a very good first day in Paradisa. She spent most of her day in the elevator convinced she'd wake up at some point, then found out her friend was killed, and then spent the rest of the night drinking. Once again proving to herself that she cannot keep up with Tony Stark when it comes to alcohol.

Now she is miserable.]

So -- this much is clear. I'm not dreaming. I'm from before the time that Tony's here from and a bunch of stuff happened. [Her fingers press to her temple... ow.]

Wishes, the journal, the castle -- all magic, which is real. There are places that you end up sometimes, because the castle brings everyone there. People die, but then come back because the castle... fixes it. I've lost something and it's not just the memory of being here before -- which is also the same case for Tony, even though neither of us remember.

[She has a glass of ice water, which you can hear clink when she raises it to press to her temple.]

Is there anything else I should know? [Other than the whole Loki thing, which she is not even going to say his name, because she wants him to hurt for what he did.]

Oh, and for those I didn't weird out the other day in the elevator while I was still thinking this is all a dream - I'm Pepper Potts.

I also could really use some aspirin. [But she can handle that one.]

Comments

[ruined_jaw]

No worries, it's not the first time I've gotten that response. It isn't something I do by choice, but rather necessity, unfortunately. Price I pay for losing the genetic crapshoot.

Anyway, I'm assuming you're from the same universe as Stark, which means most likely you're not all that familiar with mutants. I'm one of Professor Charles Xavier's students from New York.

There's a town a mile or two beyond the castle, where a few choose to live and work, and a few outposts beyond that. Out further is a zone where technology and special abilities of any sort stop working, called the "Dead Zone".

[quits]

Might I suggest you start out with written conversations instead of just dropping into someone's head? It might be met with better results.

And you're correct with the lack of familiarity and that I'm from the same world [She crosses that out in favor of:] universe as Tony.

I'll have to check out the city, though I'm not sure I like the sound of a Dead Zone.

[ruined_jaw]

Fair point. Most people don't mind it once they know me, but it's the "getting to know me" part that always seems a challenge.

Are you familiar at all with Professor Charles Xavier? He keeps a pretty low profile, but he's among one of the most public mutant supporters in any universe, due to the fact that he's one himself.

It's a nice little place. I go out a few times a week to busk for the locals. Most don't mind us, so long as we stay out of their business.

As far as I know it's just a name. I've never been out there myself, but there's a handful of castle residents who stay out there full-time, so it can't be that bad, power dampening aside.

[quits]

[Shoving your voice into their head might not be the quickest way to get to know someone. Just saying.]

I'm sorry to say that I've never heard of him.

[ruined_jaw]

[If he had more efficient (and less invasive) means of communicating outside of his journal, he'd use it. Unfortunately, telepathy's the best he's got.]

That surprises me, as often as mutants are in the news. Maybe things are different where you come from. Hawkeye seemed familiar, but those S.H.I.E.L.D. blokes know just about everything, whether it pertains to them or not.

[quits]

No, we have aliens apparently -- radiation has been coming up, but that's not mutants. That's -- I mean, that's different.

And S.H.I.E.L.D. actually might know, but they keep their secrets pretty secret. [At least, she thought they were supposed to.]

[ruined_jaw]

Yeah, same as my world. Skrulls and the like. Then you've got folks like Banner or Spider-Man, who're like mutants, but not exactly.

Trust me, they do. If someone means to keep something secret or hidden, you can bet that S.H.I.E.L.D. knows all about it. Sorta their business, really. Keeping tabs on the things the general public doesn't wanna know about.

[quits]

[She's not so sure about this. Aliens are one thing, but SHIELD keeping tabs on mutants and not telling anyone about it seems like something that Tony would've at least known about.

She doesn't want to argue and she's not sure she wants to know more, so she'll just... stop replying.]