Pepper Potts (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spicyworkaholic) wrote2013-10-02 07:31 am
spicyworkaholic) wrote2013-10-02 07:31 am
Entry tags:
Application Rekindle
OOC Information
Player Name: Foggy
Player Age: 27
Player Contact:foggy_goggles, plurk: foggy_goggles, AIM: foggy_goggles
Player/Character HMD: HMD
Other characters in game: N/A
IC Information
Character Name: Virginia "Pepper" Potts
Character Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Character Age/Gender: 36/Female
Canon Point: After falling to 'certain death'.
Character Canon History:
Virginia Potts began her career at Stark Industries humbly, as a former model and former college student, seeking a future in accounting. It was only after bringing attention to herself by finding an error in Tony Stark's own budget calculations and being courageous (or stubborn) enough to confront the man himself about them, that she found herself with both a new occupation and nickname. Due to her talents (and most likely her looks) 'Pepper' Potts became the famous CEO's Personal Assistant. Little did she know her new job would involve much more than simply handling his paperwork and organizing his schedule. For in regards to Tony Stark PA was nearly synonymous to babysitter.
Many years passed, with Pepper Potts neither being driven away by her boss' unbridled perchance for chaos, nor a work load that would have likely had other people screaming in frustration. She took care of his schedule, as well as diplomatically excused him for whatever distractions might prevent him from attending, or else attending herself if her presence was appropriate. She organized his paperwork, of which he neither liked handling nor dealing with. She dealt with his one night stands the morning after, as well as made sure he had regular meals once and a while. Though compensated well, Pepper became more than just a PA to Tony. She was his caretaker, as one of the few people who truly cared for his well-being.
Anything more than that of course, they both denied, either because they had their routine down too well or were too enmeshed in their own concerns to see the concern they held for each other. It took a near disaster to shake the little family Tony had inadvertently created: Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, and J.A.R.V.I.S.. It was his kidnapping and near destruction in Afghanistan that shook the foundations of what they all felt, and for Pepper, those feelings were shaken to the core.
When Tony finally returned, something had changed. Gone was the man who cared only for parties and his next sexy bed partner. No more could Tony create technology without being concerned about what use it was put to. Pepper watched in shock and awe as he shut down the weapons production of his company, and swallowed in concern and trepidation as he showed her the little glowy blue device that was keeping him alive. Tony had changed, and at first Pepper wasn't sure it was for the better, but she did know she was relieved to have him back. That the company was taking a dive from Tony's decision to cancel over half of what it was known for, that his suddenly constant absence from the forefront of Stark Industries meant she had twice as much work, meant nothing compared to knowing that he was safe.
He was safe, wasn't he?
It was a gala, a fundraiser, to which Tony came as an unexpected visitor, that answered that question. It began with an innocent (though not so innocent in Pepper's mind) dance, and a moment of realization for two minds that had formerly been denying something for a very long time. There was another moment on the roof, a moment that Pepper wished she could excuse to an overindulgence of drink, but she hadn't been drinking. Yet. The near kiss ended before it could be finished, but Pepper would have been more than willing to continue it with a little liquid encouragement. However Tony disappeared on his way to provide such emotional lubrication.
At the time, Pepper thought it was just as well. Tony was, after all, her boss.
What was not as well was what Pepper found when she returned to his home that night after the gala was over. Where she expected to find him in the arms of some new blonde, she instead found him in the arms of J.A.R.V.I.S. who was currently trying to extricate him from a metal suit covered in bullet holes. Tony had been to battle, destroying Stark weaponry that had been sold to the highest bidder. And now that Pepper had found out his little secret, Tony not only wanted her to accept his reasons for doing it, but also wanted her to help.
Pepper almost said no. It was too much, finally having him back in her life, and realizing that maybe her life wouldn't be too great without him - and not just because she didn't feel like hunting down a new occupation. But she couldn't deny him, not with that look on his face and the knowledge that he was finally looking at some picture bigger than himself. She went to the Stark Industries main with instructions and a device to find out to who and where weapons would be delivered next - only to find that the man they both trusted most was the one making the sales. Obadiah Stane, Tony's business partner and his father's oldest friend.
Too late Pepper tried to warn Tony, but Stane had already arrived at the mansion, stealing the reactor in his former ward's chest - the very thing that was keeping him alive. Luckily Tony had a back-up, but was not quite quick enough to halt the attack on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been notified by Pepper of Stane's betrayal. While Tony and Stane battled in their suits, Pepper watched the sky worriedly, playing a small part in their enemy's destruction when Tony instructed her to blast the roof with another reactor in the building below.
Stane was gone, the traitor no longer around to sell weapons to whomever would give him the most money. Yet there was another small problem - Tony's suit was no longer a secret and some sort of explanation had to be made to keep his identity as 'Iron Man' under wraps. While he was given plenty of excuses and statements to hide this information, Tony instead went ahead and blurted it to the world. Needless to say Pepper wasn't pleased, considering she and numerous others had asked him to be discreet rather than play the hero. It meant more work for her, and once again whatever romance they might have had was put on the back-burner...
Until another man, a vengeful man named Ivan Vanko, decided to make use of the reactor his father and Tony Stark's father had worked on together to power a device to seek his revenge on the family that he believed had ruined his. Pepper was meanwhile dealing with an employer who had become more and more eradicate. Though not completely reverting to his old ways, Pepper's long list of grievances with her boss now included the Stark Expo (which seemed nothing more than extension of Tony's ego), giving away his entire art collection, and continually refusing to have anything to do with running Stark Industries.
Pepper's concern and annoyance with Tony was temporarily waylaid by his naming of her to be CEO of his company. While instating her as such did make her job easier at first, in the end the nomination was almost destructive as Tony's behavior became more and more self destructive. Driving his own car at Monaco Raceway ended in near disaster as Vanko took on Tony one-on-one. Though Tony managed to win with the help of a mobile Iron Man suit, the surprise attack had a nation that was already uncertain about Tony's ability to protect them, reeling.
Pepper was no less happy about the situation, especially since her former boss had deigned to hire a buxom red-head as his new PA, and the woman seemed both eerily capable and completely unable to handle the new turmoil that Tony was getting himself into. Trouble came to a head when Tony's birthday party ended in the destruction of his mansion via a man-to-man tussle of Rhodey and his friend, both in metal suits. Afterwards, Tony disappeared completely, leaving Pepper to try and explain to the public where their former protector had gone, and to clean up the mess left behind by his increasingly strange actions.
When he finally did appear again, it was with the only thing Pepper was truly allergic to. Strawberries. That not-so-quaint miscalculation set the tone for what was to be their last meeting as CEO and former boss. Pepper informed Tony in certain terms of how his irresponsible behavior was affecting not only his company, but her own life, how the supposed 'gift' he had given her was quite quickly becoming sour under the constant pressure his erratic actions were placing her. She then left him to attend the Stark Expo in New York, never guessing for a moment that Tony had come to say goodbye - because he wasn't honestly certain if he would live much longer with the reactor in his chest both keeping him alive and killing him.
All Pepper knew was that when Tony's long time rival (self-proclaimed, Tony certainly never thought of him as a threat) Justin Hammer took the stage with some sort of new robot drone as well as the souped up Iron Man suit Rhodey had 'stolen' the night of the birthday party, things began to get very strange... Tony appeared in his suit, some subtly new design that she was sure her former employer could go on for hours about how much better it was than the previous models, shouted something about a man named Ivan Vanko, and then the world seemed to erupt in the cacophony of bullets and explosions.
While Tony took care of the loud and flashy stunts, and Tony's PA turned Pepper's secretary somehow took care of sneaky spy things, Pepper made it her business to confront Hammer and his tech staff, whom she had arrested and taken from the premises when it was clear they were significantly a part of the violence now destroying the Stark Expo. It was while surveying Hammer's computers that Pepper was exposed to the truth of Tony's former condition via a video line that she probably hadn't meant to see. He had been dying. The whole time, his boisterous actions (most of them), his strange behavior (for the most part), all had been a result of the impending end Tony had seen for himself.
And he hadn't told her.
If there had been more time, if Vanko hadn't been controlling dozens of robot drones and Rhodey's suit, Pepper would have had much more to say on the subject than a few choice words spoken in vibrant anger. But lucky for Tony he did have more important things to do, which at least temporarily saved him from a backlash of supremely potent Pepper-rage. Vanko's defeat by Tony and Rhodey (thanks to the not-secretary Agent Romanoff's hacking skills) was nearly short lived as the drones began self-destructing all over the park. Luckily, everyone attending the Expo had been evacuated by Pepper, unluckily that included everyone but Pepper herself.
But what is the point of having a hero for a former boss if he doesn't get to save you once and a while?
More or less, that was what Tony did, depositing them on a rooftop to have an impromptu discussion not about how Tony had been dying, not about their unsaid feelings, but how Pepper intended to quit as CEO. Perhaps it was frayed nerves, perhaps a slight state of shock, but that was how the conversation began - though it was nothing how it ended. That kiss on the former rooftop they had denied so long finally came to fruition - and that was how their relationship changed from fairly dysfunctional boss and employee to still fairly dysfunctional boyfriend and girlfriend.
It was a state that both helped and hindered during the events of the alien invasion in New York. In that battle, Pepper played no part, but she watched on TV, as everyone had, watched as the man she thought she knew risked death to save the world. The Avengers were a team of unlikely souls come together to make an improbable solution, and solve it they had. She had known of the project before she should have, thanks to Tony's inability to keep anything from her, but she never really understood the meaning of it until she watched as the man she loved nearly gave his life to keep other lives running.
She knew, like the time in Afghanistan, that the event wouldn't leave Tony unchanged, but she had no idea just how deeply it would effect him.
It was as if she had lost him completely again. Late nights works, tinkering he said, barely seeing him even though they now lived together. One of the few times she did actually get to see him resulted in a suit of his automated armor nearly attacking her as they slept. Pepper felt him slipping away, and had neither the training nor knowledge to help him. And Tony wasn't the sort to get help if you suggested it, he had to find it on his own. Pepper could only watch sadly as he continued to run himself into the ground over his armor. It was an obsession that she could only declare a distraction from what was truly important in his life.
A blast from the past was a momentary distraction to Pepper, a man named Aldrich Killian, who was once a unknown genius cripple, now owned his own think-tank which was working on a strange biochemical procedure named Extremis. Politely, Pepper refused Stark Industries participation in the project, feeling that while the healing properties of the process were viable, the weaponization potential was not at the heart of the company she now ran. Killian left, disappointed, and Pepper was sure that was the last she would see of him.
Then there was the explosion that nearly killed Happy. It was one of many that had been occurring across the nation, credited to the terrorist who called himself the Mandarin. The tragedy of Happy's injuries would have been more than enough, but then Tony's need for vengeance caused him to give out his address in a sort of 'come at me, bro' rage that was understandable but perhaps not the most logical response. Unfortunately, reasonable or not, the Mandarin decided to take Tony up on the challenge.
The well-armed helicopter attack decimated the Stark Mansion in such a way that it would have to be reconstructed from the ground up, and the ground as well, actually. Pepper was left with nothing but fragments of Tony's many suits, and one of Tony's numerous former bed partners. Maya Hansen was a 'botanist', apparently a concerned friend (an brief lover) from years ago who claimed Tony was in over his head in opposing the Mandarin. She seemed the right sort of person to trust, admitting to Pepper after they had found safety (and Pepper found out Tony was still alive) that she believed her boss, Aldrich Killian was working for the Mandarin.
At the time, Pepper must have thought it was mere coincidence, merely evidence of how small the world was, especially in the scientific sphere. Unfortunately, meeting up with Maya was no coincidence.
Maya was indeed working for Killian, but willingly, knowing full well his plans as well as the secret identity as the Mandarin, or rather as the man who kept and controlled the Mandarin. The Extremis project, Maya's brainchild, required the expertise of Tony Stark, a one-night stand who years ago had left a near-solution to the biochemical procedure's instability. They needed him, but with leverage, so he might feel a sense of desperation, in order to solve a chemical problem that could easily result in super-human soldiers to whoever could write the biggest check.
Tony would never have considered aiding such a cause, unless someone he loved was subjected to it.
Pepper knew next to nothing about how Extremis worked other than what Killian had been more than willing to boast to her, and most of which was far too complicated for her to understand. All she knew was that the procedure hurt a lot, more than anything she could have imagined, and that they were trying to use her pain and suffering to get to Tony.
Tony had been working on the mystery in his own way, hunting down one of the many victims of the Extremis experimentation as well as dealing with the PTSD from his near-death in New York. With a little help from a cocky smart kid not so different than he must have been, and a little unexpected help from Rhodey (who had been suit-jacked in order to trick security and kidnap the president for a final terrible act of terrorism), Tony managed to disrupt the 'Mandarin's' plans in epic Stark fashion.
How? He summoned his automated suits to help him. ALL of them.
While Rhodey managed to get the president out of danger, Tony sought to free Pepper - a effort which didn't go as well as either of them would have wished.
The last thing Pepper can recall before arriving in the city of Saeng Seong was the chaos of explosions, Tony's near death at Killian's fiery hands, then the slip, the failed catch, and the fall to fire below.
Character Personality:
Pepper Potts is a stalwart business woman who doesn't seem to know the meaning of the words 'quit' or 'give up'. If she did, no doubt she would have quit years ago, when eccentricities of her former boss Tony Stark were more than any normal human being should be able to handle and given up on the same man when he became her boyfriend and did nothing but test her patience and endurance (double-entendre not intended) over the course of their still budding romantic relationship. Pepper has done neither, because she has shown her own stubbornness is more than a match for even the most wily of man-children, and has remained loyal though she's been asked on more than one occasion to show out one-night stands as well as brave dangerous situations.
It is questionable whether this stubborn loyalty is a strength or a flaw, considering the dangers it has placed Pepper over the most recent years including her most recent subjection to the Extremis procedure. Yet despite the pain she suffered, Pepper still adamantly told her captors that her former employer wouldn't succumb to their demands for her sake, though she was well aware that he would.
Despite having no super powers, Pepper contains a strength that goes beyond mere stubbornness. Extremely self-motivated, she not only starts projects without having to be given them, but sees them through to the bitter end, despite whatever distractions her former boss might seek to provide. Pepper is more than hard-working, she's clearly a workaholic, whose dedication to the company she now runs can cause something of a problem from time to time. It often leaves her unable to relax, stressed out, and less able to handle more human problems when they come up. When focused on her work, Pepper can often come off as insensitive, and doesn't have as much patience for frivolity or fun.
Since this is often her state of late, Pepper has become an individual who doesn't often treat herself, or even give herself a moment's peace. She's the sort to bring work home, in contrast to her boyfriend Tony who's home is his work (and also his enjoyment). Pepper, in contrast, does her work out of a need to do so, rather than because it's fun. She does get a strong sense of accomplishment out of her work, but she too often lets it run her life, especially now with her position as CEO. She's well aware that there are many people depending on her instead of just one, rambunctious boss, and is further pressured by being both a woman in business as well as Stark's former PA and current love interest.
Pepper is a very down-to-earth, no-nonsense sort of personality, which is likely why it took so long for her to acknowledge feelings for her former boss. While her common sense makes her the perfect choice for dealing with business, it sometimes makes other things less obvious to her. In terms of feelings, especially feelings directed towards her, Pepper can be outright oblivious. While she is extremely talented at reading people and playing the diplomat in the office, her own emotions and those of others can be a mystery. That's not to say she's not a loving or caring individual, because she is undoubtedly a soft touch when dealing with people both in and out of business scenarios, but sometimes things simply slip through the cracks of her attention - little details that would make her life that much easier...
Though she's had to harden herself quickly to survive the tides of the big business world, Pepper is still at heart extremely trusting and prone to believing the best of people. From staying at Tony's side even when she probably should have left, to following Maya into a trap, Pepper's need to trust mankind hasn't wavered - though after her kidnapping it has certainly taken a beating. Her temper, also something not often raised but fierce-some to behold, has become raw-edged with the application of Extremis. Usually a calm soul, at least on the surface, Pepper is now having an unpleasant time controlling her emotions. Anger, in particular, is more noticeable, and the most important in her mind to keep down as it seems to bring about the manifestation of her new 'powers'.
AU Information: N/A
Character Abilities:
Business Related
- Word Processing, Excel, etc. programs
- Legal Documents
- Management of Resources and Personnel
- Business Diplomacy
- Accounting
Extremis
- Heals all but the most fatal of wounds
- Can produce fire on body, or from within body
- Increased strength and mobility
- Can explode (not usually a willing thing)
Character Inventory: Nothing.
Samples:
Everything burned. The fire was in her blood, in her bones, in her nerves. Every part of her being was alight with pain and vibrant life, too alive, too aflame, if only it would end. Pepper opened one eye briefly as the cycle of fiery torture halted for a moment. Strapped into the machine they had created to administer Extremis, she could barely move except to breath and writhe uselessly. The treatments came in waves, each one leaving her just enough time to hope it was the last before the next injection came. She tried to withhold any sign of pain, but in between the steps of the procedure she was left panting and weak, and during them she knew she was screaming, though part of her was distant and far from what was happening to her body.
Killian was gloating at her again, that seemingly handsome face twisted into intense pleasure over his victory. Not the pain he was causing as much, instead Pepper noted he seemed to love the idea of being in control far more. Control over her was only the icing on this particular cake, his real prize was Tony Stark, whom he was only too willing to tell her would bow to his wishes because he had her.
Pepper tried not to let him show how much that promise effected her. Time and time again, she claimed that Tony wouldn't do what they said. That no matter how much they made her hurt, he wouldn't give into their demands. The part of her that burned and howled in anguish wished he would, to make them stop, the rest of her, the stronger part, hoped fervently that he wouldn't. Sometimes, Pepper thought she cried, despite all her efforts not to, but she felt the tears dry on her cheeks unnaturally, burned by the new fires that writhed within her.
How, if she managed to survive this, could she hope to live a normal life? The countless nights of Tony's obsession with his suits were suddenly understood, his endless need to find and to do, to try and construct a place for himself where everything felt right and safe. But Pepper was no engineer, she wasn't a 'botanist' or a geneticist or any sort of person who could hope to make sense of the biological insanity that Killian wouldn't stop talking to her about - as if telling her would somehow make her appreciate the 'blessing' he was bestowing upon her. All Pepper knew was the fire and the pain, and a desperate need to avoid looking at the future at all costs. As far as she could see there was no future, just the possibility of a sudden and painful conflagration, hopefully with no one else around to be destroyed by it.
Extremis was incomplete, imperfect, that was why they needed Tony - and why Pepper needed Tony. And that was exactly why she had to hope that he didn't succeed.
Link to Test Thread
Player Name: Foggy
Player Age: 27
Player Contact:
foggy_goggles, plurk: foggy_goggles, AIM: foggy_gogglesPlayer/Character HMD: HMD
Other characters in game: N/A
IC Information
Character Name: Virginia "Pepper" Potts
Character Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Character Age/Gender: 36/Female
Canon Point: After falling to 'certain death'.
Character Canon History:
Virginia Potts began her career at Stark Industries humbly, as a former model and former college student, seeking a future in accounting. It was only after bringing attention to herself by finding an error in Tony Stark's own budget calculations and being courageous (or stubborn) enough to confront the man himself about them, that she found herself with both a new occupation and nickname. Due to her talents (and most likely her looks) 'Pepper' Potts became the famous CEO's Personal Assistant. Little did she know her new job would involve much more than simply handling his paperwork and organizing his schedule. For in regards to Tony Stark PA was nearly synonymous to babysitter.
Many years passed, with Pepper Potts neither being driven away by her boss' unbridled perchance for chaos, nor a work load that would have likely had other people screaming in frustration. She took care of his schedule, as well as diplomatically excused him for whatever distractions might prevent him from attending, or else attending herself if her presence was appropriate. She organized his paperwork, of which he neither liked handling nor dealing with. She dealt with his one night stands the morning after, as well as made sure he had regular meals once and a while. Though compensated well, Pepper became more than just a PA to Tony. She was his caretaker, as one of the few people who truly cared for his well-being.
Anything more than that of course, they both denied, either because they had their routine down too well or were too enmeshed in their own concerns to see the concern they held for each other. It took a near disaster to shake the little family Tony had inadvertently created: Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, and J.A.R.V.I.S.. It was his kidnapping and near destruction in Afghanistan that shook the foundations of what they all felt, and for Pepper, those feelings were shaken to the core.
When Tony finally returned, something had changed. Gone was the man who cared only for parties and his next sexy bed partner. No more could Tony create technology without being concerned about what use it was put to. Pepper watched in shock and awe as he shut down the weapons production of his company, and swallowed in concern and trepidation as he showed her the little glowy blue device that was keeping him alive. Tony had changed, and at first Pepper wasn't sure it was for the better, but she did know she was relieved to have him back. That the company was taking a dive from Tony's decision to cancel over half of what it was known for, that his suddenly constant absence from the forefront of Stark Industries meant she had twice as much work, meant nothing compared to knowing that he was safe.
He was safe, wasn't he?
It was a gala, a fundraiser, to which Tony came as an unexpected visitor, that answered that question. It began with an innocent (though not so innocent in Pepper's mind) dance, and a moment of realization for two minds that had formerly been denying something for a very long time. There was another moment on the roof, a moment that Pepper wished she could excuse to an overindulgence of drink, but she hadn't been drinking. Yet. The near kiss ended before it could be finished, but Pepper would have been more than willing to continue it with a little liquid encouragement. However Tony disappeared on his way to provide such emotional lubrication.
At the time, Pepper thought it was just as well. Tony was, after all, her boss.
What was not as well was what Pepper found when she returned to his home that night after the gala was over. Where she expected to find him in the arms of some new blonde, she instead found him in the arms of J.A.R.V.I.S. who was currently trying to extricate him from a metal suit covered in bullet holes. Tony had been to battle, destroying Stark weaponry that had been sold to the highest bidder. And now that Pepper had found out his little secret, Tony not only wanted her to accept his reasons for doing it, but also wanted her to help.
Pepper almost said no. It was too much, finally having him back in her life, and realizing that maybe her life wouldn't be too great without him - and not just because she didn't feel like hunting down a new occupation. But she couldn't deny him, not with that look on his face and the knowledge that he was finally looking at some picture bigger than himself. She went to the Stark Industries main with instructions and a device to find out to who and where weapons would be delivered next - only to find that the man they both trusted most was the one making the sales. Obadiah Stane, Tony's business partner and his father's oldest friend.
Too late Pepper tried to warn Tony, but Stane had already arrived at the mansion, stealing the reactor in his former ward's chest - the very thing that was keeping him alive. Luckily Tony had a back-up, but was not quite quick enough to halt the attack on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been notified by Pepper of Stane's betrayal. While Tony and Stane battled in their suits, Pepper watched the sky worriedly, playing a small part in their enemy's destruction when Tony instructed her to blast the roof with another reactor in the building below.
Stane was gone, the traitor no longer around to sell weapons to whomever would give him the most money. Yet there was another small problem - Tony's suit was no longer a secret and some sort of explanation had to be made to keep his identity as 'Iron Man' under wraps. While he was given plenty of excuses and statements to hide this information, Tony instead went ahead and blurted it to the world. Needless to say Pepper wasn't pleased, considering she and numerous others had asked him to be discreet rather than play the hero. It meant more work for her, and once again whatever romance they might have had was put on the back-burner...
Until another man, a vengeful man named Ivan Vanko, decided to make use of the reactor his father and Tony Stark's father had worked on together to power a device to seek his revenge on the family that he believed had ruined his. Pepper was meanwhile dealing with an employer who had become more and more eradicate. Though not completely reverting to his old ways, Pepper's long list of grievances with her boss now included the Stark Expo (which seemed nothing more than extension of Tony's ego), giving away his entire art collection, and continually refusing to have anything to do with running Stark Industries.
Pepper's concern and annoyance with Tony was temporarily waylaid by his naming of her to be CEO of his company. While instating her as such did make her job easier at first, in the end the nomination was almost destructive as Tony's behavior became more and more self destructive. Driving his own car at Monaco Raceway ended in near disaster as Vanko took on Tony one-on-one. Though Tony managed to win with the help of a mobile Iron Man suit, the surprise attack had a nation that was already uncertain about Tony's ability to protect them, reeling.
Pepper was no less happy about the situation, especially since her former boss had deigned to hire a buxom red-head as his new PA, and the woman seemed both eerily capable and completely unable to handle the new turmoil that Tony was getting himself into. Trouble came to a head when Tony's birthday party ended in the destruction of his mansion via a man-to-man tussle of Rhodey and his friend, both in metal suits. Afterwards, Tony disappeared completely, leaving Pepper to try and explain to the public where their former protector had gone, and to clean up the mess left behind by his increasingly strange actions.
When he finally did appear again, it was with the only thing Pepper was truly allergic to. Strawberries. That not-so-quaint miscalculation set the tone for what was to be their last meeting as CEO and former boss. Pepper informed Tony in certain terms of how his irresponsible behavior was affecting not only his company, but her own life, how the supposed 'gift' he had given her was quite quickly becoming sour under the constant pressure his erratic actions were placing her. She then left him to attend the Stark Expo in New York, never guessing for a moment that Tony had come to say goodbye - because he wasn't honestly certain if he would live much longer with the reactor in his chest both keeping him alive and killing him.
All Pepper knew was that when Tony's long time rival (self-proclaimed, Tony certainly never thought of him as a threat) Justin Hammer took the stage with some sort of new robot drone as well as the souped up Iron Man suit Rhodey had 'stolen' the night of the birthday party, things began to get very strange... Tony appeared in his suit, some subtly new design that she was sure her former employer could go on for hours about how much better it was than the previous models, shouted something about a man named Ivan Vanko, and then the world seemed to erupt in the cacophony of bullets and explosions.
While Tony took care of the loud and flashy stunts, and Tony's PA turned Pepper's secretary somehow took care of sneaky spy things, Pepper made it her business to confront Hammer and his tech staff, whom she had arrested and taken from the premises when it was clear they were significantly a part of the violence now destroying the Stark Expo. It was while surveying Hammer's computers that Pepper was exposed to the truth of Tony's former condition via a video line that she probably hadn't meant to see. He had been dying. The whole time, his boisterous actions (most of them), his strange behavior (for the most part), all had been a result of the impending end Tony had seen for himself.
And he hadn't told her.
If there had been more time, if Vanko hadn't been controlling dozens of robot drones and Rhodey's suit, Pepper would have had much more to say on the subject than a few choice words spoken in vibrant anger. But lucky for Tony he did have more important things to do, which at least temporarily saved him from a backlash of supremely potent Pepper-rage. Vanko's defeat by Tony and Rhodey (thanks to the not-secretary Agent Romanoff's hacking skills) was nearly short lived as the drones began self-destructing all over the park. Luckily, everyone attending the Expo had been evacuated by Pepper, unluckily that included everyone but Pepper herself.
But what is the point of having a hero for a former boss if he doesn't get to save you once and a while?
More or less, that was what Tony did, depositing them on a rooftop to have an impromptu discussion not about how Tony had been dying, not about their unsaid feelings, but how Pepper intended to quit as CEO. Perhaps it was frayed nerves, perhaps a slight state of shock, but that was how the conversation began - though it was nothing how it ended. That kiss on the former rooftop they had denied so long finally came to fruition - and that was how their relationship changed from fairly dysfunctional boss and employee to still fairly dysfunctional boyfriend and girlfriend.
It was a state that both helped and hindered during the events of the alien invasion in New York. In that battle, Pepper played no part, but she watched on TV, as everyone had, watched as the man she thought she knew risked death to save the world. The Avengers were a team of unlikely souls come together to make an improbable solution, and solve it they had. She had known of the project before she should have, thanks to Tony's inability to keep anything from her, but she never really understood the meaning of it until she watched as the man she loved nearly gave his life to keep other lives running.
She knew, like the time in Afghanistan, that the event wouldn't leave Tony unchanged, but she had no idea just how deeply it would effect him.
It was as if she had lost him completely again. Late nights works, tinkering he said, barely seeing him even though they now lived together. One of the few times she did actually get to see him resulted in a suit of his automated armor nearly attacking her as they slept. Pepper felt him slipping away, and had neither the training nor knowledge to help him. And Tony wasn't the sort to get help if you suggested it, he had to find it on his own. Pepper could only watch sadly as he continued to run himself into the ground over his armor. It was an obsession that she could only declare a distraction from what was truly important in his life.
A blast from the past was a momentary distraction to Pepper, a man named Aldrich Killian, who was once a unknown genius cripple, now owned his own think-tank which was working on a strange biochemical procedure named Extremis. Politely, Pepper refused Stark Industries participation in the project, feeling that while the healing properties of the process were viable, the weaponization potential was not at the heart of the company she now ran. Killian left, disappointed, and Pepper was sure that was the last she would see of him.
Then there was the explosion that nearly killed Happy. It was one of many that had been occurring across the nation, credited to the terrorist who called himself the Mandarin. The tragedy of Happy's injuries would have been more than enough, but then Tony's need for vengeance caused him to give out his address in a sort of 'come at me, bro' rage that was understandable but perhaps not the most logical response. Unfortunately, reasonable or not, the Mandarin decided to take Tony up on the challenge.
The well-armed helicopter attack decimated the Stark Mansion in such a way that it would have to be reconstructed from the ground up, and the ground as well, actually. Pepper was left with nothing but fragments of Tony's many suits, and one of Tony's numerous former bed partners. Maya Hansen was a 'botanist', apparently a concerned friend (an brief lover) from years ago who claimed Tony was in over his head in opposing the Mandarin. She seemed the right sort of person to trust, admitting to Pepper after they had found safety (and Pepper found out Tony was still alive) that she believed her boss, Aldrich Killian was working for the Mandarin.
At the time, Pepper must have thought it was mere coincidence, merely evidence of how small the world was, especially in the scientific sphere. Unfortunately, meeting up with Maya was no coincidence.
Maya was indeed working for Killian, but willingly, knowing full well his plans as well as the secret identity as the Mandarin, or rather as the man who kept and controlled the Mandarin. The Extremis project, Maya's brainchild, required the expertise of Tony Stark, a one-night stand who years ago had left a near-solution to the biochemical procedure's instability. They needed him, but with leverage, so he might feel a sense of desperation, in order to solve a chemical problem that could easily result in super-human soldiers to whoever could write the biggest check.
Tony would never have considered aiding such a cause, unless someone he loved was subjected to it.
Pepper knew next to nothing about how Extremis worked other than what Killian had been more than willing to boast to her, and most of which was far too complicated for her to understand. All she knew was that the procedure hurt a lot, more than anything she could have imagined, and that they were trying to use her pain and suffering to get to Tony.
Tony had been working on the mystery in his own way, hunting down one of the many victims of the Extremis experimentation as well as dealing with the PTSD from his near-death in New York. With a little help from a cocky smart kid not so different than he must have been, and a little unexpected help from Rhodey (who had been suit-jacked in order to trick security and kidnap the president for a final terrible act of terrorism), Tony managed to disrupt the 'Mandarin's' plans in epic Stark fashion.
How? He summoned his automated suits to help him. ALL of them.
While Rhodey managed to get the president out of danger, Tony sought to free Pepper - a effort which didn't go as well as either of them would have wished.
The last thing Pepper can recall before arriving in the city of Saeng Seong was the chaos of explosions, Tony's near death at Killian's fiery hands, then the slip, the failed catch, and the fall to fire below.
Character Personality:
Pepper Potts is a stalwart business woman who doesn't seem to know the meaning of the words 'quit' or 'give up'. If she did, no doubt she would have quit years ago, when eccentricities of her former boss Tony Stark were more than any normal human being should be able to handle and given up on the same man when he became her boyfriend and did nothing but test her patience and endurance (double-entendre not intended) over the course of their still budding romantic relationship. Pepper has done neither, because she has shown her own stubbornness is more than a match for even the most wily of man-children, and has remained loyal though she's been asked on more than one occasion to show out one-night stands as well as brave dangerous situations.
It is questionable whether this stubborn loyalty is a strength or a flaw, considering the dangers it has placed Pepper over the most recent years including her most recent subjection to the Extremis procedure. Yet despite the pain she suffered, Pepper still adamantly told her captors that her former employer wouldn't succumb to their demands for her sake, though she was well aware that he would.
Despite having no super powers, Pepper contains a strength that goes beyond mere stubbornness. Extremely self-motivated, she not only starts projects without having to be given them, but sees them through to the bitter end, despite whatever distractions her former boss might seek to provide. Pepper is more than hard-working, she's clearly a workaholic, whose dedication to the company she now runs can cause something of a problem from time to time. It often leaves her unable to relax, stressed out, and less able to handle more human problems when they come up. When focused on her work, Pepper can often come off as insensitive, and doesn't have as much patience for frivolity or fun.
Since this is often her state of late, Pepper has become an individual who doesn't often treat herself, or even give herself a moment's peace. She's the sort to bring work home, in contrast to her boyfriend Tony who's home is his work (and also his enjoyment). Pepper, in contrast, does her work out of a need to do so, rather than because it's fun. She does get a strong sense of accomplishment out of her work, but she too often lets it run her life, especially now with her position as CEO. She's well aware that there are many people depending on her instead of just one, rambunctious boss, and is further pressured by being both a woman in business as well as Stark's former PA and current love interest.
Pepper is a very down-to-earth, no-nonsense sort of personality, which is likely why it took so long for her to acknowledge feelings for her former boss. While her common sense makes her the perfect choice for dealing with business, it sometimes makes other things less obvious to her. In terms of feelings, especially feelings directed towards her, Pepper can be outright oblivious. While she is extremely talented at reading people and playing the diplomat in the office, her own emotions and those of others can be a mystery. That's not to say she's not a loving or caring individual, because she is undoubtedly a soft touch when dealing with people both in and out of business scenarios, but sometimes things simply slip through the cracks of her attention - little details that would make her life that much easier...
Though she's had to harden herself quickly to survive the tides of the big business world, Pepper is still at heart extremely trusting and prone to believing the best of people. From staying at Tony's side even when she probably should have left, to following Maya into a trap, Pepper's need to trust mankind hasn't wavered - though after her kidnapping it has certainly taken a beating. Her temper, also something not often raised but fierce-some to behold, has become raw-edged with the application of Extremis. Usually a calm soul, at least on the surface, Pepper is now having an unpleasant time controlling her emotions. Anger, in particular, is more noticeable, and the most important in her mind to keep down as it seems to bring about the manifestation of her new 'powers'.
AU Information: N/A
Character Abilities:
Business Related
- Word Processing, Excel, etc. programs
- Legal Documents
- Management of Resources and Personnel
- Business Diplomacy
- Accounting
Extremis
- Heals all but the most fatal of wounds
- Can produce fire on body, or from within body
- Increased strength and mobility
- Can explode (not usually a willing thing)
Character Inventory: Nothing.
Samples:
Everything burned. The fire was in her blood, in her bones, in her nerves. Every part of her being was alight with pain and vibrant life, too alive, too aflame, if only it would end. Pepper opened one eye briefly as the cycle of fiery torture halted for a moment. Strapped into the machine they had created to administer Extremis, she could barely move except to breath and writhe uselessly. The treatments came in waves, each one leaving her just enough time to hope it was the last before the next injection came. She tried to withhold any sign of pain, but in between the steps of the procedure she was left panting and weak, and during them she knew she was screaming, though part of her was distant and far from what was happening to her body.
Killian was gloating at her again, that seemingly handsome face twisted into intense pleasure over his victory. Not the pain he was causing as much, instead Pepper noted he seemed to love the idea of being in control far more. Control over her was only the icing on this particular cake, his real prize was Tony Stark, whom he was only too willing to tell her would bow to his wishes because he had her.
Pepper tried not to let him show how much that promise effected her. Time and time again, she claimed that Tony wouldn't do what they said. That no matter how much they made her hurt, he wouldn't give into their demands. The part of her that burned and howled in anguish wished he would, to make them stop, the rest of her, the stronger part, hoped fervently that he wouldn't. Sometimes, Pepper thought she cried, despite all her efforts not to, but she felt the tears dry on her cheeks unnaturally, burned by the new fires that writhed within her.
How, if she managed to survive this, could she hope to live a normal life? The countless nights of Tony's obsession with his suits were suddenly understood, his endless need to find and to do, to try and construct a place for himself where everything felt right and safe. But Pepper was no engineer, she wasn't a 'botanist' or a geneticist or any sort of person who could hope to make sense of the biological insanity that Killian wouldn't stop talking to her about - as if telling her would somehow make her appreciate the 'blessing' he was bestowing upon her. All Pepper knew was the fire and the pain, and a desperate need to avoid looking at the future at all costs. As far as she could see there was no future, just the possibility of a sudden and painful conflagration, hopefully with no one else around to be destroyed by it.
Extremis was incomplete, imperfect, that was why they needed Tony - and why Pepper needed Tony. And that was exactly why she had to hope that he didn't succeed.
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