:invisiblewoman :spiderwoman<Tony> Tony shot Heather a peace sign and picked up a scotch from the first waiter he saw. If he had to be here and not with Anna Marie, he was going to be drunk.
<Lifeguard> Heather rolled her eyes and went to find a wall to hold up where she could watch Tony. Being stupid tall was useful for some things... terrible for blending in though.
<Stephanie> Stephanie eyed Tony from across the room as he entered, already getting a drink. And no Rogue on his arm. She smirked to herself. Good. Maybe she had finally left him or he her. Either way would work because he would be a sad, drunk mess, leaving her to clean it up. Exactly where she wanted him.
<Tony> Tony took a sip as he surveyed the room. He could have skipped this, easily. Look at this room. Everyone was here, so there was no reason for him to be here. Silly woman.
<Osborn> Norman caught the shift in Stephanie's attention and arched an eyebrow at her in question before he located the source of the distraction. Oh joy.
<Stephanie> She stirred her drink lazily with the toothpick, then took it out to pull the cherry off slowly with her teeth. "He's alone."
<Osborn> "Yes, I see that..." he frowned, "Perhaps she's on duty with the team since their esteemed leader is putting in an appearance here." He nodded to the blonde head in the crowd that was making a b-line for Tony's shiny bodyguard.
<Carol> Carol had ducked behind a pillar when Tony walked in, in case he spotted her and made her a magnet for attention. Having dodged that particular bullet, she had decided to go and say hi to Heather and ask her how her attempts to communicate with the space birds were going.
<Tony> Tony greeted a pair of elderly senators and words left his mouth, though he wasn't sure in what order. Maybe he shouldn't have had those two drinks in the car on the way over.
<Stephanie> "Perhaps," she mused. "Or, judging by the way he's drinking, there's something rocky happening in the Stark household."
<Rhodey> Rhodey was trapped by a group of elderly senators quizing him on the finer points of his election stances. He was glad he brought his good luck charm with him since it seemed to have attracted the real one or maybe that was Fury trying to punish her for something again. Either way, at least there was a point of sanity in the room, especially since the insanity quota just went up.
<Osborn> Norman chuckled, "Wishful thinking, my dear? Perhaps he just dislikes these functions as much as the rest of us."
<Stephanie> "Of course he does. Which is why he's never at one without the woman who eases the suffering." Stephanie glanced at Norman and smirked. "Give him a few more drinks and I'll be able to sidle up to him without worry of being turned away."
<Osborn> "Is that your plan to pass the rest of the evening? Perhaps you could provide one of those drinks with your arrival to speed up the process."
<Stephanie> Stephanie reached up and cupped his cheek with her palm. "Have I said lately how I love the way you think. It's as if you're just a split second behind me in every thought."
<Osborn> He raised an eyebrow, "Behind, indeed?" The darker side of his ego prickled at the slight but he ignored it.
<Stephanie> "Quite. How did you think he would get the appropriate amount of drinks? By himself?" She let out a laugh and stood, picking up a glass from a passing waiter, then winking over her shoulder at Norman.
<Osborn> "He usually manages just fine," Norman pointed out with a hint of contempt.
<Tony> "Yes, I always say that when a cause is as worthy as this it deserves that we pull out all the stops to celebrate..." Wait, why was he here again? "an end to childhood cancer." Good save. Tony smiled and pretended to see someone else he simply had to greet right now.
<Rhodey> Tony was looking for a save as much as he was so Rhodey raised his hand to catch Tony's eye and finally extracted himself from the old people.
<Stephanie> "Not as fine as I would like him to be," she replied, voice icy. After a pointed look, she turned her back on her companion and faced the room again to find her prey. Adorable. Pretending to care about the people he was speaking with.
<Tony> Thank fuck. He could always count on Rhodey. "Hey, buddy!" He made his way to his only friend in the crowd.
<Rhodey> "Hey!" He left his totem of sanity in his pocket as he extracted his hand to shake Tony's, "You timed your escape perfectly, thanks for that."
<Tony> "Of course I did, I always have perfect timing," he said with a grin, returning the handshake. "Not too shabby yourself. Been here long?"
<Rhodey> "I feel like I've been here for a week already but it's probably only an hour or so..." he shook his head, picking up a drink now that he had his freedom, "I have a lot of senators asking awkward questions trying to catch me out."
<Osborn> Norman watched Stephanie for a moment before turning his attention back to Stark, "Would you like me to remove Stark's new found shield from your path, my dear?"
<Stephanie> "That is entirely up to you. Are you feeling like you need to face off with your opponent already, Norman?" That could be just as amusing.
<Stephanie> Although, it did not lend itself to her long-term goal.
<Osborn> "Oh I doubt it will come to much. He may simply excuse himself in favour of a better option," Norman stretched his legs before getting up from his seat, picking up his drink. It was probably time he mingled in the crowds anyway.
<Tony> "Yeah, that's the game," he told Rhodey, clapping him on the shoulder. "The trick is to say so much without saying anything that you can escape, in case you hadn't figured that out yet."
<Stephanie> "Hmm. I can't very well have him turning to me, so perhaps you shouldn't." Stephanie gave him a tight smile over her shoulder that didn't reach her eyes and stepped into the crowd with her half-empty tumbler and the fresh one for the President.
<Rhodey> "They don't train you to answer questions with no actual information in the military, Tony," he took a sip from his glass, "Maybe I'll suggest it as an elective class introduction if I make it into the White House."
<Tony> "Well that's a shame, they really should." He grinned and took a drink himself. "Maybe I could be an adjunct professor to teach the class."
<Rhodey> "I think your class would be for the advanced student..."
<Tony> "That's very true. I teach only the most elite techniques in bullshittery."
<Stephanie> "It's simply too bad that your talents would be wasted on most of the people in your class. Even the advanced ones." Stephanie reached across Tony to put the fresh glass in his free hand. "Have another, Mr. President."
<Rhodey> Rhodey's eyebrows went up and he looked around them in surprise. Where the hell did she come from?!
<Carol> Over by her fellow alien, Carol gave the gold one a nudge and nodded toward Tony's new friend. They should probably keep an eye on that. Where was her guard dog? Carol scanned the crowd for Osborn, eyes narrowing when she spotted him. She so wanted to punch that face.
<Tony> Tony startled but tried not to register the surprise, meeting the senator's eyes. "Why thank you, I thought this one was weak," he said, draining it in one go and placing it on a passing waiter's tray.
<Rhodey> Rhodey's area sweep had located Osborn and he didn't want to deal with that right now, he raised his eyebrows at Tony and turned a little to indicate he should look over his shoulder for prior warning.
<Stephanie> "Well, we can't have that, now can we?" She lifted her glass to toast to him. "I'll make sure that they know your drinks are to be strong, old, and never-ending. Just like you."
<Rhodey> Rhodey couldn't help the snort at that reply. Tony was old!
<Tony> He swapped hands with the drink and gave it a slight sniff before he took a drink, meeting the senator's eyes. "I am eternal," he smirked, then caught Rhodey's eyebrows up near his hairline. What? What! Oh. He glanced over his shoulder and holy shit Osborn was close! Gah.
<Rhodey> Rhodey was torn. Tony was having a rough time lately and the fact he was here was a miracle. Making him deal with Norman didn't seem fair. With a heavy internal sigh, Rhodey decided to take one for the team and moved to intercept. Maybe he could steer Norman in Carol's direction and watch him squirm for a change.
<Stephanie> The grin turned slightly sinister as she lifted her glass to her lips, "So am I." Stephanie smiled at him once she finished the drink. "What a pair we would make, hmm?"
<Tony> Atta boy Rhodey. He could always count on his best friend to save his ass. "The question is a pair of what?" He smirked at her and then scanned the crowd behind and above her head.
<Stephanie> "I'm open to anything, really." Stephanie's eyes narrowed just a touch at the fact that he wasn't focusing on her and changed tactics. "You don't seem quite yourself tonight, Mr. President. I'm a willing ear if you need to discuss whatever is on your mind."
<Tony> Tony's eyes snapped to her and he put on a grin. "Well, I'm wondering why you're courting the lame duck when your own personal elephant ride to the top is right here?" He nodded toward Osborn and Rhodey, just a few feet away and engaged in awkwardly polite small talk.
<Stephanie> "You may be a 'lame duck' in the sense that you can no longer run for president, but you certainly are not lame in any other areas." She brought her glass up to her lips slowly. "And, of course, there's no rule saying you can't run for Vice President now. Not that that's what I have my sights on at the current moment, though." Stephanie let her eyes drift from his eyes to his lips, then back up.
<Tony> "I haven't received any complaints on performance." Why was she moving in slow motion? Was she really trying to seduce him? "Aha, I knew I smelled ambition." She was! How adorable. He pointedly looked at her slow sip, then met her eyes with a smirk.
<Stephanie> "I wouldn't dream of thinking you had, Mr. President. You certainly wouldn't hear any from me." Slow and steady seemed to be winning this race. Although, he would need another drink soon. Stephanie glanced around and waved a waiter over. "Would you like to find a corner to further discuss a potential partnership?"
<Tony> "Of course I wouldn't." Oh, this could get entertaining. "You're definitely interested in reaching across the aisle, Madam Senator," he said, barely restraining a snorfle as he took another drink from his glass.
<Stephanie> Stephanie arched an eyebrow at him and swirled the ice in her glass. She set her empty glass on the tray when the waiter arrived and ordered another Old Fashioned. "I'm definitely interested in something," she smirked.
<Tony> Tony smirked back and drained his glass, ordering another scotch, straight up. "Oh, I can tell."
<Stephanie> Stephanie wondered how many drinks would it take to get to the center of the Tony-pop? "Can you? And here I thought I was being so subtle," she mock-complained then nodded at a free booth, away from the crowd. "Shall we?"
<Tony> "Of course." He strolled past her and to the booth, thanking the waiter when he returned with their drinks.
<Stephanie> She took her drink, slipped a large bill into his apron's pocket, then shooed him away as she slid into the booth. "Shall I ask the obvious question or avoid it for the duration of the evening?"
<Tony> Tony slid in across from her, raising a brow at the show. "And what is that?"
<Stephanie> Stephanie pulled the toothpick from her drink and slid the cherry off of it with her teeth. "Your arm is more empty than it has been the past few months."
<Tony> "The first girlfriend had another engagement," he said lightly, giving her a shit-eating grin.
<Stephanie> Another engagement? She arched an eyebrow at him. "With someone else, perhaps?"
<Tony> "Only with her team. You remember she is one of the X-Men, right?" He took a sip of scotch and hoped Anna Marie was doing alright. He'd have to text her as soon as he extricated himself.
<Carol> Rhodey didn't notice that creeper woman had taken Tony to a corner because his back was to them so Carol looked at Heather. Without saying anything they both moved in opposite directions to keep eyes on that booth. Carol had to get a little closer than Heather but luckily she was far less noticeable in the crowd.
<Stephanie> "Of course I remember. You seem to be enjoying the libation far more than usual, so I assumed something was wrong. Or is it that she makes you still your hand when it comes to alcohol?"
<Tony> "Am I? I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary." He gave her an innocent blink and another pointed sip of his scotch. From the corner of his eye he saw a familiar blonde head. Carol was watching. He felt pretty capable of handling senator hotpants however.
<Stephanie> Stephanie matched his sip with one of her own. "You are. You've only been here a grand total of thirty minutes and you're already on your third drink, Mr. President."
<Tony> "Third? Sixth? Who's counting?" His grin went crooked. Actually, fifth was probably correct. Oh well. "Other than you, that is. Careful, or I might think you're concerned for my well-being."
<Stephanie> "My my. Did someone pre-game in the limo?" She smirked and set down her drink, reaching over to pat his unoccupied hand. "Remember when I said we would make quite the pair? Of course I'm concerned for your well-being."
<Carol> Carol positioned herself in Tony's eyeline so he could signal for a timeout if he wanted an assist. She also kept a wary eye on Rhodey and Osborn in case that went awry too. And she'd been worried she'd be bored tonight.
<Tony> "And remember when I said 'pair of what?' I meant that, truly." He looked down at her hand on his. Brow quirked, he allowed it, looking back up at her and catching sight of Carol again. He kept his eyes on the slippery senator.
<Stephanie> Stephanie laughed lightly and picked her drink back up. "Anything you wanted, Tony," she practically purred.
<Tony> "That, ah, leaves a lot of territory open for exploration, doesn't it?" He smirked and let his eyes flick to Carol for just a moment.
<Stephanie> "Indeed. There's quite a bit of territory you could explore. All you have to do is say when." She caught his glance to his overbearing alcoholic bodyguard of the moment, but hid her face with another sip from her tumbler.
<Tony> "I'm sure there're a few demilitarized zones in there," he said into his glass, still enjoying this. What was it about this woman that had freaked out Anna Marie?
<Stephanie> Stephanie leaned back in the booth and crossed a leg slowly towards him, letting her dainty, high-heel clad foot drift a breath away from his shin. "Maybe so. But I also have a strict don't ask, don't tell policy for a certain high-ranking official."
<Tony> He felt her foot graze his trouser leg and his lips twitched. "Assuming the right person is asking, or telling, or being told." Instead of looking at Carol, he locked eyes with Norman Osborn across the room. After a beat, he blinked and looked back to the senator. "Right?"
<Osborn> Norman felt a stab of iritation and pinched the bridge of his nose as Tony met his eyes. Now was not a good time. He waved off Rhodey's polite concern and picked up the thread of their superficial conversation again easily enough.
<Stephanie> Stephanie's smirk slipped and she sat up a little straighter, hurt by his insinuations. "The only person asking you is me, the only person telling me anything is you," she leaned towards him, "and the only one who would be told what to do by you is also me."
<Tony> Oh. Well. She was laying it on thick now. He grinned, unable to help a short giggle. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, madam Senator." Osborn looked constipated, which brought him more joy than it probably should have.
<Stephanie> "Of course you didn't because you thought it was the truth." She cast a glance over her shoulder at Norman, glaring in his direction. "He thinks he owns me, but he doesn't. Clearly, you thought so, too." Stephanie looked out over the crowd, looking at neither Norman or Tony. "The only reason I signed up to back him was to get a chance to get close to you," she admitted quietly.
<Tony> This time he was better able to stifle his laugh. Excellent. He was proud of this accomplishment. Had he thought it was the truth? Yes, sort of. Was he more interested in just keeping her talking? Yep. "Oh, really now? I'm flattered."
<Stephanie> She cut her eyes to him, looking his features over carefully, then looked back at the crowd. "You're used to women throwing themselves at you, so I took a different road, thus gaining more attention than the bimbos ever received. Especially after the only one you have eyes for lately is the X-Man."
<Tony> Tony studied her as she spoke, wondering how many times she'd practiced that in front of a mirror. "Rogue and I are in a committed relationship, yes, so who else should I have eyes for?"
<Carol> Since she might be stood here for a while, Carol snagged a passing waiter and requested something non-alcoholic and more interesting than water. He returned with a really fun looking cocktail. It had layers! She was impressed. Someone understood their assignment.
<Stephanie> "I'm not saying you should have eyes for any of those women flaunting everything to try and get your attention." Stephanie looked back at him again, turning her body towards him. "But the woman you claim to be in a committed relationship with certainly isn't supporting you tonight, is she?"
<Tony> "She is, in her own way." He gave her a smirking smile that didn't touch his eyes.
<Carol> Plucking out the silly cocktail umbrella so she could taste her drink gifted her a cherry. She needed to find this miracle worker of epic cocktails. Saving her cherry for an after taste-test snack, she carefully took a sip of her drink... was that popping candy? Seriously, where was this guy?
<Stephanie> That made her laugh softly and she made a show of looking around, "Did she steal someone's invisibility power?"
<Tony> "Ha! Well, I'd never tell if she did." He looked around too, noticing Carol was distracted, and poor Rhodey was still trapped. He pretended to wave at an unoccupied corner and then sat back, taking another drink.
<Stephanie> Stephanie arched an eyebrow at his show and finished off her drink, waving for a waiter to bring another. "Could I persuade you to have another, Tony?"
<Tony> "No persuasion necessary," he laughed, taking in her arched brow. Did she think he was really drunk? How adorable.
<Stephanie> She knew better than to assume a seasoned alcoholic like him got drunk so easily, which was why she would pour the entire bottle down his mouth, so to speak. The waiter took her empty glass and went to retrieve fresh drinks from the bar. "Tell me, Tony, what are your plans for after the office has run its course?"
<Tony> "Oh, well, I plan to settle down, continue my platform for mutant rights, support the X-Men, maybe take up knitting." He finished off his drink and set the empty on the table, gesturing with his hands. "And with my daughter on sabbatical I think it would please the board to have a Stark back at the helm at Stark Industries."
<Stephanie> "Settle down?" She smiled at him, a little reproachful and skeptical. "You, Playboy of the Century, with who? The woman whose favorite pastime is running from anything resembling long-term?"
<Tony> "Of the century? There you are, trying to flatter me again." He smirked and batted his lashes. "People change, Senator. It happens every day."
<Carol> Right. Focus. She turned her attention back to Tony and his fangirl, shooting Rhodey a glance as she set the umbrella behind her ear for his entertainment. Success! A barely disguised grin.
<Stephanie> "It does appear you have, but since she's absentee tonight when she's normally not... Well." Stephanie accepted her fresh drink with a smile at the waiter, letting her thought drift between her and Tony unsaid.
<Tony> "Well." Tony kept his eye roll internal. He did, however, spot Carol sporting a jaunty little accessory, and that made him smile a little. "Tell me, Senator, do you believe the rhetoric you spout at the rallies? Something about cleansing the nation? And if I remember right, I'm part of what's soiling it. Me and mutants, like my daughter, and my partner."
<Stephanie> "I 'spout' what gets votes." She took a long, slow drink, then set her glass down and looked Norman's direction. "You would have to be blind if you didn't see that he's got numbers backing him. I find mutants absolutely fascinating." Stephanie smirked to herself, "In a past life, I made a career of studying them."
<Rhodey> Freedom! Rhodey celebrated this with a fresh drink. Norman had muttered something about a headache and wandered off at last so Rhodey wound his way toward Carol, shooting a pointed glance Tony's way, "Should we go save him?"
<Carol> Carol gave Rhodey a grin and a quick hug hello, "Nah, he's holding his own right now, looks like."
<Tony> "Yeah about that past life," he started, taking a sip from his new glass. "You are very much a woman of mystery, aren't you? Nobody has much on file about you from before your election."
<Rhodey> "What are you drinking?" Rhodey eyed the colourful monstrosity warily and took the umbrella from behind Carol's ear to put it in her hair instead.
<Carol> Carol eyed the drink herself, "I have no fucking idea... but it's good." She laughed at having a hair accessory now, "What do you think? Can I make this look work?"
<Rhodey> "Oh absolutely. You should wear it all the time," Rhodey assured her, grinning around the rim of his glass as he took a sip.
<Stephanie> "That's clearly by design and falls under my 'don't ask, don't tell' policy." She smiled sweetly at him. "Did you want to take up my offer in regards to that?"
<Tony> "No offense, Madam Senator," he said, returning the smile, "but I don't think so."
<Stephanie> "You don't think so? Hmm. That means there's room to change your mind." Stephanie grinned and raised her glass back to her lips.
<Tony> "You don't like hearing no as an answer, do you?" He snorted and shook his head, taking another drink.
<Stephanie> She licked a drop of alcohol from her lower lip slowly as she looked him over. "Of course not, but then, I haven't heard a no yet."
<Tony> "You haven't? Then you haven't been paying attention." He cocked his head, still unsure what about this woman could have upset Anna Marie so much. "I'm flattered, but I'm not interested."
<Carol> Carol gave Rhodey a small shove and laughed as he narrowly avoided spilling his drink mid sip.
<Rhodey> Rhodey flailed a hand at her then rubbed his shoulder where she'd shoved him, "Man, I forgot how much that hurts..."
<Stephanie> "Not interested?" Stephanie laughed again. "Alright, Mr. President. Play your games. Rogue will never know anything that transpires between us." She opened her clutch and pulled out a small slip of paper. "Because you seem to have misplaced my number," she reached across and put it in his palm gently, "here it is again."
<Tony> "It's not a game, but you believe whatever you like," he said, pulling his hand back before she got a little too familiar and fondled his wrist repulsor.
<Stephanie> She smirked, "Isn't it, though?" Stephanie bit the cherry from her toothpick, then stood up, still pleased as a cat with cream as she looked him over. "Everything is a game. Even your relationship with your precious runaway rat. Have a pleasant evening, Stark."
<Carol> Oh good she was leaving. Carol took Rhodey's arm to steer him over to Tony so they could check on his sanity.
<Tony> Tony looked down at the paper in his hand with a bemused expression, then let it fall back onto the table. "Call her that again and we'll find out what kind of game we're really playing."
<Stephanie> "Feisty. I like it. Ta!" Stephanie set the toothpick back in her half-empty glass, leaving both at the table as she turned and made her way to Norman. She was tingling inside with the anticipation of her plan coming to fruition. Soon.
<Carol> Carol watched the Senator go with a small frown before turning her attention toward Tony, "We considered saving you but you looked like you were doing fine."
<Tony> Tony watched her go, eyebrow raised, and took a drink, straightening up when he saw Carol and Rhodey. "Yeah, we were just having a little one-sided flirtation. It was fun."
<Carol> Her nose wrinkled, "Ew..." she frowned after the woman again, "She knows you're with someone, right?"
<Rhodey> Rhodey picked up the Senator's abandoned glass and disposed of it on a passing tray before taking a seat. "Sometimes the extra deluded fangirls don't care."
<Tony> "I think the entire point was to needle me about Rogue," he said, keeping his expression blank and glancing back over at the senator, now reunited with her master.
<Carol> "The hell for? She expecting you to make a scene?" Carol slid into the seat beside Rhodey and set her fun drink on the table.
<Tony> "She thinks we'd make a 'pair,'" he looked back at Carol and Rhodey and then down at the colorful glass. "Isn't that a little fluffy for your usual taste?"
<Carol> "I said I wanted something more interesting than water and this was what came back to me. I kind of love it," she laughed, "It's fun! Which is something I don't usually have at these things."
<Tony> "No one is supposed to have fun," he snorted into his own drink.
<Carol> "I beg to differ. These were a lot more entertaining when I was drinking..." she picked up her fun drink and looked over at Heather to see if she was doing okay.
<Rhodey> "Probably because you cared a lot less that a lot of people talk to your boobs," Rhodey commented.
<Tony> Tony snorted and internally had to agree.
<Carol> Carol considered that and shrugged a shoulder, "Yeah, probably... Now I have that strong compulsion to smack them." She sighed, "Buuuut I'm not here on my own tonight which is also nice. Fury is sending me to everything he can for PR... or to test my sanity."
<Tony> "Probably a little bit of both, knowing him," he said with a grin.
<Carol> Carol nodded, "Yeah, that tracks..." she retrieved the umbrella from her hair to fidget with it.
<Rhodey> "Speaking of PR, have you considered a merch line?" He took out the little figure from his pocket and put it on the table, "Because I think this would totally sell."
<Carol> Carol eyed the figure, a little surprised he'd brought it with him, then burst into laughter, "Sure and then I'll get sued by McDonalds."
<Tony> "That's a cheeseburger," he said pointing with the hand holding his glass. "You can't fool me."
<Carol> "Yes, it is a cheeseburger," Carol confirmed. "It's an in-joke."
<Rhodey> "It's my good luck charm now."
<Tony> "So can I be in on the in-joke or are we not sharing on the playground?" He picked up the little figurine. A cheerleader with a cheeseburger head, yep. "Let me guess. You wrote McDonald's fanfiction and your Mary Sue is Mayor McCheese's busty niece?"
<Carol> Carol laughed again, shaking her head, "I don't know if I can trust you with the story..."
<Stephanie> ((Meanwhile, Rogue texts Tony after Bobby leaves the room and wants him to come get her because their bed feels better than the one at the asylum. Plus she misses him and isn't puking at the moment.
))<Rhodey> "Oh you definitely can't."
<Tony> "Oh come on, you know you can trust me," he winked, putting the figurine back down on the table.
<Carol> "Oh really?" she raised a skeptical eyebrow, "You're telling me you wouldn't tell everyone you met a fun embarrassing story about me if you thought it would score you points?"
<Tony> "Not everyone." He patted his lapel pocket when his phone buzzed, reaching inside to check the message.
<Carol> "But you'd probably tell Rogue, right? And she's the last person I want to know the story." Her memories were hers damn it. "She does not need more ammunition against me."
<Tony> He sobered up a little at that. "I wish you and Rogue could work out your, ah, disagreement."
<Carol> "If she'd apologise and admit she crossed a line, I'd consider it. But I don't think she will..." she shook her head, "She tries to throw me under the bus at every opportunity and I don't say anything... she's the one keeping this going. I just want to feel like I can sleep without worrying she'll show up one night to finish me off."
<Tony> "She's not going to finish you off," he said, looking at his phone and pausing. Anna Marie. "She's... got other things on her mind right now."
<Carol> "I know..." she admitted, "But now she has more to lose so... I'm gonna be a bigger threat in her mind. Even though the last thing I want is for you two to fall apart... that was the whole point of the fight in the first place and she's twisted it around in her brain."
<Tony> "We're not going to fall apart," he said. Anna Marie was still at the asylum but was more than ready to sleep in her own bed. So was he, truth be told. He fired off a response that he'd be there soon and looked back up, meeting Carol's eyes. "That's not in the cards for us. She'll see that in time."
<Carol> "I really hope so..." she gave him a small smile, "I want that for you... even though we tried to talk you out of it... this whole thing has been good for you and I want you to be happy. You deserve it."
<Tony> "You're right. I do deserve it." He ramped up his grin. "It's a good thing I'm stubborn and don't listen to advice, huh?"
<Carol> She managed a small laugh, even though it was killing her not to warn him, "I'd say yes but you also modified Sebastian's coffee machine with a butter knife so...."
<Rhodey> "A butter knife?" Rhodey repeated in disbelief. "Do I even wanna ask?"
<Tony> "A butter knife is a perfectly valid make-shift replacement for a flat screwdriver, and I didn't just modify it, I improved it." He finished off his scotch with a flourish.
<Carol> Carol's laugh was more genuine now, "Well, sorry to tell you this, but Sebastian didn't agree... Viper thought it was pretty funny though."
<Tony> "Sebastian lacks creativity," he replied with a nod, then looked around the room. Osborn and the senator were nowhere to be seen now. Good. "Are you guys ready to blow this joint?"
<Carol> "Soooooo ready," Carol nodded, finishing off her drink. She did want to find that bar tender though....
<Rhodey> "Yeah, I've had way past my limit of small talk..." Rhodey picked up the figurine and put it back safely in his pocket.
<Tony> "Sounds good. I need to get home to the missus and this party is over." He tucked his phone back into his pocket and slid across the booth seat.
<Carol> Carol moved out of the seat so Rhodey could get up, waiting for him to do so before giving him a hug, "It's good to see you. You should come to more boring stuff."
<Rhodey> "Only if I don't have to play asshole whack-a-mole again," Rhodey returned the hug before picking up his glass to finish his drink.
<Tony> "That's a mental image I don't really need in relation to Norman Osborn," he laughed.
<Carol> Carol's mental image of splatting Norman with a giant hammer made her happy. "Then you're absolutely doing it wrong."
<Tony> "Apparently so." He considered that. "Yeah, if I turn him over it's much more satisfying."
<Carol> Carol's nose wrinkled for a moment before she laughed, "See? Sometimes it's good to listen to advice." She leaned to give him a hug too, "Gonna say bye to Heather before she has to take you home to your mothership."
<Tony> Tony returned the hug with a laugh and looked over at his golden bodyguard. "Mothership, huh?"
<Carol> "It's also an alien joke," Carol gave him a grin as she headed over to her fellow half-alien SHIELD employee.
<Tony> "But my mother isn't an alien, and neither is Rogue." As far as he knew anyway. He was following her now.
<Carol> "You've had too much scotch, it's making you dumb," she informed him over her shoulder, "He's still in one piece except for the brain cells he pickled in scotch," she announced to Heather.
<Lifeguard> "Good job, scotch!" Heather mock-cheered.
<Tony> "It's not making me any dumber than I already was," he defended, then made a face. "Hey."
<Carol> Carol gave Tony a hard stare then laughed, "Well, good luck with that. He's all yours." She gave Heather a hug, "I'm gonna go find a cocktail wizard."
<Tony> "Okay, Oscar, time to go home to the mothership," he said, shaking his head with a laugh as they hugged.
<Lifeguard> "One super awesome crowd-parting cocoon coming up," Heather stretched her wings to startle the nearby people out of the way then folded them around herself and Tony to head for the exit. Easy mode.
<Tony> "It's very subtle. I like it." He laughed, finding himself enveloped in big fluffy wings. "What a way to make an exit."