Live from Monaco it's Tony Stark, Live from Gotham City it's Bruce Wayne

[manorly_wayne]

Neither of them watches TV, it strikes them both as a waste of time, something people do when they have no purpose, no objective in life. Neither Bruce nor Talia can understand the sort of people who can watch that box for hours, who have shows that they follow religiously. In fact, at heart, they both have contempt for the sort of aimlessness that

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[haspepperspray]

Pepper is long past the point where she is screening calls on her phone. She's just answering them as they come in without looking at the caller I.D. Rhodey continues to call for updates and Pepper must talk to him four or five times while Tony's out. Anyone from any news outlet is given the same response of "Stark Industries will be making a statement. Until then no comment".

She'd called her parents so that they wouldn't see it on the news or hear about it from their neighbors. She'd talked to both of them several times and encouraged them to take their RV and take a trip to discourage the local papers from contacting them. After witnessing the footage of the race her father had called her back and insisted that she come home. It's the only time in her recent memory of her father sounding like he'd been crying.

It's all too much.

She's vaguely aware of the door opening and Harry setting a tea tray down on the table bedside table. Pepper is about to thank him when her phone rings again.

"Yes?"

[manorly_wayne]

"Pepper,"

He listens to the background, tries to work out where she is, the acoustics make clear she's inside, but not in a hospital like she should be. Not in an airport like she should be. Probably a hotel room.

"Thank Tony for me. I think he may have just bumped me right off the front page."

It goes without saying that Bruce would prefer it, in fact, if Pepper didn't tell anyone he called. But he won't ask that of her. It's not his place to ask anything of her.

"I caught the end of his performance. He's going to make a nice fortune from the movie rights."

[osborn_heir]

Harry isn't eavesdropping. So unless Pepper or Bruce give it away, he won't know. He is, however, hovering a bit with her. Because Tony left, and she's shaken up. This is all he can do to help.

"You should try and drink this." He tells her as he pours her a cup of tea. Tea is supposed to be good for the nerves. Frankly he thinks another glass of wine would help her, but the doctor gave her a mild sedative. The last thing Harry wants to do is make her sick. Pepper isn't likely to have the pill and alcohol tolerance he and Tony does.

Of course he's not keeping his voice really down, so if Bruce is listening carefully he'll realize, Harry is in the room with her.

[haspepperspray]

Hearing Bruce's voice makes Pepper push herself up against the headboard of the bed and reach for Harry's wrist to get his attention.

"Where are you?" Because clearly he's going to tell her where he is. The adrenaline mixed with the sedative is not making for Pepper's clearest thinking. "Are you - " Still a fugitive? Alright? She's sick of asking questions she already knows the answer to so she stops and listens to him.

"Tony and you would have been great as a Vaudeville act."