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[manofiron]

[ Finding out that Pepper's stocks in Stark Industries have been transferred to him - and because she'd been running it, he can only assume that it's the lion's share - and that that means she's presumably gone is not the way he wants to start the day. But it is what it is and there's nothing he can do about it.

He's wearing the suit, though the helmet's off, and the expression on his face is as professionally detached as the matter-of-fact tone of his voice when he speaks. ]

It's come to my attention that Pepper Potts may no longer be in residence in the city.

[ That covers that and he's not lingering on it. If he does, he'll wonder what that means, if some piece of her has gone back to the world she remembers or if she's dead and her body is being recycled or whatever it is they do with clones when they're gone. It isn't something he needs to worry about right now. Not in front of an audience. So he moves right along to business. ]

I've been informed that per her request, her interests in Stark Industries have been transferred to me. For those of you don't know, I'm Tony Stark, and if you work for SI, it means you're working for me.

[ May whatever aliens people consider gods help them all. ]

If you do, I want to know who you are and what you do for the company. If you don't, and you want to, talk to me.

And be prepared for change. It's coming.

[ What that change is, he doesn't know yet. But once he finds out what the company's been doing, he'll figure out the right path for it to take under his leadership. And this time, it's going to be a damn sight better than the last time he was at the helm. ]

Comments

[manofiron]

[ That gives him half a moment's pause. ]

Is there a reason the techs have assistants? Is that a precedent the company's already set?

[alphatar]

Uh- I don't know...? [She literally has no clue what goes on at Stark Industries if her wonky face is any indication.]

What I do know is Pepper hired him and assigned him to, um, Tony.

[Yeah, she's not going to be comfortable using the same name to differentiate two different people.]

[manofiron]

[ It's not Korra's fault. Taking it out on her isn't the least bit appropriate, so he tries to corral his temper. ]

Well, Pepper isn't running things anymore. I am. You can tell him that he can contact me with his resume and I'll make sure he's doing a job that fits his skill set.

100% Starkryption;

[alphatar]

[Crap, she probably just cost her boyfriend his job. Wincing a bit, she turns on the custom encryption Tony installed on her console and tries to remember if Mako even had a resume he turned in to Pepper.]

Soooo, what kind of skills are required to assist T- a tech?

[Because if Mako had to make one from scratch, she could at least give him something to work with. It's with some good amount of restraint that she's not facepalming right now.]

[manofiron]

Techs don't get assistants.

[ And if little lord Fauntleroy thinks he's going to continue getting special dispensation for every damn thing he wants, he's going to have to start sleeping with the new head of the company too. ]

Management gets assistants.

[alphatar]

[Korra fit into that small pool of people that really liked Tony, and she's very ready to put her foot down.]

He should have an assistant. You needed one, so does he. It's Stark Industries, right?

So shouldn't that be up to him?

[manofiron]

[ And just like that, his voice and his expression gets icy cold. ]

Staff decisions are the purview of management.

[alphatar]

[That just makes her give up trying to keep her voice even and she snaps out:]

Meaning just you, right?

[manofiron]

That's right.

[alphatar]

[Under her desk, off screen, she has to force herself to unclench her fists. Punching her console won't do any good, and it's thanks to Banner's instruction on easing her temper.]

If there hasn't been any problems with Mako before, why is there one now?

[manofiron]

Did I ever say there was a problem with your boyfriend?

[alphatar]

No. But you implied it.

[manofiron]

I said I was going to find him a job properly suited to his skills. Since I have no idea who this guy is or what his skills are, that's not derogatory.

[alphatar]

[That actually gets her to stop entirely for a couple of moments.]

...Oh.

[What she simply took from that earlier was he's fired. End of story. Which of course makes her go into unhappy girlfriend/Avatar since she did her best to get Mako working there in the first place.]

Sooo... resume, right?

[She feels like a complete ass right now.]

[manofiron]

[ Eyebrows rising, he nods. ]

Yep. Resume. Doesn't have to be fancy. I just need to know what he can do.

[alphatar]

You mean with technology and stuff, right?

[It's really hard to hide her ignorance in regards to any scientific knowledge.]

[manofiron]

[ Is she saying what he thinks she's saying? They are talking about her boyfriend... ]

I mean skills appropriate to anywhere that's not a bordello.

[alphatar]

[The Avatar is officially flustered and sputtering.]

TH- No- I didn't-

TECHNOLOGY.

[She's clinging to the word like a lifeline.]

Skill with technology was wha- HOW WOULD I KNOW ABOUT THOSE SKILLS?

[manofiron]

Because everybody does?

[ It's 2012 where he's from, not 1920. Of course, there's a more obvious answer too. ]

And he's your boyfriend. Oh, and there are actually brothels here, so really, there are a multitude of educational avenues a curious young woman can take.

[alphatar]

Well- we're. working on it. Maybe not. I mean-

[She's so ready to go back to fighting over anything that would get them off this subject right now.]

I am NOT that curious. [Her face is almost magnetically drawn to her desk in order to become one with it.]

[manofiron]

Why not? It's a lot of fun. I mean, I've found some things that are more fun. But not many.

[ He knows that there aren't many people quite so loose and fancy free as he is about sexuality, but encountering embarrassment about the subject still seems so strange to him. ]

It's fine. Seriously. Have fun with it. Expand your horizons.

[alphatar]

[Right now she’s just trying to figure how in the world this suddenly popped up and re-evaluating her network-life choices. After a few moments, she manages to peel her face off her desk and is thankful that she turned on that custom encryption.]

That’s pretty much the advice my friend gave me. He’s, well, he knows a lot about it. [So if two people are giving her the same advice, that means it must be true.]

We’re good right now, but it’s kind of awkward whenever that subject is- around.

[Why is she talking to her boyfriend’s boss about this? What is her life…]

[manofiron]

Awkward how? He pushing you?

[ Tony may think about sex a lot. He may use it as a substitute for meaningful social interaction. But he doesn't have any patience for anyone who doesn't understand what no means. ]

Don't take that shit from anybody. You aren't ready, you're not ready, and no one can make that decision for you but you.

[alphatar]

Wha- Mako? No, no. We just- it’s just going slow. Because of me.

[And the fight they had, what that fight was about, and how they were still picking back up the pieces and why was she talking to his boss’s boss about all of this??

She smiles at that last part though, it’s echoing Jim’s words and that carried weight.]

You know a lot about this stuff, huh?

[manofiron]

I know everything about this stuff. I've been dealing with it since I was, I don't know, eighteen? Seventeen? Something like that.

[ His lifestyle isn't for everyone. It's barely even for him, and hasn't been for the last three years. But he isn't ashamed of it and won't make excuses for it. He just won't talk it up and act like it's the best thing in the world either. ]

And here's the biggest lesson I learned from it all: You do what you want to do. Other people, society, their opinions don't matter. It's your life. Live it how you choose. The people worth being part of it will be there with you and the people who aren't won't be. So don't sweat it so much. And don't let anyone tell you what to do.