002 | text/action | (mostly) open post | event catch all

[handing]

[Action for Tony Stark]
When morning comes the first day, Pepper decides to sleep in. She has no reason to rush out of bed, no urgent work that needs to be attended to. Particular not with the press of a familiar warmth against her back. She smiles to herself, still too deep in that sleepy haze to realize just what she's doing when she turns in bed to face him. She simply wants to cuddle closer, enjoy his embrace a little more.

Of course, that's easier said than done when the smoke fades and she has wings instead of arms.]

[Action Option 1!]
[After the chaotic mess that's her morning on Friday, Pepper heads outside to take solace in the sun. Not that it's entirely easy to recognize her among the flock of swans that seem to follow her around. But at the moment, Pepper is fine with that, content to swim in the fountain or fly over the gardens as she sorts out her thoughts. The tricky things about swans is that they can be aggressive when they see cause to be, so it might be best to approach with caution. Pepper isn't exactly in the best of moods.]

[Action Option 2!]
[Eventually Pepper does make her way back inside (quite possibly with a swan or two serving as escorts). She even transforms back into her human form and manages to get a set of clothing--though since she has no control over when this happens, there may be attempts at sneaking around to avoid possible awkward encounters. Ultimately she's going to be doing her best not to be thinking about any particular woes she may be having in her love life, so she can be found in any number of places inside. The pool or the roof are her favorite spots though: high places and water to swim in.]

[Anonymous Text]
[No, it isn't Pepper's typical avenue of confronting a problem. She'd much rather be direct when it comes to solving things. But with Tony once again hiding in the lab, she doesn't have too many options. Her circumstances are tricky ones, particularly since she knows she'd earn several unwanted I told you so's if the details got out in full. Her relationship with an outsider isn't at all secret, and also largely not approved of. Things have turned out badly enough without the naysayers in the family chiming in.

So, an anonymous text it is.]

Is there a time when you should give up fighting for something, even when it's what you thought you really wanted? Or if you still do, but it just feels like it's impossible to have?


[OOC: Event catch all for Pepper Liddell, possessed by the Swan. Please feel free to encounter her anywhere or contact her however you wish; I'm totally open for anything, planned or not, new cr or old. Either form is also fine; if you could just give me an idea of when/where/what she should be, that'd be great!

OH, also: the swans won't attack anyone outright. The worse they'll do is hiss unless someone wants an angry flock to deal with or is named Tony Stark. :)]

Comments

[sexandoutrage]

[It's probably the first full night of sleep he's gotten...Well, since showing up in Wonderland. There's always things to be done, ideas and worries and random thoughts waking him up in the middle of the night and refusing to leave him alone until he sneaks out of bed and down to the lab. It's rare enough during a good stretch; with circumstances as they are, it's practically a miracle.

But not only a full night's sleep; he's slept late. That, in and of itself might not seem odd to the casual observer, but apparently his body's needed more rest than he's given it credit for.

And as he starts swimming up towards being conscious, most surprising of all is the fact that, not only has he slept late, but judging at the warmth and weight at his front, he has certainly not been along in that outstanding achievement. And half-asleep, there are already a good baker's dozen snappy one offs that come to mind, a grin starting to form as he feels her start to turn.]

Hey, you know you- [What is that touching him. Is that a feather? Surely it's not a feather. She's been lying in wait for him to wake up, hasn't she. All this time giving him hell for not sleeping or eating properly, and then she lies in wait with a feather.

He's not sure whether to be proud of her, or annoyed.

But he cracks an eye, his grin growing a little wider-

And there's a swan. In bed. Not Pepper. A swan. And for a moment he can only stare through one sleep-bleary eye, before the other slowly opens to confirm that he is seeing what he seems to think he's seeing.

Why. Why is his life so hard. He's done many a strange thing in his life, mostly due to combination of attention-seeking and alcohol, and his own keen sense of bad judgement. But this? This is new. This is new, and he doesn't really want it to be a thing. He is not okay with this.

But he pushes back, and up, to the very edge of the bed, perching there and ready to move if that thing hisses at him; he knows they have bad attitudes, and he's not getting snapped by it.]

A swan. Okay, thanks, Wonderland. [He glances around the room, as though he'll find Pepper if he looks hard enough, before slowly returning to the swan in their bed.] I guess it's that again-

Are you...What am I talking about, you're a swan. [And back to scanning the room.] Hey, Pepper? Not funny.

[handing]

[Well, she had been content to sleep awhile longer, even as a swan. But Tony starts to talk, and Pepper knows the time for dozing is likely over. It's probably better that way; neither of them is the sort to stay idle long, although a morning in every now and then isn't so bad of a thing.

What's odd is when Tony stops suddenly, and Pepper lifts her head, cocking it at an angle to look at him curiously. Before she can ask, he's pulled away, sitting on the edge of the bed as if something is wrong. And maybe there is, depending on what he'd intended to tell her. She isn't sure, and lets out a quiet sigh as she decides it's too early in the morning for him to be acting strangely.]

Oh, well. It's good to know you haven't lost your mind. [Because of course Pepper's a swan; she doesn't know what else he'd expect her to be when she's not human. She moves onto her feet, stretching out her wings as if she doesn't have a care in the world. Well, other than her boyfriend's decidedly odd behavior. Odder than usual.]

Funny? Why would it be funny? Tony, you're acting really weird this morning.

[sexandoutrage]

[He's not entirely sure he hasn't finally dropped off that great precipice of sanity and plunged into the wild unknowns of 'we're all mad here'. Especially - especially - when not only does the swan talk, it sounds a whole lot (read: exactly) like his currently-missing girlfriend.

And he can only sit there, slack-jawed and slightly horror-struck, watching her spread her wings like it's normal, and like he should be a-ok with waking up to her being a swan.

Assuming, of course, it's actually Pepper. Given that they're in Wonderland, and it's been a whole two weeks since the last trip to crazytown, he's willing to bet it actually is.]

Wha-

[No. N o p e. Can't deal. Can't deal at all. His brain literally cannot parse what he's seeing. He reaches up and rubs his face, roughly, before looking again, and nope. Still a swan.]

Okay. Alright. [Not okay. Not alright.] It's just...That time again. These things last, what, a couple of days? Okay. We can totally do this. We can...

[He trails off, the words getting lost, because his girlfriend is a swan.]

I say we skip coffee and go right to the good stuff.

text;

[avoirfaim]

That depends entirely on what you're fighting for.

Re: text;

[handing]

Something I'd hope to have for the rest of my life.

[Sorry dearest cousin; Pepper isn't going into any more detail than she has to.]

text;

[avoirfaim]

[ A shame really, because he would love to delve further into her weaknesses. ]

Tangible or emotional?

text;

[impalementarts]

[She's his favorite cousin, and maybe it's that which colors the tone in her text for him? And he is so painfully torn]

Who do I need to punch in the face.

Alternatively claw someone's eyes out

private video;

[handing]

[Oh, Clint. Pepper smiles just to see his response, and quickly sets up a secure connection so they can talk openly.]

I don't know if I'd go that far. [Especially since she knows a few of her feathered friends have been keeping Tony company already.] Tony and I got into a fight.

Re: private video;

[impalementarts]

[He crosses his arms and studies the camera.] ...A fight about what?

I thought you said he was understanding. Didn't you?

[disassembles]

[ Bucky hates summer. Hates it. But it's not in his nature to spend all day cooped up in his room just because he's more comfortable there, and besides, he hasn't been back home all that long. He's missed his cousins.

He goes for a walk while the morning is still tolerably cool. Swans in the fountain aren't an unusual sight, but he would recognize Pepper anywhere, and if she's in animal form... Oh, this is not gonna be good. ]

Morning, sis. [ Bucky settles on the lip of the fountain, and toes off his shoes so he can stick his feet into the cool water. If Pepper didn't want company, that's too bad. She's getting it. ] You look like a lady who's got her feathers ruffled.

[handing]

[Though the swans eye Bucky, they let him near the fountain without any hassle. Pepper's noticed his presence as well, and she changes direction even before he greets her.]

Very original. [Ruffled feathers? Seriously? But in spite of the pun, Pepper stretches her neck to lay her head on Bucky's lap. She wants the contact from someone familiar, particularly now when she feels unwanted.] Have you run into anyone acting strangely this morning?

[disassembles]

I thought of it myself. [ He grins at her. It wasn't all that clever, no, but Pepper is clearly upset and he's trying to cheer her up a little. He strokes the top of her head, careful of her feathers. ]

Not really? I mean, I haven't seen anyone else yet... What's goin' on?

[widows_kiss]

Natasha hunting around the grounds for Pepper isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence, but she'd slept in late this morning and apparently she'd missed a lover's quarrel. By the time she's up and around, it's later in the day and she goes investigating her sister's usual haunts before she falls back on Plan B.

Which nobody wants, especially Pepper's currently in-the-doghouse boyfriend.

Fortunately for everyone involved Natasha finds Pepper near the pool and vengeance disaster is averted for a little while longer as she strolls in, looking casual and concerned, despite the way her gaze intently studies her sister as she approaches.

"Heard I missed a kerfluffle."

[handing]

Natasha has good timing; a few moments later and Pepper would have been floating in the pool rather than sitting on the edge, her legs dangling into the water. She loves her sister dearly but they've always disagreed when it comes to water: Natasha sees it as more a necessary evil while Pepper delights in it, finding a sense of peace when she's swimming like no other.

But certain members of her family are always welcome, and she manages a smile for the other woman when she comes over. "Something like that. Have you noticed anything odd around the mansion today?"

Because it really is hard to discern what's going on when their curse is meant to be secret; they can't exactly ask who has forgotten the truth and who never knew it to begin with.

[widows_kiss]

"Other than the fact that your boyfriend is trapped in his lab by a flock of pissy swans and had to call for help?"

There's both a note of concern and a fiendish hint of delight in Natasha's voice as she kicks off her sandals and strolls over to join her sister at the edge of the pool, sinking down beside her and letting her legs dangle in the heated water.

She glances over, studying Pepper intently. "No, not really, but I did just get up a little while ago. Why?"

[hyperkinesia]

[ A walk through the gardens isn't exactly a common endeavor for Bruce, but every once in a while he reminds himself it just might be for the best that he rediscovers there's actual sun outside. So he's strolling through the gardens, not in any particular direction, though he's just starting to get ready to go back inside when he passes by the fountain.

Strange. He'd never seen these many swans around there before. Then again, he didn't exactly spend a lot of his time there, so what does he know. Still, a bit curious, he stops and watches the birds for a little while. ]

[handing]

[The mass of swans seem to be grouped about one in particular, a female who has just stepped out of the fountain and is shaking a few stray droplets of water from her feathers. She's just folded her wings back down by her sides when she sees Bruce, one of Tony's closest friends, and that makes her freeze in place. She's not eager for another round of shocks and explanations, particularly given how poorly the morning had gone.

The issue is that she isn't long from transforming; she can feel it, and even an attempt to fly away will likely end with her crashing to the ground before she gets too far.]

[action #2]

[assembles]

[The only true sign so far that anything is different around the mansion is the fact that there have been a lot more animals scattered around. Mostly outside, but someone made a network message where they were surrounded by dogs, and just a quick glance out the front doors makes it clear that they've got a lot more furry (and scaled, and feathered) friends in Wonderland this weekend.

Steve doesn't know what to make of it, but if that's all the event boils down to, then he's not about to complain.

As he's heading back inside, though, he spots a few swans hanging around the first floor hallway. That's strange, but he figures they must have just wandered inside, and he knows better than to try and herd them back out.

So he moves up the stairs instead, and that's when he hears some footsteps ahead of him and catches red hair and bare skin disappearing around the turn in the stairwell. Steve speeds up without really thinking, because if it's who he thinks it is, then she may be in some kind of trouble. (Why else would she be running around without any clothes on?)]

... Pepper?

Re: [action #2]

[handing]

[She's in such a rush that she doesn't realize that she's been spotted, much less followed as she makes her way up the stairs. Her mental litany of regret over living on the seventh floor is interrupted by a familiar voice, and Pepper freezes in horror.

How on earth is she supposed to explain this to Steve?

Her cheeks are already red when Steve catches up, and she turns with an arm wrapped around her chest to try and cover her breasts. If she keeps her side to him, maybe she won't show him anything else, and she gives him an awkward grin as she tries to figure out how to go upstairs like this.]

What are you doing here?

action #1;

[alionsheart]

[ Robin's in his animal form, having clumsily run into someone in the mansion earlier. He's adept at moving quickly out of view, knowing he'll transform without much pause, and he does his best to hide his curse from people outside of his family. Once he's in full fox form, he sprints outside, shaking out his fur and trotting around, stretching out his legs.

He actually enjoys being in this form, and rather than hide away until he changes back to human form, Robin wants to roam as much as possible. As he nears the fountains, his head lifts into the air, and it's obvious he's caught a scent. Pepper isn't immediately distinguishable, but he knows she's there, he can smell her. ]

Having fun or hiding out?

Re: action #1;

[handing]

[The sight of a fox is enough to make some of the swans eye him warily; if he gets too close there's likely to be a show of aggression, full of puffed up feathers and extended wings. Luckily the voice is familiar, and Pepper changes direction to swim towards Robin.]

If I am trying to hide, I'm apparently doing a bad job. [But there's a hint of amusement in her reply; she doesn't mind being found. Frankly, given that her sister is a cat, she's used to being tracked down.] What about you?

Option 1 :D

[sorryitasedyou]

[Darcy grabs some coffee, taking it outside with a warm croissant, tucking a couple pop-tarts, and a bagel wrapped safely in her bag for later. She'd taken to sitting in the garden by the fountain with her book and coffee, munching on whatever appealed to her until she's ready to start the day - today being no different as far as she knew.

The surprise at the sight of a swan in the fountain is enough to stop her in her tracks, toying with breaking from her routine. She knows swans can be aggressive, but the sight is so majestic - definitely the closest she's ever been to one.

Maybe she'll watch for just a few more moments before peacing out...]

Re: Option 1 :D

[handing]

[It's the other swans that make Pepper realize someone else is there; she's been lost in her thoughts, and doesn't notice Darcy settling in so close by. But the sight of someone she recognizes makes Pepper freeze in place. So far as she's aware, Darcy isn't in on the family secret, meaning that Pepper has an obligation not to reveal the truth now. Moreover, she's not particularly eager to have to go over all the details again. Doing so with Tony had been stressful enough, thanks.

The problem now is that she's being watched. Despite being a swan in body, Pepper's mind is still very much her own. If she hadn't been thinking about it so hard, maybe instincts would have kicked in and guided her to act swan-like. But awareness that she's being watched adds pressure, and Pepper is so afraid of making the wrong move that she doesn't make any. She just watches Darcy while Darcy watches her.

Which isn't awkward at all.]

text;

[boyhood]

If you're having doubts, the answer's clear. You shouldn't bother, maybe the truth is you don't deserve what you were fighting for.

_{[That make you feel better?]}

Re: text;

[handing]

[Wow. Pepper doesn't respond to the utterly audacious reply at first, only because she's in disbelief at it.]

That's certainly one opinion. [One she doesn't agree with.] If a very extreme one.