Pepper Potts (potts) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2016-10-14 00:16:00 |
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It was unfortunate Miss Potts did not recall her previous stay in Madison Valley, but Tessa was glad to see her return, regardless. Miss Potts had always been pleasant to deal with, and Tessa had enjoyed their meetings. She had regretted not knowing the woman better, and hoped she could now. Knowing Miss Potts’ penchant for arriving early, Tessa did as well, and looked around the Musain to see if she was already there. *** Pepper was curious about Tessa and what their relationship had been like, even though she couldn't remember it. Investing in small business was something that sounded like her at least, far more than owning a casino. She had thought to steer clear of a good portion of the life the previous iteration of her had, but there was something about the other woman that Pepper couldn't help herself. She arrived at the Musain approximately fifteen minutes early than their designated meeting time, in part because she'd never been to the Musain before and she wanted to make a good impression. Pepper got them a table, though she was at a bit of a disadvantage because she didn't know what Tessa looked like aside from the small picture on the network. So she'd requested a table in sight of the door and kept an eye on who was coming in on the off chance she'd see Tessa before the other woman spotted her. About five minutes after she'd been seated, she was fairly certain it was Tessa had walked in, but it wasn't until the other woman looked at her with recognition that Pepper smiled and waved her over. "Tessa, it's lovely to meet you," she greeted, standing so that she could give the other woman a brief hug. *** Tessa was not particularly accustomed to greeting people so intimately, having grown up in Victorian times - but her stay here had made her more accepting of these casual gestures so often used as greetings. “Miss Potts,” she replied with a warm smile. “It is very good to see you again. It must be very odd for you, to meet with someone you do not remember. I shall try not to make it any stranger than it ought to be.” Despite her formal speech and her very proper clothing, Tessa was quite young: only eighteen. Most people thought her older, simply because she carried herself so. *** "Please, call me Pepper," she insisted warmly. It was very odd to meet someone in a situation like this, but Pepper wanted to make the most of it. Tessa had this old world feel to her, like something out of a history book, and she seemed so kind that she knew immediately that she'd made the right call in agreeing to meet up. "It's a bit unconventional, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to get to know you." That was certainly true, and Pepper also knew the value of getting the lay of the land. She was curious about what the previous version of her had done in Madison Valley, and one of the things had been to invest in Tessa's business. "How long have you been in Madison Valley for?" *** “Pepper, then,” Tessa said obligingly. She was still not entirely used to calling people by their Christian names; to her, it still felt like a presumption of intimacy. But that was how the world worked now, she supposed. She took a seat at the table now that the greetings were finished. “It has been over a year,” she said, thinking back to her time here. “And in that time, I have started my business and married a wonderful man.” Well, two wonderful men, but Tessa tended to keep that to herself where possible. Everyone so far had been very accepting of her arrangement, but she knew it was not the norm. *** To Pepper, such formality meant business and that wasn't the sort of relationship she hoped they would have, despite the fact that the previous version of her had invested in her. She sat down across from Tessa and listened attentively. A year seemed both like a very short time and quite a long time in turns. Pepper was impressed that Tessa had managed so much in a short period of time. "I'm glad you're able to have success in both your professional life and your personal one." That's wasn't something Pepper was particularly good at, but she was willing to learn how to let go now that she wasn't responsible for so much. What she really wanted to know was how this life measured up to what her trajectory had been in her world, but Pepper was certain that was too forward a question just now. "What services does your business offer?" *** “We help seniors and other people who have difficulty moving around,” Tessa explained. Her whole face lit up as she spoke; this was an important topic to her. “I had the idea last winter, when I saw an elderly lady struggle through the snow to purchase groceries. She had no one else to do it. So I helped her, and she became my first client. The company - if you can call it that - has been growing since. It is still not very large; I have one full-time employee, two students who help part time, and my husband lends his help when he is able. ” *** Pepper could see the passion that Tessa had for helping people and she understood immediately why the previous version of her had invested in the young woman. "I would certainly call it a company," she replied with a fond smile. It didn't matter that the business was small because there was heart in it, and it was perfect for a small town like Madison Valley. "It sounds like you really enjoy what you're doing, and that's what matters. If you ever need someone in a pinch, I'd be happy to lend my time," Pepper offered. "And I'm always here for advice if you need help with the business side of things." It was the least she could do, and she wanted Tessa to be successful. "Is this anything at all like what you did in your world?" *** “Oh, marvelous!” Tessa exclaimed. “I may need your help at times. I am afraid modern bureaucracy - and the technology required for it - is a little beyond me, still.” She did not wish to intrude upon Miss Pott’s - Pepper’s - time, but there were certainly elements of running a business in the 21st century she was not entirely accustomed to. “As for what I did…” She shook her head. “I do have experience taking care of the elderly; I cared for my aunt in her later years. But I did not have a career at home, no. It...was not the norm, back then.” *** Pepper had guessed as much, but now she was wondering just how far into the future Madison Valley was for the other woman. "It would be my pleasure," she promised, doing everything she could to make sure that Tessa felt it wouldn't be an inconvenience at all. "Anytime at all, okay?" She certainly hoped that the young woman would take her up on it. That it wasn't the norm for a young woman to have a career in Tessa's world piqued her interest. "Is that so? This must be far into the future for you, then," Pepper mused, not wanted to push even though she was curious. "You seem to have adapted very well, though," she added with a warm smile. "I'm still getting used to this place, and the year is still the same for me." Madison Valley was a lot to take in, and having to adapt to the technology too? It would have been overwhelming to Pepper. *** “Very much,” Tessa admitted. “Although I am happy to say I have learned how to use the oven. Learning how to cook in the oven, however…” She gave Pepper a wry smile. Although women in her day were tasked as homemakers, Tessa had never been a very good cook. Her aunt had often despaired of her, wondering how she would find a good husband with her mediocre cooking skills. Tessa wondered what she would think if she knew Tessa now had two. “How has your resettling been?” *** Not being one for cooking, Pepper chuckled at Tessa's response. "It's tricky, certainly. I won't starve, but I'm not exactly putting together picture perfect meals, either. My mom loved cooking for the family growing up, so I never really had to learn except to help her and that was just listening to directions, honestly. And then once I became Mr Stark's personal assistant, there wasn't much time for cooking." That had been a perk Pepper had thoroughly enjoyed, because it let her taste all kinds of foods that weren't anything like the good old country cooking her mom used to make. "It's been interesting," Pepper admitted. "I know a good number of people here, and I count many of them among my friends. It does make adjusting easier, relatively speaking." It did raise a few more questions in some cases, but if anything, it just meant that she had the opportunity to get to know her friends all over again. It was a lot like being away for months and finally seeing each other again after all that time. "I think the hardest thing to reconcile is that I've been here before." *** Tessa remembered Mr. Stark, the flamboyant man upon whom Pepper doted. He reminded her a little of Will, although she would not say so to either of them. She was glad to see, however, that Pepper seemed to be doing well without him here. “My...friend Will was in the same predicament,” she said. “He was here for a time, and was then sent back. When he returned, he had no memory of being here. But he has had time to accustom himself to the situation, and I am sure you will as well.” *** She had heard of other people in similar situations, but it had been explained to her as a quirk of the system that sometimes happened. Other times, people were gone only for a few days and returned with knowledge of home while still retaining their memories of Madison Valley. Pepper wasn't quite sure which would be worse - not remembering her time at all or remembering the loving relationship she had with Tony while here. The latter likely would have made it harder to accept how things had turned out back home. "I'm sure he benefitted greatly from having you there to guide him. Friends make all the difference in the world, particularly when it comes to something so life changing as being brought to a city like this," Pepper replied, glad to know that most people had that sort of support here. "Has he been here just as long as yourself and your husband?" *** “He and I originally came around the same time,” Tessa replied. It had caused no end of problems for them, to love each other so deeply when Tessa had been engaged to Jem. Tessa was thankful it had all worked out. “My husband happily arrived a few months later. It did help, however, that I had been here for as long as Will had. I was able to re-introduce him to the friends he had made.” She smiled at the other woman. “He did not meet you when you were here last, although I spoke much of you. I think he would be glad to meet you now, if you would like.” *** It was very comfortable, sitting and talking with Tessa. That kind of comfort wasn't something Pepper wanted to take for granted, so when the question arose of meeting the people important to Tessa, she nodded. "I'd love to meet Will," she replied, identifying him as the man who'd come and been returned. "If you're certain he wouldn't mind? I'm rather curious to hear his perspective, to be honest. It would be nice to talk to someone who had a similar experience." It also wasn't something Pepper intended on asking about over the network. Some things were better left in person. "Do you know of others who've had similar experiences? It doesn't seem too common, from what I can tell." It seemed like Tessa had been around long enough that she might have an inkling of who else could provide insight, along with Will. *** “There is Jace, but…” Tessa shook her head. “He is still trying to find his way. He left, you see, and returned from an earlier time, when he did not know most of the friends he has here. It has been difficult for all of us.” None more so than his girlfriend, Clary, whom he did not know in his time. Tessa wished she could speed his development, so that he could remember her; they had been so good for each other. But all she could do was sit back and watch as he broke Clary’s heart. She shook her head. “Jace is not the best person to speak to about this. Will would be a better choice. Would you like me to introduce you?” *** Pepper could admit to being curious about Jace, but she wasn't interested in being too nosey when it came to people who were having a difficult time. She was lucky that she didn't have to deal with missing memories of her friends, and she could feel sympathetic toward the man. "I would like that, yes," Pepper agreed warmly. "I think it could be beneficial." She also knew that she needed to talk to her friends more, to catch up with them and find her place with them in Madison Valley. At least she could trust that she'd have a place among them, because that was just how her friends were. "Whenever suits his schedule, or else we could always chat over the network." Pepper was very flexible. *** “I will talk to him,” Tessa said, making a mental note to do just that. Will would be amenable, she was sure; he could rarely refuse her anything. Besides, this was definitely a good cause, and Pepper’s friendship was one she would like to cultivate. “But for now…” She picked up her menu. “Perhaps we should order.” *** "Thank you," Pepper replied, already looking forward to it. "And yes, please. I glanced through the menu the other day and I'm not sure how to decide what to have." She was sure the waitstaff would have recommendations, and they'd been very attentive thus far while they hadn't really been looking at the menu. A good meal shared with a friend went a long way in making Pepper feel more comfortable in Madison Valley. It was just particularly nice to know that it was a new friend, and she had a feeling she and Tessa would be good friends throughout their time here. *** |