WHO:Bobby Drake and Pepper Potts WHAT: A first meeting WHEN: Recently WHERE: Coffee shop WARNINGS: TBD STATUS: Closed and Complete when posted.
Beating feet and shaking hands, smiles and hope, hard work and harder days, the quest for a job led on…
Bobby was curious about the whole place, the whole town, and he wanted to know more, learn more, and also, you know, to get a job. Looking around didn’t show any immediate jobs looking for mathematicians, or for accountants, but he hoped to find one. He was getting out more, and he had managed to get a suit, and work a few hours at a dry cleaner store, and get the money to have the suit tailored to him. He’d even found a slightly beaten up leather suitcase. Some leather oil, some elbow grease, and some restitching with some leather string he had managed to find, led to it looking much better.
Today, he was decked out in his suit, checking out the few businesses he had looked at that might need someone with his skills, and hoping he could find something. That starter money would only last so long. He had stopped 4 hours in, for lunch and coffee at one of the coffee shops around, and was sitting sipping his drink and letting his feet rest before he would get out to start looking again.
***
Pepper varied where she got lunch during the week, in part because her schedule was never actually set in stone every day. Today, she was able to sneak away for lunch at a decent time and she headed to one of the nearby coffee shops. All she really wanted was a sandwich, a cup of coffee, and a little while to read the book she was working her way through that didn't have anything to do with helping people. She loved her job at the legal clinic but sometimes it became a little too much and she needed a break. Some of the things people went through were heartbreaking.
Unfortunately, it was rather busy since it was lunch time, so by the time she got her sandwich and coffee, the whole place was pretty full and there wasn't a single open table. Pepper caught sight of a businessman sitting by himself at one of the tables and figured he might not mind sharing his space. She walked over to him with purposeful strides.
"Hi, would it be alright if I shared the table with you while I eat my lunch?" she asked, offering a warm smile as if it'd help break the ice and win him over.
***
“Of course. Sit right down.” Bobby started talking before he looked up, rising as the politeness that had been taught to him kicked in. “It is a little busy yeah?”
He had been staring off into space, but now he smiled at her. “”Bobby Drake, at your service.” He offered his hand to her once her things were down.
***
"Just a bit," she replied with a bit of a chuckle as she set her things down and took her seat. Pepper was happy to shake his hand, firm and confident, as she introduced herself. "Pepper Potts. I work as the secretary at Cortez, Nast and Woods Legal Clinic just down the street." She assumed from his attire that he also worked nearby.
"It's not often I get to take lunch during the actual lunch rush. I think that's a compelling argument to wait another hour or two," she explained as she set a napkin across her lap and unpackaged her sandwich. Pepper wasn't entirely certain how much of a conversation he'd like to have over his lunch, so she kept quiet after that, content to follow his lead.
***
Bobby smiled warmly. “Cool. I’m still looking for work, myself. I was an accountant and courier back home, and as yet, I haven’t found my niche here.” He hoped he would soon. He missed being employed, both for the normalcy of it, and for the boredom that came without it.
“I can understand that. I hadn’t realized what time it was when i decided to rest my feet until coming face to face with this crowd.” He chuckled. He had been out of the field too long, perhaps, or in the field too long, rather.
He started in on a section of his sandwich, not wanting to talk her ear off since she had sought room to eat and was on a clock. He remembered those days.
***
Pepper looked him over curiously at that. An accountant and courier? He looked too clean cut to be involved in drugs or anything untoward like that, but one could never be too careful. "Well, there are plenty of businesses in Madison Valley that could likely use an accountant," she replied. "What business did you work for in your world?"
She was curious enough to want to continue the conversation even though she didn't have as much time as she would have liked to suss out more about his character. Still, if he didn't set off any major alarms, she could recommend his skills to one of her friends.
***
Bobby was glad to talk. He was enthusiastic about his life post-X-Man.
“Well, I did a year as a mathematical analyst with the ESU in New York, and was a bicycle courier for extra money during that time, and while I was working as a case accountant for Whitman, Laurie, and Shieldman, in Manhattan, for three years. I moved to the midwest and worked as a Business Accountant in Ohio in Oracle Inc’s offices for the last three years.” He nodded. He knew them by heart. “I was just about to start as a case accountant with Domestic Services in Columbus when I was pulled in here.”
He liked his work. Math was fun!
***
"Emergency services?" she asked for clarification purposes. It seemed like he was the kind of man who helped people, if the places he'd worked for were what she thought they were. "I can't say I'm familiar with Whitman, Laurie and Shieldman, but then again, I tended to leave the legal affairs to the legal team," Pepper mused. "Did Stark Industries exist in your world?"
It was clear he had a long career in accounting and that could be a useful addition to the team at the Casino, though it was possible Piper could use someone to help with the books, too. Either way, Pepper would be happy to put in a good word for him if necessary.
***
“Huh? I mean, I’ve worked with them, but…” he was confused now. “Oh, you mean, ESU? No, I was referring to Empire State University.” He smiled, embarrassed. He should have guessed that. Right.
“W., L., and S. did some work for the government, defending those who needed it.”
He blinked at her question. “Stark Enterprises? Yeah. Tony Stark’s crazy company exists in most worlds that I’ve heard of, so far.” And he had been to three alternates already. His life, what was it.
“Did the X-Men exist in your world?”
***
"Oh, I see," she replied. Not quite the same unfortunately, but working for a university could still prove to be civic minded considering it was a state university. "Crazy company?" She was a bit surprised to know that Stark Industries existed but she wasn't synonymous with it. Generally speaking, most people knew who she was if they followed Tony Stark's life at all, not to mention the fact that she'd taken over the company. Unless, of course, that hadn't happened for him yet. "I don't know that I've ever heard of SI referred to in that way." Pepper kept her tone mild though, so as not to startle him.
"I can't say I've heard of the X-Men. Though, if they're anything like the Avengers, I'm certain they're a handful." She said that part fondly, because she did think the world was a safer place for having the Avengers.
***
“Yeah. With his bodyguard Iron Man fighting every supervillain ever, it’s always getting wrecked and then rebuilt, over and over.” He shook his head. Stark was crazy to hire that loon.
“SI? What’s that, a subsidiary?” In his world, it was still just Stark Enterprises.
“Hmmm, might be an alternate universe, then.” He nodded, thinking of what he knew of the Avengers. Big damn heroes, but never there when the X-Men needed them.
***
Oh. "You said Stark Enterprises, didn't you? In my world, it's Stark Industries." A beat. "Of which I'm CEO. Tony stepped aside from the business." To become Iron Man, but apparently that wasn't public knowledge the way it was in her world. That also explained why Bobby hadn't recognized her and maybe that was a good thing.
"Isn't it something? That it's believable that we're just from different versions of the same world." Pepper was kind of amused at the thought of that.
***
Bobby nodded. “Huhn. Maybe it’s just different that way.” Bobby shook his head. Weirder and weirder.
“This whole place is one whole pile of alternate universes, it feels like, but it’s kind of cool that ours are that close.” He liked that idea.
***
"That's entirely possible," she replied. "It's funny how one small difference is enough for there to be an entirely different universe. There must be an infinite number of them out there, with all the choices every single person faces each day." Everything was connected, as the story went.
"I hope you're finding it at least enjoyable, being here?" she asked before taking another bite of her sandwich.
***
“There is a theory that it is so. An infinite line of universes, all separated by the thinnest of realities, and yet farther away than the farthest star, but apparently still reachable by whatever force runs this place.” Bobby had picked up some science from Hank and the Professor.
“I am, actually. I was just headed to a new job there, so starting over here isn’t all that much of a problem. And while I’ll miss my friends, I do have one person from home, here.”
***
"I'm suddenly very grateful Tony hasn't figured out a way through said separation. Or Jane for that matter." She admired all of the scientists but Jane was the only one who specialized in interdimensional travel, even if it was just specifically around the Bifrost and traveling to Asgard. Pepper had seen enough of other universes just by watching Tony fly through the portal to deep space and she'd been there through the nightmares to know it wasn't a pretty sight.
"It's good to have people here that you know. It makes things a bit easier, as does already transitioning to a new job. I'm sure you'll find someone in need of your skills sooner rather than later." He certainly looked the part, that was certain.
***
Bobby chuckled. “Oh yeah?” He hmmmed and wondered why, but he mostly didn’t want anyone to have that power. “I sincerely hope no one else ever gets that power.”
It could be horrifying.
He nodded.
“I am glad of it, and I hope everyone else can have the same.” He smiled a little. “I’ll find something, eventually. I always land on my feet, sooner or later.”
***
"I find myself agreeing, as much as I don't think I'd mind returning home." Pepper finished off the last of her sandwich, though she still had a bit of coffee left. All in all, this was definitely one of the better lunches she'd had in awhile. Maybe she'd make a habit of trying to make a few new friends during her lunch hour when the occasion presented itself.
"That's a great attitude to have. You wouldn't happen to have any resumes with you, do you?" She imagined so, but it was always better to ask. Pepper was impressed enough with him thus far that she'd feel confident passing along his resume.
***
Bobby chuckled. “Yes, actually.” He reached down for a suitcase and pulled out a resume with cover letter, slid it into a small folio, and handed it over. “I wouldn’t hate home, but I like this place so far.” No one was trying to kill him.
He sat back, smiling. “I hope we can talk again.”
***
Pepper took the proffered folio and offered him a kind smile. "Maybe I'll be able to help. Regardless, good luck with your job search." She gathered up her things, including his resume, and then made sure to gather up her trash.
"I'm sure we'll run into each other again. It was a pleasure meeting you, Bobby." She gave him a warm smile in parting before heading to the door. She'd be a few minutes late getting back to the office, but it was more than worth it.