Surprises were not particularly frequent nor pleasant in Tony's life, so the concept of a 'welcome' one was a rare beast indeed. When that neat little envelope appeared on his desk (as if by magic, because Pepper's presence had certainly been sparse lately), Tony's private smile was not a familiar one, and not one that would be seen again in some time. Mr. Daniel Rand, what a terribly unfortunate high profile addiction for a ninja. Two years without treating yourself to a party full of strangers must have been a painful experience, Tony figured, and promised never to inflict it upon himself, or all the poor strangers just waiting to meet him.
He was late, of course, the building already swollen with bodies and the street calm and quiet like it had been undisturbed in some time when his car rolled to a stop at the gate. "If I accept champagne from anyone," he instructed his date as they peered together out the tinted windows to assess what they were walking into, "just slap it out of my hand." He looked back to Raven with a lopsided grin, reaching for her hand which he wouldn't let go until he had helped her out onto the sidewalk. He finished, "Don't even let me stop until I get a real drink."
The inviting hall they found themselves in first was one Tony knew; a rare mix of faces, but a good selection. The result wasn't the awkward tension of a poor mix, or the clamoring boistrousness of competition. Gentile curiousity; fine work, really. He would have to ask who organized the guest list. Still, there didn't seem to be any new connections to be made for Tony, and he had yet to spot their unexpected host, not after he got his first or second real drink, and by the time he was ordering his third he was glad for the sure mischief of the unreadable Ms. Darkholme.
"Hey." Tony spoke still facing the bar, out of the side of his mouth, encouraging Raven closer with a hooked finger and just glancing back over his shoulder. "Bloomberg's been checking you out all night, have you seen him? I mean, unless that's my ass he can't keep his eyes off of. I know it's fantastic, but I'm pretty sure you're stiff competition," he murmured, settling a hand on her back and shifting closer with a bright smile when he finished. It was innocently gone when he glanced back again, only to lean into Raven with a conspiratory giggle, then a warm, lingering kiss pressed under her jaw. "I'd be fucking jealous, anyway. I'd be wondering all night how that guy with you managed to stay on the floor, restraint, you know, when he should have been spiriting you way, say, into that elevator over there to find somewhere more private where you could show him what you were wearing under that dress." His hand inched just lower, searching carefully where he should have been able to feel the waistline of her panties through the fabric and smiling easily as someone across the room caught his eye and nodded in greeting.