quicklog: norman & pepper Who: Norman Osborn and Pepper Potts What: Just a CEO paying his employee a visit. Where: Oscorp. When: Fuzzy timelines say recently. Warnings/Rating: TBD, probably none.
[Norman was well aware that one Pepper Potts had left Stark Industries. He prided himself on keeping up-to-date on the latest news in the corporate world, comings and goings, high highs and low lows, little details and big stories-- all before the rest of the world did. Including the press; if you couldn't keep ahead of the public media outlets then you were in the wrong line of work. And then, as if Stark losing his precious redhead wasn't delightful enough, Ms. Potts came his way... and wasn't he just flattered that she'd chosen Oscorp as her next employer. Now, he was a busy man, but he knew who worked for him. From his Board to the most insignificant of interns, every single person hired onto his company had to be approved by him first. It wasn't because he cared about the people, no, but he had a reputation to uphold and he couldn't have just anyone on his payroll. Oscorp had to be the best. Always, always, and he gave no second chances. He was not merciful. People who made mistakes disappeared, conveniently, nothing left behind. No trace, no trail. On the surface it was all well and good, of course, HR was efficient and he had some very good PR people on his side. Norman was a man who liked everything neat and clean, and he was very much a control freak; that was the nice version. Power-hungry and controlling was the version no one dared speak aloud.
Ms. Potts, he thought, would be a good fit. She had an impressive resume, experience, and she wasn't at all the sort to cause trouble. Oh, he still intended to be careful; she had worked for the competition, after all. She was only in administration but he still instructed that she be closely monitored; quietly. He didn't want her noticing anything was amiss. And so the days went on, business as usual. Ms. Potts was a cog in a larger machine. He continued his off-the-books hunt for his escaped mutants, but progress was slow and he'd never been known for his patience.
It was reported that Ms. Potts had been late for work recently, a minor indiscretion to be sure, but he thought it a perfect opportunity to say hello. Norman knew where her office was, the prodigal ruler of his domain ascended to the lower ranks and knocked, polite, on her door. He waited.]