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Tony Stark (sansiron) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-06-10 14:59:00

Entry tags:

!log, ianto jones, tony stark

Who: Tony Stark and Ianto Jones
What: A job interview
When: Backdated to Tuesday
Where: Stark Industries, Columbus Circle
Warnings: None

"Mr. Stark, I have to ask that--"

"Would you please shut up so that I can show you--"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but we have this set up just so, and I'm going to have to insist that you stop--"

It was instances like this that convinced so many of Tony's staff that he needed a personal assistant of sorts. Someone that would do a better job of chaining him to the desk in his office far, far away from the research and development department in the basement of the Stark Industries building. Every employee of SI knew that there were countless meetings Tony could have been attending that would have tended to running the business of the billion dollar company. But Tony Stark never made it a secret that he was more at home down in R&D, doing the jobs of the scientists he'd personally hired and at times doing them better than they had the capability to do. Whether he was butting in on the work of scientists or holed up in his own corner, working on the arc reactor in his chest, it was well known that if Tony had disappeared during the work day he was likely in the basement.

Tony grabbed the chalkboard eraser and started destroying a week's work of equations, wiping them away into a cloud of dust while the man in the white lab coat standing behind him moaned into his hands. "There's a simpler way to balance out the equation," Tony said, picking up a piece of white chalk. He started scribbling over the board; his mind easily correcting every flaw he'd seen in the other man's work. It went on and on as he wrote out two lines of balanced equations.

"Mr. Stark?"

The voice that interrupted his thoughts was tentative and feminine. A skinny secretary in a green dress stood in the doorway. She looked afraid to enter, and who could blame her what with the constant hissing and beeping, glowing lights, and mechanisms strewn throughout the room.

The scientist looked towards the ceiling. "Oh, thank God."

Tony looked over his shoulder. "Florence." He prided himself on being able to remember the names of the women he'd seen naked.

"Mr. Stark," she said again, still looking unwilling to enter the room. "Your one thirty is here."

He was already staring back at the board, adding an omega sign for reasons only he could understand. "I have a one thirty?"

"For a personal assistant and secretary, yes sir." Maybe you would know that if you had a personal assistant. "Ianto Jones?"

He grunted at first, just because he was so engrossed in the project at hand. But finally, after finishing off another part of the equation he nodded to Florence. "You can send him down. I'll see him here."

Florence gave his mad-scientist appearance a once over. He wasn't wearing a jacket, his shirt was wrinkled, and the glow of the arc reactor in his chest shown through brightly showing his old injury off to the world. God only knew where his tie was and his hair hadn't been parted and slicked since about nine o'clock that morning. There was chalk dust on his pants and his shoes hadn't been shined. "So you're going to scare him off before you get the chance to hire him..." the secretary mumbled underneath her breath before turning on her heel and heading back up to the main floor.

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iantojones
2011-06-11 01:32 am UTC (link)

Ianto cocked his head, watching him work. Obviously Stark was more than a pretty face and a large bank account. Ianto's research had been all about the man, but he'd come across the mention of the Iron Man. He'd just ignored them, skimmed over each line because of the mental effect it had. He still couldn't stop associating the Iron Suit with Cybermen.

And apparently he was working for the man in the costume.

He forced his expression not to change, and nodded his head. He could handle it; it wasn't like Tony was some sort of a sociopath. He was a rich man with a very unique hobby. He probably wouldn't have to even associate with him and the suit, and if he did, he'd just pretend it was a household appliance.

"I used to chase down shark-faced aliens on a weekly basis," he said calmly, as if discussing the morning weather. Since they were trying for complete transparency here, after all. "I assure you sir, nothing you can say or do will at all shock me." He wasn't much interested in the Playboy Club; he had Jack, and he doubted any one of those girls knew half as much... having a boyfriend who was two hundred years old had its perks.

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sansiron
2011-06-11 01:51 am UTC (link)

That sounded like a challenge even though it most certainly was not. That was just one of Tony's problems, taking things to an extreme. He'd have to hire the man now just to find something he could do or say that would shock him. That could have its fun moments. "Shark faced aliens, eh? I'll want to hear about that one day after a few more of these." He finished off the glass of whiskey and dropped the remaining chalk back into the lip at the bottom of the board.

"Another thing." Seemingly satisfied with the state of the equations and design, Tony abandoned that part of the lab and walked back over to his rubbish bin of a desk. His hand snaked around the bottle of whiskey as he went to pour another. "I'm a genius. I don't say that to brag, I'm just laying it out as a fact. More often than not I'm right. Most people, my bodygaurd included, find that-- well, Misty was kind enough to use the word 'frustrating'." Having to watch Tony Stark make that speech with a straight face was only the tiniest of clues as to just how frustrating being around him for an entire day could actually be.

"Speaking of Misty, you'll have to meet her." Both fairly new arrivals to the city, he figured they might have something in common. More than most would think; Tony eyed the cut of Ianto's suit which was just slightly off for the time's standards. Granted, there was an easy way to confirm his suspicions. "You're not going to have a problem working with a colored woman, are you?"

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iantojones
2011-06-11 01:59 am UTC (link)

He followed Tony over to the desk, hands still in his pockets. He noticed the other scientists just ignored them, as if they were furniture. Either they were very dedicated to their work, or they were simply used to Stark grand-standing all over the lab for his newest victim.

Unfortunately for Ianto he'd been taking a sip of his whiskey at the exact moment Tony asked him that question. He snorted, breathing the liquor up his nose. He coughed loudly, taking a deep breath and ignoring the burning sensation radiating through his face. His job interviews always seemed to have one embarrassing moment. With Jack it had been rolling around on a warehouse floor and then realising exactly why his new boss had suddenly changed his mind about hiring him.

"No," he replied once he could speak clearly again. Perhaps he'd spoken too forcefully, but he was from a century where anyone with half a brain thought racism was bigoted and disgusting. Plus... he'd dated Lisa.

"My --" He paused, taking a deep breath. He wasn't ready to talk about this was a stranger. "No. No, of course not. I'll have no problem at all. I'm looking forward to meeting her."

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sansiron
2011-06-11 02:09 am UTC (link)

Tony was unable to resist allowing a grin to come to his lips when Ianto sputtered the way he did. The man obviously wasn't from this neck of the woods. "Misty Knight is her full name, and she showed up at my office door sporting a prosthetic arm with technology implanted within it that I'm only just beginning to understand. She told me she was from 2011 and that while our relationship was 'complicated', we were friends and I'd built her that arm. I wouldn't have believed her if she hadn't shown me the serial number branded inside one of the panels. It's mine, alright, but it's nothing I could build even having access to the very forefront of technology."

He cut Ianto a glance. "Any of that story ringing true to your own experiences? You said you were new to the city."

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iantojones
2011-06-12 12:37 am UTC (link)

At least this definitely confirmed his suspicions. Tony Stark knew exactly what was going on in his city, and he evidently didn't have a problem with it. Then again he had everything to gain from the new transplants. They offered a wealth of advanced technology and knowledge. Ianto wasn't much of a mechanic, but he had put together a Cyber-converter with only Lisa's half-coherent instructions as a guide, and he was a fair hand at hacking into computers.

Not that those mattered so much right now.

"I'm from 2008," he replied quietly, keeping his voice low enough so only Stark could hear him. "My... former boss is here as well. He's from... well later." Technically Jack was from the 51st century, but Ianto didn't want to have to try and explain that. It was far too complicated, and he didn't half understand it.

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sansiron
2011-06-12 01:01 am UTC (link)

Time travel would never cease to be less than fascinating to for Tony. The theories alone were enough to keep his mind busy for years, let alone the practical application of it. Granted, what was happening to people was less than practical-- for them, at least. It was proving interesting for his own pursuits.

Tony grinned. "Well, Mr. Jones, we're going to talk about that later too." Misty didn't always like to talk with him; like the Stark Industry scientists, Tony got the feeling that sometimes she felt he was doing his best to prevent her from doing her job when he chatted at her incessantly. Not that that stopped him from talking.

"How are you for staring next week?" he asked without any preamble. "You'll get to see the office, and if you think this is bad..." he grinned again, because while he wasn't trying to scare away yet another personal assistant the dance was always fun.

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iantojones
2011-06-12 01:06 am UTC (link)

Ianto found it all fascinating as well, but the last thing he wanted was for Jack to end up being examined under a microscope. He was not only from the future but immortal, and he had no doubt that someone would love to get their hands on him. Once he trusted Stark more he might be willing to talk some, but for now he was planning on keeping his mouth shut about Jack.

"Nothing gives me more pleasure that cleaning a disgustingly filthy and disorganized office." His voice was flat, deadpan, and his expression was unreadable, although there was the barest lift to his lips. It wasn't at all evident weather he was being serious or sarcastic.

"But yes, next week will be perfect." He needed to get setted anyway... and he needed money to do that. "I hope it's not too forward, but is there a chance I could get an advance on my first salary... it turns out people need money to buy things, even in 1964." Like a down-payment on a flat for him and Jack... and clothes he could actually wear to work. Not that he even knew what his salary was, but it had to be better than pickpocketing people at Penn Station.

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sansiron
2011-06-12 01:30 am UTC (link)

"Right." Who handled salaries around this damn place? When Misty had stared he'd written her first check himself, wary of his employees finding out that he'd hired a bodyguard that was not only female, but Black. She hadn't complained and he hadn't bothered to put her on the payroll just yet. But Ianto would an employee of Stark Industries, not just Tony Stark. "See Florence on your way out. Three hundred a week should do it... and before you say anything, it stretches far longer than I'm led to believe it does in your time period. Two dollars for a bottle of water? You're all ridiculous."

Tony downed the rest of his second glass of whiskey. He still wasn't drunk, and wouldn't be for quite a few glasses.

"When you find a place to live messenger over your address and your phone number," Tony instructed. If the man was to be his personal assistant he might as well have access to him at all times. "And, out of curiosity... how did you get here?"

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iantojones
2011-06-12 01:50 am UTC (link)

The man had no idea who handled payroll. Clearly he had some reorganizations to do. It would take a few weeks, especially since he didn't have a computer, but he planned on making sure there wasn't anything strange going on with the books or any other aspect of the company. Stark was an eccentric, but he obviously wasn't a bad person. Ianto had good instincts most of the time... it helped with Torchwood. If he was ever unsure he brought in Gwen... she was the best judge of character he'd ever met.

He missed her already.

Ianto mentally did the calculations in his head. At the inflation rate back home he'd be making nearly $110,000 a year. It took him a moment because he first had to covert to pounds then dollars, but he kept a straight face. It was definitely not a bad salary. He'd be able to pay for him and Jack to have a very nice flat in the city.

"That will be fine," he finally said, nodding his head. "Thank you." It was more than fine, but he was covering up his excitement. He didn't want to act younger than he already was.

"Where we're from... there's this rip in space and time. We call it the Rift." He was going to be vague, but explaining the Rift was like explaining a complicated maths problem, and he'd never been much good at it. "It's why our organisation was established... to protect the city from the Flotsam and Jetsam that slips through. We think we slipped through and ended up here."

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sansiron
2011-06-12 02:14 am UTC (link)

"A rift," Tony repeated, reaching up to run a hand through his already mussed hair. "Fascinating. I think Misty just woke up here. Something like that."

The clock up on the wall showed that it was just past two. There was probably something that he had to do, as it was the afternoon and he'd yet to have his weekly meeting with his investors. They would probably want to hear about the missile he'd just redesigned the payload for. The missiles that, these days, he was only selling to the United States Government. It was a good contract, one he thought of everytime he saw the glow coming from his chest.

"I have a meeting in a while and lunch to eat," --a secretary to visit-- "Before then. And I want to take another look at their work before I head up." He gestured to the lab technicians around them. "So... I'll see you Monday morning? I get in between eight and nine."

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iantojones
2011-06-12 02:24 am UTC (link)

"Then I will likely be here around seven," Ianto said with a raised eyebrow. He needed to start working, and he had no doubt Tony would make it difficult at first. Possibly not on purpose (although he wouldn't count that out), but he did seem like the sort with run around and give orders with no definite end in mind. A bit like a hyperactive child. Or Jack.

"If you do need me early, you know how to find me." The bulletin board. Not the most ideal of communication devices, but until he got a phone in his flat it would have to do. That would of course be the first order of business. Flat-hunting.

"I will see you on Monday then, Mr. Stark." He turned on his heel and walked out of the lab, his posture slumping the moment he exited. Out of relief. At the very least he had a job... and it looked as though it was going to be an interesting one.

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