[ pepper was almost out the door when the phone rang. pausing and casting a glance over her shoulder she waits for it to stop… but when it doesn’t she huffs a sigh and moves back inside to answer it. at first glance the message isn’t all that strange, but it doesn’t help that she’s barely listening since she’s got a few errands to run. when it concludes with an abrupt click she blinks, giving the receiver a long hard stare as, only then, does she wonder about how the mayor rushed and floundered through his own town wide address. ]
[ it doesn’t hit her until she’s making dinner, her hand growing still as the memories hit her like a truck. she tenses, heart rate jumping as confusion and anxiousness prompt a cold sweat. what the hell is going on, what is… what is all this! she sucks in a deep breath, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints as she tries and fails to make sense of the doctors, the room, and the results. ] Haptic… [ she starts, swallowing as her throat tightens, cutting off whatever else she might have wanted to say. ]
[ the knife in her hand trembles, her attempts to ground herself by focusing on the food unsuccessful. ] S- Stop. [ it’s but a whisper as she slams the knife down, the sound snapping her from her stupor… along with the pain of having just cut herself. dammit. dropping the knife she jerks her hand back, thumb brought to her lips to steep the blood as she sets her hand on the island to brace herself. ]
( open; around town. )
[ much of what happens following her freak out is a blur, but when she finally gets a hold of herself she realizes she’s locked herself in the bathroom. pepper breathes, hand dabbing the moisture under her eyes. ] Get a grip, Virginia. [ it doesn’t help as much as she had hoped and only serves to remind her of how helpless she had been when aldrich had captured and tortured her… and to what end!, to get back at tony and make her like him. she would never be like him, ever, no matter what he did to her. ]
[ she climbs to her feet and grabs a couple of tissues she dries the remainder of her tears. ] It’s going to be alright. Just breath. [ not as harsh as her last pep talk and, thankfully, 100% more successful. she smiles at herself in the mirror, but its tired, somewhat forced, and… good enough. ]
I need some fresh air. [ and to, more importantly, get her mind off of what just happened… but try as she might she can’t shake the feeling that there’s something else, something much worse than she could have imagined, going on right under their noses. ] But why…
[ lost in thought she rubs at the back of her neck, heading up the street with no real destination in mind. she stops in the bakery, at the school, and by town hall to try to reinstall some semblance of normalcy back into her life… but her brief soiree around town does nothing but reinforce the fact that something is wrong. even linda is somewhat courteous, keeping her snide remarks to herself as pepper browses the sweets. ]
( closed; clary’s house. )
[ abandoning hope of finding a way to turn her mood around pepper decides to check on clary. spending time with her niece should help, right? with a box of eclairs in hand she walks up the path to knock on the door. ] It’s your favorite aunt; [ haha. ] Pepper.
Pepper Potts, May 15th, open & closed.
[ pepper was almost out the door when the phone rang. pausing and casting a glance over her shoulder she waits for it to stop… but when it doesn’t she huffs a sigh and moves back inside to answer it. at first glance the message isn’t all that strange, but it doesn’t help that she’s barely listening since she’s got a few errands to run. when it concludes with an abrupt click she blinks, giving the receiver a long hard stare as, only then, does she wonder about how the mayor rushed and floundered through his own town wide address. ]
[ it doesn’t hit her until she’s making dinner, her hand growing still as the memories hit her like a truck. she tenses, heart rate jumping as confusion and anxiousness prompt a cold sweat. what the hell is going on, what is… what is all this! she sucks in a deep breath, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints as she tries and fails to make sense of the doctors, the room, and the results. ] Haptic… [ she starts, swallowing as her throat tightens, cutting off whatever else she might have wanted to say. ]
[ the knife in her hand trembles, her attempts to ground herself by focusing on the food unsuccessful. ] S- Stop. [ it’s but a whisper as she slams the knife down, the sound snapping her from her stupor… along with the pain of having just cut herself. dammit. dropping the knife she jerks her hand back, thumb brought to her lips to steep the blood as she sets her hand on the island to brace herself. ]
( open; around town. )
[ much of what happens following her freak out is a blur, but when she finally gets a hold of herself she realizes she’s locked herself in the bathroom. pepper breathes, hand dabbing the moisture under her eyes. ] Get a grip, Virginia. [ it doesn’t help as much as she had hoped and only serves to remind her of how helpless she had been when aldrich had captured and tortured her… and to what end!, to get back at tony and make her like him. she would never be like him, ever, no matter what he did to her. ]
[ she climbs to her feet and grabs a couple of tissues she dries the remainder of her tears. ] It’s going to be alright. Just breath. [ not as harsh as her last pep talk and, thankfully, 100% more successful. she smiles at herself in the mirror, but its tired, somewhat forced, and… good enough. ]
I need some fresh air. [ and to, more importantly, get her mind off of what just happened… but try as she might she can’t shake the feeling that there’s something else, something much worse than she could have imagined, going on right under their noses. ] But why…
[ lost in thought she rubs at the back of her neck, heading up the street with no real destination in mind. she stops in the bakery, at the school, and by town hall to try to reinstall some semblance of normalcy back into her life… but her brief soiree around town does nothing but reinforce the fact that something is wrong. even linda is somewhat courteous, keeping her snide remarks to herself as pepper browses the sweets. ]
( closed; clary’s house. )
[ abandoning hope of finding a way to turn her mood around pepper decides to check on clary. spending time with her niece should help, right? with a box of eclairs in hand she walks up the path to knock on the door. ] It’s your favorite aunt; [ haha. ] Pepper.