Virginia 'Pepper' Potts was the most sought after assistant in all of the east coast of the USA. In almost the whole of the USA. But she was forever stuck with the even more famous, or notorious depending on one's opinion, Mr Tony Stark. World renowned womanizer and richest gun-maker on the planet it seemed. Pepper, as he so affectionately called her, was, for the most part, able to keep up with the women he brought home every night, the partying, the bad press, and the mess of the parties – 'but every Santa needs their helpers'. Or that was the philosophy that Anthony Stark lived by, apparently.
So this was the one and only reason she was sitting through these unbelievably predictable interviews. Predictable because either they would be men and hit on her, or they would be women and Tony would hit on them. It was all very tiring. She'd get the same amount of rest and less of a migraine by taking the day off. But she couldn't. Not when Tony Stark was your boss.
But she was eventually surprised and pleased when a young girl walked through the office door nervously and sat on the chair opposite to Pepper and adjacent to Tony. Pepper did not make these seating arrangements.
She had mid-length, wavy blonde hair that was kept out of her face with what Pepper assumed was hairspray and simple white clip at the back of her head. Her attire consisted of a pencil skirt that stopped just above her knee, a simple button shirt covered by a simple vest, that she assumed was once covered by the simple jacket she held over her arm. And all in lovely neutral colours.
Simple? Yes, but all the same, a woman after Pepper's own heart. The only thing she worried about was whether or not the girl was strong enough to handle the job-description. And strong enough to handle Tony's charms and his alcohol.
Pepper gave her a polite smile and would have started off the interview had Tony not interrupted her.
"So tell me your name, dear?" he said quickly, his brown sparkling as the blush rose in her face. She had the most open and bashfully honest amber eyes. The quivering girl thought that if he looked any closer he would see the specks of green in them as well.
The girl almost didn't speak. But she had planned for this and so had a small almost invisible head phone tucked in her ear. From there her far braver, but less qualified, friend could push her through her insecurities.
"Speak, damnit!" she barked.
"Isabeau!" she nearly squeaked.
"And now with sophistication and dignity, please."
"Isabeau Asmundor," she said again, pretending to be more confident than she felt.
"Wow, what an unusual name. Don't you think it's unusual, Miss Potts?" Stark was quick and Isabeau was not. She did not feel comfortable in this situation.
"Yes, very interesting, but I don't think that we should hire anyone based on their names," Pepper spoke quickly and politely, but even Isabeau could hear the motherly undertone without straining too much.
"So, do you think he's whipped or she's whipped?"
And apparently so could she.
"So why did you apply for the job, Miss Asmudor?"
"Don't screw it up Izzy, I need this job too," came the quiet voice of her friend in her ear. Oh, Mel, so supportive.
"Well, I just finished college and I didn't really know what to do-."
"What did you do in college?" Tony asked suddenly.
"Answer him quickly and continue with what you were saying!"
"Arts and Commerce," Isabeau answered quickly, "So, as I was saying, I didn't know what to do because I felt that there was still so much I could learn, but I didn't know where I could go-."
"You didn't find your professors adequate enough for you?" That was Stark, once again.
"They were fine but there was only so much they could teach me in controlled and safe environment."
"Controlled and safe? Wow, you and I had different college experiences!" Tony chuckled out.
"Please ignore Mr Stark for the moment. Go on," Pepper tried to vie for control. It was always like Tony to push away all the people that would actually help him and make his life easier. It was a surprise that she was still here; anybody else would have walked away years ago.
"So I discussed this with a close friend of mine over drinks and-."
"Don't mention me! Be the shepherd not the sheep, come on, Izzy!"
"Well, anyway, I just felt that there was more that I could learn and one of my lecturers told me about the interviews you were having and he suggested that I give it a go," Isabeau finished lamely, feeling very deflated and belittled by the smirk on Anthony Stark's face.
"Give it a go? Come on, Iz, where's your game face-."
"So you were drinking with your professor? Now that sounds relatable," Stark commented.
"Excuse?" where exactly from his ass did he pull that one from?
"Well you said that you were having drinks with your friends and that one of your lecturers told you about Miss's Potts never-ending search for an assistant. One can only assume that he or she was drinking with you to come to that conclusion."
"Not everyone comes to that conclusion, Tony, now please keep your questions until the end while I ask my potential new assistant questions," Pepper stood her ground, silently fuming with embarrassment at Tony's crass behaviour.
Tony would have liked the go on, in spite of what Pepper said. He liked to rile her up, and because she was just so uptight it unbelievably easy. However, he decided against it as the nervous sitting on that little chair seemed to be silently fuming as well.
"Keep your cool, babe, that's all you have to do. The chick loves you, this is a test," Mel whispered in Isabeau's ear soothingly. Isabeau saw the logic in the words and took a breath to calm herself.
"So what makes you think you would be able to cope with the busy schedule of myself and Mr Stark?" Pepper asked politely. She had more or less decided that she rather liked this girl. She was someone who tried to be neutral, tried to keep the peace, just like Pepper. If Pepper needed help with anything it was with keeping the peace in the household.
"Well, I work well under pressure and I am quite skilled at defusing any kind of situation. Most recently at my school, there has been a lot of hostility between some of the students and for the most part I acted as mediator, but I was able, with help from others of course, we were able to, um, keep the peace, so-."
"So shouldn't you be looking for a job as a negotiator?" Tony could not help himself. Isabeau walked straight into that one.
"That's what my professor told me, and I said that I am not a fan of negotiating and gambling with people's lives, sir-."
"Calm down, Izzy, it was a legitimate question, don't lose it-."
"So you wanted to help the negotiator, I see. So not wanting to get your hands dirty, just an accomplice?"
"That's not what I meant-."
"No I understand. I don't shoot the guns I just sell them, right Pepper?"
"I did not want to be a negotiator at all, that's not what I want to do with my life-."
"So you'd rather help people run their own lives?"
"Tony, enough?"
"That's a legitimate question, Pepper; I want to know what she wants to do with her life."
"Yes, well I would like to know why she hasn't walked out already, Tony, anybody else with half a mind would have already with your behaviour!"
"My behaviour? What am I, twelve? And are you implying that Miss Asmundor doesn't have half a mind?"
"I said nothing of the sort!"
"Yes you did, you just said that anyone else with half a mind would have left, thus I come to the conclusion that you-."
"Oh my god, fuck this shit! Shut him up already, my ears hurt!"
"Your assumptions have never done you any good-."
"They do me the world of good, I'm always right-."
"They fight like a married couple!"
"There's a difference between thinking you're right and knowing you're right-."
"Except when you are right and you know it-."
"Well, there's this thing called modesty-."
"Actually it's called having his head up his ass!"
"What good would modesty-."
"You are impossible-."
"What is happening, Iz? The signal is getting weaker!"
"Oh, I am very possible-."
Isabeau stood up very suddenly. She couldn't handle all the voices in her head. She could not talk down her superiors. It made her uncomfortable. But there bickering was putting her on edge, and all she needed now was alcohol. Strong alcohol. By the bottle.
"Excuse me!" she yelled out and then paused. The two fighters were looking at her curiously. "I came here because I wanted to work with Pepper Potts and because I need the money and because my friend needs a job too but she is unqualified for the position. Your work place is amazing and huge, but I would rather keep my job as a bartender in Brooklyn talking down drunks and assholes rather than deal with an egotistical, self-righteous, self-obsessed, narcissistic, rude, unhelpful and uncouth, filthy rich prick as yourself, Mr Stark. Good day!"
She walked-well actually she stormed out of the office with rage threatening to bubble over inside her head.
"Don't say a fucking word, Mel, not a fucking word!" she snapped and ripped out her ear piece as she walked towards the elevator.
"I waited all day for this fucking job,... I was the only one not flirting back with that asshole," she berated herself. She would be able to ride these rage fumes for a good week before she would come grovelling back.
So she didn't expect Pepper Potts to come running down the corridor calling out her name.
"Miss Asmundor! Wait, please!" she yelled and stopped looking slightly out of breath but smiling all the same.
She could feel herself shaking. She was going to break any moment and start apologising profusely. Luckily Pepper stopped her before she embarrassed herself.
"I want to offer you the job."
She was dumbfounded for a second. She almost expected Mel to start yammering in her ear to say something until she remembered she had taken the bothersome ear piece out. But she could guess what Mel would be saying.
"Tell her to go fuck herself! We can go somewhere else!"
"Why?" she said instead.
"Because, as you said, you were able to keep your cool for the most part, and besides Tony was being completely irrational and I'm sorry that I let the situation get away from me. So I want you to come and work with me, and I'm sure we can find your friend a job as well, if that's what you want. As far as I'm concerned, you are highly-qualified and completely fit for duty. But you must know that you might be seeing Mr Stark on a daily basis, but I will keep the meetings with him to a minimum."
Isbeau tried to remember how to breathe. This was everything she and Mel were hoping for. How could she say no? How could she say anything-she had to focus on breathing for the moment?
"So, what do you say, Miss Asmundr?" Pepper sounded hopeful. As in, she hoped Tony had not screwed up the only opportunity she had to get a decent assistant.
"I would love to work with you!" Isabeau tried not to squeal. Mel would kill her for backing down, but she didn't care. Anything to get out that dump of a bar.
"Good. Now we have your contact details, if need be we will send a car over to fetch you. You start next Sunday. E-mail me if you have any questions-oh and send over your friend's resume so I can see where we can put her."
Then Pepper just walked off smiling and went to tell Tony off as much was in her right for being such an unhelpful prick.
Isbeau closed her eyes, and waited for the elevator door to ding open. When it did she was not surprised to see her dishevelled friend, Mel, in the elevator waiting for her.
She walked in and slumped on the wall next to her without saying a word.
"So did you get the job or what?" Mel asked. Isabeau just nodded in response.
"Did you get me a job?"
Again, she nodded.
"Drinks?"
"Yes, please."
So there you go...tell me what you think? Just so you know this is like and epilogue and it's like before Iron man, or sorta during depending on your opinion. So, you know, tell me what you think and all that jazz...
TOODLES!
