All I Want Is Everything

Go for launch

I bought a toothbrush, some toothpaste, a flannel for my face
Pajamas, a hairbrush, new shoes and a case
I said to my reflection, "Let's get out of this place"
Past the church and the steeple, the laundry on the hill
The billboards and the buildings, memories of it still
Keep calling and calling, but forget it all, I know I will.

Squeeze, Tempted

"Ella," Pepper said, rising from behind her desk and coming around to shake Ella's hand. "It's good to see you. Now what's going on?"

"I learned about getting fired shortly before the press conference, Ms Potts. The band's manager told me. I couldn't stay there after that."

"They fired you?" Pepper asked, leading her over to a table in the spacious office.  "Why? And call me Pepper." She sounded honestly baffled.

"I don't know for certain, but Steve has assumed lead guitar and songwriting, which he's been angling to do for awhile now, well, at least the lead guitar part. I think the other two feel guilty. I told Bucky I'd been in love with him, he said he loved me like a sister. Which sucked for me, but that's the breaks. But it turned out that he'd been seeing Nat on the sly since our first tour, and she kept urging me to say something to him."

"That's gruesome," Pepper said as her assistant brought in big delicious-looking salads. There were a lot of vegetables and chicken, as well as an assortment of dressing and rolls instead of the mostly drab lettuce Ella had been dreading.

"It's supposition on my part. But they'd started to exclude me on the road." Ella shook her head as she added dressing and mixed it in.

"It's a stupid move on their part," Pepper said before tucking in. "You wrote the music. While Steve was a decent guitarist when we shot your videos, he's not skilled enough to take over from you."

"Well, that's no longer my problem." Pepper nodded.

"Still, that was terrible of them. What's next for you? You said something about a solo career? You were professional and cooperative on your shoots. Even Tony approved."

"He's hard to please," Ella said and Pepper laughed.

"Not if you do exactly what he says and don't argue. What's that on your hand?" Ella showed her tattoo. It had healed beautifully. "Oh, that's gorgeous! And so subtle, it's actually inconspicuous. My word. I've never seen one so delicate. It's perfect for you." Pepper admired it a moment more. "But back to business, what are your next steps, do you think?"

"Right now interest in me is as high as it probably could be because there's mystery. I can exploit that for a bit. I need an agent and a label. I wrote my first solo song, so I can record that so I have something to offer. I only did one more song for the band so I haven't wasted much effort there. I'm just not certain who to trust out here. I can't just take the first offer." Pepper nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I know through the grapevine that Loki had enough of Thor, quit, and is going to be out here interviewing. He has William Morris next week along with CAA and APA. If you got along with him and trusted him, you could benefit each other." Ella thought about that.

"I don't know how to contact him. We got along well and he's pretty sharp."

"About a third of my time is spent listening to whispers and gathering data and intelligence," Pepper said. "And yes, there's currently speculation about you that you can use, especially since you are a demonstrated talent. I can easily find where Lauffeyson is staying. Where are you right now, Ella?"

"Chateau Marmont."

"Excellent. They're discreet, but they have a reputation for decadence that should amuse you. You never know who the other guests will be. How do you plan on getting word out about your new plans?"