I'm Iron Man, And I'm Agent Coulson

Chapter 107 The Party and Ambassador Ogwu

For the tenth time in the last eight hours, my mouth dropped open as the ballroom floor spread out in front of me.
A large, sleek black countered bar adorned the entire left hand side of the pillared room, while white tables adorned the right side, complete with dinner set ups, and wine glasses. Another long white table sat near the dinner tables with h'orderves, and a pyramid of wine glasses. A huge crystal chandelier lit up the room overhead, and the dance floor sparkled with dark wood. The pillars were wrapped in black leather, and dozens of waiters and waitresses fluttered around in between people. The ceiling was also black, and black staircases led up to another floor, lined with plush beige couches and chairs. Flowers and other small knick knacks gave the place an classy look, but everything was perfect. Whoever Tony hired to pull this off at such short notice needed a raise.

"Tony doesn't mess around with these things, does he?" Sam snickered, and took my coat, before he headed to the open bar.
I tilted my head at the huge screen set up on the stage, but quickly stiffened as General Ross, along with a few other Senators noticed our arrival, and quickly headed my way.
For the next half hour I shook hands and greeted the important people surrounding us, while also keeping an eye on Wanda. Clint stayed by her side, and answered the constant questions thrown his way, while silently encouraging her. Steve talked to a few generals, while a few members of the security council began asking how our new recruits were doing.
My head was reeling, and my face was starting to ache from the fake smile I continued to display. I caught glimpses of Tony, but he was caught up in conversations, as I was.

"Ms. (Y/l/n)," a female voice called out from behind me, "can you excuse us gentlemen?" The familiar voice demanded.
"Of course Ambassador," council member Michaels stated, and followed his male counterparts towards the tables adorned with food.
I smiled once Ambassador U. Joy Ogwu, rolled her eyes and watched them leave, "it looked like you could use a break."
"Yes, and thank you ambassador," I agreed, and met her smile with my own.
"You can call me Joy, no need for formalities, although my male counterparts seem to enjoy it," she tsked, and gazed around the room.
"I have to say, I'm surprised to see you here," I confessed, taking in her simple black dress and the colorful native wrap around her shoulders, "I'm surprised to see myself here actually."
"Yes, well I couldn't pass up meeting the Avengers under better circumstances," she replied, and focused her eyes on me, "but I had a few questions for you, before the party gets under way."
My shoulders fell, but I kept my smile on my face, "that's why I'm here, ask away."
"Come, I have a few table upstairs, away from curious eyes and ears," she demanded and began her steady trek upstairs. I looked around the room for Tony, but most of my teammates were lost in the sea of generals, amabassadors, and senators. So I quickly shrugged my bare shoulders and followed her.
The view from the above floor was even more astounding. The chandelier twinkled, and electric candles could be seen, as if they were floating along the walls and along the tables. I gave the room one last look before perching myself at the table Ms. Ogwu was already sitting at.
"You look as tense as you did at your hearing," she chided, and waved one of the waiters to our table, "which you handled beautifully, by the way. I know how disconcerting it can be to talked down to by a panel mostly made up of men, but you can relax."
"It wasn't really the men I was worried about, more the questions and reasons I was there, although I can't say I enjoy being in the vicinity of Secretary Ross," I pointed out, and shrugged my shoulders again, unperturbed by my assessment.
"Ah, well I can tell you, you aren't the only person who feels that way," she disclosed, and ordered two glasses of white wine. She waited till the waiter left, and pushed some hair off her dark complected face, "relax, I'm not here to discuss the hearing or the council's need for this social gathering."
I frowned at her, but leaned forward after the waiter dropped of our drinks, and left, "okay, well that's a relief," I sighed, and fingered my glass, "then what questions can I answer for you?"
"It's rather nice to have someone who's also as straightforward as I am. Forced small talk is not one of my attributes," she mused, and took a long drink of wine.
"You're an amabassador to the United Nations, one of the first females with a permanent position for Nigeria, I'm sure you're better at it than I am," I suggested, and met her broad smile.
"Yes, you're probably right," she confided, and leaned back against the wooden chair, "I heard you were planning on visiting a few areas in Africa for Mr. Stark's foundation, Niger, and Libya to be precise?"
I nodded my head, finally understanding her obvious concern. The foundation was still making excuses, but more civilians were losing their lives as the days passed by. Even Tony hadn't made any headway, even though it was his foundation, and these small villages were literally dying for help.
"We were, but that's been placed on hold for the time being," I acknowledged, and took a drink of wine. I wasn't partial to wine, I'd rather have a beer, but I enjoyed the warmth it created in my belly.
"May I ask why?" She inquired curiously.
"Joy, I'm sure you know why," I implored, hearing soft music drifting from downstairs.
"I do, but I'd rather hear your version, you have a knack for not beating around the bush," she continued through a smile.
"Okay, well when I requested that the Avengers tag along, due to the fact that most of the villages in need, are surrounded by guerrillas, or the same terrorist regimes all over the middle east, I was told it wasn't a good time for my team to make an appearance in an already unsettled area. Then once I tried to haggle with them, even recommended that just a few of us go, in disguise, my requests fell on deaf ears," I protested, "I understand the negativity and questions still following my team after Sokovia and Johannesburg, but we can't help or make amends if we're not given a chance."
"So is this a venture to get your team back into the world's good graces?" She asked, and focused on my face.
"To be honest, I really don't give a shit what the world thinks, I know I should, but people are dying, children are starving to death, and I know we can stop it. If the Avengers stood for anything, this is it. We all want to help, and if I could send the foundation to these places, by themselves, I would, but the WHO has already lost a few volunteers, even with the U.S. military present," I paused, and cleared my throat of anger, "the government in Niger and Libya asked the foundation for help, but without my team, I refuse to send in our volunteers. Tony can't... we can't lose anymore people, which makes me angry and feel so.. so damn useless, because after seeing so many mother's and children living without hope... I know we can do this, and with everything I've been through and seen, I know the realities of engagement are there, and while neither of us can openly condone the outcome of an inevitable engagement, I think the civilians in need take precedence over the fallout," I finished as honestly as I could.
She was quiet for a moment, and waved her empty glass at the waiter. I downed my own glass and held it up. An uncomfortable silence settled between us, which sent unease over my skin, and goosebumps over my bare arms, but her own strength and presence demanded straightforward answers.
The waiter dropped two more glasses of wine off, and quickly left the uneasy silence.
"I'm sorry if I upset or angered you with my answer," I stated finally, and let out a deep sigh, "this is why I'm glad Rhodes, Steve and Tony are the more level headed faces of our team."
She waved her hand, "on the contrary, I agree with you in many aspects, but do you see the problem with your reasoning?" She asked, and glanced downstairs, "you and you're team cannot decide to move forward when you disagree with such things, regardless how detrimental these trying times are. There's an even more dire need for the Avengers to act within the guidelines as all governments and reigning bodies do."
"And while I understand that, civilians are dying by the hundreds, if not thousands while we all sit by and do nothing, because of some imaginary red tape," I criticized, and slowly took a drink of wine.
"Oh young one, that is one of the biggest problems I have yet to come to terms with," she admonished, and reached for my hand, "I have spent much of my life trying to better the overall wellness of my country and its people, but even I've hit walls, and sometimes lose faith in my ability now and then," she paused, and gently squeezed my hand, "you must take into consideration the aftermath of such ventures, you've already experienced a few, these past months, and weigh all aspects."
"I do, and that's what makes me feel so goddamn useless in this particular situation," I declared, but gave her hand a small squeeze, "we want to help, I know we have the ability to provide these people some hope, but we won't go in unless we're given the okay, and if that doesn't come, well, then we don't have a choice but to move on, and hopefully help somewhere else."
"And that's all you can do Ms. (Y/l/n)," she murmured quickly and eyed the stairs, "we can't win all the battles set down in front of us, but we can move on and fight the ones we can."
"You can call me (y/n), and I'll try to keep that in mind from now on," I concurred, before the ambassador smiled and stood up.
"Captain Rogers, it's nice to see you again," she said, and extended her hand as Steve came to a stop near our table.
"Likewise Ambassador Ogwu, and I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could borrow (y/n) for a minute?" He stated, and shook her outstretched hand.
"Of course, I've monopolized her time long enough," she surmised, and patted my arm, "and I'm sure Mr. Stark is wondering where his beautiful other half is," she chided, and quickly headed back downstairs. I leaned back against my chair and finished the rest of my wine while Steve perched himself against the small black railing.
"Are you alright?" He asked after a few quiet minutes, "that conversation looked heavy."
"It was," I replied, and slowly stood up, "she asked about the foundation's pause on the trip to Africa, and gave me some advice on how to deal with it."
"Which was what, exactly?" He added, as I stood next to him and looked down at the growing crowd.
"To let it go if we can't go in, and I have to agree with her," I conceded. I had to admit she had a point, but it didn't make it any easier for me. The red tape helped countries interact with each other, and hold onto the shakey stability they had created. We couldn't save everybody, and if we wanted to keep the ability to help people, then we needed to accept the answers we didn't necessarily want to hear.
Steve sighed next to me, and ran a hand through his styled hair.
"You know, you clean up pretty good, but I'm sure you've seen you, so you know that already," I blurted out, and nudged his arm.
"Are you drunk already?" He laughed, and put his hands on the rail.
"No, you ass, just making an astute assessment, and would rather not talk about the foundation, or what Joy said, at least not right now," I shrugged, but gave him a broad smile, "besides, I'm sure there are plenty of people here, that have even more questions or recommendations."