Rosetta Stone ▷ Pepper Potts

2 - WORKPLACE WARNING

𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒. When it came to dealing with corporal propositions that required stern conversations, she always made sure her hands were steady and her breathing even, schooling her features to indicate that, not only did she mean business, she was the party in power.

Even after motioning the intern to leave-obviously, she would be more than alright on her own, she was used to taut business meetings-she almost wished she had allowed the staff to stay, despite there only being three other employees, it would have been nice to know there were others in the building, especially since she had absolutely no idea what she was getting herself into.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Moore," the woman said, smoothing her skirt before sitting down across from her, "My name is-"

"Pepper Potts," she interjected with a small smile, "You're the CEO of Tony Stark's company, I've been following your work for quite some time."

Pepper raised her eyebrows, giving a small nod, "I appreciate it, I'm sure you have an idea of how difficult things can be for us. It's nice to see another successful woman, especially in the artistic field."

Whether her statement was meant to see if she would rise and take the bait, or was simply the compliment she hoped it was, Mercy found herself chuckling softly, shaking her head slightly before making eye contact with the redhead, running through a series of conversation scenarios through her mind; depending on who she was speaking with, it was imperative she approach the discussion with the right words, the right tone, the right facial expressions, because if even a touch seemed off, it signaled weakness.

Mercy had no intention of seeming weak in front of Pepper Potts.

"I'd like to get straight to the point, if you don't mind," Pepper said, folding her hands atop her crossed legs, "When was the last time you spoke to David Lermive?"

It was a good thing she was sitting down. A deep breathe could hardly suffice; the words she had just heard hit her like a train at full speed, momentarily forgetting to school her features, simply too surprised to even formulate an answer right away, hoping deep down that her shock wasn't as obvious as it felt.

"Why?" Mercy found herself asking, momentarily forgetting her manners in an attempt to fully understand the situation as quickly as possible, "As much as I want to help with whatever you're looking for, Ms. Potts, I'm afraid I'm useless when it comes to David."

The woman raised her eyebrows, and it was hard to gauge what she was thinking; not only was difficult enough starting over without the man's influence, she couldn't help but notice the sinking feeling in her stomach-a feeling she was all too accustomed with-that gave a eerily familiar premonition of deja vu.

"Why don't we take a walk," Pepper suggested, rising to her feet, evidently choosing her words carefully so as not to disturb her further, and although she appreciated it at the moment, Mercy knew she would regret it as soon as the meeting was over.

It spoke volumes for the art on the walls of Mercy's gallery that Pepper Potts could become distracted by a background painting, while both walked slowly in painful silence; inexorably, it seemed, Pepper was drawn to the looming presence of an oil on canvas painting, depicting an actor dressed to perform 'Coriolanus' by William Shakespeare.

Grateful for the lapse in conversation, Mercy took the opportunity to describe the painting, looking quietly pleased. "It's a painting designed to be hung very high up, at an angle," she explained, instinctively drifting to one side to avoid spoiling appreciation of the large canvas, "It would have been hung the same height again, then tilted downwards."