The Avengers Without Ironman?

Andrew leaned against a counter and thought about the suit. "Ya know i dont think so. At least not for me, kind of felt like they found it and wanted me to test it. which sounds weird now that i think about it." He said. "Apparently James tried to put it on and it damn near drained him dry, as much as he practices with his mutation not too much of a surprise."

"Anyway, it felt really good to wear. Had all kinds of nice supports, had half a mind to walk out of there with it. Could finish that greenhouse in no time at all with it on." Andrew admitted looking outside. He sighed hating how much he had to rest nowadays, that was the downside to aging.

He smiled, "Maybe i could get a suit just for around the house activities."

OOC-Ready to move on to when Steve asks Kate to go with him to the party?

Steve had just gotten off the phone with Tony and after a great deal of time of catching up he hung up and thought about the party. Thinking he'd rather not go stag again, despite it being close friends, he thought about asking Kate if she wanted to go with. After all she had worked with SHIELD before and with all the help she was giving him he thought a nice night of fun would be a way of thanking her.

So he got himself cleaned up a little bit and made his way over to her spot of land in his SUV. Pulling up into the driveway he found himself feeling rather nervous all of a sudden. A feeling he hadn't felt in some time. He had asked plenty of women to attend parties with him before but this felt different somehow. Swallowing down that nervousness he approached her door and gave a nod mentally prepping him to ask if she were available to attend

Kate was in the kitchen baking some cookies. She was a bit of a chocoholic and had made double chocolate chip cookies. She was planning to give Steve some and had a tin ready to load some of the cool ones into. She was enjoying the time she was spending with Steve. He picked up things quickly and was easy to talk to. They had had dinner together as friends a few times now and they were getting to know one another better.

She thought she heard someone outside her front door. As she glanced through the kitchen window she saw Steve. He seemed rather nervous, which wasn't like him. When he finally knocked, she walked over and opened the door and gave him a smile. "Well, hello stranger."

Steve looked to Kate and smiled thinking they were psending quite a bit of time with one another. "Hey." he said feeling his heart pick up a little bit. "Sorry to bother you Kate." he started like normal. After being invited in he took notice that she was baking cookies and oh did it smell nice.

"I was um..actually wondering if you were busy later on this month. A friend of mine is throwing a retirement party and I was curious to see if you would be my plus one." He asked. Though it didnt feel right saying a plus one and the way he sounded made it seem like he wanted to use a different word.

Kate invited him in and closed the door behind him. She walked back over to the sheet pan of cookies she had just taken from the oven and she began to transfer them to a cooling rack. She listened to Steve and smiled a little when he invited her to attend a party with him. She noticed that he didn't use the word "date" but it seemed to her that he really wanted to. She took one of the cooled cookies and handed it to Steve with a small smile.

"I would love to be your date. Whose party is it?"

Steve accepted the cookie and was taken aback by her acceptance and date. He hesitated for the words trying to think if this truly was a date of sorts. "Um right sorry. It's Tony Stark's retirement, it shouldn't' be as dull as it sounds." he said hoping the stories of one of their parties wouldn't put her off. "He wanted to ahve a more informal get together before he announces it publicly."

Kate of course knew who Tony Stark was. She had actually met him a few times through her work and was a little surprised to hear that he was retiring. However, he was getting older and probably wanted to focus on other work. Much like Steve, she couldn't imagine him just sitting around doing nothing.

"Well, that sounds like fun." She began to put some cookies into the tin for him. "I can't believe the Avengers are going to be without Captain America and Iron Man."

Steve followed Kate into the kitchen and rubbed his head thinking about the pair of them retiring. he thought of the team and had confidence in Falcon and Mariah keeping the Avengers going on their new path. "Time for some new heroes to make a name for themselves. Getting to old for the saving the world business time for some young blood to take over."

OOC-Ready to jump to the party?

OOC: I think so yeah that works. Just a typical party with the job offer right?

OOC-Yeah, that sounds about right.

Life continued on and the invites were sent out to the others. Despite his attempts of secrecy there were rumors of Tony's retirement. It wasn't too upsetting for him afterall he had ordered quite a surplus of supplies for the personal party and the announcement party the following week. He was pleased to hear that the others would arrive for his little shindig in his tower.

When the night arrived Tony had made sure it was a low key event. Not too loud not too flashy just old friends getting together again. There were a few early arrivers and Tony was happy to entertain.

James and Mariah had arrived shortly followed by Azari and Leilani. Having been to Stark Tower before James and Mariah led the younger couple to the elevators.

"Strange that we received an invite. i dont think i've meet Mr Stark." Azari admitted crossing his arms. James was unaware of the job extension to the younger pair and shrugged.

"Well maybe he's curious. you two did go to MIT at a scary young age, that's bound to get his attention. how's that job of yours going by the way?" James asked.

"Tedious, my superios have seen fit to give me menial tasks, busy work ultimately." Azari said. Which was true the work he informed Leilani of was something you'd give to some assistant to do. Azari wasn't afraid of doing such work, he did it all the time for his own projects but at least he was free to finish said project and not hand it off.

Leilani was still surprised and curious as to why Azari and she had received an invitation to his retirement party. They of course knew who he was and followed his technologies pretty closely, but they had never actually met the man before. Leilani was pretty nervous about it. Tony Stark was the biggest name there was in advanced technology and a billionaire to boot. She was afraid of embarrassing herself. Thankfully, they ran into Mariah and James just outside of Stark Tower. Mariah knew Tony very well since she worked with him on the Avengers team and was very relaxed.

"Don't worry about why you got an invite. Just enjoy yourself. As James pointed out he's probably just interested in talking to you both. He'll talk technology stuff all day if you let him, but most people can't figure out what he's talking about. He's probably just excited to know that there are two people who will know what he's talking about."

Kate was wearing a knee-length cocktail dress and heels. Her blonde hair was down, but brushed out and curled slightly. She was wearing a little makeup, but nothing overpowering. She was excited to be spending the evening with Steve. They had driven in to the city together and walked into Stark Tower. They were on the elevator alone so she smiled a little at him.

"You look very handsome."

Azari took Mariah's advice to heart opting to just remain calm and relax. Though talking with Tony about tech was rather intriguing. He felt he could learn quite a bit from that man. He looked to Lani when Mariah pointed out the two of them could probably keep up with his mind. "I'm sure we wont disappoint." he said with some confidence. The elevator dinged and the small group disembarked heading to the penthouse. There was a few people already there and Tony was laughing among them. Besides Tony the only notable person Mariah would ahve recognized was Sam.

Seeing new arrivals Tony excused himself and walked over to greet the younger guests. "Hello, thanks for showing up, happy to see this little get together wont be all of us old retirees." He smiled.

Steve was dressed in a simple blue button up shirt and dress pants. Given Tony insistence of this being casual he felt simple was best. He took note of how Kate looked and felt his heart thump in his chest. He was glad she had agreed ot accompany him to this little party. "Thank you, you look beautiful Kate." He complimented his tone with a bit more meaning than he intended. He hadn't felt this way about another woman in many years and with that there was some guilt.

"Should be pretty fun tonight. I'm not sure how much experience you have with Thor but if he offers you a mug you might want to brace yourself." Steve warned with a smile.

Lani was rather starstruck meeting Tony Stark. He was just as handsome and charming as she had seen and heard, but it was knowing that he was a genius that really got to her. She was smart, but she would not call herself a genius. "Thank you for inviting us. I must admit we were both a little surprised to be invited, but we are happy to be here."

Kate did not have any party experience with Thor. She had met him a few times, but those meetings were always at SHIELD or out in the field. This was going to be different. "I'll keep that in mind," she said with a smile. As the elevator reached the penthouse the doors opened and Kate stepped off with Steve. Mariah was with James. They had both gotten a drink from the bar and Mariah caught sight of her father. She blinked when she saw he had a date. "Do you think that is Kate?" she said to James. Her father had mentioned her a few times, but she had never met her.

Tony looked to Lani recognizing her from the photos. He knew he had to speak with her and Azari shortly about his offer. "Well actually i did have a proposition for the two of you that i wanted to present if you ahve a moment." Tony said. Leading the pair away to a corner of the room wehre it was a bit quieter he informed them of his retirement and a need for someone of technical expertise. "with me stepping away from fieldwork i am need of someone to assist in my R&D department within my compnay and to represent Stark Industries within the Avengers." Tony said.

"I felt you two would make a good fit."

James took a drink as Mariah pointed out Kate with Steve. He had heard Mariah mention a Kate being Steve's neighbor and wondered how she would feel about her father dating. if they were dating. "Maybe, they look friendly enough. you ok?" James just simply asked finding now need to be beat around the bush.

Lani was curious as to what Tony's proposition might be for them as she and Azari followed him over to a more private area. She stood next to her husband and listened to Tony as he informed them that he wanted to offer them a job in his R&D department and help out the Avengers. Her mouth went dry and her eyes widened. For a moment she was simply at a loss of words. She was more than a little stunned and overwhelmed at his job offer. This was beyond their wildest dreams. She didn't want to answer for them both and looked over at Azari. Clearly her answer was "hell yes", but she wanted to know what Azari was thinking.

Mariah looked at James when he asked if she was ok. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't realize they were dating. From what Steve has told me of her she sounds like a great fit for him. I just want him to be happy."

Azari was thinking internally focusing his mind on this task weighing the pros and cons. He didnt really need to look at Lani to know her vote for this. He swore he could hear her in his head screaming yes. He tapped his temple in thought retreating in his mind shutting out the outside world for a moment. He went still as he often did when he was heavily contemplating in his 'inner temple' and lowered his arms. "We will accept your offer." He said after seeing the look Lani was giving him.

Tony raised an eyebrow at this thinking htat there would be some back and forth. "Of course we'd like to go over the contracts before we sign anything." Azari said. And there it is Tony thought with a smile.

"Oh i think you two will go very far in my company." Tony said glad they weren't gullible young adults. "I'll have my secretary forward the contracts for you two to mull over. Here is my personal number and we'll have lunch sometime to iron out the details. Like i said enjoy yourselves tonight plenty to drink and eat." Tony said. A thunderbolt cracked across the sky signaling the arrival of a particular god. "especially on the drink." Tony said as he witnessed THor land on the landing pad kegs in hand.

As if on cue Andrew and Alex arrived dressed rather nicely for the occasion. Having heard the thunderbolt from the elevator Andrew as laughing a little bit. James watched this and focused back on Mariah as she confirmed that she was alright with this. "Well maybe we should go over and say hi. If they're dating she'd have to meet you eventually right?" James pointed out.

Steve turned hearing the elevator and smiled seeing Andrew and Alex. "Oh, here let me to introduce you." He offered. As they approached Steve smiled and gavea nod, "Hello you two, i wanted to introduce to you Kate. Kate this is Alex and her husband Andrew. Been friends for a long time." He said.

Andrew raised an eyebrow at Kate and wondered what this was about. Getting a little fun in with the work Steve he thought smiling at Kate. "Wonderful to meet you." He said being gentleman extending a hand.

Lani was the more emotionally driven of the two of them, whereas Azari was (generally) the more logical. She could sense him thinking things through carefully and weighing the pros and cons. He of course knew her answer and she could only assume it would be his answer as well but he always had to think about things carefully. When he finally spoke up and accepted the offer she breathed out and gave him a little smile. This was going to get them access to more resources than they could have ever dreamed of.

She smiled at Tony as he walked away before turning to her husband and throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. She was still in general shock about whole thing. "Oh my God," was all she managed to say.

Alex rolled her eyes with a little smile when she heard the unmistakable sound of Thor's arrival. Here we go, she thought to herself. She stepped off the elevator with her husband and a moment later they were approached by Steve and a woman she didn't recognize. As Steve introduced her as Kate she remembered hearing that name from James and Mariah. Kate was Steve's neighbor. Alex smiled and shook Kate's hand.

"It's very nice to meet you. You're a former SHIELD agent, right?"

Kate smiled and nodded. "I've been retired a few years now from that life. Your son James is married to Mariah?"

Alex nodded. "Yes. They've been married about two years now."

Azari was going to wait unitl he saw the contract before he leapt for joy but accepted Lani's hug. Surely it had to be better work, or potential for better work than his current position. Not to mention the tech they would have access to would be top notch. "We'll have to see what's in the contract of course. Guess our projects will be put on hold for a bit." he said figuring their projects would ahve wait during this transition. he returned her hug and thought of their role in teh Avengers. Perhaps as support only he thought.

"But we would be hard pressed to find a better situation." Azari said having no qualms about putting in his two weeks notice.

Andrew looked to Alex when she mentioned James and Mariah. "It's been two years really?" He asked. Steve smiled thinking of Mariah with her own life. she had certainly come a long way.

"time does fly huh." Steve said.

"Suppose so. all my heroes are retiring. Met this guy when i was pretty young and hot headed, well more hot headed than i am now. Hadn't been for him the Hulk probably would have punched my head clean off." Andrew said propping Steve up for Kate. Oh he knew something had to be going on, he'd been out to that farm there was no on around for miles and he found himself a beautiful country girl. If they weren't seeing one another already he figured they would be soon.

Lani knew that Azari would probably not have a problem with putting in his notice at his current job. She knew he hated it. It didn't challenge him and he hated being bored. This job was certain to challenge them. She knew that Azari would be up for the task, but she hoped she would. She didn't want to let her husband or Tony down.

"Well, we will have to finish up Mariah's new suit first. I know that Sam wants to tell Mariah soon and reveal her as the new Captain America very soon after."

Kate listened to Andrew and gave Steve a little smile. She had of course seen him on tv, but had never gotten to see him in action herself and would have liked that. They all chatted for a while longer before Alex glanced over and saw Tony.

"Well, we should go say hello to Tony. It was very nice meeting you Kate. We will have to talk again soon."

Azari sighed nearly forgetting about Mariah's suit. "Right right. Need to focus on that task seeing as there is a time limit." He said. He looked to the tables. "Well that will be something to worry about later. Lets get some drinks and something to eat to celebrate." He said thinking a little party was definitely in order for the two of them.

After excusing themselves Alex and Andrew made their way to Tony who had gotten intercepted by one of the others guests. He turned and nearly bumped into Alex and Andrew. "oh hey! you made it." He smiled. He looked to Andrew, "Good seeing you again and not your fist."

"ah nights still young." Andrew said. Before Alex could smack him he spoke up again, "Just kidding, no hard feelings Stark."

"None on this side either. I already offered the job to Leiliani and Azari they seem game. Gotta make sure my contract is secure, Azari is a bit more cautious than i anticipated."

Lani smiled and kissed Azari before pulling back and grinning at him. "I love that idea," she said as they walked over to get themselves a drink and some food.

Alex smiled at Tony and was glad that Andrew seemed relaxed. He seemed to have finally let go of everything that had happened in the past and moved on. For a long time she hadn't even been able to mention Tony's name without Andrew breaking something in the house.

Alex's smile brightened even more when Tony informed them that he had already spoken to Lani and Azari about the job offer. "That's great. They are both up for a challenge. I think Azari is pretty bored in his current job. They prefer working together as they make a great team. Azari is definitely the more logical of the two, while Lani is more emotional. They balance one another out. I don't think you could have picked two better people to work for you."

Tony coudln't agree with Alex more about the choice he made. He did make a mental note on how they work well together and felt keeping them together would produce great results. "I'll have to remember that." he said. "Either way i am glad that you two showed up. At the very least to make sure that things are finally alright. Like to start my twilight years on the right foot." he admitted.

Andrew gave a nod having figured he should forgive the guy. "Yeah we're good Stark, i wasn't in the right mindset back then either." he said willing to bury the hatchet. Tony nodded glad that Andrew agreed.

"We'll have to drink to that..unless you're opposed?" Tony asked looking to Alex knowing her words to him about his drinking. He had been sober for many years but felt tonight he would have one.

"She's gotten a bit lax about the drinking thing. Then again i dont drink as much as i used to." Andrew said. Thor stepped inside and shouted out his greetings to everyone. "Annnd more reason to drink, if you'll pardon me." Andrew said heading straight to his norse friend.