2013.08.20 - The CEO, The Waitress and The Big Bad Wolf

It's been warming back up in New York City, after an unseasonably cool week, but the clouds are keeping the sun from overheating the day. Despite the overcast conditions, there's no real threat of rain, and it's the perfect afternoon to get back to nature. That's what Fern has in mind anyway, and not just for herself. She'd sent a text to Justin Hammer, requesting him to meet her at 43 Main Street, in Flushing, if he's available. It's close to the Expo in case he's needed back, but a place to offer a respite from all the technology that's been bombarding them both for the past week or so. Waiting outside the gate of the Queens Botanical Garden, Fern's red hair should be easy to spot. She's back in 'civilian clothes', wearing a brightly patterned summer dress, sleeveless and on the short side, with flat sandals. She's got a smaller bag than her messenger bag, but she wears it the same way, the strap across her body from shoulder to opposite hip. She's pacing, but mostly because she likes the way her skirt sways when she walks. She's easily amused sometimes.

The text message that Justin got was unexpected, but not unpleasant. Seeing that everything seems to be running smoothly at the Expo pavilion, he simply excused himself for a few hours. No explanation, just that he was taking a respite from the activities. Since the demo on Saturday night things have been busier- people have been flocking in to check out the mock up of the drone that 'nearly killed everyone there!' By, you know, just hovering harmlessly. But hey, publicity is still publicity, and Hammer Industries' stock prices are still looking good.

Having driven himself and found a reasonable parking space, the CEO approaches the front gates of the gardens. He's in one of his lighter colored suits, his tie a conservative geometric pattern today. He's got his hands in his pockets as he walks, sweeping the area for signs of who he's meeting. Fern's outfit and unmistakable red hair are quickly sighted, and he turns to walk in her direction.

Fern spies the head of Hammer Industries when he's still a few paces away, and she calls, "Justin!" Calling isn't enough though, it never is. With a skip she's off, heading toward Justin at a good clip, and she thuds lightly against him in an enthusiastic hug. "I'm so glad to see you!" Quite the greeting, and not exactly her customary one. Sure, she's a hugger, but this is.... hugging. She gives a good squeeze, not caring if his hug is the usual almost-embarrassed one he always indulges her with. When she steps back there's a happy smile on her face. "Hi."

The young woman's enthusiasm does get a bit of a surprised reaction from the CEO. He even goes so far as to hold his hands out as he's nearly tackled. Did someone report he was dead or something when he wasn't looking? "Hey there, Fern," he offers as he returns the hug in his usual fashion and takes a step back as well. "Did the press say I was dead or something?" he asks in a joking tone. Luckily few people here recognize him, and the whole exchange draws little attention.

Fern grins, shaking her head, "Not as far as I saw. Can't I just be happy to see you?" The incident in the park and the words 'Kill her.' might have something to do with it. She swings one arm out in a grand gesture, indicating the gardens. "I thought you might like a little nature to get away from the technology. I know I can use it." She holds up two tickets, as if enticing him, "I've even got the tickets already and everything."

In his defense, Justin has no idea what happened to Fern at the concert. He didn't hear anything about it, having been busy with the Expo. The waitress' new found enthusiasm for life, which is bubbly even for her, gets a wide grin. "Yeah, hate to admit it, but the Expo is gettin' a little old," he replies, agreeing with Fern's assessment. He shakes his head at the display of the tickets, the grin not fading. "Lead the way, my friend." Like she wouldn't physically drag him into the gardens if he didn't come willingly. He knows this.

Instead of leading, Fern chummily links her arm in his, and only pulls him a little bit toward their destination. "So what wonderful things have been happening since the demo Saturday night?" she asks. Although, almost immediately, her attention shifts quickly, as she offers a bright smile and a cheery, "Hi there!" to the old man taking the tickets. He smiles in return, letting them pass, and Fern marches them in, her attention entirely back on Justin, brows lifted in expectation of his reply.

Justin should have expected that too. Fern's behavior always comes as such a shock to him because most of the female attention he gets is of the gold-digger variety, while hers is a genuine friendship gesture. It's not bad by any means, just different. With the cute redhead on his arm, the CEO heads into the Gardens, only pausing when Fern does at the ticket counter. Once past, he answers her question. "The pavilion has been busy, which is a good thing. There's been a couple other good demos, but mostly it's just been the same business. My stock prices didn't go through the basement floor after Saturday, so it's going well." He takes a moment to study the waitress then asks, "So, you seem really full of it. Just high on life, or what?" The question isn't meant to be rude and the tone is light for Hammer. He's just bad at not sounding like an ass.

"Of course your stock wouldn't go down," Fern says, "Your demonstration of the drones was brilliant. Everyone is still talking about it." So, much of it is about how Hammer rushes things into production, but Fern isn't about to pay attention to that. She knows Justin better than they do, and they're just jealous of his success. Or something like that. Fern veers them gently to the left, taking them off the paved pathway, onto a path that leads through the flowers of the Fragrance Walk. This section is specially designed with plants and flowers strongly scented by their essential oils, giving the air around them a lush, almost tropical smell. A section of herbs gives off the easily identifiable scents of rosemary and basil, a contrast to the sweeter flowers. She doesn't take offense at his words, doesn't even think them rude in the least, it's just how Justin is. "My past couple days have just been the kind of days that make you glad you're still alive," she says simply. She doesn't want to burden him with details, or make herself sound like some sort of hero or damsel in distress. "Some stuff happened on Sunday and I'm just happy to be here." Fern looks away to the herbs, "Don't those just smell wonderful?"

Justin beams a little when Fern calls him brilliant. Well, yes, yes he is, but hearing someone else say is is always better. Letting the waitress take the lead he follows her off the paved path without objection, eyes glancing over the foliage. The answer to his question pulls his attention fully back to the redhead, and his expression drops. "What kind of stuff?" he asks bluntly. His attitude shifts, taking more of the protective big brother sort of air. If someone messed with Fern, they're going to be in a world of hurt...

Fern's nose wrinkles as Justin questions, and she flaps her free hand dismissively. "Just.... stuff. It was all good, I had a friend there with me and he made sure I didn't get hurt." She pauses, replaying her words and thinking that might only make him wonder more, so she does expand on it a little. "We were going to a concert in the park, and some bad dudes started doing some bad stuff. There were some superheroes there, too, and they took care of everything." Mostly.

"Stuff?" Justin queries before Fern elaborates. He furrows a brow as she says that there was an attack at a concert in the park. "I'm glad you're alright," he offers. "It's getting to the point where you can't do anything in this city anymore without running into some sort of threat." He seems genuinely concerned about what happened. "You sure you're alright?"

There's a fond squeeze of Justin's arm as they walk slowly, and Fern nods. "I'm sure I'm alright. It's not the first weird thing to happen to me, and I'm sure it won't be the last." She laughs softly, but there's not really a whole lot of humor in it. "Sometimes I think I'm just a magnet for trouble. But I have good friends who keep me safe. Like you," she adds, flashing him a grin. "Maybe I'll just become a superhero myself, if it keeps up." Which is said jokingly, but she does have that offer on the table.

"Oh, no," Justin replies. Joking or not, he's not going to have her getting herself into trouble! "Don't you dare go and do that. I have enough to worry about." He too is joking, mostly. He only had some clue that Fern had run into trouble out on the streets, but she's never elaborated. Not that he's talked much about the strange stuff he's been through either, but that's not the point. "In all seriousness, be careful out there, OK? Hell, have you thought about getting a concealed carry permit? I could help you get one."

Fern brings them to a pause by a clump of rosemary, reaching out to run her hand over it lightly, bringing her hand up to sniff the scent of the plant. It's a soothing smell to her, reminding her of Anita's kitchen in the morning when she's baking the day's bread, and of home and her mother's herb garden. "I promise that I won't intentionally put myself in harm's way," she says, using her scented hand to make an X over her heart. "Cross my heart." She pretty much told Ben he should seek help when he suggested the idea to her, but she does take the concept out and think about it every now and then. She'd want a cape. Capes are so cool.

"I have, actually," she says about carrying a gun. "I've even talked about it with Daddy. But I don't know that I could shoot someone, and you can't draw a weapon if you can't use it, that's just even more dangerous than being without."

Justin nods approvingly. The woman's smart- she won't carry unless she knows she can use it. That's worth a good piece right there. "Well, if you decide that's the way you wanna go, let me know. It's pretty hard to get a permit in New York, but if you know someone who can pull strings..." Hammer trails off leaving the rest of it for Fern to deduct on her own.

There's a smile directed up to Justin and Fern says, a little smugly, "See? Even you take care of me." Leading them back out of the Fragrance Walk, Fern gets them back onto the paved path, on a curve of the Cherry Circle. In the spring all the cherry trees blossom, but now in summer they're just... trees. But the flowers planted along the walkway are colorful, in bright oranges and reds, and pastel purple. It's much more calm than the constant barrage of noise and information at the Expo. "I heard that the Waynes are going to do a demo," she says conversationally, "Are you going to go? I walked over to their building with Leo last weekend, I think it was the day before your demo." All the days of technology seem to run together.

There's a bit of subconscious pride in Justin's posture at those words. "Of course I will," he offers as they wander back onto the paved path. He looks up at the trees briefly. "Yeah, got tickets for it. I'm gonna go check out what they've got going on," he says, still looking upwards. "Gotta keep an eye on the competition, ya know?" He's a little more apprehensive now, after the bombshell of the Luthor demo. "So Leo? Who's Leo?"He doesn't sound jealous, more curious. With maybe a hint of the big brother things again.

Fern's hand comes up and she smacks it lightly against her forehead, "Oh duh, I haven't told you. I met Leo Luther, Lex Luther's son. He's really nice. Very polite and thoughtful. We went out for coffee and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches." Yes, she can even get a Luthor to eat 'comfort food'. But, in her defense, it was a fancy sort of cheese the coffee shop used. She doesn't tack on the part about how Leo saved her life. Maybe one day, but for now she's keeping his secret, like she promised.

Justin frowns a bit before he can hide it. He looks over at the flowers that are growing in the beds beneath the trees, intentionally avoiding looking toward the waitress. He has absolutely no say over who she hangs out with, but the fact she's hanging out with a Luthor is a bit disheartening. After the demo, he's all but forgotten the fact that Lex Luthor threw him a bone in the way of getting him and Shaw speaking. That lead to a hell of a contract. "Glad to hear you've been making more friends. Pretty soon you're going to end up one of New York's elite just on merit alone."

Fern catches that frown, giving Justin's arm a light tug. "Is it him or his father that you don't look too crazy about?" she asks, sounding a little concerned. She trusts Justin, and his judgment, for some reason. If she thought about it more she'd realize that he reminds her a lot of her brothers. She doesn't think about it more because she misses her family deeply, and doesn't dwell on them. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and this is what she's gotta do to get on the stage.

Busted. Justin looks back toward Fern when she tugs on his arm. "Well, it's just that LexCorp is a competitor is all," he says not really committing one way or another. He does vaguely remember Leo Luthor hassling him at the Expo opening, so that doesn't help the case for either of them. Still, none of his business who Fern's going out and having coffee with. Justin just falls quiet now, still gazing idly at the foliage.

The tug this time is just a little more forceful, and Fern even cranes her head around to get in Justin's face, more or less. "Your opinion matters to me," she says, her smile gentle. "He was very nice to me. And if he turns out to be after just one thing, he'll find himself shut down faster than you can say 'not gettin' any'." Her tone is light and joking, but there's an undercurrent that says she means it. She's not that kind of waitress. But... Leo did save her life. She just can't tell Justin that. Yet.

At that Justin stops and looks back at Fern. "No, no," he says his tone a bit hard to read. "It's purely business, that's all. Luthor's demo just... It was a bit of a blow to HI, that's all. As far as personally? I've never met Leo, not really. And Lex doesn't seem like a bad guy." No worse than he is, anyway, though Hammer isn't an angel by any means. "I know you can take care of yourself.

"They will all face the oncoming storm, and be judged unworthy." A growling voice calls out as a man is seen wearing a dark longcoat and wide brimmed hat. Justin may be able to make out a flak vest from where the coat is open as he approaches them, unnatural golden yellow eyes look to them, as if gauging them as enemies.

Fern nods at this, her smile holding, "Well, I'm glad for that. I mean," she tacks on hastily, "Not the demo and all, but that it's business and not personal. And I know you can take care of your business, and nothing Lex Luthor can come up with will top you." There's that faith in Hammer again. From the Cherry Circle, Fern leads them around the aptly named Circle Garden, and it's circular fountain and tall flowers that reach for what sunlight filters through the clouds. She also leads the conversation back away from business, because if she wanted him thinking about that she'd have left him to his pavilion at the Expo. "What do you think of the garden so far? I love all the pretty colors. I bet it's great in the fall, when leaves are turning. I'll bet it's even better in the spring, when everything is coming to life again." She's about to say more, but an unfamiliar voice comes, and Fern turns her head, the words bringing a frown. Surely that's not someone talking to them.

Justin starts walking again as Fern leads them to the next section of the garden. He nods lightly at her words, not willing to admit that Luthor's demo did have him scared. People want things like power suits and the Iron Patriot. That gets crowds standing and cheering. What do drones get? Paranioa. No one wants remote-controlled airplanes buzzing over their houses and 'spying' on them. Which, Hammer is certain, is stupid and faulty logic considering that real airplanes can, and have, been used to spy on people. And helicopters. So honestly, why the fear of drones?

Fern's question knocks Justin back to reality. He looks back toward her, thankful for the derailing of the topic of business. That's when he hears the voice and sees the advancing figure. Being a native New Yorker, the warning bells go off immediately that this is someone to be avoided. Especially since it looks like the guy is wearing body armor. This time, Justin is the one to try and lead Fern. "Hey, novel idea. Lets go find something to eat? Ice cream, maybe?" He moves to alter their course, back toward the Cherry Circle.

"Yeah, talking to you two." The man says as he walks towards them. "Mr. Hammer. Head of Hammer Industries. Always second best compared to Tony Stark. How would you like to gain the advantage against him in something?" He asks curiously as he continues to walk to them, calmly. "See, I was supposed to have a meeting with Stark, but I do not think he will be too obliging."

Fern's been in plenty enough trouble this past week, so as Justin turns she follows willingly, her arm still linked in his. While her smile has faded, it takes what the stranger says about Justin being second to Stark to bring her frown out. She glances back to David, trying to get a good look at him, filing him into her memory for later recall. Her eyes shift to Justin, trusting, willing to do whatever he deems best.

Justin almost stops at that. Bringing up Stark and how he rates in comparison is always an excellent way to get his attention. His step does falter at the words, and his expression has fallen completely. "I'm not out here to discuss business," he says, glancing back over his shoulder at the interloper. "If you wanna talk business, call my office." It takes a lot of willpower, but Hammer refuses to confront this guy while Fern is with him. He has no idea if this could escalate, and refuses to put her in danger.

"I guess then I may have to talk to the others then...What was the name of that one man, Lex?" David asks calmly as he watches them. "Maybe him or Wayne Enterprises will be a better choice after all." David says, stopping and watching them now.

Fern keeps walking with Justin, but she can feel him tense up. And she's been working so hard to get the exact opposite result. Now she's getting pretty irritated that someone is 'harshing their buzz', as it were, and bringing tension into what ought to be a quiet time. She can't help it, she turns, releasing Justin's arm and addressing the man directly. "If you wish to speak to Mr. Hammer, then you may call his office, as he said. If you don't even know who you want to talk to," she goes on, in reference to him bringing up other names to goad her friend, "then I suggest you don't waste Mr. Hammer's time." Well, he may not have technically hired her as his PA, but Fern's just assumed the roll for the moment. Perhaps she's been watching Pepper Potts at work. "Now, would you like the office number to handle this at the proper time and place?"

The mentioning of Luthor and Wayne causes Hammer to almost grit his teeth. Still, he manages to keep walking. Iron will power, don't give in to his competitive nature... Justin stops as soon as Fern turns. Oh, no, looks like she's got the redhead temper that they're famous for. He watches the young waitress, only barely covering the look or surprise he has. Damn, why won't she come work for him?

"If I want to waste Mr. Hammer's time, I think I can." David says as he smirks at her, before moving a hand quicker then a normal man should be able to, closing a fist next to her head. He then moves it back to reveal the fly he caught gently, it buzzing off as he stares into her eyes with those golden eyes, the gaze he's giving the woman almost predatory, like a wolf eyeing a lamb.

Despite the man's speed, and his nearness to her, Fern doesn't flinch as his hand darts out, and she doesn't look away from his eyes. She may be a lamb on the outside, but Justin is right, she's got that Irish temper, handed down from her grandmother, and the steely resolve that comes from having three older brothers. "I think not, if you can't behave civilly and respect a simple request." The words come simply, calmly, and with a quirk of one red brow. "Now, if you'll excuse us." She moves to turn, betting an awful lot on the fact that she can scream really loudly for security if need be. She's feisty.

Hammer had pretty much steeled himself against this situation until he saw that fist move outward and towards Fern. She may not have flinched, but he wheels to fully face the strange man who's approached them. He does not tolerate his people being threatened, so it goes triple for the fiery little redhead he actually calls friend. "Listen," he growls, eyes narrowing behind his glasses and pointing at the interloper with his right hand. He doesn't waiver as Fern turns sharply back toward him."I refuse to deal with people who won't respect basic business protocol. Now you're either going to turn around, walk away, and leave us be, or I'll have the cops out here so fast your head will spin."

"I am wanted by the military for desertion and cutting my CO and skinning him like the poachers he worked with. Plus." He says as he takes his hat off, pulling his coat off and vest off to reveal his bare torso. It then happens as he seems to almost grow before their very eyes, nearly 8 feet tall as brown fur grows along his body, muscles becoming bigger as claws form at his finger tips, face breaking out with sharp fangs forming as he looks down at them now, his baggy pants nearly skin tight as he gives what is a growling chuckle at them. "Feel safer with those cops?" He growls out with a snarling laugh.

Well, that escalated quickly. As soon as the strange man starts stripping down, Fern reaches into her bag, drawing out two things. One is a police whistle that immediately goes into her mouth, and she uses her considerable lung power to give a long, shrill blast which can probably be heard throughout the gardens. The second is a canister of mace. While she's got no super speed, she's practiced enough with drawing it to have it out and pointed while the admitted murderer is changing. As soon as it's up, her thumb is depressing the trigger.

As Fern is moving for the whistle and the mace, Justin is reaching inside his suit coat. He pulls out his phone, quickly unlocking it with practiced efficiency. That's when he looks up, and sees what the man has become. "Oh, shit..." The plan has just changed. Instead of dialing 9-1-1 as he had originally intended, he flips to his recent contacts. The number he finds is close to the top of the list, since he had sent a text message to it recently. Just as he's dialing, the sound of the whistle hits his ears, causing him to wince. Chances are, it carries through the phone as it rings through to the other side.

David growls and then the whistle came...OH THAT SOUND! He roars in pain as he holds his ears, then the mace hits his face. He snarls as he sneezes and tries to see and hear. His ears were ringing, his sight was blurry and the mace was overpowering. He grabs his things as he leaps away, to get away from the evil woman and her boy toy.

It worked? Of course it worked. Fern tries to hide her astonishment as the whistle just sort of fizzles out with her lack of breath. It takes a second or two for self preservation to kick in, and she spins around immediately, looking at Justin with wide eyes, the whistle still in her mouth. She grabs it, thankfully not with the hand holding the mace canister, and says, "I think we should go that way." She nods in the opposite direction from where the wolf disappeared, a path that will also lead them back into a more populated area.

The phone connects, and Justin speaks with a wavering tone into it. "J-Jazmin? Yeah, we ran into a werewolf at the Queens Botanical Gardens..." As the thing takes off and the whistle trails out, Hammer glances back over his shoulder, then looks back to Fern. He nods, phone still held to his ear. "It just took off. Holy crap." To Fern, "Yeah, we're leaving now." He starts walking in the indicated direction, though he makes sure that Fern is ahead of him. He'll stay between the creature and the woman. See? He can be a gentleman. Sometimes.