( video & action )

[hyperkinesia]

[ The feed starts with Bruce sitting in what looks like a large high-tech sort of place, from the glimpses one can get from the background. Despite the hint of tiredness that still lingers, after being so busy throughout the first half of the month, he actually looks happy, or at the very least pleased with himself. ]

Hi, everyone. To those of you who don't know me yet, I'm Bruce Banner, as of recently Moira's Chief Science Officer. I hope everyone's recovering well from everything that's happened, though I still recommend anyone who got injured to drop by the medbay and get checked out. Even if you'll be alright on your own, there are ways to ease your suffering and to even heal your wounds faster, and there's nothing wrong with accepting a little help sometimes.

[ Looking at a couple of specific people here, by the way. You know who you are. ]

On another note, the Science Department's been running since the beginning of the month. I've been a little busy but it's starting to come together now. If anyone wants to come by and check it out, feel free to. I know more than just a few of you have an interest in the kind of work that will be done here.

The thing is, it's just me for now, and it would be useful to have a few more Science Officers on the ship. So, if that's something that would interest you and you think you have the knowledge, feel free to apply for the job. I'd love to have people around to work with. [ He smiles a little at the camera, then he adds: ] If science is your thing, you'll want to join in.

[ Look he needed a slogan to lure people in, alright? Just... be charmed by his awkward smile and his dorky attempt at a joke and let's call it a day. ]


(( ooc: Read up on the Science Department, and if your character's all about science and would consider a job change, join in! In the meantime, he'll also be around the Science Department, if anyone prefers to just drop by and say hi instead of replying to the broadcast. ))

Comments

[hyperkinesia]

Your concern is commendable, Pepper. [ And her priorities very well placed, actually. ]

He hasn't said anything yet, no. But I suspect that might be because he's still a little wobbly. I'm sure he'll drop by any day now, or I'll just have to go look for him and make sure he's still alive. [ Joking, of course. ] Not sure about any kind of system, though. Anything you had in mind? An alarm clock, maybe?

[handing]

He probably hasn't seen the announcement. [Because honestly, even with the future Tony refuses to tell her about, Pepper can't imagine him not wanting to work with Bruce in a scientific capacity. She would just have to point out the broadcast to him later on.

In the meantime, she arches an eyebrow at the idea of an alarm clock being a sufficient way to break stubborn scientists away from their experiment.] Something you could just press a button to quiet after promising yourself that in five more minutes, you'll take a break? No.

[But since he's asked...]

I don't know how AI integration would work in the lab, but I'm sure Tony could provide something. You should also have drinks readily available--water at the very least, no alcohol. Food is a bit trickier; on the one hand, it'd be nice to know you'll keep yourselves fed down there. On the other, if you have to leave to get meals, then that could be another incentive to take care of yourselves. Definitely no truly comfortable furniture. You might be able to fall asleep anywhere, but it's easier to manage in a bed than on chair that pokes you in the wrong place.

[hyperkinesia]

Well, it could be a snooze-less alarm clock.

[ Delivered with a stretched smile, almost amused. Just throwing ideas out there. ]

Wow, that's... you really have a list, don't you? [ It's sweet, really. And amusing. ] For the record, I still have a routine I intend to stick to. A routine that involves me going to the mess hall for meals, going to my own bed every night, exercising and working out too, going for walks... things like that. I'm not going to live and sleep in there, I promise. [ He's not that bad, alright? Well, mostly. He might get distracted a couple of times, but that's it, honestly. ]

But those are nice ideas. I'll keep them in mind. [ He'll just go ahead and skip on the last suggestion, because no way he's not having comfortable furniture there. ]

[handing]

Which you could still turn off, thus defeating the purpose entirely.

[Bruce, you have no idea how much experience Pepper has with this. "Successfully getting Tony out of the lab" should be a bullet point on her resume.]

I was responsible for making sure Tony took care of himself for a long time before we were together. That included designing the aspects of his workshop geared towards that end. [So yes, there's a list. Respect the list, Bruce. Also comfortable furniture is totally a trap that you'e letting yourself fall into, just saying.]

Right. Up until you get something truly fascinating to work on, in which case you might need someone to bodily drag you out. [Okay, so maybe she's exaggerating--or projecting. But the thing is, before all the mess with Killian, Pepper had gotten so wrapped up in her own work that she let Tony get away with so much more than she should have. It culminated when he tried to skip out on date night in favor of working in the lab--and created a set of armor that responded to his unconscious commands to protect him by attacking his lover in bed.

She doesn't want to go down that road again. Not with Tony, or any of her other friends.]

[hyperkinesia]

[ It's easy to tell she's speaking from experience here, so Bruce doesn't really argue much. Still, he has a feeling Tony can be much worse than he, for the simple reason that he can allow himself that complete lack of care and self-preservation. Which, in this particular case, isn't exactly a good thing. ]

I can easily guess that's how Tony works. I, on the other hand, can't afford to let myself slip up like that. I need balance in my life, as you well know, and among other things, that involves a balanced diet and relatively regular sleeping schedule. Sure, I might get a project sometime that'll have me spending more hours in there, but I still won't skip out on meals or minimum hours of rest a day.

[ It's not something he would ever risk, especially not here, with so many people around whose lives he could endanger. If he's not well rested and fed, then his control can slip up, even without him realizing it. It's not something he can allow himself, not ever. ]

But I'll gladly help you keep an eye on Tony. He still has his job as an engineer in any case, so hopefully he won't hole himself up in the science department too often. [ Haha right. ]

[handing]

[Funny thing is, Bruce catches her off guard when he points out his unspoken reason. In hindsight, however, it's incredibly obvious, so much so that Pepper feels a little silly not having seen it sooner. She simply slipped into mother hen mode, because yes, she's so used to such behavior from Tony—and more. He locked himself away and built dozens of suits in a paranoid obsession to try and be ready for anything; to try and protect Pepper, and in the process, almost pushed her away.

Of course Bruce's reasons are different, and arguably more severe. Tony could have broken her heart, but Bruce could do so much worse. It leaves Pepper to wonder if she might too; she's still able to function well enough, but she can't say she doesn't feel the strain that comes from difficulty resting.]

Hopefully not, but we both probably know better. [Bruce's lab has Bruce, and that's reason enough for Tony to prefer to spend time in there.] So I'll appreciate any help I can get.

[hyperkinesia]

[ To be fair, he used to be like that a lot. Spending whole days and nights working, skipping meals and eating poorly just to make do, getting little or no rest and eventually passing out on some couch nearby. Betty tended to be more attentive than he was in those things, but even she had a few times when she ended up getting just as distracted as he. It didn't make for a great combination when they both got really excited about some project or experiment.

But when he started to learn control over his ability, he knew that this would play an important part in it. Having relatively regular schedules, minimum hours of sleep, a steady and balanced diet. Being too tired or hungry wouldn't do him any good at all, it would throw him off, and even if that might be just by a little, it's not something he would want to risk.

Although, granted, he still has a day like that, every so often. It's just not his norm - it's very rare, actually. ]

One can dream, right? [ He smiles, lifting a shoulder. ] We'll set up some kind of system. One that can remind me there are other things besides work, too. Just in case Tony ever distracts me with something shiny. [ Which will probably happen at some point. ]