st_arkravinghazelnut

All the remaining souls on Titan were not dead, but they were not the victors. Thanos was on a crash course with earth, and the Avengers and Guardians alike were left with nothing else to do than collect themselves in the fallout of their loss. Those able to walk helped those that couldn't, gathering towards each other listlessly. Tony winced as Peter helped him to his feet, cradling his gut protectively, but some part of him still trying not to look too wounded in front of the boy. Peter's was bracing him and trying to catch his eyes with his, but Tony didn't meet them.

"Something's happening." The alien-woman's spoke up, hushed and afraid. Tony began to move towards her, and then she disappeared on the wind. Tony staggered a step back, the sight dream-like. Unreal.

"Quill?" The hulking figure was reduced to ash, as if he were made of paper that someone had taken a match to. Quill could only watch his companions vanish without a trace, shock and despair twisting his face.

"Steady, Quill." Tony's attempts to comfort the man were hollow. Soon, Quill was following his friends.

"Tony." Strange's voice managed to break through his stupor. "There was no other way."

Then, he too, was gone.

Madonna Inn or no, Tony was making good on his commitment to seek therapy. Or, in this case, facilitate it.

Every part of him was anxious, but he had some chamomile tea beforehand and prayed that the beta blockers were working their magic. And, of course, none of that showed on his face. To the world, he was the picture of cool. But all the adrenergic response inhibitors couldn't scrub the deep seated unsettled feeling that plagued him. It was almost existential. What caring god would decide that Tony Stark was the only adult around both informed and caring enough to round up some teenagers and a child for a mediated counseling session? Who was allowing this?

Alright. Deep breath. The young trio were seated around in his room. It was the most neutral, private setting he could think of. All of his clutter was pushed back into the bed area and arranged somewhat professionally. The drawing boards were covered with his spare sheets to reduce the amount of distraction and preserve the privacy of his work. Liz and Annie were seated on either side of Peter on the red sofa, and Tony was seated himself on the beige plush bench across from them, pulled in closer to provide some sense of intimacy. The candles already there provided some soft, warm lighting though Tony really was at a loss with the rocky interior. He'd grown desensitized to them but once he had to meditate over how it'd lend itself to a collective emotional breakthrough the damn walls just taunted him all over again. Tony told himself that if he ignored them, so would everyone else. Hopefully.

Alright. Go time. Tony pitied the universe where he was a social worker but many of the concepts and skills involved were translatable from his past life as a business man. Set goals and expectations. Identify and meet the needs. Strategize.

"Alright." Tony leaned back on the bench. "Before we all start talking, I think it'd be helpful if we all went around in a circle and expressed what we're hoping to get out of today. What we want to understand, what we want to change, what we want others to know."

True to his word, Tony Stark made second contact with Liz well into the afternoon, following their first meeting the night before. After the whirlwind of the previous day's arrival, unsuccessful escape attempts, some drunken antics, and an entire five stages of grief regarding his room assignment, Tony had to really get his head in the game for this show he was about to put on.

"Remember the plan?" Tony hovered behind a clothing rack at the gift shop, clad in a souvenir hoodie (that wasn't there to hide his bed head) and an oversized pair of tinted sunglasses (that also weren't there to hide the bags under his eyes) for disguise. Lastly, he was armed with a mug full of coffee with the inn's logo printed on it in bright pink lettering. He motioned at Liz, or as he called her, his "Co-Conspirator for Operation Spider Ambush."