Hushed Willows invincible

She listened attentively as he answered her questions, although a part of her brain had a momentary blankness when he mentioned Banner — a brief what the fuck! — because she rememebered the dark woman from the rainy day beneath the tree; but that wasn't important right now. She'd meet up with her and maybe gush about her experience with Stark, or maybe not, or perhaps just avoid Banner entirely because of how aboslutely mortified she felt for that split second — but she focused keenly on Stark as he continued speaking, and whatever plans were formed within Pepper's mind quickly shunted to the back of the queue.

Keeping a place contained, secret, and safe — those were idealistic fantasies that didn't really work in the long run. Especially for a pack of wolves, since they were social by their very nature, and from what Pepper could remember of her natal pack, it was always better to have friends. If cutting the pack off from the world led to all of this, then doing the opposite is a much better idea. Even if its just a theory - or just an experiment. If we work on making some friends, maybe they'll help us. There's always the chance that your missing wolves are somewhere nearby, and we just don't know because... Well, the previous leadership was purposefully ignorant about such things. She didn't mince her words, but Pepper was also trying to be careful. Stark cared for this pack and the people within it, so there must have been some bond between him and the previous leaders — she didn't want to insult that relationship.

Here's a plan: I'll meet up with Banner and we can look around, make some inquiries, maybe even make some alliances. If nothing pans out at least we'd have made the effort. And if it works, we'll have someone to help us find your missing family. Pepper couldn't imagine losing anyone from back home. It pained her enough to think of Hogan being out there somewhere, but for now she was setting her needs aside and focusing on Stark's.