Hushed Willows The nightmare scenario has happened.

He did not look well, but with his statement, everything made sense. Terrible sense, but it was no longer a mystery. She hadn't seen him for days because he had been hunting for Octavia and now, having presumably found her (or maybe her remains?) Stark had returned. Pepper had never seen him so distraught before; it was unnerving, and for the first few seconds after the news was passed to her, she only looked at him dumbly.

That is not what he needs, she chastised, mentally trying to make sense of the news. She hadn't met Tavi, hadn't known her, but the woman had been important to Stark. I'm... at a loss, because Pepper had no experience with grief, or comforting the severely depressed. Instead of using her words, she carefully nudged his shoulder with her cheek, and rested there for a moment of silence, just letting him know she was present. Maybe it wasn't appropriate, but Pepper imagined she would need physical comfort to keep herself grounded if someone that important left her own life.

Have you told Tambourine? She questioned, finally, once the intensity of the moment had passed them both by. He looked as if he'd been awake for far too long, so she began to wonder how he knew, or when, or even what happened, because maybe he hadn't found her at all but simply believed the worst had happened? Or maybe he had found her corpse on the side of the road? Pepper didn't know what to do, so she simply lingered at his side, present, and ready to listen.