GUIDING LIGHT ( iron fist.. ) ✔

o1. the business market..

"Stark Industries changing profiles and becoming a technological developer of the business world affected in no way their past popularity. In fact, especially after Stark went public about having become the Iron Man, their sales went up on all planes," Ward Meachum flipped the page on his open file, balanced in his left hand while he walked side by side with Danny Rand. Together, they were now co-directors of Rand Enterprises, once again becoming lead international humanitarian company in chemicals and pharmaceutics. Their past cybernetics branch was what bothered Ward the most, because his forever profit-oriented mind wished they could reactivate their old factories and benefit off of a triple income, rather than stick to their current dual specialization.

Danny, on the other hand, barely having arrived back in New York yesterday afternoon, exuded a patience unworthy to be called a match for Ward's effervescence on the matter which could make or destroy their partnership opportunities. Holding the laminated invitation Ward has called him back for, Danny now asked the question he held in through the morning's board meetings analyzing their weekly charts, "Why can't you go to this party? I think you are far more qualified to condone business with Mr. Stark."

"Didn't you read it?" Ward yanked the shiny paper from his partner and friend, then, stopping them on the middle of the corridor illuminated on one side by the classic tall windows they approved the design of together, following Danny's insight in feng shui. In a blue and bright grey chromatic, the two of them, wearing black suits, molded into the formality almost perfectly, were the blonde to have understood when to wear colorful running shoes and when not to. 

He shoved the invitation back in Danny's face and pointed the last lines, as if the closeness would make the letters clearer, not blurred further. "The invitation is not for Rand Enterprises to send a representative. The invitation is directly referring to you," Ward dropped the paper back in Danny's waiting hand and sighed. "It's probably got a lot to do with the fact that half the city knows you are flying your glowing fist around every chance you get, but somehow, you don't think coming out about being the Iron Fist in a press conference is wise. It would substantially raise our sales-"

"And it will go against everything I stand for," Danny smiled, not raising his voice in order to speak over Ward's already dying tone, in the land of complaints. "Yes, there are many people who know me for who I am and I am not afraid to say it the same way they would be afraid to do something about it. But declaring it in front of cameras just for the sake of it, is the opposite of the humble stature of the Iron Fist traditionally."

"Whatever," Ward dismissed the lesson entirely and flipped another page in his file. "You'll have to go to that party and not make a fool of us, because a partnership with Stark would salvage the entirety of our cybernetics gap. Get us a meeting, Danny, preferably with the man himself, but I would settle for Ms. Potts-" He stumbled over his words, because though they were about to continue walking, Danny wasn't even looking down at the same file with him.

Instead, he was looking behind, at the elevator which opened, letting out several Rand employees, just starting their shift, or carrying out on-going tasks onto this upper floor, dedicated to finances. Ward snapped his fingers in front of Danny's face, but there was no saving him from noticing Sierra was in that elevator, waiting for everyone to get off so she may continue, most likely, to the lobby. 

"I'll get back to you," Danny whispered, barely. Ward caught sight of the girl Danny was about to ditch him for, the same girl he was told would be crashing at Danny's place for a while, though last night, both of them preferred napping on the couch in his office instead of making it back across several busy night streets to his house.

"The party is tonight-"

"Ask for meeting with Tony Stark, got it," Danny pointed back at Ward, cheerful that he remembered the detail, then shamelessly put to good use the fact that he was always ready for a run, not only by the permissive shoes, but also by his elastic tailoring in his suit.