"Miss Gemini, our assets are now down to thirty thousand dollars and one Galleon." Coby sorted through their remaining funds with meticulous precision.
"Two Galleons, Coby. America uses the decimal system—don't forget that while they share the name, the currencies are fundamentally different here." Gemini corrected him from her plush armchair, looking thoroughly content with her new accommodations. "Use the dollars for mundane necessities—clothing, food, anything Muggle. I'll brew a few more potions to sell, and we'll have Galleons flowing again!"
Coby nodded with understanding. "Shall we officially open the shop now?"
Gemini considered the question with the gravity of a general planning a campaign. "Hang the sign. Tomorrow we begin operations!"
Coby bowed respectfully and retreated to the kitchen, already planning an elaborate celebration feast. This was Miss Gemini's first self-earned property—such an achievement demanded proper recognition!
Meanwhile, halfway across the world in Afghanistan, news of Tony Stark's disappearance had reached American shores like a tsunami, sending shockwaves through every major news outlet and government office.
"We're deploying full military search teams to locate Mr. Stark," the uniformed official declared to Pepper Potts with the confidence of someone who'd never failed a mission. "We will find him, Ms. Potts. You have our word."
"Please make it as fast as possible. Thank you." Pepper nodded with professional composure, though her hands trembled slightly as she shook his. After brief pleasantries, the official departed, leaving her alone with her mounting despair.
"What other options do we have?" Pepper collapsed into her chair, burying her face in her hands. Fourteen days had passed since Tony vanished into thin air—fourteen days without a single lead, a whisper of hope, or even a ransom demand. The silence was becoming unbearable.
"Pepper! You need to see this immediately!" Happy burst through her office door like a man possessed, clutching a laptop against his chest.
"What? Is there news about Tony?" Pepper shot to her feet, hope blazing in her eyes like struck flint.
"Not exactly—but I think we've found a way to locate him!" Happy practically threw the laptop onto her desk. The screen showed a concert stage where a singer was performing, his voice soaring to impossible heights that seemed to defy human limitation.
"Happy, I don't have time for entertainment right now. You know that." Pepper's hope crumbled as quickly as it had ignited, and she sank back into her chair like a deflated balloon.
"Just listen to me for thirty seconds! This singer—Taron Albert—was diagnosed with permanent vocal cord damage a month ago! Career over, voice destroyed, no hope of recovery! But look at him now!" Happy's fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up a news interview. "And watch this!"
Pepper found herself staring at Taron's face as he beamed at the camera with the radiance of a man reborn: "I was in complete despair! But in the dead of night, I actually found that urban legend everyone whispers about! Yes, that's right—I'm completely healed! Better than I've ever been!"
"Where is he? We need to meet him immediately!" Pepper's decision was instantaneous, her mind already racing through possibilities. "Is there more footage?"
Happy's expression grew troubled. "This is all I managed to save. Everything else online has been systematically deleted—someone's working very hard to bury this story."
"Then we go to the source. Taron Albert!" Pepper grabbed her purse and strode toward the door with renewed purpose. Happy snapped the laptop shut and followed. "I've already arranged a meeting. One hour from now, penthouse of Doglin Tower."
"So you're also seeking information about that establishment?" Taron studied the pair before him with knowing eyes. He certainly recognized them—Tony Stark's legendary personal assistant and her faithful driver, both fixtures in the entertainment industry's upper echelons.
"Name your price. Whatever you want," Pepper said without hesitation, her desperation barely contained beneath her professional veneer.
Taron considered for a long moment, then shook his head. "No payment necessary. They never actually requested secrecy—I suppose they're confident enough not to worry about exposure."
He leaned forward, his voice taking on the cadence of someone recounting a religious experience. "I discovered the shop during the darkest hour of night, hidden in an alley that shouldn't have existed. The sign read 'All-Purpose Shop.' After writing my request according to their instructions, I found myself back on the main street as if I'd never left. I had no choice but to believe—I liquidated everything I owned and took the ultimate gamble. Someone delivered medicine that night. One bottle. Instant, complete restoration."
"Where exactly is this shop located?" Pepper pressed, her hands gripping the chair arms.
Taron's brow furrowed with genuine confusion. "That's the mystery—I honestly don't know. I returned the next night, searched that same alley for hours. Nothing but brick walls and shadows. It was as if the place had never existed."
"Do you have any method for locating it again?" Pepper's voice carried the desperation of someone grasping at their final thread of hope.
"Perhaps... the name itself? 'All-Purpose Shop' can't be common, surely?" Taron offered uncertainly.
"Thank you for your time." Pepper wrote a check for one hundred thousand dollars with swift, decisive strokes and handed it to him. "This is for your cooperation." She and Happy were already moving toward the door.
"So what's our next move?" Happy asked as they descended in the elevator.
Pepper stared out at the city lights beginning to twinkle in the gathering dusk. "We investigate every business with that name in the five boroughs. I won't abandon even the smallest possibility of finding Tony."
"Understood. When we get back, I'll start making calls—"
"Stop the car!" Pepper's command cut through Happy's words like a blade. He slammed the brakes instinctively, tires squealing against asphalt.
Before the vehicle had fully stopped, Pepper was stumbling onto the sidewalk, her eyes locked on a weathered three-story building. Above the entrance, a hand-painted sign swayed gently in the evening breeze: All-Purpose Shop.
Happy parked hastily and joined her on the sidewalk. They stood in stunned silence, staring at the impossible coincidence that had materialized before them.
"Miss Gemini, those two Muggles have been standing vigil outside for over an hour! Are they potential clients?" Coby inquired, balancing a silver tea service as he approached Gemini on the second-floor balcony.
Gemini withdrew her antique pocket watch, noting with satisfaction that the needle pointed firmly into the crimson zone—the magical indicator for desperate souls in need. "Well, well—our first customers have arrived! Coby, since this is our inaugural transaction at the new establishment, let's add a premium service fee. For detailed consultation: one hundred thousand dollars cash!"
"Immediately, Miss Gemini!" Coby snapped his fingers with practiced efficiency, and additional text materialized on the parchment downstairs.
After what felt like an eternity of hesitation, Pepper and Happy finally approached the entrance. The door opened at their touch, revealing absolute darkness within. The moment they crossed the threshold, the door sealed behind them with supernatural finality, and candles ignited throughout the space with soft, welcoming hisses.
Pepper surveyed the interior with growing wonder—floor-to-ceiling potion cabinets lined the walls like a medieval apothecary, while a simple wooden table occupied the center, adorned with an ornate quill pen and blank parchment that seemed to glow with inner light.
Steadying her nerves, she approached the table and settled into the waiting chair. The parchment felt warm beneath her fingers as she lifted it, and words began flowing across its surface in elegant script—though she noticed an additional line that Taron hadn't mentioned.
"Happy! We need cash—one hundred thousand, immediately!" Pepper called over her shoulder. Without questioning the bizarre request, Happy headed for the door, which opened automatically before he could reach it. He strode purposefully toward the nearest bank branch.
Within twenty minutes, Happy returned carrying a leather briefcase. He placed it on the table and opened it, revealing neat stacks of hundred-dollar bills. Both stood uncertainly beside their offering, unsure of the proper protocol for supernatural transactions.
"My, how refreshingly generous!" Gemini observed from her hidden vantage point, watching the scene unfold in her shop below. The Muggles remained completely unaware of her scrutiny.
"Coby, please escort our distinguished guests to the parlor," she instructed, sipping her tea with evident satisfaction.
"At once, Miss Gemini." Coby's voice echoed through the shop though his form remained invisible.
As Pepper and Happy stood bewildered beside their briefcase, a elegant staircase materialized beside the potion cabinet—where moments before had been solid stone wall. The transformation was so seamless it might have been an illusion, except for the rich carpet that now covered each step.
"Please ascend to the consultation parlor, honored guests," came Coby's sharp but respectful voice from the ether.
Pepper scanned the room for the speaker but found no one. Happy's hand moved instinctively toward his concealed weapon as they began climbing the mysteriously appeared staircase, each step muffled by luxurious carpet woven with intricate silver and green patterns.
They emerged into a parlor that belonged in an English manor house—all rich mahogany, leather-bound books, and crystal decanters catching the light. Afternoon sunlight streamed through tall windows, while a marble fireplace crackled with welcoming flames. Despite the summer heat outside, the fire radiated no warmth, creating an atmosphere of impossible comfort.