[Bureaucracy wins, apparently. Of course. Pepper doesn't particularly mind how it's accomplished, as long as the stately old gentleman isn't overly hurt by halting the proceedings. Once he's a little further away, Pepper laughs and offers them a hand up.]

Well, that happened. Did he just pick you out randomly in the crowd? I mean, you do stand out, so maybe 'random' isn't the right word for it. Did you ever figure out that resin rock painting thing?