Difference between revisions of "2274/AWftF Epilogue: Summoning Shenron"

Latest revision as of 13:04, 19 May 2015

Serori (37) has posed:
The provided coordinates lead to a location that couldn't possibly be any more 'middle of nowhere' if it tried. Forests and rolling hills sprawl for hundreds of untouched miles in all directions. The closest you'll find to civilization in these parts are a few attempts at farms, and a campground bent on exploiting a city dweller's desire 'to get away from it all.' These are all a significant distance away, and will present no distraction from tonight's activities.

Unfortunately, so's the nearest Warp Gate. Serori must consider the value of privacy to be worth any travel hassles.

The time's about come to summon Shenron. Serori waits in a green clearing, her collected Dragon Balls spread out on top of the broad mostly-flat stump of a fallen tree. Four belonged to the Confederacy in all: the two-star, the three-star, the four-star, and the five-star. Each shines with a dim internal radiance hinting at their divine power.

Serori herself looks weary. The dark smudges beneath her eyes are made more pronounced in the twilight gloom. Her brow is furrowed by thought, and her quietness has a marked intensity to it, like her mind is absorbed by something important. Must be thinking about those wishes she's about to make.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute is one of the first to arrive. Honestly, he set out a while back. Even though he knows that you only need /one/ person there, to make the wishes? He wants to witness the event. He is also somewhat planning to just help provide a little bit of moral support to Serori. After all, she has been one of the people most stressed by this. And he knows it.

     Lute walks into the area, wearing a labcoat only partially closed, and a speedo. He came here straight from the beach house, so it seems he basically decided that it was too much of a hassle to change out of his bizarre choice of beach gear. Mr. Crabs isn't here with him, but Imima is. She floats near him, as he walks along.

     And he casually tosses Serori a bottle of a fruity alcohol upon seeing her.

     "Seriously, this is almost over, and you look terrible. Have this when it's over." He pauses a second, looking her over. A simle on his face, he says, "And don't stress too much about this. We all know you won't screw up the wishes."

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
After all the war and rage, the doom and gloom, and the end of Kakarot, a chance to just mingle among all of the people that helped, one one side or another, seemed like a godo a chance as any to just relax. Ryxinel, Sidonia, Tibor, and Lumina have stayed behind. The coordination required between the league and Reptilon for evacuation and relocation simply required too many resources for all the dragons to arrive. Rhapsody, however, snuck out. They had wanted her to stay, but today? After everything? Nope. Done. Taking a day off. See you later. Gonna go see another dragon about a thing.

When the Guildmaster arrives, she'd be very curious about these 'dragon balls'. She had seen the reports about them, heard about the wishes, the one that had been promised, and that was great. Some smiles would be a wonderful change after all the sorrow she'd seen recently. There isn't a lot for her to say. Instead, she's mostly there to observe. Anyone passing by would at least be greeted.

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    This is a momentous enough occasion for a campaign Dracula's been invested in to inspire him to arrive, and it's only a few minutes before the vampire lord manifests in a rising column of dark mist beside Serori. He's not alone this time either, however; Death comes into existence at his other side, looming in his ever-gloomy sullenness as if he has no reason or desire to be here. At least Dracula has a slight smile, enough to look decently pleasant.

    His hand briefly comes to rest on Serori's shoulder, though his attention is focused on the dragon balls for now. It's a temporary contact before his arms swish back his cape and fold behind his back, and from there the Field Marshal simply stands in silent observation as they await the rest of the balls.

    Lute, however, gets a raised brow for a moment and a lingering stare of weary bewilderment before Dracula simply shakes his head and turns back to the balls.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Terrible Dactyl and Ankylo are here - a small camera floats next to them, apparently wired into Genghis Rex's recovery room. The other Tyrannos are helping on Reptilon alongside the Dinosaucers to try to salvage what can be salvaged.

Dactyl taps his foot impatiently and looks at his watch, "I'm not sure why we're here. We have work to do on Reptilon and ... wishes? REALLY? It all sounds very hocus pocus to me."

Ankylo elbows Dactyl in the ribs, "You have no imagination *Snort*snort*"

Terrible Dactyl clutches at his ribs, "If you mean, I don't read comic books and watch cartoons like YOU do, then I'm perfectly fine with that!"

Ankylo shrugs, "Then you don't know what you're missing! *Snort* Now SHHHHHHHH."

Serori (37) has posed:
Serori's so lost in her own thoughts that she pretty much misses the bottle of alcohol being tossed in her direction.

Fortunately, Dracula appears from the thin air before she can get hit by the bottle. He'll have to tank that impact.

Thump.

Steve Rogers has posed:
It may be so quiet out this way, in the middle of nowhere, that you can hear an engine before you see the vehicle that it's built into. The dust cloud is probably visible ahead of the vehicle, too, as it approaches from the warpgate.

It turns out that the vehicle in question is a jeep, or something much akin to one in design - four wheels, relatively open top (although there's a tarp that can be arranged over the frame in the event of rain), two front seats, two back, and a fairly compact cargo bed. And driving the jeep is none other than Captain America, in full uniform.

The jeep brakes to a halt a short distance away from the gathering Confederates, and Cap dismounts, lingering by the jeep in case any of his passengers need a hand getting out. "Ladies and gentlemen," he greets the others here (mostly Confederates) with a polite if cool nod, taking in just who all is here ... and he takes a moment to pull his shield out from the jeep's front seat, securing it on his back for now.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
Vegeta is just sitting with his legs crossed on the ground, in his normal set of shoulderless vest armor. He watches with scratches on his face, and bandages that likely cover burns, hunched over and tired. "If I hear 'I wish' from anyone other than Serori, or who Serori selects to say so, I have enough energy left to entirely annihilate you. I just thought you would all like to know."

Tesla Armadia (368) has posed:
Tesla Armadia is mainly here because the Dragonballs are just the sort of mystic give a flying flick to physics and make insane shit happen type of thing she has a curiosity towards.

That and both Serori and the Tyrannos are going to take all the support they can get after the holy hells they've been through. Which is probably why she is unsurprisingly standing with Ankylo and Dactyl instead. "And so the long and frustrating journeys are finally coming to their cultimative end."

Rebound (750) has posed:
    Bandaged and limping a bit, Rebound is at least out of bed and has come to the offered coordinates. She figures there's very little chance for shenanigans. At least the bad kind of shenanigans. There may still be some shenanigans. Also she really likes the word shenanigans.

    Not to mention she did manage to keep the generators from being suicide bombed by Saiyans yesterday, so that's something she can feel pretty proud about and she feels she needs to come out here to make sure everything was worth it. She winds up lightly hopping up next to Rhapsody and looking at the Guildmaster for a second, "Hey so thanks for not letting me get killed yesterday."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Was she tired? Yes. Could she have come in something less wound-aggravating? Definitely. But this was a big event, dammit, and Sanary wasn't about to show up looking like a slob. She's still representing the Confederacy and the Zaibatsu, after all, so showing up in anything but a three-piece suit would be out of the question.

     Plus, she hadn't done laundry yet. So the suit won. Showing up at the noted location, Sanary takes a moment to glance at those gathered at the time and even snaps quick salutes to those she had fought with on Reptilon.

     "Hey, everyone. We ready to do this thing?" She snorts lightly at Dracula's reaction to Lute's lack of dress, biting her lip to hold in a laugh and just whacking his shoulder instead.

Cory (768) has posed:
    Perhaps annoyingly, Chikorri ended up radio'ing her about the coordinates no less than three times. 'Why not West City or something' is her thoughts on this, because...

    FLYING AND FLYING AND FLYING OUT THIS FAR IS ANNOYING AS IT GETS!

    On the other hand, Cory's flight speed today far eclipses yesterday's, courtesy of recovering from getting beaten within an inch of her life.

    And there's simply no mistaking the exuberant joy she's showing for the occasion when she does finally arrive. She's smiling hugely, anxious and impatiently jumpy as any kid. "This'll be the first time I've even seen the dragon! Even if he saved me I didn't get a chance to see him for more than a second..."

    The Saiyan youth waggles a finger at Dactyl! "No dissing the Dragon. Its power is real. These things even saved me from oblivion!"

    Her reaction to DRACULA suddenly appearing is executing a lightning-fast backflip and landing in a TREE though.

    Guy's presence just set her off that badly, apparently. "S-some warning, next time..."

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    When rebound comes up to Rhapsody, the dragon blinks once, remembers and then, "I'm still surprised Sidonia carried you out. It's .. not something she tends to do for people. Either she was really impressed or you had something she wanted. ... I'm guessing she was really impressed," she explains, "I'll be sure she hears about it, Rebound. You did well. I don't want to think what would have happened if the shield had gone down."

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
Ryuko is here, surprisingly enough. Or not, considering her own efforts to collect the Dragon Balls, and the deal she'd made with the Union. Not in her Kamui, though. She's in casual clothing, something a normal high schooler might actually wear, as opposed to Senketsu's less-than-standard appearance. Even when he isn't transformed.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Of course she will be here. How could she not be?

    The moment Toph had received word about Serori waking up and calling for a gathering tonight, the earthbender had immediately gotten herself ready. And waited. And waited. And waited. Until it was finally time to head out from Njorun.

    The three Dragon Balls held by the Union can hardly be much safer under the vigilant watch of the greatest earthbender, a super soldier and a psy user. They all are rather invested in this, after all.

    Shortly after the jeep comes to a halt the blind girl is strangely quiet as she gets out of back seat, clutching her satchel close to her chest with both arms as if she was carrying the multiverse's greatest treasure. No, she doesn't need any help. Everybody who knows her should be able to tell that Toph is /tense/, even if her expression is calm and neutral.

    For now all of her attention is on Serori as she walks over towards the Saiyan, passing by the others without a single word, and only when she stops next to the tree stump does she hold out the satchel for Serori. Inside are the three Dragon Balls, each wrapped in cloth. Most of the time the rough earthbender would have simply tossed items over, but no. Not the Dragon Balls.

    Then Toph steps back, drawing a silent breath but otherwise remaining silent.

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Honestly there's little reason for Frederica to be here. She didn't seek the Dragon Balls; she didn't help Reptilon. Oh she WANTED to help. She's known what it's like to lose an adopted father. And Tony... well... Tony's a friend. Even if she won't admit it aloud, she respects the man for courage, ability, and his willingness to look after Toph. She totally knows what it's like to adopt a dangerously-powerful child who needs support and affection. She was that child once, after all.

    Right. That's why she's here. For Toph's sake, no other reason. She was DRAGGED into this, all but protesting. Okay, so long as that's clear. Frederica ended up catching a ride with Captain America and Toph, escorting the Union's dragon balls. She's pretty quiet and indrawn. Part of that might be the cast on one of her forearms, the remnant of a recent battle. The rest, well, she's always been a bit quiet in crowds full of people she doesn't know well. She accepts Captain America's assistance down from the chair with gratitude. He's a gentleman after all. But mostly for now, she just sticks close to him, to Toph, and to the dragon balls. When Toph heads up to present them to Serori however, Frederica hangs back, sticking with the Cap. She has no place up at the podium, as it were.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Terrible Dactyl puts his claws on his hips and waggles his head and flaps his beak, mimicing Cory's admonishment of him right to her face.

"Oof!" Ankylo elbows him again, this time harder.

Serori (37) has posed:
"Aah. The rest? Thank you." Serori addresses Toph in kind of a distant manner. Taking the satchel to the tree stump, she sets the remaining three Dragon Balls next to their brethren with a care not suiting a violent saiyan.

All seven Dragon Balls brighten on being brought together. Their calm, constant inner radiance grows into a pulsating brightness that casts an orange glow across the clearing. Serori shakes off her mental shackles, and watches the Dragon Balls for a few moments before she steps forward and clears her throat.

Before she tries to use the Dragon Balls, she turns her head to regard the mixed group in attendance. Some of them she doesn't much like. Except for Toph, who has earned a bit of genuine sympathy, she feels a stab of annoyance at how many have come just to see Tony fucking Stark brought back from the beyond.

Why Matoi's come at all is...guh, who cares, get on with it, Serori!

She addresses everyone in a flat tone. "I'm sure most of you are aware I'm under some restriction as to how my wishes can be spent. I've made promises, and more than that, I'm bound by pacts. Colonel Psyber made the arrangements with Loros, so I'm sure you'll believe me when I say I've got no interest in /breaking/ those pacts."

She's not really sure how to do this. She's never done it before. Going by what she's been told, it should be simple...

Eyes lifting from the Dragon Balls to the sky, she thinks one last time on her wishes and what could have been. Immortality, power -- there's no hope of having those things now. Serori sighs and lowers her gaze to the Dragon Balls. Hands outstretched above the pulsing light, she speaks the summoning phrase in a loud, clear, confident voice: "Eternal Dragon, by your name, I summon you forth...SHENRON!"

The light inside the Dragon Balls brightens and becomes steady. It swells, and its color shifts into a kind of golden incandescence astounding to behold. Soon, the Dragon Balls themselves disappear into the light's midst.

The light flares again, and fires a semi-solid beam straight to the cloudless sky. At first, the beam is almost electric in appearance, all jagged and wild and dangerous, but as the beam climbs, its shape refines into something more fluid, river-like, and sinuous. The beam gains fangs and eyes at its head. It coils mid-air, becoming distinct in its serpentine design. Though the end of transformed light tapers down to a fine point yet connected to the Dragon Balls, it has taken on a living essence all its own.

Serori looks on in awe as the light fades to reveal the form of Shenron, the Eternal Dragon.

Shenron's whiskered jaw moves, and his baritone voice rumbles out his response to Serori's call.

"CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY AS YOU SPEAK. I WILL MAKE TWO OF YOUR WISHES TRUE."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute, for his part, is trying to ignore Matoi. And also the fact that Dracula appears in the path of the bottle. He is simply pretending that did not happen, no matter the result. Instead, he takes a moment to walk over to Toph, and hand her something from a pocket in his labcoat.

     "For your valiant efforts as part of Team Lute, I give you these two gifts. First, a Team Lute T-Shirt. Second, a gift certificate for a free sundae at Dairy Queen."

     And then he looks up, staring at Shenron. Oh dear sweet God, that is a /gigantic/ dragon. He just stares up, completely baffled at the giant form of it.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"Where the hell is my gift certificate?!" Vegeta suddenly demands, then quiets down when the dragon appears, groaning and crossing his legs again.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute turns to Vegeta. Oh right, he is here. Somehow in the pressure of throwing a bottle of booze at the Field Marshall, he didn't notice.

     And as such, Vegeta is tossed a matching Team Lute T-Shirt. And a gift certificate for a free sundae at Dairy Queen.

     "You're welcome."

Tesla Armadia (368) has posed:
Tesla Armadia murmurs, mostly to the Tyrannos next to her so she doesn't disrupt Serori's concentration, "Just hope this dragon isn't one of those jerk literal genie types."

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Terrible Dactyl's beak snaps shut, "Well, now ... that certainly has my attention."

Ankylo snorts, "Cool!"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     There's quite a few things that can induce pants-shitting. Dragons, people capable of exploding things bigger than dragons. Thankfully, Sanary's had a lot of practice holding it in over the past several months, and any strange smells that may come won't be coming from her tonight just from seeing Shenron appear.

     She'll still gawk at it for way too long, of course, and make some confused noises before turning towards the t-shirt squad. She glances between the two objects of potential focus rapidly, gauging her options before moving over to Lute and headbutting his shoulder. "And mine?"

Banjo (773) has posed:
    Sweeping down through the skies of this isolated location is Banjo. The youngster from Namek peels down, puncturing through a few white clouds as his form slowly yet surely lowers to the grassy plains below. His brown shoes gently touch on the ground, before he lands completely to stand under his own weight. Short antenna twitch slightly, his eyes focussed on the scene.
    "Shenron." He breathes, eyeing the epic creature with admiration.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
As Shennron appears, Rhapsody's attention is captured. "Sure is..." a big dragon. Jeez. Bigger than Niv, for sure. The guildmaster holds up a small crystal, taps it once, and then puts it away. At least Sidonia and Ryxinel would get to see the crazy huge wishing dragon later.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute pauses as Sanary comes in from behind. He pulls out another Team Lute T-shirt, and hands it to her. And a gift certificate.

     "Does anyone else want a T-shirt and a gift certificate to Dairy Queen?"

     It is likely he printed a shitload of both.

Cory (768) has posed:
    When Banjo arrives, Cory quickly identifies 'him' and hops over.. but her landing coincides with the Dragon's appearance! So her attention fixes quickly on the majestic and awe-inspiring creature emerging from the Dragonballs.

    Yup. Her jaw's hanging open.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The wish restrictions... of course Toph knows about them. And about how long they had to wait for this moment.

    A moment that's ruined by Lute.

    That indifferent look is replaced by one of annoyance, and Toph narrows her eyes before she takes the shirt and throws it straight back at Lute's face without a word. Her expression should say it well enough. Back. Off!

    No, she couldn't care less for shirts and stupid gift certificates. Not when the mighty dragon appears. Sure, the magnificent sight is lost on unseeing eyes. Since the dragon is flying as well, only it's voice and the reaction of the other people gathered tells Toph that is actually something /there/. And as the voice booms, Toph swallows nervously, biting down on the inside of her lower lip, her hands gripping her elbows tightly where she stands.

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    The fruity drink does, in fact, hit Dracula. Somehow, though, it doesn't seem to have left a mark! Such is the incredible power of the Lord of Darkness, it seems. Though Death still turns to level a blood-chilling stare at Lute for a few minutes.

    Cory, likewise, gets a brief smirk from Dracula before he - almost mockingly, partially sincerely - sweeps a hand to the side in a slight bow. "Forgive me. I find it hard to remember such courtesies these days, it seems." And back he goes to watch the dragon balls as they're assembled in front of him.

    Of all the grand occasions Dracula has been witness to or created, this is a new one. The vampire lord steps back slightly in honest respect as he watches the proceedings, then watches Shenron appear in such a brilliant fashion.

    He says nothing, of course, but if the light of his own dragon's stare and the smile baring his fangs is a sign of anything, there's no small amount of respect for the great creature before him. Perhaps a feeling of compatriotism, in some regard, though they're certainly not the same kind of being. He would wish to take some time to speak to the great dragon, but Dracula is more than aware enough of Shenron's constraints here. Perhaps sometime in the future; he can wait.

    For now, his attention shifts back to Serori, watching her thoughtfully as she no doubt proceeds with her wishes.

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
Well. Ryuko sure isn't disappointed. For something that can grant wishes.. and almost anything, at that.. she was kind of expecting something.. grand. But, even this has gone a bit beyond her expectations. "Woah."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel has been here for a bit she's bene quiet trying to fade into the crowd as much as she can. She hadn'e been sure what to say dor this. She listens to Serori she's eyieng Serori she not sure just how this is going to play out. She knows what could wished for, she watches and waits she also make ready to jump in if someone tries to pull /anything/ here. Still hopefully it won't ocme to that?

Then the Dragon is summone and Deelel stares mouth hanging open by her User that was a sight and it was huge.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Admittedly, Captain America DOES have something of a vested interest in seeing Tony Stark brought back ... but when you get right down to it, that's not his ONLY reason for being here.

For one thing, Toph needed a ride, and she was bringing the Union's share of the Dragonballs, so he wanted to make sure she got here and back, safe and sound.

He also wanted to bear witness with his own eyes to the actual process - because pacts or oaths or what-have-you, he doesn't ENTIRELY trust the Confederacy not to engage in some kind of treachery. If Serori is good to her word (and the pacts), then fine - he was worried over nothing and Serori proved herself trustworthy.

Lute's approach to Toph draws a wary eye from Cap, but he doesn't move to interfere - it's just a T-shirt and a gift certificate, and it's up to Toph whether to accept them or not.

Serori invokes the Eternal Dragon, and Shenron appears ... and honestly, all Captain America can do at the moment is stare. His inner artist is committing as much of the sight to memory as he can ... he may try to sketch it later, maybe with an eye to converting the sketch so Toph can 'see' it by touch.

Serori (37) has posed:
For once, Serori's a bit on the nervous side. Sure, she's worked alongside Death, and met and spoken to several deities (or people near enough to it), so there's really no reason why she should feel intimidated now, right? But -- there's something about him. Shenron. He's otherworldly. It's more than that, though -- his power is way beyond Serori's understanding. At least the deities she's met haven't been so difficult to get to know.

Sigh. She drops her hand from Dracula's forearm -- at some point, she'd grabbed onto him -- and musters her courage.

"Eternal Dragon! I'll tell you what we wish, but please, tell me first what's possible! We need to undo the damage our enemies have caused -- the planet Reptilon will die without your help. Can you fix the planet's Lava Dome? And the people -- can you bring back the lives of those who died in this campaign?" Serori looks uneasy about asking anything at all. Her famous confidence is shaken.

Shenron issues a thoughtful sound not unlike a roaring thunderclap. "YOU ASK MUCH OF MY PATIENCE! REPTILON IS NOT MY WORLD TO PROTECT OR TO RESTORE. TO INFLUENCE ITS FATE REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH. I POSSESS ENOUGH FOR YOUR DOME, BUT TO THEN ALSO RESURRECT SO MANY FALLEN..." The dragon's words fade away into ominous silence.

"CHOOSE WISELY WHO IS TO LIVE AND WHO IS TO REMAIN AMONG THE DEAD. WHATEVER WISHES YOU MAKE TODAY CANNOT BE REPEATED!"

Serori chews on her lower lip and looks aside to think hard and fast, only to jump in surprise as Shenron quickly adds: "MY PATIENCE RUNS SHORT. SPEAK YOUR WISHES. NOW!"

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Huuuge dragon, yep. Wish-granting dragon. If Frederica weren't utterly petrified at this point, she might actually appreciate the sight.

    She's stoking so much emotion right now though... it's a good thing nothing's going to go wrong. ISN'T IT...

Banjo (773) has posed:
    "It's alright, Cory." Banjo soothes, the younger figure seeming the calmer one of the duo! "Shenron won't hurt you." With his green arms folding across his chest, his white eyes glance from Serori to Shenron. "I take that back." He states. "Porunga has more patience than Shenron. Maybe Dende created him to be a bit grouchy."

Rebound (750) has posed:
The kangaroo lets out a soft whistle as she looks up at the gigantic dragon that has appeared as a result of the Dragon Balls. She doesn't say anything for now but does just kind of watch a little bit. She doesn't have a lot to input at the time being so she just wants to see what happens.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
Vegeta stands up and heads over to Banjo, reaching down to try and lift him up by the collar. "Come on, you're a Namekian, maybe he'll be more patient if he sees you." Then he tries to wave Banjo around, to make him more visible to the dragon.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
A wince slips out from Rhapsody. Shenron didn't seem very interested in any of this. Why so impaitent, she wondered to herself. The eternal dragon's insistance on the wishes being made causes the Guildmaster to flinch. She waits, now, wondering what Serori will have done..

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Now that's more like it." Grinning and tucking the shirt into her suit, Sanary looks from Lute to the dragon to Serori to the dragon and then finally to Toph. Should she or shouldn't she? On one hand, the earthbender could probably bend her in half in three different directions at once at a thought. On the other hand...

     ... Hell, the girl looked tense. Shenron roaring out like that probably wouldn't help make anyone calmer. Maybe some reassuring could help! "Hey, Toph. I'm on your right." Sanary keeps her voice steady and calm, hunching over a bit before patting her right shoulder lightly. "It'll work out fine. Try and relax, eh?"

Tesla Armadia (368) has posed:
Tesla Armadia pauses, raising a brow a bit. Restoring certain lives was part of the arrangement for getting the Union's Dragonballs as she recalls... but potentially putting one of the wishes towards Reptilon's state? That's a new one.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Shenron's short temper seems to have Captain America more wary now ... but he just keeps his hands on his belt, gripping it a little tighter - maybe to keep himself from going for his shield. Those pacts only apply to *Serori* as far as he knows ... and there are a lot of Confederates here ...

Sanary gets a nod of greeting/acknowledgement from Cap as she makes her presence known to Toph. Other than that, he's still watching Shenron (and everyone else who's here, to the best of his ability).

Lute (188) has posed:
     As the shirt and coupon are tossed right back to Lute, Lute just shrugs it off. He stays close to Sanary, putting a hand on her shoulders casually, as he watches the Dragon, and Serori talking to it. He smiles at Serori, focusing more on her and the Dragon than anyone else here, aside from maybe Sanary.

     "Come on, Serori, don't worry. You've been working at this for so long. I am sure you'll make the right wish. Trust me. We're all here for you."

     Lute, of course, is not surrpised at /all/ about the fact Serori is considering changing her wish. The moment Reptilion started getting destroyed, well... Yeah. That is something he saw coming, knowing her.

     He looks down at Sanary, smiling, "...Maybe next year, you and I should gather the Dragon Balls. It'd be fun!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's unnerving to wait. Which is kind of ironic considering how patient Toph usually is, especially in regards to bending and fighting. But this...?

    There's frustration there on her face when Shenron speaks, and if she didn't know any better, she might have spoken up. The urge is clearly there, but no. These are Serori's wishes, and she promised!

    Sanary's words causes a slightly annoyed whisper to leave Toph. "I know." She's blind, but she can still see in her own way. When she reaches out to touch her shoulder though, the blind earthbender raises her arm, intercepting the touch, and she shakes her head quickly. Not now. It's not like she is a little kid who needs the reassurance!

Cory (768) has posed:
    hearing Shenron being so imperious is enough to get Cory all tense and intimidated, as if a parent were scolding her. She takes a steeeeep backwards despite Banjo's reassurances. "He doesn't eat people in payment for wishes and nobody ever told me, right?" She whispers to the Namek kid.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     The healer relaxes considerably with Lute's hand on her, not even flinching when Toph stops her from patting her shoulder. "Heh. Serori's got this." Withdrawing her hand, she stands back up to nudge Lute's side with a smirk. "Sounds good to me. Gather a bunch of balls, talk to 'em the right way, have a mighty dragon..."

     She is holding in so much snickering right now.

Serori (37) has posed:
Serori takes a swift breath before speaking. "I wish to repair Reptilon's Lava Dome to full functionality at once!"

There's another beat before she spits out her second wish in a bitter growl. "I wish to also restore the lives of Tony Stark, Brachio, and the Elites who died on Reptilon while fighting the Neo Saiyans, except for Kakarot and his chief lieutenants! If you have the energy to bring back any innocents, too...please! Revive them, Eternal Dragon! These are my wishes -- I trust in your power to save Reptilon!"

There is a long stretch of silence as Shenron lifts his head to turn his red-glowing gaze on some very distant place. For a long while, nothing happens. Shenron's coils remain unmoving. His gaze does not drop, and he does not speak. It'd almost be awkward if not for the overwhelming /sense/ that something, somewhere must be happening.

The pounding in Serori's heart doesn't stop for a moment. Did she ask the right questions? Did she say the right words? What can Shenron do -- is this all wasted hope?

What's going to happen to Reptilon?

Of course, Shenron's power isn't wielded here in this clearing. If it's being spent anywhere, it's being spent lightyears away, where Reptilon's supervolcano tears through the last Izzet League barrier. The planet isn't recognizable anymore as the lush jungle world it was; lava pools and vast fissures carve the landscape a new, hellish face. The air is too ash-strewn to breathe without masks. What few evacuation missions are still in progress are encumbered by the intense heat boiling to the planet's surface.

Even with the Lava Dome fixed, the planet's got a long way to go toward being anything what it was. But if the Lava Dome's fixed, there's some hope for a future...

The Lava Dome is engulfed in blinding light. The air above it clears. Wherever the light touches, healing occurs.

On a long and winding road leading to King Yemma's office, the line of souls awaiting judgment suddenly becomes shorter. Not by much, but enough for the helpful oni servants to remark in some surprise.

Down in the bowels of HFIL -- Hell -- two halos wink out of existence just a giant bucket of trash is flung toward a pack of unruly saiyan spirits.

Death gives a raspy sigh of faint annoyance before he suddenly vanishes in a swirl of darkness. The next time he reappears it's deep in Hell, where two souls have just had their halos vanish from existence. His sullen glare is leveled toward Tony and Brachio before he simply intones a firm command. "Come with me if you want to live."

If only the people gathered around Serori had any idea of what just happened. Reports from Reptilon may slowly trickle through, but not before Shenron completes his tedious task.

Shenron looks to Serori and the others and says only, "IT IS DONE."

As the last intoned echo fades across the skies, the Dragon Balls lift into the air. Shenron again becomes a creature of radiance, his light drawn back to the Dragon Balls in a descending spiral. A high wind whips through the area, carrying away Serori's shout of surprise.

The Dragon Balls rotate around one another and come together until forming a tight, glowing mass of flickering orange and yellow light; then, the seven orbs streak away from one another at high speeds, each moving across the world in a unique direction. Their momentum is so intense they become untrackable almost at once.

"W...wait!" That was it? What just happened? Serori looks at the sky in distress and confusion. Was that how it was supposed to go?

Fortunately, there's someone here who might be able to provide a little guidance.

Banjo.

Serori traps the youth under a demanding stare. "You're a Namekian, and Dende's student. Can you explain what the hell just happened? Was that it, seriously?"

Lute (188) has posed:
     The last wish is stated. Lute only has a brief gap of time to do this. While his primary reason for coming here was as emotional support, and to see the results of all the hard efforts, he does in fact have one other idea in mind. One other reason to be here. That reason is: The Eternal Dragon itself. Lute is, after all, the primary Monster Trainer of the Confederacy. And, before the Dragon vanishes for the wish, Lute stares at it. Smiling.

     He might not have this chance again for another year. He lets go of Sanary.

     "POKEBALL, GO!"

     Lute makes a sudden movement, reaching into a pocket and pulling out an empty Pokeball. More specifically, a modified Pokeball meant specifically for catching Dragon-Type Pokemon. A Pokeball meant to counter everything that is 'Dragon'. He had it special ordered right when they started collecting the Dragon Balls.

     And he throws it straight at the Eternal Dragon's forehead, with the aim of a skilled Pokemon Trainer.

     And sadly he is a /split second/ too late.

     "DAMNIT. NEXT TIME, DRAGON!"

Steve Rogers has posed:
While Captain America was definitely expecting SOMETHING underhanded, Lute throwing a Pokeball at *SHENRON* was not it.

Cap reaches over his shoulder, getting his shield ready to toss. But he's going to get permission from Serori and/or Dracula before he actually bounces the shield off Lute's head.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"What did you expect?" Vegeta asks of Serori. "There's no fanfare."

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Bracio cocks his head at Death, "Come with YOU? Err ... aren't you the guy we go with when ... oh whatever, this place is annoying, let's go!"

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Just a few moments after the wishes are done, Rhapsody is a flurry of activity on her radio, trying to get reports in from Reptilon. She had the League all over the place, it's likely she could give a report... shortly. Gathering information!

Banjo (773) has posed:
    Banjo is hoisted by his purply blue sleeveless gi, before being waved about like a flag! Forcing himself to get released by pushing back against the Saiyan Prince, Banjo grunts a bit. "This isn't a dragon that protects planet Namek. This is Earth's dragon, and I have no connection to him."
    A small sweatdrop appears on his cheek when Cory asks her question. "Thankfully for you, Shenron is not a Saiyan. Like his creators, he doesn't eat." Lucky indeed!
    When the wish occurs, Banjo watches as Shenron does his thing. Then, BAM! He's gone, just as quick as he appeared. With a sigh of relief, his antenna quiver a bit when Serori rounds on him so. "Of course that was it. What did you expect to happen?" Banjo asks simply. "The lives of all those you wished back are back. Right now, at the place where they died, they should be coming back. I hope you wished them back to a place that they can breathe, or their life won't last very long."

Tesla Armadia (368) has posed:
"Well that's kind of anti-climatic," Tesla notes. "Typically all powerful entities are massive ham spectacles.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
And there in Hell is Tony Stark, having just masterfully engineered a makeshift catapult to fling a giant bucket of food-related garbage at a bunch of dead Saiyans. He knew it was a stupid idea when he came up with it, but hell, might as well fight stupid with stupid.

He hadn't thought to be reprimanded by DEATH HIM-FRIGGING-SELF. I mean come on, he's already in Hell, isn't that enough?

But wait... he stares at the grim spectre, casting a wary glance at Brachio, and the not-Gomez twins, then back again. He asks, cautiously, "Is this like a Terminator 2 thing?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There...! The wishes are stated, and Toph holds her breath as she waits for something to happen. Something!

    And then the mighty dragon states that things are done. And like Serori, Toph herself blinks when it seems like the dragon is leaving. She blinks, looking rather dumbstruck where she stands. That... was it? Somehow she seems uncertain of just what to do. But finally she speaks up, turning towards Serori and Banjo. "So where is he?!" she demands rather impatiently. On Reptilion? Or...

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Frederica remained back with Captain America, so she's a little bit behind Toph now. She bristles slightly when the Confederate healer approaches the poor blind girl, but does nothing. She bristles more when Lute goes to Sanary, which puts him near Toph and (perhaps coincidentally) near Frederica.

    Lute is... well, he's quick. Frederica was considering what she might do if someone tried to mess up the ceremony. If someone stole a wish perhaps. Fire would be involved. Lots and lots of fire. Probably screaming. His move is unexpected though, and it happens AFTER the wishes were granted. Good thing too, or she might have moved without thinking. Or flamed without thinking.

    Instead the pyrokinetic girl just glares at Lute, a hot, angry glare. "You are SO lucky you did that AFTER." she glowers.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Did it work? Did the dragon actually do anything? Did Lute really just do that? Sanary bites down on her lip to hold back even more snickering, although she does take a moment to position herself with Lute on one side, and Toph and Captain America on the other side. Not the smartest idea she's ever had, but... Hell, somebody should probably make sure Lute doesn't get too many bones broken, right?

Steve Rogers has posed:
And with Dracula giving permission via radio, Cap's arm snaps out straight, flinging his shield at Lute's head.

It's going to be a fairly gentle impact as these things go, Captain America isn't trying to HURT him. Just give him a nice bruise to dwell on.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Brachio places a finger the size of a human hand on Tony's shoulder as Death begins to take them away, "I dunno why I'm tellin' you this, but you got worked kid. You got worked hard, you n' Banner both. Keep looking' for Betty. She's alive. The one I killed was Envy ... tell Banner ... and try NOT to be such a fuggin' mark! Kay?"

Cory (768) has posed:
    With Banjo being suddenly accosted, Cory does something maybe surprising. She stands by his side with a hand on his shoulder. Whether this is to tell him 'I've got your back' or to warn Vegeta and Serori off scaring him off is hard to say, but she's there.

    What is easy to say is that once The draogon vanished, Chikorri's face twisted about in momentary confusion too. That's it? "The dragon's not very chaty, is he? He left before I could get a look at him the first time too..." She manages to miss Lute throwing the Pokeball until it's just a MOMENT too late for her to grasp what's happening in time.

    ... Not that it means much. She just facepalms.

Lute (188) has posed:
     "OW."

     Lute bends over, a big bruise on the back of his head. He rubs at it, siiighing.

     "...Can you heal this for me, Sanary?"

Banjo (773) has posed:
    "He's where he died." Banjo repeats to Toph, noting the Earthbender becoming a bit more anxious as time rolls on. "At least, that's how it works on Namek. The lives are brought back to the exact point of their death. So, for example, if he died right here? Well - that's where he will be brought back. But something tells me he wasn't killed right here." The Namekian smiles then. "Don't worry. He's back. You just need to find him."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony Stark says, "What--" but then he's being sucked through some kind of portal and has to focus instead on not letting his insides become his outsides.

Serori (37) has posed:
Hey, is that a bottle of Mike's Hard? Serori scoops it off the ground, even as she scowls in further dismay. The lash of her tail speaks to the course of her thoughts. Was any of this worthwhile? Waiting to hear of the results is going to be killer. Serori steps up close to Dracula, and thumbs open her Mike's Hard for a long drink as she stands by for some proof of success.

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    Dracula just gives a confused slant of his eyes toward the space where Death was before. That's...odd, but oh well.

    MEANWHILE, BACK IN HELL:

    Death just stares at the duo as if he really wishes he could be anywhere /but/ here, doing anything /but/ this. "In order: yes, and no. Now be silent, lest I decide to leave you here anyway." With a flourish of his cape, he immediately consumes Brachio and Tony, swallowing them into the endless void beneath his cloak and vanishing once more on his own.

    A few seconds later, Death reappears beside Dracula, hurling Brachio and Tony back out of his cloak like actors tossed from behind a stage curtain. Dracula's raised brow is leveled at the reaper in silent inquiry until Death returns his stare. "My contract, it seems, demanded temporary outsourcing." That's all the explanation he seems interested in giving, but at least the two are actually /here/.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     She probably should have accounted for the height difference. Well, at least healing is Sanary's shtick. She opens her mouth and sighs, reaching over to pat Lute's bruise lightly and directing some healing magic into it. "You deserved that one."

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    After about 5 minutes of a lot of chattering on both the radio and another smaller crystal, probably with the Izzet, the Guildmaster's expression has visibly brightened. "Hey! HEY! I can confirm it all! Lava Dome is restored! A lot of civilians have re-appeared as well. I have the League tring to get them to safety but, I can confirm it, Reptilon isn't going anywhere!"

Tesla Armadia (368) has posed:
Before either Ankylo or Dactyl can ask Tesla pulls out a tricorder-esque scanner from the pocket of her labcoat, waving it in the direction of Brachio (and coincidentally Stark) for a moment to confirm that it is really them for real. Just because. Y'know. You can never bee too careful around entities that grant wishes.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony stumbles out from under Death's cloak, arms pinwheeling and only just avoids falling inglamorously on his face. "Oh... man I am NEVER drinking again," he declares in a sick-sounding moan, wobbling in place with his hands braced on his knees. Yeah, that'll last five minutes, at least.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"Alright! The dragon is gone." Vegeta starts stomping over to Lute, then reaches out to grab the chest of his lab coat, and definitely not his speedo, which is not a surfing suit, intending to shake him. "GIVE ME THE GIFT CERTIFICATES, ALL OF THEM!!!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     As Lute is shaken, he rapidly reaches into his labcoat pockets, pulling out hundreds of gift certificates for Dairy Queen.

     "WHY DO YOU LIKE DAIRY QUEEN SO MUCH?!"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Oh, Vegeta is /not/ getting all of those certificates. Sanary moves to stare straight at Vegeta, still fighting back snickers even while trying to look irritated. "Hey! Who's the one that was healing you and Toph in that hole? I should get at least... Like... A fifth of 'em!"

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"BECAUSE I AM A KING!" is Vegeta's intense response back to Lute, grabbing the gift certificates in one hand.

Genghis Rex (114) has posed:
Brachio rolls unceremoniously out of Death's cloak and ends up sitting on his rump, in front of Terrible Dactyl and Ankylo. Ankylo leaps up and down, "BRACHIO!" then runs up and hugs the big purple Sauropod!

Brachio shakes his head, as if shaking off a daze, "What? WHat the? Ankylo! Why are you acting like a fuggin' puppy? What the fug is going on?"

Terrible Dactyl approaches, scrutinizing Brachio, then flashing a glance at Tony Stark, "Err, You don't know?"

Brachio shakes his head, "Nah, gotta hell of a headache ... sheesh ..."

Terrible Dactyle nods slowly, "Umm ... let's talk ..."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Cap catches the shield easily as it rebounds off of Lute's head. Sanary's moving to heal the bump that quickly just draws a casual look; he's not going to interfere, it's not worth the extra effort - or the extra fury it might provoke from others.

He is, however, starting to debate how much longer the Unionites should be sticking around for now that the official stuff is done. And then -

"Mr. Stark?" He raises an arm to wave to the technologist. "Be right back, Toph ..." He starts making his way over, ready to support Tony on his way to the family reunion.

Lute (188) has posed:
     As Lute is let go of, he just sighs, looking at Vegeta, incredibly baffled. He shakes his head a bit, looks at the recently dumped Tony, sighs.

     And then he tosses a Team Lute T-shirt at Tony.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The moment that Death reappears and flings the two shapes on the ground, Toph freezes, her eyes going wide. The familiar voice, the recognizable metal, the shape... A second or two passes, and then anybody who stands in the way better move. That includes you, Cap.

    Those who do not will find themselves strangely enough /moving/, just at the same time that Toph stomps one foot into the ground and bends herself a free path so she doesn't have to push them aside as she stomps towards the Union major where he wobbles.

    It's only when she is standing in front of him that she speaks up, and her expression turns from stern... to angry. And while her voice cracks slightly, she does sound angry as well.

    "You inconsiderate asshole!"

    Immediately Toph raises her right fist and /punches/ out at Tony's side, her face set in a frown as she seeks to punch him again and again and again and again. "What." PUNCH. "The." PUNCH. "CRUD." PUNCH. "Did." PUNCH. "You." Punch. "Think." Punch. "You were doing?!"

    Well, that's one way to greet your revived dad, right? The girl is shaking, clenching her hands into fists.

Banjo (773) has posed:
    With the dragon gone, and someone bringing the souls back right to this point of place, Banjo takes this opportunity to duck out of all the commotion. It seems he was content on letting all the catch-ups take place without him being present. "I will let Dende know that the wishes have been granted, and the Dragonballs have turned to stone and scattered." The youngster speaks. "Serori, I hope this means you can let your guards leave the Lookout now?" He queries to the Saiyan, before giving Cory a pat on her side. As if to thank her for the protection. "So long, everyone. Well done on the successful wishes."
     And with this, he begins to lift into the sky � levitating a good few feet, before pushing high and into the clouds far above. Back to the Lookout.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     The urge to try and get some of those ice cream certificates for herself conflicts with Sanary's job to be some sort of competent healer. Unfortunately, the latter wins out, and with good timing! Toph seems to be taking the revival... Well?

     Yes. Well. That's a word for it. Approaching Brachio and Tony, the suited healer rubs her palms together to get some of that healing energy sorted out into her hands before directing that magic into the two newly-revived people! Partially to alleviate both Brachio's and Tony's headaches, partially to make sure Tony doesn't die again.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
Between the news of Reptilon and Toph wailing on Stark, well, Rhapsody is a lot of smiles right now. Best she's felt in weeks, too. "Ahahaha. I love this.."

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Frederica gets a great view of Toph approaching Tony, thanks to being behind her. Not close behind, mind you. She's not approaching Iron Man. She's ... got dust in her eyes, that's all. She's got to rub at it, to clear away the irritation from Toph's earth bending. Damn you, Toph. Damn you...

    Only, well, it didn't go like Frederica expected? Where's the tearful reunion? Where's the love and caring? Where.... ah, right. Yes.

    Don't mind Frederica. There's just a LOT of dust in the air now. And in her eyes.

Rebound (750) has posed:
    Poor Rebound just looks so confused right now, but she can't help but grin at how the tension just seems to have lifted. She glances over at Rhapsody and hmms a bit, "Feels really good, yeah. Decisive victory feels great."

Serori (37) has posed:
"Saa. Thank you, Banjo. Give Dende our regards; I'll recall his defenders as soon as I get back to the Citadel." Tiredness has returned to Serori's body and voice; there's no aggression left to show Banjo or anyone else. "Thank you for explaining these things."

A slight wave is given before she turns away.

Serori takes a look at Toph and Tony Stark next, and lets out a low sigh. At least that went right.

The aftermath'll be messy. Reptilon will need a great deal of work, and Gohan will have the Neo Saiyans to sort out. It's already weighing on her mind -- the next action to take, the next plan to weave. At least none of her future schemes are being controlled by one of Loros's magical bullshit pacts.

"I want to go home now," she mumbles. Either Dracula or Death can arrange for that wish to be fulfilled. Hey, Serori's going to get her way on something!

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony Stark is first addressed by Cap, and raises his head blinking puzzledly at all the commotion, trying to sort out where exactly he IS... and then is hit lightly in the face by an article of cotton upper bodywear. He's just furrowed his brow and bent to pick it up to see what it is, when Toph absolutely blindsides him. He staggers aside with a yelp, throwing up his arms to block the subsequent flurry of blows. Some level of reflexive training does kick in at least, and he's able to deflect most of them after the first. Most of them. "Ow. Ow, ow! What did I do? What happened? I was-- somewhere else and then--"

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    Dracula watches the various occurrences for some time, the expression on his face one that's difficult to describe. Soon enough, though, Serori gets his attention again with her statement, and he offers a slight smile and a nod. "As you wish."

    Death simply seems to collapse in on himself, teleporting off to wherever in Castlevania he chooses to reside. Dracula, meanwhile, turns on his heel to start walking off back toward home, one hand resting on Serori's shoulder. Nothing more is said to the others for now; he doesn't have much to say, after all, aside from his satisfaction that this is all finally over.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel watdhes Lute she was about ready to walk up to Lute and smack him up side the head thenkfully that's not needed as the Dragon does it thing she does kinda of watch with more than a bit of suprise about thing as something are restored there right she does wonder where's the second wish? She can only wonder as she too turns her attention to Banjo wondeirng if he does know anything about this entire thing.

"Well the Dragon doesn't seem to be a much of a ham."

The natives of it's hoem universe make up for that in spades. MEanwhile

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "A WHOLE FREAKING MONTH?!" Toph half shrieks as she continues lashing out at the man. There's no bending involved, but despite her small size and physique, the young girl knows how to throw a punch. The others are ignored for now, the words of caution from the Confederate healer, they are not heard. "What were you thinking going off there alone?! Do you have any idea what Pepper has gone through?!" she demands, her voice far from steady. The angry look is still there on her face as she punches, though... are her punches getting weaker? Though she does aim a punch right for his abdomen. "She... and Buster!" Her lips draw thin as her voice chokes, words caught in her throat. Her fist unclenches, and she... sniffles?

    Instead of hitting Tony with her fist, the blind earthbender seems to opt to hit him with her forehead instead, and she reaches out to grab onto his upper arms instead.

    And then the mighty Toph Beifong starts /sobbing/.

Lute (188) has posed:
     With Toph and Tony having a Moment, Lute pulls out a Pokeball. His Gardevoir appears. He looks away from Toph and Tony, and looks at everyone else.

     "...Hey, guys. Anyone else want to teleport out of here with me, so we can give those two a... moment?"

     Yeah he is being surprisingly considerate of teh fact Toph is here crying.

Cory (768) has posed:
    With Toph breaking down and attacking the seemingly ordinary Tony Stark, Cory just... blinks a few times.

    THIS is the Tony Stark, the guy so awesome everyone was mourning him?

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Y... Yeah, that.. Yeah." Sanary cuts the flow of energy to Brachio and Tony as she steps back towards Lute, greeting the Gardevoir with a light nod. She glances back at Toph and Tony briefly, but only chuckles quietly without saying anything further.

Steve Rogers has posed:
And there's the reunion. Not quite what Cap was expecting to see ... he's not going much of anywhere, though. He just heads back to the jeep, making sure there are seats clear for everyone who needs a ride back to Njorun with him - including the lately-late Mr. Stark, who's probably not walking back under his own power.

(Especially when Toph's through with him.)

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Oh dear. That ... that does it. Now Toph's sobbing, and hugging her dad.

    Damn it, it's not just the dust in the air now. Frederica's sobbing as well. If anyone points this out, she figures, they're going to be having a lot of charring issues. Ugh.

    She approaches, though she stops before entering the personal space of Tony and Toph. This is NOT her scene. She has no place in their reunion. Once they move towards her, towards Captain America and his jeep and their escort out of here, THEN she'll offer to heal the big not-dead jerk. For now, she's just going to watch. And weep.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
No, in fact, Tony did not really have any idea. Yeah, there was that moment of life flashing before his eyes, something about... he frowns, as things start to clarify in his mind. The talking dogs. That guy with the huge desk. Being told he was /dead/. And then the memory of his actions leading up to that--

"Oof!" he exclaims, as Toph slugs him right in the solar plexus. He coughs, doubles over; gasps and wheezes to suck air back into his lungs. But then the hitting mercifully stops, and Toph is grabbing at him and crying instead. This is... weird. Definitely an improvement from the beating, but weird. Weakly, for he has little breath to spare for speech, he croaks, "Had to... they were going to kill all those people... hey." And he finally has the presence of mind to lift his arms and pull her in to him in a tight hug. Admittedly, this is more than partially a defensive move. "Hey," he repeats, his voice still guttural but recovering, "I'm here now. It's okay."

He'll still need some time to sort out exactly where he WAS, and how he got back, but one moment at a time, Stark.

Lute (188) has posed:
     After just a moment, Lute will have his Gardevoir teleport him, Sanary, and any other Confederates still present who want a teleport out away.

     Though of course, not before saying, "HEY, WE'RE OFF TO THE BEACH, LOSERS! Have fun /not/ being at the beach!"

Cory (768) has posed:
    "You know," Cory wryly begins, arms folding under her chest as she watches the emotional outpouring between the two, "I was gonna just fly off, but... We're like, in the asscrack of nowhere out here. Nearest warpgate's a few hundred miles away. You two ARE planning on getting home before you starve to death, right?"

    Because Lute just took off with TONS OF EVERYONE ELSE.

    Because she looks around at the other vehicles... oh, the cap'n brought a jeep. "Oh, right. That thing." Well at least she won't have to carry Tony and Toph! ... Probably.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    If it's weird for Tony, then how weird is it for Toph to actually be seen crying by the Confederates and others? She has a reputation to maintain, after all. Tough girls don't cry.

    But that hardly matters now, and right now all she can feel is immense relief. A month of worry, pain, concern and sadness is finally over. Her arms wrap around Tony's waist as he hugs her tight. Her shoulders are still shaking, but she seems to be calming down if only a little. Of course Tony will have to tolerate some snot and tears on his shirt in addition to the bruising.

    "Next time," Toph manages to force out between sobs, "You take me and Pepper along... so we can save your sorry ass..."
She is aware of Steve waiting by the jeep, and there's Frederica and the others. Pepper... she will want to see Tony again too. "Gotta go to Njorun, Pepper is waiting." Okay, her voice is still shaky and cracking, but she manages to get all those words out as she tugs on the side of Tony's shirt. She will help steady him if he needs it.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony looks up owlishly from Toph's hair. "Err... what? Where ARE we, anyway?" This is definitely not Reptilon. And Reptilon is the last place he remembers being before everything got... weird. He spots Rogers with the jeep though, and gives a short nod. If Cap's driving, he's not getting left in the middle of anywhere. He squints at Cory as he allows Toph to tug him in the direction of the vehicle. "Do I know you?"

Yes, he's allowing Toph her space and dignity. He'll save any further expressions of paternal concern for private. Though the shock is fading and his legs are feeling more steady beneath him now, he still keeps a hand on her shoulder though.

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Now that Tony and Toph are on the way back, Frederica breaks her self-imposed shell of hiding in the crowd. She reaches out, hesitates. Toph wouldn't want to be touched, and Tony... well, that has its own problems. She reaches out anyways, laying a hand on Tony's bicep. She's nothing if not brave, even if this doesn't seem a move for conventional bravery.

    "Do you need to be healed?" Frederica asks. She doesn't really NEED to ask. She could just initiate the link required for healing, but that's really quite rude. And kind of intimate besides. Best to ask first.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Earth... one of them anyway." Toph sniffles some more as she does her best to regain her composure and dignity. Though even as Tony doesn't move his hand from her shoulder, she too seems to have a tight grip on Tony's arm as she leads him over to the waiting jeep. "Cory is new," she replies, then reaches out to open the jeep door. Right now they can't get away from this place soon enough!

Cory (768) has posed:
    "Nope." Answers the tailed youth, as if this should be obvious. Oh yes, she has a tail. It unfolds into view, twitching a few times as she leans forward, hands on her hips. "Chikorri, or Cory for the Earth name. Junior Time Patroller." And apparently a Saiyan.

    Seeeing Toph and Tony going for the vehicle with Frederica though, she powers up her full aura and rockets off into the skies. "Cya later!"

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Frederica's touch startles Tony into snapping his head around as he climbs into the jeep.

(His arm is all lean, wiry muscle under her hand, not that she would notice such things of course.)

"I don't... think so," he frowns, doing a quick mental inventory of his aches and pains. "I felt a little woozy there at first, and then someone kept /hitting me/, but I probably deserved that so... I think I'm okay. Thanks, Freddie. You riding with us?"

Frederica (73) has posed:
    "Well, I can't fly like this yet." Frederica says, weakly. Possibly trying to make a joke, or perhaps she's totally serious. She nods. And no, she doesn't much care about muscles, wiry or otherwise. And the redness in her face isn't blushing. It's probably also not the residue of having been crying. Honest. Also she's probably not a total wreck right now.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel Sees tht TOny is once again one of the living she smirks a bit she moves ot go fall in and she comments.

"Good thing we could restore you from backup humm?"

She seems honestly happy to see TOkyp but she'll just be riding on her one by light jet or cycle depending on what's needed.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    As Tony comments on the fact that she was hitting him, Toph lets out a huff and tries to look stern despite the fact that her cheeks are stained with tears, some of them drying. "You did." Having the nerve to go off and die, and then not even remember it? What matters now is that he's back though, and Toph tugs on his arm as she gets inside the jeep.

    "You can rest when we get home." Home. Malibu didn't feel like home without him.