3582/Ascent and Descent

Ascent and Descent
Date of Scene:	29 December 2015
Location:	Techno Urbania
Synopsis:	A mysterious meeting with the Magician leaves Toph with more questions than answers.
Cast of Characters:	20, 799

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Urbania is a technological marvel at times, and techno Urbania is a prime example of that with its many buildings. True, it's not the reason who blind little girls go there. Toph had gone there for shopping and getting herself some new stuff to play with during the final days of the truce, to perhaps grab something to eat... but a nearby situation had grabbed the attention of everybody around, including hers.

    The blind earthbender walks up to one of the tall metal towers, making her way through the crowd as she listens to the law officers present discuss the situation over the radio.

    "-- yeah, seems like a power outage, and there are people trapped inside."

    "Shouldn't the backup generators work, lieutenant?"

    "That's the thing. They aren't."

    Even as the men discuss this, Toph slips forward and adjusts her bracers, walking off towards the tall building. Some of the officers blink, and one of them steps forward to stop her. "You can't go in there, Miss. It won't open." Toph doesn't turn her head and holds up her hand instead. "I'm with the Union, I'll help get the people out." Of course they look a little hesitant about this... at least until the blind girl reaches out to grab onto the tower wall and tears it open with a loud metallic creak of protest. "Just get some maintenance people and I'll do what I can in the meanwhile!" Toph instructs the dumbstruck law officers before she dives inside and begins making her way through the walls.

    No people on the ground floor... which means she needs to go up! And the elevator shaft might be the quickest way for that.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    It really is a good time to get to know people. Hisoka's purpose in being here... well, it's a secret. Suffice to say the Hunter is looking to be amused though, and Toph's presence is a genuine source of potential amusement.

    It's a simple matter to arrange an 'accident'. The site is obvious... a metal tower to attract the metalbender. Generators, of course, are easy things to deal with. It's not even too difficult to make things look like an accidental power loss, with the recent snowfall getting the blame. Hisoka doesn't even HAVE to do things himself. There's always people willing to do things, whether for shits and giggles or for a little bit of money. Of course the Jester is rather prepared to take the blame for this. Toph's no doubt going to accuse him unfairly just because it's him, no matter how well he hides his tracks. So the only reason to hide his tracks... well... the only reason is to mess with her.

    Hisoka's not on the ground floor. No, he's waiting upstairs. When Toph starts to climb, he'll easily enough be able to hear the creeeeaking of metalbending. The elevator shaft? Well, that sounds like fun. He waits, biding his time, then slashes the elevator cable with a screech of parting metal. Toph will get a warning, will likely sense the elevator falling a few inches before its brakes clamp it in place. Likely she'll also hear the startled shriek of those who are trapped in the elevator. Elevator brakes are held open by the elevator's cable, and clamp automatically should the cable part. But inexplicably, the elevator begins to fall after a few seconds... bungee gum taking up the tension that used to be provided by the elevator cable. And the screams begin in earnest...

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's easy enough to climb the elevator shaft with her bending, though it's hard to do so without being noisy. The sound echoes upwards as Toph bends herself something to climb on. It's not the fastest way, but it works. And as she climbs up the first floors she can't help but notice vibrations. Seems there are people up there, but it's a bit hard to tell directly when she's focused on climbing. While most of the building is made of metal there are also other materials here that dampen some of the vibrations.

    It's easier to sense when the elevator begins falling however, and the blind girl blinks as she feels the large box creep down a few inches. What... it's not working if there's no power, right? So why did it move? And why are there people inside it? Were they caught when the power went out? Those questions become less important when the elevator begins plummeting. Crud!

    Immediately the metalbender reacts, kicking her foot into the wall and then down, causing part of the shaft to peel down, creating a ledge for her to stand on. Quickly she gets her feet settled on it, and then Toph throws her arms up before she yanks them to the side, causing the shaft above her to bend inwards, intending to decrease the space gradually to force the elevator to a stop before it can hit her. And also to stop it from falling all the way down and killing the people inside.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Interesting. Hisoka wasn't sure how Toph would manage to survive the attack, or to save the people. He knew how he would've acted, but the earthbender is a puzzle to him. An interesting puzzle. One which he has a bit more information now. He'd never imagined his 'attack' would be something that could hurt her, of course. If he'd wanted to hurt her, he wouldn't use something so obvious or clumsy. This was ... an opportunity for her to be a hero. Or something like that.

    The people in the elevator continue to shriek for a bit, even after the elevator itself is done screeching to a halt due to the constriction of the metal shaft. It's kind of loud, particularly in a metal tube. They're mostly okay though. The speed reduction of Toph's action made sure they wouldn't be badly hurt. Maybe some bruises or something.

    Up above, Hisoka stretches out within the now-vacant part of the shaft. He wonders if Toph will get around the elevator and continue up the shaft, or if she'll try another route with this one blocked. Assuming she sticks with her current plan, if only to investigate the mysterious falling elevator's source, he stretches out like a spider in an invisible web of Bungee Gum. And, grinning, he releases a card down the shaft. A single strand of Bungee Gum catches it, lowering it down until it's hanging somewhat above the top of the elevator car where Toph can run into it.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Good, it stopped. Relieved that she was able to stop it and also save the people inside, Toph resumes the climb up towards the elevator. And since it's in the way, it means she has no choice.

    Perhaps it might terrify the people inside the elevator even more when part of the floor opens up, though confusion seems to take over when the young girl's head pops up and she climbs inside. "Don't worry guys, I'm here to help you out," she assures them, then closes the floor of the elevator before she reaches out to the wall of the elevator and tears it open, opening up a tunnel into the floor. "Just wait somewhere safe, the law officers are working on getting you out as well!" Maybe they can take the stairs down or something, even if it's on the other side of the building.

    While the people are busy rushing out of the elevator, Toph turns her attention upwards. There was somebody up there too... So she bends the floor of the elevator up so she can get to the ceiling and bend it open as well. Which means Hisoka gets to see the familiar shape of the young girl, her style of clothing a bit altered for the winter, but still easily recognizable. Since she can't 'see' him when he's held up by bungee gum he remains undetected for now. Though as she gets to her feet and steps forward to continue up the elevator shaft, the blind girl sputters when she walks right into the playing card, reaching a hand up to bat it away. "What the crud..."

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    The passengers are clearly terrified, but the sight of a young girl coming up from the floor of the elevator isn't as scary as the floor of the elevator OPENING UP IN THE FIRST PLACE. They don't calm down, not exactly, but they do cower in the corner... as far from Toph and the hole in the floor as they can. Even once she closes it back up, they're going to cling to the walls for a while. Can you really blame them?

    The card remains on its bungee tether, simply swinging slowly around as Toph bats it away. Which means it'll come back. If she climbs up past it, the tether shrinks. Hisoka keeps it coming back until Toph finally does something about it. Like, say, grabbing it to identify what it is. It's not like she has any other way to sense it really. It's not touching earth or metal, and it's not made of earth or metal. Fortunately it's merely an annoyance, not a menace. While he COULD make it razor-edged with his nen, that's not what he's doing here. He's just trying to give Toph a hint about what's coming up. Or, rather, what's already up.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Slightly annoyed still, Toph resumes her ascent up the elevator shaft. Though she doesn't climb many meters until she lets out an annoyed hiss. "Monkey feathers!" With that she uses one arm to grab onto whatever is getting in her face and hair, giving it a tug. Is it a wire from the elevator, or what...?

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Well, it's not a wire. The bungee gum itself is intangible, and Hisoka keeps the card elevated quickly enough that Toph shouldn't be able to swipe at his nen enough to interact with it and spoil the illusion. Once she has it in hand, he releases the tension. The card is the only thing left. It's a small, flexible playing card. No doubt Toph's seen its like many a time. Or rather, she's possibly felt them once or twice. Cards probably don't hold much interest for her after all. As to what card it is? Unless Toph has her glove... who cares?

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It would have made sense if there were wires from the elevator dangling there considering it fell, but no... this is clearly not a wire. As Toph's fingers close around the card her eyes widen in confusion, and she remains still for a few seconds. It's cardboard, glossy from the feel of it... a playing card? What's it doing here?

    Only a few moments pass by before she realizes where she's encountered cards in the field before, and she visibly frowns for herself, her expression turning stern.

    But the blind earthbending master isn't the type to rush into battle. Patience is one of the virtues she actually cares for, and well... if the Magician is here, then that means potential trouble.

    Rather than continuing up the shaft, the girl tears into the wall with her hand, opening it up and heading through, closing the wall up after her. Once on the other side, Toph finds herself in an office space. There are stairs on the other side of the room leading up to the top floors with the penthouses. Hmmm, the office space seems to be devoid of people. So the blind girl keeps low and begins making her way towards the stairs. Hopefully she can find a way up there and figure out what the crud is going on!

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Probably Hisoka could just leave without confrontation, having had some fun. He would leave things in doubt, and leave opportunities to mess with this child another day.

    What would be the fun in that though? He can still provoke a confrontation, have even more fun, and leave opportunities to mess with Toph again some later time. Besides they're somewhat isolated here. If little Lychee actually WANTS to fight, why not give her the opportunity? Hisoka grins, letting himself out of the elevator shaft and starting to make his way towards the emergency stairs. Toph may be able to hear him moving, but again so what? He's not exactly hiding, though he moves in a way she might mistake for someone trying to be stealthy.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There!

    As the vibrations ring out, Toph's eyes widen, and she immediately rushes towards the stairs. It's easy to tell where somebody is when they're walking on the floors of this place. There are things that need to be answered, and they will be answered now.

    Right before Hisoka gets to the emergency stairs, something happens to the doorway however. It creaks as the metal around the door shifts, effectively making it impossible to open. And then Hisoka might hear it. Footsteps from the other end of the room, and there she is. One five foot tall grumpy looking girl who seems to glare in his direction. "What the crud are you doing here, Bozo?" she demands. Though it seems she's not making any move to attack...

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    "So eager to see me~" Hisoka grins, as Toph glares in his direction. He seems quite relaxed. More than just 'seems', actually. His heart rate's slow enough that a pro athlete might be jealous.

    Hisoka strides forward, slow and deliberate steps that are menacing despite not being actual attacks. Pace. "I was trapped here when the power went out." he lies. Pace. "What else would I be doing in a place like this?" he grins pleasantly, stepping forward once more.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "You /wish/," Toph snorts at Hisoka's cheeky reply. No, she doesn't like him, she doesn't even want to be in the same building as him. But there are questions that she needs to ask, though she is uncertain whether he will actually give her truthful answers or not. But if she doesn't try then she won't learn.

    Even as Hisoka approaches, the blind girl stands still. And when he speaks, she can't help but notice that there's no telltale signs. It's as if he's telling the truth. Or actually believing his own lies... it's impossible to tell for her however, and that's extremely rare to meet somebody who can lie without her being able to tell. So she swallows slightly before she responds. "You could be part of it, considering you were the one who threw that guy off the roof in Brockton Bay. And helped HK-47 when he tried to /kill/ me," she points out, unable to keep her tone from being sour. No, she doesn't look happy.

    "Also, I dunno if you noticed or not, but I'm a bit old for dolls," she adds. Seriously. If it had been from somebody else it wouldn't have been creepy, but from the Magician? Ick.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    "You're never too old to play." Hisoka states, stepping forward again. Of course he doesn't play with dolls. That'd just be weird. The toys are just stand-ins for what he really wants to play with. "And I suppose if you're going to judge me for defending myself in Brockton Bay, you'll think ill of me no matter what." he claims. And doesn't step forward. He remains still. No, it's not clear if he's lying or not, mostly because he's making no real effort to be believable.

    "And I suppose it's true I helped that toy to FIGHT you..." Hisoka claims. He's still not moving forward now, though he twists to pose dramatically, one arm folded over with the elbow raised to the sky while his other arm's fist rests on his hip. "But do you REALLY think, if I were trying to kill you then, you'd be alive right now?" he asks, eyes crinkling up in a malicious gleam.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "No," Toph huffs, "I'm judging you for acting like a dunderhead." To say that he's suspicious is a serious understatement. The earthbender likewise doesn't move, she stands her ground there with her arms at her sides. And despite her small stature she carries herself differently, like a much larger person. When he comments on the assassination attempt however, the girl's eyes narrow, and she raises her hand to point accusingly at Hisoka where he stands.

    "If that rust bucket wanted to fight me, then he wouldn't have set a cowardly trap for me!" she snaps even as Hisoka moves into that peculiar dramatic pose. And she's just about to continue into a little tirade when the Hunter speaks. And she remains standing still, still pointing at him with a suspicious look on her face. "He's set on killing me for some reason, I have no clue why... but I wouldn't be surprised if he had made you and that creepy ribbon pony promise to not deliver the killing blow. For a machine he has one hell of an ego..." she mutters. She remembers that situation only too well... the feeling of hopelessness when she was unable to 'see', having precious little material to work with in that room, not enough to fight back with... If her adoptive parents hadn't been there, she would have died. That's what she's believed for all these weeks following that incident anyway.

    If Hisoka wasn't there to help HK-47, then why was he there in the first place?

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka already admitted to being there to help HK. Of course Toph might not believe him, but that way madness lies. He surely wasn't there by accident, right? He smirks. "Oh it didn't want to FIGHT you. It wanted to KILL you, little lychee." he claims. Hisoka couldn't have backed out once the plan was explained, of course. Had he heard HK was looking to murder Toph and Hisoka backed out, Hisoka's loyalties would be questioned. And of course, if he'd backed out, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to intervene at a dramatic moment. "He would have killed you. For you to have died, all I would have had to do... would have been nothing." He gestures with a hand, fanning out a series of cards, then gestures again, making them all disappear in a poof. Visual tricks, probably lost on Toph, but he does it anyways.

    "You were bound helpless, drained." Hisoka continues, relentless in his cool-voiced maliciousness. "The broken toy held a knife to you. He wanted to kill you after first breaking you. But then... what happened?" he grins. Toph isn't an idiot... but he's not going to spell it out for her. Anything she says, he can deny or ignore. If he comes right out and says it though, she'll refuse to believe. Worse, she'll tell others what he claimed. If she convinces HERSELF however, even if she doesn't really believe it's the truth, ESPECIALLY if she doesn't believe it herself, then everything becomes more entertaining.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Then why did you say you were there to help it fight me?" Toph counters with a frown. "I'm just using /your/ words!" His little nickname for her doesn't make things better. "What do you mean, Lychee...?"

    It's not like she needs him to remind her of what was going on. It's something she can't easily forget, not with feeling him hold the knife against her, talking about slicing her apart and open. While she is a bit confused at why he refers to HK-47 as a broken toy, there are other things that weigh heavier on her mind. The young teenager looks visibly uncomfortable as Hisoka talks about it, though she tries to hide it with a frown. What had happened? She had fallen down, all while Hisoka said something broke... "You and the pony's powers interfered with one another..." she responds. At least that's what he said. Then her expression changes slightly.

    For you to have died, all I would have had to do... would have been nothing.

    Ah. Your ribbon... cut mine.

    Toph's eyes widen slightly where she stands, holding her breath. "... is it a hobby of yours, spewing crud?" she demands. Seriously, for an earthbender like her, who likes things simple, people like Hisoka can be totally frustrating.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    So Toph gets annoyed at someone's pet name for her? How ironic. Hisoka really doesn't care though. He doesn't care about lots of things, and he completely ignores that question. The other... he smirks. "Oh, and do you always want to kill when you fight~?" he asks. He does, but so few others do and he's pretty sure Toph's not one of them. And even if he always WANTS to kill, he often intends not to. Not when it means more fun later of course.

    He sees her eyes widen. He's not sure why her eyes widened, but he figures something must have occurred to her. Why others do what they do is often a mystery to him. He's fairly confident he's made her think, and that the seeds he's planted will make things more interesting in the future. It's easy to predict what people will do but his ability to actually understand WHY people do what they do is another matter entirely.

    Hisoka smirks. "I have so many hobbies~" he claims. "Though my favorite is killing." he says, beginning to radiate a wholly awful aura of malevolence. "The question is, do you want to kill me for everything I've done, or not?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Somehow Toph looks slightly more annoyed at the Hunter's comment, almost looking like she's pouting. "No. It takes more skill to defeat somebody by not killing them," she claims. And when he continues talking about killing, it takes a great amount of willpower not to back down, especially when he radiates that evil presence that would make most people want to back the hell away. It's clear that Toph senses it as her hands quiver just slightly, though through pure discipline and stubbornness she forces herself to stand upright and still, her expression one of pure defiance. "No," she replies honestly. "I would prefer to kick your sorry ass... if the truce wasn't in place. Sadly I can't do that today. My main reason for coming here was to help those people out, anyway."

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka closes off that deadly aura, gaining control and temperance with some small effort. It's not easy, but then it's Hisoka. Control is one of his better traits. He would have hardly lived as long as he has without a superhuman will.

    He nods. "It does take more skill." he agrees, not unpleasantly. "But it takes more skill to fight someone who knows they have to win or die, wouldn't you agree?" he asks. Hisoka turns away then, heading towards a wall, facing out from it like it were a window and he an admirer of the sunset.

    "You DO know..." he says offhandedly, with a deliberate sort of casualness. "... that I'm not of the Confederacy?" he asks. "Their rules do not always suit my whims." he explains, still not turning around. "Like, for example, this truce. I would be bound not to attack, simply because they decided that this was a ... sentimental time." he smirks. And yes, he's still turned away. He's not looking at Toph, as if by looking at her he'd be giving away his intent. Or perhaps, because he'd want to attack.

    He holds that pose for a while. Seemingly for hours, but of course it's probably mere moments. Time enough for a battle, or for nothing. Abruptly he sighs. "Let me know when you are ready to fight. Come at me, ready to kill or die. If you do, if you're alone, I won't run." he claims. Then, without a windup, he SLAMS his fist forward into the wall. Metal rings, shrieks, tears, breaks. He doesn't quite punch a man-sized hole with a single blow, but he does open the wall up enough to let light through. It takes a few more sledgehammer blows to completely tear open the wall, but he goes through the metal like a normal man through a shoji screen.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When the killer aura dissipates the blind girl takes a deep breath, shaking off the remains of discomfort that she had previously felt. At his question she lets out a snort. "I don't need others to judge my own skill. Too many people are occupied with comparing themselves to others instead of working with what they've got. Besides, if you kill people you lose the chance to brag about it."

    While she had a sneaking suspicion, Toph couldn't be sure that Hisoka was unaffiliated. But to hear him state it does make some sense, as he does seem to hate rules. Does that mean he would take advantage of the truce then? Is that why he's here? Silence reigns for several seconds as Toph merely observes the man, waiting for something. When he finally does speak, Toph looks surprised at first. "What the crud are you talking about?!" she demands. "I'm not into death matches, there's nothing to be gained fro--"

    When his fist tears through the wall she cuts herself off. Sure, while the wall would have been utterly demolished if she, the very first metalbender, did something like that, Hisoka's feat is still something. It wasn't bending, it was pure strength and technique. "HEY!" she snaps, rushing after him as he disappears through the wall, but he's gone. The blind girl halts, looking mighty displeased as she stands there. What is that guy's deal anyway? Why would he want to fight her to the death? Did he really prevent HK-47 from killing her? Those questions are without answers for now, as honestly... you can't know with the Magician.

    Rather than pursuing him however, Toph turns with a huff and then heads off towards the stairs. The people might still need help getting out, and for now that's more important. Though someday she might be able to shake some honest answers out of the wacko clown. She hopes.