4864/Rough Mornings

Rough Mornings
Date of Scene:	11 December 2016
Location:	Earth-199999
Synopsis:	Toph and Sokka wake up after being rescued, only to find the multiverse having a worse time than they did.
Cast of Characters:	20, 1076, 301

---

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Not much can be remembered from last night. Everything after the rescue from the ship is sort of fuzzy. But she knew that she and Sokka were safe, even if they were frozen to the bone. But with Tony and Sarah's help they got help against the hypothermia, getting some warmth back in them before they had been quickly taken back to Malibu.

    For one thing, it had been a relief to sense /earth/ again, and the warm climate does good. Heck, even a hug from Pepper was enough to bring some warmth back into her still shivering body. And for once a hot bath was not protested against. While she can't remember all the details, she was pretty sure she wasn't freezing that much when she was tucked into bed.

    As she starts to wake in the late morning the blind teen rolls over in her bed, only to grunt as she finds herself unable to fully roll over. Then there's a familiar meow next to her ear. Buster the house cat often sleeps in this room when its occupant is home, but well, he's not quite used to /this/. So he meows louder and pokes at the two faces with his paw.

    "... nigh... stop that, Buster," she protests, moving her arm... and then feels /somebody/ next to her. For a moment she's uncertain just where she is, as the concept of both this shape and Buster being in the same place doesn't match up. Then, still somewhat sleep addled, she /elbows/ the shape next to her in bed.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka grunts a little, but doesn't move. Last night had been rough. First almost getting his best buddy killed, then hypothermia, and just... it had been rough. But they'd gotten home and he was now a lot warmer. Though he'd still had plenty of nightmares about... all of that. But they were home, now. Well, toph's home.

Of course, when he'd woken up, he'd asked jarvis where toph was. He had to check on her, the ai had probably tried to stop him but... well, it was likely used to stubborn people and relented. Which led to Sokka coming into her room and, once he was sure she was good... just collapsing on the foot of her bed. He assured jarvis he'd get up in a second. That was five hours ago.

Now, over that time, his sleep addled body had slowly moved, a few inches at a time until it now lay hugging toph as best it could, considering how many blankets were likely on both of them.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There's no mistaking that bad breath that she got to experience down at the South Pole when he had snuggled up against her in the cold. And now that she's no longer hypothermic she's less sluggish. Which Sokka might feel as he suddenly gets kicked over the side of the bed. "What the crud, meat brain?!" Toph demands, sitting up in bed. Buster walks to the edge of the bed and peers down at the youth, as if still trying to determine what to do.

    It's unlikely that Tony and Pepper would have tucked Sokka in with her in bed, Toph muses. And with Jarvis watching there's no way she dares to just snuggle up against Sokka and sleep some more. Because that's blackmail material right there. Instead she sits up, noting just how many blankets she's covered with on top of the clothes /and/ socks she's wearing. Man, Pepper really didn't want her to freeze after all that... Still waking up, Toph reaches out to her nightstand where she usually keeps her radio and begins fiddling with it. only to blink when the normal channels no longer work. "What... who the crud broke my radio?" she mutters.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka eventually sits up. "Who da wah?" he asked intelligently before looking around. "Where... I fall out of bed?" he asked with a yawn. A few moments later she'd hear light snoring.

Yup, he was still out of it. However, her panic eventually woke him up and he looked up groggily. He held up his wrist. "Mrgggll... try mine," he mumbled gently. Well, his computer HAD the internet, but it didn't have radio signals. In fact, the whole network seemed to be dead. And then sokka asked the intelligent question.

"When'd you come into my room? Why'd you kick me out of bed?" ... He wasn't really awake yet. And yesterday was an icy blur.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Typical Sokka... Toph fiddles more with her radio where she sits huddled up in bed. When Sokka offers his radio on his wrist Toph lets out a snort. "I don't know how to use your radio, genius..."

    Helpful as always, Jarvis speaks up. "Miss Beifong, the network channels are mostly down, but mister Stark managed to get a radio channel for multiversal use set up last night. I will get it sorted on your radio if you give me just a few moments."

    The blind teenager looks confused. What? Why are the radio channels down? Those thoughts are set aside however as she rolls her eyes. "I might be blind, but this is /my/ room. And I kicked you out of bed because it's /mine/!" Ignore the slight blush crossing her cheeks.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded, hugging his blankets closer. "Mmmmm... okay... as long as... stuff," he mumbled softly. "How are you feeling? any better? Are you still sick? Let me know if you're too cold," he mumbled gently, nuzzling his blankets. It wasn't long before she heard the gentle, telltale sound of his snoring. Unaware of what was coming.

And then she'd hear his belch. Yup, still early morning sokka.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Nodding her head, Toph holds the radio between her hands, waiting for a response from the channel Jarvis had initiated for her. "I'm... better, though still tired." Pause. "Are... are you better?" she asks, trying to sound like she's not worried. Is she still cold? Somewhat maybe, but...

    The snoring and the belch earns a rolling of her eyes. It's time to focus on the radio.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka odded. "Mmmm... if you're cold... stay under the covers. Don't-- achoo!" and he sneezed, curling up into a ball. "Ughhhh... Never wanna do that again. Just gonna live here. Forever. Where it's warm. I'll curl up under your bed or something..."

He grumbled softly.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Staying under the covers seems like the best option for now, considering how she's feeling all tired and headachey. "Nearly drowning and being dragged through icy water is something I never wanted to do even once... no offence Sokka, but I... I think I won't be going to the South Pole again for a while." Staying in a warm place like Malibu is for the best. Especially if the talk on the radio is true and the multiverse has changed. Perhaps it's a good thing that they were taken here if there's chaos about.

    Man, that grumbling. "Fine," Toph finally sighs, then polls over to her side. Her bed is large enough for four people. "You can sleep on the other side, just... keep that bad morning breath away, I think I'm brewing on something." Man, this entire mess on the radio is making her head hurt.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka eventually crawled up and sighed. "Your bed is so sooooooft," he said with a light chuckle, before glancing over. "Sorry for uhhh... almost getting you killed." He then cocked his head over to the side.

"What's wrong? Something going on? Radio networks go down? I'm sure they'll be up in a few," he muttered before yawning.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Well, dad didn't exactly buy crappy beds for the house," Toph shrugs, going silent when he apologises for the situation they were in yesterday. "No, it's... we got through it. If it had happened while any of the kids were on board the ship playing..." She's not even going to finish that sentence. Due to them being Elites and acting quickly they were able to get out of it alive and well. Well, alive. Though this nasty cold is bound to pass soon.

    Whatever happened to the multiverse isn't, it sounds like. "I... don't think so. The multiverse changed, and things are happening. I just don't know what yet." Maybe that's why Pepper is upstairs, busy working. "Let's just try to get an idea of what's happening and why."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka shuddered, then. "I still should have gone alone. Or just... dragged Katara into doing it. It would have been smarter. Faster... safer... instead I almost got you killed..." he muttered. "Would have made the whole multiverse a worse place if that had happened."

Then glanced up. "Multiverse... changed? Changed how?" he slowly sat up, scratching himself and burping. "Everyone back home okay?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    As Sokka continues going down that negative thought trail, Toph shifts her leg... and kicks him. Not hard enough to knock him off the bed again, but certainly enough that he should feel it. "Oh, shut up! We're alive, the kids won't get hurt there again, and we have an excuse to take it easy for several days," Toph says, trying to find some humour int he dark situation they went through on the ship caught in the ice.

    Just how did the multiverse change, and why? Those are the million dollar questions. Jarvis does offer some help, considering he has been busy gathering information. "The household is safe. Mrs. Potts-Stark is upstairs working on providing aid to those who need it after last night's events, and Mister Stark is out of the house at the moment at Stark Industries."

    Toph lets out a sigh of relief, knowing that her family is okay. And hopefully things are okay in Gaoling as well...

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka gave a light grumbly sound as he was kicked. "Mmmmm. Stop kicking me or I'm gonna roll over you again," he grumbled. "Too sick to get all beat up today." He yawned into a hand.

He then started to sit up. "So... people are in trouble? Guess that's our queue to..." And got dizzy and fell right back into bed. "Sleep a lot and wait for this cold to pass. Any news from The north pole? How about from Gaoling or the fire nation?" He wasn't panicked, yet. Too sick to get worked up.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "My bed, my rules," Toph huffs, turning her face aside at the thought of Sokka rolling over her.

    Just what are they able to do now? Probably not much, and knowing Pepper is upstairs it would be stupid to push any limits. After last night Toph can only imagine the stress that she's going through... and in her current condition Pepper shouldn't have to have more stress to deal with. Which means that she should take it easy and behave. There are probably multiversal people all over trying to figure it out already, and earthbending is probably not going to be the game changer at this point...

    "Just take it easy and let's just try to figure out what's going on with the radio," Toph suggests, feeling Sokka fall back onto the mattress. Okay, time to ask around some more.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nods and then rolls over onto his side. Thankfully not onto her... and then steals her pillows. "Mmmmm. These are soft too... so like... are there any rocks or dirt mixed in with your bedding so you can feel it? Like... little metal threads or something to go with it?" he gave a soft little yawn as he kinda drolled on her pillow again.

"I'm sure it's nothing too major... if it was, they'd have woken us up, right? Just need to take it calm and relax." He really had no idea.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "I did put some dirt in my pillows once, Pepper wasn't happy about that," Toph mutters, then frowns as Sokka steals her pillows. She yanks one back towards her. "I don't need metal or earth here, because /Jarvis/ is watching everything and would wake me up if something /did/ happen." Besides, it's useful to not be able to know everything that goes on in the house after she's gone to bed.

    Unlike Sokka, Toph can't help but feel that something major /is/ going on. And the reason that they're allowed to sleep in is because Tony and Pepper are busy, and they are letting them rest after what happened yesterday since they obviously need it. Hypothermia is no laughing matter.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka whined a little when she took the pillow. Then shrugged and rolls over, using her as a pillow. "Oh well. As long as they're not so dirty now." He glanced up. "You're not cold, are you? Want me to go see if I can scrounge up some more blankets?" Yeah, him walking probably wouldn't go too well.

He frowned and cocked his head to the side. "Is something wrong? I'm sure if it was major, they'd tell us. No need for them to keep us in the dark."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Wait, is he using /her/ as a pillow now? When that happens Toph eeps, then blushes where she lies. "I-I'm not cold anymore," she says, then snorts. "Just go get some more sleep..." They obviously need it, after all. "People will tell us what's going on with the radio and the multiverse later..."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded, nestling into her stomach, then grinned. "I guess you really are growing up... or at least out. I don't remember your stomach being so soft~" he teased. He was probably the only one who could survive making a joke like that about her.

"So... what do people in this universe do for fun when they're sick?" he asked before giving a soft yawn.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    As Sokka continues making himself cozy, Toph blushes a bit and turns her head aside, punching him slightly over the head. "Your skull is just as thick though, that's a surprise...!" she retorts, then turns her focus back to the radio. It's... really a mess out there.

    She is aware of Sokka's words though, even as she tries to figure out what's going on. "O-oh? Well, you generally watch movies, listen to music..." she offers. Her attention is clearly on whatever's going on in the multiverse though. "Jarvis? Turn on the news." The electronic majordomo complies, and the TV in the corner of the room turns on. Instead of a movie however, the news turn on. As expected there are reports about the way the multiverse has changed, how the warp portals have grown unstable... and just what kind of natural disasters have occured because of it.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded, relaxing a bit. And then the news came on. She'd feel his heart beat go up and he started to sit up. "W-wait, what? Natural disasters? That--" The panic started to go in his voice. He started to sit up. "I need to get out there! There's no telling--" He got a little dizzy and promptly fell back onto her and held his head.

"Ugh... I need to get out there..." he mumbled softly. "I-I thought it was just a little problem, but this looks like... people are dying..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    A heavy sigh leaves Toph, and she closes her eyes where she sits, wrapping the covers more around herself. "We're in no shape to do anything right now... Pepper's upstairs and trying to organize those who are helping out. If anybody can do it, it's her.. and dad's been working on getting a multiversal channel going," she informs him.

    She does look worried should he look in her direction, her fingers tightening their grip on the radio and the covers alike. "Do... do you think Aang and Katara are okay?" If this is happening in this world, is this happening in their world as well?

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded. "I... I guess they are. Probably--" And then blinked. He turned and stared at her, before bursting into laughter. "Aang? Katara? In trouble? You're kidding, right? What are natural disasters going to do to them? Did i ever tell you about the time Aang took down a VOLCANO? Or how about the storm he beat? Not to mention the meteor and... THEY'LL be fine. I'm not worried about them," he said with a wave of his hand. He honestly didn't.

"Besides, Aang is just as tough as you are. In his own way. If anyone could survive something like this, he could." He then sighed and closed his eyes. "It took an idiotl ike me to put you out of commission... If I had just done this by myself you could be out there now... helping people..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    She really hopes they are okay... Sure, she knows they are capable, with Aang being the Avatar and all, and Katara being a waterbending master. Then again, are her birth parents okay? They're inland, but... The blind girl pulls her knees up close where she sits. "I know what they can do, Sokka... I..." Perhaps this is hitting her harder than it's hitting him. She's been a part of the multiverse longer than she has. "The Union... it's no more," she says weakly. "If the warp gates are messed up I'm not sure /how/ I would be able to be out there and helping people. We would have been stuck down at the South Pole if the ship hadn't been sinking." It's the truth, isn't it? It would have been hard, being separated from her adoptive parents. Still, she didn't know she would be this worried about her birth parents too in such a situation.

    Next to her, Buster nudges the girl with his head and an insistant meow. Carefully she complies, reaching one hand down to scratch the cat idly behind one ear. "I... just don't know what to do now." Without the Union, then what is she supposed to do? It's like... losing a job.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blinked a few times, staring at her. Then, slowly, he reached out and pulled her into a hug. His arms wrapped tightly around her and he held her close. "Hey. None of that now, Toph. You're way, way too tough for that. So a few things are changing, right? But that doesn't mean everything is going bad. The Avatar is back home, right? If anyone can handle it, he can. And he IS back home, he's not dimension hopping like us. So he will handle everything back home." He was silent for a moment. "And... your old parents? They'll be fine too. They're in the EARTH kingdom. Surrounded by earth benders. And they have a LOT of money. Nothing bad will happen to them, okay?"

Then he gently gripped her chin and made her look up, into his eyes. Or at least, he would. If she could see. instead she could just feel his breath. "And the union is hurt. Fine. But you know what? The union isn't some five hundred year old thing that's always existed. It's been maybe... what... a decade? A few decades? It's new and it is flexible. Things are confusing now, but once this settles down, the union will reform. People will find out where they are, borders will be fixed. In fact, it'll be a LOT faster than it was last time. Because this time they've done it once. The infrastructure and the ideas are already there. They just need to repair them. It will be okay. I promise." He then smirked. "Trust me, I'm the plan guy. There's a TON of people who are a lot smarter than me out here, working their butts off to figure this out. And they will figure this out and get everything back in order. It's scary now, but there are a lot of powerful and smart people who know each other and how to work together. So it's just a matter of time."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There are no protests when Sokka pulls her in for a hug. Sure, she is tough! But... even tough people can worry about people they care about, right? But Sokka is right, Toph can't deny that... so she nods, both in agreement that Aang will handle whatever's going on in their world, and well... she /hopes/ that her parents will be okay in Gaoling. Are they worried about her...?

    When he grabs her chin though she blinks with confusion. What the...?

    He knows she can't see, so why is he doing this? His fingers are kinda in the wrong place, pushing up one side of her mouth, and well, she doubts her hair is on point. No, the Union isn't just hurt. The infrastructure is gone. Okay, so she doesn't know how old the Union really is, but still... it /was/ a big part of her life now. It's where she met a lot of her friends, where she learned a lot of new things and where she met her Tony and Pepper. Of course it's upsetting to know that it's no longer there! Still, he does have a point. Besides, there are people talking on the radio who talked about new groups...

    It won't be the same, though.

    Toph closes her eyes and finally pries her chin out of Sokka's hand, then blows some of the hair away from her face. "I... it's just /weird/, you know? I'll have to talk with dad and mom later." What are they going to do now? Tony /was/ an officer in the Union, after all.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nods. "Of course it's weird. I'm sure things will be different. But they will work out. And this time you won't be alone, either. Your dad will be there, your mom." He will be there. But he leaves that out, doesn't wanna make it weird. "So... we're gonna figure htis out, somehow."

He rolled over and laid down on the bed. "But, for now there's nothing we can do, right? So let's just... put on one of the show things you told me about. And just try to heal up. Maybe kick some of this out of our system. By the time we're better, I'm sure the networks will be all back in order. You're able to talk to some people in other dimensions already, right? On the radio? So that means there is some communication still up. And I'm sure they'll be setting up more and more every day, they'll all be talking again before you know it."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It would have been worse if she was alone. But... she's not alone. Her dad and mom are here, and... Sokka is here. The most important people in her life are close, they're safe, and... they have to get through this. And so must the multiverse. So Toph nods a bit, offering a faint smile. "Yeah..." His suggestion does make sense, and well... Pepper would want them to rest up anyway so she has one thing less to worry about.

    "You have a point sometimes, Snoozles," she comments, even as Buster moves on over, sniffs at Sokka... and then decides that his face makes a good pillow. "Jarvis, queue up the Disney movies."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka sighs and nods, leaning back. "Exactly. And hey, I may not always have everything figured out, but I have the vast majority of it figured out. Tophie. We'll work this out, one way or another. I mean, we saved our world in a year. I'm sure that we can save the multiverse in half that time," he said with a smirk.

"So, what's disney?" It wouldn't be long before he was bawling on her shoulder. "Bambiiiiiiii!" .,.. Maybe showing him with the dead mom first was a bad idea...

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Elsewhere in the house, there are faint sounds of a car being admitted to the garage, and then weary footsteps on the stairs. Looking exhausted and unshaven, Tony pauses by the doorway to Toph's room briefly to check in on the invalids, manages a partial wave in the form of a weary hand-raise, then turns to drag himself upstairs.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    That's why they keep him around, isn't it? The brain and idea guy. "You sure are ambitious," she snorts, then rearranges the pillows before she flops back. Okay, time to go half conscious and rest up since Tony and Pepper are insisting on it so much that they're having Jarvis keep an eye on her. She can take a hint!

    Unlike Sokka she /has/ listened to these movies, and well... Bambi isn't the one she really cried at. And she won't cry in front of Sokka, not for something like this! Even as Sokka sniffles and probably gets snot all over one of her pillows, Toph is half dozing where she's resting, scritching Buster.

    Her ears however pick up the sound of one of Tony's cars arriving back home. Sure, she can't see what he looks like, but she hears it in his steps. The man is tired, which she can understand considering he first saved her and Sokka from that ship in the ice yesterday, and then he had all night and today trying to clear up whatever was going on in the multiverse. Keeping one hand on the wall allows her to 'see' through the house as usual, and when Tony waves in at them the blind teenager raises her other hand, waving slightly back, and blushing. Yes, Sokka isn't in the guest room and decided to be here instead. Got a problem with that?

    Considering there's no words from Tony it seems it's okay, and Toph sighs a bit. Hopefully he and Pepper will get some rest too... Today might not be the right day to ask any questions about what they're going to do next. That can wait until this initial chaos is cleared up.

    "Okay, if you're going to be crying I'll switch over to another movie," she threatens Sokka. Maybe he really isn't ready for Disney.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded. "N-no, no, I'm fine. IT's all okay. I-I'm good now," he said with a slow, deep breath, holding onto her. At least she got cried on. Of course, he'd make it through the movie. "L-let's watch something a little more... chipper." Then... eventually. 'Come on, you want to, kiss the girl.'

Sokka just laughs with it, shaking his head. "Oh, come ON! It's obvious she likes you! I mean, you'd have to be BLIND not to see it! Ugh! I mean, she literally CAN'T tell you! Just bloody kiss her!" he shook his head.

"I mean, can you believe it, Toph? Imagine having a guy THAT dense he can't notice when a girl OBVIOUSLY likes him." He rolled his eyes. "See, this is why a girl should just tell the guy she likes him. Saves so much drama." Cringes. "Oh, dang, falling in the water..." Shuddered and cuddled.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Okay, this isn't how it was supposed to go. He's next to her in bed. Sure, they're curled up in their own covers, clad in warm pjs to make sure they don't go cold, but still...! Hopefully Tony is too busy to care, not that it's indecent when Sokka is as dense as he usually is.

    Still, just... how is this possible?

    Perhaps it would be better to have him crying on her, she decides. This hasn't been her favourite Disney movie, but as Sokka laughs next to her, failing to notice what he sees easily elsewhere. "Yeah... blind," she comments. "But how the crud is she supposed to tell him? She's unable to, that's the freaking point of half of this movie," she points out.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka glanced over. "What? She can write. She goes on all about that. Or, I don't know. SHE can kiss him. I mean, it's all about the kiss, right? Oh, wait, does she have to kiss him? Either way. Just grab him, tug him against a wall and give him a big hug. It's really not that hard."

He shrugged. "I mean, that's what Sukki did. More or less. It saved a lot of confusion. And if she doesn't she's going to be turned into a sea slug. If EVER there was a time to be direct and forceful." Then, soon... "See? If she'd just gone 'Hey, prince, kiss me' she wouldn't be losing him to miss magic girl there."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Ugh, he doesn't get it! "He's supposed to kiss /her/, not the other way around, genius!" Toph snorts. Of course Sokka needs certain things spelled out, doesn't he? But...

    Jarvis is watching as always. Jarvis is a tattletale. Tony is upstairs... No. There's no way she can just be direct!

    "She won't lose, just wait," Toph comments and points towards the TV. Another time... she will tell him another time. Preferably when there's no chance of anybody watching.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded, relaxing against her and... eventually... He was sniffing again. "That was so beautiful. I mean, kind of stupid. She should have just gone 'Hey, I like you. Kiss me.' I mena, what guy wouldn't kiss her then?"

Then... "OLD YELLERRRRRRR!" .... WHY JARVIS! WHY?!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Even as Sokka continued watching and using her as a support to lean on, Toph didn't move. Okay, don't even dignify that with a response. Besides, she's awfully tired...

    So as Sokka is engrossed in the next movie to come on, he might fail to notice that eventually the earthbender next to him falls asleep, mentally and physically tired after the last twenty four hours. Even if most of them were spent resting.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka would eventually join her. He talked a bunch, of course... but eventually... he'd lay down on her stomach and start to snore into her stomach, nestling in and holding his covers close. "Mmmmm...."

Toph would eventually wake up to 'I won't say I'm in looooove~'