387/Mu - Clash of Wills

Mu - Clash of Wills
Date of Scene:	10 August 2014
Location:	Avatar World <AW>
Synopsis:	Who will win in an argument concerning Toph and possible solutions to restoring her to normal? Her stubborn father or the immovable Potts? Tony listens in on the radio, ready to interfere if necessary.
Cast of Characters:	20, 204, 301
Tinyplot:	Mu

---

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Even if some time has passed since the Union forced their way into the Beifong estate, things are still not quite back to normal there. Some of the garden still isn't quite up to scratch, and well... the guards are still somewhat nervous. Then again, there is very little to guard there now since the daughter of the family has been taken away. When will she return? Is she feeling better? It's a worry of most of the inhabitants here. But particularly of two people here.

    One of them is seated in one of the offices of the southern wing, sitting behind a desk as he does his best to work on some official paperwork. But Lao Beifong is clearly distracted and not focused on the task at hand. It's slow, grueling work and clearly something he does not take pleasure doing. So he does take some breaks, rising from his desk and moving about the room, occasionally pacing, sometimes taking a sip from his tea cup. At the moment the man is standing by the window, overlooking part of the gardens.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    Pepper realized how traumatic it must have been to have a large part of the Union Elite who interacted with Toph on a daily basis to surrenly usurp your household and be... less than polite when it came to questioning.

    However, Potts wasn't here to be violent. She wasn't here to threaten, or beat up Lao.

    She was here to speak to him... one parent to another.

    Happy had driven her as far as the 'roads' would allow the car to go, and from there she went on foot while the boxer waited... and wrung his hands... and read Dowton Abbey fanfiction on his phone.

    Potts was dressed smartly, in a gray business suit with a green shirt beneath it as she made her way to the gates of the Beifong estate, she was alone. She had her eatpiece over one ear, so that Tony and JARVIS could monitor the situation from afar.

    "I'm here to speak to Lao Beifong... or if he will not see me, his wife, on the subject of Toph's health."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
After an extended argument that he lost, decisively, Tony agreed to stay well away and let Pepper handle this alone. So he sits, on the couch in his workshop, with a gauntlet on his lap and a screwdriver in hand, making manual and probably unnecessary adjustments while he listens intently to the audio feed from Jarvis.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Sure, the guards and servants are a bit wary about letting the Union in... but then again, it's a bit less intimidating when it's just one person, they are female and seemingly not out to cause a major disturbance. Either way, Pepper /will/ have to wait a few minutes, one of the guards heading off into the estate, leaving her behind with the remaining guard... who is not to strangely not interested in chit chat with Pepper.

    Fortunately she doesn't have to wait long, as the first guard returns and instructs her to follow him. Even if she might know the way, the guard leads Pepper into the southern wing of the estate, and right to the office where Lao Beifong is still standing by the window. On a table on the opposite side of the room from the desk there's some newly brewed tea, as well as a lidded tea cup waiting for his guest. "Do have a seat, Miss Potts," Lao greets her without turning to face her. Why, he'll even give her some time to get seated and perhaps have a sip of tea before he turns towards her, worry in his eyes. "... how is Toph doing?"

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
TPotts can be patient. She deals with Tony Stark all the time.

    ONce led into the estate, her heels tapping against the earthen tile floors and into the office. She takes a deep breath, expecting accusations... but instead gets a more mild welcome thans he was considering. "Thank you." she replies quietly, and she does sit.

    "You may want to sit down as well, Lao. We have a lot to talk about." she replies, and from her breifcase, she pulls a file. She spreads it open, showing medical charts, notes from doctors, a photograph of a protective Buster curled up on top of her.

    Pepper brings her green eyes up, and looks right at Lao, and cuts to the chase. "Without medical aid, and round-the-clock care, she would be dying."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Going for the guilt trip," Tony observes to Jarvis, from many miles and warpgates away. Not that Jarvis couldn't extrapolate that perfectly well on his own. Tony just needs to talk, to feel like he's not totally useless here. Just let that jackass make ONE threatening move, though...

"Indeed, sir. What is the saying about flies and honey?"

"Complete bullshit is what it is. You can catch WAY more flies with vinegar. I've tried."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's easier to predict Tony Stark. The man is full of bravado, so annoyingly secure in his convictions, strutting around as if he owns every room he sets foot into, thinking he can dictate matters relating to /his own/ family, to...

    No, the woman is easier to handle, not to mention she gets on his nerves far less. Still, she isn't to be underestimated.

    His brown eyes narrow slightly as Pepper advises him to sit. He expected her to come here to talk, but somehow he doubts he would ever manage to be prepared for this. Nonetheless, the man moves to one of the nearby chairs, brushing out his fine robes as he sits down and beholds Pepper. The medical charts and notes earn a glance, though his gaze lingers on the photo of his daughter with the curious animal curled on top of her. A few seconds passes, then he tears his attention away from it and takes the medical charts instead, trying to see if he can make any sense of it.

    Pepper's words does bring forth a slight frown however, his brow furrowing. "What makes you think she would be dying...?" he asks, as if doubting Pepper's words. There is however a slight tremble to his hands... and while he does his best to appear angry, that emotion doesn't quite reach his eyes.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Maybe because you made a bargain with a demon to SUCK OUT HER WILL TO LIVE," Tony suggests at the empty air. He glances at the monitor showing Toph curled up on the couch upstairs. She didn't eat as much as he would have liked today, but at least she's in the living room and not hiding away in her bedroom. He determines to coax her out later for ice cream, when Pepper gets back.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "Toph is extremely lethargic, and it's getting worse rather than better. She eats... when she's told to. She tries to concentrate. The amount of desire that she has to return to what she was before... what it must take for her to even perform simple tasks, is staggering." Potts turns the picture around, and she slides it forward. "Someone of lesser determination might have given up, but she's tenacious. We monitor her vital signs -- pulse, brainwaves, anything we can read with technology and magic -- to try and descern what happened. When we returned her to Njorun, she was fed intraveniusly -- through a tube, attached to a needle that slid into her vein in her wrist. If Toph doesn't start eating regularly, and staying awake... they may have to feed her through tubes again, or she will die of starvation. She is losing the will to survive."

    "Lao, we need to know what happened between her arrival here and when this started happening." her voice breaks. And Potts is trying to hold back the burning sting of tears in her eyes. "Or we will lose her forever."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There is little need for her to tell him what he already knows.

    Just what does she hope to accomplish?

    Even as Pepper informs him of how has been doing the last week since they took her away from the Beifong estate, the Beifong patriarch takes his tea cup, removes the lid and takes a slow sip, the taste and warm fluid offering some comfort at least. His fingers clutch the tea cup a little tighter, and he closes his eyes. Toph is still struggling to stay awake and focus. And she might be dependent on this... intravenous feeding? Losing the will to survive...?
    When Pepper addresses him again, the lines in Lao's face grow more taut, and he swallows, turning his gaze away from Pepper as her voice breaks, as her distress becomes clear. "I thought your Union claimed they would be able to /help/ her," he half snaps, his own voice... different from before. It's tense. The whole man looks tense where he sits, his free hand clutching the armrest on his chair.

    At least until he pushes himself up from the chair, beginning to pace once again. "I--" He cuts himself off, reaching a hand up to his forehead.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"We DID help her," Tony's voice buzzes in Pepper's ear this time. "Or did he miss the part where she'd have DIED if we hadn't intervened?"

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    She takes a deep breath. She didn't want to bring up how much they knew.

    She watches calmly, quieting her own urge to yell back at him, yell that they knew. Scream that she would gladly go into the depths of the Spirit World if it meant fixing /his/ mistake.

    So instead, she looks down.

    And she pulls out a picture of the prayer dolls.

    "Some of us went to a market to try and track down the origin of these. We found, in a remote village, a woman whose father had gone to ask a spirit to calm a rebellious brother. It worked -- for a time." she slowly slides the picture of the dolls over to him. "And then he stopped eating. He began to sleep all the time. Does this sound familiar yet, Lao? He died." she places her hands one ither side of her folder. She begins to rise up.

    "We can keep her alive, hooked up to machines to feed her, to breathe for her. Little diodes to occasionally make her legs twitch when struck by electricity to keep the muscles going, but it's not much of a life. Not for Toph Beifong."

    "I've faced spirits in your world before. I risked my life to trick Koh the Face-Stealer and retrieve a golden thread to sew a friend's face back to her body. The things I would do to get Toph back are nothing less than the staggering effort that she is exerting to /stay alive/." And Potts is at her full height now, and her eyes are looking to Lao's.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The sound of paper does catch Lao's attention, and he turns slightly towards her, catching sight of the photo of the prayer dolls. His eyes widen slightly, and his lips grow thin. His eyes do not move to meet Peppers, however. She is not stopped from talking, from saying those horrible things, the terrible truth that he would like to push aside, to ignore for the sake of who knows what. Either way, Lao Beifong stands still, unmovable as he listens without uttering a single word.

    The photo is not taken, as he walks over to his desk instead, resting his hands on it and the paperwork strewn about there. Seconds cautiously pass by, and they might seem like minutes before he finally speaks, his left hand clenching into a fist.

    "... I have lost count of all the hours I spent... the amount of my fortune that went towards raising Toph. Raising her to be a poised, demure, obedient young woman. I did everything in my power to protect her, to keep her safe from the dangers of the world, from the war... and then...!"

    The fist slams into the desk, making some of the items rattle, and the man appears to be /shaking/. When he turns around to watch Pepper, there are a myriad of emotions to be seen on his face. Anger. Frustration. Fear.

    "If you came here to further upset me about my daughter's situation, then I question the intentions of the Union even further...!" he frowns. It appears that he is about to say more, but he turns back to the desk again, leaning slightly over it and resting his hands there. "... it... it wasn't supposed to be this way!"

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "This isn't the Union, this is just me." Potts replies quietly, "Because you and Poppy have raised an incredibly strong daughter, but without your help we might not be able to save her."

    She takes a deep breath, and she sits back down, and she folds her hands across from him.

    "Tell me everything you can."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"If he doesn't talk, try punching him," Tony suggests helpfully over the earpiece.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    Potts motions to the print out of Toph on the table. "Please."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Somehow Pepper's reply seems to make the man even more tense. "I did not raise her to be like /that/," he laments, emotion breaking down the stubborn tone he has managed to maintain for the conversation.

    If he does nothing, will she die?

        If he does something, will she leave?

            Is she lost either way?

    The man sighs heavily where he stares down at the desk, his face drawn, tired... and then he speaks. "These last weeks have been hazy, miss Potts." His words are clearly reluctant. "I do... not know how much I am able to tell you. There are glimpses, words... but nothing much that I can piece together in something that would help my daughter..." His right hand reaches out and grabs a piece of paper that's been lying underneath some of the other paperwork on his desk. He takes the brush from where it lies in the prepared ink, then he draws it across somewhere on the paper before setting the brush aside.

    As he turns back to Pepper and walks across the room to her, he rolls up the piece of paper before he hands it out to her, his eyes narrowed and tired as he doesn't look directly at her. No words are said as Pepper accepts the paper, and he turns his back to her and wanders back to the window, peering out of it. Only then does he speak, his words devoid of emotion.

    "My daughter is lost to me, no matter what happens."

    His knuckles turn white as he clutches his hands behind his back.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    Potts is quiet for a moment as Lao tenses, and his tone breaks. She watches him quietly, her face on the apologetic side of neutral as he speaks. She doesn't correct him. She accepts the roll of paper from where she sits, and when he returns to the window, she feels her heart fall into the pit of her stomach when he surrenders.

    "Even something is better than nothing." she quietly replies, returning the paperwork to the file, the picture of the dolls and the image of sick Toph. She's about to pack it all into her briefcase, when she frowns, and she glances at Lao Beifong's back.

    And Potts reaches into her briefcase and takes out two small pieces of paper. One was her personal business card -- V. Potts, Stark Industries, with her personal communication line. She folds it in a sharp V, and then folds a little lip at the bottom.

    "In time, Lao Beifong, I hope that you will forgive each other... and that you will be able to forgive yourself. I'm leaving you my personal communication line and office address... please, contact me any time."

    And in that little holder, she places a wallet-sized picture of Toph in a pretty, simple (though 'modern') dress.

    "I will make time for you and Poppy."

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    ANd Potts turns to pick up her breifcase, the paper tucked safely beneath an arm, and she turns to leave.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"What'd he give you?" Tony frets in Pepper's ear. "I can't see anything. Is it a confession? A map to the shrine?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    While Lao can't see Pepper folding her business card and setting it on his desk, he is aware of her doing something. But no, he doesn't think she will do anything that requires him to turn around and face her again. Nothing is said to those encouraging words, words promising a chance for things to become better.

    He does not promise to contact her, to let his wife know about the conversation that just took place...

    No, Lao remains standing by the window, silent as Pepper takes her leave, his gaze on the gardens and whatever is going on outside. It's only when Pepper has left the room under the watchful care of the guard that he turns and walks over to the desk, reaching his hand out to pick up the business card... and the small photo. His eyes close, his fingers clutching at the two pieces of paper... and then he moves to sit back at his desk, even though he doubts he will be able to concentrate at all now.

    The piece of paper that Pepper acquired? A map of the southern region of the Earth Kingdom, Gaoling and the village the Unionites visited the other day... but there is also a place marked out on the map there.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    As Pepper walks out, quietly, she keeps her gaze up, her business walk steady. She'll give a quiet smile at a guard. "Please let the lady Beifong know that we are doing our best for Toph." she states as she walks by.

    "And the chances of improvement have shot up."