841/Digging

Digging
Date of Scene:	23 October 2014
Location:	Middle Earth
Synopsis:	Toph helps Thranduil with bending more room for his subjects, all while trying to change his mind regarding the multiverse.
Cast of Characters:	20, 592

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Perhaps it's a bit different from what the elves imagined. But it's clear that Toph Beifong is a determined young girl when she returns to Mirkwood as determined by their previous meeting. After all, there are halls to be shaped from the mountain to help protect the civilians and keep them safe from conflict. There's been disturbances, and this is something that will only help protect innocent people, right? Of course it is.

    While she hasn't acted aggressive towards the elves, they might feel a bit nervous when the earth first began to move...

    With the master earthbender's power and skill, as well as with the elves explaining just how they want their halls shaped, Toph began working in earnest. The earth and rock shifted, giving room to large halls and smaller rooms as necessary, arched ceilings and reinforced areas to make sure the place doesn't collapse. All in all, the blind girl seems more interested in structural integrity when she works, but she does make sure to try to shape the place similar to the areas above, with leaf like ornaments here and there.

    Yet after two hours of work and when most of the halls have been shaped, she does take a deep breath. "I need a little break." It's not easy to work a lot of mass at the time! And she sits down right then and there... and begins picking at her toes a bit, not really caring if they see.

Thranduil (592) has posed:
     The Elves watch cautiously, on their highest guard since Lezard laid so much waste. Thranduil supervises, of course, watching curiously as the rock is removed without much effort. The arches will be measured and fitted with supports like those found throughout the kingdom for extra strength, and when Toph sits down, Thranduil commands that a tray of food and drink be brought to her, namely Lembas bread which will replenish a person's energy and stamina within a matter of moments. There is also a sweet berry juice and some fruit to go along with the salty bread. "Your assistance has been greatly appreciated."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    All in all it's been easy to work with the elves like this. It does help when they know how they want things done. Dwarves might like to claim that they are the masters of the mountains and so on, but it would take the dwarves months to match the work Toph has done in these two hours. Not to mention it's been far less invasive with her peculiar bending, done with martial arts movements.

    When the food and drink is brought she blinks, then grins and accepts the refreshments easily. "Thanks!" The bread is sniffed at, and Toph then takes a sizable bite, looking a bit surprised at the taste at first. But she continues eating, and the berry juice also seems to be something she likes. The thanks is waved off, and Toph even minds her manners and swallows the food before she responds. "Think nothing of it. The Union wants to help you guys, and I can always do my lessons for the day when I get back home. I'm sure my tutor won't mind," Toph says.

Thranduil (592) has posed:
     Looking at each other at the girl's manners, the Elves quickly disperse to attend to other things. Thranduil steps closer, his long crimson wrap trailing behind him. "If you require more food or drink, it shall be brought right away. I am still wary of this Union. I do not want their war brought to our borders. One of their enemies has already laid waste to part of our forest and killed many of my people. I cannot allow that to happen. The Silvan Elves trust me as they trusted my father many centuries ago."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Let the elves do whatever they want. They do need to move stuff into the halls and all, she imagines. Either way she seems more inclined to listen to Thranduil even as she eats and drinks. Strangely enough, the bread is more filling than she thought it would be. Maybe she wasn't as hungry as she thought she was...? "Could I get some packed bread to bring home? It's tasty, and I think my family would like some of this. Can't say the bread we usually have is this tasty!" Heck, Tony would probably like this. Pepper too.

    If she's learned something about Tranduil so far, it's that he doesn't trust easily. But hopefully he will learn. "That's why we hope that you will see that we're not out to cause trouble for people." To hear that a Fed has ruined some of the forest and killed some of his people though...? The blind girl's expression turns more serious, and when she speaks there should be little doubt that her words are sincere. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that they can be safer now at least." She takes a swig of juice, then she breaks off another piece of bread. "If you, or anybody else bothered by the Confederacy, were to call for help from the Union, we would respond and hurry through the warpgates." Why did this Fed bother the elves in the first place?

Thranduil (592) has posed:
     "Yes, of course." Though the Elvenking was rather chatty the other day with Fang, he has clammed up again. "They are in Valinor, now. The Grey Havens. The Undying Lands. The time of the Elves on Middle Earth is coming to an end. It will not be so very long before we all take the journey by boat. It is not so much the land of the dead as it is our home before we came into this world. We do not age like Men or Dwarves." He lifts a hand to signal that more bread should be readied, and then folds his hands in front of him again. "Call for help? How? It would be difficult to send a messenger if our borders are under attack."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    What kinda silly question is that? "You use the radio, of course!" Toph has encouraged him to use it before, right? "And even if there are forces at the borders... well, people like me walk where we want to most of the time. My adoptive father has made flying armor, and there are many in the Union who has flying vehicles or who can fly themselves. If we are called in to help, we will make it there, one way or the other. That's what the Union does," Toph replies confidently.

    Finishing up the bread, Toph suppresses the urge to burp, and instead she finishes the cup of berry juice before she rises to her feet again and brushes off of her pants. "Would you help /me/ if I needed assistance?" she decides to ask next even as she cracks her knuckles. Hmmm, time to continue bending the hall here. Taking a step forward, Toph raises her hands and holds her palms in front of her, pushing them forward in the air. In response the earth in front of her and Thranduil begin to be pushed back, a slow and deliberate movement to keep the place from shaking too much.

Thranduil (592) has posed:
     Thranduil looks a bit alarmed at the idea of people just being able to fly straight toward them. "I don't know exactly how the radio works. How is one supposed to determine who is friend and who is foe if the people of this so-called Multiverse can simply fly above our forest and come right to our gates?"

     He begins pacing back and forth, hands behind his back. Elves take the tray away and clean up any crumbs, then retreat. Thranduil pauses and looks toward her. "I would, if it meant it would not threaten the lives of my people. If it posed a situation that we do not believe is worth becomming involved with, then we would do as we did when Smaug took Erebor."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Honestly? The radio won't make the difference there, and it's tough to know everything with the multiverse," Toph admits even as she continues bending, raising her arms up as pillars shape themselves up from the floor and up towards the ceiling. "But you can't just hope that the multiverse will go away either! Even if you try to ignore it, it will most likely not ignore you. How will you be able to keep you and your people safe from these dangers if you don't know about them?"

    Her movements are steady and firm as she moves, and Toph continues shaping the large hall, making the far wall push further into the mountain before she moves over to some smaller joined rooms off to the side. "Then you should learn to accept help too. I know it might be hard to believe, not everybody is secretly plotting behind your back to mess with you guys. There's too much going on out there in the multiverse."

Thranduil (592) has posed:
     Though he knows she cannot see, he gestures toward her. "That is the purpose of building the additional tunnels. Should anyone manage to breach our initial defenses, they will not be able to breach all of them. You may be excited about the Multiverse and all its people, but I am not. If I could convince the Istari to create a shield around Middle Earth so that no outsiders could ever set foot upon its lands, I would. I have accepted help already, as much as it pains me."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    So stubborn... Toph sighs a little, though she's clearly still focused on the work at hand. It doesn't seem like he wants to give things a chance even, and well... most likely he will regret it if something happens. The blind girl throws her arms forward, pushing the wall of the smaller room further back to room. "Things change. And trust me... a shield might not work for long against everything there is in the multiverse. You might want to be left alone, but there might be somebody who would see something like that as a challenge." Because there are some serious dunderheads out there.

    Either way, the girl continues working, finishing up the last of the work in order to get the halls ready to be used as living quarters.

Thranduil (592) has posed:
     "I do not understand how they would know how to locate Mirkwood. Other lands within Middle Earth are not my concern. I do not know how to use the radio. How do I know that using the radio will not bring further destruction?" He is a bit stubborn, but he's trying to cope with some tremendous change. A Silvan Elf brings a satchel to Thranduil. "When you have finished, I have a gift to reward you for your time and effort." It's a lovely satchel, made of the finest leather and embossed with the same sort of knots and decorations seen around the Halls.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    With the current room, Toph steps out and begins on the next one. "With all due respect... you seem more worried about what if scenarios rather than what is going on, your majesty," Toph points out. "There's lots of bad things that can happen but won't. I can teach you how to use the radio. I mean, I hadn't encountered a radio before I joined the Union, and I'm blind!" Here she reaches a hand up to point at her sightless eyes, her other hand punching out towards the wall to create a doorway that leads into the next room she begins bending.

    "You can't know everything in life. But give it time, and you will meet more of the Union, I bet. And you will be able to make a more educated opinion of the Union and the Confederacy."

    As she bends she does notice an elf bringing something to the elven king, and she looks mildly curious. Sure, she can tell it's a bag, but not what's in the bag. "Oh, thanks!" Not that she wanted payment for this, considering she just enjoys showing off her bending and to do stuff like this. "Just set it down with my bag, will you?" The room is finished rather quickly, and the blind earthbender looks rather pleased. "Hopefully you'll get enough space in here. If not I can always expand some more easily enough without people having to move out."

Thranduil (592) has posed:
     Thranduil nods and the other Elf sets it down with her bag and departs. "As a king it is precicely my job to consider what-if situations. I must take into consideration all the possible threats and determine how we are to defend ourselves from them. One cannot know everything, but one can attempt to provide their people with what they need to endure." He paces a bit. "It should suit our needs should anything else happen. Thank you Toph. Your help is invaluable to the woodland realm." Even though they're starting to seem more like mountain elves than woodland elves. "I do not expect anyone to understand how we operate here, but we have lasted for several thousand years."