2313/Catching Up

Catching Up
Date of Scene:	24 May 2015
Location:	Autochthonia
Synopsis:	Toph visits a new world, meets a familiar voice and has a rather interesting lunch.
Cast of Characters:	20, 569

---

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     To say nothing of Autochthonia itself, a world that is the body of a sleeping god, Gulak is sensory overload. Nevermind that on this world, machines govern so many functions taken for granted by those on more natural worlds. Never mind that here, the concept of the very word 'natural' is warped beyond the average Elite's ability to recognize. The nation of Gulak is a step beyond all of that. In addition to the metal streets, the manufactured air, the artificially governed heat, there is a smell of artificial incense, of manufacture spices. There is a sound of blended accents, of worn trinkets jingling merrily as citizens of this great nation hurry past one another down crowded streets. Paper prayer strips, stamped by machines, flutter in breezes no doubt governed by some nebulous machine buzzing away in the background.

     The most bizarre thing about Gulak is how... familiar it is. Though the individual parts which make it up are so different than Earth, the whole... is rather like a crowded American city. Multiple ethnicities walk the streets, which are littered with performers of varying talents. Heated political discussions rage in the air, with impassioned debaters and old sages alike taking up arms near synthetically crafted trees of jade. It's a crazy quilt, a woefully mismatched salad made of all sorts of vegetables and prepared with the unusual dressing that is Autochthonian culture. And Bitter Medicine's ostesnsible job, his calling, the reason he was created...


...is to bring /order/ to this place? No wonder he's grumpy.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    This is one of the stranger worlds she's been on, Toph muses to herself as she strolls down the road. The warmth is not like the warmth you get from the sun. The smell is different here than it is elsewhere, and the whole place is just so much for her seismic sense to take in. But still, there are people here, living and breathing in this cold metallic city. Toph doesn't care if she stands out, nor if people think she's acting weird as she places her hand on various walls of the buildings, all to get a better 'look' at them, to study the metal composition they are made of. This entire world is peculiar with how it's built. It might look normal to the people living here, but for her it's only evident how this place is not living and breathing like most places. But hey, it's got metal.

    The earthbender does sniff the air, trying to see if she can catch the scent of food somewhere. She is getting rather hungry from exploring this place. And maybe their food isn't too bad?

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     Toph's seismic sense has... yes, quite a lot to pick up here. First of all, there's the layout of the place. The city appears to be a giant cavern, and, owing to the fact that all of this word's livable land is on the Pole of Metal, the earthbender's vision will likely extend quite far. Off in the distance, there appear to be quite a few other caverns, all arranged together like a cluster of grapes. In this, the largest of them, she can easily make out several works of art that appear to have the intention of mirroring Earth or a world like it. Jade trees, copper mountains, a waterfall in the distance encircled by what appear to be reflective surfaces. There are also pieces which honor the Machine God--gold bas-relief gearworks, conduits and pipes inscribed with elaborate patterns and pictographs. A network of trams connects each cavern together, and efficient use of space seems to be a theme. Rather than expand outward, most of the place's architecture moves upwards. Even the streets become stairs, and at some points, elevators. Buildings become skyscrapers, interconnected by covered walkways of steel and glass. Oddly enough, there's even a bronze statue of Iron Man, and several other works of art depicting other Elites.

     If food is what the bender wants, she is possibly in the best place on Autochthonia. The scent of food mingles readily with that of incense and spices, and there are more than a few peddlers willing to sell what's no doubt the Autochthonian equivalent of hotdogs. There are also little restaurants cram-packed every which way they can fit, boasting whatever unusual shape the real estate demands of them. Sitting outdoors at one such restaurant is the unmistakable frame of Bitter Medicine, his back turned to Toph.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's weird how they seem to use metal in an attempt to personate and mirror organic surroundings. To somebody like her it's only clear how false that image is. But still... to seeing eyes they might be close enough to make the place look somewhat less lifeless.

    This Machine God is somebody she has only heard Bitter talk about so far, and to notice all the weird shrines or whatever they are... Toph doesn't know what to think of that. It's easier to be amused by the bronze statue of her adoptive father there, as well as other Elites. Can you blame her for searching a bit for a statue of herself?

    Her main focus is still food though, and she follows her nose. At first she is about to head for one of the vendors, but as she's about to walk over towards one of the carts she blinks, then comes to a halt. Even with so many people here she can't help but recognize a familiar shape, and so she heads on over.

    "Hey!" Her voice is loud enough that others might hear her even as she walks over to the table where Bitter is seated, and she offers him a brief grin and a mock salute with two fingers. "Long time no see, what's up? Out to grab some food?"

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     Bitter Medicine snaps his right hand to his forehead, offering a very serious salute in return. "Comrade," he says in greeting. "Even Autochthon's Chosen must eat." So he is here to grab a bite! In front of the Exalt is a bowl of what appears to be udon! It's noodles, with spinach and a whole boiled egg. Steam drifts lazily from the bowl as he contemplates it. The dour Champion brings his gaze up to look once again at Toph. "How may I serve?" he asks--it appears he's under the assumption that she's come to ask for something rather than just sightseeing, or, goodness forbid, hanging out.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Somehow Toph can't help but look amused at the serious salute that he gives her, and she sniffs the air. Hmmm, whatever that is smells good.

    "Serve? You're not a server here are you?" she asks, then moves to sit down at his table. She hasn't spoken much with him, and she knows him mainly through working with Defiant. They are both serious and straight to the point, which might be why they get along so well. "Is there a waitress or something nearby, I'm starving! How do you guys order here anyway? The normal way, or...?" she asks curiously. "And what is it you're eating?"

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     "No." He shakes his head. "I'm not a waiter, I am a Champion of the State. Since the duty of all Champions is to serve and protect humanity, I asked if there was any particular way I could do that, pertaining to your visit. Unless this is an informal visit..." He seems to be a little uncertain, at that. "I have ordered dumpling soup. There are a variety of other meals here, owing to Gulak's culinary superiority." The Exalt raises a hand and beckons to a server, who promptly approaches.

     "Maker's Minerals! Is that Toph Beifong?"

     "Affirmative. She has come here to eat. You may take her order now."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At that comment Toph can't help but snort, arching an eyebrow. "You really don't understand humour and sarcasm, do you?" But she gets comfy in her seat. Might as well hang with Bitter, right? They are allies, and it doesn't hurt to share lunch with somebody. "Oh, it's just informal. I'm spending my Sunday off resting my fingers and doing some metal research for the sake of my bending."

    The fact that the server seems to recognize her does bring a smile to the young girl's face, and she grins, completely ignoring the paper menu. Sure, she could pull out her reading glove. But she already knows what she wants. "The one and only. I want something sweet to drink, and something with lots of meat on it to eat. Preferably something grilled." No, she isn't picky about what kind of food they have, and why make things difficult?

    Her attention returns to Bitter again, and she reaches down to pick at her toes of her left foot. "So what have you been up to?"

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
Bitter blinks, then grunts at Toph's remark. "As quick as I am to employ sarcasm, no, I don't always pick up on it." He gives the waiter, who is currently gazing between the two of them, an expectant look, and he quickly hurries off. The Exalt begins quietly eating, finding himself wishing he'd been informed of Beifong's visit. Hrn. She hates being called that--foreigners are so particular about their names, so individual. Heretics, cults, subversives, criminals... he can handle those. This, he hates. Being put on the spot like this, like the time he'd been sent to motivate an underperforming group of workers. Social engagements are not his function, nor does he wish them to be. So many rules one has to follow.

     "I've been doing some research of my own," he says. "There was of course the... recent discovery I made about Scion... well. I suppose his name is really Zion." He grasps the egg-looking dumpling in his soup with a pair of chopsticks, turning it over before eating it in one bite. "But I've also been looking into the current location of the Eye of Autochthon."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    If only Bitter knew how much Toph dislikes rules. Perhaps he would relax a bit more. Toph certainly seems at ease where she sits, picking at her toes some more. When he responds about his current projects and workload she does look curious however, blinking.

    "Oh, right. That guy who stopped the Endbringers?" A faint snort leaves her. "So Scion's name is Zion? How original. Do you have any clue on where he went? Or how we can find him or stop them from messing up Suzy's world?"

    The other topic is curious though, and Toph leans forward a bit in her seat. "I have no clue what that is or why you're looking for it, but I assume it's important? And that it's not an actual eye, because that would be gross."

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     "I have no idea where he is now. He seems... listless. He seems to behave like an automaton. He follows, maybe too literally, the orders he's given, until he's given new or contradicting orders. If he were told to /kill/ the Endbringers instead of stopping them, we might be able to stop the destruction they wreak. I've got my own reservations about that, however."

     The waiter arrives with a plate of steaming food and a bubbly, sweet-smelling drink for Toph. The food smells great--it's a noodle dish cooked up with garlic sauce and onions. "Here you are! Yugashi barbecue, with lots of meat, and a Coke." A Coke? Yes, she heard that right. Gulak must love implementing things from foreign cultures! As the waiter steps away, Toph will realize the meat is grilled roaches.

     On the topic of the Eye of Autochthon, Bitter Medicine shrugs. "It is an artifact that Autochthon himself created, an artifact which undoubtedly surpasses every other on this world or in Creation--Finna's world. The Tome of the Great Maker references it, and hints to its location on Creation. Before, we thought of Creation as an abstract, as a place more valued for its use as a parable." He pauses. "A garden of Eden, a Sodom, a Gomorrah, an Ys, if you will?" The Exalt continues. "I believe if it were found, it could awaken the Machine God, purge the voidbringer cults, and eradicate the gremlin menace in one act."

     "There are obstacles, to be certain. Finna tells me that it is cursed, and that it is likely under the possession of someone using it as a weapon--in which case it would be a weapon of unparalleled power."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "So... you think he's somebody who's unable to think for himself? Blergh," Toph snorts in disdain. "I don't really know much about this guy. Is he some super powered freak or is he a concept of some kind? I didn't quite catch that." Doesn't hurt to ask, hey?

    What she is more distracted by is the arrival of her lunch though, and the blind girl perks up. Mmmm, it smells nice. "Thanks!" Coke isn't bad at all, and she picks up her eating utensils, prodding at her food. Only to blink and make a slight face. "Hey, waiter! I think there are bugs in my food!" Is he blind or something?

    So... an artifact made by the machine god, lots of spooky talk about it and little useful info that actually matters. "So you're going to go to a place that might not exist in order to find this thing, risk getting cursed and possibly fight the person who might have it, all to wake your god and stop some nasty stuff from happening?" she asks, still poking at the roaches with her fork. Yup. She's not really sure about her dish!

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     "Of course there are bugs in your food. Those are grilled cage-raised roaches," Bitter Medicine helpfully points out. "A delicacy here." He slurps up a few of his noodles, then answers Toph's question per the Eye. "Now that we know for a fact there is a Creation, it should be a simple matter of finding a place /on Creation/ that may or may not exist, risking a curse, and/or wresting control of it from its owner. No task is too difficult, when you have the safety and well-being of humanity in mind."

     "Which brings me to Zion," he says. "Not even the man I found, who claimed to have control over him, knew what exactly he was. Certainly, there are stories. Norton, the aforementioned Lumpen, believes that Zion suffered some previous mental trauma which led him to this state. When Zion first appeared, he did so stark naked, wandering aimlessly. It wasn't until he met Norton that he was provided the directive of helping people and stopping the Endbringers. The name 'Scion' came from 'Zion,' which was part of a story Norton had told him."

     Bitter Medicine grasps a leaf of spinach in his soup, observing it before eating. "I believe that Zion and the Endbringers are part of the same whole. One exists to counteract the others, and they are the reason or the consequence of so many of Defiant's people having the powers they do."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At Bitter's comment Toph arches an eyebrow. "I don't really care where these roaches came from, I just know I don't want bugs in my food! If I wanted bugs I would have asked for them, I asked for /meat/!" she responds. Ewww, roaches! She raises her arm again and tries to get the attention of the waiter.

    The talk about Zion is a bit of a curiosity, and Toph takes a sip of her Coke as she listens to Bitter talking. It's a bit weird to think about. "So this guy is mentally scared, becomes strong and fights big nasty monsters. And he exists because the monsters do, or vica versa? Why do you think that? How did you come to that conclusion anyway?" she inquires.

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     The waiter notices Toph, and hurries over. Bitter Medicine actually smirks--it looks like a dog snarling. "She doesn't like roach," he says bluntly.

     "Ah, yes, we do get that often with visiting elites. Would you like rat instead, Miss Beifong? We also have synthmeat..." The waiter doesn't at all seem offended by Toph's differing tastes, but rather eager to please and find something she does like.

     "Fat-tailed rat is very good," offers Bitter Medicine.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Good, there's the waiter. Toph doesn't seem annoyed if she's able to hear Bitter smirking by the tone of his voice. And it's a good thing that the waiter isn't offended either. Wait... rats? At first the girl looks a bit uncertain. But then she nods. "Yeah, I'll have the rat. Who knows what is in synth meat..." she mutters a bit. Rat ought to be close enough to pig rats anyway.

    "And people call the food from my world strange," she adds, then sighs. "You were saying?"

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     "Very good, I'll just take this and be right out with your order." The waiter grabs the bender's plate and hurries off.

     "I don't have hard evidence," admits the Alchemical. "But when we fought Leviathan, Zion acted in a way that nearly allowed it to escape. His directives were to stop the Endbringers. So, why, then, when we clearly had control of the fight, when we had Leviathan all but destroyed, did Zion attempt to interfere? There must be some... hidden directive, some instinct, that tells him not to destroy them. That tells him to interpret 'stopping' the Endbringers as merely defeating them. The only reason Zion didn't come back was because Leviathan had been locked in stasis rather than killed."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    She hadn't been there for the Leviathan fight, which she had been a bit torn about considering what Defiant, no... Armsmaster did when he sent Kaiser to die. How she had torn a new one into him at that. "I wasn't there, so I don't know all the details. Nor have I fought an Endbringer before. Just how many of them are there? If you handled one that deals with water, then maybe I will be able to help with the next one. Unless it's a flying one," she quickly adds.

    "You think this guy would interfere again if we try to destroy another Endbringer?" Her expression is serious, and well... it does sound like that's a possibility.

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     "I don't know how many there are." He slurps at what's left of his soup as the waiter arrives with a new dish, prepared in much the same way as the other. And honestly? If the bender didn't know going in that she'd be eating rat, it'd kind of be hard to tell. It smells nice enough, and it looks more or less like any other kind of grilled meat.

     "But, yes. Zion's prime directive is to stop the Endbringers. But, some part of him must be telling him to interpret that order without killing them." He slides his bowl in front of him. "I doubt it's a conscious decision, not that it's any less dangerous to have him involuntarily releasing biological terrors on the world."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    What the meal looks like doesn't matter much to a blind person, what she is curious about is the texture and the smell. And the taste too, of course. She prods at her food with the fork, just to test it, and then she begins cutting it up with her knife and smells at it. And then she takes a taste and chews it carefully. A second later she nods with approval. This will do, and she doesn't have to crunch on some weird bugs either. Nobody around her seems to be getting sick from eating the food, so it's obviously a nice place to eat. Not to mention Bitter probably wouldn't let her eat something foul.

    Still... roaches. EW.

    "You think we can persuade him to stop them without releasing them?" the blind girl asks even as she works on cutting up the rest of her food so it can cool down slightly.

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     "I might be able to, if I can find him again. Before I do that, or suggest that anyone else does, I'd want to know more about the place Zion and the Endbringers have in the cosmology of Defiant's world. It'd be like trying to fix a machine without having an idea of what it does. It helps to not go tearing wires out of something when you have no idea what functions they govern. Stasis is ideal. It affords time for disposal, if necessary, and for closer research into the nature of what they are. Immediate termination... is an option, but is a last resort."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It does look like the earthbender is hungry, as she eats quickly and barely has time to chew and swallow her food before she stuffs her mouth full again. Of course she is paying attention to Bitter too, nodding her head now and then as he talks. That does make sense... "So who can tell us more, you think? Suzy doesn't strike me as knowing a lot about that... maybe Dragon can get us more info?"

    She looks a little pensive too. "If you need help with getting the Eye thing... lemmie know and I'll help if I'm able to. I mean, if there's lots of metal there too it wouldn't hurt, right?" she points out.

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
     "Dragon is as gifted as Defiant, perhaps more. She would be an excellent resource to utilize. I may be wrong, but I believe she worked with Defiant to create the early warning system used to detect Leviathan in the first place." He'll have to do some research on that to be sure.

     "I would always welcome your help in my quest. I will let you know when I am ready to mobilize, and we will have the Eye in no time. And Comrade... if you came here to do research on metals, you came to the right place. All livable land on the Great Maker's body is situated on the Elemental Pole of Metal. What kind of research are you doing?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Heh, it wouldn't surprise me," Toph responds to that assumption. "Dragon is smart and capable, and well, she's good for more things than merely knocking some sense into Suzy." Surely they all need to work together in order to stop the Endbringers, and if they can get a warning beforehand that would make things a hell of a lot simpler.

    Who wouldn't want a metalbender on their side? One who constantly seeks to improve her bending and gain more control of her skills? "Yeah, I can tell. There's metal /everywhere/ here, feels kinda weird compared to what I'm used to. And I'm mostly trying to enhance my ability to detect earth in metal and study new types of metal, different alloys and push my limits. It takes a lot to differentiate between the people around here all working on the metal, to feel all the people on the floors of all the buildings around here. To be honest, it's a bit overwhelming with all of these vibrations and to tell them apart... but it's important, and it's a good way to learn how to focus better," she shrugs.

Bitter Medicine (569) has posed:
Bitter Medicine nods. "While you're here, I'd recommend finding and speaking with a metal elemental. They're very haughty, but if you can impress one, they're usually more than happy to speak to you. They can be hard to find, so you might also speak to the Office of Material Requisitions to inquire about samples of some common metals we have." He pauses. "They may even allow you to borrow magical materials, but those are property of the state and cannot leave the premises. In any case, I must be going. My shift starts soon, and I need to oversee and inspect a manufactory for signs of heresy."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "A metal elemental?" Now that seems to have gotten Toph's attention as she sits up straighter in her seat, a look of wonder and intense curiosity on her face. "And heh, I'd like to see somebody who isn't impressed by my metalbending!" she claims. "I'm not too much for magical stuff, but eh, I'll see what I can do. It's all for the sake of knowledge and improving the bending arts, after all! As the inventor of metalbending it's my duty to develop it further." And then pass it on to worthy students.

    So he has to go. Toph nods, then offers a mock salute again. "Thanks for the company and the talk. Have fun kicking heretic ass or whatever it is you do," she says before diving back into consuming her food.