3852/Barganing is Fun

Barganing is Fun
Date of Scene:	26 February 2016
Location:	New York-199999
Synopsis:	Mother and daughter are both stubborn.
Cast of Characters:	20, 204

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Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    Potts was wrapping up some business setting up on Seaduction (which /was/ a terrible name for the boat), her hair pulled up into a no-nonsense bun, wearing her 'business is serious' outfit -- gray jacket, gray skirt, gray hose and shining gray heels. Sky high. She had just finished meeting with Frank, the chef in charge of the food, and had a covered plate in hand as she heaved a sigh. She brushed some hair out of her face with a folder-carrying hand, leaving a little mar of ink on her forehead. She was tired, but it would be worth it -- she keeps telling herself she'll take two days off.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's no surprise that Pepper has been busy getting stuff ready for the wedding. It seems like she's been busy with it ever since Tony proposed, at least on the sidelines on the rest of the business she's been doing for Stark Industires. But at least it will be over and done with next week, which means that her adoptive parents can take a well deserved break. Which hopefully means she can have some fun herself. And since Pepper stated that this wasn't to be discussed over the broadband, Toph knows better than to argue about that at least.

    Coming straight from Njorun and the Ring, Toph is in okay shape, but her current shirt is torn in places and obviously in need of being replaced, its hem torn, dark splotches on it and whatnot. It's obviously not something that can be easily mended. Then again, it's no surprise that Toph's clothes often have a short life from her Union and bending activities. "Hi mom," she greets Pepper, mentally preparing herself for her arguments that she will surely need in order to make her home-alone party a success.

    "So... when /are/ you guys leaving for the honeymoon? That same evening?" Or the next day? She doubts it will be long after the wedding in any case. Unless some work related emergency pops up, you never know with Pepper.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "Hello, Toph." Potts smiles, and offers out the plate to the girl. It has chicken and beef on skewers, moderately spicy. Some potato wedgies, crisped and served with bacon. She has a smile on her voice at least, which bodes well for any argument Toph might have. She herself sits down in one of the reclining beach chairs on deck, shifting her weight slightly.

    "Well... I'm not really sure. Probably the day after, just in case anyone tries to..." She wrinkles her nose lsightly. Imagining beating HK-47 with his own legs.

    ...."interrupt."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The plate is taken, and Toph looks curious as she sniffs at the food. And she does reach out to pick up some of the food, testing it. Obviously it's too her liking as she reaches for another piece. "Is this what we're going to eat the wedding?" she asks between pieces of food, opting for standing next to the chair that Pepper sits down in.

    Good, it sounds like she's in a good mood. Things must be going according to plan, but then again, Pepper's doing her best work when she's managing stuff, no matter if it's work or her family.

    The talk of interruptions makes Toph snort. "Yeah, interrupt the wedding where several Elites will be present... real smart plan there." The Iron legion will be nearby, so... yeah. That would be stupid of them. Not to mention the Avengers are bound to be there, as well as many of the Union, she imagines. Not that she's the one who's the most interested in the guest list, but...

    "You really don't think I would mess up the house too bad if I have a home-alone party, do you?" she asks, trying to appeal to Pepper's common sense. After all, if she messes it up too bad then there's no way she would be allowed to have a party again!

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "At the reception, yes." Potts replies with a slight smile. "An old standby." she adds quietly, and then she leans back.

    And Pepper studies Toph quietl for a moment, her green eyes set on the teen as she considers her words carefully.
    "It's... not you that I don't trust, Toph." she admits. "What I worry about is a gathering of teenage super-powered Unionites getting out of control and someone getting hurt. I worry about someone deciding not to follow the rules and getting hurt by the defenses in the lab, or trying to pit you against us with the old 'they'll never know'... don't forget Toph -- /I/ was fourteen, once upon a time."

    POtts gives a sad little smile. "Different set of circumstances... but I promise you, every new generation thinks they invented trouble."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    She kinda knew that argument was coming. "They would have to deal with /me/ if they tried something like that, you know. And Jarvis would nag at them until they stopped," she points out. "Seriously, there's metal and earth all around, if they tried to do something stupid I would stop them!" Toph points out. "And Jarvis would let you and Goldie know if something bad happened, right? Of course you would know everything that's going on." Seriously, she can't even have a nightmare without Jarvis tattling to Tony about it, so of course that silly excuse would not work. The entire house has digital eyes and ears.

    "And it's not like all of them have to sleep over or anything either. We could order pizza and other junk food, play silly party games and watch movies, spar on the beach and such, people could swim in the pool...." It's not like they intend to wreck the house.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "You put forth an excellent argument, Toph... but I'm not sure how comfortable I feel with so many in the house..." She trails off, and she leans back a moment. "If you can get responsible adult supervision, would that be an acceptable compromise?" she inquires, her head tilting slightly.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Of course her argument is excellent! It's one she knew would work. So why won't Pepper be assured by it? Hasn't she been good? Hasn't she proven she can be home alone without messing up the place? Isn't she the greatest earthbender and able to keep others in check? As Pepper trails off Toph lets out a slight whine, leaning over and giving Pepper her best puppy eyed look. As best as a blind person can do it, anyway.

    When Pepper offers her compromise however, Toph arches an eyebrow, looking hesitant. "Define 'responsible adult supervision'. Do you mean... a chaperone?!" Seriously? "I'm going to be fifteen in a few weeks!" Isn't that grown up enough? Just what does Pepper think, that somebody will want to be around teenagers and watch them have fun? "Doesn't Jarvis count as an adult?"

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
"Jarvis is a program. Until he attains true sentience and passes not only the Turing test but also is cleared with me, then he can chaperone." Potts leans back. "What about Steve Rodgers? ... or my sister?" she offers, "I'm pretty sure Georgie could wrangle anyone else..." she considers quietly. She takes a deep breath, and blows out thorugh her lips a moment.

    "Who were you considering inviting?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Drats. So Jarvis doesn't count as an adult.

    When Captain America himself is suggested she makes a slight face. "Eeeeeh... no." They would be told to mind their language and noise levels all the time, she fears. He's good to have on your side in battle, but... oh boy, as a chaperone it would be a pretty boring party, she suspects. Georgia though, that's another story. Sure, a Potts woman would be strict. But then Toph's face brightens up. "What about Stan?" Stan is fun! And it wouldn't be too bad with him there, right?

    The guest list has slowly been forming in her mind, and Toph looks serious. "Since I promised Goldie only Union peeps, then I guess it would have to be Frederica, Evangeline, Zephyr, Momoyo, Tomoyo, Petals, Eve, Staren, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Ainsley...." Well, so much for only four people!

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    Potts looks surprised. "Stan?" she questions, and she purses her lips, thinking it over. "If Stan is available that night," she ventures, and she gives a nod. "That would be an acceptable compromise." she gives a slight smile. "Might be an interesting night." she considers as she nods in agreement.
    "Stan is a good choice, but keep in mind a backup if he can't make it... and be /gentle/ on him. Remember who he has to deal with every other day." she warns playfully as she swings her feet up into the seat, and leans back.

    "Frederica... Evangeline is fine.. Zephyr -- have I met Zephyr? Momoyo... Tomoyo... Petals is Sakura Kinomoto, she's fine..." she gives a slight wince "Isn't Pinky Pie the pony who... really likes cakes? she questions.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Hey, Stan is able to deal with your mom, and I like him. Of course I wouldn't make it hard for him!" Toph points out as she finishes up the contents of the plate. Okay, they are going to have some tasty stuff at the reception at least. "... maybe Banner? I mean, there's no way people would dare to piss him off, right?" Plus he's kinda fun too. Not to mention he's not that strict from her experience.

    "Zeph is the wind mage girl. And yeah, Pinkie likes cakes. Which means I'll make sure there's enough cake to keep her happy. She is also good at throwing parties. I do think I should ask people on the channels and see who actually wants to come, though. And then I could forward the guest list to you?"

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "... oooh. I didn't even consider Dr. Banner." Potts considers, leaning back as she pulls out her datapad, and checks on a few things. "And you're right, I don't think anyone would try to make him angry if he were to Chaperone. I would trust him keeping an eye on things..." she trails off a moment.

    And she gives a smile. "/If/ Stan or Dr. Banner don't mind chaperoning for the party, you can invite whoever from the Union you'd like. If they can't... just... keep it quiet... and clean... and no boys." she pauses... mentally going over the list.

    "Staren's all right."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Here she was worried that she would be stuck with Carolina Potts herself chaperoning the party, but Stan or Banner would work relatively well without things becoming too boring. Though Toph does let out a slight snort. "What? You think there's going to be oogies?" she asks, rolling her eyes as she sets the plate aside and leans onto the chair Pepper is sitting in. "What if some of the guys in the Union want to join for pizza and movies? They can sleep in their own guest room, and I would punt their asses if they tried anything! Pleeeaaaaase....! I was allowed to invite guys for my birthday party last year!" Heck, she invited lots of people last year. So why is this different when they'll have a chaperone anyway /and/ Jarvis keeping watch?

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "I was fiffteen once, short stuff." Potts replies dryly, looking up to her. "Though..." she considers, and then gives a shrug of her shoulders. "LIke I said, mine was a very different set of circumstances." she points out, "We were rural kids with nothing better to do, and you are all bona-fide fighters who take on weird and unusual events." she states, and rubs the back of her neck. "I suppose I'm just wary..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Well, we would have tons of stuff to do! I mean, we got the pool, we got snacks, games to play for the seeing kids if Goldie's okay with us borrowing the gaming machines, movies, the beach outside..." Toph says, then she cants her head. "Kinda makes me wonder what happened when /you/ were fifteen." Oh yes, the teasing is there in her tone.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "I gave the guy who tried to drag me into a closet a bloody nose and a pair of... swollen things to think about the next time a girl said 'no'. And reason to avoid me in school." Potts replies softly. She doesn't seem too inclined to expound on that story, thankfully she's interrupted as her Starkphone beeps. She reaches over and checks it. And her whole countence changes. Her shoulders stiffen, her eyes narrow and her heartrate picks up, before she switches the phone to ignore, and stuffs it back into a briefcase.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At that story Toph can't help but snicker, imagining it well enough. It's a bit hard to imagine Pepper as a teenager, but yeah... she would definitively have the same no-nonsense personality.

    When her phone peeps however, Toph too blinks, slightly curious. While she can't read whatever message beeped in on Pepper's phone, it's easy enough to notice the reaction in Pepper. The heart rate, the tenseness there... Immediately Toph reaches out, a concerned look on her face, and her tone is quieter than it was before when they were discussing the party. "... mom?" The unasked question is there. What's enough to make Pepper uneasy like that?

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "It's nothing, Toph. Just a wrong number." Potts lies. Potts lied knowing that Toph can /sense/ her lying. She exhales, and runs a hand through her hair in order to straighten it back up. "What's the verdict on the food options? I just picked a couple of things to try; the menu should be much larger." Potts tries to distract Toph with food.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Mom..." Toph sighs, her expression clearly saying it all. But she does voice it audibly too. "What kind of message did you get? Do I need to throw some boulders around?" Somebody upset her mom somehow. And she /hates/ it when Pepper gets like this. Heck, she hasn't been like this for ages, not since the deal with Tony last year...

    The blind girl leans forward to wrap her arms around Pepper's shoulders.

    The comment about the food is clearly ignored. Because the food was decent, and right now there are more important things to deal with. And Pepper should know that her daughter is just as stubborn as she is. Especially if something is upsetting one of the people who is always there to help her.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "I'll be fine, TOph. Just someone who wanted to take cheap shots at your dad." she states firmly, and she brings her arms up, wrapping them around Toph, and giving a bit of a sigh... and then a small laugh. "Please don't start throwing boulders around on my account. I can be big and mean and scary all by myself, thank you." she chides teasingly, then goes to stand. "So, want to go back to the same place as before for more shirts? Or maybe I could see if Rarity has any time for maybe some... enchanted, tougher-than-usual shirts..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Cheap shots at Tony? Who would do that? The blind girl frowns, though kind of relieved when Pepper hugs her back. "I make no promises, people who get on my bad side have to deal with boulders." And messing with people she cares about is worth a boulder or two!

    Though Pepper does turn the topic back to what they were talking about on the radio earlier, and it does seem like she's calmed down after whatever she read on her phone. "Eh, we could go to the usual place and ask Rarity to make some shirts later?" Toph offers, letting go of Pepper as she stands up. "And we could grab food on the way back." Pepper's probably been busy enough with the wedding preparations that she deserves some time to just relax. And maybe she should ask her if she needs some more help with the preparations beside the stuff she's already done.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    Anyone who liked Stane, Hammer employees, people who went to school with him in MIT, people who wanted to date Pepper, people who want to date Tony... it's a wild, weird world out there.

    "Don't worry about throwing boulders. That's what lawyers are for. It's not as fun, true, but gets you in way less trouble." Potts admonishes the girl gently, and then draws up to a stand, stretching her arms. "Hrm... shopping and food. That sounds like a fantastic idea."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "I wouldn't throw the /heaviest/ boulders at them, promise!" Toph chirps up with a mischievous grin as she follows Pepper. At least her mom sounds less stressed now, which means she did something right. And Pepper likes shopping too, which might give her a break from any stress she might feel right now.