4451/The Beifong Metalbending Academy

The Beifong Metalbending Academy
Date of Scene:	22 August 2016
Location:	Avatar World <AW>
Synopsis:	It's the grand opening of the Beifong Metalbending Academy!
Cast of Characters:	20, Neuroi Girl, 930, 127, 301, Ziggy Grover, 988, 752

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Metalbending itself was a grand discovery, an art thought to be impossible until it was discovered some years ago in the depths of a mine by a stubborn little girl. Today, that girl stands a bit taller as she waits at the steps of the newly restored building outside of the city of Yu Dao. For the occasion she's even dressed up, wearing a simple light green dress, its style clearly local to this region, her usual headpiece on her head. She's even clean for this occasion, and judging by the look on her face she's allmighty pleased with herself as she waits for the guests to arrive to the opening.

    The building itself is pristine in its restored condition. Earthbending fixed the foundation and the walls, and the woodwork in the building has been done by the finest carpenters that Dun Realtai could spare. Likewise they have made several of the furniture in the building, including all the long tables that have been set up inside the main training hall. Which is rather handy, as there has been lots of food prepared for today. Dishes one might associate with China are in the majority, but there is also some modern food and desserts, like pizza, cake, ice cream and so on. Why, there's even alcohol for the adults should they want it.

    Behind Toph stands her first two students, waiting along with her. One of them, a girl who appears to be around ten years old, is dressed up rather nicely, although she does look a bit bored where she stands. "... are they coming soon or not? I'm hungry..." The other student, a large boy in his late teens, doesn't seem all that cheerful as he fiddles a bit with his sleeves. "I have a bad feeling about this..." This does not affect Toph however as she speaks without turning her head. "Penga, we're going to work on your patience... Ho Tun, the opening will be nice and nothing bad will happen."

    There's no way she will let anything or anybody mess up this grand day, damnit.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     A grand opening for a close friend's new school is quite an event, but it wasn't until Yoshika mentioned it that Evangeline considered dressing up. Yoshika had insisted, even though Evangeline doesn't need clothing. So, when the little Neuroi arrives, she is wearing a cute little pink dress that Yoshika lended her. It hangs down nearly as long as Evangeline's plane engine legs, and shows a lot of back while covering the front almost completely.

     Despite hardly ever wearing clothes, Evangeline does not seem uncomfortable in the dress, and the big pilot scarf around her neck just makes it all the cuter and even has the name 'Evangeline' embroided in blue silk thread at the ends of the scarf. And even though she is dressed up, the little Neuroi floats silently along near Toph with only a soft metallic whisper like tensioning cables.

Alden (930) has posed:
It was Toph's big day, the opening of her very own Academy!, of course Alden was going to visit!, he wanted to meet up with the greatest earthbender he ever saw (technically, the only one he ever met) and talk a bit!, offer praise over all she achieved!, maybe meet teh students, see some metal bending... and grab some food. The trip had been nice, and he even saw a couple of odd animals!. He might have been delayed due to Katze's attempt to grab a tiny duck turtle around, and the subsequent encounter with the mother, but nothing bad happened.

     He eventually made his way to the building, and slowl walks inside, he looks very well groomed, he even got a silly bowtie from somewhere, wanting to be a bit fancy, while his shinki (Katze) was wearing a cute orange dress with pawprint patterns here and there. The Shinki remains on Alden's shoulder, admiring the furniture and the decorations, while the digimon searched for the person of the hour, waving around to the others.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    It's not like this academy is a big secret, right? Something deliberately kept unknown to protect the inhabitants from the big bad Confederacy? If they wanted to attack her, she's no more vulnerable here than in Malibu and that's hardly a big secret. Besides, Kirikou's a friend. Not terribly close to Toph, but he likes her well enough as one of the heroic Union types who don't have sticks up their collective asses. He might betray her confidence if directly ordered to... but then again, perhaps not. Speculation on orders he might one day receive isn't really Kilik's thing.

    The dark-skinned boy isn't here for a fight, that much is obvious. He's not wearing his Weapons after all. They're trailing along slightly behind him, enjoying this world with obvious carefree delight. The Earth here is well-loved and healthy, and their moods are sensitive to such things. They're wearing their 'uniform' coveralls and a Death Academy T-shirt each. Kilik's wearing a uniform as well, though the only obvious sign is a 'DA' crest on his tan-and-white tiger-stripe shirt.

    When he comes into sight, Kirikou's wave to Toph is cut short as he sees Evangeline. He's not unused to seeing girls in cute pink dresses or anything, but the Neuroi is otherwise a little ... special. He only falters a moment though. "Y-yo, Dirtbender!" he hollers, unleashing a little tidal wave of Twin weapons upon her. A cuter assault you're not likely to see any time soon as the twins scramble forward, beaming and waving their arms enthusiastically in a silent rush. They'll glomp onto the Earthbender if Toph's not careful. Being shamans sensitive to earth themselves, they're fond of her... and a big part of why Kilik himself trusts her.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
It's not a party until Tony Stark shows up. So... it can be a party now. Out of respect for the local environs and culture he doesn't roll up in a sports car but he still arrives in style on Cuddles the ill tempered Chocobo, who is wearing her finest red and gold barding to advertise who she belongs to. Stark himself wears a tailored white shirt and form-fitting black suit jacket reasonably close to the local fashion. Floral embroidery of fine red thread traces the lapels and cuffs. In his wake follows a local carter that he hired, driving an open wagon drawn by a pair of ostrich horses. A large box shaped object is covered by a tarp in the wagon bed.

Stark's expression is mixed, as he dismounts from his crimson steed and ties her to a hitching post well away from the flow of people. On the one hand, he's incredibly proud of Toph - his adoptive daughter - and what she's accomplished here and what this evening means to her and even her whole world. On the other... he's sad that her adoptive /mother/ couldn't make it, due to a sudden and severe headache. On the third hand, if he's still counting them, he feels guilty for not staying home to take care of /her/. But of course Pepper insisted that he go, and present their gift to Toph as planned.

The wagon driver hops down and goes round to the back of his vehicle, where he unloads one by one a pair of small barrels and rolls them over to where Stark tied up Cuddles. Popping the lids off of them reveals one to be full of gysahl greens, and the other with beer. She'll be well occupied and kept out of trouble for the evening.

Ziggy Grover has posed:
Dressing up for the occasion wasn't Ziggy's kind of thing. While he normally favored a t-shirt with a leather jacket, he -did-, however, own a black suit, thanks to Fresno Bob's belief that a sharply dressed man made a good impression on the rounds collecting ... payments.

Of course, this being Ziggy, this meant white socks with brown shoes and a tie that looked as though it'd been tied by someone extremely unfamiliar with a windsor knot who'd settled for a bolo-esque thing.

"Good evening!" Ziggy greets, taking a moment to snatch up a bit of drink off a tray from somewhere. "Nice place, I like the digs, I like the... ACK!"

Sidling away from the entirely too familiar chocobos, Ziggy ... isn't really using Tony as a shield, no. Just... HELLO, MR. STARK.

Defiant (988) has posed:
     Two more guests arrive, each of them clad in heavy suits of green and gold powered armor, leaving their steed - a large mechanical dragon-jet - some distance behind them.

     Defiant and Dragon walk side by side, helmets off. Defiant, as pale and scarred and impeccably bearded as ever, and Dragon, as unsettlingly /normal/ as anyone might remember. But still, it's not like either of them to be entirely without their disguises although, really, they could have dressed more appropriately.

Korra (752) has posed:
It was a little easy to get lost in these multiworlds.

A little /too/ easy for one Avatar, Korra. Having spent the better part of a year with Tenzin in a campaign throughout the elseworlds, Korra had found a few things. New friends, new enemies, new techniques under her belt - and a new appreciation for the friends she had left behind. Upon conclusion of that campaign, in fact - not a month or so ago - she was taking some well-deserved time 'off' at Tenzin's airbender temple, when...

It was Meelo, actually, that tipped her off, in one of his wild forays around her. "Korra, Korra! Can you bend metal too?! Because Toph can, it looks like, and moreso, she's making a school about it!" Could Korra bend metal?

The question, unspoken, widens the Avatar's eyes - her hand coming up to scratch at the side of her neck. "I've never tried!" she admits, her eyes flickering towards Meelo. But there was something steely in the back of her eyes. Something competitive.

She did have that streak, after all.

But anyways... for all of Korra's good attributes, what could never quite be said of her was that she had a varied sense of fashion. She knew what she looked good in, and she stuck to it. Blues - trimmed with white, a blouse that showed off her arms and the strength she held therein, with elbow-length, handless gloves that reach her wrist. A beige leather half-skirt with a fringe tied about the waist with a cloth strap, and baggy pants that reach all the way down into fur-lined boots.

And people might know she was coming by the rather large bear she was riding. Looking like a cross between a (giant) polar bear and a (giant) labrador, the creature had a harness around its neck that supported a saddle. One that Korra currently rode upon, her smile only growing larger and brighter as she drew near the school. Once she draws near, though, she forward flips off of the bear, hitting the ground in a run - lifting her hand up to wave to the Earth... no... Metalbender. There were others here, and Korra's eyes shift around to them with an equally large smile, but it was Toph that she draws near to, smiling as wide as the sun.

But she manages to dull that smile and fall down into a walk, as she nears the school proper. "Toph," she says, all cool. "Nice school you got here."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When Evangeline arrives Toph recognises her easily enough, grinning in greeting. "Heya Eva, long time no see!" Sadly the dress is lost on her, but at least others will see how the little neuroi has dressed up.

    Alden too earns a nod and a slight punch in the arm. "Glad you could make it, buddy! Make yourself at home!"

    As it is, Toph hasn't kept the opening of the academy a secret at all. Why should she? While there are people who have actively gone after her with harmful intentions in the past, it would be atypical of her to hide. So when Kilik and the twins show up she looks mighty pleased. True, Kilik might be a Fed, but he's one of the few Feds who isn't an inconsiderate asshole in her opinion. His slight stammer makes her smirk though, at least until she's assaulted by the twin demon weapons. Luckily she's holding her ground, and she laughs as she pats them on the back. Yeah, she appreciates them too! "Glad you could make it, kids. Food's inside, so you better be goddamn hungry!" It's okay, you guys can let go of her now.

    The arrival of her adoptive father doesn't go unnoticed, though she is kinda curious about the wagon. While she /is/ a bit worried about Pepper not feeling all that well today she is happy that one of her adoptive parents could make it. Kinda makes sense that he brought food and beer for the feathered beast too...

    Ziggy has a reason to fear the damn bird, that's for certain. And Toph can't help but snicker a bit as the teen hides behind Tony. "No need to worry, Spazlord! She's got beer and greens, so she's gonna be busy with that for a while," Toph calls out to him.

    Defiant and Dragon arrive in their usual style, and Toph grins at the pair. "Heya Suzy, hiya Dragon! Didn't know you guys were party people, I gotta admit," she states with an amused smile.

    Perhaps others will be scared by the large polar dog that arrives, though Toph looks a bit surprised instead of actually nervous. And then she /grins/, looking outright pleased. "Twinkletoes!" It's been a while since she last met Korra after all, and well... it's the reincarnation of her first student, so one can't blame her for liking Korra, right? And she can't help but beam at the comment. "Of course it's nice! We've been working on getting it all set up for my lily livers..." Here she gestures to the two behind her, Penga and Ho Tun. The two have just been watching in amazement at the arrivals, clearly not used to multiversal guests much.

Alden (930) has posed:
Alden certainly makes sure to stay away from the chocobo, having a sudden flashback to his only encounter with the bird, mumbling, "Is that one of the birds from back at the party?" to Toph, just to make sure. Katze is intrigued, and makes motions to go closer to Cuddles, but is thankfully caught, "But I want to see that big bird!" she protests.

     Alden grins to Toph, and returns the friendly punch, "I am very glad to see you, this place looks great!" he offers, moving out of the way so the earth... metalbender can catch up with the others, and keeping quiet for the most part, just trying some snacks, and offering Mr. Stark a friendly wave and a grin. Most of his attention turns to Korra, and the massive dogbear.... beardog?. He moves to get a closer look, and of course, giving Korra a grin and a wave.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony drops a hand easily on Ziggy's shoulder as he's 'greeted' by the young man. "Hey, kid. Nice suit," he remarks, cocking an eyebrow amusedly at Ranger Green's attire. "You'll have to give me the number of your tailor."

He notes Toph's curiosity regarding his big box -- he knows her well enough to tell what she's 'looking' at -- and grins. "No peeking," he cautions her, because there is indeed a lot of metal inside the box that might lead to guessing. He packed it in sand and the crate itself is wood, which he hopes will 'blur' her seismic sense of it enough to be surprised when it comes time to unveil it.

Stark gives Defiant a respectful nod but only greets his companion by name, "Dragon," and an incline of his head. He did help reprogram her once. That's the kind of personal connection one doesn't forget. He returns Alden's wave, and regards the back of Korra's head thoughtfully for a moment. He did meet another version of her once upon a time, but she was quite a bit younger and... moodier. Also not the best memories associated with that whole Koh the Facestealer thing.

For now, Stark makes his way to the bar, because of course.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Kirikou's more amused by Toph's acceptance of the twins than anything else. They're pretty adorable, yeah, but who'd have thought she actually accepted hugs? It's not like HE'S going to try such a thing, and likely she'd spike him for his troubles.

    As the others arrive, he takes note. Outnumbered by Union peeps, he's sure. He only recognizes a few, but he's not terribly afraid. They're not about to gang up on him, not if he's an invited friend of the Dirtbender. And besides, not all of them have proverbial sticks up their proverbial butts. Tony Stark gets a grin from the Meister and, if the Iron Man's hip enough to recognize it, a warrior salute... bumping forearms. Like tapping knuckles only somewhat more obscure.

    The rest of the arrivals get variously noticed, though the only one who gets a big reaction out of Kirikou is the arrival by Korra. Not only is she riding a huge beardogthing, she's also ... well, an impressive woman. Yep, Kilik notices. He's a teenage boy. Sue him.

    He turns his attention back to Toph though. "Lotsa food huh? That's what I like to hear!" he smiles, teeth gleaming. "And hey, I hear you're a metalbending master here. So I guess I should give ya a new nickname. How's RustBuster sound to you?"

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline nods lightly when Toph calls out to her. "...too long..." she says in her soft, meek, near monotone. She then floats over and, thanks to hanging out with Toph in the past, gives Toph a firm but friendly punch in the arm with that flat end of one of her sleeve-arms. "...it is a nice school...I am sure you will teach many students here..." she says.

     The little Neuroi in the pink dress look saround as more and more people arrive, but with no eyes and no expression at all, it is pretty hard to tell just exactly where she is looking or what she is thinking about those she looks at. The pair of demons that assault Toph cause her to tilt her head slightly in curiousity, and the look from Kirikou draws her attention a moment. He and the others probably notice that Evangeline never touches the ground. She is always floating at least a foot above it, and seems to move with no apparent means of propulsion.

     Alden receives a wave from Evangeline, who recognizes the digimon from a meeting quite a while back. They haven't had much contact since then. Tony of course also receives a wave, but again Eva doesn't have much contact with him. Defiant and Dragon and Korra are all unknown to her, so she bows in a formal and respectful way reminiscent of a Japanese greeting.

Ziggy Grover has posed:
"Uh... I'll be sure to pass on word to Fresno Bob's tailor," Ziggy stammers. He didn't quite recall -who- did him up with the suit, especially since it wasn't the -best- fit. Still, knowing he was being patronized, Ziggy did what he did best when confronted with that.

"I quite like your suit, Mr. Stark! It's so very... ironed!"

With things settled, Ziggy waves his way through the crowd, picking the safest-looking apprentice to chat up. "Hi. So, you're one of Toph's students, eh?"

Korra (752) has posed:
    Naga, once Korra had dismounted - trots off in the direction of something that looks edible. Thankfully, there was probably a big tub of horse or animal food at the side of the school for such an event, and the polar bear dog starts chomping down on that food.

    Korra pauses a moment, though at the nickname. A laugh comes from her. "Really?!" she complains, glancing up towards the heavens, and placing her hands squarely upon her hips. Another moment, and a wryness touches her lips, before she glances back down towards Toph proper. "Naga is going to eat /all/ of your food for that one!" she threatens. Even if she generally just had a normal appetite.

    Korra seemed, just in the time she had been away, a little more sturdy, a little stronger, perhaps - a little more confident - not as arrogant, but confident - besides. Perhaps that is what Stark was seeing. Sensing the man's eyes on her, Korra turns her gaze towards him, tilting her head just a bit to one side. Another moment, and she lifts a hand in silent greeting to him. Kilik himself - unaware of the way he was noticing her, Korra takes a step forward - away from Toph - and inclines her head towards him. Starting a moment at the bow from the Neuroi girl, Korra dips forward in a sloppy bow reminscent of her own, and gives them a smile. "Hey - I'm Korra," she says, gesturing back over her shoulder, towards the academy proper. "How do you guys know Toph?" asks she.

Alden (930) has posed:
Alden is not crazy enough to approach a bear dog, especially not one with food, he just gets a closer look of the large hybrid, and turns his attention to the gathering. Evangeline gets a grin and a wave, recognizing her from the little encounter back then, and finally decides to approach the others, even if he was a bit nervous. He grabs a few more snacks, and tries a slow approach. Korra's question is met with a simple answer, "Oh, we talked via comunicator one day, she came to visit, and we sparred." he says softly, "She is really good.".

     Meanwhile, Katze seems to have no patience for Alden's 'walk slowly and try to float around a group' and simply walks between the others, the small feline shinki moving swiftly and gracefully, and introducing herself to everyone! She seems mostly intrigued by Defiant and Dragon, due to the robotic/power armor look!, the little robot/android girl moving closer, the cat tail behind her twitching happily, "Nice Armor!" she says casually.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Giving Alden a confirmative nod, Toph points at the large red chocobo. "That's Cuddles, she's Goldie's. Mine's back at home." As for the shinki's curiousity? "You should probably stay away from her, she's a grouchy one." The returned punch earns a grin of approval, then again... most of Toph's friends should know that she enjoys situations where there's no enforced formalities.

    At Tony's comment the teen lets out a heavy sigh and blows some of the hair out of her face. "Fiiiiiiine," she responds. Damnit, he knows her too well, huh? And it appears he's found a good way to package stuff that's made of earthen materials. It's hard to sense just what's inside the crate without touching it.

    Kilik himself earns a hard slap on the back. "Yeah, you can stuff your belly as full as you want. And of course I'm the master here, I'm the inventor of the art, there's nobody else who knows it yet," she responds. The suggestion of the new nickname earns an amused snort, and Toph is smirking a bit. "Sounds fine to me, Gloves!"

    Most of her friends seem to have learned that punches are the way that Toph shows affection, indeed. Evangeline gets a punch in return. "Oh yeah, for now it's just Penga and Ho Tun though, but I intend to have the academy grow so the art of metalbending becomes more known and practiced all over the Earth Kingdom! After all, teaching is a noble endeavour, something to strive for to better oneself /and/ one's students alike! It's something I've gotten a thirst for after I first taught the Avatar earthbending!" Not to mention it's an awesome way to boss people around!

    Ho Tun looks a bit surprised when Ziggy walks up to him, though he swallows and nods. "Yeah... I'm not really sure though, even if she did say that I have the potential to learn metalbending..." All in all, he doesn't seem to be very optimistic about this whole thing. But still, he's here. "You're all of sifu Toph's friends, then...?" he ventures carefully before looking at the other people gathered here. Penga walks over to Evangeline, looking a bit curious. "Uh, where did you get your dress...?" It's unlike anything she's seen before, which might be why she's curious.

    The nickname that Toph has by proxy given Korra isn't going away anytime soon. Sure, it was meant for her previous incarnation, but that still sticks. "It's what I named the previous Avatar, so deal with it! And good luck eating all of the food." There's a lot of it.

    With that said and done though, Toph claps her hands. "Okay people, I'll make this short and sweet! Thank you for coming to the grand opening of the Beifong Metalbending Academy, the first metalbending academy in the world! Thanks to all who have helped, you're awesome, we're happy and we're hungry. Let's eat!" With that the teenager turns and heads inside the open doors, gesturing for the people who are still outside to follow. "Grab whatever you want to eat and drink, play nice and enjoy!" Toph herself isn't slow to grab herself a plate of food and some drink, and while she does that she does stop by Tony at the bar, her expression serious. "You should bring some food back to Pepper when you do head back later."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony Stark doesn't need Mr. Grover's approbation to know he looks good. If he didn't look good in it he wouldn't wear it. He's also inured to iron puns. So he merely smiles sardonically as he gets his alcoholic beverage and turns around to survey the gathering. He lifts his glass in a silent return salute to Korra. "Mine's better," he mutters under his breath, catching Katze's comment to the Double D Duo.

When Toph suddenly appears at his elbow he smiles faintly. "I'm going to," he promises. "You know she really wanted to come, it's just, the headaches..." he stops and shakes his head briskly. "Anyway, I promised her I'd get video of you opening your schoolwarming gift so she doesn't miss out. Those students of yours bending any metal, yet?"

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Kirikou looks down at Toph, scratching his head in apparent effort of thought. Seems this might not be one of his strong points, or at least he doesn't want to look like the kind of nerd who thinks a lot. This despite the glasses... which is at least one nerd-strike.

    "Uhhh... oh yeah! We got in a big fight." he grins. "Half killed each other. Ended up in the same hospital." he says cheerfully. Man, those were the good times right? "And so we ended up ninjaing together in the hospital to steal candy. Since then we've fought a few times and partied a few times. Dunno which we've done more." he says playfully. That, at least, is true enough. He knows he gets along with Toph, and they've opposed each other a few times. He hasn't really been keeping score though.

    "Okay, Fire, Thunder." Kirikou says, apparently addressing the young Twins and jerking a thumb Toph's way. "Rustbuster there says you can eat whatever you want." The two kids grin broadly without saying a word. Their voicelessness, not to mention the way their grins all but split their faces in half, are likely to be more than a little creepy. But hey, they at least seem to be happy? They enthusiastically begin to pile food onto plates. Kirikou joins them, piling his own plate with as much meat as he can without risking overflow. Hey, it's a buffet. Kirikou's no fool, he's not about to fill up on bread or anything.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline is punched in return, and with her being airborn it causes her to float back just a bit before she floats forward again. "...it may be the only metalbending academy in the Multiverse..." Evangeline says softly. Penga's question draws Eva's attention, and she turns her head slightly before turning her body to face Penga. "...I borrowed it from my friend Yoshika...I do not know where she got it...but there are stores that sell dresses like these so she may have purchased it at a store..." she says before tugging on her scarf lightly to make sure it is still tight. She pauses a moment after that, then tilts her head slightly. "...do you like it...?" she asks.

     Korra's greeting draws Evangeline's own, and after their bowing is complete she says, "...I am Evangeline...I met Toph when I was learning how to read and write...she helped me by reading books to me..." she says, her voice always the same level of softness and minimal inflection. Just enough to convey her thoughts without appearing robotic.

     She gets completely quite and still again when Toph speaks up and invites everyone in. Evangeline sticks close to Toph, the only person here with whom she is really comfortable, and when they get near the food tables she stacks up two plates with as much as they can possibly hold without it falling, and with no apparently concern for mixing of foods or what flavors what food might have. The small 'girl' obviously needs her calories.

Ziggy Grover has posed:
"Well, basically. Has she hit you yet? Because if she has, she likes you," Ziggy responds. "Though there's probably a line between teachers and students she's at risk of crossing there. If that happens, uh... just talk to her dad."

Waving a hand, Ziggy hushes up as Toph begins to talk, before applauding. "There. We can eat. Where's the cheese fountain?"

Korra (752) has posed:
    Naga, for her part, seemed to finally notice Alden's attention. Lifting up an ear first, the great beast lifts its head to look towards the young man, running a big tongue over her lips. A beat, and Naga stares for a handful of moments more, before returning back to the food.

    "She's a real sweetheart, I promise you," says Korra to Alden, leaning to the side. Almost as if she caught Naga's attention. Giving him a wide grin, she turns her eyes back towards Toph, and the impromptu gathering. Each little story draws a little more smile to her lips, and she brings up a hand to brush through her dark hair. "You all have such history here - it's impressive," she says, with a smile. The food inside... "Smells great, Toph. I didn't know you could cook, as well," she says, tucking her hands at her sides as she strides inside.

    A handful of moments more.

    In spite of her threat of Naga eating everything. "So. How long do you think it would take someone like me to learn metalbending?" she asks, in a casual tone that wasn't really casual and everyone here knew /exactly/ what she was talking about. Although Korra doesn't pig out, she does load her plate up with a healthy portion of food, lifting it up a touch.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Of course Toph has noticed how Pepper's situation is nowadays, and when she hasn't been busy with overseeing the repairs and construction here at the Academy the blind teen has been busy tending to her adoptive mother and trying to make things easier for her. "Yeah, she'd better take it easy and get some rest... I'll head back home later too after stuff has been cleaned up here." The comment about her getting a schoolwarming gift though makes her arch an eyebrow. So that's what it is, huh? Interesting, now she's really curious. When it comes to the students and their metalbending abilities however, Toph shakes her head. "Not yet, I haven't noticed anything since we found them. But they will begin learning first thing tomorrow." No, she doesn't seem discouraged at all.

    When Evangeline looks at her Penga does seem a bit hesitant at first, but when the neuroi replies friendily enough, the young girl becomes a bit more daring as she steps closer. "I... I love it, it looks so cute! And store? What store? I want a dress like that too! I have shoes that would go perfectly with it, and maybe some dark pink ribbons...!" Penga half squees, reaching out for the hem of the dress to inspect if allowed.

    Ho Tun looks a bit surprised when Ziggy talks about Toph hitting people, and then he turns his head sharply to stare at Toph. "Is that what she was doing...?!" Hitting people because she likes them. "Ah, my skin will be doomed if that happens... though I guess I have no choice here, do I?" Yet there is confusion there, even if the timid teen doesn't speak up. There actually is a fondue fountain, so Ziggy is free to enjoy some cheese if he wants to.

    Perhaps Korra said something funny, because Toph herself nearly chokes on a piece of food, spitting it back onto her plate before she laughs. "Me? Cook! Hah, right! This is all bought! I bet any food I made wouldn't look good either, nor taste too great!" Oh man, that's rich. Yet Korra does have a valid question too. As a result Toph's expression turns pensive while she chews on a piece of chicken, tapping it against her lower lip. "Hmm, that depends. You seem to have an okay grasp of earthbending... It depends on how well you can sense it, though. That's where the trick to metalbending lies and why I was the one to invent it in the first place. If you really want to become a student though, you're more than welcome." Is that a wide grin with a hint of deviousness to it spreading across Toph's face? Possibly.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline makes no attempt to stop Penga from investigating the dress. It is made of a very smooth and soft material. Not silk, but something only a step or two below that. "...perhaps we can go shopping..." Evangeline says as Penga takes the hem of the dress. It causes a bit more of Evangeline's strange legs to be visible, but the Neuroi doesn't seem to even notice.

     Once she has her plates, Evangeline takes a seat as near to Toph as she can get without intruding into the teacher's and student's space. Already a quiet one, now with food going...against her face...Evangeline is virtually silent. Her food doesn't seem to be eaten so much as simply absorbed in a burst of red light which she tries to do in approximation of eating. And it might really confuse the others when she speaks even while something is pressed to her face. "...I do not usually wear clothing...I have no need for weather protection...and have no modesty to protect..." she says to Penga. "...but...clothes are cute...and I do like to shop for them..."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony nods, his eyes passing thoughtfully over Ho Tun and Penga as he purses his lips and considers Toph's assessment. "Well," he declares briskly, "You'll have to show them how it works, then. I'm thinking you should open it outside, owing to the mess the sand is going to make. And then you can make the peons clean it up anyway," he suggests with a grin, his gaze returning to Toph. "C'mon, I want to see your reaction. I worked hard on this." He moves toward the door, waving at the guy he hired.

The driver eases the cart up near the front door of the building, and manuevers his ostrich horses to back it up so that the tarp-covered crate can be accessed easily from the rear.

Tony gestures impatiently at Toph, like a kid at Christmas.

Ziggy Grover has posed:
"I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about it, uh... what -was- your name again? I'm Ziggy Grover..." Ziggy rcomments, belatedly doing the introductions. Tilting his head towards the food array as part of an invitation, Ziggy adds, "Besides, you're gonna be part of a pretty exclusive class. I get the impression only a few people have that kind of potential. So, uh... you know how to bend spoons?"

Defiant (988) has posed:
     To the two capes, it's a whirlwind of greetings and comments. "We're not," Defiant tells Toph simply, only for Dragon to comment, "Not usually, is what he means to append that sentence with. Ah! Mister Stark, a pleasure as always." Defiant returns Tony Stark's nod - evidently the pair share a mutual understanding. He nods to Evandeline, too, while Dragon is seemingly more prepared to return the bow.

     Unfortunately for Katze, the polite comment earns a rather long explanation from Defiant about the capabilities of his armor. "More than nice," he begins, launching into what can only be described as an unerringly specific and ridiculously precise discussion about the recent work he's been doing. Scratch that - a discussion implies more than one person is talking.

     Neither of them touch the food, though.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When Evangeline makes the suggestion to go shopping with Penga, the young girl abruptly looks up at the neuroi, eyes wide and with a hopeful look on her face. "Really?! I would love to! Does that mean we would go into the multiverse?" Somebody sure looks hopeful about that idea. And thanks to that comment the girl is now following Evangeline to the food table, getting her own plate with food as she follows closely after Eva. "Well, you look cute in the dress! You think it comes in my size? Are there other colours too? And yeah, they are cute aren't they? My favourites are shoes though! Do you wear shoes? Your feet are kinda... weird."

    If Tony is giving Toph permission to open up the gift now, then there's no way she's going to wait. It's not like Tony has ever given her crappy gifts before (although she wasn't too excited about the reading glove at first), and she's curious. Holding onto her plate she blinks, then sets it down next to Eva before she nods. Huh, Tony actually sounds... giddy? He worked hard on something? Now she's starting to get /really/ curious. "Okay guys, you keep on eating while I open the gift here, you can probably see it through the doors anyway!" So Toph heads out to the front doors again as the driver steers the cart up to the front steps. And since Tony gestures for her to go ahead, the metalbending master steps forward and begins opening the crate.

    Back inside Ho Tun is looking towards the front door, though he does glance back at Ziggy too. "Oh, I'm Ho Tun... seems most of you people have a bit different sounding names...?" At least it looks like he isn't too spooked out by Ziggy, though the question about bending spoons does cause the youth to look surprised. "Huh? Bend spoons...? No, why? Sifu Toph hasn't begun teaching us yet, she wanted the academy to be ready and all..." Why did Ziggy ask that though?

    As she's opening the crate Toph does speak up to Defiant and Dragon though. "You're really missing out on the food, you know... though this is pretty damn good company at least! Just wait until the lily livers know the basics, then we're going to see lots of results! And then I expect there will be even more students," she adds. It's not a surprise that Defiant is launching into a spiel about his armour though. Perhaps the little shinki will understand what the crud he's talking about though.

Alden (930) has posed:
For better or worse, the Shinki seems intrigued about the Armors, and while she does hear Stark's comment, she is mostly focused on Defiant and Dragon, casually jumping up until she can sit on Defiant's shoulder, assuming she is allowed to, and nods, "That's amazing!." she says, either she is being polite, or she actually understands and finds it impressive. She does some comments on her own capabilities, which, while impressive for a tiny humanoid combat toy/robot, are not still much.

     Alden lets Katze mingle, perhaps he can hear about the armoured pair later!, he instead focuses on Tony, the students and the rest, listening to the mention of sensing materials, "Can you bend any metal?" he asks, a simple question, but he did not know much about metal bending, tho he decides quiet, moving a bit closer to peek at the box as well.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
As Toph pops the top and then the sides of the wooden crate, a cascade of sand showers down from it, scattering over the bed of the cart and the ground below. A carved wooden figure is visible within, a deeply polished dark mahogany. At first it's just the top that can be seen, a quadrupedal creature's powerful shoulders and broad back. As more of the packing-sand (very fine, powdery stuff so as not to scratch the finish of the wood) falls away, the figure becomes more clearly a Badgermole in shape. Its claws stand out as long curving scythes of oak.

The really interesting part, though, is the inside of the wooden statue. An intricate system of gears and bars, entirely mechanical, no electronics here, forms an internal skeletal structure that could be manipulated to move the jointed limbs into various poses. There are no external levers or anything visible. The only way to manipulate those gears would seem to be via metalbending.

Tony hops back and forth from one foot to the other, grinning eagerly as he aims his Starkphone at Toph throughout the unboxing process.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Over his phone recording, Tony's voice can be heard as well. "I designed the clockwork myself. Been a long time since I did something purely mechanical. Jarvis helped block out the external parts. We did all the designs on holo and then had them special ordered for assembly. I thought you could use a mascot for the Academy."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    All the sand doesn't bother Toph, not even when it covers part of her feet. Instead she looks rather curious about what remains as the sand isn't there to blur her senses. As it is she can't really 'see' the wood though, so she's forced to use her hands to touch the wood and try to figure out just what the present is. It would be pretty hard for Toph not to know the shape of a badgermole though, so after she's run her hands down the side towards the head and then back, her eyes widen slightly in realisation. And then a big grin spreads across her face, genuine glee easy for all to see. Unlike the other people there she /is/ able to see what's inside the woodwork though, able to understand how much work has been put into the gift. "Oh /sweet/!" This is even better than that marionette, mostly because this one is made purely for the use by metalbenders!

    Penga and Ho Tun, never having seen Toph act giddy before, do recognise what a badgermole looks like. The mention of clockwork does explain some things though, even if they're a bit uncertain about why Toph finds this gift so great. But if anybody were still doubting whether Toph appreciates the gift, they should get that question cleared up as Toph turns to Tony and wraps her arms around his waist, giving him a tight hug before she turns back to the wooden bagermole and gestures towards it with both hands, making it sit up on its hind legs in a silly pose. "Oh yeah, this guy will make a good mascot! Not to mention teaching equipment!" Because learning how to make the wooden badgermole move will be a true test of skill and understanding of earthbending.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline seems surprised, even with her featureless face, about Penga's enthusiasm. But, she doesn't seem to mind. Once they are seated, all she really has time to respond with is, "...I do not wear shoes...or socks...or stockings..." Suffice it to say that if it goes on the legs, she doesn't wear it.

     Then it is time for the present to be presented, so Evangeline follows the others outside to see the gift. She tilts her head slightly at the badgermole. She has never seen one before, much less a wooden one, so she floats over to it and then slowly around it, like some sort of spirit or fairy, and the whisper-quiet metallic sound of her movements would only add to that feeling. "...what is it..?" she asks, pointing one of her sleeve-arms at the creature.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony Stark... is hugged. This isn't something that happens to him very often, at least not in public. At least not in public, lately, when he isn't completely drunk and covered in girls. You know what, Stark, just shut up and accept it.

Which he does, actually having the grace to flush slightly with a sheepish grin at the public show of affection. His hand -- the one not holding the phone -- drops to rub his fingers lightly over Toph's back in return. "Yeah, well, it was hell keeping it a secret," he declares, trying-not-trying to sound gruff. "Though you being so busy with the school and taking care of Pepper helped." He lowers his voice, to a more personal tone though not so quiet it can't be heard by those around him. "I'm proud of you, kiddo."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "But... you should really try shoes and accessories, they are so nice!" Penga protests as she follows Eva outside. The question about what the mascot is though does make the young girl peer up at the neuroi. "That's a badgermole, you really haven't seen one? They are all over the Earth Kingdom! Also they're the original earthbenders," the young girl explains rather matter of factly.

    It's not many people that Toph does hug in public, but Tony is an exception. "Well, now you know how to conceal Christmas presents from me if you're getting me anything cool," she points out with a grin. The lowered tone earns a nod, and she whispers something back that is only meant for Tony's ears.

    "OKAY, let's get back to the food, guys! Feel free to look around and check out the place!" On her way back in Toph will bend the wooden badgermole so it walks up the front steps and inside the doors, all before she makes it come to a stop by the doors. The two students do look a bit amazed at this feat though, and not without some nervousness on their faces. They are supposed to do /that/?

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony gives the students a little smirk as he heads back inside. Yep, you're supposed to do /that/ now. You're welcome, kids. Now, to partake of the food. He has to find out what the best bits are so he can take a plate home for Pepper. Some of those dumplings they all love, of course, but otherwise a very diverse plate, because god knows what she'll be craving when she feels like eating again.

He also needs to wander around the school and get a lot of video to stand in for her actually being able to visit eventually. Man, being a family man is hard work. He may need another drink for this.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline, despite hearing the explanation about the wooden badgermole, flinches in surprise when it moves and is suddenly in attack posture. Arms raise, flat tips of her sleeve-arms pointed at it. But, she doesn't charge up. She just watches it move a few moments before she lowers her arms again and floats after it. "...it really moves..."

     She then floats back inside with Penga. "...but...I have no feet..." she says concerning shoes, then tilts her head lightly. "...I do wear accessories thought..." she says, then motions to her scarf and the watch she is wearing. The watch that somehow seems to be broadcasting her voice. "...I do not wear them often, though, because they are often at risk of being disintegrated by enemy Neuroi beams..."

     Evangeline moves back to her seat and resumes eating. And resumes talking while eating with no trouble at all. "...what sort of accessories would you want..? ..I kind of like bows...they are cute...but my hair doesn't work right to wear them..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When Evangeline reacts to the wooden badgermole moving Toph can't help but laugh. "Hey, relax! I'm the one making it move, it has metal inside it!" So no destroying the nice gift, okay? Okay.

    Penga looks like she considers possible options for accessories that would fit the little neuroi though, rubbing her chin as she studies her. "Maybe you would look nice with a necklace or something! And bracelets! Just keep them safe, because some things are expensive and rare! It all depends on where you buy it, and how nice it is along with your other stuff! It has to match you know!" As for what she would want herself? "More shoes!" the little girl replies eagerly while she continues eating her food.