1163/A Different Way to Deal

A Different Way to Deal
Date of Scene:	17 December 2014
Location:	New York-199999
Synopsis:	Toph is determined to make this year's Dec 17th somewhat less miserable for Tony, so she, Buster and Jarvis have prepared for the best way to waste a day.
Cast of Characters:	20, 301

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's one good thing about having the reoccurring nightmares, at least. There's no way Toph is a late sleeper most of the time. And this very day is a day that she should not sleep in on. With last year's events only too easily remembered the blind earthbender had gotten out of bed, changed into a t-shirt and cargo pants and then headed off to the kitchen. Not that she's a master chef, but it's for an extremely good cause. Besides, if Tony does start to drink, at least it will be better for him if he has some food in his stomach, right?

    Luckily it seems that Jarvis' calendar is working too, and it helps not being reminded about lessons. Screw reading, to hell with the guqin. For now Toph sits outside of the master bedroom with the tray in her lap, waiting and listening as she so often does, but for a different reason. It does help with Buster sitting there by her feet and batting at a coin that Toph bends back and forth for him to chase. It helps her in staying focused too.

    He's been asleep so far, but the very moment her sensitive senses pick up that Tony is waking up she gets to her feet, bends the coin up into her hand and pockets it before she picks up the tray and opens the door, slipping in, a determined look on her face. This year she will do a better job, and hopefully Tony will be feeling just a little better. It's not like she expects him to be his usual self, but if he feels even an iota less miserable than he did last year... then she will consider that a victory.

    "Made some breakfast," she announces, her voice a bit quieter than she was when she made him and Pepper breakfast for his birthday several months ago.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
If Tony has slept in as late as possible you could hardly blame him. He was tossing and turning all night, no doubt to Pepper's dismay as he kept kicking her, but it's not as if she could really chastise him for that either. But he's awake now, for better or worse, sitting up in bed with mussed hair and deep circles under his eyes and looking as if he hasn't slept at all. He had just been sitting there, contemplating his folded hands in his lap and trying out a tentative foray into pretending to be a normal human being on the radio when Toph pokes her way into the room.

He glances up dully, nose wrinkling at the smell of food, and he presses his lips tightly together to swallow the wave of nausea at the very thought. With an effort, he musters as much appreciation as he can. Because he /does/ appreciate her trying to take care of him, even if he doesn't particularly want to be taken care of. "...Maybe later," he mutters. He did promise to try, but that includes knowing his own limitations, and if he eats anything right now he's pretty sure he's going to throw it up. Which wouldn't make the day any brighter.

Still, as Buster romps into the room and hops up onto the bed to headbutt him firmly, Tony cups a hand lightly over the cat's head and draws a deep breath. He /promised/. "...Maybe," he ventures to amend, "I can manage the toast." He strokes Buster from nose to tail and the big black cat arches happily into the petting, purring and nudging for more. It... helps.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's not like Tony has a choice here, as far as Toph is concerned. If he takes care of her, then he has to deal with her doing the same with him and Pepper. That's how it goes, right? They're officially family now. It's not like either of them are the type who want others to take care of them...

    It's not an outright 'no', which is acceptable. Still, Toph does hesitate just slightly, at least until Buster bravely charges forwards to say hi to Tony. And hey, a snuggly cat does seem to help. It also makes Toph smile just a little, and she heads on over to the bed, sitting down on the side of the bed and holding out the toast to Tony. "I managed to get it super crunchy this time," she states. "And Jarvis said it looks right too."

    Sure, she has some ideas on stuff to do to make the day pass by faster, but they're all dependent on how Tony is reacting and feeling. He did say he wouldn't feel right to have fun. And for once she doesn't want to step on any toes.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony has to stop petting Buster to take the toast, and he tears off a piece of the crust and just looks at it for several contemplative seconds before he lifts it to his mouth and gives it a tentative nibble. Buster stretches his nose upward to investigate this clearly very interesting piece of food, and snorts when he discovers it's just cooked bread. ...Then he reaches up again to try to steal a bite.

The corner of Tony's mouth quirks, ever so slightly. "You're shameless, aren't you, cat." Buster agrees by rising up on his hind legs to try to grasp the piece of toast in his forepaws. Tony nudges him gently back down to the comforter over his legs, and sighs, staring at the remainder of the piece of bread as if it were a mountain to be climbed. Christ this is hard. Just not-freaking-out. It's like when someone tells you not to think about a naked old man in a clown wig. Of COURSE your brain is going to go straight to withered old man testicles and a rainbow afro. And now he has THAT image in his head in addition to trying not to think about the other elephant in the room.

Tony sighs, shuts his eyes, sets the toast down, and picks up Buster, holding him close against his chest. "Fuck," he whispers into the cat's shoulder as he tucks his nose down to bury it against the sleek fur. No, it's not the most appropriate thing to say to his thirteen year old adopted daughter, but it's all he can manage.

A few moments later, he ventures hoarsely, not removing his face from his cat, "What... do I have to do today then?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Good, he's accepted food. Step one accomplished. And it certainly sounds like Buster is doing a good job too. At least trying to. Because she hears the sigh that follows the comment Tony made to the cat. Oh great, he's starting to think about it, isn't he?

    Toph picks up another piece of toast from the tray and starts munching on it. Her appetite isn't the way it normally is either, but she will try to. Right now she has to be strong since Tony can't be. It doesn't look like she's bothered by the exclamation either. It's not like Toph hasn't heard far worse words, nor uttered them herself. Nor does she care much for what he said, she's more concerned about why he said it. She finds herself unable to hold back a sigh of her own, and she chews her toast carefully, her feet dangling off of the edge of the bed. Time to wait some more. It's only when he asks what she expects of him that she speaks up. "Put on your comfiest pair of pants. As much as you love your bed, the couch awaits," she says and reaches out to punch him somewhat carefully in the shoulder. See? She's not about to drag him out of the house when he obviously doesn't want to.

    Getting to her feet, Toph also halts, turning her head slightly towards Tony. "Also, I'll be your personal chef today. Any food or snacks you want from the kitchen, I'll get." Maybe that will make it easier for him to get something down besides booze, she hopes.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
It sounds like she's going to try to /manage/ him. This is... probably a good thing, as it's what he responded best to out of all of the personal assistant tactics that didn't work out and the one who stuck around. Still, even Pepper has historically had an impossible time getting him to do anything productive on December 17th. Then again, Toph probably doesn't have anything /productive/ in mind for him so maybe he can handle it. Maybe he can do this, if she just keeps him distracted all day.

What he /really/ wants right now is a double Scotch, neat, to take the edge off the knot of trying-not-to-think-about-it stress in his chest, just behind the arc reactor. He wipes his cheek against Buster again and then lets him down with another pat, and wipes the back of his hand across his face. "Hot chocolate," he suggests hoarsely. "Lemme... go, wash up first." He edges himself out of bed carefully so as not to disturb the cat, or his own fragile equilibrium, and shuffles toward the bathroom. Splashing cold water on his face may be all he can manage but that's /something/ at least.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    After last year, Toph knows better than to think that she can make Tony act like normal. So she's going to approach this from a logical standpoint, because that's what the levelheaded earthbender does. The earthbender way. Why pretend that things are fine when they're not? And there's no way in hell in that this day won't be wasted. But it's better that it gets wasted in other ways than getting completely drunk. After a taste of that she knows that it won't make him feel any better. At all.

    The fact that he actually requests something without alcohol earns a soft smile from the girl, and she nods. "Coming right up." It's not like he needs her to hold his hand while he washes up, so Toph heads on downstairs to get started on some hot chocolate for the both of them.

    When Tony eventually manages a brief morning routine and heads on downstairs it should be easy enough to spot Toph as she puts two mugs of hot chocolate down on the living room table. Sure, they look kinda messy with cream as well as little marshmallows and melting chocolate pieces in them, but then again, what else can you expect from a blind girl? The couch itself has been arranged with all of the pillows propped in one area for proper support, and Toph silently tosses some blankets there as well. Indeed, today is going to be unproductive. "Think you got enough brainpower for a movie?" Toph asks without turning away from the couch as she fluffs up the pillows.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony makes it to the bottom of the stairs, wearing an old pair of sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt, and no shoes. He takes one look at Toph and the arrangement on the couch and coffee table, turns and goes to the liquor cabinet. Well aware that she can 'see' what he's doing, to say nothing of the faint rattle of glass bottles within, he pre-empts defensively, "I'm just getting a shot of Amaretto." That barely counts as alcohol in his opinion. But it does go well with hot chocolate and toward taking the edge off, even if it's just in his head.

He walks over to the couch with the bottle of almond liqueur held by the neck in his fist. He dashes a shot into one of the mugs after flopping heavily onto the cushions, hesitates, and asks, "You want some?" THAT is how little he considers it to be real alcohol. Also how little he cares about propriety today.

"I think a movie is about all my brain can handle," he agrees ruefully. "Pick something." His brain can't handle making decisions like that. Too much pressure.

Then he slouches back deeply into the couch cushions with his doctored drink cupped between his hands, balanced on his belly. Buster hops up to curl up next to his thigh, purring.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Indeed, Toph's eyes narrow when she feels Tony step towards the liquor cabinet, but his explanation seems to earn a nod. It's not like she didn't expect him to not drink. Heck, even if he only drinks less she will be happy. A shot is a small amount. Though it's only when he offers some of said alcohol to her that she realizes that it is just Amaretto, whatever it is. After her encounter with elvish wine she doubts he would give her something strong. For a moment Toph is silent, then she nods her head. "Sure." At least it's combined with chocolate.

    Once Tony has gotten comfy and Buster has curled up next to him, Toph picks up her mug and sniffs curiously at it as she moves to sit down next to Tony, leaning into his side as she pulls one of the blankets over her legs. Pick a movie? Okay, that shouldn't be too hard. "Jarvis, start the horrible movie playlist."

    The opening credits begin, the title of 'Wicker Man' showing up on the screen as it opens on a diner. Since there isn't much for Toph to comment on regarding the movie she carefully tries a sip of the hot chocolate, curious if this is going to taste like the elvish wine. Smacking her lips, she considers it, then takes another sip. "I heard that horrible movies are fun to yell at. And Jarvis told me this one was really really bad." No, at least she isn't going to try to make Tony laugh. And in his current mindset he might not enjoy a good movie. So why not a bad one? Memories are funny like that.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony lets out the obligatory groan he assumes is expected of him, leans his head back and shuts his eyes. Hey, Toph doesn't have to /watch/ this shit, so it's only fair if he just listens too. At least the focus on Nic Cage chewing scenery in an awful movie is something other than... that... other thing that he's not thinking about. "I changed my mind, I'm picking the one after this," he declares.

He lifts his drink to his lips and blows over it, then sips, smacking his lips a little at the too-strong concentration of chocolate when he gets one of the partially melted bits, then shrugs. You can never really have /too much/ chocolate. The amaretto adds just enough complementary flavor to remind him it's in there, and he sighs and tries to let it tone his nerves down a notch.

"Maybe I should try to copy some of his facial expressions so you can experience the full impact of the over-acting," he suggests. "But I'm not putting on a bear suit."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    That's one of the perks of being blind.

    Toph gets comfy, and she can't help but smile when Tony shows some initiative besides booze. "Fine, but you better pick a good one!" she states and sips some more of the hot chocolate and ends up chewing on a mini marshmallow. It's a shame to admit it, but... the alcohol in it really does go well with the chocolate.

    Over-acting? Bear suit? "Hey, I don't know anything about this movie! Don't spoil it!" Toph frowns, then wriggles the fingers on her right hand. "Copy the facial expressions if you think they're worth it. Though I can usually hear it if they're overacting, they talk in a really weird way. Dunno if you hear it the same way..."

    Though she can't help but blink when the lines of the movie starts. "Hey... that voice... isn't that the guy from that movie where he and another guy switched faces?" she asks, then laughs. Oh yes, she remembers the overacting. And the gory details that was explained to her.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Jarvis showed you Face/Off?" Tony asks, his face scrunching into an 'ew'. "God, Jay, I thought I programmed you better than that."

"She requested something in the over the top ridiculous action genre," Jarvis claims in his own defense. "Was my search algorithm in error?"

On the TV, the imaginary little girl on the boat gets hit by a truck. Tony realizes he had his eyes on the screen in spite of his best intentions to ignore it, and closes them again, covering his face with one hand as he sobs the brain-hurt into it. "Oh god, it's so /dumb/."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "It's not like I could /see/ it!" Toph points out and shrugs. "I just heard silly overacting, bad lines and gunfire! It's not like I'm going to be traumatized by that!" Besides, she's nearly 14. She can handle silly movies and sound effects. "But I recognize him... is he going to be silly in this movie too?" Toph sure as hell sounds eager and hopeful as she grins, clutching her mug tightly.

    At the sound of the girl getting hit by the truck Toph blinks. "What? What is dumb? Wasn't he on a boat?" Then why did she hear a truck? "The music is so over the top dramatic..." she mutters.

    "... and ewww... dripping bag?" When the women begin laughing, she sits there... and snickers. "What the crud was so funny about that? Did he piss his pants or something?"

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Nope, they're pretty much just laughing because they're crazy bitches and the plot makes no sense," Tony sighs. "--But hey, no, that's not suspicious at all, Officer Nic. You go on ahead with your investigation." At least his annoyance with the shittiness of the movie seems to be distracting him.

He dips a finger in his drink and offers it to Buster who licks it off curiously. Before he remembers that chocolate is probably bad for cats. "Naughty Buster, you should know better," he scolds softly.

At the school girls chanting 'phallic symbol, phallic symbol' he glances up and gives a slightly amused snort. And then he feels he ought to explain the jump scare. "There was a bird. In the desk. Because /of course/. Hey, if I got you shoes that made jump scare sound effects when you walked in them would you wear them?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Oh, of course. That totally makes sense that it makes no sense," Toph snickers and takes a hearty sip along with some of the whipped cream she added. "Man, this guy must be blinder than I am... and deaf as well." It all seems to be working. He's talking about something else, and he doesn't seem as tense as he was last year, fortunately. Besides, this seems like a good way to waste the day too.

    Phallic /what/?

    Toph nearly chokes on the chocolate, then coughs a bit. "Wait, did those girls call all guys dicks? And why aren't there any boys in that class?" she manages to say with a snicker. "Hey, I find birds in my desk all the time. They have a nasty habit of getting in there..." As for the shoes? Toph huffs and raises one of her feet, wriggling it underneath the blanket. "Even Pepper has understood that she's not getting shoes on me. Ever. Besides, the people who I want to scare in the first place should know enough to jump when they hear me coming." If they know what's good for them at least!

    "Why is he so stupid? I mean... if I was looking for somebody, I would check out where they were last seen before checking out all the other places!" Toph snorts and throws one hand up while doing her best attempt to roll her eyes. "You can't blame us kids for thinking most adults are stupid if you make movies like this, can you?"

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Not... exactly," Tony smirks at the question regarding the school girls. "I mean, kind of. But I think the implication is less that all men are jerks and more that the only thing they... you know what, no, it's fine. They called all men dicks. And didn't you notice this is an ISLAND OF WOMEN, Toph, god, of course there aren't any boys in the school."

He squints at her, uncertain whether her claim about birds in her desk is completely facetious or somehow factual. Multiverse, after all. "When," he asks, "has a bird gotten into your desk? Where do you even have a desk?"

"Okay and now he's running into a field of bees because he's allergic to bees," he narrates the current scene, in case the random flailing and musical score was insufficient.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Oh, right. Toph holds up her hand. "I get it. Men are only good for oogies." No need to repeat the talk! "Good to know if I ever get a boyfriend..." Everybody in the movie really are acting stupid.

    Even Tony's question was less silly than the people in the movie. "Never. I will turn up my sarcasm tone even more for you. I think you need some more hot chocolate," she says and pokes Tony slightly in the side with her elbow.

    "This guy has no sense of self preservation whatsoever!" Toph exclaims, throwing her hand up yet again. "I mean, what is he going to do next? Drink poison? Wrestle a platypus bear? Chop his head off?" There's a pause. "I actually think he would be smarter without his head..." And the movie continues on, making Toph sit there with a confused look on her face as there's more and more talk. "Okaaaay... it's good that they appreciate their guys and all. Sheesh."

    But what really seems to get to Toph is when the grave is dug up. And questions are asked. Silly questions. Unable to hold it in, the blind girl starts laughing, reaching a hand up to wipe at her eyes at the sound of the Cage's voice. She even has to reach out to place her mug on the table lest she spill the rest of it.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"HOW WAS IT BURNED, TOPH?" Tony shrieks at her, startling Buster across the couch cushions with his tail poofed up. He actually chuckles a little bit then, turning to the cat with a cooing, "Aww, did I scare you kitty?" and has to coax him back with little wiggles of his fingers. Then he scoops him up and kisses the top of his head. "I'm sorry, buddy." Still hugging the cat he lets out a little sigh. "Actually I kinda want a coke," he muses with his eyes closed. "And popcorn. A movie this bad should have popcorn."

Just don't BURN IT, for the love of god, or Nic Cage will get you.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The shrieking causes Toph to startle just slightly, only for her to laugh even harder, shaking as she pulls her knees up. Maybe later when she gets a chance to think about it she will appreciate it even more. When Buster returns she too reaches out to pat him on the back a bit. "We're just being silly and stupid. But not as silly and stupid as the movie..." she manages to say with a snicker.

    Okay, she did promise to get him refreshments from the kitchen, but even so Toph sighs just a little bit as she pushes herself up from the couch. "I promised... and well, you are right. We deserve popcorn with enough butter and salt to make our arteries scream in horror." With that the earthbender heads out to the kitchen.

    Luckily she is quick about it, and soon enough she plops back down on the couch with a huge bowl of yummy popcorn, and she pushes one of two Coke cans into his hands. "I kinda enjoy bad movies better than good ones, I think..." she admits with a grin and opens her Coke can. This part sounds not as bad as the previous ones... then again, fight scenes, no matter how crappy they are, seldom give her the same amusement. "Please tell me they are both punching like little girls... the lady sure has a girlier scream than I do."