1269/Aves et Antophila

Aves et Antophila
Date of Scene:	05 January 2015
Location:	New York-199999
Synopsis:	Pepper handles the hard hitting questions of her adoptive daughter.
Cast of Characters:	20, 204

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Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    You want to know what's odd? Finding out someone 3D printed their own action figure of you, weidling a briefcase as a bludgeoning weapon with a pantyshot opportnunity. It's even weirder for Potts, knowing that it wasn't Tony.

    However, she had sent out a very nice 'please stop this' letter, she was sitting in the livingroom on a rare evening when she was't doing something 'work' related, one leg curled up beneath her on the couch as she read through a book (of the normal plain variety), and enjoying a cup of tea on her lonesome, with Buster purring behind her.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The quiet of the living room is soon broken as the door opens, and Toph walks in, dragging in some dirt and sand as she usually does after a busy day. Rather than staying indoors all day it seems that the girl headed off into the morning to Njorun station, and well... she hasn't come home until now. Either way, Toph seems to be tired, but content after a busy day. Perhaps an evening on the couch will be good, curl up for a movie or something... so she heads directly for the kitchen to prepare some popcorn as well as a drink. And it's only when Toph enters the living room area that she seems to realize that there's somebody there. "Heya Pepper," she greets, offering a brief nod of her head since her hands are busy carrying the big bowl of popcorn as well as a small bottle of iced tea. And some of the popcorn spills out when she flops down onto the couch next to Pepper. For a moment it even looks like Toph is about to fling her dirty feet up on the table, but she catches herself... and instead tucks the feet underneath her. "Not working today, huh?"

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "No, not today." Potts replies as she glances up t o Toph, with a great big smile on her face. She brushes some of her hair away, and leans back against the cushions. "Just coming in from some training?" she questions, and gives a low 'nn' sound in her throat at the footprints -- but gave an approving noise at the catch. "... if I'm in the way, I could head to the office." she offers, half teasingly -- and reaches for a handful of the popcorn.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Good, you work too much anyway," Toph says, getting comfy on the couch. And does her best to ignore the sound that she knows well enough what means. Of course her feet are going to end up dirty when she's been out all day and bending for most of it. As for the offer Pepper makes to head to the office? Toph lets out a snort. "You spend enough time in there already." The bowl is moved a bit closer to Pepper, letting her grabs some popcorn easier. No, it doesn't seem that the blind girl wants her to move, nor does she consider her adoptive mother to be in the way. It's not like she's gotten to spend much time with her lately. The Christmas month was busy as heck with all the stuff that needed to be done before the holidays, all of them getting presents and such ready, Jarvis insisting on extra lessons... heck, this might be the first time in weeks she's gotten to spend alone with Pepper.

    Which reminds her...

    Not that she is too eager, but Tony had /insisted/. So Toph lets out a tired sigh before she stuffs her mouth with popcorn. "Goldie told me to ask you about periods of something, he wouldn't even tell me why besides it being important or something." Man, he had seemed to really dislike the subject for some reason.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    Potts pauses, and looks up, and then turns in the direction of the workshop with one of her patented eyenarrows.

    And then she turns back to the girl, and gives a shrug. "All right. I heard that he gave you 'the talk'. And you know me... I'm not going to sugar-coat it or treat it anything different than what it is."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The Talk.

    She still feels awkward when she thinks about it, mostly by how awkward Tony felt at times or by some of the things he said. Or how he insisted on saying even things that she told him she knew. Sheesh! the fact that Pepper seems far more calm about it makes this less ominous somehow. Why couldn't Tony have left it to Pepper to tell her everything?

    "I dunno, it's kinda awkward and Goldie got that covered well enough," Toph mumbles. But at least it's good to know that Pepper isn't going to shy away that made the mighty Iron Man quiver in his fancy designer pants. "Let's get this over with so I can enjoy a freaking movie when we're done."

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "All right."

    And Pepper cracks her knuckles, and takes a sip of her tea.

    "About every month or so, the uterus -- the bag of muscles inside most women has to shed its nutrient-rich blood coating if there is no fertilized egg, or zygote, that implants after sex or artificial insemination. When this happens, your body gives you cramps, hormones, mood-swings and sometimes bloating and desire for sweet or salty foods and general irritability for about three days... with me so far?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Wow, she really got straight to it...

    Toph blinks, halting her chewing of the popcorn in her mouth. Right, Tony had mentioned that thing without telling exactly what it was. A bad of muscles? It does look like it's a lot for Toph to take in and process at once. "Wait... nutrient rich blood? We aren't talking about vampires, are we...?" Toph asks, her mouth semi-full of popcorn, an incredulous look on her face. There's that term again, fertilized egg. Ugh, this /is/ weird.

    Then Pepper continues telling just what to expect when this happens, and Toph /frowns/. "You're telling me I have to deal with being sick three days every cruddin' month...?!"

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "Eh, you get used to it." Potts admits. "And yes, nutrient rich blood -- but I'm pretty decently sure vampires don't reporudce via... normal means" she replies dryly, unsure if she wants to start talking about blood-borne pathogens and the undead. Ew. "The layer of blood enables the little zygote to latch on and form the placenta and umbilical cord later, which when it dries and falls off after we're born creates your navel." she states, very to-the-point. Potts isn't messing around.

    "Now, the shedding follows the birth canal to the vagina, where it's expelled from the body, then your ovaries -- which if Tony didn't cover those, are like sacs of eggs at either side of the uterus connected to it via the fallopean tubes -- release another egg, beginning the process all over again, which is called menstruation."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    For now Toph stops grabbing popcorn, sitting still as all this info is given and attempts to drive its way into her head. And of course this leaves Toph to sit there confused with a big question mark on her face from all the various words that she hasn't heard before, but her expression gradually gets replaced with a look of utter disgust.

    "... I'm going to /bleed/ from my internal organs every month?!"

    Bleeding for several days is generally seen as a bad thing, after all. And ewww, it's going to be down /there/?! The bowl of popcorn is set aside for now, and Toph looks like she's seriously regretting asking Pepper to explain matters. "Wait, so... uh, this zygote is when the part of the man and the woman come together?" She remembers how Tony had fumbled with that explanation. Ugh, maybe it would have been better if Tony could have written the script for this and then Pepper could have read it. At least he didn't use so many weird words, while Pepper seems far less nervous about actually saying these things... Ugh.

    "And... we're supposed to just bleed? Don't we need medical help for bleeding? And are we supposed to bandage ourselves up or something?" Ugh, the very thought is beyond oockie.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "Yep. That's the fertilized egg that eventually grows into a fetus and then when born is an infant." And Potts sees the look on Toph's face... and suddenly fumbles a little bit. She rubs the back of her head a bit. "Just the one internal organ. And we're not talking a lot of blood, maybe... about the same size as a ball of cookie dough. /My/ ball of cookie dough." she clarifies. "And you don't need medical help for it, but you can use either pads, which are put in the underwear to absorb it, or... tampons or cups, one of which is a small cotton tube and the other is basically a latex or plastic cup that you insert inside to absorb or catch the menses -- which is the proper word for the blood that comes out." Pepper explains. Now she no longer has to wonder why people use terms like 'blossoming'. THAT sounds harmless compared to 'bleeding for three days'.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "It might just be me, but one bleeding internal organ is one bleeding internal organ too much," Toph mutters sourly. A Pepper-size ball of cookie dough... ugh, that seems like a lot. Is Pepper sure she won't get ill from it? The young earthbender seems uncomfortable with the entire concept, and she can kinda understand why Tony didn't want to discuss this thing. It really sounds like a messy woman thing. "So uh... why are there hormones and cramps involved? Do I have to fill out a sick report every time this happens?" How is she supposed to fight and do stuff with cramps anyway? Or are there just partial cramps?

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "The hormones are part of what tells the body that it's time to wipe the slate clean. They go, 'nope, no baby this time, start over'." Potts explains, and grabs a long daught of her tea. "The cramps shouldn't be too bad; keep up with your bending training and stay active and you shouldn't feel too much at all. That was Georgie's mistake; she would lay out on the couch and complain about how bad her cramps were. /I/ took up jogging."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Stupid hormones. Toph pouts a bit where she sits and slouches. "So there's nothing to do but to just put on a false grin and bear with it...?" she asks. She really has to deal with bleeding from unmentionable parts once a month for several days? Where's the justice in that? Don't boys at least have to go through something similar?

    "So I can still fight and such even when this whole messy stuff is going on...?" Because honestly, fighting with blood coming out doesn't seem like a nice combo at all.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "Toph. I don't think a little something like having a period would stop you from doing anything you want. Keep in mind that out there there are billions of other girls who get their monthlies... matter of fact, between the hormones, the cramps and the irritability, you'd probably be a more fearsome opponant when you're fighting on /that/ front as well." Potts points out, and she lets out a breath and a little huff, puffing her cheeks out a little. "It doesn't stop me from doing my day-to-day work."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Well, at least that seems to make sense. Toph sighs and nods, then reaches for the popcorn bowl again since it seems they are done talking about the icky stuff. Still, she doesn't seem too happy about the whole deal. "You are you, though. You make grown men quiver in fear, and you don't have any powers beside that will of yours," she mutters.

    Then something strikes her. "... so when do these periods start happening?" Since Tony had asked her if she had started having them yet does that mean they begin as a specific age or something? Like breasts and wider hips, not to mention all the hair?

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "Trust me, Toph. You will one day make everyone tremble in fear, and those who don't? Well. They're dunder-heads." Pepper affirms. "... if they don't tremble all ready." she adds, conspiritally. She leans back, and nabs another handful of popcorn. "It's hard to say. Some girls start early, and other girls get theirs late. For some it can come /very/ late. It really doesn't have a rhyme or reason to it, just your body goes 'yes, I'm ready to do this thing', and it does."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At that comment Toph lets out a huff. "They ought to tremble in awe and fear anyway, considering I /am/ the greatest earthbender of all time," she confirms.

    So... it can happen now, or it can happen later. "What is early, and what is late, exactly?" she inquires further, then shifts where she sits so she can lean into Pepper's side, getting comfy. "I don't know about my body or not, but I'm not considering babies anytime soon." So this period thing can take its sweet time if it's up to her.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "Early can be eleven, nine... really depends on the girl. Late... well... /I/ know of a certain younger sister of mine who got hers at the age of fifteen, about a week before her sixteenth birthday. And as far as having children..." Potts wraps an arm around Toph, and kisses her head. "You might wait ten, twenty, even more years. You might decide to never have them, and that's OK." she states gently. "And don't you let anyone start telling you different. It's not any of their business because it's not their body. That being said, I /do/ expect you to make responcible desicions with a level head... but you're pretty 'down to earth' anyway."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    So... it might be two years or so until she starts with this whole deal. That wouldn't be so bad. Neither is it bad when Pepper wraps an arm around her, and Toph lets her, not minding the doting and even the kiss to her head when there's not many people around. It feels nice to be loved, after all.

    And it's good that both Tony and Pepper seem to be saying the same thing, responsible decisions and whatnot. "Goldie said I should know these things /before/ I get a boyfriend. Not that I need one or even like anybody in that way," Toph is quick to add. Since when did she let anybody tell her what to do? It's not like Toph doesn't have a rebellious streak and a firm will to do things her own way.

    Though continuing on Pepper's comment, Toph clears her voice a little. "Goldie told me about... condoms and pills as well as cooties." So yeah, no need to worry there. "And that... well, that pills make sure you don't have a baby." Let's just keep it at that. Tony had been pretty adamant about not mentioning the prospect of siblings to Pepper lest she freak out.

    "And I already told you that there is no way I'd let a guy touch me like that without my permission." It's not like she's in any hurry anyway.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "I have a lot of faith in you Toph. And I know. You're headstrong... pretty much like both Tony and me." she jokes, and sneaks another handful of popcorn. She munches it a moment and she gives a nod. "That was smart." she replies, wryly, to the conversation regarding t he 'extras'. Ugh. "And you know I wouldn't try to sugarcoat any of that... do you have any more questions?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Perhaps there are more questions later when she has processed some of this. But for now Toph shakes her head. "Not now... Goldie said that I should ask either of you guys, preferably you, if I ever wonder about any of this stuff. Or want to get started on the pill for some reason..." Okay, so she's still confused about that, since she isn't planning on doing anything like that. She hasn't even had her first kiss yet.

    For now though she snuggles up a little closer against Pepper's side, relaxing after a busy day. And Pepper needs to relax more too, at least she and Tony both think so. And it might be easier for Pepper to relax and not run off to do work if she is being used a pillow. "Start up the next movie on my playlist, Jarvis," Toph instructs, raising her voice. "Very well, Miss Beifong." The electronic butler isn't slow with turning on the TV and starting playback of the next movie Toph had added to her queue. The Warner Bros logo opens up as triumphant music plays, and then the logo burns away, trumpets announcing a Mel Brooks movie... and the Blazing Saddles theme songs starts playing.

    "Man, they are pretty found of whipping sound effects, aren't they...?" Toph asks, arching an eyebrow.

Pepper Potts (204) has posed:
    "... oh god. I haven't seen this since I started working for Tony." Potts states. "... we're going to need a lot more popcorn. Think we should page the boys to make us some?" Potts gives a grin, and ruffles Toph's hair.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "So it's good then?" Toph asks with a big grin on her face, previous talks about womanly woes forgotten. And there's no doubt that they will need more snacks. So she raises her voice and yells at the top of her voice as she turns her head towards the stairs. "GOLDIE! Get your butt up here for movie night!" Why, she even reaches out a hand and there's a thudding sound as something between the floors is affected by Toph's bending.

    Why have Jarvis interrupt Tony's work in the workshop when she can let him know on her own?