1395/Double Discomfort

Double Discomfort
Date of Scene:	22 January 2015
Location:	New York-199999
Synopsis:	Tony gets a fair bit of terror when Toph needs help with feminine woes.
Cast of Characters:	20, 301

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    While Tony had been off on a date the previous evening, Toph had been busy fighting the undead and not pulled any punches. And while she wasn't terribly injured when she got home the blind girl was clearly exhausted. Not to mention rather dirty and still covered in blood, most of it not her own fortunately.

    It did take some time to get cleaned up, bandage her cuts and bites as well as eat some leftovers from the fridge, and then Toph had stumbled off to bed for some much needed sleep. And it should be clear that she was just as tired as she looked, considering she has slept like a rock all night without being woken up by nightmares or anything going on around the house. It is rather rare for Toph to sleep in this long as she is usually awake early in the morning. Perhaps it will be a quiet day in Malibu for once?

    When she wakes up Toph swears she still feels exhausted from the fight, and she groans as she rolls over in bed, forcing her tired eyes open. Something... is wrong.

    The first warning Tony might get is an angry yell from upstairs in the direction of Toph's room followed by a string of cussing. Then there's silence for a bit, at least until the earthbender rushes down the stairs to the workshop... with a blanket wrapped around her and a somewhat disturbed look on her face. The door to the workshop is pushed open with her shoulder, and she stumbles in clutching the blanket tightly around her as she turns to where Tony is standing, seeming so much smaller than she usually is.

    "Where does she keep them?!" she demands with great urgency.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony turns from his workbench, switching off the soldering iron in his hand and pushing his safety goggles up onto his forehead. Tracks of dust and grease outline his face where they'd rested. "Where does who keep what?" he asks, distracted and baffled. His eyes narrow on the blanket wrapped around the small figure. "Are you sick?" he follows up with a frown. He knows, of course, about the fight last night. Maybe one of her wounds got infected. With undead crud. Oh, gross. He puts down the soldering iron and crosses the room to Toph, laying one slightly grimey hand on her forehead to check for fever.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Shuffling awkwardly along past all the things in the workshop to the workbench where Tony is seated, Toph doesn't /look/ sick. Though her expression does make it look like she did eat something bad considering how she's biting the inside of her lower lip.

    Why couldn't Pepper be home?

    The grimey hand is not pushed away when Tony stops in front of her, instead the blind girl clutches tightly onto the blanket, covering everything but her feet and head. Her forehead is not hot to the touch, and she isn't shaking nor cold either, it appears. The question earns a slight shake of her head where she stands, and her voice is a bit hesitant. "No, I'm... I..." Damnit all.

    Her expression changes to a more determined one, and she closes her eyes before she sighs and decides to jump straight into it. Even if she is not used to the earthbending approach to these sorts of things. "Where does Pepper keep her pads and tampons?"

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony yanks his hand back as if it was suddenly scalded. "Oh!" he cries. "Oh. Uh... uhm..." he skitters a step or two back, fetching up against a counter as his face scrunches in that nervous facial tic. He resists, with effort, the urge to make little shooing-away motions with his fingers, and instead grips the edge of the counter with one hand and smooths the other repeatedly over his goatee to keep them occupied. This has the added benefit of partially covering his mouth so that he can hide his expression from Toph who... can't... see it anyway--

"Uh," he repeats, desperately scanning his brain for actual words. "Try, um... under the sink in our bathroom? Jarvis?" he calls out to the AI for salvation.

"Miss Potts does keep a supply of feminine hygiene products under the sink," Jarvis confirms smoothly. If only Toph had asked him; he's not programmed to freak out.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When Tony yanks his hand back and steps back Toph can't help but frown. "Oh sheesh, it's not like /you/ will bleed too!" she exclaims, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his reaction. Though he is acting like a damn pussy about this... Seriously, is it /that/ bad? It's not like he has to deal with this, at least not directly. While he stammers and looks desperate Toph herself seems impatient. Shouldn't Tony know these things at least? Or is he blind when it suits him or something?

    Finally she gets an answer, and she sighs, turning around. Sure, she could have asked Jarvis, but then again she can hardly be faulted for being shocked and surprised. At least she has reason to, compared to Tony! "... do you know how they work, Jarvis?" she asks as she starts waddling towards the stairs again. While she hasn't been in the upstairs bathroom before she ought to locate the sink well enough.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"I can talk you through the basic application of a sanitary napkin," Jarvis replies serenely. "I suggest you ask Miss Potts directly for assistance in the proper way to insert a tampon."

Tony makes a sick whimpery noise and covers his ears with both hands as he turns away to try to escape back to his workbench.

If Jarvis had eyes to roll, it sounds like he would be. "Not to worry, sir, I shall ensure that Miss Beifong is properly tended."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The earthbender grumbles as she begins heading up the stairs. "... at least you're good for something else besides nagging at me," Toph states and raises her voice slightly as she hears tony whimper and retreat back to his projects, "- and willing to help instead of acting more immature than /me/!"

    Here she needs help in getting a single answer, and he freezes up and acts as if she's contagious? Just freaking great.

    Though perhaps this can also be useful later if she needs to get Tony off of her back.

    Luckily Tony is left alone for a while with no more disturbances. But after a few hours the silence will once again be broken as Toph returns. Unlike before she is clean, clearly straight out of the shower and dressed in slacks and a t-shirt, her wet hair hanging partially down in her face. Not a single word is said as she moves over to the couch and flops down with some of the rocks and metal she got for Christmas.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Several hours later, Tony has progressed from soldering pins on a circuit board to testing it with wires running across from the board to a prototype robotic arm, muttering cryptic notes to Jarvis for later reference and typing one-handed on his custom keyboard as he makes manual adjustments with the other.

When Toph comes back down, he doesn't notice right away, until she actually crosses his plane of vision behind the object of his focus. Then he blinks at how... different she looks. He glances at the clock. Oh, that's why. He clears his throat, trying to sound casual. "Feeling better?" he asks.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    As she flops down on the couch Toph pulls her knees up to her chest, a slight look of discomfort on her face. As Tony clears his throat she turns her head just slightly, though her focus is on the piece of metal she picks up from the others, letting the other samples rest next to her on the couch. "... the same, really," she mutters. "My stomach hurts." For his sake she decides to not give more physical details than that lest he starts squirming his way into the nearest hole. "Can't concentrate enough to read," she adds quietly, though it appears that she can at least focus on her bending as she raises her hands, keeping the metal suspended in mid air between her fingers as it begins twisting slightly. Then again, bending is something she is far more used to and something that falls more natural to her.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony pulls a face and looks somewhat guiltily between computer, robot-arm-project, and Toph. Then he taps a key to save his progress and gets up off his stool, making his way into the kitchenette area. There is a sound of rummaging, and running water, and a minute later he approaches the couch with something in his hands. "Here, try this," he offers, holding out the thick, rubbery warmth of a hot water bottle. "It helps Pepper sometimes. You, uh, want anything in particular for dinner tonight?" Pepper gets cravings sometimes, too.

He IS trying. He's just a little freaked out at the idea of his junior officer-now-DAUGHTER becoming a /woman/. And by how gross that whole process has to be.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It helps with something else to do, anything else to focus on besides stuff that she didn't think she would have to focus on before. Though she blinks when Tony approaches the couch and obviously hands something to her. She reaches out with her left hand though, a bit surprised at finding the hot water bottle there, but she does take it and nod, placing it against her abdomen and squirms just slightly. "... thanks."

    Being asked if she wants something specific for dinner though does take her by surprise, but she does recall Pepper talking about some stuff. "Uh... meat?" Then again, when doesn't Toph want a hearty meat dinner? And she does look slightly hopeful for a moment as she dares push it a little further. "Barbeque maybe?" It does help a little, though it does seem that he isn't entirely on top of the situation from what she can tell.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Sure thing," Tony says agreeably, and makes a mental note to give Pepper a heads-up as to Toph's 'Special Day' too. Somehow he doesn't think she'd appreciate a Congratulations You Started Menstruating cake, but barbecue and maybe coordinating a family movie night, he can do. "Pork ribs," he thinks aloud. "Jarvis, do we have--"

"The meat locker is fully stocked, sir."

"Okay. Hey, you want to help me play with fire?" he offers to Toph. He might be trying to make up for his childish reaction earlier. By... offering to share childish delight in firestarting. Well, it's something.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At least there will be barbecuing, which can make any day better. And to hear that the meat locker is full does earn a nod. And nothing beats Tony's pork ribs, she has to admit. "With lots of sauce," she adds. "... please?"

    Then there's the offer to play with fire, and Toph blinks where she sits pressing the hot water bottle to her abdomen. "You mean that literally? Fire?" Hey, she isn't a firebender, but still, Tony's got her curiousity now. What kind of kids and childish adults do not enjoy messing around with potentially dangerous things?

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Well yeah, I have to cook the meat on /something/," Tony scoffs, reaching to scruffle Toph's hair teasingly. "Maybe we can toast some marshmallows before Pepper gets home though." And before the charcoal burns down to cooking-temperature. "And we can sit on the patio and watch the sun go down. Well, /I/ can watch the sun go down..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    For now Toph doesn't grumble when her hair is scruffled and messed with, even if Tony's hands usually are full of grease and such when he is working on stuff down here. What matters is that he doesn't seem to be freaking out anymore.

    ... marshmallows?

    "S'mores?" Toph suggests with a grin. And she even reaches out to punch Tony a bit in the arm. "You watch the overrated sunset. I'll pick my toes." Not that there's much to pick there now considering she just had a shower.