2285/Laser Tag, Forest Edition

Laser Tag, Forest Edition
Date of Scene:	20 May 2015
Location:	Southern Urbania
Synopsis:	Toph challenges Rocket and Groot to laser tag.
Cast of Characters:	20, 781

---

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's all well and good that Tony is back, there's no denying that. But now Jarvis sees no reason to not nag about those damn lessons!

    After a full day of studying and reading her fingers off, the blind earthbender had finally had enough, tossing her heavy Braille books aside before declaring that she needed another break.

    Just to get away she has headed to Urbania, clad in her civilian outfit for once. A long and baggy t-shirt, knee length shorts and a big cloth hat covering most of her hair, including that massive hair bun. Her satchel is flung over her shoulder, and she's busy eating a wrap as she walks down the streets of Southern Urbania, a place she doesn't frequent too often. Maybe she should do something fun before she heads back to Malibu... But what kind of fun can she have that doesn't involve a silly museum? Playgrounds are too childish for her too...

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Groot and Rocket are strolling though the streets of Southern Urbania with out a weapon in sight on the fur covered biped. Despite not beign able to see though the crowds as well Rocket is leading his taller companion, with a holo map complete with a 'You are here' spot glowing red in the neon green map display projected from a small device held in the palm of his right hand.

    Groot's voice rumbles deeply as he says, "I am Groot." ((I still want to try to visit one of the zoos. I'd like to see the plants they have in the animal displays.))

    "Yeah, I hear y'Groot, but I've got a plan," Rocket says to his friend. "That Laser place has got to be around here somewhere. I heard it is /the/ place to go and I want to check out the gear they have there." Nobody is really paying the pair any attention... luckily as Rocket might not have reacted well if they laughed about his misunderstanding of where he is guiding them.

    An orange destination dot shows up on the edge of the holo display and he points in the direction. "Its just a ways over there," Rocket exclaims.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Most of the people do look curiously at what they presume is a large, walking tree. That talks. And the talking raccoon that leads it. Luckily they have the sense to step out of the way, a bit wary and not really wanting to mess with what they assume are Elites.

    Though one person seems to not be startled, as Toph turns her head slightly and swallows the food she has in her mouth. Hey, those voices and shapes are familiar...

    "Huh, what are you two doing here?" the blind teenager asks the two, arching an eyebrow and also raising a hand to offer a wave. "Long time no see, by the way." Literally, in Toph's case.

Rocket (781) has posed:
    The mutt and jeff pairing stop in the tracks as the blind girl waves to them and address them. "I am Groot?" ((Who is that?)) Groot asks and Rocket replies with a shrug and a 'lets go find out' kind of expression as he strides over to her.

    "I am Groot?" ((Do you recognize her?)) Groot asks and Rocket shakes his head, "No, but her eyes remind me of that girl on Rigelous who...." he doesn't complete the sentence as Groot says, "I am Groot!" ((Do not tell that story in public!))

    Rocket stops a few feet away from Toph and says, "Hi, seems you have us at a disadvantage... because you seem to know us." To Groot he says, "Funny, I don't remember anyone wiping our memory, do you?" It might surprise people, but arboroforms can apparently roll their eyes just like anyone else can - because that is just the reaction Groot has to Rocket's question.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    As they head on over Toph takes another bite of her roll and casually strolls towards them. Though she doesn't seem to move as if she is blind, not tripping on the edge of the sidewalk, nor does she hesitate as she steps to the side so she doesn't crash into a man that seems a bit distracted by Groot and doesn't watch where he is going.

    When Rocket talks to her and makes it clear that he doesn't seem to even remember her, all he gets is a briefly surprised look in reply. "Oh, so you're a different version of the Rocket and Groot I met once then." Yup, the girl takes it with ease, it seems. "It happens sometimes in the multiverse, so don't worry if you run into other people who think they know you," she adds. Hey, she's feeling generous today. But since these guys have never met her before she might as well introduce herself. "Name's Toph Beifong, I'm in the Union if you've heard of it."

Rocket (781) has posed:
    "Yeah, its already happened before," Rocket says. "I am Groot," ((Now you can't say there's nothing like you anymore, Rocket,)) Groot says with a slight snicker afterwards.

    Rocket glares up at his friend for a moment before chuckling and saying, "Yeah." He then turns his attention back to Toph. "Pleased t'meet y' Toph. Of course we've heard of the Union. Haven't met a person who hasn't yet myself. Now /that/ will be the day I'll be surprised." When a distracted pedestrian bumps into him because they were staring up at Groot he exclaims "Hey, watch where you're going there, miss!" He then quickly returns his attention to Toph and says, "So I guess you can't tell me how nasty and torn up this other me looked...?" his question trails off as he stares at Groot who has begun to wave his hand in front of Toph's eyes with a curious expression on his features.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Ah good, so you already know then," Toph concludes, then cants her head slightly, listening to Groot for a moment. Huh. Weird...

    Is that amusement on her features when people seem preoccupied with staring at Groot? "You can't blame them though, he's not something people see every day," she points out. As for how the other Rocket looked? Toph shrugs. "Well, he was the same size as you, though he didn't seem injured. How come?" she asks, then raises her free hand... and waves back at Groot. "My eyes don't work, no. You can stop doing that, Groot."

    She does look a bit curious though. "So... are you guys on a mission or something? Hired to do some fighting?" she asks, clearly curious.

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Groot says, "I am Groot." and then asks, "I am Groot?" ((Sorry. Its just how do you get about so well while you are blind? Perhaps some sort of quantum entanglement?)) He does stop waving his hand about her face however.

    While Groot is speaking, Rocket says, "Cause he can't have been as good looking as me, naturally!" He then says, "She doesn't want to explain herself to you or hear your theories about entangling quantums, Groot," to his friend. "He says he's sorry, by the way, he's just curious. And no, not a mission... we're here to check out a laser shop of some sort," he explains. "Its right over there," he adds pointing to a Laser Tag location. "Some sort of discount weapon shop I believe."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Hey, it's okay," Toph says, even if she's not sure exactly what the big alien just said. There is a puzzled look on her face however, and she does reach up to grab at his hand. "Really, you can stop doing that, I can still tell you're doing it, buddy."

    There's a deadpan look on her face however at Rocket's comment. "You really think I care about who's good looking or not? Heck, I don't know what people look like to begin with." When he translates Groot's apology she shrugs a bit, then finishes off her roll and quickly chews and swallows it before she responds. "There's lots of stuff in the multiverse. I'm blind, but I can see in my own way with my bending." She is about to explain it briefly, but then she hears a few words that catch her interest. "A laser shop? Oh, you mean Laser Tag!" Is that a devious grin spreading on her face? Quite possibly.

    "So you're here for fun, huh? I have always wanted to try that out, come on!" Today suddenly became a lot more fun.

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Before Rocket can argue the point Toph is off to the indicated location and Groot is following along. "I am Groot!" ((Fun! Alright, maybe it'll even be better than plant-watching at the zoo, Rocket!))

    Left behind for a moment, Rocket shakes his head. "Tag? Huh, ok, I'm up for something new." He has to run for a short moment to catch up with his friend and the blind girl, dodging pedestrians and pausing a moment half way there to wink at a kid who, pointing at hiim, says, "Mommy, I want one!" about him.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Off they go, and Toph grins as Groot follows. "You sure are!" she calls back. It does sound like he's happy, at least? It's a bit weird, but she thinks she can hear some subtle nuances there when he repeats that phrase.

    She does turn and yell back at Rocket though. "Come on, slowpoke! You're moving slower than an armoured weasel!" Opening the door she heads inside, and she heads over to the counter where the clerk seems a bit surprised to see a /tree/ enter the centre. "Heya, we were hoping to play! Except we haven't done this before, care to tell us how it's done?" Toph asks, figuring that it's better that she talks before Groot tries to communicate with the already confused man. The clerk has a tough time tearing his gaze away from Groot, though he looks down at the blind girl, which seems to make things even more confusing for him. "Uh, well... you put on vests with sensors on them, and you use these laser guns to shoot at them. You get points according to where you shoot. There's usually teams, and you walk around in this labyrinth inside that's mostly dark..." Toph nods in approval. "So how much does it cost?" "A hundred credits per person for half an hour, miss."

    At that Toph gets a pensive look on her face, and she turns to Rocket and Groot with a grin. "Say, I have a suggestion. You guys up for a friendly competition? The winner pays for all three of us."

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Rocket catches up in time to hear the explination and Toph's suggestion. Groot asks the clerk, "I am Groot?" ((Do you have vests that will fit me?)) after they are mentioned and then looks to Rocket and shakes his head as he says, "I. Am. Groot." ((No, Rocket. Don't do it. There's no reason to bet on a game like this.)) However, its too late. At the mention of a wager and with credits on the line, Rocket's eyes glimer and his mouth curls into a smile. "Yeah. That sounds good," he says and then adds, "Us vs. you or are you suggesting a free for all? Either way if you win I'm paying... Groot doesn't keep the money after all."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The clerk blinks twice, then smiles awkwardly. "Uh... nice to meet you, Groot?"

    The smile is easily heard through Rocket's words, and Toph nods. "Yeah, you and the big guy against me. I win, you guys pay for me. If you guys win I'll pay for you." It sounds like a fair deal to her! The clerk seems a bit confused. "Uh, you have to pay up front..." At that Toph sighs, then pulls out her wallet from her satchel, fishing out a credit card that she hands to the guy. He looks at it, then at Toph, then shrugs and swipes it through. The blind girl huffs a bit. "When I win, you guys pay me back." Somebody seems awfully confident for a young blind girl.

    After the payment has gone through the clerk points to a door. "Okay, head in through there, put your stuff in the lockers and put on your team vests. Little girl, you're on the red team, uh... the raccoon and the tree is on the blue team. Go through the team doors, and then the game will start."

    Toph nods, then heads in through the door to the equipment room. She takes off her satchel, the metal bangles around her wrists, as well as her hat and puts them aside. "Okay, which one of these vests are red?" she asks. Luckily for Groot the vests do seem to be adjustable, and they will indeed fit him if only barely.

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Inside the equipment room there is a single supply of vests - all white - with a stylized toy energy pistol right below each one. There's also a sign on the wall that Rocket reads quickly and says, "Looks like the color coding is based on the door you enter the maze though. Our's is there," he points, figuring that she'll sense what he means and then points to another, "And your's is there." "I am Groot," ((They have one that will fit!)) Groot says as he pulls a vest off a hangar and pulls it over his long, wooden limbs. "Good Groot," Rocket says in reply to his friend. "There are goggles to wear also apparently," he indicates to Toph.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Toph nods her head when Rocket points out which vest for her to wear, and she walks over to put it on and fasten it securely around her chest. Though she arches an eyebrow when he points out the goggles. "Do I look like I need googles?" Then she adjusts her vest a bit. "Seriously though, goggles? What for?" she asks and inspects her laser gun with her fingers. Hmmm. Then she moves her hand to the side of the vest, a curious look on her face.

Rocket (781) has posed:
    "Yeah, I know, seems rediculous," Rocket says as he finds that the goggles don't fit the shape of his head and Groot just holds up a pair questioningly also himself. Both pairs of goggles are put back.

    As Rocket grabs a second gun, the clerk's voice comes over the PA to say, "Only one gun per participant." Rocket's response: "Make it work and there'll be a bonus for you." Then, to Toph and Groot he says, "Lets get this game on." He's grinning as he walks to and passes though the blue gate into the maze.

    "I am Groot," ((See you inside, Toph.)) Groot says before he follows Rocket into the maze.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Okay, let's forget the goggles. She doesn't seem concerned that Rocket is grabbing a second gun for this, and the clerk only lets out a sigh over the PA. As she's ready as well Toph grips her gun, then offers a two finger salute to the two. "This will be /fun/...!" Oh yes, it certainly will be.

    The darkness of the maze makes things harder to spot, and there are also concrete walls of varying height to hinder the view, and there are small tunnels that most humans would fit through. Toph follows the hallway, ending up in one end of the dark room. Immediately she ducks for cover behind a wall, waiting for Rocket and Groot to enter the room. If she plays this right, then she can earn the money back and also have some fun! Oh heck, even if she loses then this will be fun! But with her bending, this victory is as good as hers!

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Darkness isn't a problem for Rocket, having been born to be a nocturnal scavenger. Even the fluorescence effects glowing in the invisible light of black lights scattered about the maze isn't a problem for him. The problem is the noise. Some sort of industrial music is being piped into the maze: heavy on precusion instruments - both traditional and metalic drums - and guitars. Rocket indicates that they should split up but also stay close... hard to do in a maze but it makes sense to him as he figures it can't be too complicated a maze what with it being designed for kids to play in. He stays low to the ground and keeps an eye out for the flash of red that will indicate Toph's presence.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Ah, there they are! It's pretty easy to tell that these guys are used to fighting. But if it's dark, it should be harder for them, right? Not that it matters to her. Even if the music might make it hard for others to hear anything, she's still got her seismic sense. They are relatively close to each other. Slowly and carefully Toph creeps along the walls, making sure to stay low.

    And then she begins making her way around and behind them. Clutching her gun tightly, the blind girl presses herself up against the corner of a wall. Then she holds her breath and creeps out... and aims for the sensors on the back of Groot's vest, firing as best as she can before she dives for cover, running off behind another wall!

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Groot is startled as his vest buzzes and vibrates when Toph scores a hit on him. He turns to try to find the red-clad blind girl but he is too late. "I am Groot!" ((She got me, Rocket!)) he bellows so that it carries over the music.

    The thing about team work though is that you can plan for such things, Rocket is hugging the other side of wall from the hallway Groot is in so when Toph dives for cover she passes right in front of him and *ZAT* *ZAT* he fires upon her with both pistols hoping to catch her sensors at least once, both if he's lucky.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    She would grin, but it seems that Rocket is already there, dammit! As she dives for cover she raises her gun again and fires, though unfortunately Rocket seems to get her first as the red sensor buzzes. Unfortunately the second shot doesn't register, and the clerk speaks up over the PA. "You can only hit once! And then wait for 10 seconds before she can be hit again!"

    The girl does continue running though, frowning. And if Rocket tries to follow her, she's got just the plan. As she ducks behind another wall she kicks the floor, and the wall opens up so she can pass through, then it closes again. Pressing her back up against the wall she counts the remaining seconds. Root should be able to fire again now, and he is slower than Rocket is... so she begins hunting the tree, this time sneaking her way up on his side. And rather than exposing herself, she bends a hole in the wall to stick the point of the gun through... and she fires again!

    Over the PA system the clerk sounds rather nervous. "H-hey, what do you think you're doing? Don't mess with the walls!"

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Groot, like Toph, has noticed the clearance space above the walls in the warehouse space that had been used to build the maze. While he was moving about after the hit he has grown his legs longer so he can look over the walls but so that most of his torso, and the sensors on the vest around it, is still below the edge of the wall. He, like the clerk, sees Toph lift the wall. "I am Groot!" ((She can move the walls, Rocket,)) he bellows a bit louder due to his larger size. Then, thinking the time may be up he aims at her over the wall and fires off a shot, hoping that he hasn't exceded the toy weapon's range.

    Backtracking, trying to find a different angle he can find Toph from Rocket grumbles about the news provided by his buddy. "That's dirty pool, girl," he says appreciatively. Then, more softly, he adds, "Glad I took too guns then," to himself.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Man, Groot sure can be loud. Not that she can understand what he is saying, but still... Rocket seems to understand.

    Wait, did he just grow? Toph blinks when she feels Groot's height increase, and hey...! She is displeased as he fires at her, and she quickly presses up against the wall and barely avoids the shot. Okay, time to do this! She reaches out with her left hand and gestures for the wall, opening up a hole there. Hopefully she can fire off a shot before Groot moves!

    Then she runs off into the darkness again, calling out so her voice echoes throughout the maze. "You dunderheads can't grab all the guns you like, it's not like you will win anyway!"

Rocket (781) has posed:
    *BZZT* Groot's vest buzzes and lightly squeezes to indicate the hit as Toph opens the wall in front of him and fires almost point blank at his chest. "I am Groot!" ((She is tricky!)) He tries to maneuver so as to fire back on her but she has possitioned herself against the wall too well for him to get an angle on her.

    Rocket, however, has snuck up towards Toph's position and opens fire on her then quickly dashes into a corner where he scales the walls with a quick set of tic tacks, bouidning from one wall to the other across the join. Reaching the top he saluts his opponent and jumps down, landing in a roll and then taking off running down the hall at an angle to the one Groot is in. "Don't just stand there, buddy, keep moving!" he calls out to his friend.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Got him! Toph runs off to get some distance from her and Groot again. And besides, she can sense that Rocket is heading her way as well. As he opens fire Toph yelps, then hears the sound of the buzzer on her vest going off, indicating a hit. "Hey!"

    She ducks behind another wall, then takes a deep breath before slamming her hand into the wall. In response it moves, skidding across the floor to close off the path that Groot is heading down. And then the earthbender ducks into a pipe, staying quiet for now as she waits for Rocket to come close... and then she reaches out with her hand, bending a nearby wall slightly, an attempt to distract him while she takes aim for his vest!

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Rocket is moving at a quick pace while maintaining stealth as well as possible as he is moving down a hallway only to be caught entirely off guard by the wall beside him suddenly extracts a Toph face with her tongue sticking out of it as if blowing him a raspberry. Surprise he stops and says, "Huh?" only to have it punctuated with a *BZZT* and a squeeze of his vest. Turning he sees where she is and calls out, "Groot, find the other end of this tunnel she's in!" as he climbs in behind her grinning as he holds his gun barrels pointing at her.

    Groot looks up and lumbers off in the direction of Rocket's cry. "I am Groot!" ((Coming, Rocket!)) he says as he reduces the length of his legs mid-stride so as not to be stilt balancing.

    At the same time, the clerk's voice came though the PA again to say, "Be careful, I'm going to get in trouble if you damage this place on my watch!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Toph lets out a snicker as she ducks back into the tunnel, then bends herself a way out as she slips off, closing it behind her. "Like that will work!" she calls behind her at Rocket, her tone mischievous! This is awesome! Even if the clerk doesn't think so. It's not like she can't fix the place when they are done, right?

    The clerk is not smiling when they are done, and neither is Toph as she puts on her hat. Why is he whining, she did fix it up with her bending! Still, she can't believe it that she lost after all! "That was beginner's luck, if we had gotten five more minutes I would have won easily!" she states and reaches for her bag. Still... it was fun.

Rocket (781) has posed:
    Rocket and Groot are smiling as they maneuvered Toph into a situation where there were able to pick off shots on her after the ten second cooldown shortly after she got out of the tunnel. It was their teamwork and Rocket's judicious use of his dual pistols that did her in but it was a close match with Rocket having taken three hits and Groot four before they hit Toph the fifth and final time.

    "I am Groot!" ((That /was/ fun!)) Groot exclaims and Rocket's first response to Toph's comment is to go "Heh" in a negative way. "It was a good match," he says to Toph. "Since the game was on you can we treat you to an after game meal?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The big lug does sound happy when he spouts what seems to be his catchphrase, and it's kinda hard to stay mad when Rocket even offers to pay for a meal. That catches her attention, and Toph perks up slightly. "Heh, why not? The next time we need more people for this though, imagine all the chaos and fun that would be." Not to mention she might get a moment to breathe when she wasn't being hunted. "Gotta say, you two do make a good team," she adds and puts on her metal bangles again. "What does a warrior tree eat anyway?" Heck, she can imagine that Rocket eats basically anything, but Groot? Does he eat soil or something?

Rocket (781) has posed:
    "I am Groot." ((My primary sustinance is photosynthesis. This is suplimented by consuming water and minerals... Plus I can eat the same food most beings can as well, mostly for taste.)) Groot answers. Rocket translates this by saying, "He's a plant so sunlight and water. But he enjoys eating normal-people food for the flavor sometimes even." As they leave the Laser Tag site, he says, "Yeah, a larger group would be good... and I want you on our team. It won't mess us up and I think I can strategize some team use of your abilities that could really shatter our opponents ideas."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "He... said all that with those three words?" Toph asks, looking a bit skeptical at first. But the way he says that sentence is different all the time. So maybe he really says more than it sounds like. Toph looks like she is considering this.

    Though it seems they are forming a plan for next time, huh? Toph grins at that. "Yeah, I can tell where everybody is, plus I can open up short cuts. With your speed and Groot's toughness we should be able to win over anybody!" Oh yes. And then they can dupe /them/ into playing for laser tag.

Rocket (781) has posed:
    "No. I summarized it actually...." Rocket says as they head off to find a place to eat.