351/Mu - Bring Me Icecream

Mu - Bring Me Icecream
Date of Scene:	05 August 2014
Location:	New York-199999
Synopsis:	Toph gives Mithos orders to bring her some treats while she is bored.
Cast of Characters:	20, 301, 424
Tinyplot:	Mu

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's boring, even here. Okay, so Malibu is far less boring than medical, as this is her /home/ and her /dad/ is here taking care of her, at least as much as he is able to. Either way, she's more closely monitored here with the help of Jarvis' ever watchful eye. And a familiar black cat who doesn't seem to trail far from Toph ever since Tony took her home the previous day. She has slept and slept and slept, and when she hadn't been sleeping, she's been doing her best to partake of food and drink. Because that was the condition of her getting home, wasn't it? Drink she can get herself as long as her water bottle is nearby, but food? Food is more difficult due to her short attention span and the way she is unable to navigate. True, there are some dim memories of the layout of the house, but still... everything is different now.

    At least there are familiar voices on the radio. And some of them are easier to ask amidst all the confusing talk that she doesn't quite grasp.

    Slouched over on the couch in the living room, Toph is half asleep and quite the sight. While cleaner than usual, and wearing slacks and a tank top, her hair is a mess. Even for her. It's put together in an uneven bun, and she's stroking Buster's back. The cat himself seems rather content with this arrangement, purring like mad. And a non-mobile human is good to lounge on.

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    After a series of light raps on the door, and probably a greeting sequence by Jarvis, Mithos and Gnome walk (though the latter more lumbers) in to the living room... where they're met with a rather surprising sight. Last he was here, she was almost literally dragging him from place to place to show him around, and they were trying to sneak into Tony's garage. But now...

    ... now she's just sitting there, totally still.

    Mithos frowns. Martel has always been frail, so he actually has surprisingly good bedside manner, but at the moment that's probably moot. He's... just shocked to see Toph Beifong, the world's most energetic Earthbender (probably), stuck on a couch like this. It's probably good, then, that he has Gnome there to give him a few pats on the shoulder. As could be expected of the jolly old spirit for whom time has no meaning, he's taking this quite a bit better.

    So naturally, he's the first to speak, raising a paw and curling up his chubby lips. "Yo, Toph~!" With his other paw, he lifts... holy /crap/. How many scoops of ice cream does that cone even -have-? It looks like it has 6, at least, all of them held aloft by one, tiny, brown cone. It looks way beyond ridiculous. "We brought the ice cream!" As per the norm, Mithos's entrance is a bit more demure. He has two ice cream cones -- one for himself, and one for her. Hers... isn't stacked as high as Gnome's, thankfully, but there's still a good three scoops piled on there. Meandering over with a few tiny, light steps, he offers it to her with a subtly pained, but still warm and loving, grin.

    "Like we promised."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Normally Toph likes to relax, but even so, being lethargic isn't her style. Even when Gnome calls her name she doesn't startle. Instead she raises her head just slightly, blinking tiredly as she halts petting Buster. Who lets out a slight meow when one of his humans stops lavishing affection on him. But then... there's /that/ thing again. Setting his yellow eyes on Gnome, the cat tenses, ears facing the earth spirit and his tail beating quickly against Toph's leg.

    "Oh... good." Toph's response is rather soft compared to her usual way of talking, and it doesn't seem like any emotion quite reaches her face. Though she tries, it seems. Even as Mithos walks over and holds out the ice cream cone for her, it doesn't seem like Toph is aware of it, even if she pushes herself clumsily up. At the same time, Buster runs behind the couch, walking behind it and to the other edge of it where he peeks out, /staring/ down Gnome.

    "I trust you will not try to sneak a peek at mister Stark's garage today...?" Jarvis says over the speaker, that dry British wit snarkier than any sarcastic tone that anybody else would muster up.

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    Gnome stops in his tracks, locking eyes with Buster. You can't hear it but, telepathically, he's sending that cat a message. Something along the lines of a dark, fiery 'You.', akin to how a movie character would greet their rival after some years apart. Not budging an inch, he shoves the -whole leaning Tower of Ice Cream- into his mouth, spreading sprinkles all over his mouth, which he promptly licks away. Like a badass. This apparently intimidates the little kitty, because he promptly runs to find cover behind the couch. Afterwards, Gnome just keeps on, pounding a fist in his palm before placing two of his claws near his eyes, then turning them toward Buster, then back again.

    The classical 'I've got my eyes on you' thing, naturally.

    Meanwhile, Mithos maintains his smile, slowly finding ways to make himself look less worried. The adjustments are artificial and feel completely incongruous with his inward emotions. But... that doesn't matter. There's a chance that she's just as lucid as ever inside of her head, and can see all of this clearly. Like being groggy after waking up, you know? And if she can, he wants the things she sees to be... normal. Happy. Things that would help her feel better. So he soldiers on in his own way, inching the cone slowly closer to Toph's mouth just in case she can't muster the strength to grab it herself just yet.

    "Take your time." His tone is gentle. Maybe a little -too- gentle than the Earthbender would normally like, but hey. "Celsius froze it, so... it's at subzero temperatures right now. It could use some time to thaw, even."

    At that, the camera zooms back out to Gnome... who has literally fallen to the floor from brain freeze.

    To Jarvis, though, Mithos chuckles a little. "Nah, I think we're just gonna relax and eat ice cream today." After a short pause, he adds, "No promises for other days, though!" He smiles to Toph. Yeah... when she gets better, who knows?

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
As Gnome falls prey to brainfreeze, Buster slinks out from behind the couch again, two-quick-steps-and-pause, three-steps-pause, as cats will do. There is ice cream on that thing's face and he is going to eat it.

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    As Buster approaches Gnome... there's no movement. He's out COLD (get it? Because... oh, shut up.) ... or so it seems. For when Buster gets within licking distance, Gnome returns to the world of the conscious with a -RESOUNDING- scream that very nearly makes Mithos trip over a table. All the while, he's raising his claws to make himself look... er... fierce, even though it comes off more like Winnie the Pooh trying to be scary for Halloween. The scream might still get a rise out of the cat, at least.

    But regardless, Gnome would then proceed to place his paws triumphantly on his hips. "HA! Fell right into my trap! Sucker~~!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There's no reaction as Mithos moves closer, though Toph seems aware that Buster suddenly leapt off of her lap, and she blinks, her left hand feeling around for the feline. Where did he go? Just about to call for him, she opens her mouth... and then gets a mouthful of ice cream instead, causing her to blink in confusion, some surprise evident on her face. "Mmmph...?" she seemingly tries to say. But she listens to his words. Ugh... she knows that one. She raises her shoulders in a silent sigh, but... she does allow herself to nod once, and she fumbles as she reaches up to take the cone from Mithos, though she gets ice cream on her fingers. The cold doesn't bother her it seems.

    She does shift her legs where she sits, only sighing when Jarvis and Mithos talk. "... Jarvis talks too much." Luckily he seems to have gotten the hint that he ought to use as few words as possible. Especially when he's guiding her around the house. Nonetheless, Toph starts eating her ice cream, ever so slowly and getting ice cream around her mouth. Only for her to jump when Gnome screams. Her eyes go wide and she tenses up.

    Luckily she doesn't drop the ice cream cone.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"MreeeeEEEOWW!" Buster shrieks, leaping three feet vertically and several backward as his fur all stands up like he was just electrocuted. He hits the floor ungracefully on his butt and scrambles to get his paws underneath him, slipping on the floor before finally catching some traction and BOLTING for the stairs.

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    Mithos giggles lightly as Toph clumsily eats the ice cream, but he's quietly thankful to himself that she's able to eat the thing on her own. Slowly, he begins to lick at his own cone. Oh, man! These things are practically still frozen! He shivers a bit before glancing to Toph... and noticing her complete apathy to the agonizing cold. Uh... wow. Was she always that resilient? Ice isn't even her element, man. Or would it just be water here? Celsius and Undine would say otherwise, but... meh.

    Once he's recovered from almost tripping - and almost dropping his own cone, though thank goodness he doesn't - he straightens himself out and -glares at Gnome. "Wh-What the hell? Seriously??" Huff! "I almost dropped my ice cream...!" After a few more seconds, though, he lets it go... and starts laughing. Did he just make Toph... jump? Man, that must be progress of some variety! It looks like Gnome noticed too, and after a good laugh and shake of the fist to Buster as he bolts away, he, too, turns to the little Earthbender and smiles wide. "Hehe. Sorry 'bout that." He gestures to Toph's mouth, which is likely smeared with all kinds of dairy confection by now. "You look like you're enjoying that stuff, though, huh?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The first day the nurses at Njorun had to feed the girl to ensure she got some food outside of the IV nutrition. And sure, while Toph is eating slowly now, at least she does manage to get some of the ice cream into her mouth rather than around it. And the index finger stays in the ice cream. There's also the distraction with Buster letting out that sound, but it's momentarily forgotten as her attention is brought back to the ice cream. What flavour is this? It's nice...

    When he asks her about the ice cream she nods her head a bit. "... tastes good." What kid doesn't like ice cream? There's a pause, then she speaks once more. "Thanks... was bored alone here. Even... even with Buster and Jarvis." Somehow it feels safer with humans around her right now. And summon spirits too, she guesses.

    "... you gone lookin'...?" she suddenly asks, seemingly out of nowhere.

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    The flavor is... kinda tangy. Not too sweet! It tastes a bit citrusy, but it doesn't have as much punch to it as orange or lemon... so maybe mango? Whatever the case... yeah, Celsius brand ice cream is good. Or, you know? This might actually be sorbet; not like a summon spirit would know the difference, but Toph might. The next sentence out of her mouth surprises him, though. Not only is that the most she's said since he got here, but... well. The thought of being able to help somebody like this... well, you know. Somebody who isn't Martel like this is a pretty new experience for him. He blushes a little and clamps a his right hand to his wrist. "Oh. Uh... you're welcome." After a few seconds, he quietly adds, "Just... glad I could make you feel a little better."

    The next thing, though, gets a tilt of the head from him and Gnome alike. "Gone... looking?" He tilts his head just a tiny bit more. "Looking for what? You mean... a way to save the tree? Or for different flavors of ice cream?" He smiles a little. Gnome, in the meantime, just shrugs.

    "Should really go lookin' for both, if you ask me. One so we don't die, and the other one so we can live." He smacks his lips. "... life without ice cream is no life at all."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    No matter what the flavour is, Toph seems to like it, licking up the ice cream and taking some bites out of it, getting more and more of it around her mouth, where it slowly starts melting and running down her chin. So much for being clean and neat.

    Right now she's not aware of how much the thanks mean to Mithos. Chances are she's having trouble to focus on eating /and/ follow the conversation both at the same time. "I feel better... but... not myself," Toph admits with a sigh. It's hard to confess to such a thing, though she does imagine she's not acting like her usual self. Tony advised her to stay off the common channels for some reason. But at least she can talk on the Union channel, right?

    Without warning, she lets out a groan and hangs her head. "No...!" Her free hand moves up to her face as she rubs her forehead. "The... ugh, things. Nothing... Said should look... already..." Toph takes a deep breath, sounding a bit frustrated as she continues. "... already got ice cream."

    This is just too much right now. "I... help with tree /later/."

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"...Toph? Who are you talking to?" Tony's voice puts in from the floor above, as he pads down the stairs barefoot, with Buster in his arms. His hair is wet; must have been in the shower. "Hi Mithos," he adds. So he noticed his presense, and seems to be aware that Toph's speech isn't really matching up with the conversation.

Buster glares over his owner's forearm and hisses at Gnome.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Several seconds pass after Tony speaks up until Toph raises her head where she sits, facing the stairs. And after Tony has greeted the half elf, Toph blinks. "... with Mithos," she explains helpfully before she takes another bite of the ice cream. But then she hears the hissing sound, and she reaches out with one hand towards where she assumes Buster is.

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    Mithos jumps a little at the sound of Tony's voice, but as soon as he knows who it is, he immediately calms down. Tony... is bizarrely comforting, even though he /kinda/ traumatized him with one of his suits once. But that wasn't Tony, technically! So it's cool. When he comes into range, he waves to him with a smile. "Hey. Toph said she wanted some ice cream, so Gnome and I came." Gesturing to Toph, his smile widens a bit. "... shhee might need a napkin or something, though."

    He nods his head when she says that she's feeling better... and then just tilts his head more when she replies to that second thing. "I..." He begins to say something that will express his confusion, but he stops. It would probably help if he just went along with it, right? So...

    "R-Right, the things! Sorry, I forgot about them. I'll look for them again once I leave, okay?" His tone is still a bit too gentle, but he's starting to get the impression Toph... may not be lucid enough to care. At the bit about the Great Tree, he nods again. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry about that now! Just focus on getting better for now, okay? And if you need someone to help you feel better, or read you a bedtime story or something..." Oh lord, he's blushing again. "... M-Martel is great for that." Pepper could probably do that too, but right now he's just saying everything that comes to mind.

    Meanwhile, Gnome haughtily folds his arms and smirks in Buster's direction. 'Come at me, bro,' is the clear and apparent undertone there. Or would be, if cats could understand things of that nature.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"What 'things'?" Tony insists, and as he comes the rest of the way down the stairs he pauses to give Toph something better than napkins -- a licky cat. Buster keeps throwing Gnome suspicious looks, but as he's plopped on Toph's lap he sets eagerly to lapping the melty goodness from her face with his little rough kitty tongue.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    ... he's babbling. He's babbling and babbling and those are so many words and it's hardtojusttakethemallinatoncewhen--

    Is she shaking? The hand holding the ice cream cone certainly doesn't look so steady, and Toph lets out what sounds like a frustrated /whine/. "Noooo...!" Her other hand reaches out to grab onto Mithos's arm, clutching it. "Not... those!" It's really tough when she can't figure out how to say what's going on in her clouded mind. She almost sounds like she's pleading, turning her face towards Tony when he speaks in front of her. "With you...!"

    Then she's interrupted by a rough cat tongue licking at her face, causing her to blink. But she does sigh, distracted once more as Buster cleans up her face from all the ice cream. It's a good thing that Toph doesn't seem to notice Mithos blushing. "Reading... too hard. Okay," she sighs, closing her eyes where she sits.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"You mean the dolls?" Tony asks, sitting down on the couch next to her. "What about them, have you remembered something?" He rests a hand at the base of the girl's neck and kneads softly. "Just calm down, you're safe at home and no one's upset with you. Take your time."

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    Mithos' eyes go wide and he panics just a bit when Toph first grabs his arm, but... well. At least the blush is fading away! "U-Uh, uhm..." He stutters all over the place as she fusses, but she calms when she does, reaching out to lightly pat Buster when he comes near out of instinct. And then Tony jumps in to the conversation, and he immediately tilts his head in inquiry. "D-Dolls? What dolls?" He's curious, too; it sounds like it could be a lead on helping Toph.

    Meanwhile, Gnome tugs below one of his eyes and sticks out his tongue at Buster. The rivalry lives on.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Yes, them!"

    Toph blinks as she feels the couch move as Tony sits down next to her, and she first nods her head before shaking her head a bit at his next question. "Dontknow..." It does seem like it helps with Buster licking at her face and Tony kneading at her neck. All in all they are familiar gestures. She exhales, then turns her head a bit so she can continue eating her ice cream while Buster licks at the side of her face.

    "... sorry," she softly says, even as she's turned towards Mithos. Though her face doesn't show much expression nowadays, it does look like she's feeling guilty about something.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony is on the verge of telling Mithos he ought to take a chill pill too, but fortunately he seems to calm down along with Toph. "I found a couple of weird wooden dolls in Toph's backpack. I posted a report with some photos... trying to find out what significance they have. They have to have SOME, otherwise why would they have just mysteriously appeared without her knowing about it? Someone must've planted 'em, and they must've had a reason." His fingers continue their soft pattern against Toph's spine, stroking up and down gently.

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    Mithos tilts his head slightly at the girl. "S-Sorry...?" After a few more moments of pause, he shakes his head again, this time in the directions that indicate a 'No'. "There's nothing for you to apologize for, Toph. It's alright. Just rest, okay?" Gnome puffs up and beats on his chest, as he is wont to do, and gives a big nod in Toph's direction, too. "Yeah! And you can use me as, like. A cushion or a beanbag chair, if you want!"

    Tony does get Mithos' attention, though. "O-Oh. You mean a report on that... uh... big Union computer thing? I still haven't really figured out how that works, but... that sounds kinda creepy." His expression dips slightly. "They... don't have any weird, dark rituals on her world or something, do they? That... sounds kinda bad." Looking to Toph, he adds, "... I hope she's just sick and that this isn't some kind of curse." Slowly, though, his face goes through phases. In one, he just looks concerned, but gradually it becomes more... angry. Somewhere along the line, he clenches his fists.

    "... I don't like that Lao guy. And I think he knows more than he told us." He sighs. "... I'm just really glad she's here now. Safe. And with you, Tony." He looks up to the man, a bit of that initial fire still burning behind his pupils.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The babble about the dolls become a droning buzz to her ears. But it finally seems like they got what she meant, so she can relax. Just thinking too much is tiresome. Talking takes even more energy. So why not focus on the ice cream? The blind girl takes another large bite of the cold treat, savoring the taste as it plays all over her tongue. This is relaxing. Is that Tony still stroking her back? It feels like it...

    It certainly has the desired effect as Toph keeps her eyes closed, and she seems far more relaxed now that she doesn't feel the need to talk, trying to explain fuzzy and unclear memories to the half elf.

    ... did she stop eating her ice cream? Most of it is gone, but some of it is still left. Then without warning she seems to take up Gnome on his offer. Except it's Mithos who becomes a cushion as Toph leans forward, her forehead resting against his shoulder, her left hand holding the ice cream slowly lowering as she breathes steadily, leaning into Mithos as he talks about something that she doesn't really care much about now.

    "Night night."

Mithos Yggdrasill (424) has posed:
    Mithos jumps a little again when Toph's head plops on to his shoulder... but he doesn't mind. And since he's just finished his ice cream himself, he has a hand to pat her head with. He finds himself stroking her hair a few times... which makes his cheeks flare up again. Man, that's what Martel does to -him-! Brrr. He squeezes his eyes shut in embarrassment a moment before taking another, deeeeep breath. There's nothing to fear here -- he can calm down! ... why is he only coming to that realization now?

    Gnome, in the meantime, minds his own business for the most part. He eventually meanders over to rest his chubby arms on the top of the couch, but otherwise, he stays quiet. Toph should have her time to rest.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The living room is mostly quiet, and after the mental exhaustion of trying to eat ice cream /and/ follow a conversation at the same time, as well as contributing to it, it appears that Toph has been drained. Add in that Tony is stroking her spine and Mithos then begins to stroke her hair? Details doesn't matter to the blind girl, and...

    She's snoring.

    No, there is nothing to fear here. Except for the last remains of ice cream that Toph manages to smear on Mithos clothes. It could be worse though, and Buster seems only too eager to continue cleaning duty.