3847/NG Therapy

NG Therapy
Date of Scene:	25 February 2016
Location:	Njorun Station - Ring of Philosophy
Synopsis:	Toph and Evangeline spar for fun and for serious business.
Cast of Characters:	20, Neuroi Girl

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Neuroi Girl has posed:
     After their talk yesterday, Evangeline finally agreed to a sparring match with Toph. Eva is hoping it will help relieve some of the stress on her mind. But, she is concerned that she might take it too far, so it is good they are in the Ring of Philosophy. Evangeline is currently floating in the middle of the ring a few feet off the ground. She waits patiently and silently for her friend to arrive, her mind racing with thoughts that are tainted by HK-47's attempt at imprinting on her. It keeps suggesting that she just do away with the 'meatbag' because she has no right thinking she is as good as a robot or other non-organic being.

     Evangeline's hands clench into fists as she attempts to supress the thoughts that are not really her own. "...go away..." she says softly as she floats there. "...you are not part of me..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There's a clear contrast between the girls' moods today, as Toph seems as calm and confident as always when she enters the Ring, clad in slacks and already stretching her arms as a pre-warmup to this sparring session. Or treatment, perhaps. After their little talk yesterday it was clear that Evangeline is really bothered by this, but hey... if this has even the slightest chance of helping the little neuroi, then it's worth a shot, right?

    "Didn't keep you waiting, did I?" Toph asks with a grin, then heads over to the panel to get the settings right. If they're going to fight, then the earthbender will need materials to work with. "I don't think we've done some proper sparring yet, now have we?" she points out, turning towards Evangeline as she enters a defensive stance that the other girl should be familiar with, having seen Toph in action many times before.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline lifts her head as Toph enters the ring, then shakes her head lightly at both questions. "...we are not enemies...there has been no reason for us to fight..." she says as she floats there in her typical stoic posture. She watches Toph set up the Ring, turning her head to regard the battlefield as a presumably very rocky terrain appears.

     "...you may go first..." Evangeline says once Toph has entered that defensive stance. Evangeline doesn't want to be the first to strike against a friend. Even if this is just a practice fight. Then, she tilts her head slightly. She realizes she participates in such fights quite often when the Strike Witches are doing combat maneuvers and practicing dogfighting. This is the same thing, right? Just with live rounds that can't really hurt anyone.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At that comment Toph can't help but smirk. "Hey, I fight my friends for fun too in case you didn't notice!" It's a great way to get to know somebody, after all.

    Toph's standard setting for the Ring is indeed rocky, but there are also large beams of metal standing up here and there, making it the perfect place for the master earthbender to work her stuff. When Evangeline tells her to go first though, Toph cants her head. "I generally prefer to let my opponents go first... but since it's you, I'll make an exception." So with that, Toph lifts her right foot...

    That might be a warning sign, but if that isn't enough, the moment it kicks into the ground, there's a sound from behind Evangeline. If she turns around, she'll see a small boulder coming straight at her, aimed at her back.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline recognizes the movement as the beginning of an attack, and as soon as that foot hits the ground she is on the move. The boulder barely misses her as she shoots up into the air. She loops around before diving at Toph, bobbing back and forth while she fires relatively small beams of explosive red energy at Toph.

     The little Neuroi attempts to pepper Toph and the surrounding area with the beams. Each beam would be like a small explosive charge going off, each one enough to cause damage on its own. She stops firing as she passes overhead, then starts to bank around in preparation for another pass.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Trust Evangeline to be nimble and able to evade the small boulder. Toph doesn't hear it hit her opponent, so she assumes she will need some defense for whatever Evangeline will be throwing her way. As the boulder comes towards her, Toph raises her arms, and by doing so she erects an earthen wall. She didn't count on Evangeline diving at her however, so the first shots won't hit their target, but as the neuroi approaches her, she's easily able to fire over the earthen defenses.

    The blind girl lets out a yelp when some of the beams hit her in the torso, though she doesn't hesitate to throw an attack back at Evangeline as the earthen walls get torn up from the ground and then fly towards where Toph guesses her friend will fly next. Try evading several pieces of rock this time!

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Indeed, scattershot is always harder to evade. Evangeline is pelted as she flies over Toph's head, causing several pieces of her metallic black body to break off and disintegrate into silvery powder. As she banks around, those missing pieces grow back in the same silver glow. By the time she comes back around, Evangeline is whole again. She spirals as she moves in toward Toph again. Figuring that Toph is most dangerous close to the ground, Evangeline keeps herself at least a dozen feet off the ground.

     This time as she comes in she charges up an attack, then fires a solid beam of that sinister red energy. She tries to keep it focused on Toph as she flies past the earthbender, causing a continuous explosion.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There we go! She /heard/ those pieces hitting! It's harder for Toph to tell that Evangeline is regenerating however, so perhaps she wouldn't be grinning so much if she was able to tell.

    It's correct to assume that Toph is dangerous up close, especially close to the ground. And while Toph can sense somewhat where Evangeline is due to the metal in her body, it would be easier if she was actually touching the ground. It's impossible to read her movements up in the air, so she will have to do some serious guessing as opposed to most of her fights.

    So the red beam takes Toph by surprise, and she lets out a pained yelp as she grits her teeth, and then lashes out with both hands, raising one pillar between her and Evangeline, then another and another. Sure, the first pillars might be destroyed by the beam, but all Toph needs is a second or two to get her plan started. If there's one thing she's learned, is that flying opponents can't exactly do much damage from afar if there are obstacles in their way. Besides, the pillars can be useful if she plays her cards right... So Toph continues raising more pillars, creating a whole mess of the field as the ground gets obscured.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline does indeed have trouble getting through all the pillars. They block her beam successfully, protecting Toph from any more damage and creating plenty or rocky debris around Toph. Evangeline banks away again, then starts orbiting Toph and firing smaller beams. With her speed it might seem like the beams are coming from all different directions, but after a few moments it would become obvious that Eva wasy circling Toph while firing.


     Of course, Evangeline is trained for combat, so she isn't going to just keep circling. After a couple of orbits, she banks upward and passes over Toph, still firing those beams. She stops firing as she passes, giving her energy a chance to build up again.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It makes sense that Evangeline focuses on speed. Several strikes as opposed to a major one. The beams strike the pillars, telling Toph where they were fired from, and it does seem like Evangeline is circling her. But still, she has to wait for the right moment...

    More and more pillars shoot out of the ground, replacing the ones that get destroyed. For now they just stand there however, serving as cower. When she feels the beams coming from above though, Toph reacts. Her arms raise upwards in a quick motion, and all at once all the pillars shoot up in a reverse rain of earth and stone.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     CRASH! There is a deafening sound as Evangeline impacts those pillars that were so suddenly raised. Despite her translucent blue shields blinking to protect her from directly taking the severe hit, Evangeline goes tumbling down into the ground from the impact. There is another crash as she hits the ground and bounces across it several times before managing to lift herself back into the air. "...ow..." she says softly as she regenerates again.

     She spirals up overhead again, then comes to a stop. Even if Toph could see, it would be hard to tell how seriously she was taking the battle. But, she seems to be taking it quite seriously. And Toph might even be able to hear it as Evangeline charges up again. Then, there is a sharp sound as a beam thicker than Evangeline is tall is fired down at Toph. It might make sense for Evangeline to use her speed and smaller shots, but this is a definite bunker-busting attack. The powerful beam lances down quickly, even more powerfully than the last. Even the rocky debris starts to disintegrate as the beam causes the rocks to somehow explode violently.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Down she goes, and Toph waits, ready to react. The moment Evangeline crashes into the ground, Toph kicks the ground and rushes over, just about to continue the attack... but it seems Evangeline is already back in the air.

    While Toph can't see it, she can hear it when the neuroi girl prepares her next attack.

    Immediately Toph kicks the ground and spreads her arms, and in response one of the nearby metal beams comes to life as parts of it fly off, sheets of metal hitting Toph and wrapping itself around her. Seems Toph is taking this seriously too if she's putting on makeshift metal armour! And just in time too, as the large beam strikes the metalbender, knocking her back with a loud yelp! It does take a brunt of the attack, but it still hurts as the metal starts to crack in places.

    The blind girl grits her teeth behind her armour, her movements severely slowed as she digs her heels into the ground, then reaches down to punch her right fist into the ground. Directly underneath Evangeline, a boulder bursts upwards from the ground. Hopefully it will be enough to at least make the neuroi stop her current attack before it hurts her too much!

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline can't maintain her beam forever, but then again she doesn't have to. Toph shoots a boulder up at her, and Evangeline's shield flares again as she is knocked aside by the giant rock. She is sent tumbling through the air, though she regains her composure before she ever hits the ground. Eva's beam left her drained, so she is slow to move for several seconds after her attack and the rock smacking her.

     Once she regains her mobility and energy levels, Evangeline moves in toward Toph again. Perhaps it is a bit reckless, but she moves in and actually tries to grab hold of Toph's head. She wouldn't try to throw or beam Toph from this range, but what she does is try to integrate with that makeshift metal armor. With it being basic metal, the integration would be almost guaranteed, and Toph would be able to hear a sound like a mix between an hammer striking an anvil and a magical chiming each time more of the armor is turned into Neuroi armor.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's a relief when the beam finally ends, and Toph lets out a gasp as she is no longer pushed back. Ugh, that hurt like hell! Rather than going straight for Evangeline, it's not like she can easily locate her while she's in the air, Toph instead relies on reinforcing her armour again, reaching out towards some of the metal beams again, sheets of metal peeling off before they wrap themselves around the armour to reinforce it further.

    It's a bit unexpected when she hears Evangeline coming straight at her, and Toph is about to launch up some earthen spikes when she feels something touch her head. Not hit her head, /touch/ her head. Or rather, the metal armour.

    "What the crud...?!" she exclaims, then reaches an arm up, intending to grab onto Evangeline's arm while she still can. Who knows what she's trying to do?

    However, it seems that her arm won't move. What's going on? And her head won't move either?! Okay, time to act quickly before the metal changes too much. Because it's undoubtedly Evangeline's doing.

    With a sweeping motion of her leg the back of the armor peels open, and Toph falls backwards, her arms outstretched in a flat palm attack. Around her the ground bursts up, intending to grab onto Evangeline and yank her down onto the ground while she's still nearby and close.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline's arm is grabbed, but with that metal armor in place it just speeds the integration process. With more anvil and magic chime sounds, soon the metal is no longer metal at all, but is thick Neuroi armor. However, when Toph slips out of it Evangeline is left with an empty metal suit.

     Which comes in handy when the ground bursts upward. Evangeline slips into her new Neuroi armor and seals it up again just before she is smashed into the ground by the...ground. Eva hits the ground hard, cracking the newly aquired armor. But, those cracks seal up again quickly, and the wings on Eva's legs light up before dozens of beams start lancing out, vectoring toward Toph to try and hammer her away and cut apart the ground holding Eva down.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's really weird, the metal just slowly feels like it's changing composition... to think that somebody besides her can alter metal like that is kinda weird, really. It's certainly a sound Toph won't easily forget either.

    The neuroi armour proves to be sturdy when the ground grabs onto her and smashes her downward, and then there's those beams...

    Toph is struck and is sent tumbling backwards with a pained cry, and the ground starts to crumble. "Ugh, you're stubborn...!" Toph comments and reaches up to wipe away some blood from her lip, all before she slams her fist into the ground, sending up a series of spikes. Hopefully they can strike Evangeline before she can take to the air again.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline hasn't quite escaped the grip of the ground when those spikes spring up. There is a metallic screech of pain as they pierce right through the integrated armor and into Evangeline. She is pushed up into the air and sent flying up once the spikes stop. The brilliant rose red glow of her core can be seen as she tumbles through the air, but it quickly dies down as she starts to regenerate.

     Toph might not notice it, but the regeneration is slower than before. Evangeline is running low on energy. Which means she needs to end this. With her new armor, Evangeline feels more confident in a frontal attack. A complete frontal attack. She actually charges right at Toph and tries to ram the earthbender with both arms. Then, she tries to push Toph up into the air before she fires another powerful beam attack at point-blank range. Two small but powerful beams are fired right into Toph's belly. "...so are you..." she says as she fires.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When Evangeline actually cries out Toph winces slightly. Good thing they're fighting here, and not outside of the Ring. It does allow people to push themselves further when they know they've got a safety net, at least Toph does.

    With a pained gasp Toph pushes herself up on her feet, ignoring all the bruises she's gotten as best as she can, though it should be obvious she's really starting to hurt as well. Her unseeing eyes widen though as she hears something rush at her, and she realizes that it's Evangeline herself. So the blind girl braces herself, raising her arms in front of her face and upper torso, all while she digs her feet into the ground, the earth shooting up to cover her. A grunt leaves her, though the little neuroi will find it difficult to push Toph back and up into the air. Seems Toph was prepared for that. But not for the powerful beam. Sure, she's armoured by the earth, but it only takes the majority of the attack, not all of it. It still hurts like a bitch, and Toph winces as the earthen armour crumbles, and Toph falls backwards, the breath knocked out of her.

    Her stubbornness is confirmed though as she kicks her heel into the ground, and a fist sized rock flies up, aimed for Evangeline's face. "... you don't sound like you're like that damn..." Wheeze. "... piece of scrap metal though," Toph manages to get out between gasps for breath.

    True, they have been beating up each other, but Evangeline has acted like herself, hasn't she? Which means that this exercise did help in some way, Toph hopes.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline didn't really expect that she would be able to pry Toph from the ground, but she had to try. It would have been the best way to weaken her. As she comes to a stop after her beam attack, that rock catches Evangeline right in the face, smashing her head to smitherines that then burst into silver powder.

     Evangeline falls back, her body still, then lands on the ground. Her form looks a bit bulky at the moment thanks to the stolen armor, so it would be hard to see that that her head is regenerating, but without the armor covering. She looks like someone wearing a power suit without their helmet now. "...I do not...sound like him..." she says softly as she lies there, looking up at the sky. It is unclear if she has reached her limit or if she is simply taking a break, but either way she does not rise into the air again just yet. "...and...I did not attempt to kill you as I feared I might..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Seems like the fight is over, and Toph closes her eyes where she lies, waiting for the Ring to reset any damage they both got from this fight. "Told you so," Toph comments. "You're in control, and there's no way that thing can tell you what you're suppposed to do. You're your own person with your own values and morality. There's no way you'd be in the Union if you were anything like him." At least that's what Toph believes.

    "Seems we're about evenly matched. Man, it would be so much easier if you were on the ground," she points out, then winces and sits upright. "At least you're not the worst flying opponent to fight."

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline floats up again as Toph speaks up, then she discards the metal armor she had integrated into herself. It falls to the ground, in the same shape it was before Toph escaped it. Evangeline floats toward Toph, the light whisper of her movement easily heard in the silence of the Ring. "...it seems so..." Evangeline agrees, then tilts her head. "...I am not a ground-type Neuroi..." she says as she floats closer.

     "...I am not the worst flying opponent..?" she asks, almost as if that is a bit of an insult to her honor. She is, after all, an aerial combat specialist. "...who was..?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Toph nods, then stretches as she feels the injuries getting undone. "Yeah, I figured that pretty early on..." Then she reaches out to punch Evangeline in the shoulder with a grin. "You'll be okay, and you just proved it. And the next time we'll be prepared to deal with that dunderhead."

    As for the worst flying opponent? Toph muses on that for a few seconds. "Well, those without earth or metal on them. The first time I sparred with Goldie was kinda annoying, he picked me up so I couldn't fight that well. Kinda freaked me out at the time. Also, some feds with magic and stuff, that's pretty tough to deal with. I can sense where you are to a certain extent unless you're too far away."

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline is rocked gently by the punch before she comes back to rest floating in front of Toph. "...I will be okay...but his thoughts...they are still in my head...I hope they will fade over time..."

     She listens to Toph describe more difficult aerial opponents, then nods lightly. "...I should return to base...but..thank you...I feel much more comfortable participating in combat operations now..." Evangeline floats forward and starts to hug Toph, then pauses before opting to punch Toph in the shoulder instead. Probably a bit harder than necessary, but she likely hasn't thrown a punch before.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "You might remember them, but now you know that they can't control you," Toph states firmly. When Evangeline punches her in the shoulder she can't help but grin though, even if it was a bit harder than called for, and she reaches out to punch her back. Before she reaches over to hug the little neuroi too. "You head on back to base, and I'll head on home before dinner. Glad I could help though, and hey, sparring is always fun!" Especially when it can help your friends overcome their doubts.

Neuroi Girl has posed:
     Evangeline is punched again, causing her to sway lightly. She pauses a moment as she is hugged, then she hugs back firmly. "...it was...kind of fun..." she agrees, then releases Toph. "...enjoy your dinner...hopefully it will not be so long between seeing each other..." she says, then heads for the door.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Of course it's fun, that's why we do it!" Toph smiles. "Catch you later, kick some ass during practice at the base, okay?" With that Toph brushes off her shirt, then heads out of the Ring.