589/Dance in the dark

Dance in the dark
Date of Scene:	14 September 2014
Location:	New York-199999
Synopsis:	Natasha returns to the Stark estate, and tensions get high when it's a matter of trust and distrust. There will be words.
Cast of Characters:	20, 301, 555

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Another weekend, another day with nothing special to do. So let's try this again.

    The blind girl has flung her feet up, and in typical teenage fashion she has her legs over the back of the couch, her head resting on a pillow she watches a movie. Rather, listens to one. On her stomach there's an opened bag of chips, and she's stuffing some flakes into her mouth now and then as she chews, looking half asleep. All in all there's some mess around her, and Pepper /might/ chide her later. But for now all worries are forgotten. She's got snacks, there's a Disney movie playing and she doesn't have lessons today. Sometimes it's good to have the house all to herself, with it being relatively quiet.

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    But not for long. Jarvis would soon inform Toph that "Miss Romanoff has arrived in the atrium." Which, no doubt, would probably ruin the young teen's relaxing day. Because relaxing around Natasha just isn't a thing. The redhead makes her way into the living room where the movie is playing, a tablet in her hand. "Toph." she greets with a calm smile. "Good to see you. Your dad around?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The announcement that there's a guest, and not just any guest, that makes the earthbender groan. "Really...?" Is that stalker going to come on over every Sunday now? When the spy enters the living room she grunts in response. "Too bad I can't say the same..." No, she's not feeling like pretending to like her. Tony didn't seem to dislike her too much, but really... was he stalked by her too? Did he get told that she was a danger to one of the most important people in her life?

    The question about Tony's whereabouts makes the earthbender shrug. "He went out a while ago. Maybe you should have called ahead if you wanted to talk with him." But if she's here to talk to /her/? Then she can go take a hike. Toph demonstrated this by picking up some chips from the bag and stuffs them all into her mouth even as she readjusts her legs.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony is, in fact, on his way back home from the office right now. And since Jarvis alerted him to the unexpected visitor, he's been speeding, and swearing under his breath. It's a good thing he has better radar detection than the police do. "Keep me posted, Jarvis."

"Thus far, sir, she has greeted Miss Beifong and asked if you were home. Miss Beifong has responded with... her usual charm, shall we say."

Tony smirks behind the wheel and swerves around a semi truck. "That's my girl. Still... gotta get there before she does anything crazy." Whether the 'she' in this case refers to Toph or Natasha is anyone's guess.

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    Natasha chuckles at Toph's attitude, it's just like the file said. Blunt to the point of being rude, and very snarky. She shrugs and sits down on the couch in front of the TV, glancing momentarily up the Disney movie. "Well I'll wait and see if he shows up in the next half hour, then." She starts poking at the tablet. What is she doing? It looks like she's just reading or doing some other work, but she's actually overriding Jarvis' security protocols through a series of new 'backdoors' again, and feeding a loop of the current footage into the surveillance for this particular room, so that instead of showing what she's about to do next, it'll just show the two of them sitting there quietly for an hour instead.

    Hopefully Jarvis doesn't know what's going on, but if he does...some truck in front of Tony just 'happened' to get a flat tire in the middle of the road, causing traffic to back up. Coincidence? Maybe...

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Or you could just call him," Toph repeats, narrowing her eyes. This... does not make her feel at ease. Is he here for her then? Too bad that she can't tell just what Natasha is doing with that tablet. Without working eyes she can't tell, and even with her reading glove she wouldn't be able to know without wrestling for the item.

    Should she move her legs onto the floor? The couch doesn't carry vibrations all that well... handy in some cases, not so handy in others.

    "Just what the heck do you want anyway, Stalkerina?" she asks, deciding to be blunt about things. Though she has her doubts whether she will answer honestly.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Oh, come ON, what the..." Tony lays on the horn and leans out the window to see what the trouble is up ahead. Because he's an asshole. At the same time, Jarvis announces, "Sir, I believe my programming is being accessed again."

"What? I thought I closed that backdoor."

"My apologies, sir; I don't think... I..." there's a skip and an awkward pause.

"Jarvis?" Tony asks, concerned.

"--ah, my mistake sir. Everything seems to be perfectly normal now. The two are sitting in the living room watching a movie."

Tony levels a 'are you shitting me' stare at his car dashboard. If Romanoff had just shown up to harrass him or his family again, that's one thing, but hacking Jarvis is just not neighborly. "...Jarvis lock down the house, turn off all the lights and black out the windows. And /find me away around this traffic/."

Back in Malibu, the living room goes pitch black! Of course that won't be a problem for one of the inhabitants.

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    Just what -does- Black Widow 'Stalkerina' want? Well Toph is about to find -out-. Right at that very moment, Natasha's hand suddenly goes to her waist, and she pulls something out of her rather generous arsenal--it looks like a handgun, but it's actually an icer. A stun weapon that doesn't so much knock its victims out as simply -freeze- them. Right there. To the victim, it's as if time has merely jumped forward an hour or so, and they would never know anything had even hit them. Hence, the term 'icer'. It had become standard issue for SHIELD personnel in the field recently.

    However, another thing happens at that very moment. All the lights suddenly go out, and the two of them are plunged into pitch blackness. "Damn it Stark..." Romanova curses under her breath, but pulls the trigger anyway, hoping she was close enough to hit the girl despite the darkness for the time being. If she lands the hit, she'll quickly plant the tracker and make a run for it. If not, then there's a window across the room from the sofa that can be broken. Or can it? Might be worth a try...

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Most likely Natasha will see it. That Toph is somewhat tense, but not exactly in a nervous manner. More like she's ready to react at the smallest sign. The briefest sound, the slightest vibration through the couch. And even if she would hate to do something that would mess up the house, there's no way in hell she's going to trust Natasha. She can stay the heck away.

    Considering her blindness, it's pretty hard for Toph to know just what Jarvis does to intervene. But she does hear that silent cursing, and eyes widen. It only takes a brief movement of her hand, and the couch is knocked over, sending both of them sprawling backwards and knocking over various items. The fired shot does not hit its intended target, instead hitting the couch just near the blind girl. Too close!

    As Toph had her legs propped up the bending of the couch sends her right onto her feet, and she assumes a defensive position. "What the CRUD is your problem?!" she demands, her feet picking up the vibrations around the room. For now she's still not aware that the lights have gone out. Just what did Natasha react to? All she knows is that she doesn't like this one bit!

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
And Tony's still stuck in traffic that no amount of honking and handwaving will clear. Swearing, he pulls his car off onto the shoulder and leans over to rummage in the glove box. If emergency services comes up and finds him blocking them, well, they'll just have to fine him.

"Fire up Mark 42, Jay," he commands tersely, setting the high tech headset over his temples and rolling up the tinted car windows to darken the interior as much as possible. If he can't trust Jarvis's sensors right now, he'll just have to have a look himself.

In the darkness of the garage, the modular armor powers up with a revealing glow of blue optics through the shadows. In the car, Tony squirms in his seat, adjusting it back as far as it will go to maximize his movement radius. He switches to infrared scanners and directs the suit up the stairs with an ominious, steady clanking sound of metal boots on concrete.

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    Natasha goes flying off the couch and onto the floor. Ugh. That didn't feel good...and now she can hear Mark 42 stomping up the stairs. She expected that would happen. But from Toph's shouted question she can tell the girl is on her toes but still not quite sure what exactly just happened. So she for now she just plays it cool, grabbing the still-glowing tablet and starting to hack Jarvis more, this time attempting to get him to override the lockdown and flip the lights back on.

    Prodding away at the code, she keeps a calm demeanor. "Ow...I dunno Toph, it looks like a power outage of some sort. No need to flip the couch over. It's kind of normal, in our world."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    How can she not feel Tony's suit moving downstairs... "Is that you, Jarvis?" she demands. It is empty after all, considering Tony isn't home yet. But still, if the suit is moving, that means that something is going on.

    And that means that Natasha is /lying/.

    Toph's expression hardens, though the spy can't see it? Power outage? Hardly. Aren't there backup generators and such? Is this what upset Natasha? Is this Tony's doing? Young she might be, but Toph isn't /stupid/.

    Even if she doesn't have all the details, she considers her options. With her seismic sense she can tell that Natasha just grabbed the tablet from the table, and she's doing /something/. So Toph reaches out with her left hand, and the floor underneath Natasha moves, shifting in attempt to wrap itself around her feet. "Answer the question!" she demands.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Jarvis's voice is distorted. "Is what me, Miss Beifong? I am not detecting any unusual activity anywhere in the house." Or anything wrong with himself.

And then Mark 42 is at the top of the stairs, its bright, cold gaze piercing through the darkness. In that ambience Natasha might be able to see both arms coming up into a threatening posture, and then the supplemental glow of the repulsor pads in the gauntlets. Tony's voice barks out. "The HELL are you trying to do to my /daughter/, Romanoff?"

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    And now the Mark 42 is at the top of the stairs. Damn it. First attempt failed. Now all she could do was cover up. She lets Toph trap her there. "Nothing, -she's- the one trying to keep me on the floor." Clearly, because the floor has now wrapped itself around her ankles. "We were just sitting on the couch, watching Disney and suddenly the lights went out and she -attacked- me." See? See this just proves her point, doesn't it? Toph is /dangerous/.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Something is /really/ wrong. Now when she thinks about it, wouldn't Jarvis have chided her for knocking over the couch?

    Since she is succesful in keeping Natasha on the floor she steps back. Hearing Tony's voice coming from Mark 42 is a relief at least, to know that even if he isn't here physically, she's still got some backup. His words though does make her nervous, and she wonders just what he knows that she doesn't. What /is/ really going on anyway?

    However, the blind girl blinks in surprise when Natasha speaks. "What?! I didn't attack you!" she protests, pointing a finger at her. "You were upset for some reason and said 'damn it Stark'! You wouldn't tell me /why/ you are here and what you want! You're just flat out suspicious!"

    There's something about Natasha that makes Toph not happy. Is it the fact that she's one of the few people she can't read? That it feels like she wants to control her? "You're /not/ hurt, so what are you complaining about?" Is Toph's voice shaking just slightly?

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"Oh, is THAT why you needed to hack Jarvis's security protocols?" Tony's voice emits snidely from the empty suit. Even if she WAS at least partially successful, he was aware of it and that's all the information he needed to react.

The suit marches forward, a little stiffly as Tony can't move as much as he'd like within the car and has to rely on its auto-balancing systems. One armored hand reaches out to grab for the tablet. "I don't care WHAT mission Fury's given you, this is WAY over the line. You tell your boss if he has something worth violating my security over, he can come talk to me himself." his voice lowers threateningly. "You know I could have you arrested on /Union/ charges over this."

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    Huh. Natasha is starting to not feel quite so bad about this after all...this could still turn out the way she'd hoped after all. "Like I said, the power outage just startled me, that's all." she sighs, as if to say 'see Stark, this is exactly what I was talking about before. She's overreacting to an *ally* she can't read as well as other people.'

    "You just don't like me because you can't always tell when I'm lying, and so I make you nervous, because you're a little closer to being just like a *normal* blind person when it comes to talking to me." She accuses. "And I was just trying to access some of Jarvis' security footage, because something just seemed off, that's all. I was going to talk to you about it but you didn't answer when I called so I figured I'd just swing by and wait until you got back from the office. I did call, isn't that right, Jarvis?"

    "Of course," Jarvis says cheerfully. She hadn't managed to force the lights back on in the time before Tony's suit came to confiscate the tablet from her, but she had managed to plant false data indicating that there had, indeed, been a missed call from her. Since, you know, Toph kept saying she should have called ahead instead. Might as well make it so. Everything else has been scrubbed, as Tony is likely to have expected, anyway.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Wait... she /hacked/ the security protocols? Is that why Jarvis is acting weird? Toph swallows as she 'sees' Mark 42 step forward, although he is moving kinda awkwardly, isn't he? For now Toph remains standing still. Just what does this Fury guy want Natasha to do?

    Said accusation does take her by surprise, and the earthbending master /frowns/. "I don't like you because you /stalked/ me and you don't ever tell the truth!" Toph snaps back, irritation clear in her voice. What does she mean, like a normal blind person? "The problem isn't that I can't tell when you're lying, it's the fact that you can't be freaking /honest/ in the first place!"

    If there's something Toph doesn't know much about, it's the security details. All she knows is that she's got even less reason to like this lady. Her hands clenches into fists where she stands and she swallows.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony isn't really buying this story; but it IS just plausible enough to get her off on a technicality. Even if it is true, though, Tony doesn't like the plot. "You need something from Jarvis's security files, you go through ME," he growls. "If I'm not available right that second, you wait. Not that I'm not SURE you know how to get a hold of me if you REALLY need to." More than just sounding angry, he sounds hurt. As if he'd thought that the shit they'd been through should have earned him more of a pass than this.

With the tablet in hand, the suit steps backward. "Tell your boss I want to talk to him. Personally. Face to face. Toph, stay behind me, and let go of her feet. Romanoff, I see you make one twitch that isn't 'moving slowly for the front door' and I'll be delivering you to Fury myself. Unconscious."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Since Tony isn't actually present she can't really get all the details, though he doesn't sound like he likes this at all. At least he sets some things straight. To hear that he wants to talk to this Fury guy though, that makes her blink. Heck, she wouldn't mind giving him a few choice words of her own.

    When she's told to step behind the suit Toph does blink. He knows she can handle herself right? Perhaps it looks like she's about to protest, but she decides against it for now and walks over to step behind Mark 42 before she reaches out, the floor smothening out around Natasha's feet and freeing her, and the raised parts underneath the couch that she used to flip it over smooth out as well, returning the floor to its previously pristine state.

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    Natasha gets up slowly, dusting herself off. "Okay, okay." She says, putting her hands up in resignation. "I get it, and like I said I tried to go through you but you wouldn't answer. And you know how it is, you never know when a little 'something off' could be a *big* something wrong. I didn't think you two would flip out like that, I---"

    Romanoff stops, her eyes leveling right at the suit's camera optics. "...I thought you trusted me." She sounds hurt, as well.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"I thought I did too," Stark replies coldly. The suit, of course, doesn't blink. "--And when you talk to Fury, remind him we're on the /same side/, why don't you."

A beat, then a sigh. "I would love for this to be a big misunderstanding, Tasha. But I'm sure you understand why I have to put my /family/ first." Especially after the vaguely threatening things she relayed from SHIELD the other day.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Did she overreact? Or did she do the right thing? All Toph knew was that she would rather be safe than sorry, especially around somebody she can't get a good read on. For now she remains standing still behind the suit, still clenching her fists as Natasha turns her attention to it. Is this all a misunderstanding? For now Toph remains quiet, letting Tony speak even as she listens closely, trying to figure out the smallest sign within Natasha. A single clue to whether it is possible to tell if this woman is lying.

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    Toph can probably tell Natasha is upset, yes. Given her previous question about Tony trusting her. But maybe not as upset as she should be, given Tony is supposed to be a friend of hers. But maybe that's just the way she is. "I would say that's *exactly* what it is, but apparently you don't trust me any more so I guess that would be pointless." She turns away, heading toward the door, but stops and turns back to face the two of them briefly with an eyebrow raised. "Remind Fury that we're on the same side? Are you sure *you* aren't the one who needs the friendly reminder? Maybe your daughter's overly cynical habits are rubbing off on you." She shrugs, and swiftly disappears out the door.

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    That's right, story of Natasha Romanova's life--never allowed to have any real friends. Because any time someone else more innocent comes along, there's no question where the loyalty will go. Oh well.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
Tony's sardonic snort emits from the empty suit only AFTER Natasha is out the door. "Trust doesn't mean you let people come into your house and rifle through your stuff. It means you don't have to worry about them doing that in the first place," he mutters. The suit turns to face Toph. "You okay? I'm stuck in traffic. Should be home in half an hour. Don't leave the house until then. I'm gonna reboot Jarvis and go through his code, line by line if I have to."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    What the heck is Natasha's problem? Toph just does not like the way she talks about her. Overly cynical habits? Attacked her? She makes it sound as if she's dangerous! And like she's trying to turn Tony /against/ her. Why? Just what is she up to? Is it really because they think that she's a threat to Tony somehow? It doesn't make sense at all.

    But finally the spy leaves, and Toph blinks when the suit turns towards her. Is she okay? "Yeah..." She nods her head. She's okay. Physically at least. It doesn't bother her that he's half an hour away, it's not like she's been dependent on others to feel safe. Though the way Jarvis acted up... that's kinda creepy. Didn't he see what happened? Maybe he could have told them. Something happened, but she doesn't know just /what/. Being told not to leave the house does make the blind girl tense up just a bit, and Tony might see it there through the optics. As if she wants to protest, be defiant. She doesn't need protection! Still, she sighs and closes her eyes, biting back a comment before she walks over to the couch, reaching out with a hand to bend it back into place again. "Jarvis didn't even notice that I flipped the couch," she states, frowning as she feels some of the scattered chips crunch underneath her feet. "Just... what happened? Something set her off," Toph states.

Natasha Romanova (555) has posed:
    Yeah, Jarvis' code is pretty much in a mess right now. Nothing irreparable, but it'll take some time for Tony to fix it all up right. Toph might not be able to tell, but there is a small hole about the size a .22 caliber weapon would make, right near where Toph had been sitting. There also appears to be some remnant of a dark blue substance, albeit rather miniscule.

Tony Stark (301) has posed:
"When Jarvis detected the initial intrusion into his programming, I had him shut off all the lights," Tony explains. "First thing I thought of to make things difficult for her without messing with you." He sighs, as the suit's helmet turns to look toward the door again. "I /do/ trust her. Her intentions, at least. But Fury is WAY off on the wrong track this time. And he /knows/ I hate people messing with my stuff. ...Probably payback for all the times I've hacked HIS network. Anyway, sit tight. I'll be home soon."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "You turned off the lights...?" she asks, slightly surprised. So that's why Natasha reacted like she did, huh. Toph flops back on the couch, though she does keep her feet on the floor this time. Yet, she can't help but arch her eyebrows at the admission he gives that he messed with Fury's stuff in the first place.

    But fine, she will wait and be alert, just in case. Even if she doubts Natasha will return today, at least. She nods at the suit, then waits. And listens. Just in case.