Scene #4094: Sands and Shields

Owner	Pose
Toph Beifong	Is there a better place to be than in Malibu in the early evening? The sun is still warming the sandy beach, the waves lap at the sand, and this place is generally quiet. Unless Tony is blasting some loud music that is. There is some music playing however, as there is some rock music playing as Toph Beifong is waiting nearthe patio for the other Unionites to arrive. Clad rather casually, she's wearing shorts and a tankini top, perfect for the weather as well as sparring. Beside her is a stack cold drinks in a cooler, as well as some snacks for the people who are going to watch. All in all the teenager looks rather relaxed where she waits, sitting on the edge of the cliffside with her feet dangling over the edge.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga has come to watch, needing something to do for the evening. May as well see some old friends and...watch them beat up on each other. Sounds like a normal evening, really. That was always a popular passtime back home. This time, she has remembered that it is quite warm where Toph lives and thus wears only a blue linen dress, belted at the waist and cut in a rather medieval style. Her hair is in two braids today rather than one, the snowy plaits hanging over each shoulder. Walking through sand proves to be quite a challenge, even with her walking stick to help her, so when she arrives near to Toph she flops down into the nearest available seat. Or the sand. Whichever. "Toph, thank you for your invitation," she greets, a bit out of breath.
Soma Cruz	The beachfront evening is relatively peaceful. Lazy waves, lazy sand. Lazy housecat-sized white bat. Wait. What? Whatever, it's gone. Coming up through the sand is the tall, white-haired youth that is Soma Cruz. His coat is draped over his shoulders, arms not in the sleeves. He rolls up on the Blind Bandit, quiet until he speaks. "Uh. Hi." That coat has /fur/ and he doesn't look uncomfortable. He's not even /sweating/.
Tony Stark	Tony is not blasting the music this evening. He's left that to Toph and her little impromptu beach party. For himself, he's content to drag Pepper out onto the balcony where they can best watch the entertainment. He's dressed the part of the billionaire layabout tonight, in an open necked silk shirt and loose linen capris, sandals and three thousand dollar sunglasses since it is, after all, evening on the west coast and the Pacific makes for quite the sunglare. He flops into a cushioned lounge chair and pats his thigh invitingly for his wife to join him. "I wonder if they who are about to get their asses kicked are going to bother saluting us first. Do we have any tigers?"
Nina Windia	Nina has never been here before. She doesn't know what she expected, but being invited to a beach to do what amounts to hanging out (because if she tries this whole physical sparring thing herself against an expert, she will get wrecked - and she knows it) was not it. Still, she appreciated the invitation. And that's why she came. Nina is actually walking so that she can get a good look around at ground level. And she's definitely doing that; she looks this way and that, both orienting herself and seeing what's around. It's warmer here than she expected, but she's still wearing her blue robe, because it's that or school clothes. (Actually, given she went to a magic school, that might BE school clothes.) "It's nice!" she says, sounding surprised, and then is moderately embarassed: of course it's nice, they live here. She does spot the bat. Because how often do you see people turn into a bat? Or, in this case, a bat turn into a people, but that's more or less the same thing.
Sarah Rogers	Sarah wanders in from the direction of the Chocobo Pens, she wanted to make sure they're staying secure this time. She grabs a cherry coke from the cooler and starts surveying the area, looking a little nervous. "Where are we going do this? Tony's place has suffered enough damage already, and that was just a sleepover. We're going to need lots of space to do this right." Having never actually fought Toph before, she's going over in her head how best to 'Go easy' on her and how to avoid any property damage.
Toph Beifong	Of course it's warm in Malibu! So it's a good thing Inga isn't dressed as heavily as she usually is, and Toph grins when she hears Inga approaching. The blind girl rises to her feet, and then she /leaps/ off of the cliffside, throwing her arms down. In response the sand rises up to meet her, softening her landing as she lands. "Heya! And no worries, might as well find something to do when you're bored, right?" she grins in greeting. The arrival of Soma however catches her attention. Sure, his words aren't that elaborate, though Toph doesn't respond at first as she sniffs the air. And then reaches out to /touch/ the coat. "Okay, is part of being Dracula's reincarnation being able to not die of sweat in that heavy thing?" she half-jokes. And don't think she didn't hear you, Tony. "If you're going to be entertained you can toss some of those snacks down to us, Goldie!" she yells up at him. Another newcomer, and Toph half turns to Nina with a grin. "Of course it's nice, it's the swankiest house in Malibu. Goldie got special permission to build it, the neighbours are ages away and well... they /say/ the view is awesome. Not that I would know." Sarah earns a punch in the shoulder when she arrives, and Toph arches an eyebrow. "Baby cap, you really think we can mess this place up THAT badly? I mean, /I/ could, but come on. The earth here is heavily informed, I saw to it myself after Cuddles and Nugget began summoning meteors." Damn those chocobos.
Eve	Although Malibu has some less-than-pleasant memories, both involving Toph giving Eve a new nickname, Eve likes it here. In many ways it's like her original home, though the people are considerably nicer. She didn't really need to be coaxed to come... but of course, it's nice to be coaxed even so. Admittedly, she's not exactly the sort who looks like much to fight against. She's somewhat smaller than Toph, and lacks the older girl's robust badassness. If anyone looks like they're not here to fight, it's the little blonde girl. She comes up, making no particular effort to be quiet but being rather quiet nonetheless. "Perhaps he is cold-blooded." she says in a deadpan, looking at Soma. There's no way to be sure if she's joking or not. She looks serious, or at least solemn.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga's eyes are naturally drawn the unexpected sight of a white bat. How curious! She's about to ask Toph if they are common around here when it turns into a white haired young man. Inga gasps slightly, eyes wide for a moment. "Ah...greetings," she manages. That was not what she expected to happen. Really, she should know better, but then she'd be suspecting every animal she came across... Spotting Tony and Pepper, she pulls out a package from her bag. It's donuts. Fresh home made donuts. "I brought donuts," she says, offering one first to Toph since she'll soon be fighting. Carb load! Inga smiles also to Nina, nodding in greeting. "Hello," she says. And to Sarah, she waves, smiling. This is going to be interesting. "Fight well," she says to them both, ready to enjoy the show. Of course, she offers donuts to everyone.
Soma Cruz	Soma smiles slightly to himself at Toph's comments. "It's...kind of a mind trick, I guess? It's like...you feel the heat. You know it's hot, but your mind doesn't let it touch you. I read about it in a book. Besides, it's white. White reflects the heat." He didn't mean to shock anyone by shapeshifting in front of them. He thought he hid, but not well enough it seems. Oh well. If that's the weirdest thing they see him do, everyone will be lucky.
Nina Windia	To Toph's more unusual senses, Nina is very light on the ground. She's /there/, but she weighs maybe two thirds what you'd expect from someone her size and so she's very light-footed. "It is," she agrees with the other girl, then looks at her eyes for a moment. Well, apparently Tony wasn't just joking around on the radio. She does not bring it up. "I just haven't been to a beach... well, I have, but it wasn't this warm there. And the buildings are very different." What Nina definitely does not want to do is sit on the sand. She remains standing, giving Inga a small, polite smile as well as Soma. She does not take a donut, with a shake of her head and another polite smile. She isn't sure if she should say anything to Tony and Pepper, who apparently own the place (and thus it would be polite to greet them) but want their distance (so she should leave them alone), but she does meet Tony's eyes at least for a moment.
Tony Stark	Tony favors Nina with a little wink as she meets his gaze, to show that yes, he may be the emperor of all he surveys but he can be a benevolent ruler. He even flings a handful of popcorn over the balcony railing onto the gathering below, since Toph demanded that he share the snacks.
Sarah Rogers	Sarah stops next to Inga, partially so she can give the woman a warm smile, and also to snag a donut. Donuts and soda before a fight. That's healthy right? "I didn't expect such a big turnout." She says nervously as she noms on her donut. "If there's TV cameras here I'm done!" Sarah takes a breath, and tries to ignore the gathering for the moment, "Alright, how is this going to work? Are there rules? Do we just go at it?"
Toph Beifong	Perhaps Eve will be pleased that Toph does indeed nod in agreement with her comment. "Maybe he is." Maybe Soma won't be too offended that Toph doesn't seem to be worried about it not nervous about his presence. She walks as if she owns the damn place! True, it might be Tony's name on the paperwork, but then again the blind earthbender is the person who spends the most time on the beach of the people living here. Which should be evident by some of the stone structures bended around the area. "I don't know squat about colours, Matt Junior," Toph offers with a shrug to Soma. "As long as you aren't sweating away, then wear what you want." Nina's comment does make her turn her head slightly. "This is Malibu, it's warm here all year. You could go bathing in the middle of the winter without freezing. no matter what some wimpy lily livers might claim." The offering of donuts isn't turned away, and Toph beams as she takes the offered donut without fumbling. "Thanks!" It's promptly consumed, unlike the popcorn. Real funny, dad. And then she walks off to the edge of the beach, stretching her arms a bit of a warm up as she lists some basic rules. "So no deadly strikes of course, don't wanna give Pepper a heart attack up there, no tossing people into the water because I already had my swimming lesson for the day already, and no involving the chocobos. And nothing aimed at the house nor the people who are boring and just want to watch. Go ahead, Babycap!" As usual Toph prefers to let her opponents start, and she shakes her arms loose before she assumes a defensive stance, seemingly eager to get the sparring started. Nope, can't get better than this! Family, friends old and new, drinks and snacks, as well as fighting! All of her favourite things.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga smiles back to Sarah, wondering if she'll be using mjolnir? That seems like it would just be unfair somehow, even against someone as formidable as Toph. Inga takes a donut herself, taking a bite and chewing slowly. "It has been some time since I have watched a good spar," she comments to the rest of the spectators. Though while she's waiting for things to get under way, she watches the ocean. It had been some time since she'd seen that either. So different from the ocean up north. She wonders if it is as warm as the air is. Might just need to find out.
Tony Stark	Tony cups his hands around his mouth and shouts down, "Blood! Blood for the blood god!" Some more popcorn rains down in a light shower. At least he's not throwing the chocolate. Pepper would have to kill him.
Pepper Potts	Pepper pauses as she comes out with another bowl of popcorn, and looks at Tony. "What did I tell you! /No Blood Matches/, they'll raise the insurance on us!" she warns, waggling her finger.
Sarah Rogers	"Sounds reasonable." Sarah nods to Toph. "There's just one thing I still don't get." Sarah take a couple steps back then pushes off the ground with her left foot, rising about ten feet into the air with a cocky grin on her face. "How are we supposed to fight when I'm up here.." She's unslinging her shield as she peers down at Toph, "And You're down there!?" It's a shame Toph can't see the look on her face, because she's clearly asking for it.
Nina Windia	Nina Windia decides not to bother Tony after that wink. She has /no/ idea how to react to it. She does dodge the popcorn, but in a lazy way, mostly leaning to one side; she knows it's not dangerous, she just doesn't want to get it stuck to her robe. Or worse: butter stains. "Well, it certainly /looks/ tropical. I'll pass on the bathing here, though..." That's not something you do in public, and while this isn't exactly public, it's public /enough/. But she's not here to monopolize the fighters. Nina takes a few steps back, giving Sarah and Toph more room to play around with without getting too close to NIna. She doesn't really want to sit in the sand for the same reason as she doesn't want to get hit by popcorn (who wants it stuck to your robe?), so she stands, but that's fine. She says, to Inga, "We didn't do it much - I mean, at the school. Not like this."
Soma Cruz	Soma first looks up at Tony, shaking his head slightly. Blood Gods are not to be invoked casually. No sir. Trust him, he has /experience/. The young man watches as Sarah ascends, tilting his head slightly. "Huh."
Toph Beifong	As Tony calls from the patio Toph can't help but roll her eyes in a typical teenage fashion. As for Pepper's comment. "I /won't/ unsettle the foundation and make the house slide into the ocean, your insurance is safe." And then Sarah has the audacity to be cheeky as she takes to the air. And no, Toph can't see the look on the other girl's face, but she does know that she's indeed cruisin' for a bruisin'. Or something else. Even if her sparring partner is no longer touching the ground, the blind earthbender still looks calm, not saying a word as she raises her foot slightly... and then /stomps/ down on the sand. Instantly sand bursts up in the area of where Toph heard Sarah's voice, it's by no means meant to hurt, but it's a cheeky response at least! And well, it might make it easier for Toph to track her opponent unless she manages to get all of the sand off of her. But you know beach sand. It gets /everywhere/. "If you're gonna blab on like that I won't have a problem telling where you are, Babycap!"
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga wishes she brought tea now. Well, there are some beverages. Inga avails herself of a gingerale, smiling to Nina. "I daresay they didn't do it quite like this at home either. Just...the normal sort. Sword and shield, or stick fighting, or wrestling...not like this...but the spirit of it is the same," she observes.
Sarah Rogers	Sarah was expecting to be pelted with rocks, easily deflected with her shield, not.. This! "That is so not fair!" She shrieks, and then she's hacking and spitting sand out of her mouth. It's actually totally fair because now they're both blind! Sure she could fly off, but then it's victory by default for Toph. Not a very exciting sparing match either. The girl spins around in there air, managing to get the bulk of the sand off, but her eyes are tearing up and it's still in her nose, mouth, and everywhere else. She'll be shaking sand out of this outfit a week from now! She makes an attempt to fling the Star Shield at Toph's legs, but she still can't see well and it's a distraction at best. Finally she makes a dive for the pool, at least she hopes it's the pool, it's blue and relatively pool-shaped. It's the only way to get the sand out of her eyes without scratching them up worse!
Nina Windia	Nina is pleased with herself for thinking to get enough distance that she is not, in fact, sprayed with sand by Toph's trick. She isn't sure what she's doing it for - that Toph can 'see' with the aid of stone and dirt has not really occured to her yet - but it's clearly for a purpose and not random flailing. Blinding her opponent... clever enough! She checks the cooler when Inga does, and surreptiously does a tiny bit of magic; nothing major, but it re-cools some of the ice, so it will now stay colder even longer. Nina picks out a can of... something. She doesn't recognize it (it is cola) and doesn't immediately open it. Just holding it feels good. "I've seen guards train with sticks and weighted wood and rangers use all kinds of weapons - or none," Nina ventures to Inga, "but that's all. I suppose you're right, and it's the same idea."
Toph Beifong	"You didn't state anything about me not sand bending, I didn't state anything about you not flying, put on your big girl pants!" Toph says with a mischievous grin. Even if Sarah has managed to get most of the sand off, she can still sense some sand there. It won't be easy to keep track of it like a huge boulder or something, but it's better than nothing! Right now it doesn't appear to hear that Sarah might have her vision reduced. The shield being flung at her isn't easy to track either, and Toph only barely manages to figure out what's going on, her eyes widening as she throws her arms up, bending a thick sand wall into rock that the shield utterly crushes. The force is also enough to push Toph back as she has to turn the rock fragments back into send lest they hit her, and she grunts as she skids along the beach, all while Sarah dives for the pool.
Soma Cruz	Soma hits the cooler. Because all the cool kids have drinks. He roots around in there for a moment before coming up with a strawberry soda. It's totally not blood. He's really not a vampire, honest! He squints a little at both Toph and Sarah. Either would be an interesting fight. Not as interesting as Julius, though. That guy...
Sarah Rogers	Sarah doesn't especialy want to get soaked either, she skims the top of the pool mainly so she can splash water on her face and clear her vision. There's no way to tell if she was able to stop the guests from being splashed or not, stopping the burning in her eyes was the priority. She darts back towards Toph, She can't use the air, she can't stick to the ground.. This is harder than she thought. Maybe good old fashioned fisticuffs is the way to handle this? as long as she keeps her feet off the ground? "Didn't mean to throw it that hard." She mumbles apologetically when she catches sight of the shield smashed into the sand wall. As she talks she dares to put one foot on the ground, and then very quickly tries to sweep Toph off her feet with a roundhouse kick.
Toph Beifong	There Sarah is again, and Toph raises her head as she pushes off from the sand. "You Rogers wouldn't be doing it right if you didn't use our shields properly!" she retorts, then blinks when she feels the vibrations through the ground, warning her of the incoming kick just in the nick of time. With some quick foot work of her own Toph is the one who takes to the sky, albeit briefly as a small earthen pillar launches her up and over Sarah as she kicks. And while she's at it, she will do her best to avoid any attacks by launching one of her own at Sarah. Throwing her arms out to the side, Toph summons some dull earthen pillars out of the sand, aimed for Sarah's torso. Sure, she will feel if it they hit, but they are not sharp and not something that will any damage beyond bruising. This is a spar that's meant to be fun, after all!
Sarah Rogers	"Damn, knew it wouldn't be that easy." Sarah curses as her kick connects with with more earth rather than the Earthbender. The other pillars seem to catch her by suprise, but she has the presence of mind to just relax and take the hit, letting the pillars fling her where they may and then recovering in the air a few moments later. "Serves me right for thinking this would be easy." She says with both a smirk and a sigh. She dives down to recover her shield. The problem here is she needs to get the Earthbender away from the earth. And there's certainly a lot of it! She knows her next idea is a bad one, but if nothing else she's learning how to deal with unusual opponents from this match, so what the heck? She dives for Toph and attempts to just scoop her up into the air. Nothing bad could possibly happen from that, right?
Toph Beifong	"Of course it wouldn't be easy!" Toph huffs as she lands in the sand. "I /am/ the greatest earthbender of all time! Earthbenders don't go easy, if you want gentle sparring then go find a waterbender and go splash in a kiddie pool together!" Though it could be worse. If Sarah had been one of Toph's students, then she would be guaranteed to walk home tonight with bruises all over. Sure, Toph can feel that Sarah is coming towards her... but it doesn't seem she's prepared for being scooped up. Then again, it's been nearly three years since somebody did that during sparring to her. Incidentally, it was in this very same place, as Tony might recall. Being small for her size makes the earthbender easy to grab, but she's not easy to handle. Toph yelps when she feels herself leave the ground, and then all hell breaks loose as she struggles and flails in an attempt to get loose. "OH HELL NO...!" With a quick jerking motion of her arm, Toph beckons to the beach underneath them, and it answers as a huge boulder shoots up at them. Nopes, Toph isn't concerned about being hit as well.
Nina Windia	Nina is getting over some of her initial nervousness about meeting a bunch of her new... coworkers? Whichever. Nothing bad has happened to her; she's actually kind of enjoying watching everything happen. Huh. Who knew? Either way, she's relaxing a little bit. Trying to figure out how Toph is doing her earth magic (or whatever) is a puzzle in and of itself, and not a puzzle Nina can solve right now, but that doesn't stop her from working on it and - "Watch out!" She can't help herself when a literal boulder shoots upward, even though she's not part of the fight and probably shouldn't be getting involved (even if calling a warning is not much of getting involved).
Sarah Rogers	This is playing out pretty much how Sarah expected, Angry flailing Toph in one hand, Shield desperately trying to fend off the giant rock in the other. She could hold onto Toph if really wanted to, but squeezing that hard might actually hurt her. In the end she has to let the boulder win. She had The Earthbender in the air for a few seconds and that feels like a small victory to her. Sarah focuses on protecting herself from the rocks as she lets Toph go. The Vibranum protects her from the brunt of the hit, but there still plenty of rocks that manage to pelt her. She's starting to feel the aches and pains of the fight. A few seconds later she's spread out on the ground, her shield rolling around in a circle and finally falling over. "Okay.. You win." She says painfully.