Scene #4579:

Owner	Pose
Toph Beifong	New people in the Union is always a curiousity, and it's always interesting to meet new people. Athur had received the invitation to stop by a certain world, along with directions on how to get there. Simple and to the point, most befitting of the person who sent the invitation. Toph Beifong does speak up when she wants to, and she's not the type to hesitate either. Why not get to know your allies? It might be easier if she hadn't told him to meet up at the local market though... The city of Yu Dao is a strange place. The world itself is obviously Asian-esque, with people clad in simple clothing. This particular place seems to be a slight mix of two styles however, green and yellow, clashing with red. There's some tension in certain parts of the city, but otherwise the place is calm. Even if the market is bustling with activity. People sell everything there when it comes to goods. And all of them are trying to rope people into coming over to their booths.
Young Arthur	Arthur, unhelpful but well-meaning, has done his research into the place beforehand, and has actually chosen to pick an outfit that will somewhat allow him to blend in. Only somewhat, for he is still white and blue eyed, but he doesn't stand enough to make it obvious to someone navigating by ear and earth which way the obvious foreigner is. He's browsing the stalls, but keeping his mouth shut to avoid drawing undue attention to himself. Accidentally, he shut off his radio after messing around with it trying to pass Toph a message. 'I'll be wearing a red hat, purple shirt and red pants' and thus any response Toph may have sent has gone unheard.
Toph Beifong	The merchant at the stall that Arthur approaches gives him a huge smile, and he leans forward. "Ah, you got an eye for quality, good sir! Interested in perhaps buying some of these jewels, perhaps? I can give you a special price!" he offers, gesturing to a tray of various jewelry, the gemstones in different colours that sparkle in the sunlight. In a different part of the market some distance away three young people follow their teacher, the tallest of them giving his companions a worried whisper. "... I don't see why we have to carry everything... or why we left the cart behind." Ho Tun, being the largest of them seems to have been forced to carry the largest crate. Behind him the much smaller Penga follows, looking over towards a different part of the market. "... are you sure we can't go over there and look at the shoes, sifu Toph?" The response is immediate as the teenager in front of the three speaks up, her voice determined. "No, we're on a schedule. That Arthur kid is coming over, but he's got his radio turned off," she says with a huff. Seriously, like it matters what he's wearing. If it wasn't for her students then she would have trouble finding him. But if she's going to bring the students, why not make them do something useful in the meanwhile? Even if they don't like having to carry groceries for several days. "I hate going shopping," The Dark One mutters sourly under his breath, confirming what Toph already knew. "Just keep your eyes open for a red hat, purple shirt and red pants, would you?" she reminds the three.
Young Arthur	Arthur takes a curious look at the gems, but he seems skeptical about actually buying them. Not because he doesn't believe the merchant, he does, but because he doesn't have any need for gemstones at this time, and the funds would have to come out of his rather limited warchest. He's wearing the advocated clothes, woefully unaware that his offered means of identification are utterly useless to the blind metalbender. He seems to perk up a little when Toph says 'that Arthur kid' as though he's heard it, and is vaguely looking in the direction it came from.
Toph Beifong	"These are rare gems, young man. Perfect to compliment any outfit you're wearing! Perfect for gifts, hmmm...? What about this little beauty?" The merchant picks up a ring set with a rather sizable gemstone in it. Quite regal by the looks of it. "Wouldn't this look nice on your finger, hmmm?" It's not so strange that a merchant in this place is pushy. As Arthur looks out over the market place he should see many people. Too many really. There are people in all ages over the market, with nobody standing out really. They are all wearing local clothes, though there is that strange trio who are looking all around them while carrying a crate each. And the small girl in said trio, about ten years old, does look curious as she looks directly at Arthur. "Hey... that guy doesn't seem to be local, huh?" Penga asks the others, and the other two students turn their attention towards where she is looking. "Seems we found our Union friend, sifu Toph," The Dark One snorts. Satisfied, Toph turns slightly towards where Penga is looking, then begins walking. "Good going. Now move your feet! The quicker we get there, the sooner you can put those crates down. HEY, ARTHUR!" The young metalbender's voice cuts through the regular hum of the market, and Toph doesn't seem bothered by it at all as she walks up, nearing the stand where Arthur is standing at.
Young Arthur	Arthur just shakes his head and extracts himself from the merchant's peddling as Toph calls out his name, and when he approaches he very softly says, "I'm trying to avoid drawing attention, please don't tell everyone in a ten mile radius where I am."
Toph Beifong	The merchant does call for Arthur to return to the stall, that he has other gems and jewelry for him to look at. Toph herself ignores the merchant, and she grins as she walks up to Arthur, resting her arms across her chest. "What? Nobody here knows who you are anyway. The closest would probably be Bedivere from Dun Realtai. Nice guy if you haven't met him yet," she states. Up close, it's clear that she's short for her age. Not to mention those pale green eyes aren't looking at him. However she doesn't have any problems reaching out a hand towards him. "Toph Beifong, nice to meet you face to face. Though seriously, turning off your radio like that is seldom a good plan. Especially when people might want to contact you about a hitch in your plan. Good thing the lily livers were here to help." The blind teenager gestures towards the thee youths behind her. "Say hi, guys." "Uh, hello..." The largest one seems a bit nervous, but he does nod his head politely. The young girl however seems to have stars in her eyes, and she smiles brightly up at Arthur. "Hi, I'm Penga! Are you Arthur? Where do you come from?" Meanwhile the last one, a slender boy close to Arthur's age, but quite dreary looking, merely offers a nod of his head, his expression sour. But that just might be his normal expression.
Young Arthur	"I've met him." Arthur acknowledges he's familiar with Sir Bedivere, not really acknowleding the merchant any longer. The bit about the radio causes an awkward smile, "Oh I did? I didn't mean to, we don't have anything like those devices in Britain." He pronounces the word in an unusual manner, more akin to 'Prythain' He gets on one knee to greet the young girl face to face, "Yes, I am Arthur. I'm from Britain, I grew up in a lovely little coastal town called Caerleon."
Toph Beifong	"Such a stiff guy, huh?" Toph jokes, then she pulls out her own radio. "It's not like radios exist in this world either, but I learned how to use them pretty quickly. Just don't turn off your radio unless you have to, you know? If it weren't for the lily livers then I wouldn't be able to recognise you." Here the teenager points to her eyes, just to drive the point home. "Well, either way, welcome to the Earth Kingdom." Is... Penga blushing a bit? Possibly. She does move her foot slightly, turning a bit while canting her head. "A coastal town, huh? Is it pretty there?" It doesn't seem like they will get to talk much here though, as Toph speaks up. "Okay, let's head back to the academy! Move your feet!" The three students let out a sigh, then they begin following Toph as she takes the lead. "You too, Arty!" Toph says to Arthur. "So what's the situation with your world, and what kinda help will you need from the Union?" Might as well get some intel on the way.
Young Arthur	"As I said, I didn't realize I had shut it off. I'm still trying to figure out how it works." Arthur answers, though the bit after does make him add on, "But I did cause you inconvenience, and for that you have my apologies. Whether I meant to or not, I should not have made finding me hard for you." "I think it's pretty, but I'm biased because it's my home." Arthur answers Penga, and he follows along casually as Toph decides all should start marching away. He seems to be in a good enough mood. "As for my world, well... King Uther died six months ago, a week after he publicly stuck his sword in a slab of stone and told all present that whomever could pull it out of the stone would be someone who is rightwise born king of Britain." "Two months ago, I first pulled it out." He explains, "Unfortunately the Lords of Britain seem ill-inclined to respect King Uther's wishes, and would prefer to see me as an obstacle to be removed." He seems remarkably calm about people being out to kill him
Toph Beifong	"Eh, it could be worse," Toph says with a shrug. "It's not like you knew I'm blind. No need to apologise." He really does talk all formally, does he? Toph and her students do listen curiously as Arthur explains the situation in his world. "Wait, he stuck his sword in a stone...?" Ho Tun asks with confusion. "How do you get your sword stuck in a stone anyway...?" The Dark One chimes in. Penga is following Arthur, looking up at him with a dreamy look in her eyes. It does appear that Toph herself is a bit more focused, narrowing her eyes as the situation is explained further. "So they disagree with his decisions and are jealous /they/ didn't pull the sword out themselves, is that it?" Sure, she doesn't agree that it's a good way to settle who gets to rule, but who knows? Maybe there's magic involved or something... "Are you in any danger from them?" Is that why he didn't want her calling his name out at the market?
Young Arthur	"Calibourne is a magical sword, and the stone he stuck it in is a magical stone." Arthur explains for the benefit of the students, and pulls open a large bag he's been carrying along to reveal a three inch thick, six inch wide, and very long slab of stone with the handle of a sword sticking out. Only briefly before he hides it again. "Mostly, they want to be king themselves. If not of Britain, at least of their own fiefs. Some of them were conquered by Uther, others bowed to him to prevent conquest. Others are sons of people who suffered that fate." Arthur explains briefly how Uther got to be as powerful, "Uther wasn't loved, and not many would follow a stripling without pedigree just because he said so. Not after his death, anyway." "And yes, they want me dead, and I disagree with their assessment of my ideal status of aliveness." Arthur says mildly, "In time, I'm sure they will call me king, but I need to live long enough."
Toph Beifong	Magic? That word does make the students look curious, and Toph herself arches a slight eyebrow. "Magic stone... now I've heard everything," Toph says with an amused grin. How goes magical stone differ from regular stone, she wonders... It makes sense that some people will disagree with such decisions, and there are always those who look down on people younger than themselves while belittling their skills and authority. "So... what kind of King do you want to be then?" Toph asks, leading the group out of the city at least. There are still some buildings here and there, though for the most part there is forests and mountains. Up ahead however there is a hillside, along with what looks like a newly restored building on top of it. Obviously that is their destination. "What's your current plan then? Establish an army? Get a base of operations while you get ready to claim your position as king?" It's a valid question, really. What will he need the Union to help him with?
Young Arthur	Arthur shrugs, "I don't know the details, but the stone is the anvil upon which Calibourne was forged. It has some other magical properties as well, but I leave the details of magic to my friend Merlin." He really doesn't seem to care about those specifics. "A good king is a protector of his people, a servant to their needs, and an arbitrator of their disputes. He does not use his power to benefit himself, but to fulfil this duty." Arthur explains, with full sincerity, the basics of how he views the ideal king. How to get there seems to be another question. "I could establish an army and win that way." He admits, cautiously, "And I fear it may be inevitable for me to have to go to war over this, but the politics mean the lords losing such a conflict would not suffer overmuch. It's their people that would, and their people are my people as well."
Toph Beifong	As Arthur describes what he believes to be the duties of a king, Toph listens intently. It doesn't sound like he's lying, he's being sincere about it. "So you want to be a good king, huh?" she asks. If so, then she won't have any problems helping him with his claim to the throne should he need it. "As for an army... you could use the army to defend those who need it. If you want people to like you, then maybe stop violence instead of causing it?" Toph offers with a shrug. It's a good thing he considers the little people in all of this, really. The blind girl looks serious when he brings up who the real victims are. "Exactly. Those are the people you should appeal to anyway, not a bunch of stuffy lords who can't even wipe their own bottom without help," she snorts. "Anyway, we're here." Here being the building they saw from afar. A newly renovated building of yellow brick with green trimmings by the roof tiles. It's not a small building, and there seems to be a large amount of rocks about. "Welcome to the Beifong Metalbending Academy. Lily livers, get the stuff inside and get started on dinner!" The three students nod, then sigh and haul the crates with them. "It's my turn to make the sauce!" Penga pipes up. "You better make something else too," The Dark One adds pointedly. Even as she leads the way into the front door, Toph seems to consider Arthur's situation. "How used are you to talking to people, by the way?"
Young Arthur	"But those 'stuffy lords' are the very same people I will need to rely on to rule my kingdom. If I tried to replace them I'd have rebellion on my hands." Arthur sounds like he's too aware of the political realities of his world, "And the Union isn't the only group that might have ideas about who's best suited to rule Britain." Arthur drops the bag containing his sword and its stone scabbard on the ground, which lands with a hefty thunk. That thing is heavy, no doubt about it, "I'm fairly used to it. I grew up in a large noble household and lessons in etiquette were included, and on top of that Merlin insisted I practice rhetoric and oratory."
Toph Beifong	Ugh, politics. "Well, you got a plan to make them like you or something? Can you make them trust you?" Toph inquires, pushing the doors open. "Personally I would hate having to deal with people who didn't think much of me every day. "Or are there some of them who you can actually trust if you just persuade them that you're the man for the job?" The moment the bag is dropped though Toph turns her attention towards it. "Mind if I inspect the sword and the scabbard?" she asks. If it's indeed magical rock, then she wants to 'see' what it's like! Maybe she can learn something? It seems heavy, and well... Arthur isn't exactly muscular. Is it magical so that he can carry it around? So he grew up in a noble household too. "So you're used to it. So this Merlin... I kinda wonder if he's anything like the Merlin in Dun Realtai. I think he might be giving some people there a grey hair or two..." It looks like Toph can't help but grin at that just slightly. "Just what are you planning on telling people anyway about you intending to become their king?"
Young Arthur	"I've got some starts of plans, but they will need more intelligence to allow me to fill in many of the blanks that are yet missing, and it would be folly to move before they are ready." Arthur answers in delightful vagueness, perhaps he's just not ready to to discuss them in detail. The topic comes to his sword and scabbard and he shrugs, "So long as you make no attempt to damage it, I see no harm in allowing you to examine the work." He pauses, and adds on after, "But I shan't remove the blade from its scabbard, for a good knight only draws his sword when he intends to use it." "Master Merlin of Dun Realtai is not someone I am familiar with beyond knowing that he exists. The Master Merlin I know is wise, headstrong and intracable. For all I know he may be watching us as we speak, but he probably is not." And Arthur doesn't seem bothered by the possibility.
Toph Beifong	"Yeah, patience pays off in the end," Toph agrees with a nod. "If you make a move too early it can ruin everything you've worked for so far." It's easy to tell he doesn't want to go into details, and she'll respect that. Is that an amused look on Toph's face when Arthur talks about her attempting to damage it? "No way that's gonna happen, so no need to worry. I'll just examine it." Not drawing the sword too makes sense, and Toph smirks a bit. "Sounds like you have the knight mindset down, huh?" Perhaps most people would be disturbed by the thought of being watched, but Toph doesn't seem concerned about that for some reason. "Well, the Merlin of Dun Realtai is somebody who is known to have a sense of humour, to put it mildly. I have no problem with him though. He did visit this place some weeks back..." With that Toph flops down on the floor next to the sword, picking it up with both hands as she seems to study the stone scabbard with her fingers. There is a look of concentration on her face, and she lets out a soft 'hmmm'. "So you haven't fought a lot with it yet, have you? Did you get sword training?"
Young Arthur	"I hope so, I'm going to have to lead by example." The scabbard is in fact very heavy. It's a big slab of solid stone and it doesn't do anything for toph to make it any less heavy. Arthur watches Toph examine it curiously, seemingly allowing himself to settle into a pattern of relative quiet. "I have fought some with it, but I have a second sword I use when I don't want to let everyone in a dozen leagues know where I am, and it's seen much more use."
Toph Beifong	Leading by example is the best way to do things, for sure. "Peope aren't going to listen to you if you tell them to do things that you yourself don't do, indeed..." Toph mumbles. There's some serious heft to the scabbard, but that's to be expected. "Is this super light for you or something? You didn't seem to have problems carrying it around before..." And he doesn't really seem to be really buff either from what she can tell. So he's really big on being anonymous, huh? "You're the opposite of me, then. I have no problems letting people know who I am, but then again I'm not about to become royalty anytime soon..." Her hand moves over the scabbard slowly. "So what do you think of the Union so far?"
Young Arthur	"It is, but I'm also pretty strong." Arthur almost sounds a little hurt that Toph doesn't seem to think he could carry that weight without magic to help him. The stone is almost impossibly smooth, aside from one inscription on the side in some variant on the latin alphabet. The writing is in some kind of celtic language. "I wouldn't mind sharing where I was if it wasn't that there are several powerful men out to kill me, and anonimity is a shield against assassins." Arthur points out with a casual shrug, "The Union seems to be respectable enough an organization."
Toph Beifong	At that claim Toph arches an eyebrow. "Huh, really? We should spar sometime in the Ring, then," she decides. "Weird writing... Can't say I've got my hands on stone like this before either. Is it from where you come from then?" Maybe she could get her hands on a sample. It doesn't surprise her that there are people who are out to kill him, and Toph sighs. "Yeah, assassins suck. Lemmie know if you ever need help, okay? Or anybody in the Union, really." They're all nice people in her opinion. Which is why she smiles when Arthur seems to approve of them. "They're my second family, really. And heading out into the multiverse seems to be good for the most of us. I mean, just getting to learn about new technology and stuff... not to mention all the fights you get to join in!" For now she seems done with inspect the sword, and she carefully sets it aside back into the bag.