Scene #4101: Let Sleeping Dragons Lie?

Owner	Pose
Toph Beifong	It's been a while since she's been here, hasn't it? That's something that needs to be rectified, and so the blind teenager heads up the hillside towards the cottage. Considering the people she's visiting aren't known to go early to bed, nor stay asleep for long when they actually do sleep, she's not exactly worried about visiting them late in the evening. Nor is she concerned about dressing up, instead she's wearing an old t-shirt and shorts, with her mismatched satchel flung over her shoulder, one hand stuck in her pocket while the other carries a small bag. The garden is noted, mostly by the scent that stands out, and Toph inhales before she reaches the door, then raises her hand and knocks. Loudly. Then she waits for somebody to answer, and as she does so, she might as well pick her nose...
Defiant	"Coming!" the voice is deep, masculine, and wholly familiar. Defiant - or, one should say, Colin Wallis - cracks open the door. He looks much the same as Toph remembers, although less pale - all that time spent out of armor must have done him some good. His face is just as scarred, one eye obviously cybernetic, but his beard appears to have grown out some. He wears a thick woolen sweater, pants and slippers. He doesn't seem pleased to see Toph but, of course, when was he ever pleased to see anyone? "As charming as usual," Colin states. "What're you doing here?" Yep, as charming as usual.
Toph Beifong	Whether Defiant looks the same or not isn't something the blind earthbender would know or not. His voice is just as gruff as always though, and he sounds just as cheery as he's been before. The moment he's done talking she shoves the small bag up at him. "I'm here to visit, Cheery Pants," she responds without being bothered by his oh so sunny disposition. Then again, she's used to him being even worse, like when he was badmouthing Tony. "Also, I bear gifts. Been ages since we spoke, speaking of which..." Withdrawing her finger from her nose, she flicks a booger aside. "You /missed/ the wedding."
Defiant	Colin steps back, holding the door open for Toph. "The what?" he asks. The inside of the cabin is warm, rustic. There's a fireplace with a small set of logs burning and all the comforts of home. Everything appears to be hand-made, not that Toph can tell from looking. She might be able to sense all the metal beneath the house though - servers, computers and such.
Toph Beifong	The small bag is pushed at Colin's chest. Take the hint and take the small bag already! When he doesn't seem to understand what she's talking about she even rolls her eyes a little. Teenagers! "The wedding. Pepper is officially Mrs. Stark now. Kinda why I haven't been over here sooner, we've been busy with the whole family thing, I turned fifteen two months ago, which you guys /also/ missed," she adds and steps inside. Huh, talk about a difference. Sure, she can tell that most of the stuff in the cottage is made of wood due to the lack of sight it offers to her when she uses her bending. But downstairs, oooooh boy. Seems somebody is copying Tony! "Nice place... seems you and Dragon have settled down nicely! Taken to gardening too? Never figured you for the type of person with a green thumb, Suzy!" Walking up to a table, Toph picks up some of the stuff there... with the hand she just picked her nose with.
Defiant	Colin takes the bag and, after a second, opens it. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time we've missed social occasions, and I doubt it'll be the last." There's a long pause then. "I mean, congratulations. For the wedding and for your birthday. As for the gardening, well, I've needed some way to occupy my time. Plants are easy to grow. Easier than people." "Wash your hands, Toph," he admonishes her.
Toph Beifong	"Hey, come on," Toph begins. "How often does Tony freaking Stark get married?" It better just be this one time. Though she can't help but grin at the comment about people. "Eeeh, I think people are are easier to deal with. Less fragile, at least most of the time." The blind earthbender flops down into a nearby chair, rolling her eyes a bit when he talks about washing her hands. "So... what have you been up to? Besides gardening, I mean." Is there a rule saying all old farts must start doing gardening or something? "Still a bit hard to imagine you as retired. How's Dragon?"
Defiant	"Depends on how often he gets divorced," Colin replies. Toph can tell through his voice that he thought it was a joke but, still, ouch. "Well, I built everything in this house. Not the utensils, Dragon made those. She's about thirty seconds out, so, you could ask her yourself?" A pause, and Colin adds, "You want to surprise her?"
Toph Beifong	At that little joke, even if it's a bad one, Toph can't help but smirk. "Look, I know you might not be too fond of him, but hey... come on, he's not /that/ stupid. He spent ages to man up in the first place. He's not going to want anybody else." Who knew he wold take such a liking to staying home with his family? Oh yes, surprises! A mischievous grin spreads across Toph's lips where she sits. "Can she be surprised? I thought she had gone all Jarvis and kept an eye on your little love nest 24/7?" she inquires. But Colin should know well enough, that oh yes. Toph is always up for something fun.
Defiant	There are obvious parallels there, between Stark and Potts and Colin and Dragon, but he doesn't comment on them. "Not here. Other places, yes, but not here," Colin remarks. "As far as she knows, I've taken my eye offline for maintenance." It's kind of creepy, really, but now's not that time. "Stay out of sight, and get ready to spring your trap of indescribable joy." His voice isn't joyful but it'd be weird if it was. There's the heavy sound of someone, or something, landing outside. The sound of heavy powered boots on the ground. The backdoor opens and Dragon stands there, in full green-and-gold armored regalia, pulling off her helmet. "Honey, I'm home!"
Toph Beifong	Gotchya. Toph nods her head once firmly, then she gets up... and ducks behind the back of the chair. Who knows what these two lovebirds do when they're alone-- Oh right. They only play that silly little patty cake of theirs. A least she won't have to worry about 'oogies' when she's visiting. Keeping silent, Toph displays a good amount of sneaky skills as Dragon arrives. And she's wearing full armour? What is she wearing armour for anyway? A smile does play at the blind teenager's lips. Sounds like they're happy, indeed.
Defiant	Dragon sets her helmet on the kitchen bench with a heavy 'thunk'. She and Colin compare their days, exchange all the sweet little nothings that people do when they've just gotten home - oh, how was your day, what'd you get up to, how're the plants coming... "And your eye?" Dragon asks, "Should I take a look at it?" "No," Colin replies, "It's fine, really. I just had to disable it for a while, make sure I was actually seeing what I thought I was." "Colin," Dragon says, sounding stern, "If you're seeing things..."
Toph Beifong	It turns out that Toph is indeed patient and able to quiet, even if Colin might not have thought it. How sweet, they're telling each other about their days. How much would Tony love to hear a recording of all this talk? Nah, she's not that evil. The earthbender is busy bending her bangle as she overhears the talk between the two, the metal shifting slightly without making any sound. Hey, she needs something to do while she's sitting here.
Defiant	"I'm not seeing things," Colin replies, "Anything more than I should be seeing, of course." "There are days where I really have no idea what you're talking about, Colin," Dragon replies, her voice playful. "That's hardly new, is it? No, I just saw something I didn't expect to see. A small something, a /green/ something." "A new plant...?" Dragon asks, slowly. That must be Toph's cue!
Toph Beifong	It's easy enough for Toph to catch the cue, and she halts her bending as she rises to her feet with a grin on her face. She's quiet as she walks over to Dragon in order to hug the AI woman, possibly by surprise. "I think he's talking about me, though I dunno about the t-shirt I'm wearing." Either way she won't be upset if she's noticed before then. "So, you're out working while Suzy is busy playing housewife?" she teases.
Defiant	"Essentially," Colin grunts. Dragon is all warmth, though, and she returns Toph's hug - although the plating of her armored suit might not be the most comfortable experience. "Toph!" she says brightly, "It has been too long. Whatever brings you to our home? Is there anything we can help you with?"
Toph Beifong	Since when has metal bothered Toph? She's hugged Tony while he's wearing his suit often enough. And Toph beams at Dragon when she unwraps her arms. "Oh, just stopping by to check on things after a busy day. I brought a gift," she says and gestures to the small bag she gave Colin before. "Just wanted to check on you guys, really." Because whether Colin likes it or not, well... he's a friend. Dragon is the more sociable of the two, but hey, after he began acting less like the Assmaster he used to be and more like a person, albeit a grumpy one still, the earthbender had come to like it. Because she tends to hang out with assholes on a daily basis.
Defiant	Colin's opening the bag as Toph speaks. Dragon smiles down at her. "Well, that's polite of you - we're all fine here. I've been working, Colin's been keeping the homefire burning. The people here are still afraid of him but they'll get used to it, in time. How're Tony and Pepper? Are they well?"
Toph Beifong	What's in the bag? A small garden gnome made of metal, polished to a shine. Why look, he even has a mushroom hat! When Dragon comments on people being afraid of Colin, the blind girl lets out a snort. "Maybe I should teach them how to handle you," she suggests, reaching over to punch him in the shoulder. Nope, she's not scared of him, though she's never been. Few things scare the girl. The question about Tony and Pepper makes Toph grin. "On a scale from 0 to being Oogie Beyond Belief, they're being all lovey dovey in their honeymoon period. It still counts after two months, right? You should have seen the wedding, they say the photos are nifty, Pepper looked radiant in her dress. Heck, Goldie even got Tyrael to come back and be the one who got them married. Heck, when they were away I even got to have a sleepover for my birthday. You guys should make it up to them by showing up to Goldie's birthday at the end of the month," she suggests.
Defiant	Colin pulls the garden gnome out, shows it to Dragon. He doesn't seem to approve of it, but Toph can't see his expression. Dragon, though, says, "It's wonderful, Toph. A little sentry for the garden." "I'm happy for them," Dragon says, about Tony and Pepper. "We both are. I'm sorry that we missed the wedding - we've been so busy here, picking up the pieces of the world. I'll have to track down some of the pictures. And absolutely, we would be happy to attend. Perhaps that could be a surprise, too. We'll see."
Toph Beifong	There's already a long list of stuff Colin doesn't approve of, so why should Toph be bothered if he adds the little garden gnome to it? "Of course it is, I spent a whole half hour on it to get it just right," Toph comments as she flops down into a nearby seat. So they've been keeping busy, that's evident. The mention of the photos from the wedding though? That makes Toph reach into her satchel, finding a tablet that she holds out for Dragon and Colin to take. "Already got them here." And there seems to be a lot of pictures from the wedding. Pepper in a simple yet obviously expensive dress, Tony in a fancy suit, with James Rhodes as the best man behind him. There's also photos of Pepper's family, including what looks like a two year old girl with vibrant green eyes and curly red hair, beaming happily at the person taking the photos. And then there's Toph, dressed rather nicely in a teal dress with sparkles on it, with white lotus blossoms in her hair. The wedding ceremony seems to have been on the beach, with not too many guests, but the actual reception looks like it was on a fancy yatch, with quite a few guests! A live band, fancy food, happy people, and the gifts... it should be easy to pick out Toph's gift from the bunch too; an opulent statue made of iridescent pink and purple gemstone, life-size and depicting Tony and Pepper waltzing together. "Maybe. It's a bit weird to not hear your voices on the radio, you know? Don't you miss it?" Toph inquires.
Defiant	"Make yourself at home," Dragon says, taking up the tablet. Colin slots in at her side. They flick through the images very quickly, not that Toph can really tell, but that's probably a benefit of all those augmentations that Colin had put into him, and Dragon's nature. "It's unfortunate that we missed it," Dragon says. "I've never been to a wedding. That's a very nice statue - I assume that it took you more than half an hour?" "Sometimes," Colin says. "But I was never a very good hero."
Toph Beifong	It does look like Toph is making herself at home, sitting quite relaxed in the chair, and she even takes to picking her toes while the two quickly look through the images. There's a lot of them, all of high quality as they give the impression of what looks like a joyous event, especially to the bride and groom, who are both smiling at each other. Is Tony even... crying at the wedding? Sure looks like it! "Tell you what, if I ever get married you can come to mine," Toph responds to Dragon. As for the wedding gift she gave to her adoptive parents, she nodded. "I got the gems from a wandering beast at the Festival of Fear last year, and I spent several weeks on it to get it just right. I had to creature a metallic skeleton inside as I couldn't just make it a solid piece, I didn't have enough gemstone for that. Then there was the reinforcement and all. But it was all worth it, especially their reaction to it." Oh yes, Toph looks rather smug with herself. Well, she can't fault Colin for that comment, because it's kinda true. "You can improve more, you know. Considering you're no longer Assmaster," she points out.
Defiant	"That's what I've been saying," Dragon replies, to Toph's mention of improvement. Colin stares off at some point in the distance. "What's the point?" he asks, "People like me, we were the reason the old Protectorate failed. I don't regret anything I've done, but I acknowledge that I could have done it better." "You've kept your armor, your spear," Dragon states. "You like it here, but you're not content here - not really, Colin."
Toph Beifong	It helps that Dragon agrees with her on this. And well, maybe Colin agrees with her on a subconscious level. Which means they just have to drag it out. "Oh boo hoo," Toph mock pouts where she sits, "I messed up so there's no point in trying again..." Then she sighs. "Seriously, listen to yourself. If we all did it like that then where would we be? If you really were like the old you, you'd think I'd even bother stopping by here? If you were still Assmaster, I wouldn't even bother sending you coal for Christmas." If he's not content, then he should do something about it. "Do all you seeing people look over your shoulder so much that you can't look ahead?"
Defiant	"It's a flaw, yes," Dragon tells Toph, smiling. "Hindsight is always perfect." Colin crosses his arms. "You're right. I hate it when you're both right, and when you do this 'team up' business. I'm happy here, really, but I can't stay here forever - not when there's other things I could be doing. The Endbringers are silent, Scion is gone, but there's other issues. Teacher, for one." Dragon just smiles beatifically. "Well, they say great minds think alike."
Toph Beifong	"Yeah, but what good will hindsight do to what's already happened? If you're too stuck on what happened then you can't handle what's coming as you should," Toph points out with a snort. Of course she's right. Toph prides herself on being levelheaded and calm. And it sounds like Colin is indeed listening to them. "Teacher's a dunderhead all right, and why shouldn't he be dealt with? Not to mention there's stuff in the multiverse to deal with too. Not just in this world. Like killer robots, homicidal computer viruses, foul beasts..." Toph points out, all before a mischievous grin crosses her lips. "Besides... don't you miss bossing people around? I know I would if I retired."
Defiant	"I do miss that..." Colin muses, shooting a look at Dragon, who promptly shoots one at Toph. "You're a terrible influence on each other," she states. "We could run through some simulations tomorrow, Dragon," Colin says, breaking the idea directly. "I'll suit up, take my spear from storage, and we'll see whether I've rusted up at all." "That's fine by me, /Defiant/," Dragon responds.
Toph Beifong	When Colin turns his head towards her, Toph's shit eating grin widens just a tad. Dragon's comment makes her wave it off dismissively. "Now you sound like Pepper when she's discussing me and Goldie," she comments. The talk of what sounds like training does Toph tilt her head slightly. "You could always stop by Njorun station too, and we could have another spar. Unless you're too rusty, that is. I'm sure the other Unionites would love a chance to fight you like I did. Not to mention catching up. Lots of other stuff's happened with the Union since you retired, lots of new voices as always."
Defiant	"That's a good idea," Colin states, in reference to Njorun. "The technology there is pretty impressive." Dragon purses her lips. "Only when I say you're clear to be back on the field. It's been a long time, and I know for a fact that some of your technology isn't what it used to be." "Yes, when you give the all clear," Colin replies.
Toph Beifong	Well well well... seems Dragon is calling the shots, huh? Is that how it's like in most relationships? "What? You mean his gadgets malfunction or something?" Toph asks in response to Dragon's comment, looking slightly worried. It doesn't seem like Colin is having troubles, and from what she can tell with her bending there's nothing outright wrong than she can sense with the metallic components. Is that why he's been at home while Dragon has been out and about?
Defiant	"No, nothing like that," Colin replies. "I just swapped out a few components in my arm and other augmentations for ones that require less maintenance. It was at the cost of perfomance but that hasn't been a major concern. Until now, at least. It's an easy fix."
Toph Beifong	So he has new parts? Toph blinks, then rises from her seat. Taking a few steps she's now in front of Colin, and then she reaches a hand out to touch his replaced arm. "So... you changed to parts that would fit better with this kind of life, huh?" she asks, a bit curious. "Didn't you guys spend some time doing daily maintenance?" she asks the pair after inspecting his arm through her bending, pulling her hand back. "Either way, you could at least say hi to the others and catch up while you wait to get ready for field duty again." It's a decent suggestion, at least in Toph's opinion.
Defiant	Colin holds up his mechanical hand and the rest of the arm. It's much the same as it always was, from the outside, at least. "Basically," he states, although the insides are a bit different - less heatsinks, less 'disintegrate anything' weapons built in. "We did," Colin replies, "But I've had it down to weekly with the changes. I'll dig that old radio out of storage, too."
Toph Beifong	While she can't tell exactly what each part does, Toph does know that Colin's arm is different from the last time she got a 'look' at it. "Hmm. Seems a bit simpler, yeah." Maybe he removed some stuff he wouldn't need when he wasn't fighting. "Well, it's time to get back into a daily routine again then, Suzy," Toph grins, then punches Colin in the shoulder. "And do that, I bet they would be absolutely delighted to hear you spread your joy on the channel once more! Heck, you and Goldie could exchange jokes." Won't that be a blast.