Scene #4910:

Owner	Pose
Amalthea	As always, Amalthea's door is open to members of the Proving Grounds, now that she has been placed in charge of managing them. Though this morning seems to be less of a voluntary visit. No, no, the unicorn has called Toph to her home once again. With the Ad Coelum complete, eventually Amalthea will take her lessons and meetings there, but for now something still a little less formal is in order. Once again it's back in the living room of the volcano fortress, this time she's already seated in her la-z-boy throne, one leg crossed over the other and drumming fingers on the arm rests. Another member of the hosuehold will likely let Toph in.
Toph Beifong	It's bad enough to wake up on a space ship, a place she's not used to. But to be woken up by a stern voice that unsettled her the last time she heard it, now that had jostled Toph from drowsiness to being wide awake within seconds. Being called to the manse again this soon wasn't exactly how Toph had planned on starting her day. While she would have preferred to eating breakfast with her fellow members of the Proving Grounds, the metalbender knows well enough to ignore what sounded like an order from her superior officer. To think she barely spoke with Amalthea when they were both in the Union... heh. It does take a little time before Toph arrives at the manse, though perhaps The Curator herself will appreciate that the blind teen has cleaned up beforehand, showing up in her earthbending clothes instead of casual wear. She's shown in, and Toph steps into the room, easily noticing where Amalthea is seated. So she walks forward, standing tall if not a bit tense, her hands resting behind her back. Her expression is neutral, though there is a firm look in those unseeing eyes. "Ma'am." She's here, although she's not really sure if she wants to be here. Not after how the game, or rather, lesson ended the other day.
Amalthea	By contrast to the chill of Sokka's room without the heat on, the volcano is warm. Quite warm- bordering on stifling, but not quite. Still, it seems to be an environment Amalthea can function in optimally, save for the occasional hiss of steam venting from a seam in her plating here or there. Regardless of how much or how little the two had spoken in the Union, now they will be seeing one another very often. At least Amalthea will be seeing Toph, anyway, Toph will just be hearing, and or feeling the vibrations of the unicorn's movements. Movements so subtle on her home territory that they are borderline imperceptible anyway. "Have a seat." The old knight bids the squire. This time there's only one other one set out, directly opposite her own.
Toph Beifong	At least Toph is used to warm weather, considering her current home and residence is in Malibu. It doesn't appear that the heat is bothering Toph today either as she does as bidden, moving to sit down in the offered seat with no fumbling or hesitation, though she's not exactly rushing towards the chair either. It's not often that Toph uses them, but she does have manners and formal decorum that was forced upon her from an early age. While most of the time she prefers to act far more casual, the teenager doesn't flop down into the chair, instead she sits down with grace, placing her hands on her knees, her back straight and her expression still offering no emotion. Nor does she say anything just yet.
Amalthea	Not that Toph can see it. But Amalthea's brow quirks. "So formal all of a sudden?" The unicorn asks with a note of curiosity to her voice, tone always trapped in that middle timbre located in a magical place somewhere between delicate and gruff, but not hostile. "Oh come now, relax, I did not call you here to flash my teeth." She does prompt with an airy wave of one hand. At least before moving on. "Toph Befong, I want you to tell me what you believe is expected of you."
Toph Beifong	Who needs expressions to look at when you have sensitive ears that tell more about voices than most people hear? When she's called to relax that firm look in Toph's eyes changes a bit, though she doesn't seem to relax her posture just yet. Then again, the earthbender has been living a double life, forced to be something she wasn't, and that training is still there, drawn forth in certain situations. Upon being asked that question Toph is quiet for some seconds before she answers, her tone calm and neutral, just like her demeanor at the moment. But still with that slight tensity to it. "Stadler asked me to join the Paladins because he said I could do a lot of good. Lloyd told me that I need to heed the laws. Even more than I've done before, because as Paladins we can't serve the law unless we follow it ourselves." It's not like Toph has aimed to break laws before while serving the Union, though she /does/ have a record of causing changes, some of them major, to the areas she's been to. Including one and a half year ago when a pyramid fell during the hunt for the Dragon Balls.
Amalthea	And still there is no motion from the unicorn; sitting still, almost like a statue, perhaps only discernible as a shadow of strange and unnatural foriegn metal amid all the natural rock and stone. she listens in silence for a beat before finally giving an impression of motion. Just the slightest of nods, at first, and she lets Toph's answer hang in the air. She is well aware of whatever extant files on Toph's actions and behaviors may still exist, be they saved, salvaged, or grabbed before Njorun's fall, but more importantly she has her own personal gauge of the earthbender's temperament. "In our last session, I had two full fledged Paladins sit in with us. I quietly asked them to critique my methods, and to give an evaluation of all the new Squires. I will not say which of them said it. But I will say what was said. 'Toph Beifong will be my greatest challenge. She will require the most work.'" Once again there is a pause, only for a beat to let that sink in, before she continues. "I believe Stadler to be right. But Lloyd also spoke the truth. Things are... Different now. The Union WAS much more run and gun wasn't it?"
Toph Beifong	It shouldn't be hard to tell just what Toph is like. Being a typical earthbender she's forward with her opinions, doesn't hide her preferences, and she conceals very little about herself. Her stubborn nature is no secret either, which might be cause for why she indeed might be a hard nut to crack to reveal the law enforcer that Stadler claimed to see in her. It is harder to read Amalthea though, considering how still she is. Sure, she might not be out to flash her teeth, but there's still something about this all that makes Toph not relax completely yet where she sits, listening and sensing for any clue that the unicorn knight might give her. There... were two ful fledged Paladins with them in their previous session? Toph narrows her eyes slightly at that, and when the quote is delivered there is a faint twitch near the blind girl's eyebrow even as her hands grip her knees a bit tighter. That is the entire response Toph gives, but it should be telling enough. Sure, she had a supervising officer in the Union, but then again Tony Stark was more of a father figure even then than an authoritive figure, now wasn't he? Still, it must have been good for something, considering how Toph remains calm where she sits. And her reply too speaks of control. "We did what we could to protect people, and I did what I saw fit to do. I..." There is a pause before she continues. "I placed lives and safety above the law." At least she's honest!
Amalthea	Amalthea does not state WHO the two Paladins were, either, but rule of elimination may make that easier to determine. Regardless, if there is any shift in the unicorn's demeanor or expression, when Amalthea sees the twitch, Toph will not know it. A slow breath filters through teeth, a sound somewhere between steeling herself and a weary sigh. "Do you?" The question is so simple and yet so loaded. "Your priorities were a little off during the game. I do believe you rather recklessly charged after a squad of goblins without much thought to a burning house and a child in danger." She does point out. "Though perhaps I will assume you simply attributed the issue of the fire as already tended to by your peers, I can forgive a little metagaming were that the case." Fingers snap, and Amalthea shifts forward in her seat. "But I will ask another question. "Do you feel my judgment was fair in killing Mighty Melon?"
Sokka	Sokka comes running in, suddenly, skidding to a stop, his eyes wide and... "I'm sorry I'm sorry! I know what this is about I didn't think it would actually be a problem I mean it was just supposed to be part of a game I'll put the kebosh on Yang Fire there's no need to punish Toph about it!" What? amalthea may have been cute, but she was a real tight... butt. So he of course assumed this was about the game he was planning to run, because truly that is what people often summoned their soldier's to their room for. childhood games. Just five minutes in his head. Imagine what THAT wonderland would be like. Imagine the adventures one could see! He stood there, panting, sword at his side, shirt all ruffled, belt missing half its hooks in the pants, staring a lil wide eyed.
Toph Beifong	No, it's not too hard to imagine who the two Paladins were... but Toph can't be sure, and besides... let people think what they want of her, it's not like she cares much what others thing of her. Well, most people anyway. The slow breath ensures that Toph doesn't say more for now, waiting for Amalthea to speak. Lying about it doesn't make things better. Sure, the law is there for a reason. But was it really the right thing to do to let people hurt others and not intervene because of the law? That's how Toph handled it. What mattered the most was to keep people safe, even if it meant breaking the law to do so. But now... she's required to follow it. What brings forth a more readable reaction however is the comment on the game itself and how Toph played. Her lips tighten, and she swallows before she speaks. "The others were handling the fire and saving the child, so I opted to go after the goblins since nobody else were." That's no lie, that much should be certain. At the fingersnap Toph braces herself where she sits, still resting her hands on her knees. And the following question, now that seems to be a harder one to answer. Several seconds pass as it appears that Toph is weighing and choosing her words carefully. "I did not like it... but I suppose it wa--" Suddenly Toph jerks her head to the side a bit, eyes widening. The next second Sokka comes barging in, causing Toph to look surprised, arching an eyebrow. "What the crud, Sokka...?!"
Amalthea	It is a very serious moment. Amalthea is leaning forward now. Letting the ramifications of her words sink in with the bender, waiting response and steepling her fingers. The honesty results in the topic not being dragged further. Then again, Amalthea doesn't get a CHANCE to go on when the door busts open. She does not jump, nor startle. That would be undignified, but the sudden rush of sound and motion from an uninvited party charging into her home does make her sit back up, head turning to regard Sokka in silence with that lone blue eye. The expression upon Amalthea's face is trapped somewhere between irritation and COMPLETE bewilderment. But she rallies. She rallies fast and she rallies well. "Sokka... How good of you to join us of your own free will. I guess this means I can deal with two birds with one stone." She decides after mulling for a moment. "Have a seat." There are seats only for herself and Toph, though, indicating that this was meant to be an A and B conversation. But she has not told the young Water Tribesman to C himself out. "I believe Toph was about to tell me if she thought the fatal repurcussions of her actions were fair, and I think I would like your input as well."
Sokka	Sokka opened his mouth to object, then blinked. "Wait, it's about that game?" He looked around. Then sat down practically ON Toph. See, the worst part? Hed brought the gosh. Darn. Beard. But he wasn't wearing it, this time. But it poked out of his vest pocket. He looked to the lady and sighed. "Honestly?" He frowned, closing his eyes for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Honestly. I'm guessing you read some kind of reviews of us, right? Punishing Toph like that, going about and beyond the level to basically call her out, isn't really the kind of thing that'll affect her much. Sure, it'll piss her off, but she's stubborn. Like a rock." Yes he was tossing puns in now. "I assume you want her to learn, right? Then subtlety tends to work best. If you paint a target on her head and go 'I'm going to punish you extra!' then you're just going to piss her off and make her spite you to show she can. You're a teacher, right? Well, Toph's a smart kid. If you treat her fairly, explain the reasons for why she has to do something, she'll usually understand and accept that she messed up. Heck, she'll even try extra to make sure she does the job right, since if she gets a fair shake she'll try extra hard to get it right. But if you slap her hand like a child who was caught with their hand in the seaweed cookie jar and just tell her no, you're going to make her go all stubborn on you." He paused for a moment. "And... with all due respect, it may be a bit of trouble. But trust me, she's worth it. If you teach her right, she'll be the best cop you've ever seen. By a wide margin." Spend enough time with a girl, you pick up a few things.
Toph Beifong	The seriousness of the moment dissolves the moment Sokka has entered, and well... it does look like Toph is less tense too all of a sudden. Instead she is confused, listening as Amalthea adresses Sokka. At that she winces sligthtly. Ugh, it's too late for Sokka to run from the unicorn's web now. Just... there's no place for him to sit, but maybe she could bend him a chair or som-- or he could just do that instead. Perhaps it would have been worse if he had picked her up and placed her on his lap instead. But the blind girl's face flares up in a blush when Sokka sits on her lap, considering there's no way for the two teens to sit hip to hip in the chair. Obviously flustered with Sokka pressed up against her, Toph clears her voice, suddenly looking far more uncomfortable than she previously did. There's nothing formal about the way she's sitting now. "I... I suppose it was the right thing to do, even if I didn't like it," Toph admits. Not that she put any work into Mighty Melon. Sokka did. When he speaks however she keeps quiet, instead blushing where she sits, her face partially obscured by Sokka's shoulder. All that tensity from before is back... and in full force.
Amalthea	For a moment. For a good moment, Amalthea is silent once again, that lone eye flicking from Toph to Sokka and back. Her eye does not need to journey far, all things considered. "Oh?" That is to Sokka, who clearly explains himself. But she remains silent, making a point of showing that she is in fact listening. And then Toph counters him. One finds it unfair. Another begins to grudgingly admit fault. Amalthea lets the two listen to one another without interruption, before tilting her head. "It was swift. Decisive. Uncompromising. Yes, in the grander scope of a game played for fun it would be an unfair punishment. But it was not played for fun, it was very much an exercise. Fun was simply a byproduct. One everyone else managed to share in." She admits, but then. Then she holds up a finger. "But you were not sent to me to have fun. Playing Caverns and Creatures was subtlety in every facet of the word. I presented you with a complex situation, a set of rules in world and in game. But most importantly: I did not single Toph out." She didn't? A thump of her foot at the leg of the C&C table reveals the truth, when a panel opens where Sokka had been seated, at the prior session. A bundled mass of pencils, notes, and sheafs of spare paper and cheat sheets are left to fall out. "Everyone at the session was presented with a means of breaking those rules, yourself included. 'Wang Fire'." She points out. "Toph was simply the first to give in. Had it been anyone else, my decision would have been just as brutal. I hold /no/ favorites among the Squires, nor ever will I. My own daughter could have been among you and I would have kicked her from the game on the off-chance she stepped so much as a toe out of line." With that explanation given... She actually nods to the Earth Bender. "Rarely in life are we allowed a choice in the punishments we recieve. But by all means..." She says, casting that eye on Toph. "Let her learn willingly or let her succeed just to spite me. I care not which means she chooses. Just that she succeeds. I am here to mold you. Both of you. Not to abuse you, regardless of what you may think."
Sokka	Sokka blinked a few times. "Wait, Toph was... the first to..." He would actually stare at her for a moment, looking shocked. He then nodded. "I see. I hadn't realized. I, err, after you said before..." He then coughed for a moment. "Well, seems I didn't read the situation right at all. Eh... heh heh... eh..." He shook his head and chuckled softly. "Sorry, Toph. I guess I... errr... yeah." He smiled sheepishly. "You make a good chair?" he offers in consolation. He glanced down to the paper. "But wouldn't it have been fairly obvious if I'd cheated?" he asked, scratching his chin. "I mean, just shouting out fake rules would have been a lot more effective." Say, that warriors couldn't use diplomacy. He then paused. "Wait, so this has nothing to do with my-- errr... Yang Fire's game, then?" ... Well it probably did partially now. He then coughed and... "I guess that makes sense. But really, Lady Amalthea, trust me. You don't wanna take Toph for... Granite." Eyyyyyyy.
Toph Beifong	No, it's clear that the game was not for fun. That much Amalthea stated, that it was a lesson. So they were all given a way to cheat, huh... her own stone dice, and Sokka... was given sheafs and cheat sheets? Though the fact that Amalthea points out that she was the first one to cheat, the one who gave in... well, that makes Toph's lips draw thin where she sits. It looks like she wants to say something, but instead the metalbender keeps her mouth shut and turns her face away. No, Toph never expected to be anybody's favourite. Except when it comes to her adoptive parents, that is, but Amalthea... she is a stricter sort, isn't she? And she's made it clear that this is no game that the Proving Ground members have stepped into. This is serious. If Toph has a reply to Amalthea concerned her punishment, she doesn't say anything. Instead the teenager turns her head slightly away from Sokka. "She's not talking about the game you want to run for fun, Sokka," she says, squirming a bit as if trying to get out from underneath him where he sits. At the pun she even reaches out and punches him over the shoulder, then goes back to doing her best to wriggle free!
Amalthea	"The whole purpose in MY cheating at the game was in hopes that one of you younglings would catch it and call me on it." Amalthea admits. "You succeeded there, Sokka. I know much about many of the new members of the Proving Grounds from past experience. I was not surprised in Vivio's honesty. She comes from a military and law enforcement background ingrained from her family. Ms. Rogers I believe came from a similar situation. Seras Victoria, herself, was also in law enforcement. ... I'm not quite certain why she's here honestly but I will not turn her away. You were honestly a wild card for me. In doing your homework so well, I was impressed." The unicorn says. But then there's a frown. Harsh and displeased. "I was however very disappointed you did Toph's for her." ... And then she snorts. It's the pun that does it. "No. No I am not talking about the game you will be running. In fact if time allows, I will be present with my character sheet prepared well in advance." Yes she just invited herself to the gaming session. But once again her eye is on Toph. She leans forwards, fingers laced as she gives the girl a very long, very thoughtful stare. The deep, piercing, kind of stare even a blind person could /feel/. "You wouldn't be here if I didn't think there was potential. Unpolished you may be, but in my younger years I was much the same. Rough and tumble, flying by the seat of my pants. It took work. Not just on the part of others, but on my own as well to get where I am now. As for you Toph. Can you prove to me that there is a gem waiting somewhere under the grit?" That is the final note she gives to the both of them. "As I said. This is not a power trip for me. It is for your own betterment. This is the first and the last time I will ever explain myself or my methods to either of you. I expect you both at our next session prepared. Sokka, you may begin at level 2, however as your character suffered a crippling injury in his backstory, you will gain one less Feat every level from this point out." She just made that up. But clearly she did not appreciate Sokka drafting the Earth Bender's sheet for her last time. "Toph. I trust you have already been punished enough and know to come prepared on your own, already." And with that she flops back in her comfortable leather throne. "That's it for today. Help yourself to some tacos from the fridge on your way out."
Sokka	Sokka coughs, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, err, I mean, she was having trouble and... err, I kinda... yeah. Sorry. I figured it'd be... yeah, sorry. That was dumb. Eh... heh heh... Huh?" and then Toph managed to free herself. "Toph? You could have just asked me to move over," he said with a snicker. He then got to his feet, bowing politely. "Well... I'll endeavor to try harder, master," he said, bowing as he had once to his old master. "And be careful, even if you ARE technically my teacher, it doesn't mean I'll go easy on you in the game. If you make up rules like you like, you'll be punished," he said with a smile. "And eh, how important are feats really? Just a bunch of pluses and minuses. Even with less I'll have all the ones I need by level 4." He turned to walk aay and then... "Wait, what's a taco?" Oh, he was in for a treat.
Toph Beifong	How would Toph have known if Amalthea was cheating? It's pretty hard to tell if she's lying considering she's not a regular human at all, even for her! On and on Amalthea talks about the other members of the Proving Grounds, about how they live up to the expectations that their Curator has of them. And then she reveals that she knew that Sokka did Toph's homework for her. Ugh. Was it /that/ evident? And she's not really sure if Sokka's game will be that fun if Amalthea joins in, really. It's pretty impossible to not feel the weight of that stare on her, and Toph sits still in place, even with Sokka on her lap. It's hard to imagine Amalthea as being rough and un-knightly. Heck, it's easier to imagine Tony being a jerkish asshole instead of a lovable jerk. But the blind girl doesn't say anything not show any expression on her face. Those milky green eyes are turned towards the floor, even if Toph never needs to point them towards anything. It should be clear that she's listening either way. It might not be a power trip, but it's still harsh for some recruits who weren't prepared and didn't do the necessary work. Though it might be reason for Toph's nontypical quietness today. Getting to her feet she's not facing Sokka, using one hand to push herself up from the chair. Let Amalthea talk to Sokka, it gives her a moment. Though the very instant her name is spoken she halts in her movements. And then she speaks again. "Yes Ma'am." Her tone is terse. With that she begins heading for the door, her pace brisk as she trusts Sokka to keep up with her.
Amalthea	Business is over. Amalthea simply spreads her hands on the topic of Sokka's game. "No shenanigans."