[center][url=https://fontmeme.com/fonts/keytin-light-font/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200703/a1aadca3609b3635a7d99e5c6313c81d.png[/img][/url]     [url=https://fontmeme.com/fonts/keytin-light-font/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200703/7397c4ea584649b4f289e1421c1e87e7.png[/img][/url]     [url=https://fontmeme.com/fonts/keytin-light-font/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200703/c269f42fc8b2d696a0a68f7360f2ec25.png[/img][/url]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/33o9Xhl.png[/img]
[sub] A [color=ff4de1]Savannah[/color] [@NeoAJ], [color=6BB8CF]Talya[/color] [@HaleyTheRandom] and [color=98817b][b]Wesley[/b][/color] [@GhostMami] collab[/sub][/center]

[hr]

[indent][indent][color=darkgray]Wesley Slater waited anxiously for the competition to begin as Dr. Hagerty explained the rules. There would be a mixture of mental and physical challenges, so it seemed. Wes was confident that he could manage both of them within certain contexts. As a student hoping to someday study law, he had book smarts and a plethora of trivia knowledge. Due to his nature, he was also a quick thinker and witty… but, he wasn’t sure how well he would maneuver something like a complex riddle. As for physical challenges, he was sure that he could carry the team on anything requiring speed, agility, and dexterity. Strength, however, might pose a problem… he had this thought as he scanned the room and took in the other teams before bringing his eyes to his own teammates. They didn’t have a bulging muscular jock on their team, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t win.

[color=98817b][b]“Okay, well.”[/b][/color] He began to address Talya and Savannah as they waited for their first clue card to be passed out. [color=98817b][b]“Let’s talk about team strengths while we wait, what are you guys good at and what might you need extra help with? Hopefully between the three of us we can cover all our bases.”[/b][/color] Wesley wasn’t a natural born leader, not by a long shot, but in this instance it felt right to take the torch. This was a game and he was competitive as all get out, so he had to take the lead if he wanted a chance at victory, which he did. Losing was not an option.

Savannah shrugged her shoulders. [color=ff4de1]“I can run,”[/color] she stated. As if anyone didn’t know that at this point. [color=ff4de1]“I can jump pretty well too, so if we need athleticism, I’m probably the best choice. I mean no offense.”[/color]

There was a little bit of offense. It was clear that most of the other athletes, especially the ones who might be able to lift a heavy rock or something, were not present on this squad. Sav was never driven to do much work on her arms, Wesley didn’t look like he was packing any major muscle and Talya… she looked really good. Savannah shook her head after that last thought. [color=ff4de1][i]What the fuck, Savannah? Focus! You want to win this, right? Prove that you’ve got more to offer than just some nice legs? Then win this… and let Wesley take all the credit so you don’t stand out too much and start getting the Leos of the school back on your tail![/i][/color] 

[color=ff4de1]“So if we have to split up and cover a lot of ground, let me take the farthest point and we can probably catch teams off guard that way with that level of coverage.”[/color]

[color=98817b][b]“Right on, good to know. I’m a runner too, so we definitely have speed covered. How ‘bout you, Tal? Is it cool if I call you Tal?”[/b][/color] Wesley asked his second teammate.

One of Talya’s curses was being able to observe nearly everything around her. From the way Hagerty creepily smirked, to the way Wesley seemed to be sizing both her and Savannah up. She especially noticed how Savannah’s eyes seemed to linger for just a second to long -- 

[color=6BB8CF]“Hmm? Oh yeah. Sure. Tal’s fine.”[/color] Crossing her arms as she watched the clue cards being passed out, she took a brief moment to think of her strengths.  [color=6BB8CF]“Let’s see…. On the physical side of things I’m a really good climber. Flexible. Fast reflexes. Running isn’t my favorite thing, but I can do it. Mentally, I’m good for plans, adaptability, and riddles.”[/color] 

[color=98817b][b]“Awesome! I feel like I’d be trash at riddles, so I’m glad we have you.”[/b][/color] Wes said, offering Talya the charming Slater Smile. [color=98817b][b]“Trivia I can do though, if there are any challenges like that.”[/b][/color] As if on cue, a staff member approached their group and offered the first clue. The card had two groupings of jumbled up letters: EULECRT LAHL. Sliding the card towards Talya his own mind went to work spinning on what the words could unscramble to form.  [color=98817b][b]“Do you think the letters can go anywhere, or each word is separately scrambled?”[/b][/color]

Taking a look at the card, Talya squinted her eyes in concentration. [color=6BB8CF]“I would say probably separately… Remember how in grade school they’d give us these jumbled letter things and when the letters were separated, it meant the words were too? If that makes any sense?”[/color] Continuing to stare at the letters as she mentally arranged them in her head, Talya shrugged her shoulders before she spoke again. [color=6BB8CF]“The second word has to be hall. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.”[/color]  

Savannah peered over Talya’s shoulder to get a glimpse at what the puzzle was. She liked to think she was good at these sorts of things, but really didn’t want to step on any toes. She didn’t need to add more fuel to any fires given she still wasn’t sure where she stood with TJ at the moment. But once Talya mentioned the second word was “HALL” that left a limited number of possibilities for the first one. [color=ff4de1][i]Culture… no that doesn’t work. Cretule? Not a word. Lurtcee? Letcrue? Le..Lecture![/i] “Lecture. It’s the Lecture Hall. That’s what it is.”[/color]

[color=98817b][b]“You girls are brilliant, YES!”[/b][/color] Wesley exclaimed in praise. He hopped out of his chair and locked eyes with Savannah, who claimed to be speedy. [color=98817b][b]“Race you there!”[/b][/color] He challenged before launching himself over the back of his chair and tearing ass towards the lecture halls. Which one, exactly? He hadn’t a clue, but they were all in the same area.

While Talya never claimed to be the fastest, or really enjoyed running, as soon as Wesley and Savannah had taken off, so did she. With one long leg in front of the other, her long brown hair fanning out behind her, Talya soon caught up with her teammates, doing her best to match their pace. The thudding of their footsteps on the pavement accompanied by the rise and fall of her chest was a surprisingly good feeling - one that Talya hadn’t ever recalled feeling before. 

[color=6BB8CF]“Gonna have to race me too, Wes!”[/color] she called out tauntingly. 

Savannah was caught off-guard by Wesley’s impromptu challenge, but you don’t get to be the best runner in the school by not being prepared to go at any moment. Wesley’s head start was quickly erased as the Texan caught both her teammates and passed them by on the way to the lecture halls. She had barely broken a sweat when she turned around to see where Talya and Wesley ended up. [color=ff4de1]“Y’all knew who you were challenging to a race, right? I mean, I wasn’t kidding when I said I can run. I’ve done enough of it in my lifetime to know how good I am.”[/color] 

Wesley and Talya arrived at the same time and nearly collided in the doorway of the lecture hall. Wes laughed through heavy breaths from the sprint before realizing that Savannah was already there. [color=98817b][b]“What the?!”[/b][/color] He looked behind them and then double-taked. [color=98817b][b]“How did you?”[/b][/color] Panting breaths. [color=98817b][b]“Damn Sav, you are fast. So what’s the challenge?”[/b][/color] No rest for the wicked.

[color=6BB8CF]“Holy shit, Savannah.”[/color] Taking a few quick, deep breaths, Talya looked at the other woman. [color=6BB8CF]“You trying to join the Olympics or something?”[/color] Standing up straight as her heart attempted to beat from her chest, Talya took another look at the clue card. [color=6BB8CF]“Says that once we reach the destination, we have to look around for ten puzzle pieces? That should give us our next clue.”[/color] 

[color=ff4de1]“Well, if the Olympics will have me, I’ll be happy to run for the Stars and Stripes,”[/color] Savannah admitted as she took a look around the room. She didn’t recognize the teacher in charge, probably one of the science teachers. She didn’t have much interest in that. Anyway, they seemed to be preoccupied so there would be no hints as to where the 10 puzzle pieces were hidden. But they had to be fairly obvious, right? The faculty wouldn’t make them impossible to find. But yet, she saw nothing. [color=ff4de1]“What are we even looking for with these puzzle pieces? Are they expecting us to sniff them out or something? I can’t see anything…”[/color]

Wesley didn’t need to be told twice. This was going to be his shining challenge! No one was as good at ferreting out little trinkets and hidden treasures as much as Wesley Slater… not that anyone really knew that fact. Besides Griffin, who knew everything. You’re not a very good thief if you get caught! With his heart still racing from the run, he flitted around the lecture hall checking under chairs and desks, on top of shelves, the ledge of the white boards, you name it. When all was said and done, he had retrieved five puzzle pieces before meeting back up with his teammates. [color=98817b][b]“I got five!”[/b][/color] He said before dumping them on a table top to try to start forming a completed image.

Once inside, Talya did her best to find as many pieces as she could. The brunette had never been that great at games that required searching. Instead of searching around the room like a maniac, she did her best to rely on her intuition. [color=6BB8CF][i]If I were a teacher, where would I hide things,[/i][/color] she thought. Setting off on her random path, Talya soon managed to find three of the puzzle pieces before heading back over to Wesley and handing them to him. [color=6BB8CF]“How's it coming with the last few, Sav?!”[/color] 

Savannah wasn’t having much luck. She was roaming around the chairs, looking for something to stick out, but it wasn’t coming to her. She did manage to grab one that she spotted on a windowsill, but the other one was a long time coming. [color=ff4de1]“I got one!”[/color] she shouted before whispering to herself, [color=ff4de1]“Thought I would be better at finding things though… I don’t forget that many things where I put them…”[/color] As she emerged from the aisle, she tried to have another look around before bringing her solitary piece to the front. She swept around to the lectern to see if maybe they would dare hide one in the podium. Sure enough, a piece rested underneath the microphone. [color=ff4de1]“OK, I got two!”[/color] she corrected herself as Savvy brought her haul to the team.

[color=98817b][b]“Sick!”[/b][/color] Wes replied as he arranged the pieces so far. A couple of them were fitting together to form another scrambled up word, but this one was much shorter than their first clue. With the addition of Talya and Savannah’s pieces, there was only one thing it could be. [color=98817b][b]“The gym!”[/b][/color] Standing up straight he raised an eyebrow. [color=98817b][b]“Round two: rematch?”[/b][/color]

[color=ff4de1]“Normally I’m all for people dusting themselves off and trying again, but are you sure you want this heat?”[/color]

[color=98817b][b]“Absolutely.”[/b][/color] Wes replied before taking off yet again.

There was no way that Talya was running all the way to the gym. The sprint to the Lecture Hall had been plenty enough exercise for the day. [color=6BB8CF]”You guys go ahead. I’ll meet you there.”[/color] 

As her teammates took off, Talya was sure to at least pick up the pace while walking to the gym. She was used to having people wait on her, as she was rarely ever on time. However, with every step she took, Talya felt the need to win the competition growing inside of her. Once she had reached the gym she looked at both Wesley and Savannah. [color=6BB8CF]“Now what?”[/color] 

[color=98817b][b]“Uh…”[/b][/color] Wesley pulled out his phone to glance at the picture of the puzzle clue that he had taken. A photo was much easier to transport than a fragile puzzle. [color=98817b][b]“Looks like we have to shoot ten free throws as a team, each of us getting at least one before we can move on. Wanna just stand in a line and take turns one after another? Who’s first?”[/b][/color]

Basketball? Talya didn’t have much experience in the sports department. What little she had done was soccer and swimming. Sure, there was an occasional friendly game here and there at the park with some friends, but she considered herself very far from a good basketball player. 

[color=6BB8CF]”This might take us a second,”[/color] she said with a sigh.  [color=6BB8CF]”I vote for you, Sav. You seem the most athletic out of all of us.”[/color] 

While it was true that Savannah had once again bested Wesley in the race to the gym, that was where the extent of her athletic abilities ended. Stellar hand-eye coordination was not something she was blessed with, but she could probably manage.. [color=ff4de1]“Uhhh… sure. I’ll give it a shot. Eh?”[/color] she prodded, proud of herself for the unintentional pun. [color=ff4de1]“No? OK then.”[/color]

The pink-blonde girl grabbed a basketball off a provided rack and stepped to the line indicated on the court. She took a pair of cautious dribbles, making them look easy when in reality she had to concentrate hard just to maintain possession. As she looked up at the rim, eyes firmly locked onto the orange metal hoop that separated her from her goal, she closed her eyes and fired with the grace and verve of the NBA stars of old.

Unfortunately, the shot most resembled that of Shaquille O’Neal. It clanked off the front of the rim and bounced right back into Savannah’s hands. It almost looked like it was planned, but basketball was an entirely different sport than dodgeball, and with a much smaller target. 

[color=ff4de1]“OK, take two!”[/color] Savvy hoisted another attempt, this time aiming for the square on the backboard. Maybe she could force it off that and in. It wasn’t as cool as Mikey Williams made it look on TV, but still, it had to work. The shot clunked off the back of the rim this time as Savannah was still finding her range, but the ball bounced a foot into the air and fell back down through the net.

[color=ff4de1]“Yes! There we go! There it is! One point!”[/color] Savannah triumphantly roared as she went to retrieve her ball. [color=ff4de1]“Tal, Wes, you can do it! It’s pretty easy once you line it up! Just fire away!”[/color]

[color=98817b][b]“AYYY!!!”[/b][/color] Wesley cheered Savannah on boisterously when she made the shot on only her second attempt. [color=98817b][b]“Nice job, Sav.”[/b][/color] Wes grabbed a basketball of his own off of the rack and lined up for a shot. He took a steadying breath and hoped that the couple of games he played with Griffin before he got whisked off into quarantine would pay off. His first shot… missed the net and hoop entirely. The second one bounced off the rim and rolled off to the sidelines. Not even bothering to fetch his missed shots, he grabbed a fresh ball for a third attempt and stepped up to the line once more. Squaring up and placing his feet carefully, with a bend at the knee and a push through the arms, his wrist flicked and, [color=98817b][b]“BOOM! There we go!”[/b][/color] All net, baby. [color=98817b][b]“Let’s see what you got, Tal!”[/b][/color]

Watching the others as they took their shots, Talya studied their movements as carefully as she could. A simple eyebrow raised as Savannah made her shot, she watched Wesley as he finally made his own shot. Once it was her turn, the young woman grabbed one of the basketballs before dribbling it a few times like Savannah had done. Trying to get a feel for the ball, Talya wasn’t entirely sure what good it would do. Once she was in position, Talya took a deep breath before sending the ball flying towards the backboard. As the orange and black sphere hit the dead center of the white square, it magically made it’s way right into the net as it bounced back. Slightly shocked, Talya shrugged as she turned to her teammates. [color=6BB8CF]”I have no idea how that happened.”[/color] 

[color=98817b][b]“Okay, Kobe, I see you!”[/b][/color] Wes encouraged her with a grin.

[color=ff4de1]“Hey, keep doing what works!”[/color] Savannah offered. [color=ff4de1]“Three down, seven to go right? And now we all have a make, so we can just go with it now!”[/color] She took her place at the line and fired another shot at the square. It was much smoother now, as smooth as a thunk and a swish could be. [color=ff4de1]“Shoot! I’m hot! Keep feeding me some balls, y’all! I’ll take all these shots!”[/color]

And the team did just that. Talya passed balls from the rack to Savannah. Wesley ran around the court to fetch the balls from the shots that Savvy missed, bringing them back to Talya. The team functioned like a spastic, but well-oiled machine. After about ten minutes of this, the remaining seven free throws had been sunk. [color=98817b][b]“Hell yeah, nice teamwork! What’s next?”[/b][/color] Wes asked gleefully, eager for the next challenge.

[color=ff4de1]“Dunno, but I’d say we’re in the lead and we’re gonna win this thing!”[/color] Savannah affirmed as the gym teacher handed over the next clue.

[color=6BB8CF]”I’d say our chances look pretty decent,”[/color] Talya said, a small smile trying to peek through onto her face. Maybe they did have a shot at this thing after all. [/color][/indent][/indent]