[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/SR52k84p/54b4e63d635603b22d80f72a4ba2be54.png[/img][hr][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0198ca19-f2b8-77c0-b44d-bca7878f0337.webp[/img][hr][@Morose][@Achronum][@Blizz][@Forsythe][@Kirah][@PatientBean][@Trainerblue192][hr][h3][color=AC3EFF][b]Afternoon - Wed. December 15th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr]	

Excelsior’s opening strategy was powerful, offensive, and exactly what Thelma wanted. She watched it all, unphased as their attacks failed to meet the mark, and noted exactly who needed support the most on their team. She barely glanced in Dorian’s direction. His attempt, and all the effort behind it, to phase her was novice at best. Power danced in her fingers, casting long shadows across her face, before it drifted into Thuy’s ear and vanished. Thelma hissed as her hands throbbed. Thuy froze. 

For a moment nothing happened. But long inky lines followed Thuy’s veins beneath the skin and fire flickered out her mouth with every breath. The scent of brimstone and sulphur took to the air and her shadow danced all on its own. Her telltale chains clinked and clattered out of sight, hungry for their next victim. But she was told to wait, so wait she would. Patient but hungry. “Bet, princess. Dinner’s at 8.” Thuy laughed, a motley collection of voices following. 

“Don’t be jealous, pretty boy.” Skyler laughed. “There’s enough of me to share. I don’t mind getting in between, if you know what I mean. And if you wanna be a little mean-” He snapped a quick incantation, the crackle of lightning slowing to a crawl, and he shifted just enough for it to pass him harmlessly; bracing for the lesser of the two evils as the fire rocketed at him. It caught, but only just a little. A shimmering golden shield caught the brunt of it, a crook of Wil’s finger causing it to whirl back to them. He hissed in pain as the fire burned up his arm. “Have I told you you’re a saint today, Wil?” A glowing barrage of magic pelted Leah and the area around her from his outstretched hand. 

“You could always do with telling me a bit more.” Wil laughed. With their illusionist in trouble, Ava broke off from Leah and left Wil to fend for themselves. She bolted, mace high, and shouted as she took a shot at Percy. 

Tatiana darted in, the three of them weaving in between each other. She’d been left alone, unbothered, and it was no effort to reach the telepath. “Don’t know why Thuy’s so obsessed with a basic white girl, but she’s never had good taste.” Tatiana spat as the illusions all shifted into a fighting stance Prudence took the opportunity as it was, bringing up a barrier around Tatiana and Sabine and sealing them into a cage fight.  

[hider=Round 2 Stats]Thelma:[list][*]Health: 84 
[*]Focus: 135
[*]Karma: 0
[*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Protection Hex
[*]Enemies have trouble on Ego checks to control Thelma, Thelma has edge on Ego checks to break free
[*]Thelma has an edge on all checks regarding fear
[*]Concentrating on Protection Hex
[*]Concentrating on Power Bump[/list]
[*]Action: [List]Uses Power Bump on Thuy’s Hellfire Chains, which costs 5 focus.
[*]Takes 6 points of internal damage.[/list][/list]

Thuy:[list][*]Health: 87 
[*]Focus: 120
[*]Karma: 0
[*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Hellfire Chains[/list]
[*]Action:[list]Holds her action.
[*]Takes 3 points of internal damage.[/list][/list]

Skyler:[list][*]Health: 43 
[*]Focus: 55
[*]Karma: 0
[*]Notes:[list][*]Uses slow Motion dodge to avoid Andy’s attack, turning a 6 into a 2, making the total 11 and missing.
[*]Skyler gains DR 2 against Danni’s attack, taking 12 fire damage instead.
[*]Skyler uses Suppressing Fire with an edge on Leah, rolling a 6,5,5. Rerolls the middle 5 to try for a fantastic success but gets 5. 6 + 5 + 5 + 3(Agi) = 19 vs 11 (Leah’s Vig). The attack hits. 
[*] Leahs’s DR reduces skyler’s multiplier by 2 so he deals 5 x 1 + 3 = 8 focus damage to Leah.
[*]Skyler takes 5 points of internal damage.[/list][/list]

Wil:[list][*]Health: 90 
[*]Focus: 80
[*]Karma: 2
[*]Notes:[list][*]One Additional Reaction Each Turn
[*]Regains 3 HP at the end of their turn.
[*]Concentrating on Shield 2.[/list]
[*]Action:[list] Wil uses a reaction to use Hurled Shield Block, giving Skyler DR 2 against Danni’s attack.
[*]They hold their action.[/list][/list]

Tatiana:[list][*]Health: 59
[*]Focus: 60
[*]Karma: 0
[*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Leech Life
[*]One Additional Reaction Each Turn
[*]Concentrating on Attack Stance.[/list]
[*]Action: [List]Runs into Beanie’s space as she backs away from the main line. 
[*]Uses Attack stance, doubling her Melee ability damage.
[*]Takes 1 point of internal damage[/list][/list]

Prudence:[list][*]Health: 58
[*]Focus: 80
[*]Karma: 0
[*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Telekinetic Barrier[/list]
[*]Action: [List]Cast Telekinetic Barrier on Sabine and Tatiana.
[*]Tatiana is a willing creature and is trapped inside.
[*]Prudence rolls a 4,3,2 with an edge. Rerolls the 2 to a 6. 4 + 3 + 6 + 2 (Logic) = 15 vs. 10, Sabine’s agility. Sabine is trapped inside with Tatiana.
[*]Prudence takes 1 point of internal damage.[/list][/list]

Ava:[list][*]Health: 60
[*]Focus: 60
[*]Karma: 2
[*]Notes:[list][*]Edge when attacking with her mace.[/list]
[*]Action:[list] Attacks Percy with Clobber with an edge.
[*]Rolls 6,2,1 and rerolls the 1 to a 5. 6 + 2 + 5 + 2 (Melee) = 15 which hits Percy’s 13.
[*]Percy takes 2 * 2 + 2 = 6 damage from her mace. [/list][/list][/hider]



[center]✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*[/center]

A decade or so ago, Sunshine would have threatened to cut Max for touching her food. She’d been [i]incredibly[/i] territorial about food, even on Genosha when they didn’t have to scrounge through the trash and steal what they could to get by. It was a huge sign of her progress that she instead gave him a side eye, waited for him to finish casting his spell (she didn’t need another classic Max magical misfire right now, as funny as it would have been), and then she slammed her entire body weight into his side. [color=#DAF7A6]”Someone’s picking up strays again,”[/color] she observed. [color=#DAF7A6]”And here I thought [i]I[/i] was your favorite delinquent,”[/color] she pouted slightly. 

	Val nodded slightly at Eva’s question. [color=935DB8]”I have no idea,”[/color] she admitted. She was trying [i]not[/i] to obsessively dig up information on people before interacting with them. Resisting the urge to do a deep dive on Danni and Dorian’s friends to verify there were no skeletons in their closets was just a small step she could take. [color=935DB8]”The flaming one is Danni,”[/color] she supplied. [color=935DB8]”And then the one holding the tiny one’s hand, that’s Dorian.”[/color] She knew that much, at least. She was 99% sure she hadn’t mixed up Danni and Dorian. It had been easier to do when they were babies, but the flames helped. Not that Dorian wasn’t also flaming. She would have been surprised if he wasn’t, given the family he was raised in. 

	She was very glad the Contest of Champions hadn’t existed when she had been attending Xavier’s school. Harry would have wanted to compete, and she would have hated every second of it. 

	[color=935DB8] "Holy shit is that... is that [i]Andy[/i]?"[/color]

	Similarly attention-adverse, Dominika was relieved - but also troubled - to be sitting next to Matt. A familiar face was helpful, putting a bit of her fears and anxieties to rest. Yet at the same time, she knew that he would be able to read her - and probably would have questions as to why Maria wasn’t present. She did notice however that his spouse was also absent. Maybe then there wouldn’t be questions. Maybe he was in a similar boat. [color=add3ff]”Matt,”[/color] she echoed. She wasn’t going to stand up and scream Percy’s name, despite Max’s suggestion. She knew her son was too much like her and that he’d hate that. Being here in the stands was enough. 

	But someone else [i]did[/i] find themselves spurred on by Max’s antics. 

	From her spot down below, standing next to Excelsior’s coach, Vision, Agatha Harkness spotted Max’s magic. She scoffed. “Really, Max? You want to play this game?” She pulled her attention away from her girls - they were winning and it was [i]painfully[/i] obvious. The standards at Margaret Carter must have really gone downhill since she’d left. Yikes. She didn’t even spot her protege down on the field. What a disappointment she had turned out to be. And Billy, Billy was [i]exactly[/i] where she wanted him. The power of the demiurge…

	But she was getting distracted. She hummed ever so softly, tracing a few arcane sigils into the air, and she pushed them out, the magic pulsing. All around the arena, the same message - scaled to twice the size of the one Max had crafted - appeared in swirling, sparkling purple, next to the image of a cat - the Strange Academy Familiar, their mascot for the year. 

[center][color=purple]THE HEX GIRLS THUY, THELMA, SKYLER, WIL, TATIANA, PRUDENCE, AND AVA ARE YOUR NEW CHAMPIONS
GET USED TO LOSING, AA![/color][/center]

	In the stands, Magneto’s eyes narrowed. [i]”Absolutely not,”[/i] he practically snarled, before all across the arena bits of silverware, watches, any metal he could find shot up into the sky, creating an EVEN LARGER sign with a simple, one-word message: [i]ANDY[/i].

	“Ugh, I don’t have any magic to do something, that’s so lame!!!” She-Hulk pouted. “Max, can you make a giant image of Leah for me? Pleeease? I know it’s in your character sheet that you can do that!”

	Ignoring the nonsense happening a few rows above, Nicholas unwound the weave of magic around him and became visible once more. He’d already settled into the vacated seat on the other side of Vicky and made no pretense of examining her. [color=5b8a9a]“A creature with no aura and entangled in my brother’s favor. Curious but whatever foul means you deny yourself magic makes you perfect for our needs.”[/color]