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Leah didn’t expect them to [i]actually[/i] surrender. That was just her attempt at a mind game, but she’d take an easy win. The whole stadium blew up, people cheered and she could’ve sworn she saw someone rip their shirt off to reveal somebody’s face painted over their stomach. All that was left was to do what they came here to do; Beat the brakes off of a bunch of nepobabies. But they needed a real strategy first. It was a lot of noise, she wasn’t able to think about it with all the commotion.

After they were all done with that nonsense for the day, Leah looked for Dorian, finding him when they’d all left.

[color=ffcb00]”Dorian. Can we talk? About the Contest?”[/color] 

Dorian was sat in his room alone for the moment. Hovering upside down as if he was laying down with his back towards the ceiling midway between his bed in the air. There was a tablet in his hand, the sounds of a fight could be heard slightly before he paused and flipped over to face the right way up, looking at Leah. [Color=CC99FF]”Uh, yeah…what's up?”[/color] He asked as he lowered his hover down until he sat firmly on his bed.

[color=ffcb00]”Earlier today, we barely won. Everyone did great, but we can’t risk that kind of thing happening again. And you were doing pretty good leading some of us earlier… We need to plan for tomorrow.”[/color]

Dorian was a bit…surprised. He hadn't expected Leah to come to him to strategize. If he were being honest with himself, he figured she proffered to just rush ahead and bulldoze what lay in her way. He blinked, before holding the tablet up so she could see the screen. The pause icon dead center as the recording was mid attack from Hulking rushing towards another combatant. The footage was marked 2036, 2 years prior yet it was the start of the Young Avengers' rise to fame. [Color=CC99FF]”I assume it was most everyone's first time doin’ combat like t'is. It' s not exactly surprisin’ t'at some reacted ‘ow t'ey did. I t'ink Beanie forgot ‘er sword, from just ‘ow much was ‘appenin’ April was spread too t'in and well frankly t'e ‘ex Girls were a well oiled machine till t'e end. By all accounts we could've lost much sooner t'an we ‘ad wit’ t'em.”[/color] Dorian placed the tablet beside him on the bed. [Color=CC99FF]”It's why I spent all night studyin’ t'em or what footage I could get of t'em. Same with YA, ‘cept I've been followin’ t'eir movements for much longer. Used to want to be one of t'em…”[/color]

[color=ffcb00]”Yeah… We’re three teams that were going to be fighting each other, and suddenly [i]everything[/i] happened.”[/color] Leah took a couple steps inside. [color=ffcb00]”Before Arcade, it was me and Vicky doing the strategy for our team, and that was a pain when our team had Zari on it. And now Vicky’s out, so… Yeah.”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”Vicky's not a bad call, she can run analysis all she wants on compiled videos and footage of fights to ‘elp devise a strategy, but she isn't good at reading people or emotions which can matter a lot in a fight. You seem more apt for t'at if I'm ‘onest. Like watchin’ an animal give off signs you know when to back off or press forward. But t'at's not why we are goin' to win tomorrow. We'll strategize and watch as much footage as needed to figure out t'eir tells…but in t'e end we'll win because we ‘ave to. Somet'in ‘as clearly ‘appended to Poisson-Pas, t'e school doesn't seem to be ‘andlin’ it at all and t'e only ot'er person who would is also missin’. We need to win tomorrow. Because whatever we may face down t'e road wont be nearly as nice as t'e YA team will be.”[/color]

Well, that definitely wasn’t ominous as fuck.

[color=ffcb00]”I still don’t think he’s dead… Time cop who didn’t see something coming? No. Who else went missing?”[/color] She asked. 

Dorian pursed his lips. Right. He still hadn't spoken about…everything. What he'd seen, what he'd grown to know. But how to obfuscate it? [Color=CC99FF]”Nimue was ‘is friend and colleague as well as a coach for your team wasn't she? She's missin’ t'e same time Poisson-Pas is? T'at can't be a coincidence.”[/color] [i]Especially after he'd seen her within the same visions he'd seen Nemo in back in the Astral Plane.[/i]

[color=ffcb00]”My coach was Usagi. We saw how that worked out. The most I ever talked with Nimue was when that Halloween [i]thing[/i] happened and I killed a giant wolf monster. Didn’t know her that well. She was from Otherworld, right? You’re right, that’s not a coincidence.”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”She is.”[/color] Dorian replied. He held his hand out towards his gaming chair, attempting to beckon it but it didn't budge. He was tired from today's fight and really should be relaxing more. Dorian grabbed a journal that had a bunch of stickers slapped across the front. Various fan made stickers amongst official merchandising ones for his favorite hero teams or hero's in general. There was quite a few Spider-Man ones, including one of him hanging upside down on a singular thread that ran right down the front and center of his journal and stopped about three quarters down. He opened it up and began to thumb through it quickly with one hand as he patted a space on his bed for Leah to join. Stopping at a page that had a sketch of Wiccan with his cloak up, shadows covering half his face. Several notes were written down around the image, all about powers, gestures, positioning. [Color=CC99FF]”So you want to talk strat?”[/color]

[color=ffcb00]”Yeah.”[/color] She sat down by him, sweeping her hair to the other side so she didn’t turn his arm into pulp. [color=ffcb00]”...Chaos wizard. Shut him up and he can’t cast, right?”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”Basically. Billy needs to speak in order to cast his spells. He used to same them in triplicate but it seems he's been able to cast faster now than he could 2 years ago. Then again that just comes with practice I suppose.  The difficult part is going to be getting to him. Teddy won't make that easy and neither will Tommy.”[/color]

[color=ffcb00]”I can think of at least two ways to fix that. Shove sand in his mouth until he’s too busy breathing to speak, or just bury him.”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”Sounds like a good way to get Teddy's attention if you ask me.”[/color] Dorian replied as he flipped over a few pages to Teddy's. [Color=CC99FF]”Our priority may need to be disabling t’eir team first beyond Billy. Takin’ away and breakin’ Kate's bow, breakin’ t’e string itself may not matter as she probably carries extra bowstrin’ wit’ ‘er for such occasions. If we can get one of ‘er trick arrows t’at could slow down or impede Tommy's movement, ‘ell even you messing wit’ t'e terrain to make it sand or something to ‘elp slow ‘im down t’at would ‘elp. America is a stronger version of Perce, and if we are lookin' to remove someone first it should be Eli. ‘E's t'eir strategy and tactics man and gettin’ ‘im out is likely to ‘elp destabilize t'em long enough to allow us to break t'eir ranks a bit.”[/color]

That made sense. Without a leader, they just had to autopilot. Their team did that against the Hex Girls, and it was a shaky victory at best. [color=ffcb00]”I might be able to grab two, maybe three of them at once. I can definitely handle scrapping with their heavy hitters, but doing both wouldn’t be easy. A distraction with my powers can open up space for Andy or Percy to get behind them.”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”I t'ink a good openin’ move would be to change t'e terrain. Make it ‘ard for Tommy to move and ‘arder for t'e rest of ‘em to move too. Percy can taxi if need be and im sure you could solidify it beneath you as you run to em. Billy may attempt to combat you on it to change terrain back wit’ ‘is magic but…”[/color] Dorian shrugged. [Color=CC99FF]”Bean can use ‘er sword to protect April in t'e back lines as t'ey eit'er attack or protect. If you do take on one of t'e ‘easy ‘itters I'd recommend Teddy. America's portals may make it difficult for your style of fighting.”[/color]

[color=ffcb00]”That’s not a bad idea. It’d be more work on Percy, but he can probably manage it… I guarantee there’s some way of using those portals against America. What if someone just tossed a boulder through them? A [i]flaming[/i boulder, maybe?”[/color] 

[Color=CC99FF]”It's possible, but if she closes t'ose portals immediately t'en it's not possible. But if she tries to punch you t'rough one try and grab t'e edges of t'e portal to keep you wit’ us. Don't need you goin' to anot'er universe mid fight.”[/color]

[color=ffcb00]”…Yeah. Bad way to lose. We couldn’t just throw her through her own portals? Well, she’d probably come right back.”[/color] America was bound to be tricky. Leah made a mental note to keep an eye on her. [color=ffcb00]”Wait. What if you possess her and banish her teammates?”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”I could try, but it'll be tricky wit’ Billy on deck. T'ere is a chance ‘is magic could kick me out of ‘er body.”[/color] 

 [color=ffcb00]”We could set up a distraction. A sandstorm, maybe April turns it into a mudslide with me… Just cause chaos and grab someone in the middle of it to draw their attention, so no one notices you slip away. If we’re taking their leader out first, most of them will want to protect him, I think. They might not notice you vanish.”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”Actually, t'at could work. Makin’ a storm to distract from my absence could ‘elp in takin’ over someone. Maybe even Teddy. T'ough America is also a good Candidate or Tommy. Tommy would be ‘arder to pin down wit’ magic maybe if I can keep up t'e speed.”[/color]

[color=ffcb00]”Whoever you think you can grab to cause the biggest shake-up,”[/color] Leah nodded. [color=ffcb00]”Whoever you don't, Sabine can focus on and turn against them. America [i]and[/i] Wiccan both fighting their own people might just scare the shit out of them, especially if we can get their leader first. They’ll wonder which one is you and which one isn’t.”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”Chère, gettin’ Wiccan…t'at'd be ‘uge. Usin’ ‘is magic to make a secondary team of YA out of illusions? Make em all guess who's friend an who's foe.”[/color]

Leah gave Dorian the biggest [i]What the fuck?[/i] look. [color=ffcb00]”Fuck, that’s a good one. If we get even [i]slightly[/i] lucky, we just barely have to fight them ourselves. I mean, shit, we pushed the support on our team way too hard and I was thinking we needed to fix that. That’d be a perfect way to outlast them.”[/color]

[Color=CC99FF]”I'm not just a cute face with an adorable personality.”[/color] Dorian said, punctuating his statement with a cute pose and finger heart. 

She didn’t think he was that cute. Not really.

[color=ffcb00]”Right, sure. Okay… We should go ask the others what they think. Danni’s probably got plenty of things to say and we [i]really[/i] need to see how the supports feel about this.”[/color] Leah stood up. [color=ffcb00]”Can’t lean on them too much.”[/color]

Dorian snapped his journal shut, pushing away Leah's less than enthusiastic answer about how cute he was and focusing more on what she had suggested. [Color=CC99FF]"Finally, a team meeting. Let's go see the rest of Excelsior!"[/color]

[hr]

[h1][b][i][color=FFCB00][center]Leah Jordan[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h1][center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/a97e8983-b22c-4dfe-b2a2-4825bd67ff76.png[/img][/center][center][/center][hr][center][color=FFCB00][b]Location[/b][/color]: Contest of Champions
[color=FFCB00][b]Gear[/b][/color]: 
[color=FFCB00][b]Skills[/b][/color]: Battlefield Manipulation / Area Denial
[/center]
[hr][hr]

[i]Bang![/i]

A strike to the jaw, and a few more swipes left Leah further back than the front, on the ground with two of the Young Avengers' teammates focusing her. Leah rolled to one foot in a kneeling position, already on the defensive. It shouldn't have surprised her, but why would they gang up on one? Everyone had a plan until they got hit in the face, but Leah was a strategist. And more importantly, so was Dorian. Leah was tough, literally having rocks for skin (at least, it seemed like stone) and an obscene lack of chill. It was smart to attack her first, but devoting two of their three heaviest hitters to a tank? With [i]this[/i] team? Bad call.

Both hands placed flat on the ground, she [i]smiled.[/i] A wicked, bronze glint of light shone in her eyes as she glanced up at Hulkling and America. 

[color=ffcb00]"You know what the problem is, with being in the spotlight for year?"[/color] She asked them.

Leah drummed her hands against the ground. A thick layer of dust kicked up about ankle-high around the Young Avengers, and two long walls of sandy stone rose up high into the air. Wiccan and Kate were standing [i]within[/i] those two walls, confining where the archer and the wizard could see. And to prevent them from [i]quickly[/i] getting away, two equally tall pillars reached up.

She was confident Dorian could use that, if he really wanted to fuck over Wiccan.

[color=ffcb00]"We have [i]years[/i] of data, thanks to that."[/color] Leah dragged herself up to her feet, cracking her jaw with an audible [i]snap[/i] and raising her fists into a defensive stance. [color=ffcb00]"And you [i]vainglorious nepo-babies[/i] just made a huge mistake. So come on, keep fighting me."[/color]

Maybe it would mess with them, or maybe they'd stay focused on her. Either way, Leah didn't need to be in the middle of things to influence the battlefield. Two tanks on one, when most of her team didn't have the sturdiness to take those hits? Yeah, she'd take that any day of the week if it meant her team had less heat on them.


[hider=tentative held roll]
Idk if we're going back to held rolls (ignore this if not) as well but if we are: Wanna make the ground under Hulkling's feet behave like quicksand via Battlefield Manipulation.
[/hider]