[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/SR52k84p/54b4e63d635603b22d80f72a4ba2be54.png[/img][hr][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b10d8-f60a-7779-a640-2ab9620bf297.webp[/img][hr][@Morose][@Achronum][@Blizz][@Forsythe][@Kirah][@PatientBean][@Trainerblue192][hr][h3][color=AC3EFF][b]Evening - Thr. December 16th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr]Sabine Bassard. April. Percy Novikov. Leah Jordan. Danni Kingston. Dorian Gray. Andy Lensherr. Team Excelsior. 

And now, the victors of the Contest of Champions, dethroning their rivals, the Young Avengers. 

From the start of the year, the odds had been against them. Divided into three separate teams, they had struggled to even qualify, infighting and squabbling dogs at their heels. Desperation to meet the skill gap drove them into Arcade’s path and the arms of Death. They were betrayed by their coach Usagi, betrayed by their teammates Ed and Ardere - betrayed by their feelings and emotions, as their bonds were tested and sometimes frayed. Even when they made it to the contest, the road was not without strife, not without challenge - more of their teammates disqualified or suddenly leaving the competition than remained, their beloved coach dead, and the remaining coach gone with the wind. Three teams became one. 

And somehow, they carried on - even in the face of arcane trickery and deception, even as they saw in their sworn enemies a mirror - even as Entities were summoned and arenas were sundered and morals tested and transformed. 

Through it all, they persisted. Somehow. 

They defied their mortal limits. 

And won. 

The team who never should have even made it to the arena had [i]won[/i]. 

The fame, the glory, the accolades, the prize money - all of it was theirs. And no matter what happened, no matter where the road took them next, it could not be changed. 

Today, they were victors. 

Today, they were champions. 
[hr]

The aftermath was chaos. 

Their disgusting victory quickly went viral, clips replayed on stations across the globe and beyond - reaction gifs curated, memes generated, as each of their social media followings ballooned to massive sizes. Fan accounts were created, their email inboxes swarmed with brands reaching out for ambassadorships and endorsements, even rival schools sending offers of admission. A trophy almost as large as Percy and a gigantic check for $1 million USD had been presented to the standing three, as confetti exploded in the arena, the energy matching the vibrant exaltation of the crowd. 

Once everyone was healed, the remaining competitors were returned to the arena - photography had to be done, promotional images and documentation created. Shots were dedicated to both individuals and groups, some of whose motivation was not so cleanly hidden. The Contest of Champions committee walked away with [i]plenty[/i] of material to post for events such as Pride, Mutant Heritage Month, Asgardian Day of Visibility, and more. 

After the photography session came the interviews - the children placed at an elongated table, with Contest of Champion logos on the fake panels behind them as a backdrop. Reporters shouted questions at them, some easier than others - ranging from ones such as [i]“Andy, how did it feel to break America Chavez’s leg like that?”[/i], [i]“Who is dating who?”[/i], and [i]“Danni, why did you join the gestalt? Did you know you would be able to break it apart?”[/i]

The interviews were then followed by a corporate mixer - at least a hundred people in suits and ties, most of whom the children had never met before, swarming them with offers and deals and potential sponsorships. While this event was catered, the kids would barely have a chance to eat with how much they were being pestered and hounded - and offloaded with what must have been thousands of dollars of free swag, so much that Vision looked more like a swaying stack of boxes than their coach and mentor as he attempted to contain it all. He did his very best to keep the nastier, more exploitative elements away from the children, but he was only one synthezoid. 

The most he had been able to do was apologize and say the children were needed for photoshoots and interviews conducted by the school staff to be used in marketing material, allowing them an early exit from the corporate mixer - almost five hours after they had emerged victorious in the contest. It was one of his better lies. He managed to get the kids back to the Kingston-Gray estate instead, informing them that he would keep the vultures at bay for the rest of the day - and to rest up and relax and celebrate. 

As for celebrations, they had two to choose from: one with the Young Avengers at the Court of Two Sisters, a restaurant here in the French Quarter. And another with the Hex Girls at the Haven, a magical speakeasy loosely connected to Strange Academy. 

Tomorrow would be more bureaucracy, more questions and photographs and exploitation. Then once they were ready, a portal provided by Max Gray would transport them back to school, where they would have a few days before they would need to vacate for winter break on Monday December 20th. 

But for now, they could just be children - an opportunity too rarely afforded to them. 

[hr][center][h3][color=AC3EFF][b]The Court of Two Sisters[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr]
As the sunlight faded away, the French Quarter of New Orleans truly came to life. Tourists and locals alike filled the streets, dodging the occasional mule pulled carriage and slow moving car - and more excitingly, drag performers and costumed pirates and magicians and artists and [i]more[/i]. On every corner was a new attraction, a new venue bustling with vibrant life - so palpable that it could easily be mistaken for the soft aura of magic that permeated this place. And while plenty were taking advantage of the ease of access to liquor and other libations, others were taking their fill of the hearty creole comfort food available. One such establishment would be intimately familiar to not just the Young Avengers, as their favorite restaurant in all of Louisiana, but to Andy, too. The [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b18ac-f90d-77df-94e8-d1a0685380f7.webp]Court of Two Sisters[/url] was where Brother Voodoo had removed her curse. 

Its exterior was relatively simple and unassuming - classic French colonial architecture, black columns between white window panes and vibrant pops of green from the plants dangling up above. And while the restaurant had a lovely and packed dining room, the newfound champions of Avengers Academy would be directed by the restaurant staff to the courtyard, reserved for a private event - a celebration in their own honor, where all of their friends, loved ones, and family could gather. 

The courtyard was decorated with tasteful [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b18ac-9e57-77c8-8a05-577572d1a506.webp]fairy lights[/url] and greenery, complete with a [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b18ac-cfc5-729f-bb37-6b18b1f68c9c.webp]water fixture[/url]. A cluster of light olive green tables adorned with white cloth were located near the entrance, clearly intended for folks to sit at and dine - the rest of the courtyard had been left as open space, where a Jazz band was beginning to set up. This wasn’t just about food - it was about dancing, too. 

[url=https://www.courtoftwosisters.com/menus/dinner-menu]Dinner menus[/url] had been placed at the tables as well, showcasing the variety of options. Tommy Shephard had already placed a gigantic order, sitting at a table all to himself, as he ate at superhuman speeds, practically inhaling plates of crab cakes and duck breast, turtle soup and gumbo, filets and pecan pies. Sitting one table over, somehow still mesmerized and stunned by how quickly Speed could eat, Hulkling and Wiccan had hardly even touched their foods. 

“Damn, Tommy… You’re going to choke like that,” Teddy shook his head slightly. His hand was resting on Billy’s knee underneath the tablecloth - or perhaps a little further north. 

“If we’d only be so lucky,” Billy smirked slightly, his tongue sticking out a bit between his teeth. 

Tommy paused for a fraction of a second to flip them off, before returning to his deadly onslaught. 

At the third table of Young Avengers sat Eli, Cassie, Kate, and America. None of them looked worse for wear - even America’s bones were perfectly intact again, as if the injuries Andy had delivered her so decisively had never happened. Eli was periodically pulling out his phone, checking for a response to a text. 

[hider=To HotShot]Hey man, you on your way yet? xEli[/hider]

He didn’t know why he felt somewhat jittery and on edge. He didn’t like Danni like that. He didn’t like [i]anyone[/i] like that. But he was excited to see him nonetheless, and it was taking all of his self control to not leave the courtyard and wait out on the street, and wave frantically like an idiot. 

Kate rolled her eyes. “That’s the tenth time you’ve checked your texts. Someone has a squish~!” she teased. 

“I do not!” Eli crossed his arms. “... Is it really that obvious?”

Cassie giggled. “It’s fine, at least you aren’t mooning over him like America is!”

“I have no shame,” America said, holding her head high. “A girl who I can’t break [i]and[/i] can break me? That’s hot as shit. She can snap my leg like a toothpick any time.”

[hr][center][h3][color=AC3EFF][b]The Haven[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr]

Of course, the party was not only alive in the French Quarter, but also in a pocket dimension beyond it. Two enterprising students of Strange Academy had created a magical speakeasy of their own, nestled within the safety of the Neverish. This private social club required an invite to access in order to maintain its exclusivity. Its entrance was tucked away within the bowels of Strange Academy, concealed behind the portrait of [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0199789b-4e98-7258-b27c-06effae5f535.webp]“El Aquelarre”[/url]. And even then, its access was not so simple as casting the portrait aside to reveal a wall - no, instead a [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0199789a-bf3f-778a-85d5-e768574e5fa4.webp]smartly dressed young gentleman[/url] stood outside as a bouncer of sorts, awaiting proof of invitation. A small queue had formed, composed largely of other competitors from the contest, all dressed up for the occasion - the theme, of course, as Midnight Masquerade. Masks and gowns and capes were aplenty, largely concealing the identity of those who were about to enter with few exceptions. 

While the Young Avengers were not invited to this celebration, everyone from Excelsior had been. And of course, Vicky had been instructed to make a particular delivery this evening to her one-time patron, Barty Mccleod. The Hex Girls were almost certainly already within, nursing their wounds with liquor and more illicit substances - perhaps even the very ones they had used to attempt to wrest victory from the jaws of defeat.