12223/Annual AvX Basketball Classic '28

Annual AvX Basketball Classic '28
Date of Scene:	22 September 2020
Location:	Backyard, Avengers Mansion
Synopsis:	Teamwork! Matching Uniforms! Triumphant Victory for the X-Men!
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Cyclops, Wolverine, Winter Soldier, Nightcrawler, Pixie, Colossus, Thor, Gambit, Nightingale, Professor X, Havok

---

Iron Man has posed:
"Man, I don't know about you guys, but I've got a really good feeling about this."

One of the world's wealthiest men reaches for his toes, only to find that they remain woefully out of reach.

Slowly, he uncoils himself from his awkward partially bent-over position, and adjusts the brand new sweat band around his forehead.

He has a brand new sweat band on each of his wrists as well.

"I think that one was plenty, really felt it in my hamstrings. Don't want to over-warmup, right?"

The Avengers basketball court is one of the nicest ones in the country, no hyperbole. Completely immaculate, as if it's covered in plastic wrap in between games. Which... apparently don't happen very often.

Or at all? The court looks really clean.

Tony makes his way over to the midcourt line, doing last minute checks of his uniform and sneakers. The velcro is securely in place, and the 'Stark' logo is clearly visible on all of the uniforms. Sure, he could have bought ones that said 'Avengers', but nobody else ever chips in so screw 'em.

There's a smallish crowd, mostly consisting of students from Xavier's, staff from Avengers Mansion, and even a couple of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. And of course, Tony Stark's personal shopper is present. And the bartender.

Tony stays outside of the area where the tip-off is supposed to occur. Only the ref and the two players involved are allowed in there. Obviously. And though he has the nicest mustache of any Avenger, no question, he was less blessed in other areas. Like freakish height, or ability to play team sports.

"Dammit! We didn't make up a team chant! Hey guys, let's make up a team chant real quick!"

Cyclops has posed:
Heading out on to the court with his team of X-Men is Scott Summers. While at the school is a stick in the mud and stuffy administrator, today he is wearing a pair of black and yellow swishy gym shorts with a red X on the sides of them, as well as a black tank top with another red X logo on the chest. He's also wearing his red Raybans that wrap about his head to ensure they do not fall off. He obviously brought some of the 'A-Team' with him, and they may as well be a group of Olympians with the thousands of hours they put into the Danger Room. They will have matching uniforms and they look damn good wearing them.

As he settles his gaze upon the gathered Avengers, the light gleams across his red visor before he gives a quiet clear of his throat. He waits until his 'family' is gathered around him before he clears his throat. "Okay guys. Remember, we are here to represent the best of what mutants have to offer, off and on the basketball court. No one try and pick a fight, no stabbing, no fastball specials, no dick wagging. I don't want to give anyone an excuse, you know what I mean?"

There is tension in his voice, just to punctuate how important this is. It's not every day that /mutants/ get invited to hang out with an A-Team such as the Avengers, who are America's darlings on the news. "Also, Remy, kick the shit the shit out of them." He says with a small bit of humor in his voice.

"Pete, you and Kurt are in first too. Remember what we talked about back home and how we practiced. I know it was just a few hours but we shouldn't be terrible. Rest of us will just sub in and out as we go. Remember, this is /fun/. Not war." He says as he glances to Logan with a smirk.

"Okay, team chant .." He casts a look towards Tony, then calls out, "X-Men Assemble!" Let's twist the knife just a bit.

Wolverine has posed:
Logan was here. 100 percent...maybe not. He had just spent the last hour or three drinking a lot of Canadian brewskis from the Great White North, and he was actually, ALMOST feeling it. After all, it was real beer, not that water the US sells as beer.

Standing at the back of the court, Logan burps, sighs, and then says, "Who's idea was this? I'm more into Hockey...or Rugby." Logan looks for the beer tent to no avail. "So, who's what? Can I use claws, or is this a gentleman's game? I can referee..." Logan grins.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Tony..." For his part, Bucky is stretching properly, squatting on his left leg, extending his right and pulling the toes of his foot back in a stretch that looks decidedly uncomfortable and wholly professional. Of course, when it comes to stretch out shoulders, he only has to do one, the graft of the metal arm perfectly visible in the Stark branded kit. "... If we lose by less than fifty points, I'll be happy." Yeah, he's not anywhere near as sanguine as his team mate.

    But he bounces on his toes and makes his way onto the court, eyeing it with some surprise. "Hey, did they put this in just for the occasion?" Hmmm. But he regains his composure and entirely neutral expression upon sight of the opposing team, standing as tall as he can, as straight backed as is possible, like a soldier at attention. "Am I going to have to dial it back, or can I go flat out? I'm used to playing with Steve, may go a bit fast for you, Stark."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Kurt, meanwhile, is spritely, and just to show off how flexible he is compared to Stark, the mutant had gone down into a split, and then drew his leg up behind him as he stretches, nicely limbered up as he hops to his feet. HIs tail gives a sway behind him, and he gives a toothy grin to the billionaire philantropist superhero.

    "Ah, so then Piotr, do you want the tip off or shall I?" he gives a grin, looking to Tony as he crosses his arms, rocking back and forth on his feet. The brilliant Xavier Institute X on his jersey is very plain, and very sporting to the whole of the school instead of *just* the biggest ego.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn sits on the sidelines, ready to cheer on the x-team. With pompoms! And sparklies! And dancing! Oh, she'll probably eventually get rotated in if need be, but she's pretty tired and might have done something funny to her ankle earlier. "Alright, X-men assemble! I like the sound of that! X-MEN..ASSEMBLE!" she shakes a pompom.

Colossus has posed:
"Of course, tovarisch." Piotr tells Scott, resting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "We will have fun. It is a game." Piotr guilelessly smiles and moves at an easy speed over towards half-court. "Kurt? Please take the tip." He gestures to his friend with a warm, amiable gesture as he invites him into the center circle with both hands as if inviting a lady to walk before him.

Sweeping his gaze about, Piotr allows his eyes to linger on the Avengers.The gigantic fellow with the blond mane that looks softer than Jean's hair must be Thor. Piotr thought he would be taller. Still, respect for the musculature. Piotr offers the god a fist-bump in respect. "My Name is Piotr Rasputin. I am called Colossus. It is a pleasure to meet you, Thunderer." Piotr is polite and direct, if standing a little straight. Pete might be an inch or so taller than Thor. "I will play a clean game." he assures the Asgardian. Piotr has yet to armor up. He calls out, in a serious but light tone. "How much weight can the court handle?" His words are definitely a question and playful. His half smile is warm and amused. Piotr is proudly clad in the Yellow and Gold of Xavier's X-men. He wears no sweatbands or the like. He raises his powerful arms over his head, arches his back and stretches as he settles in.

Thor has posed:
As he watches the X-Men show off with their uniforms and their splits, Thor lets out a loud and mighty scoff in his throat. "Look at them. Do these mortals think they can defeat us on our own territory? Pah! YOU! BIG ONE!" He calls out, holding his hammer towards Piotr. "I will crush you!"

"Right? That is what we are to do, yes Tony Stark? We crush them?" He himself is wearing the uniform that was most likely picked out for him and being far too tight upon his chest. He even tore the sleeves off to let the arms breathe. "With the ball? We throw it at them?" He is literally only here because Steve is on a mission and no one can trust The Hulk with anything but a calculator and heavy medication.

When Pete claims that he will play a clean game, he lets out a loud breath, then gives him a pair of thumbs up. "OK! I WILL TOO!" He rumbles out to him, followed by a muttered grumbling as he ambles off to the side to tuck his hammer away. It's not like anyone can steal it.

Gambit has posed:
Remy LeBeau doesn't streach, but somehow looks as limber as a cat despite the fact. He grins around obviously enjoying the moment. For whatever reason he's had "Le Diable Blanc," Printed on the back of his Jersy instead of any other name. He moves into his position eyes seeming to track nothing at all really. More /feeling/ the rest of the players then watching them. Tracking their motions. "Well den, what are we waitin' foh, hmm?" he asks no one in particular.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon is right there along with the other half of the Trouble Twins (R), in her gym shorts and shirt--and looking damn good in them. Okay, maybe there are times a girl's got her pride and is gonna flaunt it. Just a tiny bit. She's stretching out just in case she's needed to play, but hoping she's not needed for her other gifts! Black and yellow gym shorts, black tank top with yellow edging, and black sneakers complete the ensemble. Her hair is pulled completely back in a ponytail, including her little ice blue braid with its three silver beads on the end.

     "Come on, X-men, let's kick some wingfeathers here!"

     Hey, she might be taking a swipe at the other team and cheering on her friends, but she was going to be at least semi-civil about it!

     That is, if semi-civil includes pinning each one of the Avengers with a stare, pointing at her eyes, then at them. Well, alright, maybe she can't help a bit of a smile, too. These were all her friends, in the end.

Professor X has posed:
No one expected the Spanish Inquisition, and no one is warned ahead of time when a museum-shined, vintage, deepest grey Rolls comes up the driveway that people don't usually know about. It's not even stopped at the gate for any longer than checking through security. It pulls into an indicated parking spot and a modified driver's side door opens to let an aged, bald man in a sleek silver and black wheelchair be lowered to the ground. He's dressed in a neatly pressed navy suit and tie with a small golden tie pin and a pressed, monogrammed handkerchief sticking out of his breast pocket. And who are we kidding by even writing this? Everyone in that yard knows who is rolling down the sidewalk with the serene calm like it was his own backyard, and by sheer presence of will it is so.

"Ah good, I've arrived just on time." Charles Xavier proclaims cheerfully, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I hope I am not intruding, but a certain young woman firmly insisted that I be present to 'cheer for the family in her absence'. She regrets that she cannot be in person," He raises his hand to tap two fingers against his temple as if it was a salute as he turns a warm smile upon the X-Men and students present. "But she sends her best wishes as well as an insistence that you 'show them who owns this city', Scott."

"Now, I do believe the referee looks like he has a bit of stage fright given the current intimidating company so I shall see to him. Logan, come with me, if you please."

And just like that, he's wheeling himself over to claim the whistle. He says something to the tense looking black-and-white wearing man who then takes the game ball to the center. When he does speak, it's not his own voice, but that of Charles Xavier. The poor ref looks spooked out of his shorts, but he's a champ and holds it together.

"I trust that you are all aware of the rules. Keep the game clean and respect one another. Is everyone ready? Avengers? X-Men? Good! Let the game begin!"

The whistle blows, the ball goes up, and the ref hustles it to the sidelines like his mother just called him. No sensible person wants to be anywhere in the middle of this game.

Wolverine has posed:
Logan looks back at Cyke, and snorts. "Sure. No stabbing or slashing, just basketball." Logan grumbles to himself, "No fun." He looks down at this outfit that Cyke had asked him to wear, and somehow, his frown grew even deeper. "I need a drink." Logan says, shrugs, and finds the bench.

"Go get 'em Elf, Pete. You can take them." Looking at Remy, Logan says, "You too." Logan actually likes being the "benchwarmer". Basketball wasn't his sport.

Bucky. Thor. Stark. Not a bad team, although if Cap were there, they would be in trouble. His eyes scan the crowd. A nod to Shannon, and almost a smile. Next, a side look at Chuck, who arrives fashinably late. Shaking his head, he next nods to Megan. Full house.

Cyclops has posed:
As he settles down on the bench next to Logan, Scott glances over to him with an amused noise in his throat, then folds his hands in front of him as he lets out a heavy sigh. He is putting on a ton of forced smiles today. "It is good to see you, Professor. I hope Jean is well." He says in a clipped tone towards his once mentor and father figure. There is obviously worry in his voice as he asks that question.

As tip-off begins, he gives a smile as he watches the teams engage. "At least this will be embarrassingly entertaining." He says as he gives a lick of his lips.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    When the whistle blows and the ball goes up, so does Bucky. He's fast out of the gate, although not as fast as a professional player. And his opposite number looks fast, agile and quite frankly very fluffy. He's not expecting to win this, but determined to make it look good. He clears the ground by quite some distance, eyes on the ball, and almost starts with surprise when he gets his fingertips on it first.

    Huh.

    Unexpected.

    Quickly he transfers the ball to his left hand, clasps the metal fingers around it, looks over his shoulder, and bounce-passes it over to Thor.

    On landing, he dodges to the right and starts to power towards the opposing basket, turning his head to keep his peripheral vision on the rest of the team.

Thor has posed:
As he catches the ball, Thor stares at it for a moment. He gives it a few hard pounces on the concrete, creating a loud 'echo' through the court. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. Catching the ball on the third bounce, he eyes Bucky gunning for the basket, then shotguns his arm.

WHOOSH!

He throws the ball, hard, aiming for Bucky's good (cyber) arm as he looks to thread the needle. He has chucked his hammer up against the head's of Gods in the past with perfect accuracy. He should at least be able to tag Bucky with this long throw.

"CATCH THE BALL BUCKY! GET THE TOUCHDOWN!"

Wolverine has posed:
Logan "side-eyes" at Scott, and waits for it...when he doesn't speak to him, Logan shrugs, and goes back to semi-paying attention. He listens to Scott speak to Chuck, and notes the comment about Jean, but doesn't chime in. This time at least.

"Yeah. Embarrassing is the word to use..." Logan grunts, as the tip off goes to the Avengers. "Shoulda' stabbed Bucky in WWII, get it over with way back then..." Although he says that, he didn't mean it...maybe.

Blinking as Thor comes next, Logan laughs, and says, "Ok. We got this."

Iron Man has posed:
"Way to go Jimmy! That's how we do it at our... mansion."

Tony started out really enthusiastic, before realizing that he was about to sound silly. It's really awesome being the rich kids, until it's time to play basketball...

Though his teammates don't throw him the ball, that doesn't mean that Tony isn't a crucial part of the offensive structure. It's his job to be The Pick, for starters, though he's currently doing a pick up near the freethrow line, kind of in the way of everone, and not really helping much.

He'll get there.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Bucky might have gotten the tip off, but that's not all he's getting.

    There is also an acrobat, hot on his heels. Kurt steps lightly, and as the ball gets bounced back to the Winter Soldier, the springy and lithe and tailed, dark-skinned X-Man does not permit Bucky to score the touch down!

    --... err.. Kurt tries to steal the ball on the bounce-pass, with one foot curling as he hand-stands into a cardwheel, and attempts to bounce-pass the ball over to Piotr instead!

Gambit has posed:
Remy LeBeau is supposed to be gaurding Tony... Which is rather like trying to gaurd a rock. So he moves to help Kurt double team Bucky, leaving Iron man wide open... but lets be honest here, if it wasn't his ball... and court... he'd have been the last guy picked. Right? His demonic eyes flicking to track the ball and his opponents as he tries to cut off who he sees as the other teams biggest threat.

Colossus has posed:
Thor's trash talk rolls off Peter's back. He seems to think it is a joke. "Da! That is the spirit, comrade. I will destroy you as well." His laughter is deep, warm, and utterly without rancor. As the ball goes up though, so does Piotr. His form flashing with a white light as he shifts in form, going from an imposing six and half feet to almost seven and a half feet tall. Tall enough he doesn't need to jump to dunk the ball. A good thing for the court. He gives Thor a nod. "Do you need a boost?" It isn't that he is superhumanly quick. It is more that Piotr doesn't get any slower at this size which makes him deceptively quick as he moves towards the tipped ball, but it doesn't go his way and Piotr promised a clean game so he doesn't just barrel through opponents. That would be unsporting. As he moves to attempt to disrupt the pass to Thor, the poor court creaks as a quarter ton of Russian-made gleaming Osmium steel steps closer to a few hundred pounds of Asgardian.

That creak gives Piotr pause, he then moves to follow after Bucky, he grunts at the 'touchdown' comment. "Bozshe Moi." Piotr is one to hustle back on defense, it seems. He is out of position as the ball goes past where he was. The Russian swear word is unwholesome as his shoes squeak and he reverses to hunt the ball down.

Professor X has posed:
"She is as well as we can hope, for all of the challenges that we're facing." Charles says aside to Scott from his place on the sidelines with an understanding, somber smile. The next words are spoken only to the X-Men leader's mind, and it's in that ever calm and reassuring tone. << But she is not the mission now. She was very specific that she would be making *my* life difficult if I let you wallow. See to your team, as you always have. We'll speak more after. >>

Charles watches over the game with his whistle at the ready and his eyes following the players as the game begins. For a guy who does not look like he actually ever watches basketball, he seems to be following things with a degree of deep understanding. But who knows, he may have just yanked the rules out of the poor referee's head all of forty seconds ago. For now, there's no need to blow the whistle, though he's watching the ball as it already threatens to break the sound barrier very closely.

The game clock being manned by the deposed ref ticks away in a blur of digital numbers, with the score shifting to display: Avengers 3, X-Men 9.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon 'almost' smiles at Logan, nudging him. "We've got this." She hasn't got pom-poms, not like Pixie. So instead, she settles for her wings! Spreading them out wide, she lets out a loud whistle. "Come on, X-men! You can do it! Put those powers right into it! Hit 'em hard!" Civil, it seems, has gone right out the window. Though among friends, perhaps this once can be forgiven--after all, it IS her home team!

Wolverine has posed:
Logan looks over at Shannon, and winks. Damn right.

Logan then side ways looks at Chuck, and almost says something. Then does. With a growl. "Yeah. You have her all wound up too tight, Chuck. She's ready to burn up and take everyone with her. You need to lighten up, and give her some room to breathe." His eyes then find Scott. "You too Cyke."

Watching as Piotr takes it forward, Logan grins. "Ya know, Scottie, putting the Russkie in may have been the best thing you came up with in months."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn's wings flutter and she winks at Shannon, shadowing her movements and whistling and yelling as she hovers up and down, doing her bit to offer moral support fro the side lines. "Rah-rah! X-men go! You can do it! ho-ho-ho?!" okaaay, terrible poetry, but sue her!

Cyclops has posed:
Frowning, Scott lets out a noise in his throat as Chuck gives him a lecture about Jean. He leans forward a bit, planting his hands on his knees. "You got this guys!" He calls out to cheer the team on. They always do. This is what they have prepared for. Sentinels. Reavers. Basketball.

He glances over at Logan for a moment, then lets out a loud snort, followed by a quick, half-guarded smile. "Yeah, he was my secret weapon. It was either him or Guthrie and I don't think they know what basketball is in Kentucky. This was a flip of the coin."

Iron Man has posed:
"Pretty sure this scoreboard is faulty. Maybe we oughta call a time-out so I can reset it?"

Somehow, the ball ends up in Tony's hands, and he looks a bit confused how that happened. But only for a moment, before he's running down the court, dribbling with the same hand the entire way down...

Using the same hand to attempt a layup...

And...

'THUUUUNG!!!!!'

Right off the bottom of the rim, back down into his face, and ricocheting off for the other team to rebound.

Havok has posed:
    Late, which is pretty common, Alex Summers shows up in high tops, running pants, an Xavier's School hoodie over a black t-shirt. He moves into the lawn and will migrate to 'his side' of the team. He keeps off the court, just moving around the edge, watching and making eye contact and acknowledgement gestures when necessary. He's essentially moving toward where Megan is.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    It starts brilliantly, with the fastball from Thor, just barely contained, and deposited in the basket using the shot's momentum. But after that Bucky is being double teamed, and it's getting harder to find breathing space. Kurt is on him like glue, and Piotr might as well be his giant, metal shadow. There's no getting away from them, and aside from a few sneak shots, that's it for James for a while.

    It's a few minutes later when he's dodging around Kurt that disaster strikes. Finally he's gotten around his guard, finally he's managed to get some space, only to utterly misjudge one of Thor's missiles and catch the ball directly to the face.

    *THUMP*

    While the Winter Soldier gets knocked flat, the ball sails back the way it came, in a lazy arc, sailing through the basket...

    Nothing but net.

    A few moments later Bucky is back on his feet, seeming none the worse for wear, but acutely aware that the score board is starting to look unfriendly.

Thor has posed:
Reaching down to grab Bucky by the arm, Thor hefts him upwards to his feet again, then gives him a hard pat on the back. "Good job, brother! We are winning this game quite easily." That's not what the scoreboard shows of course. Once he grabs the ball again, he shoots for the basket, sending the ball clear over the top of the hoop and into the stands.

Someone just got a souvenior. Don't expect him to autograph it though.

"How many points do I get if I knock someone out with the ball?" He asks Tony as he gives him a bright, bolstering grin along his face.

Gambit has posed:
Remy LeBeau snags the ball as it bounces off the billionaire's face and moves quickly away as fast as he can, dribbleing and not looking around to see where anyone else is. He yells out loudly, "Kurt! Den ganzen Weg hinunter!" ...And you thought his accent was horrid in /English/! Still a second later he fires the ball from half court at the back board..

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Kurt friendily calls out 'Ja!' -- but good lord, the poor tongue! Remy's accent was tough at the best of times, but the German mutant takes a running jump, and then teleports.

    And with a BAMF! he appears, mid-air, ccatches the ball, and with a nimble flip -- SLAM DUNK!

    he holds onto the hoop with his feet a brief moment with a bright and fangy grin aimed at Remy.

Colossus has posed:
As DMX prophetically proclaimed--

X gonna give it to ya.

First they let it rock, and then they let it roll. All the while to the nonstop pop pops of stainless (?) steel.

the worst part might be that Piotr is so helpful and encouraging. Piotr sets a pick for Kurt, placing himself in Bucky's way, but just tangentially. Keeping a hip or an elbow in the way so the faster man has a hard time getting around him to get after Kurt. He's having fun, with a big gleaming stainless steel smile and encouraging words. "Nice hustle." He tells Bucky, genuinely meaning it.

Nightingale has posed:
     Scott gets a very filthy look from Shannon at the quick remark regarding the knowledge of basketball in Kentucky. But here, as a guest at the Avengers mansion, she was at least going to /try/ to behave herself. Her already slightly ragged feathers, though, are rather ruffled, and she's pacing the sidelines. Pique roils in her mind like a saucepan coming to a boil. The look on her face is one Logan's seen many a time in practice. But, rather than vent on one of her teammates--at least here and now--she turns her attention to the court.

     And goes stock still.

     Tense, she watches as two players hit the floor in quick succession, only relaxing as they are helped back to their feet, and seem to have sustained no injury. She allows herself a sigh of relief, and applauds their tenacity.

Professor X has posed:
"Gentlemen." Charles doesn't take his focus on the game but he doesn't need to. Both Scott and Logan would be well familiar with That tone of voice and the infuriatingly calm finality of it. "We will speak after the game."

"Oh. That looks like it will be sore in the morning." He remarks quietly as, fresh into the second quarter, Tony Stark gets slapped down by one of his own grand ideas again. Bucky is next in line in immediate succession and then the ball gets sent off to eBay on trumped up keywords like StarkNosebleed and ThorHandprint. This time Xavier does blow the whistle to save the poor Avengers and bystanders more blows to the head. It's a quick break for air before the game rolls into halftime and everyone gets the opportunity to make adjustments, get water, and wonder if this was a good idea.

Score: Avengers 6, X-Men 26.

Iron Man has posed:
"Look guys, I know that you're frustrated, but we've got 'em right where we want them. Now that they're beating us so badly, they're bound to get overconfident, and that's how we'll beat them."

"You know, like Thanos."

Sitting in his cushy chair by the sidelines, feet propped up on the stool, Tony relaxes as a relatively attractive woman with very strong hands rubs the kinks out of his shoulders.

The Avengers do halftime differently. Or at least Tony does.

"That feels AMAAAAZING, Desiree. Hard to believe you didn't actually go to school for this. But would you be a doll and go get me a scotch and so-- er... actually... what is it that I'm supposed to have?"

Desiree murmurs something in Tony's ear, and he smiles confidently.

"Right! I'll have a Gatorade on the rocks, please and thank you."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn lasso paces, though cheers at Kurt and Remy's team work and shot. She's not very knowledgeable about basketball though and is having trouble following g most of the game, other than randomly whooping and Hollering and cheering here and there. Oh and she doesn't speak German. Or Russian. Or Cajun. So that went right over her head. "Yaaay!" she cheers. Shaking random pompoms and making random noise.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Spasibo, Tovarish" Bucky grins as he slaps Piotr on the back, with his own metal hand. True, this game isn't going their way at all, but he's having fun regardless. It's been a while since he'd been able or even required to exert himself, and even losing is fun when you're playing against such talented people. Kurt gets a nod as well "Nächster mal, ja?". Remy just gets an outright knowing grin, because there's no arguing with skill like that.

    Halftime comes, and it's as if time has passed in a blur. But he takes his seat at the sidelines with a smile, on a simple camp stool, looking as relaxed as he's been in literal ages. Not for him the fancy isotonic drinks, he's having some water from a canteen. But then he doesn't seem to have worked up a sweat. At all. "It's okay, Tony. We're getting our asses kicked, but that's fine, it's all in good fun. Good sportsmanship, that's what this is all about." He looks over to Thor with a smile. "Isn't that right? It's fine not to win if your enemy is honorable?"

Havok has posed:
    Alex was paying attention to the chatter and the action as he walked within a few feet of Megan. He'll turn to face the court as the participants seem to be breaking up and he'll note to Megan, "Yay, as in we're winning? Cause, those Avengers look a little on the harried side."

Thor has posed:
Giving Bucky an incredulous look, Thor is almost embarrassed. "What? No! It's not fine! We are being embarrassed in our own home territory! We must regroup our army and strike back twice as hard! We need to put the ball in the ring twice as many as them! They are now bringing the girls in because they are so confident they will defeat us. Look at them! They are tiny, like .. children!" They are children. Kind of. "They mock us."

The God of Thunder lets out a loud huff in his throat as he glances over towards Tony with a scowl. "You're our leader, Tony! How are we to defeat them and maintain our honor and respect? Are we not the Avengers!? We are the greatest superhero team in the world! Surely we can beat them at basketball!"

Colossus has posed:
Piotr, on the other sidelines, once again in his unarmored form is gushing. "And Kurt that dunk, and Remy that assist! This is very fun." Piotr is still all smiles. "Alex? Would you like to substitute in for me? It is fun." His smile might be a thousand watts. "The one with the metal arm? The Soldier? He is very fast." Piotr's blue eyes are warm and he doesn't even seem to have a hair out of place. He reaches over to squeeze Remy's shoulder, then Kurt's. His grip is friendly. He asks, "Is that the score?" He's surprised. "Are we good or are they just?" He pauses, and watches Thor as the Asgardian gives his huff. Piotr considers for a moment. "- am I a bad person that I now really want to win?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Meanwhile, chilling in the stands, refreshing with some gatorade and water, Kurt's tail is wrapped around some popcorn as he waves a big foam hand that has the BULLS crossed out, and X-MEN applied in sparkly gel sharpie.

    "We are all good." he determines to Piotr, with a grin.

Gambit has posed:
Remy LeBeau grins a little bit, "Jus' remember de advice mah pappa used ta give me in times like dis Pitor," Remmy says, taking a moment to spray energy drink down his throat before continuing, "Winning isn' everyt'ing. Winning an' rubbing de ot'er guys nose in it like 'e's a bad bad puppy? Dat's everyt'ing."

Cyclops has posed:
"Good job, guys." Scott says as he pushes off the bench to head towards his teammates. He gives them a proud grin on his face. "I knew you three would kick butt out there. Though I think it's a bit unfair. We play sports together every weekend. I almost feel bad for them. Now it's our turn to cheer the others on. When we get home tonight, we'll hit up Harry's and drinks are on me."

"Except for you, Shannon. You get Apple Juice, or something." He gives the teenager an amused smile before he gives a motion of his hand to sub them in.

Nightingale has posed:
     Attempting--and failing--to stifle a giggle, Shannon calls out to Bucky, grinning. "Du spielst gut. Aber wir werden trotzdem gewinnen!" First Russian, and now German? What next? He was doomed. DOOMED!

     Or was she the one who was doomed? It seemed it was her turn out on the court for the second half. Though she'd donned her gym uniform, she had not expected to actually be called out to play. Nodding, she starts stretching out and warming up, while there is still time to do so, grinning at Logan and Pixie.

     She might not be the best among them, but at least it would be fun! Grinning at Remy, she nods in agreement. "I hear you there, couyon!"

     Looking back at Scott, she laughs, and gives him a thumbs up. "Make that hot cocoa and you've got it."

Wolverine has posed:
"Yeah! Good work! Well done! Rah, rah...where's the booze?" Logan smiles and leans back as he stands. "Good job Avengers. You did amazing. Next time, we'll spot ya' ten points!" Logan rubs the back of his head. "I must admit, this was a great idea Scottie. You should be proud of yourself."

Moving over towards Stark, Bucky and Thor, Logan places his hands on his hips before, "You know, it was good to see you all again. You know, if you ever need me, just hollar, and I'll be there. Nat can vouch fer me. I kinda miss Jarvis' sammiches..."

Havok has posed:
    Alex will see that he's eternally Larry-come-lately and how things are breaking down. They said halftime, but he's already thinking that this is the end since the X are beating the crap out of the A. He smiles to himself and will stand quietly off to the side, leaving well enough alone and not rubbing salt in wounds. He doesn't know the Avengers well enough.

Professor X has posed:
Charles Xavier is doing his best to be a proper impartial referee, but there's still that proud gleam in his eye as his students keep a strong lead. And as the halftime ends, he blows the whistle to announce the start of the third quarter.

Will the Avengers pull out the win in the end, or will there be a new World's Greatest Team on all of the street hawkers t-shirts in the morning?

Thor has posed:
As the tip off once more kicks off, Thor this time is the one to snag the ball. With a burst of speed and determination, the Asgardian prince decides that enough was enough. He was not about to be embarrassed, not by little girls with wings, or tiny Canadians with their smack talk. He gives a quick sidestep, dribbles once, then launches himself in the air.

There is a rush of wind, a crack of thunder and a peel of lightning in the air as he comes down with a roar of rage. As he slams the ball through the hoop, the poor thing, (Reinforced by Stark Tech) sways and creaks before snapping back into place. The ball bounces off to the side like a shot gun as he lands on his feet.

"TOUCHDOWN!" He screams, pounding his chest once. "Let's do this Avengers!"

Iron Man has posed:
Standing still, Tony takes a deep breath and tries to center himself. He never really learned how to meditate, so it's not easy. But he has had to wait in line before, so he has a general idea of what's expected of him.

Squaring himself up, he does a few practice dribbles.

Then squares himself up again.

Then a few more dribbles.

Then he measures his feet's spacing, making a small adjustment.

A few more practice dribbles.

The bruise on Tony's face looks a little tender, but it'll heal soon. He makes a mental note not to try and crowd someone called 'Colossus' ever again without the appropriate protective gear.

In this case, he should have worn the Hulkbuster.

Squaring up even more squarely, he takes a deep breath and...

'THUUUUUNG!!!'

Missed the first freethrow.

He gets the second one though. And a moral victory. So there's that.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Don't look at me, I'm just here by invitation." Bucky grins over to Logan, and then gives the man a respectful nod. History is history, even if there's a lot of it, and he can respect someone who knows what it's like to remember more than the average soldier.

    Soon enough the whistle blows, and this time it seems he's no longer being tailed by the fast fuzzy one. The team comes out strong, and he high-fives Thor on the way down the field. The Soldier is on fire, metaphorically, and is bringing his best game. And that game is pretty good, all told.

    It's hard to be competitive and fast when you're also trying to be careful and respectful of the teenager on the field, leading to some awkward moments when Bucky lets Shannon pass without too much interference because stopping her would have required physical contact... he's too much of a gentleman for that. But when he gets possession, it's practically impossible to get him to let go of the ball, passing short and furious passes, and dunking time after time like a man possessed.

    And he's grinning, the entire time. He's having fun. He's even encouraging Piotr in turn, as if they were two good friends, and generally acting like a good natured bigger brother to Shannon and Remy.

    A bigger brother that's beating them, but keeping it fun.

Colossus has posed:
Piotr is not playing with Kurt, and that was apparently the key. Piotr isn't having his best quarter of basketball. He has years of fighting for his life with Kurt and without the blue mutant anticipating his moves and vice versa, Piotr is left a little flat footed. Still, he didn't mean to get tangled up with Tony. It was an accident. "I am really glad you are not hurt, Stark." Piotr says sincerely as he boxes folks out to preserve the freethrow. To be fair, if he had meant for it to happen, Tony might not be quite so steady on his feet. Still, Pete feels bad. He grunts at Remy. "You and Shannn have this, tovarisch!"

Gambit has posed:
Remy LeBeau likewise seems to have missed a step since halftime. Perhaps not stretching out before the game is catching up to him. He just seems to be out of position when he should be making moves. Of course trying to stop a literal god when he goes for a slam dunk is a little out of his wheel house anyway...

Nightingale has posed:
     While Bucky might be acting as a gentleman, Shannon was, on the other hand, making it a contact sport. 'Big brother' meant that snagging the ball from his hands was not off the table, and that is just what she did. Flashing him an unrepentant grin, she whirls away, leaving only one or two flight feathers fluttering to the floor in her wake. "Tiny but mighty!" she calls out, taunting the man shamelessly.

     Dribbling down the court, taking full advantage of Bucky steering clear of her, she makes right for the basket, leaping into the air. For her part, she actually refrains from spreading her wings out for additional hang time. Oh, no. There is no need of it in her case. She slam-dunks the ball, laughing as she hangs onto the hoop just long enough to swing once, and then dropping to the ground in a classic three-point pose.

Professor X has posed:
The game progresses with renewed vigor as injured prides and challenges dignities rise to the surface. There's one whistle blow for an unimpressed SHIELD agent to blast a smoldering net with a waiting extinguisher, and another to replace the game ball again as it's accidentally popped like an overripe grape in an overly enthusiastic catch. there are even a few fouls called by Xavier to either team,.

Funny, but those shrill blasts directed towards his own team sound like they are just a little louder. Dishonor, you shame your father.

The clock continues to tick down as the scores tick upwards. Avengers 17, X-Men 32. Another whistle blast. Fourth quarter and the chips are all in now. The bystanders not on government paychecks are in an uproar by then, setting up a low roar around the court.

Iron Man has posed:
"Shoot the J! Shoot it!"

Once again, Tony sets a pick for his teammate. But this time, he does it correctly. Or at least he does it in a spot that's halfway useful for someone to scrape off an opponent.

Huffing an puffing, Tony looks like he's in rough shape. But in his defense, he's pushing fifty and he has a heart condition.

When he manages to get a few seconds to breath, Tony takes the sweatband off of his forehead, and tosses it to his unlicensed deep-tissue masseuse. She catches it, a bit less enthusiastically than he would prefer. It's almost as if she's been watching him play or something.

Wiping his mustache on his arm, Tony gets his head back into the game and begins to play Vigorous Defense!

Thor has posed:
As he sets a screen for Bucky, Thor looks like a mountain of a man as he steps in front of Shannon. Hello bug, meet windshield. "Throw the ball in the hoop, Bucky!" He calls out to him as he folds his arms and stares down at the girl menancingly for a moment, before he tips a wink. He will do the left to right shuffle to try and keep her away, even though she can fly.

If she does, she may get hit with a loud gust of wind in the face. Someone left the AC on full blast. Obviously.

Once it is his turn to get the ball, he will look to bypass Piotr. If he is to win this game, he needs to defeat the biggest obstacle on the field. The large metal Russian looks like a worthy opponent.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Fourth Quarter isn't as much as a disaster for Bucky as Second was, but it's close. At least his team is giving him very useful assists, and the Soldier speeds past Thor, intercepts the ball and scores another one for the team, but it's downhill from there.

    With Thor playing interference, he just needs to get around Remy, and it's proving to be nigh on impossible. The man is /everywhere/. There's no hope of blocking those shots either, bouncing nearly impossible angles off the backboard no matter how much of a hand he can get in front of it. And it's taking so much of his concentration to keep up with the White Devil, that the rest of his game suffers.

    At one point he even grabs the ball and looks to throw it, only to realise immediately afterwards that Shannon is still holding onto it... at which point he has to let it go and concede possession. It was either that or dunk her through the hoop as well, and that's not an action he's going to contemplate.

Colossus has posed:
Set his feet and draw the charge foul is what Piotr determines to do. His feet get set, he bends his knees, and Piotr moves his hands up over his head to block the shot. It is not that different than taking a hit in a fight. It is sort of what he does. Piotr doesn't flinch or blink from a strike. He does not reach out to try to strip the ball, that would be a reach in, and that is not proper play. Piotr is not playing as well as the first half. Still, he is an obstacle that keeps getting in the way.

Nightingale has posed:
     Oh, Shannon does her little dance on the court with the Thunderer, a persistent little bug despite the rather imposing windshield that seems to have materialized before her. Though her pale, glacier-blue eyes twinkle with mirth, she manages to match Thor's menacing look with a rather dark scowl of her own. But it does not last, however, with his wink being met and returned with one of her own. She had not forgotten his kindness, and never would. If anything, she tips him a jaunty two-fingered salute. He was a worthy opponent.

     But she is whirled away in an instant, the chill of Winter nearly dragging her down the court as she holds on to the ball with all the fierceness of a bulldog holding on to a bone.

     "Oi!"

     Her cry seems to have done the trick, and the moment Bucky lets go, she passes the ball right to Remy, grinning. "Go get 'em, couyon!"

Gambit has posed:
Remy LeBeau snags the ball from Shannon, steps around Bucky and launches the ball into the air from well behind the three point line. As it soars through the air the timer goes off with a loud buzz, the ball lands on the rim, circles...and falls in... i mean it'd be more dramatic if the game hadn't already been a curb stomp but still..

Iron Man has posed:
Finally, mercifully, the buzzer sounds, and the Avengers' humiliation is brought to an end. Well, the humiliation is probably going to go on for quite some time, in the form of taunts and jibes and sassy text messages. But at least the huffing and puffing part is over. Tony has too many gray hairs for that to be any fun.

But surprisingly, even though he looks winded, Tony seems to have had more fun than the losing team really should.

Adjusting his mustache, first the left side, then the right. Desiree passes him a towel as he heads over to the sideline.

For the slightly-embarrassing handshaking.

"Good game everyone! Help yourselves to some booze! I'm gonna have another Gatorade on the rocks."

Fortunately, someone is already pouring it for him.

Cyclops has posed:
Once the game comes to an end, Scott gives a firm nod and a pat on each player's back. He looks proud of his team in coming together and showing what they can do on the court. He gives Tony a shake of the hand and a few words from one leader to another, then heads back towards his family.

"Great game, guys. I hope everyone got their autographs. Let's go home and shower and then off to Harry's for a few rounds." His lips tug into a bit of a smile as he steps in behind Charles to help wheel the man towards his car, like father like son.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon grins wide as the final buzzer sounds, doing a little bit of a victory dance as the scoreboard tells the tale of a victory hard-won by her friends and family. She takes the time to shake the hands of each and every one of the players on the opposing team, offering a smile and a hug to each as well. "Really great game. Thank you for having us."

     For all her trash-talking in the spirit of the game, it really -was- just that in the end. A game. And an experience she would remember for a lifetime.