Pairing: Leonie Pinelli/Dorothea Arnault (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Word Count: 1317
“Welcome, one and all, to the grand finals of the Saint Fighter 3 Garreg Mach Open!” Dorothea called into the microphone, leading to whoops and cheers from the small assembled crowd. The “grandest” thing about these finals was the MC's voice - Dorothea had a flair for performance that made this college town bar feel like a stadium. Looking out across the audience from her position on the karaoke stage, Thea saw a lot of familiar faces. Most of them were students like her but some were old fighting game die-hards who had been playing here for decades. The scene here had undergone a real revitalization recently, and nearly everyone agreed that it was thanks to Dorothea. Tournament organizer, MC, a formidable player in her own right… to put it mildly, she wore many hats, and her fashionable taste made sure they all fit her quite well.
But there was one face in the crowd who Dorothea didn't know so well. In fact, she'd never seen the girl before tonight. And this newcomer was about to take the stage for the grand finals.
“Now, while we're setting up, I'd like to take a moment to invite to the stage a fresh face to our little fight club! You've probably already heard about her - and if you haven't, I might have to ask Shamir back there to cut you off!” The room burst into laughter, save for the person Dorothea was referring to. She, in contrast to those around her, seemed like she was putting on an air of stoicism to cover up her nerves. That’s cute, thought Dorothea. Hopefully she can handle this next part.
With a gesture, Dorothea invited the young woman up onto the small stage. She was only slightly shorter than Dorothea, and clearly athletic - her hair was a vibrant orange and her eyes matched it step for step. As she came up, she shielded her eyes from the lights and Dorothea called to the room. “Give a warm Garreg Mach welcome to Leonie!” And Leonie waved a little bit, her other arm holding onto the custom-built fightstick like it was a prized stuffed animal.
“Uh, hey, all,” she said, looking like a cat trying to acclimate to the presence of another.
“So, congrats on making it to the finals! I figured while we’re here, we might as well get to know our newest challenger. You’ve been playing Indech this whole time, right? What made you pick him up?” Dorothea prodded, then held the mic out to Leonie.
“Oh, uh… I’ve played Indech since SF2 Divine Edition,” Leo answered.
“SF2D? That game’s older than we are!” Dorothea quipped, drawing laughs from particularly the veteran players in the crowd. “You got your start in SF2D, huh? How’d that happen?”
“The arcade in my hometown had a cabinet. It was the only good machine in the place, so we always played the hell out of it. And when I was younger, this guy came through, and he played Indech, and I just…” Leonie scratched the back of her neck. “The way he played Indech was awesome. I had to pick him up. I practically begged the guy to teach me some stuff. And he did, but he was only in town for a week.”
“Wow… so somewhere out there, there’s a hidden village of SF2D pros? That’s kinda scary to think about… But I mean, the practice shows! You’ve been cooking some of our best and brightest.”
“It’s nothin’ that serious. They’ve been good matches. But I do have to say…” Leo’s gaze hardened slightly, and cast out across the crowd. “I could tell some of you weren’t taking it seriously. Next time we play, don’t give me that half-assed bullshit.”
“Wow, fighting words from the newbie!” Dorothea laughed. “Well, you won’t have to worry about that with your next opponent. You’re up against our reigning champ, you know, so don’t hold anything back.”
“Ingrid, right?” Leonie asked. “I’ve heard the name. Plays Seiros? I’ll be the first to admit that’s a tough matchup for me, but that only means I’ve got one more way to prove myself.”
“You’re pretty bold, Leonie! I like that in a girl.” Dorothea winked, and Leonie wrote it off as showmanship - that is, until she noticed Dorothea’s back was turned to the audience for that moment. It was only for Leonie. Suddenly, her heart skipped. She’d been trying to focus, but Dorothea was throwing her off majorly. By the time Leonie was able to refocus, Dorothea had turned back around and was speaking to the crowd once more.
“...you know what that means, folks! This final’s gonna be some good old fashioned girl on girl!” Dorothea waited out the laughter and cheers, and then looked to Leonie. “You ready, newbie?”
If there was one way to snap Leonie out of her gay stupor, it was competition.
“...Hell yeah.”
–
“Ingrid’s not letting Leonie have any time to breathe! Our newcomer just can’t get out of the corner! This could be her last chance to reset the bracket! This pressure is incredible!” Dorothea called out as the match played out on the screen. Leonie was sweating bullets - she was a solid player with extraordinary fundamentals, but she had to admit Dorothea was right. Ingrid’s advance and pressure game was extremely strong, and for a well-rounded, honest sort of player like Leonie, it was often very easy to get trapped in the whirlwind of blockstrings and mixups. It was all she could do to block Ingrid’s assault and tech the few grabs that her opponent worked into the mix to throw her off. She could feel how deeply in her head Ingrid was - and the worst part was, knowing that didn’t help her in the slightest. Was she really going to come this far just to lose like this?
“COME ON, LEONIE!” Dorothea’s voice rang out over the loudspeakers. It was the least MC-like tone she’d taken all night, a stark cry of support for the underdog. The shout shocked Leonie’s system back into alignment like a cold splash of water, and she knew in that moment she needed something bold to win. Watching Ingrid’s character move in, Leonie decided to go for broke - either this would work and she would have a chance, or she would eat shit and lose. And she knew Ingrid wouldn’t be expecting it - after all, who would ever spend all the meter they’d built up on Indech’s EX Pavis Parry?
So when the digital Seiros’ sword made contact with Indech’s outstretched dragon claw and the loud metal clashing sound indicating a successful parry played out over the room, the crowd exploded. And like she’d done a thousand times before, Leonie moved Indech in and unleashed a brutal combo - completely meterless, but practiced thousands of times to maximize her damage. By the time she’d worked Ingrid back to the other side of the screen, her meter was flashing once more - just barely having built a level 1 super, she unleashed it to secure the round and the match.
Leaping from her chair, Leonie let out a primal “FUCK YEAAAAAH” shout, before planting her feet and pivoting to point an outstretched finger at Dorothea at the commentary table. This time, it was Thea’s turn to turn bright red, and she was momentarily thankful the lights weren’t on her. She saw the way Leonie’s lips curled into a smirk, a silent declaration of ‘how’d you like that?’ And she picked up the mic, looking Leonie in the eyes across the crowd.
“...Don’t get comfortable yet, Leonie!” the MC declared, a grin breaking out over her face. “You’re not out of the woods yet!”
As the crowd continued their uproar, Dorothea let the mic fall away from her mouth, and only one thought was on her mind.
FILL: TEAM ACE ATTORNEY
Pairing: Leonie Pinelli/Dorothea Arnault (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Word Count: 1317
“Welcome, one and all, to the grand finals of the Saint Fighter 3 Garreg Mach Open!” Dorothea called into the microphone, leading to whoops and cheers from the small assembled crowd. The “grandest” thing about these finals was the MC's voice - Dorothea had a flair for performance that made this college town bar feel like a stadium. Looking out across the audience from her position on the karaoke stage, Thea saw a lot of familiar faces. Most of them were students like her but some were old fighting game die-hards who had been playing here for decades. The scene here had undergone a real revitalization recently, and nearly everyone agreed that it was thanks to Dorothea. Tournament organizer, MC, a formidable player in her own right… to put it mildly, she wore many hats, and her fashionable taste made sure they all fit her quite well.
But there was one face in the crowd who Dorothea didn't know so well. In fact, she'd never seen the girl before tonight. And this newcomer was about to take the stage for the grand finals.
“Now, while we're setting up, I'd like to take a moment to invite to the stage a fresh face to our little fight club! You've probably already heard about her - and if you haven't, I might have to ask Shamir back there to cut you off!” The room burst into laughter, save for the person Dorothea was referring to. She, in contrast to those around her, seemed like she was putting on an air of stoicism to cover up her nerves. That’s cute, thought Dorothea. Hopefully she can handle this next part.
With a gesture, Dorothea invited the young woman up onto the small stage. She was only slightly shorter than Dorothea, and clearly athletic - her hair was a vibrant orange and her eyes matched it step for step. As she came up, she shielded her eyes from the lights and Dorothea called to the room. “Give a warm Garreg Mach welcome to Leonie!” And Leonie waved a little bit, her other arm holding onto the custom-built fightstick like it was a prized stuffed animal.
“Uh, hey, all,” she said, looking like a cat trying to acclimate to the presence of another.
“So, congrats on making it to the finals! I figured while we’re here, we might as well get to know our newest challenger. You’ve been playing Indech this whole time, right? What made you pick him up?” Dorothea prodded, then held the mic out to Leonie.
“Oh, uh… I’ve played Indech since SF2 Divine Edition,” Leo answered.
“SF2D? That game’s older than we are!” Dorothea quipped, drawing laughs from particularly the veteran players in the crowd. “You got your start in SF2D, huh? How’d that happen?”
“The arcade in my hometown had a cabinet. It was the only good machine in the place, so we always played the hell out of it. And when I was younger, this guy came through, and he played Indech, and I just…” Leonie scratched the back of her neck. “The way he played Indech was awesome. I had to pick him up. I practically begged the guy to teach me some stuff. And he did, but he was only in town for a week.”
“Wow… so somewhere out there, there’s a hidden village of SF2D pros? That’s kinda scary to think about… But I mean, the practice shows! You’ve been cooking some of our best and brightest.”
“It’s nothin’ that serious. They’ve been good matches. But I do have to say…” Leo’s gaze hardened slightly, and cast out across the crowd. “I could tell some of you weren’t taking it seriously. Next time we play, don’t give me that half-assed bullshit.”
“Wow, fighting words from the newbie!” Dorothea laughed. “Well, you won’t have to worry about that with your next opponent. You’re up against our reigning champ, you know, so don’t hold anything back.”
“Ingrid, right?” Leonie asked. “I’ve heard the name. Plays Seiros? I’ll be the first to admit that’s a tough matchup for me, but that only means I’ve got one more way to prove myself.”
“You’re pretty bold, Leonie! I like that in a girl.” Dorothea winked, and Leonie wrote it off as showmanship - that is, until she noticed Dorothea’s back was turned to the audience for that moment. It was only for Leonie. Suddenly, her heart skipped. She’d been trying to focus, but Dorothea was throwing her off majorly. By the time Leonie was able to refocus, Dorothea had turned back around and was speaking to the crowd once more.
“...you know what that means, folks! This final’s gonna be some good old fashioned girl on girl!” Dorothea waited out the laughter and cheers, and then looked to Leonie. “You ready, newbie?”
If there was one way to snap Leonie out of her gay stupor, it was competition.
“...Hell yeah.”
–
“Ingrid’s not letting Leonie have any time to breathe! Our newcomer just can’t get out of the corner! This could be her last chance to reset the bracket! This pressure is incredible!” Dorothea called out as the match played out on the screen. Leonie was sweating bullets - she was a solid player with extraordinary fundamentals, but she had to admit Dorothea was right. Ingrid’s advance and pressure game was extremely strong, and for a well-rounded, honest sort of player like Leonie, it was often very easy to get trapped in the whirlwind of blockstrings and mixups. It was all she could do to block Ingrid’s assault and tech the few grabs that her opponent worked into the mix to throw her off. She could feel how deeply in her head Ingrid was - and the worst part was, knowing that didn’t help her in the slightest. Was she really going to come this far just to lose like this?
“COME ON, LEONIE!” Dorothea’s voice rang out over the loudspeakers. It was the least MC-like tone she’d taken all night, a stark cry of support for the underdog. The shout shocked Leonie’s system back into alignment like a cold splash of water, and she knew in that moment she needed something bold to win. Watching Ingrid’s character move in, Leonie decided to go for broke - either this would work and she would have a chance, or she would eat shit and lose. And she knew Ingrid wouldn’t be expecting it - after all, who would ever spend all the meter they’d built up on Indech’s EX Pavis Parry?
So when the digital Seiros’ sword made contact with Indech’s outstretched dragon claw and the loud metal clashing sound indicating a successful parry played out over the room, the crowd exploded. And like she’d done a thousand times before, Leonie moved Indech in and unleashed a brutal combo - completely meterless, but practiced thousands of times to maximize her damage. By the time she’d worked Ingrid back to the other side of the screen, her meter was flashing once more - just barely having built a level 1 super, she unleashed it to secure the round and the match.
Leaping from her chair, Leonie let out a primal “FUCK YEAAAAAH” shout, before planting her feet and pivoting to point an outstretched finger at Dorothea at the commentary table. This time, it was Thea’s turn to turn bright red, and she was momentarily thankful the lights weren’t on her. She saw the way Leonie’s lips curled into a smirk, a silent declaration of ‘how’d you like that?’ And she picked up the mic, looking Leonie in the eyes across the crowd.
“...Don’t get comfortable yet, Leonie!” the MC declared, a grin breaking out over her face. “You’re not out of the woods yet!”
As the crowd continued their uproar, Dorothea let the mic fall away from her mouth, and only one thought was on her mind.
Goddess, I want to play her.