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Scorpia nodded seriously, a thoughtful expression on her face. You were relieved to see that she was at least capable of taking criticism. And the tension in Speed Demon’s face seemed to ease slightly when he realized that he could foist some of the blame onto Scorpia for not freeing him earlier.
<span class="mu-r">“And Hydro-Man, you’ve got a real gift for taking hits, whether it's for yourself or your team. But–and I mean this in the most literal sense–you’ve gotta pull yourself together. In my eyes, you’re this team’s front-liner, and we can’t have you going down early.”</span>
Hydro-Man’s eyes went wide, and he pointed a questioning finger at his face as he tried to get a read on your express.
<span class="mu-r">“Yes, you. Your abilities allow you to get up close and personal without risk of serious injury, and I can see you being an important part of our strategies going forward.”</span> you explained.
That seemed to cheer him up a bit. You returned your attention to Scorpia.
<span class="mu-r">“And you. Your close-range capabilities are going to be downright terrifying when you find an opponent that can actually keep up with you. Your suit's a work of art, and you’ve got solid defense from your forcefield, and a devastating offense in the form of your pincers and stinger. But you can't rely on them too much. Once your combat capabilities catch up with your speed and strength, I think you'll be a force to be reckoned with.”</span>
Scorpia twirled a finger through her short, dark hair, a pleased smile on her face as she silently basked in the praise you were showering her with. She still had a lot to improve on, but there was a solid enough foundation there that you didn't see the point in emphasizing the flaws in her approach to strategy any further.
<span class="mu-r">“And last but not least, Speed Demon.”</span> you began, turning to face the speedster. He tensed a bit, and the others went quiet as they waited to hear what you had to say about his performance.
<span class="mu-r">“You went down a little too quickly to accurately judge your performance. If I hadn't landed that webline, then it might’ve been a different story, but things just happened to turn out in our favor. The best advice that Incan give you is to maybe invest in a bladed weapon to cut yourself free from things that tangle your legs up.”</span>
You could practically see Speed Demon’s earlier frustration draining from his face, now replaced by the malicious glee that likely came from imagining himself equipped with a deadly weapon. Such a thing could only further augment his capabilities. You just hoped that he wouldn't get too carried away.
<span class="mu-r">“And that about covers it. Any questions before we wrap up here?”</span> you asked.
Boomerang raised his hand.
<span class="mu-r">“Yes, Boomer.”</span>
<span class="mu-b">“Those things that come out of your wrists. You called them webs. Is that stuff actually inside of you?”</span>
You blinked and stared down at your arms for a second.
<span class="mu-r">“Uh…yes?”</span> you answered.
<span class="mu-b">“How?”</span> he asked.
(Cont.)
