The world seemed bright to Copen as he wandered into the SHIELD atrium, a smile on his thin lips and hands stuck in his pockets. His hips swung slightly with his walk, a mannerism that had come naturally over the years as he'd grown up. Today was a new day, and although he didn't have a reason to start over, it was always a good feeling to have a clean slate. He'd be meeting new people, exploring his powers, saving Midgardians... It seemed a pretty good deal, truth be told. Besides, women on Earth were always grateful to heroes, right? He definitely wouldn't mind that side of the job.

He was surprised to find that he was one of the first to arrive. It was a little disappointing to him, truth be told - he preferred to waltz his way into a crowded room, making friends and chatting like the social butterfly that he was. There was nothing for it, though, and he swaggered down to the chairs nearest to the stage. The tall boy flashed a grin at the agents sitting on the stage; Tony Stark was a recognisable figure indeed. Having spent a lot of time with Loki and even Thor, he'd all about the old times. His father, perhaps, wasn't in the best of books with SHIELD, but Copen was not his father. He took his allotted seat, in the front row and near the middle.

People trailed in after him, and he took in their looks with curious eyes. The majority of them were handsome young men, as himself. There would certainly be some competition if they were after women, too, since there were so few here. He caught the eye of a smaller dark-haired fellow, at whom he winked, liking something about the twinkle in his eyes. And when Magnus and Eva arrived, he waved enthusiastically. The agent at the podium - Maria Hill, he reminded himself - didn't allow a lot of time before starting into her greeting. Straightening in his seat, he was polite in looking at her, but he wasn't really listening until the end.

Aha, introductions! Navy eyes seeming to light up, Copen decided that it was he who would go first. Popping up to his feet, he turned around and backed away slightly so that he could see everyone. Great. He didn't even know if everyone else would do the same, but he didn't really care. "I'm Copen - Copen Lokison," he introduced himself, a hand coming to his chest for a moment. "I suppose it's obvious who my father is - I hail from Asgard, along with my cousins. I have the power of the Frost Giants, and the skill of magic. I can also be very persuasive." At this, he grinned charmingly at them all, winking at a girl a few seats along from him. With that said, he shrugged his shoulders and turned around to plop back down into his seat.

[/hider]

Why did he have to be here?

Holden stood in the back, hiding in the shadows.

He was told to show up and be punctual so of course he made a note to be early but he refused to sit in the front where a person could easily be shot down. Instead, he took his position standing, back pressed against a wall to cover his back and eyes scanning the room for threats from the front.

While it was true that the blonde one had said that this would be a new experience and not to worry about being alert, Holden refused to let his guard down.

"Look, you’re going to make friends at this new school. You know what friends are right?"

"No"

"To put it in terms you’ll understand, they’re people who you talk to often and don’t try to murder or bludgeon or strangle or-"

The list went on. Apparently, a “friend” was essentially a target you deemed to be off limits, having one was basically a constant escort mission. That kind of thing did not interest the raven haired ninja at all but the blonde one insisted that he attempt to make friends and not bludgeon people who made him try.

Still, Holden honestly felt uneasy with the new assignment, especially as he watched people enter. So many new potential threats to his safety, he was glad that the administration commanding this sect was forcing them to announce their threat levels. He could use it to his advantage should any of the group decide to go against the higher order or defect. He wasn’t sure how S.H.I.E.L.D handled traitors but he was well prepared to torture someone should it come to that.

For now though, Holden listened and watched everything unfold before him.

Erik stepped lightly through the doors of the atrium; smiling brightly at the prospect of a new type of training, not to mention the possibilities inherent in an academy of (hopefully) like-minded and equally gifted individuals. As he walked through to the assembly hall where the initial briefing was to be held, he stopped briefly, processing the slight arcane chill of one with Jotun blood that he felt from the front of the room, tinged with a hint of magical talent, until he determined that it came from the blond already seated in the front row. Shaking it off, he suddenly noticed the sensation eyes on him from the corner. Glancing over, his silver eyes almost seemed to shine as he pierced the shadows that would have easily provided ample cover from someone of more mundane perceptions. Seeing the young man, appearing to be very near his own age, who clearly wished to not yet be seen, he merely held his smile, giving a very small, silent nod to him. Having resumed his casual, steady stride, he soon found himself at a seat with his name on it, not too far from the presumed Jotun-kin, exchanging minor pleasantries with the few who were here before him.
Shortly after taking his seat, he felt the wash of a new aura of a very potent magic user (or at least one with great potential) enter the room, and stood up to turn and see an enchanting young woman, who he'd have read as an Asgardian by her posture and bearing, even had he not been able to feel her aura. While the chill of the Jotun-kin's aura was not in and of itself unpleasant, the connotations it had carried for his mother's people, and that had therefore been passed down to him, certainly were, and had put him on an edge that he hadn't even realized he'd been concealing, but in the warmth of this newer aura, he couldn't help but smile in unexpected relief, which he expertly concealed within a playful grin and an unabashedly flirtatious salute to the undeniably attractive young woman before gradually turning around to take his seat once more.
Now with two powerful and conflicting auras in the room, Erik decided it best to focus on toning out his inherited sensitivity to auras for the time being, rather than risk being overstimulated, particularly given the likelihood of yet another joining them before the briefing started. No longer so distracted by the unease given him by the Jotun-kin's aura, he actually had a chance to really see him. Upon closer examination, he realized that he would be in the same class as at least two highly attractive demigods (and, given that not all marked seats were yet occupied, he would not be terribly surprised if another one or two filtered in).

After Agent Hill's briefing, and the Jotun-kin introduced himself and confirmed even more than what he already knew by feeling his aura, Erik went ahead and stood as well.
"Well met, Copen!" he said, smiling at the now-seated demigod. Taking a step back and turning to address the group as a whole, he continued: "My name is Erik Karlson, and while my parentage is neither so lofty nor infamous as that of our classmate, it is no less distant in origin." As he spoke, he swept his hair back behind his ears, highlighting the differences in his appearance.
"I hail from..." he started, trailing off briefly as the intricacies of his origin flitted through his head. "Well, I hail from one of the smaller cities in Norway, though I was born somewhere among the forests of Alfheim, where I spent a good portion of my last decade. As for talents, I place great pride in my marksmanship, and while I prefer the feel of a good bow, I must admit the simple practicality of firearms has its own appeal. I have trained with my father in human martial arts, and am no novice, though I am certainly far from a master, and with my mother I have practiced with the innate magical gifts I inherited from her people."
Taking a pause, he concentrated for a brief second, and as he continued to speak, motes of light winked in and out of existence, almost seeming to dance around his head in cadence with his voice. "Most of my magical talent currently lies in the realm of minor cantrips and the like, although I have yet to hit a limit for how many such cantrips I can conjure forth on a given day, and I hope that, with training, I might expand my portfolio to include somewhat more potent spellwork."
Deciding on a spur of the moment flashy end, he sent the wisps flying as he took a small bow, ending in a fireworks-like display immediately above his head before he reclaimed his seat.

It was 7:22 AM and someone had to be messing with him, he had actually requested a window facing a brick wall but somehow he got an eastward window. He liked having a room on the top floor because it meant he had easy access to the roof. This also meant the earliest light of the morning came streaming through off the wall length mirror and Magnus dove for cover.
"Dulac, dulac. In Loki's name, DULAK!"
Lips parted with words of magic that tinted the windows to half again their normal brightness. Not great but it would do as he drew the shades as well. He had only written the runes last night in soap, he would have to come back through and carve them in if his request for a room transfer didn't come through. There was more to it than just paltry party tricks, he lived with one of the most powerful telepathic people in the world. To say there was an undue pressure from the 'thought police' was an understatement. One of the few things the mutant telepathy could not pierce was magic, as evidence by Juggernaught.
He was no sorcerer supreme, but he had practiced his protection symbols first, learning defense before offense. Even with his wards at the old school, it was static at best mainly just to hedge his bets and hope it worked to keep an 80 year old man out of his head. But that was most rituals, religions, or spells were in the end, a sort of hope and trust that our mental and emotional energy was making a difference.

Ugh, too heavy a thought for the morning.
He stepped into the bathroom carrying his toiletry bag without turning on the light and hit the shower to wake up, the darkness was comforting to him, he felt a connection to it as the cold water ran over his azure skin. He always started with his hair using an oil infusion to keep the indigo locks shiny and smelling nice. His morning bathroom was always a bit of a cleansing ritual for him with touches of Misogi as he always used the coldest water the shower allowed. He got used to cold showers in the old world and never warmed up to the luxury. At lease whoever he shared the bathroom with was always going to enjoy a hot bath.

"I met a girl at the car-ni-val
In Rio de Janeiro
We danced all night on the boulevard
In doorways we did the tango
I miss her lips
And the way she sa-shayed her hips
As she shook her shoulders
I miss the smell of her hair
I don't care if it takes my whole life to find her..."

It was an old Rickey martin song from way back, he'd started with the music his grandfather listened to in world war two and has been chewing his way up through the charts since then. It gave him an eclectic sense of songs from each era and he had about one or two favorites from each band. He loved the music here, it was one thing he would take home if he was ever forced back, that thought alone chilled him to the bone more than the water.

Four minutes later, his singing in the shower was over and he was all rinsed off as he took a folding knife to his throat. Five minutes after that his face was smooth except for his 'soul patch'. By 7:35 he was done in the shower.

Anna was nervous to say the least. She had been one of the very first to arrive, so she sat in the general vicinity of the other people, after saying hello to Tony Stark, of course. She idled the time by using her smartphone with her left, flesh hand.

A few minutes passed and a woman that Anna didn’t recognize began speaking to everyone. By the time she was finished, she requested that they stand and give their name and skills. She was relieved when a tall boy stood up and announced himself as Copen Lokison in a tone that reminded her of old-English plays.. She couldn’t figure out what he meant by the obviousness of his father, but then he announced he was from Asgard, and her draw dropped. His dad is Loki… She realized, briefly acknowledging that his family reunions must have been very awkward. An Asgardian? So that meant he was somehow related to Thor.

Copen sat down, but not before winking at her, causing her to avert her eyes, though unable to hide to rosy blush peaking at her cheeks. When the second guy stood up, she was slightly puzzled that he seemed to speak in fancy speak as Copen had. He announced that he was from Alfheim. She frowned when she realized she had no idea where Alfheim was. His display of magic, however, quickly showed her that it wasn’t anywhere on earth. When Copen sat down, the room settled for a moment.

In the brief silence, Anna decided to stand, almost instantly regretting it as every eye turned to her. ”Um… Hi, I’m Anna. I’m from…. Philadelphia.” Upon speaking, she realized that her origins were significantly lamer than both of the previous boys’. ”I have no special powers, but, um… I do…” She stopped for a moment and unzipped her black sweatshirt, sliding it off to show her black sleeveless shirt, which proudly bore the logo of the first “Rocky” movie. Her shirt, however, was not the spectacle she meant to show, however, but rather her right arm – Or lack thereof. Where her right arm should have been, a metal limb was attached. It was made of sleek black metal, and it was attached to an artificial shoulder terminal that was also visible

”I’ve got an… upgrade.” She answered, with a sweet smile at the end. ”I’ve also got a double black-belt in Taekwondo and MMA.” She nodded and sat down, discreetly returning a wink to Copen before returning to her patient posture.

Charity liked to think of herself as a people person. She considered herself a normal young adult woman about town, she enjoyed typical things like shopping, movies, parties, etc.

Yet here she was, in the hall of an organization masquerading as a college. She heard stories about SHIELD before, everyone has. You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard of them. Even the heroes you see in the news.

Part of her worried she was in the wrong place. Maybe she shouldn't be here? Yet, she received the letter, she went under evaluation by a few agents. It took her a good amount of time before she decided to join. Part of her wanted to to better understand her powers. Part of her was bored with everyday life and wanted a change of scenery.

Part of her was terrified.

She sat among a group of other young adults as Maria Hill introduced them to what would be their home for the forseeable future. Equal parts excitement and fear burned in her gut. She was anxious to get started.

As she looked around and others introduced themselves, she noticed the varying personalities of those involved. Some were the children of other heroes, she hoped they didn't have an ego about it, others were regular joes who joined. Some had powers, some didn't. Either way, she was part of this now, better get started.

"My turn I suppose? My name is Charity Alexander and I come from New York City. My powers stem from solar energy, I can heal myself by absorbing the sun's energy, I can create different things using solar energy, I can make solar flares and I can fly. So....yeah. Pretty cool, right?" she offered. She tried to meet the eyes of those who looked at her, but part of her just wanted this to be over with.

Avery’s jaw was set strongly as she walked - or, more accurately, stalked - into the Atrium of the Academy. It was the first day that she would meet her peers, the first time since high school that she’d be forced into learning with strangers. The feeling was strange. Last time she’d been in a situation like this, she’d left her parents’ car and waved at them. This time, she’d had a couple of words with Bruce a few days before they were due to arrive here. The man had helped her incredibly, perhaps more than he’d ever know. She didn’t know where she would be right now, if it hadn’t been for him. Probably being thrown out of a shelter, or looking over her shoulder to see if she’d been followed. Although the SHIELD facility was all hard lines and harder faces, at least she knew that she was safe here. Relatively.

However, there were a few more people than she would have liked in the room. As she entered, her shoulders tensed and jaw clenched, eyes widening slightly as she took them in. Avery was better with crowded spaces than she had been a few weeks ago, but they still made her feel like there wasn’t enough air to go around. Maybe because there literally hadn’t been enough air for her family, or the fact that chloroform had been pressed to her mouth one too many times before. It was irrational, no-one was out to hurt her here, but old habits died hard.

SHIELD (or perhaps, Bruce Banner wanting to appear modest) had given her a small allowance to tide her over before coming here. Quite a bit had gone on basic clothing, seeing as she’d had very little. The feeling of tight black trousers was still unfamiliar to her, and the way her bra actually fit was heavenly. However, her eyes still touched upon the people in the room, wondering if she was dressed alright. It seemed so. The majority of them were men, she realised, a small chill of fear trickling down her spine. Avery knew that she should have thought of this sooner, but now it was happening. There were some women interspersed, and maybe they weren’t all loud and rambunctious, but she found it difficult to relax around guys. But hell, she wasn’t taking any drugs prescribed by some crackpot fool who thought she had issues with anxiety. There was nothing wrong with her, except for some natural fear. And if she took those pills, then they won.

Avery gave the men a wide berth, moving to the back corner on the quieter side of the room. Her back was protected, but she still didn’t relax. They were supers, like her, and therefore unpredictable. Her posture was straight, arms coming to cross across her chest defensively and hands forming fists. She was ready to put up a fight if she had to, she was ready to hold her ground and defend her place. She wasn’t here to make friends, she was here to learn to control her powers and maybe make something of herself instead of walking the streets. And maybe, just a little bit, she was also here to make Bruce proud.

Eventually, she felt obliged to take her seat, and did so. However, as introductions began, she stayed silent.

The moment that Roman stepped into Atrium, his eyes began mapping every inch of the room. He was used to SHIELD, as he was already an agent and and had been officially for four years. At sixteen, he'd been the youngest field operative in agency history. In short - SHIELD was his second family. However, today he had no idea what to expect from the clandestine agency,

His first notice was the guy standing in the shadows, but his posture told Roman that he wasn't a threat. The second area of notice for him was the stage, which held four people.

Tony Stark - genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Iron Man. Avenger. Bobbi Morse - Decorated SHIELD Operative. Mockingbird. Maria Hill - Nick Fury in female form. Commanding. Don't mess with her. Peter Parker - Prodigy, Scientist.

Roman quickly sized up the rest of the students in the auditorium as he lingered towards the back of the Atrium. Anyone that mimicked his observing manner would most likely see him as a threat - and rightly so. The first thing that anyone would notice, was that the young man stood at a full seven feet tall, and was no where close to unfit. Also that his barrel chest pulled his black t-shirt over his pectoral muscles, and his biceps filled his black leather jacket. In no way was he anything short of massive.

Also plain to the naked eye was the black pistol that rested on his hip in a secure holster that peeked at the bottom edge of his coat. What only the trained eye would see, however, was the knife that only slightly bulged under the ankle of his jeans and inside of his right sleeve. In the back of his jacket was a short-barreled .44 Magnum, right against the small of his back incase he needed it.

He sat down, two seats from a girl with a sleek, metal arm. Apparently, the others were going over their individual profiles. Roman, however, chose not to stand up. To say the least, he was not exactly a talkative guy. He shrugged his shoulders and waited to see what would happen.

Rain stared up at the large building in front of her, mouth slightly agape. It was… big. Very big. Not that buildings in New York were usually small, but they still tended to surprise her. Maybe it wasn’t so much the building itself, but what it represented, she reflected. There was nothing for it but to go ahead and take that first step. She could always run away, if it got really bad, she reminded herself. Not much could stop her if she had a will. Except herself.

She glanced down at her trainers as if they really were stuck on the floor, before sighing and moving forward. She was a stranger here, alone, with no friends or contacts nearby. She was going to have to meet new people, make new connections. Her heart was pounding in her chest with barely restrained nervousness, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Rain pushed the door to the Atrium open with no small amount of trepidation, a sinking feeling immediately manifesting in her chest.

Oh.

There were already a couple of people here.

Especially tall, good looking boys, she reflected, as she stared at the room (somewhat cowed). She looked a little bit like a blue-eyed deer in the headlights. Unsure of what to do, she hovered in the middle of space. It truly was an uncomfortable place to be in. She was completely and utterly relieved when she saw the seats with names on, and quickly made her way down to them. She was toward the back, and settled in with a surreptitious, shy glance to the left and right. The agent seemed ready to speak, and so she just smiled at her neighbours before listening.

Eventually, it got around to introductions. Rain hadn’t expected these to be happening so soon, and it caught her off guard a little. She watched and listened as people stood up and introduced themselves. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she knew that it had to be gotten over and done with. As a girl sat down, she stood up. "I’m Rain Du Toit," she introduced herself, voice a lot quieter than most who’d spoken before her. "I… I can, um, run really fast. And that’s it, really…"

Camden couldn't say he was nervous about this possible start of a new life. He didn't get nervous easily. While he preferred keeping to himself, he wasn't one to shy away from interactions or experiencing something new and exciting. So joining S.H.I.E.L.D. at Sam Wilson’s suggestion just felt right. He had just graduated college, got his masters in psych, so why not try a year out at this, see what he could get up too here before going back to college to get his doctoral degree? Maybe he could make a career here instead, become a possible therapist to heroes in need for that. He was getting ahead of himself, as was the usual for him. He hadn't even properly seen the campus let alone gotten to know his fellow peers he'd be working very closely with. When he first walked in, he gave an enthusiastic wave to Tony Stark on the stage, excited to see the man he had gotten along with so well. Now, he was seated in his assigned seat that was third row, surrounded by his fellow peers in the atrium, and he was friendly by smiling at ones he made eye contact with. He was always friendly, it seemed; almost always smiling with bright eyes and an air of comfort. He had seen firsthand what people could be going through behind closed doors, he wasn't going to be an asshole to anyone and make that possibly worse for someone. Unless they were that much of an asshole but even then, Camden was a very understanding person and rarely batted an eye at a negative attitude being directed his way. It took a lot to get him riled up (or it took just being negative towards someone he cared about, that was when his own attitude shifted in tone).

Considering Camden had a masters in psych, and had firsthand experience in the practice itself, it was hard for him to not eyeball everyone and try to notice something about them that would clue him into something about their personality. He mainly kept his eyes down, though if he did catch the eye of someone, he, of course, wasn’t rude. He lifted his eyes to listen to Maria Hill deliver her little speech, and he looked around the room to see who’d go first in introductions. He would, if no one else made a move, but he could admit he didn’t like the feeling of all eyes on him. However, some blonde that was Loki’s son hopped up first, and Camden was instantly caught as the introductions kicked off. He tried his best to not analyze the people standing up; it took a lot for him to not notice little things, and he tried to look alert while not openly staring at the ones brave enough to stand up first. He didn’t want to possibly make any of them even more nervous.

After a pretty blonde with solar powers, who seemed like she just wanted her introduction to end, went, he glanced around to see who was going next, and saw some young woman standing up a few rows behind him. He, again, tried to not stare, since some people didn't like that, and he wasn't going to add to anyone’s discomfort. However, how the new person looked caught his eye, and he turned his taller frame to get a better look. He squinted slightly at her, noticing the small frame, big blue eyes, long dark hair… it only took about five seconds, and as she said her name, he thought it at the same time. A wave of memories came crashing over him and with his discovery, his heart lurched in shock and joy, beating fiercely inside his chest. No. Way. He blinked and dumbly, he stared at first with a slow smile spreading across his face as she gave a cute, quiet introduction. Then, he was up on his feet before he had even realized what he was doing. He was about to draw a lot of attention to himself, and indirectly Rain, because he shouted in shock, "Rain Drop?!"

Making his way to her was slightly difficult. He wasn’t at the end of his row and so he slipped past a few others, murmuring, "sorry, excuse me, my bad," as he went, before he was using his long legs he always took advantage of to quickly get to where Rain was. His mind was one track now, set on Rain, and thankfully, she was at the end of her row. Without hesitation, he enveloped her in a hug, picking her up off the floor with ease and spinning with her in his arms as he gleefully let out another, "Rain Drop!!" he put her down immediately after, to put his hands on her shoulders and step back, hazel eyes roaming up and down her body. Rain Drop had certainly grown up since he had last seen her. The thought made his cheeks warm a little as he gave a toothy grin. "I can't believe it, holy crap!" he breathed, pulling her against him again because he could, hoped it would be welcomed. He had missed her so much. He had missed her all the years they had been apart, had never knew how to begin finding a way to contact her. He had been heartbroken when she disappeared because her mother up and left with her. But, now she was here, in his arms, and he felt like another part of his life was slotting into place.

Rain had been intending to sit back down again, when there was a sudden shout from the other end of the seats. Only one person had ever called her that. The voice had sounded oddly familiar, but it couldn’t be… She froze for a moment, bright eyes widening at the sight of an extremely familiar lanky figure making his way toward her. “Moose,” she whispered, rooted to the spot. A smile slowly spread across her lips as he came, and a soft squeal of happiness escaped her when she was twirled around. And she held on tight, because this couldn’t be real, it had to be a dream, and she didn’t ever want to wake up.

Her shoulders were shaking slightly, with shocked laughter and perhaps even a tear in her eye as she, too, leaned back. He’d grown - even taller, broader, more handsome than she remembered. His voice had matured, and there was even the tell-tale signs of stubble on his cheeks that was darker than it was in her memories. “I-It’s you,” she choked softly into his chest as he pulled her back in, emotion overwhelming her. It had been 5 very long years since they’d been ripped apart. Her fingers scrunched up the back of his shirt. He even smelled the same - grounded and earthy. It just made her want to cry with happiness, regret and shock. What was he even doing here?

Suddenly remembering where they were, she stiffened. Oh, of all places that they had to meet again, here? In front of everyone? It only made her want to cling to him even more. She cleared her throat, reluctantly leaning away from him (but not letting go). Her gaze quickly darted to the stage, where the various heroes and agents were staring at them (Tony Stark in particular it seemed, for some reason). She avoided their curious looks quickly, looking back up at Cam before inclining her head toward her seat. She didn’t want to let go of him, but they should probably sit down…

The soft squeal Rain had released upon Camden practically attacking her in a hug had made his grin grow even wider; he was sure his cheeks would hurt later. He felt some relief she was just as happy to see him as he was her. For a brief moment, he had thought of the possibility she wouldn't want to see him, for whatever strange reason. Unless her mother got in her head. Which would make no sense, because she was at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy and they would want to enhance her power, not talk it down and claim it was the most horrid thing on the Earth. He knew her not being happy to see him had been an illogical thought indeed, because hearing her shocked laughter, hearing that soft voice, brought so many memories rushing back to him, so many times his heart had fluttered in joy every time he managed to get laughter out of her, every time she’d smile or laugh in his direction. He almost couldn't believe Rain was right here, looking as happy as he was to see her. It felt unreal. The world is such a small place that worked in strange ways. He felt so many positive emotions beating around inside him, making him feel like he might burst at the seams.

That soft voice practically melted him. His eyes closed briefly when he heard it and he even let out a slight sigh that sounded like relief. Rain was in front of him. Rain was back with him. It was such a rattling thought and he was sure he wouldn't stop grinning for a long while now. Maybe not ever as long as Rain was right here, holding onto him. He, honestly, had briefly forgotten where they were, all the people in the room. He only had eyes for Rain, just like he had the first time he met her. Feelings that weren't dealt with properly do not change and only surface when the source came about. That was what Camden was suffering through right now. He felt so many things, to the point his eyes grew a little glassy from tears. He licked his lips, clearing his throat some while he blinked back his tears. His throat felt a little tighter and itchy but he had just… missed Rain so very much. He had wondered about her for so long, worried about her for so long. Now here she was, in his arms again, and he felt like he could drop to his knees, hug her around the waist, and beg her to not leave again. Once he was sure his voice wouldn’t come out thick or shaky, he could only say, "Yeah, it’s me, Rainy."

Though, once he felt her stiffen, that made him aware of their surroundings again. He could feel the eyes on them, and felt nerves crawl up his spine, though he pointedly ignored it. He hadn’t meant to make such a scene, he especially hadn’t meant to put Rain on the spot, and he felt some guilt twist his gut. He really didn’t want to let go of Rain, but this could come off very… unprofessional, he guessed, to the ones on stage, and even their fellow peers. With a hot face, he still couldn’t quite shake his smile as he looked down at Rain, catching her hint when she inclined her head. "Sorry to put you on the spot like that. We’ll talk after." he told her softly and had to stop himself from kissing her forehead and tucking her hair behind her ear. Old habits died hard, and he had always cared for Rain in such a manner. He gave her one last squeeze before releasing her, stepping away, and giving her a quick wink. Time to draw all attention to himself… hopefully. He didn’t want Rain to feel uncomfortable and while he didn’t like to be in the spotlight, he could deal with it for her. “Show’s over, I’m done being a big emotional boob!” he announced, stretching his arms out and grinning around the room. He hoped his face wasn’t too red. He dropped his arms as he continued to look around the room, forcing himself to make eye contact. "Name’s Camden Hayes. Cam works. I don’t really have powers, per say. I’m, like, a total rip off of Sam Wilson, in all honesty. I have a set of my own wings, but difference is, my set can shoot out feather-shaped knives that are really… sharp." he paused here and shook his head some. "Stating the obvious, my bad. I know some hand-to-hand stuff, and… I’m a Cancer, and I like long walks on the beach." bad joke, Cam, smooth. he thought but he plowed on. "Guess that’s about it!" he concluded and, after flashing Rain another grin, finally made his way back to his seat, again murmuring apologies before he sat back down in his assigned seat.

"Alright then... not over dressed nor under dressed; hair tamed correctly; decent amount of make-up. Or is it decent? Am I wearing too much of it? Or not enough?" All of this thought with a heavy sigh, Eva paused in her fussing in front of the mirror. She was currently hiding in the bathrooms of the Academy, wanting to fix herself before entering the atrium. Except there was nothing there to fix. Or was there? "Gods above Evetta. Get a hold of yourself! Since when did you care so much for first impressions?"

After a firm and silent telling off to herself, Eva forced herself out of the bathroom and towards the atrium. Honestly? She didn't know why she was worrying so much. Probably a nervous tick that had surfaced over the years at home, and likely a sign of her underlying trust issues with... well, anyone or anything alien.

And one couldn't get much more alien than a whole different realm. Midgard. Eva was certain she had been here before; she knew intricate and obscure things that only would be known by someone who had spent time on the planet. Songs, snippets of history, random facts and pop culture... they were all pieces in her broken memory, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fit them together. And that in itself was part of the reason why she came here. As for her other reasons? They were varied, and protecting the earth wasn't particularly high on the list, she was somewhat ashamed to admit. Still, she would not ignore those duties while trying to achieve her more personal ones.

Upon entering the atrium, a smile surfaced on her face to see Copen waving at her, enthusiastic grin upon his own face. "Well, I'm glad one of us is enjoying themselves." She thought with a light chuckle, noticing another figure as she took her seat beside another blond girl. Tall, Alf, and a magic user, no less? She met his flirtatious look with a smile and a roll of her eyes. She had visited Alfheim a few times as a child, and recalled good memories of the place. It had the most beautiful forests, far more ethereal and delicate than the sturdy oak forests of Vanaheim.

Eva watched on as others in the atrium introduced themselves - also darting a quick smile at Magni as he entered. Next came a girl with a metal arm (Eva's curiosity immediately piqued; the science of Midgard was truly spectacular to replace full limbs); then the girl she had sat by - Charity - revealed her own amazing power of solar energy manipulation. Eva knew a few spells that could allow the manipulation of such energies, but she highly doubted they would reach the same power levels as her fellow student. To be allowed to fly with such powers? Incredible.

The next introductions were amusing to watch, and seeing the interactions between Rain and Camden brought a grin to Eva's face, even doing something to ease the knot of unrest in her stomach. Seeing the joy of a reunion, and the subsequent embarrassment of gaining everyone's attention, reminded Eva that most - if not all - the people here were in the exact same boat as she was. Probably running from something, with some kind of strange talent, and in an unfamiliar place.

As Camden sat down once again - an awkward gait to his step as he returned, Eva took a deep yet quiet breath and stood up with a smile.

"I guess I'll take the spotlight from you. My name is Evetta Berensdóttir, and yes, even on Asgard it's a mouthful to say all at once. So, feel free to call me Eve or Eva, most people do." She paused, fiddling with a button on her shirt sleeve almost absent-mindedly as she talked. "As stated, I'm from Asgard. My talents lay very much with magic - usually if someone asks me for a spell, I can manage the basics of what is required, if not manage the full task. And..." Eva paused once more, pondering over whether or not to add her... memory problems. Surely it would come up in idle conversation? All it would take would be for someone to ask what she did for her sixteenth birthday, or where she'd learnt a particular song. "I'm.. also... sort of missing some of my memory. I only mention this so I do not appear as rude when I don't share stories of my past. That's about it for me, I suppose - oh, wait. Swords." Her grin returned at this, recalling one of the skills she had the most pride in. "I am rather skilled at swordplay. I enjoy training in it, and using it on the battlefield; while my magic may prove more useful in those endeavours, there is something satisfying in brandishing a length of steel at your enemy."

On that - interesting - note, Eva shared a smile with the room once more, and sat down, feeling far more at ease now than when she had entered.

"Well fuck, am I late?" Naturally, the first word for Roran to utter in the atrium was a profanity. It was whispered while sticking his head through the door, but still, a profanity. As was normal for him.

As it happened, he was late - he'd missed the clipped speech by Agent Hill, and the majority of introductions. He did actually catch the tail end of Eva's, which was somewhat disconcerting as she described swords and battlefields.

"Jesus Christ - and here I thought I'd be safe in this place." Well, the girl seemed to have a sunny disposition, and with the lack of swords (visible ones, anyway) in the room, Roran entered fully, removing his sunglasses as he did and wincing ever so slightly as the light hit his eyes. The fluorescents overheard weren't that bright, but suddenly taking shades off kind of felt like any light was punching you in the face. Especially the sun - God, did he have a love/hate relationship with the burning ball of gas in the sky.

Looking around the room as he entered, he noticed more than a few different sort of people. Simply by smell alone - no, it's not creepy, but yeah, the entire room was like an... international buffet of smells? Nope, bad analogy - humans are friends, not food Roran.

There were about four aliens in the place - one being the girl who had just been gushing over swords, another guy who had pointy ears? Huh. A few others smelt different; maybe mutants? And then some smelt normal - the girl with the metal arm, (HOLY Fucksticks that's awesome), the guy skulking in the shadows at the back of the room, one guy who looked like he could bench press a truck... yup. Nice little bunch of diverse heroes.

Finding his seat, Roran cleared his throat and looked at the room with a smile; may as well get introductions over with. And there wouldn't be any holding information back either; if he was going to be working with these people, they deserved to know just what kind of freak he was.

The guarantee of not eating them would probably come as a relief to everyone too.

"Hiya guys! I'm Roran - also late. Sorry about that." He began with a low chuckle, Irish accent coming through nice and strong. He hoped to God one of these yanks didn't mistake it for a Scottish one (No, you'd be surprised how many people get the two mixed up, it's incredible.) "Uhh... technically speaking I'm a mutant. Mutated genes and all that, you know how it works. But the whole truth is that I'm actually part-Vampire. Super-strength, speed, fangs, and all that Dracula shit goes on. Well, I'm only part vampire, so I'm not y'know, going to be ripping throats out anytime soon." He paused then, running a hand through his hair somewhat awkwardly. "Well... the blood drinking part is kinda necessary for me to stay sane, but SHIELD keeps me well-supplied. So, basically, don't worry about it. And feel free to ask any awkward or stupid questions about it - I'm very happy to answer them."

At that Roran finally took his seat with a sigh of relief - hopefully no-one in the room was sharpening their stakes. At least he was honest, right?

Magnus had been ready to go a half hour ago, so where was he? Honestly, he'd been there the whole time. Up in the rafters of the atrium like a phantom, he'd held position and slowed his breathing to ten breath to five per mnute. The mutant had slipped in earlier with the maitenence crew as just an eager arrival and aite for back toturn before he made his way up the wall and behind a light fixture. he relied on the bright light to not only cast a shadow for him to blend with but the intensity of the light causes most to avert their eyes. Even in a normal room without a lampshade, the natural response is to look at the wall or an object rather than the intense photonic barrage.

He watched, waited, and listened. Finally, he lunged from his perch and dropped into a crouch in his assigned seat but landing on it backwards with his hands on the backrest. His skyblue tail whiped about until he found his banance where it began to dance like a cats as he seemed to be both blind but watching everyone with those blacked-out eyes.

"So, I'm Magnus. A mutant but not a vampire. Just your garden variety contortionist that woud spider-man wince. I study magic as well but I am surely not as skilled as the others here. I'm from...way out of town but glad to be here."

An akuma, a real life akuma. Holden's black pupils actually widened at the sight. He hadn't been sure, not when he first saw the creature scale the walls and take position out of sight but he could clearly see it now, the pitch black eyes consumed by darkness and the pointed tail whipping back and forth as it spoke the human tongue.

Needless to say, Holden acted quickly.

Now, Magnus may not be many things, but he is lucky; not as lucky as Longshot or prediction masters, but that little bit of chaos on his mother's side can be both blessing and boon. Leaning sideways he was letting the chair slowly rotate as he bent over backwards like a twisted cat to impress his flexibility when the first kunai sunk into the leather, right where the middle finger would be on his hand if he hadn't lost it earlier. That got him to act without burdening his mind with thought, a nearly zen state of reaction as he shot himself like a cannon out of the chair and over the table as the second kunai went soaring past where he once was.

The azure mutant did not even notice that it was a ninja tool being used on him yet, it could just as easily be gambits card, angels fletchings, or machine gun fire. He bounced his back on the stage and rolled into a splayed crouch. As he rolled, his hand brushed over the pouch fastening and drew his own weapon.

What he said next was not German but it would certainly make the asgardians blush and ponder the physical imposibility of Magnus's suggestion.

A suggestion that fell short of a sudden spray of smoke.

With a toss of the black orb, a cloud of mist enveloped the stage, making way when the assassin shot through the wall of black and gray with kunai in hand.

Magnus saw the knife in the chair finally, followed by the movement of the orb, now alert to the assault, and then all was obscured in mist. This way was familiar to him, intimately so. flipping his blade to an ice-pick grip, he threw himself straight up with both his legs and his tail for extra oomph. He felt something strike the heel of his boot and went with the strike to add momentum to his flip as he landed in the smoke again, on his terms.

Now he changed his speech to something far less celestial. "Shinobu wa, dete kimasu. Watashi wa anata o korosu tame ni nani no chumon o motte imasen!" Magnus did this for two reasons, first was to see just what sort of assassin he was dealing with, and second was to let him test the sound absorbency of the mist to adjust how to listen for approach.

He got his answer in the form of a faint whistle, all that was needed for a swift turn and step, ending with him falling back on his tail as the thin blade of a kunai knife cut through the air, gripped tightly as it came slicing apart the smoke but barely missing the mutant's neck who smirked as he got the second closest shave of the day.

"Akuma wa, sono seishitsu ni shitagau koto o chūmon suru hitsuyō wa arimasen." Blade at the ready, foot sliding back as the two ninja's stood in the midst of the man-made fog, black pupils scanned their target before accelerating, shooting forward with a flying knee.

Magnus pushed himself back up into a standing position as he heard the words and just like that everything made sense. He threw himself forward as well, seeming to attack with the knife in a wide hay maker stab, only for him to drop the razor sharp flute mid swing and go for a knife hand chop. the dropped kunai was grasped by the prehensile tail and tried to stab the other in his knee.

The blade thrust but missed its target, silvery metal cutting the assassin's leg as he adjusted, hand catching the tail right before it cut too deep as he hit the ground. He yanked the appendage and the force slid him beneath the mutant's legs landing behind him as Magnus' knife hand grazed the killer's chin.

"Watashi wa akuma no gozen, Watashi wa totsuzenhen'i-tai wa yo!"

"Uso..." The assassin responded, coldly. He went for the assault, ready to kill the demon once and for all.

But suddenly, he stopped...

"That's enough of that." A voice spoke from the clearing smoke.

Holden took one step forward before falling over, three needles sparking with electricity sticking out of his back as he lay unconcious on the floor.

"New recruits, not gonna say I'm disappointed but well.." Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, stepped onto the stage, bracelet still surging with sparks of tamed lightning as she watched the unconscious boy lie still. ", let's try and avoid anymore personal demonstrations, shall we?"

Magnus looked at the sleeping ninja as he disentangled himself and checked his tail for breaks or sprains. "You all saw it, that orphan attacked me!" he quoted from a webcomic he liked to read as he put his kunai away, taking one of the others as well for later as he went back to his seat. "One in the chair, another somewhere... the ball, and the one in his hand, or was it two?...sorry about that, um, I guess I should mention I am a Japanese speaking Shinobu taught by Psyloche? the Japanese was just to fill my foreign language requirement to graduate, and anime."

He took his seat, and the knife in it, putting them both away for now.