ic Tech Compliance (Open)

[Tiffany Korta]

Claremont’s Tech Laboratories,

After Classes

 

New intern, and former student, Valeria Velásquez looked around on of the very tech labs that she studied in only a few years ago. Considering some of the stuff she got up to she was pretty surprised that Summers had given her chance to become a teacher here.

 

With a deep breath she open the door to allowed any of the students who wanted to do after school studies, wondering if anyone would actually show up. Not looking just in case she called to anyone outside.

 

“Everybody come in and find yourself a seat.”

[Dr Archeville]

"Ah, yes, hello," a soft, bright voice replied.  It was one of Claremont's Atlantean students, Heroditus Sylianos.  He was wearing sandals, dark blue knee-length breeches, and a dark green short-sleeved tunic, cinched together with a tan belt and bandolier which contained numerous pouches.  "This is the tech club, yes?  Where students can learn about technology at their own pace?  And perhaps learn things the instructors do not teach?"  Such a break from established doctrine would be anathema to a conservative, tradition-minded Atlantean, but teenagers were often more rebellious, and Heroditus was considered particularly iconoclastic among his peers back under the seas.  "I am quite eager to learn about Surfacer technology, how it differs from what we have back home."  He grabbed a seat at the front of the class, and retrieved some sort of tablet computer from one of the larger pouches.

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Dr Archeville

[Shofet]

Mia Mustafic-Markov appeared in the room with a sudden snap of light and distorted space. She looked around, her hair wild and her eyes wide. In her arms, she was carrying her laptop, along with a small box of tools she used to tinker with her computer in her spare time. She was dressed in a black hoodie and some torn up, faded blue jeans, her thumbs poking out of holes she had cut in the sleeves.

 

"Sorry, sorry, I hope I am not late. I had to stay late for something," she said as she looked around the classroom, then hurriedly took her seat. "Wouldn't miss this for the world."

 

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Her eyes settled on one of the people she remembered from Aquaria's presentation. He asked a lot of questions. Hung out with General Benaffleckos or whatever? She couldn't remember clearly.

 

"Yo," she said, slightly out of breath.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Us too!" Just behind the Atlantean boy came the Smith sisters, as usual one looking interested and the other tense. "Ah need to learn a little more about computers, since they're in my head most of the time anyway." She was wearing one of several dark blouse and jeans she owned, the gold cross around her neck her only serious piece of jewelry. She smiled at Heroditus and said, "Hi there, Ah'm Judy and this is my sister Ashley. Hi Mia!"  

 

Ashley, who had actually entered the room ahead of her sister, gave the Atlantean a suspicious look. "Mmm." She grunted in Mia's direction before she took a seat between Judy and the others. 

[Semi-Autogyro]

Looking up when the door opened Claude took off the pair of headphones he had on, music still pumping out of them loud enough to hear before he turned off the device. He was looking forward to tinkering again hopefully not getting sidetracked, since the last time he held a soldering gun he had to drop what he was doing to be shot at with cannons by Barbary corsairs half an hour later. 'Stupid freakin' future tourists', Claude groused internally. 

 

Part of him was curious too, what a joint like Claremont made available to its students. Back when he was Kitbash, he had distinctly subpar tools most of the time. 'Still was able to make a heat ray out of the that one toaster, though. Too bad it melted afterwards and made everything smell like grilled cheese.' The Bostonian remembered fondly as he entered the room, only to stop when he saw Ashley. 'Great, just what I freakin' needed today. Angry grrl.' 

 

Still he was one to never back down so he soldiered on, plonking himself down in the seat farthest from her and closest to the exit. "How you doin." he said to the teach, slouching down into the remarkably comfy chair.  

Edited October 1, 2019 by Semi-Autogyro

[Dariusprime]

Nick shuffled quietly into the classroom. He was in his usual attire: jeans, band t-shirt, and sneakers. Judging from yet another, different shirt, the kid's wardrobe must have been all concert souvenirs. In any event, Nick gave a little wave to the assembled group and an equally shy wave to the teacher. It wasn't that he was aloof. On the contrary, his eyes darted about like he wanted to interact and didn't know how. How much was his powers and how much was his personality was a mystery.

 

The silent greeting gave him a chance to assess the room. Giving the Smith sisters a wide berth, he sat down next to Claude and gave him a thumbs up. His roommate didn't need to prod Nick to the tech lab. This topic made him eager to attend. A tablet was produced from under the back of his shirt, and the petite Midwesterner leaned forward in anticipation. Well, once he thumped the tablet to make it boot properly.

 

Mentally, he tuned into the background hum of electronics. The predictable electromagnetic signatures were sort of soothing. A small smile crept onto his face as he looked around.

[Ari]

"Ah! Squadmate Mustafic-Markov! Here you are!" Leroy slid in through the door, smiling from ear to ear, his uniform's jacket over one shoulder and his golden eyes sparkling in the reddening light.

 

Pausing behind Judy's chair to give her a kiss on the cheek and a murmured "You look wonderful, Dee", he dropped lightly into a chair beside Mia and offered her a slender hand. "Leroy Ransom-Conte, also of Orange Squad. Pleasure to meet you in person!" He looked curiously about the room, noting the computers and electronics benches lining the place as if for the first time. 

 

Catching sight of Heroditus he waved enthusiastically to the other boy, "Mr. Stylianos! How splendid! I was afraid I would be the only one who has no notion what most of this apparatus does!"

 

"Instructor Velásquez, what does this melange of mystery do?" He rested his chin on his folded hands, scarred face shining and gazing up at Valeria almost worshipfully.

[Avenger Assembled]

Judy looked at Nick and Claude, then looked away - she'd been warned about those two by her sister. But there was something about Nick and the way he glowed to the sight she would never quite admit to having that made her curious. Not in the way looking at Leroy and sometimes Micah made her curious, but something else. She concentrated a moment, hands resting on her lap. 

 

Hey! she thought at Nick in words that came to him in a burst of electromagnetic energy, seeming to stare right through him when he looked her way. Can you hear me?! 

 

And then Leroy came in, and her attention was thoroughly diverted. Conscious of Ashley's eyes on her, she gave Leroy a winning smile and a little wave. "Hiii, Leroy." She didn't even frown as he took Mia's hand, she knew that was just his way. He is my boy anyway. Giving Ashley an innocent look, she smiled and looked up at the teacher. 

 

[Shofet]

Mia had been setting up her tools and opening up her laptop when she was pulled out of her thoughts by a very pretty young woman. She blinked as he extended his hand, and cautiously took it and shook it like a limp fish. She had no idea who this man was, but he clearly knew who she was. Wait. Orange Team? Oh. Right.

 

“Uhhh…” She attempted to subtly pull out her team assignment list from her interdimensional pocket, her eyes flipping down as slyly as she could. “Hi, Daaaaaaavyyyyyd?” Her eyes darted around, and she released her hand as she broke eye contact, turning a bit red. She had no idea who this guy was and it was super obvious. This was beyond awkward already and now she kind of wanted to die. There was still time to teleport away.

 

No, the counselor talked about this. Don’t that.

 

But it would be so easy!

[Amelia]

Octoman

 

The tinny sound of one long airhorn blast erupted from the doorway, followed by four short ones in rapid succession as Ben Wang thumbed the screen of his smartphone. "There really IS an app for everything. Don't you just LOVE living in THE FUTURE?" He stuffed his phone into his pocket and strutted into the room, lugging an enormous laptop with a green case in his other hand. He stopped to lean to one side and point with both hands at Heroditus. "HEYYY, from one NON-CANNIBAL fish-guy to another, SOLIDARITY." He tapped his own chest for emphasis. When he saw Nick, he kept talking out loud, but he augmented it with hand signs. "Nick, my man, what's the word?" His hand signs, "None of these idiots know sign language why would I be signing when you can hear me just fine blue turtle hungry sock", did not match up with his spoken words. He winked at Nick. Then he pointed dual finger-guns at Leroy. "Sir Leroy, thou art lookin' fly as usual, Hashtag: Goals, not sure I could pull it off but thou shalt do thine." His next stop was by Mia's desk, where he held his fist up for a bump. "Dude, thanks for the 4-1-1 on this place."

 

Ben stopped in his tracks when he saw Ashley and Judy. Oh hey, Secret Robot-Girl! Wait, in TECH CLUB? Seriously? How is this still a secret? I guess Superhero School doesn't do Detective Class until senior year? He set his laptop on a desk, glanced around, then crept over to them and whispered. "Hey, so, uh...I kinda figured it out when we met the other day. Super-senses, you know how it is. And your secret's safe with me! I'm not gonna tell anyone, but...isn't THIS a little obvious? I mean, this is the FIRST place in the school anyone would expect...someone like you...like, this is the first place they'd look."

 

[Dr Archeville]

He smiled at Judy, and nodded to her protective older sister.  "Hello Judy, Ashley.  I am Heroditus Stylianos, of Atlantis."

 

"... yo," he replied uncertainly to Mia.  Ah, yes, she was the one who disappeared abruptly at the end of Aquaria's visit.  How does she cloak herself?  Some sort of light warping, perhaps.  I should try to see if I can have a chat with her after this meeting.

 

He nodded to Claude and Nick, and smiled & bowed slightly when Leroy entered.  "<Greetings, Prince of Atlantis-2,>" he said in the bright, sharp tones of Atlantean, "<I trust you are well.>"  Ah, he and Mis are on the same squad!  Perhaps he can help introduce me.

 

To the few in the room who could pick up electromagnetic signals, Heroditus' device was decidedly unusual.  It was not intercepting or broadcasting any EM signals, or even seem to be powered on -- it looked to be just a flat pane of quartz, set into a leather border/frame.  Yet he was holding and looking at it like it was a fully active tablet computer.

 

Oh merciful Poseidon, it's him, he thought as Ben entered.  He was still adjusting to Ben's... well, everything.  He did manage a polite smile and nod.

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Dr Archeville

[Avenger Assembled]

The Smith sisters blinked at that, almost in unison. Everyone saw Judy pale as Octoman whispered to the group, her hands clenched in front of her, and for a moment the air seemed to get considerably warmer around where Octoman, Daystar, and Watchdog were sitting. Reflexively, her eyes flicked to Leroy, almost shouting his name inside her head. 

 

Ashley, of cooler temperament than Judy, considered the situation. She was reasonably confident that Octoman was talking out his ass (maybe literally) - while the kid's celebrity crush on Chris was cute, it was pretty clear that if he knew a secret, it would be all over the school before anyone had time to say anything.

 

"Hey, Other Benny," she snorted loud enough for everyone to hear, making sure she was positioned so Octoman could see her face. "Everything you've heard about me is true. So you'd better move out of our personal space, don't you think?" 

[KnightDisciple]

Micah Roebuck stood in the doorway to the "tech club"', the first meeting of this semi-informal group already coalescing in front of him. He saw Claude and Ben, two friendly but boisterous fellows he'd started to get to know. Mostly at their insistence. Especially Ben's. There was...a girl he didn't know, not that that was hard. That Atlantean prince guy who'd started this year. 

 

'Is he a prince?'

 

A guy who he was pretty sure was Claude's friend and/or roommate. And three people whose presence really stopped him in his tracks. Ashley, Judy, and Leroy. The first two, or the latter, he could deal with. But all three, with the extra-awkward dynamics right now? Micah almost turned around right then and there.

 

But then he thought of that barely-functional pair of motor-skates he'd made for Danica, and his dreams of his career, and his love of mechanical things. So Micah quietly came in and sat down in the back, trying to avoid drawing attention, at least for now. 

[TheAbsurdist]

Benny waffled on the fence about this, but ultimately came down on the whole 'what else was he doing?'  That, and the examples of super science he'd seen so far were like Daedalus kicked up several notches than what he had seen.  Still he arrived, after a fashion, running a little late, though not puffing despite having run as he made his way up to the class room, sliding on worn sneakers into the door way, his broad shoulder hitting the frame.  "Whoa, not too late?"  He asked in that flat, stereotypical accent.  He was wearing a heavy long sleeve shirt to fend off the chill in the air, and a pair of jeans, with his bookbag slung over one shoulder.

The only hint of his dash here was a slight flush to his cheeks.  He caught Ashley's snort, and he blinked a bit, "Hey guys, what's up?"  A guileless expression on his face, as he moved on in, to step right between her and Ben like a cinder block wall, a pleasant sort of smile on his face.  His hands at his sides, sitting slightly off of his waist.

[Tiffany Korta]

GM Post

Valeria had been keeping track of the whole situation, she took in a little breath to calm her nerves after all she was barely older than most of the students here.

 

“Please everyone settle down. My name is Valeria and I’m here to keep an eye and help out where I can, I promise you that I have some technical knowledge. Mostly I’m here to make sure you don't cause to much trouble, we don’t want anyone making a death ray on the first day after all!” she laughed at her own little joke.

 

“What you do is up to you, the facilities here are at your disposal. Within limits obviously. I suggest you split into groups a discuss between yourselves to decide what you want to do.”

[Semi-Autogyro]

On 9/30/2019 at 10:22 PM, Grumblefloof said:

When he saw Nick, he kept talking out loud, but he augmented it with hand signs. "Nick, my man, what's the word?" His hand signs, "None of these idiots know sign language why would I be signing when you can hear me just fine blue turtle hungry sock", did not match up with his spoken words.

 

Claude snorted when Inky wandered in and started signing in Nicks' direction. He rolled his eyes and signed back: 'Yeah pair the mute kid up with somebody who can't sign your hovercraft is full of eels.' 

 

On 9/30/2019 at 10:52 PM, KnightDisciple said:

So Micah quietly came in and sat down in the back, trying to avoid drawing attention, at least for now. 

 

Claude raised a fist for Micah to bump as he passed by to sit near Nick and himself. "How you doin', pally?' 

 

On 9/30/2019 at 10:48 PM, Avenger Assembled said:

"Hey, Other Benny," she snorted loud enough for everyone to hear, making sure she was positioned so Octoman could see her face. "Everything you've heard about me is true. So you'd better move out of our personal space, don't you think?" 

 

"Ooooh, better watch it there Brooklyn. She might go after your lunch money too." Claude cracked. "Next thing you know you might want to 'watch where you are going', and it 'would be a shame if somethin' happened'. "There, useless posturin' over. Can we get back to the point why we're all here?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

 

"Sorry Teach." Claude apologized to Valeria.

 

On 10/1/2019 at 4:12 AM, Tiffany Korta said:

 

 

“What you do is up to you, the facilities here are at your disposal. Within limits obviously. I suggest you split into groups a discuss between yourselves to decide what you want to do.”

 

Claude turned to Nick and started signing, intent on keeping the conversation private except for Ben who he didn't mind looking in. "I was thinking some sort of white noise headphones for you. Maybe even a acoustic nullifier, at least let you get to sleep easier", he signed in ASL to his roomie.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Semi-Autogyro

[Dariusprime]

Nick dozed into the chant-like drone of the electronics. Suddenly a pulse of chaotic energy hit him like a hammer, and he jumped upright in his seat. The desk tipped back but didn't fall. Which gave Nick time to whip his head toward Judy. That turned out to be a mistake.

 

Reflexively, the electromagnetic oracle pushed back the Cacophony, the overlapping electromagnetic and auditory signals he constantly received, and focused entirely on Judy. His mind had already triangulated the multiple signals to her and analyzed each one. They were a jumble across the radio spectrum including wi-fi and local amateur bands. All signals translated as Hey! If that was all, he'd only be confused as Judy stared through him. Then the second half of her message hit.

 

He grimaced and nodded absently through closed eyes. Thankfully for Nick, other arrivals, particularly Leroy and Octo-Ben, threw some cover his way. Eyes watering a bit, Nick waved to the Ben and signed, "Wassup tentacled teen terror fuzzy soda tank?" Yes, Ben, Claude, and he were having truly meaningful conversation.

 

Quickly as he arrived though, Ben moved on and left Nick rubbing his head. The sharp sensation Nick had been feeling slowly passed as he watched the scene unfold. Finally, he nodded to Claude as a way to clear his head.

[Ari]

"'Davyd' is a wonderful effort! For the sale of brevity, let us call me 'Roy'. I know we shall be good friends, squaddie!" Thumping Mia heartily on the shoulder and sliding elegantly to his feet, Leroy seemed to teleport across the room in a flash of gold and blue, sliding an arm companionably around Benicio. 

 

"Good Ben...!" 

 

On September 30, 2019 at 8:53 PM, TheAbsurdist said:

"Hey guys, what's up?" 

"Ah! That is to say, additional good Ben! As distinct from yourself, good Ben," he smiled disarmingly at Benjamin, "welcome! Instructor Valeria has asked us to find our own path. What would you like to make? Mustafic-Markov in that seat is a font of creation and genius, she would be a splendid partner! I am afraid I shall be busy for a while..." he turned brightly back to Benicio, tapping him lightly on the nose "...as I must challenge you, additional good Ben, to a build-off! Name your mechanism or what have you. We shall take it to the top rope of invention! Come, away from this crowded corner!"

 

As he'd been talking, Leroy had been suggesting by very insistent movements of his arm and legs that he and Benicio go to the benches furthest from Judy, Ashley and Nick. 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Ari

[Amelia]

Octoman

 

Quote

"Hey, Other Benny," she snorted loud enough for everyone to hear, making sure she was positioned so Octoman could see her face. "Everything you've heard about me is true. So you'd better move out of our personal space, don't you think?"

 

Ben held his hands up as he slowly walked backwards away from the sisters. "Whatever!" Dozens of lines appeared in the skin on the palm-side of his hands. At first, they looked like scars. But then, the opened up, revealing themselves as folds. When they un-folded, each one revealed a sucker. They ranged in diameter from a nickel to a pea. Each one squeezed shut and flexed upon rhythmically, though not in time with each other. "Y'all keep forgettin' I'm like the Big Bad Wolf over here, with a hundred-thousand little extra noses ta SMELL ya with. But hey, you do you, Chica."

 

Quote

"Ooooh, better watch it there Brooklyn. She might go after your lunch money too." Claude cracked. "Next thing you know you might want to 'watch where you are going', and it 'would be a shame if somethin' happened'. "There, useless posturin' over. Can we get back to the point why we're all here?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

 

"Hey, it's cool. Don't start none, won't BE none. I ain't startin' nothin'. If some roid-raging psycho gets their undies in a twist and comes out swingin', I'll damn sure FINISH somethin'," Ben turned and glared at Ashley for a moment, "But I ain't startin' nothin'."

 

The suckers retreated back into the folds in the skin of his hands, which themselves then vanished, as he turned away, catching sight of Micah. "Heyyy, Johnny Cash Junior!" Ben snapped a pair of finger-guns gestures at the boy.

 

Quote

"I am afraid I shall be busy for a while..." he turned brightly back to Benicio, tapping him lightly on the nose "...as I must challenge you, additional good Ben, to a build-off! Name your mechanism or what have you. We shall take it to the top rope of invention! Come, away from this crowded corner!"

 

Ben's eyes widened, just a little bit more than they should've been physically capable of doing. "Man, what IS it with this place? Everyone thinks it's Prison Rules, gotta find the coolest cat and kick his ass on the first day. I totally get why everyone ELSE thinks that's me, but DAMN, man, you look in the mirror today? I'm not even TRYIN' ta compete with this whole Prince Akeem thing you got goin' on over here. But if you really wanna dance, I mean, all I really know how to 'build' is code. So, like, I can write a program or put a website together or somethin' like that. I can put a computer together if all the parts are there. But I'm not, like, soldering my own circuit boards or anything like that."

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Grumblefloof

[Dr Archeville]

Heroditus' pulse was quickening, his breaths more shallow.  This was far more chaotic and disorganized than he'd expected.  Does Ms. Velásquez not have a plan for us?  No guidance?  We are all to chart our own path?  That's... that's freeing, yes, but... but some structure...

 

He set his tablet down and retrieved his waterskin with trembling hands, and took a long drink.  The cool water calmed him a bit.  Okay.  Okay.  You knew this was going to be tough.  You knew this, and you came anyway.  You can handle this.  You are a Stylianos.  You are Atlantean.

 

Seeing his roommate enter, and be roped into conviviality with Leroy and Octo-Ben, sparked an idea.  He grabbed his tablet, bowed slightly to Valeria, and made his way to the trio.  He smiled an nodded politely to Ashley and Judy as he passed them; he would have done the same to Micah, had he seen him in the back.  "Greetings, gentlemen."  He bowed slightly to Leroy, "I have a request to make of you three, if I may.  I admit I know precious little about Surface World technology -- which is rather jarring, as I am very skilled with the mechano-mysticism of Atlantis -- and would very much appreciate some help in learning my way around it.  For instance," he showed his flat crystal device, "I have seen many of the students here, and some teachers, with devices which look similar to this, yet theirs appear to allow them to communicate with people far away, and access something called 'the ent-er-net.'  And I have seen one student accidentally drop theirs into a fountain, and reacted as if it was irreparably damaged.  What are those devices?"

[TheAbsurdist]

He frowned a little bit, as Leroy jumped in, and said that bit about the other good Ben.  "Ah, yeah, it's Benny."  He shifted his feet, having squared up in a bladed stance between them on pure instinct, which might not have been noticed by the other people.  Absently brushing those big hands on his denim clad hips, to wide off some talc powder as he swept his eyes over everyone for a moment.  He didn't immediately break off from his blockade between the Smith sisters and Ben.  Making certain that he gave a nod or something along those lines to the students, at least to try and establish something.

When he looked to Val, the nod was followed with a, "Yes'm."  He said it in a respectfully curt matter, and he swept his eyes over everyone else, "So... any ideas on who should group up...?"  He heavy brows knitted together.

 

[KnightDisciple]

On 10/1/2019 at 8:36 PM, Semi-Autogyro said:

 

Claude snorted when Inky wandered in and started signing in Nicks' direction. He rolled his eyes and signed back: 'Yeah pair the mute kid up with somebody who can't sign your hovercraft is full of eels.' 

 

 

Claude raised a fist for Micah to bump as he passed by to sit near Nick and himself. "How you doin', pally?' 

 

 

"Ooooh, better watch it there Brooklyn. She might go after your lunch money too." Claude cracked. "Next thing you know you might want to 'watch where you are going', and it 'would be a shame if somethin' happened'. "There, useless posturin' over. Can we get back to the point why we're all here?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

 

"Sorry Teach." Claude apologized to Valeria.

 

 

Claude turned to Nick and started signing, intent on keeping the conversation private except for Ben who he didn't mind looking in. "I was thinking some sort of white noise headphones for you. Maybe even a acoustic nullifier, at least let you get to sleep easier", he signed in ASL to his roomie.

 

Micah blinked, shrugged, and gave a tentative fist-bump back.

 

"I'm okay. Just checking this out."

 

Micah seemed quiet, but more in a "calm, reserved" way that fit what Claude had gathered of his personality thus far, rather than someone who was experiencing a negative emotional state. 

 

23 minutes ago, Grumblefloof said:

Octoman

 

 

Ben held his hands up as he slowly walked backwards away from the sisters. "Whatever!" Dozens of lines appeared in the skin on the palm-side of his hands. At first, they looked like scars. But then, the opened up, revealing themselves as folds. When they un-folded, each one revealed a sucker. They ranged in diameter from a nickel to a pea. Each one squeezed shut and flexed upon rhythmically, though not in time with each other. "Y'all keep forgettin' I'm like the Big Bad Wolf over here, with a hundred-thousand little extra noses ta SMELL ya with. But hey, you do you, Chica."

 

 

"Hey, it's cool. Don't start none, won't BE none. I ain't startin' nothin'. If some roid-raging psycho gets their undies in a twist and comes out swingin', I'll damn sure FINISH somethin'," Ben turned and glared at Ashley for a moment, "But I ain't startin' nothin'."

 

The suckers retreated back into the folds in the skin of his hands, which themselves then vanished, as he turned away, catching sight of Micah. "Heyyy, Johnny Cash Junior!" Ben snapped a pair of finger-guns gestures at the boy.

 

 

Ben's eyes widened, just a little bit more than they should've been physically capable of doing. "Man, what IS it with this place? Everyone thinks it's Prison Rules, gotta find the coolest cat and kick his ass on the first day. I totally get why everyone ELSE thinks that's me, but DAMN, man, you look in the mirror today? I'm not even TRYIN' ta compete with this whole Prince Akeem thing you got goin' on over here. But if you really wanna dance, I mean, all I really know how to 'build' is code. So, like, I can write a program or put a website together or somethin' like that. I can put a computer together if all the parts are there. But I'm not, like, soldering my own circuit boards or anything like that."

 

 

Micah actually laughed a bit at the joke. He gave Ben a wave and a nod back.

 

"Hey."

 

When he sat down, there was a smile on his face. It faded a bit as the teacher mentioned "working together in groups", and he cast his gaze around the room, trying to determine who he'd want to work with. And on what? He had a few ideas ranging from small items to some pretty fanciful stuff, but it remained to be seen just what could be accomplished here.

[Avenger Assembled]

Still looking rattled from the near-miss with Octoman, Judy looked up at Rebound and smiled a beauty queen's smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You're welcome to join us if you want," she added in a faint but detectable Southern drawl that gradually evened out as she finished calming down. "Ah'm Judy Smith," she added, "and this is mah sister Ashley." She folded her hands in front of her, then said, "Ah'm here because Ah wanted to experiment with my powers on some technology that Ah could fry without it hurting anybody, and Ashley's always looking for more gear to practice with." 

For her part, having mostly dismissed the boys, Ashley was scrutinizing the tech for a moment to make absolutely sure this woman wasn't a contemporary - no, if anything, she looked even younger than Ashley's true age. The scowl that crossed her face wasn't feigned at all as that thought sunk in. "Charmed." 

 

"You're Rebound, right?" asked Judy curiously. "Ah didn't know you were one of the tech guys." 

[Shofet]

This was chaos. This was absolute chaos. Mia looked up at Leroy, and blanched a bit. "Oh, right, later," Roy. She gave Ben a fist-bump. And then everything was madness. Apparently Ashley was being all hostile with Ben, which, okay, he could be a little exuberant but it didn't warrant her reacting like that, either. And so many people seemed to be wayyyy more into hypertech than her dinky little laptop. Well. 

 

She sighed to herself, and audibly slapped her face against the table.

 

Ow. Okay, she was trying to be dramatic but that actually hurt. Who made these tables, anyway? They were probably built to handle superteens, so it made sense they were hard, but like, come on. She wondered if anyone threw down in rooms like this. Just chucking super-hard tables at each other and challenging each other to fights. 'I'll blow you up with my laser eyes!' would go one, hypothetical past student. 'Nuh-uh! Eat table, bro!' would go the other. 

 

And then campus security would be called.

 

If there even was such a thing. She hadn't seen anyone like that. Who would be crazy enough to try and wrangle a bunch of kids who can make a man explode into a bunch of chinchillas or throw him into space?

[Dariusprime]

Once his head cleared, Nick took a moment to take stock of what Mia correctly called chaos. Felt a lot like the day he moved into the dorms. Well, no time like the present. Pulling up his tablet, Nick considered Claude's ideas. They were solid ones...

 

...but he needed to take a moment. A quiet scan of the room, visual and auditory, made him reconsider his course of action. Admittedly, some of the ideas he considered seemed frightening, but as he already pondered, no time like the present. So he went about the situation in a series of tactical decisions. The anxious Atlantean's tablet(?) would wait for now, but others went into action.

 

First, he signed to Claude, "Why don't we invite her," pointing to Mia, "and him over? They could use the company." Especially after Mia's headdesk-ing.

 

Not waiting for a reply, Nick stood up, twirled his tablet under his arm, and headed off toward Mia. The shift in his demeanor felt significant to Claude, but not unexpected, as the small teen felt most confident when set on a goal of some sort. Stopping beside Mia, he gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder and a warm smile. Those gestures came before an open-handed motion toward where Claude and he were sitting. A quick nod that he was, indeed, serious, Nick shuffled over to Micah and offered a fist bump. Nick hadn't met Micah either, but extended the same silent offer to join Claude and himself. All this in perhaps less than a minute.

 

He didn't return to the group though. His path bee-lined to the trio of Judy, Ashley, and Ben. A bit of typing and the tablet faced them, "I'm Nick. Nice to meet you all. May I join you for a moment please? If you are interested, I would enjoy chatting about your powers a bit, Judy."

 

The kid was obviously a bit nervous and fidgety but holding himself together. The smiled remained, and he offered a handshake to any takers among the trio. He was, if nothing else, forthright when motivated.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Dariusprime