[Mingle-Log] Only non-alcoholic beverages in the punch bowl...

[adminfury]

[This is an open mingle log. You do not have to be part of the community to post in this thread. Consider it a test-drive of sorts to get your voice or meet new characters!]



SHIELD Academy
Open House
Everyone is congregated in the spacious auditorium of the SHIELD Academy. The noise level is probably a decibel below deafening and the lights are probably a little dimmer than what might seem normal for this time in the evening, but it doesn't seem to bother anyone as they just carry on. There are banners strewn about welcoming all first years to a new chapter in their lives while others welcome the others back for another year at the Academy. Refreshments are served up on stage while other tables set up around the massive room are home to pamphlets and flyers for clubs and classes. Special electives and advertisements for training sessions are also littered amongst the tables.

Make a few friends, find old ones, look into clubs that catch your interest. This is open house for all returning students and prospective students, so hang out, hit up others and just mingle!

Comments

[voiceinthedark]

"Yeah but you're here because you're special and I'm here because it was this or get handed over to the cops," Sam replies and he has to smile a bit. It sounds so ridiculous. He hadn't even meant to do it, it had just been too much of a challenge to pass up.

He gives a soft laugh at that, giving his brother a wry look. "There is that. I mean, I'm pretty sure dad's never gonna talk to me again."

[vates]

"But this wouldn't have been an option if they hadn't wanted you too." While Kevin can get frustrated at Sam's lack of initiative sometimes, he does have a genuine interest in his brother's happiness. They're twins; that's not something that's easily erased because Sam doesn't do the school thing as well as Kevin does.

"Dad just needs some time. And maybe this place will be different, you know? I don't think it's exactly like a... regular school." Maybe Sam will be able to perform the way their parents want him to. Kevin's heart's in the right place, anyway.

[voiceinthedark]

He bites back his answer, that he's pretty sure they only offered him that because they really wanted Kevin around with his amazing ability. He doesn't say it. He smiles instead, and nods. "Yeah, yeah that's probably right. We'll take the place by storm."

He grimances at that because it's pretty hard to imagine dad getting over anything like that. And as for mom, yeah, he's trying not to think about their parents much. "You noticed that too then? It's a bit... weird. Pretty sure most schools don't give you brain scans as part of registering."

[vates]

"I think the brain scans are only the beginning of all the new weird stuff." Kevin's nervous about it, honestly. He knew what to expect out of his old school, but this school is new, and peoples' abilities are different, probably. How can Kevin compete with that? How can he keep his grades up?

"Are you going to join up with any of these clubs?"

[voiceinthedark]

"Yeah." Sam looks around the room a bit more warily. Everyone looks happy, but he's seen enough movies and sci-fi shows to know that appearances can be deceiving and he has an overactive imagination to match. "It'll be fine. I'm sure it'll be fine."

They totally aren't doing hideous experiments on people's brains.

Probably.

He chewed on his lip for a moment, looking pensive. "I think they've got a radio thing. I might see if they need any help. You won't tell mum and dad right?"

[vates]

Well, thanks, Sam. He'd been so swept up in the new school aspect that he'd nearly forgotten to be suspicious of a strange school for studying and training up a team of people who exhibit different kinds of appealing qualities. No big deal. It'll be fine.

"No, you're not," he cuts in, frowning now, and he looks out at the crowd with a new kind of mistrust.

"Of course I won't tell them. But you don't really think they could just... invite people to a school like this, and then be... I don't know. Shady?"

[voiceinthedark]

Sam has spent far too much time reading comic books. Sorry Kevin. He sighs and gives Kevin a look that almost approaches apologetic. "Look I just... you'll have fun. It's fine. I'm just... new school jitters, y'know?"

He leans back against the wall, arms folded defensively. "No, I mean... there are like... rules and stuff for that. Right?"

[vates]

Kevin has too; it's okay. It's good to be a little suspicious of their surroundings considering they're in such new territory, though Kevin wants to trust in the system, he really does. But what secrets are hiding in the system? That's not something he's considered very often.

"I hope so. How much stuff do you think has been hidden from us all this time?" He looks around the room, and he lowers his voice. "How many students here are... gifted and talented in ways we never could've imagined before? And now this is our life too?"

[voiceinthedark]

"Who knows? I mean, mom told you to keep it hidden right? No point doing that if there's nothing to hide so there has to be some reason." She probably wanted to protect Kevin from places like this. Or places worse than this. Who knew?

"Maybe they're like... like super heroes!"

Okay, that sounded way more cool now he thought about it.

[vates]

It'd seemed sensible to keep it hidden because who knows how people might react, but Kevin had figured that was more along the lines of ignorant, regular kinds of people, or... yeah, okay, secret government agencies designed to test on people. But there have to be good places too, right? Or, well, not have to be, but at least could be? Because superheroes does sound pretty awesome.

"You think they'd tap us to be superheroes?" And while there's a touch of negativity to his tone, it's basically there to invite Sam to prove him wrong.

[voiceinthedark]

"Well yeah," Sam says with more enthusiasm than he's shown so far. "I mean, you could probably break any code someone cared to throw at you! And I could... well, I could be the backup but... but I could have an awesome computer bank with swivel screens and everything. It would be cool!"

[vates]

"We'd be intel." And Kevin could be intel too, but he can't do everything, after all. Sam's enthusiasm is catching, even if now Kevin's still a little worried. What is this place going to train them to do, after all?

"Maybe more like spies."

[voiceinthedark]

"Yeah, that works," Sam says, clinging onto this thread of conversation like a lifeline. It's a distraction at least, even if it's not likely to happen.

"Yeah, superspies. Saving the world from nefarious villains. Tuxedos and dry martinis and stuff."

[vates]

This line of fantasy is preferable to the potential harsh reality of being trained and potentially exploited and experimented on. Now instead he's trying to imagine his brother in a tuxedo with a dry martini, and it's an amusing sight.

"And we'd have cool gadgets. Maybe they'll teach us how to make them here."

[voiceinthedark]

It's alright if they can pretend it's just gonna be fun and games and heroics. Keeps him from having to face the potentially grim reality for a while longer. "Yeah! Like... like exploding pens and things that can unlock any door or hack computers just by sticking them to the side."

[vates]

"We should start with the computer hacking one. That would be more time saving in the long run than exploding pens. And probably less dangerous."

Maybe this is going to be okay. Hopefully. Maybe. At least he's here with his brother. If he had to be alone here without him, Kevin thinks he would've felt more lost than he does right now.

[voiceinthedark]

"But explosions are fun," Sam said, giving his brother a look of disappointment. "I mean, hacking is cool but mainly it just gives you bad posture and RSI."

Not things getting blown up.

"We'll be fine," Sam says, sounding more confident now, a bit of bravado making it's way back. With the two of them there, how can they not be?