Eyes transfixed on the open door in front of him, Roman waited with bated breath for the two people shuffling about outside to finally make their way into the room. How he would react when they did, however, was still a mystery to him. The instinctive half of him brain as pushing his natural impulse was to get as far away from the current proceedings as possible — the newcomers really only needed to talk to Jack anyway, since he was the one that would be fighting with them. The other, logical half, was forcing Roman to stay exactly where he was. He had been expecting this for a while now. It wasn't as if he had been rehearsing the situation in his mind all this time for a month now. He had allies to back him up. He needn't run and hide. He could get through th-

The color of Roman's face began to drain when he finally got sight of the two people who had entered the room. Eyes scanning the pair with his usual analyzing gaze, Roman's mind kicked into overdrive as it tried to file a profile for the pair from what little information could be observed and categorized. The first of the two was a male — thin but incredibly toned, relatively handsome, walked with a gait that oozed of confidence, testosterone, and impulsiveness. Other, smaller, less important details such as size, eye and hair color, along with a few other miscellaneous things were taken in as well, but Roman was much more focused on the man's attitude. His slight changes in facial expression gave a clear sign of disappointment along with disbelief. While he seemed to simply except the presence of both himself and Thessalia, the corners of the man's mouth dipped slightly when he saw Richard. Roman didn't even need to look at Richard to know that the exact same expression was being returned by the Englishman. There was an incredibly brief moment of bad air, as the two stared each other down, but the moment passed as quickly as it had came, as the man began to speak. His words confirmed Roman's current impression of him. The man, Wolfgang Feuer as he called himself, reminded Roman sharply of Karl Shanks, the previous front-line fighter that Wolfgang was going to replace. There were a few key differences though. The biggest and most dangerous one was Wolfgang's lack of naivety. That was what had made Karl easy to deal with; that trait had sparked a tiny bit of timidity in the American built upon the respect for more knowledgeable teammates. This man would have none of that. He would be trouble.

Following Wolfgang's words, the German man made a beeline straight for the boy's bedroom to get into a more comfortable change of clothes. Roman's eyes followed him there as far as they could go without having to turn his head. Once he was out of sight, they returned forward and fixed themselves on the female of the pair. Roman's heart sank a bit as he began to analyze her as well. Relaxed yet still focused, she gave off the distinct impression that she did not have a whole lot of interest in the current proceedings. Aside from a slightly longer glance at Thessalia, which Roman took to be a sign that she was, if not happy, then interested in the only other female in the room, the woman took in her surroundings with an air of simple acceptance before she too began moving, and made her way to the nearest and larger of the two couches, seating herself on the one of the ends. As she did, she gave a small wave and her own greeting and introduction — an action that made and leftover color in Roman's face after Wolfgang's introduction fade completely. The accent of her voice, along with the name of her A.W.E. told him she was Russian. A brief outline of the previous Russian to be on the team, Scarlett Sakarova, imprinted itself on the new woman. Like Wolfgang to Karl, Sasha seemed to be a parallel to Scarlet, though subtracting a few qualities and adding more beneficial ones. In this case, she lacked Scarlett's explosive interest, as well as her slight impulsiveness. However, unlike Wolfgang, this could prove to make her easier to deal with. So long as she didn't take an interest in him. For now, Roman figures he would be safe from that. That would change quickly.

With the door to the boy's room opening and Wolfgang reemerging in a more casual outfit, Richard finally spoke up. He left the Russian's question unanswered, although that in itself gave it one, and instead chose to introduce himself. Listing his name and machine, he also decided to throw in his company name. Roman had the distinct impression that was more for Wolfgang's sake, as throwing his clout into the mix was not something Richard usually did. However, it could also have been because he too noticed the complete lack of enthusiasm of the two newcomers and this was just a way to impress. Either way, Roman felt the urge to roll his eyes, but he resisted. He needed them to remain focused as he tried to decide upon what to do. Now was the phase of name giving, and he was going to have to do it. The question was how to do so as minutely as possible, as to shave off any possible interest in paying any further attention to himself. Then he would be able to return to his chair in the corner while the others talked. It was his turn to make dinner tonight anyway and it was nearing that time, so perhaps he could just slip into the kitchen? Slowly, Roman began to inch himself away from the common room as this idea seemed to be like the more sensible course of action.

Roman suddenly felt his arm being grabbed. Freezing in place, eye's opening wide, Roman looked to see what had gotten a hold of him. Richard's voice told him it was him, and he seemed to take it upon himself to give Roman's introduction for him. Following this, he let Roman go, and slapped him on the back, each impact made Roman flinch. The unwanted shivering had begun to start. While Roman knew that Richard was just trying to help, he did so in the worst way possible. Giving the introduction for him would raise interest in the newcomers, as they wondered why he didn't give it himself. Especially since he didn't continue on to introduce Thessalia right afterwards. Plus, with all eyes upon him, they would have noticed both the flinching and the trembling, leading to even more questions. Roman's panic grew as he tried to decide upon what to do. A quick glance to the nearest door, being that one of the bathroom, imbued Roman the with powerful fight or flight instinct. His logical mind was telling him that running away would only make things worse, but the other half was telling him to hide, and hide fast. There was a second glance towards the door. And a third. Before the shift to run in that direction to could begin, Thessalia's voice could be heard, cutting across what was, despite Roman's increased thought process was leading him to believe, only an incredibly short pause. With that, the instinctive side lowered it's defenses for only a moment, but it was enough for the logical side to give a killing blow. She was trying to help him. He had allies. He needed to remember that.

Her help did come with a cost, however. The Swiss woman took a seat next to the Russian, and gave Roman a look that made in clear what she intended. She expected him to stay, and she expected him to stay close. That meant no kitchen, and no armchair in the corner. This was not the first time she had done something like this. It was a clear sign that she was taking up her end of the bargain, and doing Jack's bidding. Roman bit the inside of his cheek again. Well, there was no real choice now. Not making a sound, Roman slowly moved to take a seat next to Thessalia on the three cushion couch. He left a large gap between them, as he did his best to take up as little space as possible, but at least she would be happy. He would agree to her terms for now, but he would take his leave soon. Dinner needed to be made, after all. Richard's question put a temporary end to Roman's current thoughts. He asked the pair what they brought to the table in terms of battle. It was an important question, of Roman was being fair, but not one that he really needed to hear the answer to. That was something for Jack to care about. He would be listening intently now.