[center][url=https://imgbb.com/][img]https://i.ibb.co/JvRNSrT/justsomeguy.png[/img][/url][/center] [indent][sub][color=steelblue]Location:[/color] Titans Academy, Midway City, Michigan [right][b][color=steelblue]Episode #3:[/color][/b] The War Room[/right][/sub][/indent] [hr] [indent][sub][color=steelblue]Interactions:[/color] [@YourNameHere] - Apparition | [@Birdboy] - Shuriken | [@Hillan] - Accelerate | [@Damo021] - Flamebird | [@PatientBean] - Oracle | [@Blizz] - Shattercrash | [@Mistress Dizzy] - Origami | [@rocketrobie2] - Chemaxzord | [@Omega Man] - The Shield | [@Martian] - Legion[/sub][/indent] Ya know, Vic and Wally probably thought they were pulling a fast one by calling everyone to the lobby this early. With some of their pupils still various shades of purple and blue from recent run-ins with less-than-savory sorts on the job, a good chunk more with their costumes in varied states of disheveled and disarrayed, having clearly put them on in a rush and pretty much all of them looking like they'd [i]much rather be sleeping in right about now.[/i] Honestly, it was a pretty solid plan straight out of a drill instructor's playbook; catch 'em bright and early when they least wanna be doing something so it'd stick harder. Good plan. Solid plan. Joke was on them though— [i]Mal brought coffee.[/i] Happily slurping away at his thermos as he followed the assorted assemblage of tights, capes and primary colours through the halls and down into the depths of the tower. Truth be told, this would be his first time being around pretty much any of them— not that the teen'd gone out of his way to [i]avoid[/i] them, mind you, just that his time at the Academy had mostly been spent sequestered away from the rest of the students on what they referred to as an 'Altered Curriculum'. Mostly tests to see how strong, fast or tough he was with his magic glowing bits active, followed by meditation sessions to try and wrangle better [i]control[/i] of his magic glowing bits, broken up by once-a-week boom trips out to wide open places with not a lot of people like the Atacama or the Mojave for a little bit of 'Light Sparring' with Wally to put all he'd learned about his magic glowing bits into practice. ...'Light Sparring', of course, roughly translating to 'Getting His Face Pushed In'. Because as fast as he was with his glow on, it still felt like he was chasing after Usain Bolt clad in rocket skates while wading through a sea of cold molasses. And no amount of weights, cardio or chanted mantras earlier that day would [i]ever[/i] negate the fact that the fist of a guy moving at [i]approximately Mach Turkey[/i] was [i][b]always going to suck when it made impact with your [u]face.[/u][/b][/i] All of this was probably to make sure they had a good read on the kid before unleashing him on the rest of student populace. Which, y'know, [i]fair—[/i] He [i]did[/i] get a little spooky the last time he was in a serious fight, after all... though it didn't change the fact that most of the capes in the building probably thought he was just an intern or something, with how often he was tinkering in the garage or about the place as an extra set of hands for the support staff when he wasn't lifting, running or getting [i]repeatedly punched in the face.[/i] Which was... something he was perfectly fine with, honestly. After how the news and the internet covered that little [i]'incident'[/i] of his in Halifax, he was pretty sure he didn't want that kind of attention anyhow. [i]But back to the matter at hand,[/i] as they all entered into the observation deck with the big... super-science... [i]thingamajig[/i] up front. Malcolm stuck more to the rear, leaning beside one of the observation ports and sipping at his coffee more quietly now to be polite as the big red guy up front— Arsenal— explained where they were, why they were there and [i]what the thingamajig was for.[/i] The young man's head actually cocked to the side a bit at what he heard, brow raising sightly. Just a bit incredulously, in fact. [color=steelblue][i]'Huh... so it's a matter transducer for [b]clothes.'[/b][/i][/color] Seemed to him a bit of a waste to use something like that for new duds, but, well, all he had to do was really cast an eye down at his own damned self to stop from saying anything about it. Garbed in one of the (many) flightsuits his uncle had [i]'forgotten to return'[/i] after leaving the RCAF, with all the patches removed and tailored for a man much taller and much lankier than he; making the thing look all at once too big, too small and really [i]kind of ridiculous[/i] on him. Truth be told, Mal [i]had[/i] actually looked into maybe getting a generic onesie or something that could [i]survive[/i] his semi-weekly ass-whoopings at the hands of the Flash— but, just like he overheard someone in the crowd in front of him mention, [i]Super-Suits be [b]expensive,[/b] yo.[/i] So he was more than happy to save his wallet and get one basically for free. Like seriously, he could buy a half-decent used car for that kinda cash. One that still had a working reverse gear and everything. Taking a another sip, Mal's brow furrowed a bit at [i]everything else[/i] good ol' Mr. Harper was saying, and the implications thereof with him being present; namely, he guessed, that this'd be the day that he'd start training with the other students... most of whom— as mentioned earlier— he hadn't even spoken two words to before, though there was a few he knew at least by reputation. Like the first two up; the one with the pink hair could only be [i]Shattercrash—[/i] someone he didn't know, but she seemed alright— and [i]Shuriken;[/i] someone he'd actually had met, though very, [i]very[/i] briefly after waking up at the Academy for the first time... or more accurately, the first time he was both cognizant of it and not actively [i]dying.[/i] Peppy, cheerful, kinda reminded him of his little sister if he was being honest. Albeit, [i]with a lot more pointy things.[/i] Next up— Mal actually caught a break and overheard the name this time— was [i]Oracle.[/i] Hadn't spoken a word to her, either, but he still fired a snappy finger-gun of approval over a mouthful of coffee her way when she asked the crowd how she looked. Seemed the right thing to do. After that... [i]Fat Man?[/i] [b]He could probably guess which one was Fat Man.[/b] [i]Chemax[/i] was kicking around in the midst as well; really hard to miss the mass of metal and green gel as he came bursting through the door, having visibly run full-tilt the whole way there. That was one Mal'd met before, on the bus to the local supermarket, though he doubted the jolly green alien would remember as it was so innocuous. ME was a bit loud, and maybe just a little odd, but Mal actually liked the alien; his heart was in the right place— Err... or whatever analogue for one ME had, the lad didn't really know. The guy in white to his front and a bit to the left? Probably [i]The Shield.[/i] Another decent sort from what he'd heard; determined, [i]focused,[/i] pretty much the gung-ho hero straight outta the cereal box but... [i]maaaaaaybe[/i] just a little bit [i]anime protag dense,[/i] going off his interactions with the girl beside him. As for the girl herself? [i]Apparition,[/i] and he knew he was getting that one right. Mal wouldn't say he'd met her, so much as he'd been in the same room as her once or twice; polite enough, he guessed, but there was something always just a bit... [i]off[/i] about the girl, though he could never put his fin-NAKED. [b]SHE WAS CURRENTLY [i]NAKED.[/i][/b] Very suddenly, the boy's eyes snapped directly to the ceiling even as he damn-near choked on his coffee. [color=steelblue][i]'Hello, Mr. Ceiling! How ya doin'? Mind if I just stare at'cha for a bit? Thank you, sir!'[/i][/color] There, they remained for a solid few minutes before they slowly lowered down the more comfortable he became that the coast was indeed clear. And even then, that did nothing to stem the slight tinge of rose on the lad's cheeks as he cleared his throat, took another [i]long[/i] swig of his java and pointedly made sure he was looking at no one in particular as the words almost involuntarily slipped out of his mouth. [color=steelblue][b]"Well, [i]that's[/i] gonna be in there for a while."[/b][/color] A deep exhale followed that statement, followed by a shake of the head and one final gulp of caffeine before turning to look outside it to watch the fight and try and distract himself from what he'd just seen. Not that it was anything [i]unpleasant[/i] mind you— far from it— But, well, call him 'Old Fashioned' if ya must, but our boy Malcolm was raised not to perv on girls mid-wardrobe-malfunction. Superpowers and funky stuff be damned. Helluva way to start the day though, he'd have to admit. [b]Sure as heck woke him up [i]way[/i] more than the coffee had.[/b]