Etana enters our room, angrily pulls off her jumper and throws it at the chair then flops face-first onto the bed before screaming curses into the duvet. I look up from the desk.

"Bad first day, huh?"

She looks up from the bed, narrows her eyes and spits a curse at me before sticking her head back in the duvet. I put the work down. It's just basic SHIELD stuff I can probably put off for a while. Etana looks like she needs more attention than they do.

Moving over, I gently start rubbing her back. She makes a noise halfway between an angry grunt and a contented moan. Typical Etana. She doesn't like to admit that she enjoys something. Sees it as a small admission of weakness.

"Okay, Tan, what happened?"

She moans something that sounds like "Don't ask".

"Tan."

She lifts her head up.

"I have no idea how Logan does it."

And then she crashes her head back into the bed. I rub her shoulders and her wing bases. She seems tense. I take on a chatty, conversationalist tone. It's the best method, when Etana's in one of these moods.

"So, have you killed anyone today, and who was it, so I can get started on the paperwork?"

She shifts and I move back so she can roll over, so she stares up at me. Her wings are spread out under her as she raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not that bad, Steve. Don't get fussed about the paperwork yet."

"Okay then, what's wrong?"

Etana groans.

"Everyone keeps expecting me to be responsible! It's all 'Headmistress, can you look over the budget!', 'Headmistress, the oven in Home Economics isn't working!', 'Headmistress, can you come out of your class for a minute to talk to this naughty child?' Of course I can't! If you're that bad a disciplinarian, then why on earth are you a teacher? If you can't cope with a troublemaker on the first day, what are you going to do when the really troubled kids start flooding in?"

I laugh. Then pause.

"Tan, you didn't go through with that threat the PE teacher made?"

"What, corporal punishment? Steve, I can't say I've not been tempted far too many times today, but nope. The whole point of this school is that it's a violence-free environment. And could you imagine the look on Tora's face if I hit a student?"

"She would be eternally disappointed in you."

I leap up and turn to see the hologram on the other wall. TORA is staring at us. I glare at Etana.

"You put the school system in our room?"

"I need to be able to know if something goes wrong."

I blush. Etana rolls her eyes.

"Really? It's Tora. She's not going to spy on us. Are you?"

"Of course not. I already got all my blackmail material last night."

Etana immediately leaps up and darts over to the hologram.

"Unless you want all your databanks wiped, you will delete any potentially incriminating footage of myself now!"

The system gives that grin. The grin Tora got when she managed to rather successfully manoeuvre us together as a couple. That 'yeah, right, you can't touch me' grin.

"No can do. You yourself set up that little parameter. I am made of Tora's personality and you cannot take control of me without shutting me down. And while gathering blackmail material isn't exactly what Tora would have done, I doubt you can justify murder –seeing as I'm self-aware and sentient– to get back at me."

And then she sticks her tongue out.