p data-p-id="34c703136ed02a35614078d53c21ba74"Alexis Sinclair looked over at her best friends as they landed, they were all nervous about leaving the Institute for one reason or another. Kurt was found hiding in a church when he was just a kid, he was shoeless and teleported around the room until the Professor was able to talk him into calming down. For Alexis, his blue fur helps him blend into the dark. His startling yellow eyes, elongated ears, and fangs often make people afraid of him. He could pop in and out of places as long as he was reasonably sure where he was landing which put him on Coulson's radar. Elsie was able to heal but her lesser-known ability was to take energy from people. The downside to Elsie's healing ability was that the more energy she used to heal, the slower she healed herself. Being in the safety of the institute meant that it wasn't a problem, even in training mishaps. She could also change memories, just enough, which is how she got through life if her powers slipped. br /br /Now that they were on the landing pad of the compound Alexis could feel her stomach twist anxiously. She had a calling to be there for whatever reason, and while she was glad her best friends could join the nerves were beginning to catch up with her. With a deep breath, she unhooked herself from the seat of her seat, grabbed her book bag, and moved forward. br /br /"Welcome to the Avengers compound!" Alexis took the hand that was being offered and immediately recognized the sparkling eyes of one Tony Stark. br /br /"It's a pleasure, Mr. Stark," she told him, watching as Elsie forced herself to confidently hold out her hand but Kurt hesitated. His three-fingered grasp made him a bit self-conscious. br /br /"Nah, you guys just call me Tony, Mr. Stark sounds too official," he replied easily, turning and leading them further into the building. It was large and teeming with activity which didn't seem to bother the man. Elsie and Kurt looked around awestruck, and actively missing the people who stopped to stare at the new group coming. Alexis shifted uncomfortably at the attention knowing that her large, angel-like wings drew eyes to them. "After you guys meet the group that is here then I'll take you three to the apartment building close to here. I bought it for Avenger purposes, of course." Tony ignored the startled looks from the group as he led them to another elevator. /p
p data-p-id="43fed0786b6f7d1fe4f8ca0b862b8f1c""Who will we be meeting?" Elsie spoke up hesitantly, the environment being much different than what they were used to. br /br /"Capsicle," Tony glanced over at his shoulder to the group. "Oh, Steve Rogers, Captain America. Red, white, and blue seem to follow him everywhere. Him. He's here all the time. Barton, the super spy might also be here but he kinda appears and disappears. The assassin might be, Natasha Romanoff but she's always being sent away to unknown locations." Alexis noted that Tony just continued to talk, it sounded like the entire crew would be there to greet them. He stepped off the elevator into what looked like a common area and cleared his throat loudly. br /br /Steve looked over and grinned easily at the nervous-looking group. "Hello, I'm Steve Rogers," first he held his hand out to Alexis making sure to keep his eyes on her face and not wings. He'd seen her pictures sent over by SHIELD and the videos graciously provided by Professor Xavier himself. He'd let the awe overwhelm him before pushing it aside so he wouldn't make the girl uncomfortable. br /br /"Alexis Sinclair, it's nice to meet you, Steve," she responded with an easy smile knowing that there would be no trouble in getting along with the gentle giant. She looked over at Elsie and Kurt as they made their way forward. br /br /"Elsie Silversmith, Mr. Rogers," Elsie spoke softly, her gray eyes sparkling a bit as he made her feel at ease in his presence. "It's very nice to meet you and we're excited to be here." She took a step back to make room for Kurt who had made his way to the front much slower. br /br /"I am Kurt, thank you for having us," Kurt was painfully polite and grasped the Captain's strong grip with his three fingers. br /br /"I'm glad to have you all on the team," he met Kurt's gaze with a determined look of his own. Steve figured that Kurt would be the most anxious about joining a team when they were very public. He knew of the struggles in the mutant community and hoped that this would help, if nothing else, give kids another role model, more like them. Steve knew he had the serum but that wasn't the same representation. "Natasha and Clint will be back by evening. We should get you three settled in your apartment." With a small wave to indicate they should follow him, they went back down the elevator and ended up in a limousine. br /br /"We could have gotten a cab," Alexis said gently, while grateful for the hospitality it was uncomfortable to be ushered from one place to the next in a limousine. br /br /"You're right, sorry, I wasn't thinking. This is Tony's preferred method of travel," there was a grunt of agreement to the right of Steve who merely rolled his eyes in response. "So. This is the building where we all live at. Or, most people who are connected to SHIELD anyways." Steve jogged up the stairs a few levels, smiling apologetically again. br /br /"Sorry, I'm so used to jogging that I didn't think to take the elevator for you guys," Steve let Tony move past him and pointed at a door all the way at the end of the hallway. br /br /"That is Capsicles apartment," Tony said, before turning to Alexis and handing her a pair of keys. "You have a key and a spare. This one is yours. Your room has a balcony, in case you ever want to take off." Alexis took her keys and looked over at Kurt and Elsie. She had been prepared to share her apartment, in fact, she wasn't at all prepared to be given an entire apartment. Once the keys were doled out Tony waved goodbye, deciding it would be easier to come back and retrieve them once the others arrived back at the compound. There was an awkward silence that followed as the three new Avengers looked down at the keys trying to figure out what the next step would be. br /br /Alexis felt anxiety twist her gut as she realized that for the first time, it wasn't a simple trip down the hallway to sneak into Kurt's room. It was a shorter trek in comparison but these apartments locked automatically, which meant sneaking in was harder. Plus it was much more public, and worried about what it would look like if she was seen trying to pick the lock. She heard a clank of the keys and looked up as Kurt held out his spare. "Here... So if you need me, or if I lock myself out of my apartment," they all knew it was for Alexis' benefit. Kurt could teleport into his room without a problem. br /br /"We should check it out," Elsie pressed, turning on her heels and walking to her room which was closest to Captain America's apartment. She ignored the way he watched the group, obviously worried about their lack of questions. br /br /By the time they went back to the compound, they were a bit more calm. Alexis and Kurt decided that while his apartment was nice that they were more comfortable more or less sharing. Elsie was determined to make her apartment a home but it felt just as empty as the Institute's had. br /br /"Welcome back! Glad that Capsicle led you the right way," Tony said, waving them over to the sitting area. Alexis noted a redhead wearing a rather large hoodie, legs crossed as she observed the three of them from her position. "That's Natasha Romanoff, the world's best spy and assassin, and her almost great partner Clint Barton." br /br /Alexis immediately held her hand out to Natasha who stood up first. "It's nice to meet you, we're excited to be here," she was relieved when introductions had passed again. They were always the most awkward moments upon first meeting. There was a matter of meeting the scientist but Tony had mentioned he was busy elsewhere at the moment. br /br /"Good to have you on the team, we're good together but we need a bit more help with the rise in what appears to be Hydra," Clint told them as they all settled against the /br /"Can you tell us more about Hydra?" Elsie asked softly, she'd read the files given but figured they were waiting to discuss more in detail. She was reading Steve's slightly tense profile knowing he had quite the past with them. br /br /"Simply put a terrorist organization that was created in Nazi Germany, they experimented on themselves and others to make soldiers take over the world," Steve recited giving the much shorter version that the files that they were handed. "They're called Hydra for a reason. You cut off one head and two more take its place. But with the Avengers we're making more headway." Alexis knew that Elsie wouldn't push for more answers from the man, his face was passive but there was a tightness around his eyes that suggested he'd like to avoid the conversation. Alexis flipped her long brown hair back over her shoulders as she took a moment to appreciate the fact they were standing with the infamous Avengers. br /br /"Having a healer on the team certainly isn't going to hurt," Natasha added in, grinning over at Elsie who flushed a little before looking at Kurt. "Your ability to climb up walls aside, your teleportation will come to great use. You might have to go into things not knowing where you'll land but it'll be helpful when we have to get some of our injured out of the battle." Kurt also looked a little embarrassed at the attention he was receiving. Mutants with physical differences had a harder time living a normal life. The Xavier Institute was a safe haven for many, not just a school to teach control of abilities. br /br /"We're happy to be here. It was an honor when Coulson arrived," Alexis told the group, looking over as Tony walked in. His eyebrow raised at her statement which she met with her own. There was nothing wrong with Coulson, he was sweet, even if he was too hung up on Furys' words. br /br /"His name is Agent," Tony's statement made a round of snickers happen, there was an undertone that Alexis couldn't identify. br /br /"Yes, well, emAgent/em Coulson has been coming to the institute for some time. Director Fury has been trying to make an effort with the mutant community. Apparently when he was asked about the best they had," Alexis gestured between herself, Kurt, and Elsie. "They sent you us." She grinned, placing her hands on her hips as she glanced over her shoulder towards the door. The day had been an absolute whirlwind and it would not surprise her if Coulson threw in another surprise along the way. br /br /"You don't need to feel obligated but we do have a training room you can use at any point. We like to do team drills on occasion. It helps us learn to work together. We can make up for what the other lacks. It also builds trust," Steve told them, he knew that maybe they would want to show off their powers before going out on the battlefield, and it would be better if they knew their limitations before they found out the hard way. Alexis tilted her head in thought as she peered over at her friends who looked both intrigued and nervous. That showed a slight lack of trust, the Captain was right. They would need to train together for the purpose of gaining each other's trust. br /br /"You have yourself a point Steve," Alexis conceded, her wings shuddering a bit in response to her own feelings of trepidation. "We'll meet you here at eight am to train." Kurt faintly groaned causing her lips to twitch in amusement. It would be good for them all to get to know each other. /p