With an invitation from the hero-in-charge, he took the empty seat next to Aika. Almost as soon as he had, the heroin in front of them had already begun barking commands--warning them with a firm voice to set aside any harsh, personal feelings. At the reprimand, he flashed Aika a sideways glance as if the tension were all her fault. Even if for the sake of professionalism, putting aside his resentment was a task easier said than done. But, in the end, he knew Shadow Angel was right. For now, he had to at least<span style="font-style: italic">act</span>like he didn't want to throw a tantrum, say good riddance, and storm out of the room.<br/><br/>As Aika stood to begin her introduction, Nico only listened, gazing to the side as if he were a child who'd just been reprimanded. Listening absently, it irked him even more that she actually had valid reasons for pursuing the work of a hero. Honestly, he'd been expecting something shallow, something along the lines of, "I want to dazzle!" or, "I want people to look at me!" But, her words had been far from his expectations.<span style="font-style: italic">To make people smile, and feel safe;</span>that was her reason. Getting down to the nitty-gritty of the introducing--i.e, looking past all those happy-go-lucky vibes--she wanted to better other people's lives. She wanted to be worthy of trust, and offer herself in service. It was all something Nico could more than understand, which was why it rubbed him the wrong way. It was just so<span style="font-style: italic">good,</span>and she was so...<span style="font-style: italic">not.</span>But, then again, for all he knew, this was a lie, and she was only working to play everyone into her greedy little hands.<br/><br/>As it was time for his own introduction, Nico rose steadily from his seat. He stood tall and proud, but with a casual slump. "<span style="color: #FF4040">Supernova,</span>" he began with a simple statement, "<span style="color: #FF4040">I want to be a hero because I want to help people who can't help themselves--to protect them; be their shield,</span>" giving his honest intentions, he stared into nothing with an intense determination, focused as if peering into some faraway fantasy. Yes, that was it; that was his goal. His life work, his very own fantasy. Even if he had to work with some less-than-bearable characters to get there, it would be worth it in the end. After a slight pause, a once solemn expression suddenly melted into a proud, cheerful smirk. This was a big day for him, the start of the<span style="font-style: italic">real</span>journey. It felt as if everything before this had only been the prologue.<br/><br/>Even if he did have to go along with this whole duo thing, he felt nothing could quell his new-found tides of rising optimism. Following his previous trends of an upbeat spirit, he mimicked Aika's polite gesture with his own. For now, he would put aside the childish scoffs and the devious glares. He had to<span style="font-style: italic">focus.</span>"<span style="color: #FF4040">Let's do our best,</span>" adding an extra, happy bounce to this tone, he would conclude his brief time in the spotlight with a bow. Promptly falling once more into his seat, his ivy gaze focused on the commander-in-chief. Now, he could only assume, they could get on to the juicy stuff.