Skye watched discreetly and noticed that everyone's attitude toward Hermione was rather peculiar.
They wanted to approach her, yet didn't dare get too close.
They wanted to strike up a conversation, yet feared saying the wrong thing.
There was a distinct sense that they were in the presence of some major celebrity.
Even the usually composed Coulson seemed a little reserved around Hermione.
That only made Skye more curious.
Just who was this little girl?
At first, Skye had thought Hermione was a virus expert.
But when she heard Hermione and Coulson discussing things like the "celestial convergence" and the "nine realms," she realized there was more to it.
Those terms were completely beyond her understanding.
She couldn't resist asking the others about Hermione's identity.
But everyone either gave vague answers or kept their mouths firmly shut.
That only fueled Skye's curiosity.
She was a hacker, after all. Digging up secrets was her favorite pastime, and the more mysterious something was, the more it intrigued her.
After the Battle of New York, for instance, she had spared no effort in digging into the Avengers' backgrounds. That was how Coulson had ended up recruiting her while pursuing her.
Hmph, I refuse to believe I can't uncover your identity!
Skye quietly made up her mind.
It wasn't that the others didn't want to tell Skye. First, she wasn't an official member yet and lacked the necessary security clearance.
Second, Hermione had interrupted Coulson's introduction. Clearly, the young witch didn't want to talk about it, so they weren't going to deliberately reveal anything.
Skye sidled up to Simmons, lowered her voice, and asked conspiratorially:
"Hey, Simmons, Hermione's accent sounds just like yours-proper old-school London, Union Jack and all. And she came all this way specifically to save you. You two aren't related, are