KnightDisciple

Patrioteen smiled at the praise from Mr. Sid, though he shifted a bit at being called out as Soqotri. He'd been more than willing to be open about that part of his identity, but it was still awkward at times. "To add on to what she's said, we always encourage the people of this nation to vote and participate in the workings of the country. But Patriot is right, in that while there's real value in people like us being symbols, it's a lot murkier for us to be leaders, let alone rulers. We've seen a few examples of it going...okay-ish, and many examples of it going poorly. Patriot's part in the parade was specifically for the parade, and isn't her taking some sort of semi-permanent leadership role." He took a quick sip of water from one of the water bottles these programs always had on hand. "We've committed to never endorsing candidates, or even really endorsing political positions beyond 'Please do not do crime'. We work for the people of the United States, and we'll do our best to never forget that." He'd been coached for literally hours on this by Ashley, but it seemed that Sharaf had been developing his public speaking skills well in recent months.

Patrioteen grinned and nodded at Neko's exclamation. "It's so good and so handy! And that's one of my main thoughts about a career, actually. I'm just kind of dabbling now, though. I'll make a note and see what I can do with soba-gome." At her question, he blinked, seemingly a touched confused. Then he gave a roguish grin. "A bit of a brat, my parents tell me. Or were you wanting a bit more than that?"

"I guess that's one perspective, yes." He really hoped that one didn't make Ashley mad at him, he'd tried to be 'deft' about it! Her next question had him smiling. "This is a fun one! It's a bit tough, but I'd say my favorite kind of food is what a lot of places call 'rice bowls'. Basically, a mixture of meat and vegetables, perhaps with some cheese or other dairy items, over rice. Almost every major cuisine group in the world has something like that, at least the ones with more than a century of access to rice. It's deceptively simple, but there's just so much variety you can achieve with that form factor. I tend to prefer Middle Eastern, Indian, and Thai takes on the idea, but the TexMex, Mexican, South American, Chinese, Japanese, and other East Asian takes are all great as well."

"The short answer is 'no'." Sharaf gave the camera a gentle smile, while hoping Ashley wouldn't kill him for this later. "The longer answer is 'not really'. Due to being a minor, which isn't really a secret, it's in my name, I literally cannot be an actual Police Officer. I only have 'authority' to step in and help with either Natural Disasters, or Super Villains. In both cases because I've got abilities a lot of folks don't. And, I mean, as far as I'm concerned, I have a responsibility to use my abilities to help people. But on an official level, I mostly just help catch supervillain types and keep folks safe. I don't hand out speeding tickets."

Sharaf made sure he was smiling and looked relaxed as they went live, and that he was looking mostly at the camera (not too directly, so as not to unnerve viewers). He allowed her to go through her entire "intro" statement before speaking, though he made sure to wave when she gave his name. "Hello everyone! Thanks for having me on your show! I'm really happy to be here, and I hope everyone out there enjoys today's episode."

"I would like to avoid any questions that would directly connect to the identity of myself or my parents. As well, anything that might lean on sensitive government information. If need be, I'll just say 'pass'. I don't mind if we're live, if those boundaries are okay." Patrioteen sat down in an offered chair and relaxed. He wasn't quite slouching, but it was a near thing. Neko was smart, and could likely recognize that the other teen was trying to be as non-threatening as possible, to avoid ramping up her anxiety. "I feel like the sort of stuff you'll want to ask will be a lot lighter and more fun, though, so we should be fine."

As Sharaf walked into the room already dressed up as Patrioteen, he had a smile beaming already. He returned Neko's wave and moved toward the other chair. "It's fine. A bit humid today, but there's enough buildings to stay cool today." He glanced at the laptop, then at Neko, his mask suggesting a raised eyebrow. "Are we about to start, or do we need to review some stuff?"

"I figured reacting to Dorito flavors would be low-impact. I'll make sure to talk to her beforehand in case anything might be haram. I kinda figured you'd be okay with it, though, so, hey, taking initiative?" Sharaf did a weak jazz hands. "I'll do my best to not say anything stupid outside the context of what's expected in a 'teenagers react to things' video. I make no promises about being All Business." At her question, he became serious. "Skittish. She was scared of my costume. And seems to be putting politeness at the front, almost like she's afraid of someone getting mad at her. I was up front that I was trusting she was okay people because of the Headmistress, and she just said 'the Headmistress is very nice'. So there's that."

Sharaf tilted his head at the request, before a huge grin erupted on his face. "I think that would be great. I need to do it as Patrioteen, and I'll have to let Patriot know so she doesn't find out three days later from someone at the office. But yeah. As long as it's me as Patrioteen, and only me as Patrioteen. I don't mind you knowing, but that knowledge being public would be bad." He laughed a moment at the video Neko was showing him. "They're disgusting, yeah. Cool Ranch is much better, and the only spicy Dorito worth touching is Spicy Sweet Chili, the blessed Purple Bag."

In a flow of fading colors, Patrioteen was gone and Sharaf was back. He wasn't always the most observant, but he'd picked up the costume had triggered something for her. "Sorry if that dredged up memories. I got caught up in the moment there. Anyway. It's a new one, and I won't keep it forever. Because, you know. "Teen". Anyway." He returned to slouching against the tree, trying not to loom or anything. "The official 'meaning' is just that I'm the kid sidekick to the Patriot. To me, it means I get to show young people we can be heroes, but more importantly it shows brown kids like me that this is just as much our country, as it is the country of the rich and powerful and...less tanned. I'm not always perfect at it and a few folks get cranky about it. But the way I see it, I'm about reminding people about what this country can be. Not what it is."

Sharaf blinked, then smiled. "Heh, yeah, hang on." He stood up straight and took a couple of steps away from the tree. A glance around showed no on else looking their way, and nothing touching him. He then shook his left hand just a bit. That motion drew attention to the large, somewhat odd-looking watch. "Here we go!" His right hand reached over and twisted something on the watch, and in moments Sharaf's entire body was covered in a writhing mass of metal...powder? The material settled, and when it did he was clad in a red, white, and blue costume that was rather obviously patriotic. A twitch of his hand, and the rings on his left arm flowed and shifted until it was a large shield with an eagle logo upon it. His face smiled from a half-masked face, even as his lenses faded from solid silver to clear. "I'm, well, Patrioteen. Not the most inventive name, but there you go."

"People don't even need to know what country I'm from, specifically, to fear me. Bit over a couple decades ago, some evil people made sure that people, especially men, who look like me, who worship like me, are feared. They just look at me and cross the street, and I'm only halfway through my teenage years." He couldn't look her in the eyes. Despite this clearly being something out of his control, and his modicum of anger, he also bears at least a touch of shame. "Sorry. Bit of a hot button for me. And for people who don't know me first, if I do mention being 'Socotran', they double down on it. Maybe in a few years, if the new lady's not bad. But for now, yeah. Folks around here are pretty chill, I think a few of them come from even harder or shadier backgrounds." He almost looked to be blushing when he looked down at the ground even more and almost mumbled the next words. "A lot of people are less scared when I'm in my costume."

Sharaf shrugged at the mention of Socotra. "I've read some books, asked my folks a bit. They get tense when we talk about much more than the food and music, so I don't push. Your village sounds nice, though. Peaceful. All this, can be a lot." He gestured vaguely at the skyline of Freedom City as he said that. "Know about you? Well, you have to dig. Most folks know about Crimson Katana. He's flashy and memorable and he was active after the war. And another guy took the same name, did a lot of the same crap for a long time, too. Everyone else in your old group kind of...fades into the background. And honestly, you kind of doubled down on that, fading in the background I mean. I don't know everything, but like I said, I trust the Headmistress. And I can do the math, you joined up young. I'd wager you didn't quite know some of what went down, at least at first? Everything I read, seems like you mostly just...scared folks. Way I see it, at this point, past is past, you're here trying to make a new way for yourself. I'm not gonna knock that. I just...I wanted to make sure I was right."

Sharaf nods as she confirms his suspicion about her identity. He smiles as she mentions being safe. "Okay, cool. I figured you were cool, if you were here. Headmistress is not the sort of lady to let actual villains roam around." He blinked at being described as "the Arab boy". "I mean, technically Socotran, but I am yes. I somehow didn't realize I was the Arab boy, though. Sadly they don't recognize my talents more." He winked and summoned a tiny lick of flame as he snapped his fingers, then it faded. He grew a bit more serious. "Freedom City is my home. My parents are from Socotra, political refugees. They've talked a bit about going back now that that new gal is in charge, but they're gonna give it a few years. I'll visit, but....I was born here. Not, like, this school, but this city. This country. It's my home. It's not perfect, but nowhere is. So...here I am."

Sharaf blinked a few times at the probably-illusionary cats that came and when a couple of times before they disappeared. He shrugged slightly and moved to lean against the tree, crossing his arms as he did so. For several moments, he seemed to study Neko; there was no judgement there, just curiosity. "Are you her? The one from the Forties?" He gestured with his head back at the Library. "Was doing some research, down a bit of a rabbit hole. I'd been reading about the first Patriot, then all the American supers, then all the other supers. All of the other supers. Goo-Allies and Axis both. And when I was looking over documents about the Pacific, I saw a bunch of stuff about the Hinomaru. Most of it's about Crimson Katana. But there's a few things about this young lady who did weird stuff. 'Magic', according to most. And then she disappeared. Not, like-" He made an odd sound and dragged his thumb across his throat in an unmistakable gesture,"-but just gone. And then I remember seeing you around. This place tends to pick up...strays." He lapsed silent for a few moments. "They're not hunting you, are they? The Feds, or Japan, or some weird ninja cult? Wait, crap, is that racist, to assume 'ninja cult'. Shoot. You know what I mean though, some sort of...weird third party."