KnightDisciple

Sense Motive: 28. Notice: 25.

Being able to fly faster than sound was useful, but when inside a building it was not the most useful ability. Those whose speed was more about their body-movements (whether running or flying) could do so with ease, but Gabriel essentially flew like a plane in the sense of how it worked. He was more than skilled enough to not hit buildings, but trying to do more than a sedate float inside a building was asking for trouble. And a talking to from either Stesha or Gaian Knight about playing pranks on the new members. 'A man plays at being an actual angel one time and they never trust his pranks again. Disgraceful.' Thus it was just as the newcomers were giving their names that he came out onto the lawn. Which meant he was in a prime location to see the oddly hellish man collapse to the ground. In two eye-blinks he was kneeling next to the man, helping make sure his airway was clear. His very presence was calming to all who were there. "Gaian Knight, could you perhaps give us a touch of privacy for the moment? It's a bit messy but this is devolving rapidly. Could someone else try to find Fleur? We really need her help on this, I'm already out of my depth." He looked up at the holographic woman and gave her a gentle smile. "Everything will be fine. My name's Gabriel. Nice to meet you, Persephone."

Sharaf had been about to get up when Patriot called for someone to protect the pilots. Then James beat him to it, and despite the dire circumstances, Sharaf smiled. He was glad to see the other young man stepping up. But there was no more time for it, now. He looked around, and saw that Kensei was the closest person to him, and also the one that (as far as he understood things) had the least ability to innately mitigate damage. Sharaf took precious seconds to unbuckle, dive over to the seat next to Kensei, and re-buckle. The almost inhuman grace he displayed was likely due to his "super soldier" enhancements at work. In the blink of an eye, a large rectangle of smooth metal seemed to simply manifest in front of the young men; it flowed and shivered as nanomachines reconfigured and assembled themselves at incredible speed. Patrioteen slid it directly in front of both young men, then braced his other arm and his legs in the more normal crash position. There was no more time for words, they were moments from the crash. Kensei would catch fragments of Arabic slipping from Patrioteens lips, and in the context it was obvious they were prayers. If ever there was a time...

The Raven nodded sagely at young Callie's response in regards to her memories. Nothing else to say there. He instead focused on listening to her response to The Question. Her response caused him to smile slightly; Callie could tell it was one of pride in her answer and not the slightly-smug smirk he'd offer a criminal who just wasted a bullet on his armored suit. "An excellent answer. At its root, that is the motivation of each of us. We all have our own additional reasons, though. Your father experienced tragedy early on. Charlie had the desire to help and a belief that the Raven needed a Nevermore. I had a determination to prevent other children from experiencing what I did. Do you yourself have any additional reasons you do this? Things that burn in your heart as your driving purpose behind that mask?"

For a few moments, the Raven pondered sowing more chaos. However, the various enemy forces seemed rather thoroughly misdirected at this point, and his apprentice was drawing near to their escape. He could focus for a few moments on catching up. They had to get their contact in the Unkindness, and soon. With that decision made in the blink of an eye, he was moving rapidly and smoothly across the rooftops, taking a running leap in a place where Nevermore, with his much-less-experienced-at-roof-running companion, had exercised slower more cautious approaches. At full speed, the Raven was a dark blur in the night, barely visible even if someone had known where to look, and that was without him even really trying to be stealthy in any capacity. Within a few moments, he was moving near Nevermore, keeping pace with the younger hero as they worked to escort their charge the last leg of the "race".

Shouldn't everything but the Motorcycle be a Device, not Equipment? Both @RocketLord and myself have built Raven III and Nevermore II in that manner, especially with the costumes and Utility Belts granting so many different things.

Welp I made literally no IC posts in December. Guide point to Thunderbird please.

IC later but I think I'll do the 2 move actions as well since TBL is off-course.

Mini Craft Mechanical: 19, so 21 with Veronica's aid. Truck Craft Mechanical: 21, so 23 with Veronica's aid.

"Ha! I do understand that, about the cuisine. So many 'fusion' styles. My mom still likes to cook like they did back in Socotra, so I have something of a 'baseline' to compare it too. But I get that." He took a sip of his water as he pondered her question. Request. "Hm. Well, I'm sure you know all the boring information already. And you've probably heard from my mouth and others that I like cooking. But it's..." Here he stopped for several moments; Sharaf was clearly trying to figure out the proper words to articulate his thoughts. Everyone had to do that from time to time, but teenagers more so. "For me, it's just kind of...right. Something about cooking. I wonder if the heat feels, ah, natural. If you catch my drift. But it's more than that. It straddles art and science in a way almost nothing else does; all the measurements and temperatures and motions and things have so little margin for variation, but you can just...there's so much you can do! I like basketball, I play now and again. But if you asked me what I wanted to be as I was growing up, the answer would have been 'a chef' for years. Which my folks don't mind. My mother still brags about how I'm a teenage boy who wants to help out in the kitchen." His smile faded as he continued. "Now..." He sighed. "Now there's so much more. At first I was just excited, you know? What guy wouldn't be! But now it's...part of me misses the simplicity of things...before. But a bigger part of me...I can't just pawn this off on someone else. I have to believe Allah gave me this for a reason." There was a metaphorical fire in his eyes at those words. A passion. "If this is the path before me, I'm not going to second-guess it. I'm going to do the best, be the best. For all the kids and adults out there like me. And to prove to others that it can be done. By people like me." Any thoughts Ashley may have had about trying to convince Sharaf to give up his newfound burden would wash up against the solid rock of his conviction in this moment.

"I'm sorry to hear about your hand, Effigy, and I'm glad it's doing a lot better." Gabriel somehow exuded compassion without an undertone of condescending pity. Almost like he meant what he said! He turned slightly and gave Invisigirl a friendly smile and nod. "Nice to meet you, Invisigirl. I'm Gabriel." He gave her a wink and a conspiratorial smile. "Not the actual Archangel. Though I've met him! And it warms my heart to see someone contributing to the arts like you are. People sometimes forget how important the crew on a production are." He looked between both girls as his smile settled a bit into 'patient mentor' mode. "So. What brings the two of you here today? I know Velocity and I have lots of things we could talk about, but I'm curious what the two of you are hoping to accomplish today?"

Patrioteen simply nodded at the instructions from Patriot, and had made sure to shake hands with the crew, smile, nod, and genuinely thank them for their assistance today. He unconsciously took the lead toward the front of the plane, though his pace was such that the wolf-enhanced Kid Celtic possibly found it slow. She was perceptive enough to tell he was holding back, though. "If we need to talk to plants up here, it's likely a plant villain. Which, uh, could help, but edge-case. Hm. Maybe after takeoff we can walk the cabin with that nose?" He wasn't going to say the "b" word out loud now that they were on the aircraft, but Patrioteen was clearly channeling Patriot's paranoia. He tapped beside the lenses on his mask as he continued to speak. "I've got full infrared vision with the goggles here. Doesn't majorly increase my range, but I can get us pretty darn accurate heading and distance if we spot something. I'd wager we'd be the second line in the air if it came to that. Freedom Eagle's pretty obviously geared toward aerial operations, and if I remember things right, Starshine can fly pretty well. I can fly with these boots but, uh. Prefer jumping. I'd get left way, way behind by the jet. I could do fire support from the door, though." He lightly tapped the thick red gauntlet on his right hand with that remark. "And I think having an all-rounder is good. People like to joke about "master of none", but almost none of the folks I've trained with are "true masters". Sounds like you're versatile. Very useful. More versatile than me, honestly. Hm. Does the owl let you see further than normal?" Suddenly, he grinned. "How good is the wolf nose? I might need your help on a cooking project after this is all done. Outside opinion is nice, and literally super-human sense of smell would be great."

Micah had climbed out almost before the truck stopped moving, and had put a couple feet between him and it. He was already in the midst of some stretches when Veronice came over. He nodded at her words, finished his deep knee bend stretch, and stood up straight. "Sounds good. I'll be there in a minute." He glanced at Liz as she offered to help. "If you're interested, an extra pair of hands won't hurt much. But get settled first, I'm going to be a couple minutes getting the kinks out and then just looking at it first." He seemed unworried about needing to look at his own capsule. While it was a bit later in the day, Micah had been able to doze a bit now and again on their drive, especially the final hour or so after Veronica and Lulu had made it safely to the camp site. So instead he went back to his stretches, clearly trying to work out all the stiff points. After a couple of minutes he wandered over to the Mini, and before he even touched it, just started a walk-around. Micah wanted to let his eyes catch any problems as they roamed over the frame.

Sorry. Reflex Save: 24. Toughness Save: 22. ..Skin of my teeth.

The Raven stood directly in front of her now, staring her straight in the eyes. The white lenses Alek used in the field were retracted. He wanted her to see his own eyes, shadowed that they were by the shape of his cowl. "So you're doing what you're doing to find answers? I can help you with that, if you want. I won't force it. And if you truly are my mentor's younger self flung forward in time, I will do everything in my power to ensure that your memories are time-locked, and not erased. We would need to protect the time-stream, but I will never be party to the true removal of someone's memory." Callie had had full access to Alek's file; he'd made it clear from the start that his past was not classified to her. She knew what he'd been through and why the concept of memory erasure would be touchy to him. "If you are not, then I will be here to help you determine who you are. Whatever that journey entails. But." He leaned in. "Why does the Raven Family not only take in strays, but go out, night after night, to defend the people of this city, this world? Why do we, collectively, actively fight against crime?"

Sharaf very carefully held on and didn't move his hands at all, the entire time. His body leaned just a bit as they went, now and again, but that was it. He didn't try to talk much on the way either, due to the noise. He took a moment to carefully take his helmet off, place it back on the bike, and take stock of the area. When he spoke, before they walked in, his voice was surprisingly soft. "Haven't actually been down to this area before." He seemed almost sad about it. He followed her in, gave the server and other staff he saw a big smile and a nod, and sat himself down. He eyeballed the menu but mostly listened to Ashley. "I'll do the ca kho to. Always like a good fish dish." He was clearly trying to steer clear of something that might contain pork. "I'm still working on Socotran stuff and more traditional 'southern' food. I've toyed with trying to fusion them but haven't gotten there yet. Do you tend to prefer fusion, or do you alternate between it and the more 'traditional' recipes?" Cooking was a "safe" topic, but Sharaf seemed genuinely curious.

Sharaf waited for the others to "change clothes". Not out of modesty or curiosity; he was simply cautious. His own suit was safe, but he didn't want the still-assembling nanites to interact oddly with the magic of some of his fellows, or the tech in James' own suit. So he let everyone else get themselves out before he stood up and stretched his left hand forward. He gazed at the watch for several moments. Here and now, the words of the others didn't matter; simply his own will, his determination. His responsibility. His fist clenched, and silver that shifted to blue flowed over his body... "Right then, here we go!" Patrioteen stepped from the bus, his blue-and-white/silver outfight shining. The red gauntlet and boots gleamed, an almost candy-apple-red in the sun. For now there was no shield upon his arm, but Patriot knew that could change in an eye-blink. Instead, he simply opted to give everyone there a smile as the light pinged off of his goggles and the breeze ruffled his hair just a bit. While by no means a form-fitting suit in the way some heroes like to wear them, it was not hard to see he was in good shape. He stepped to one side, his hands unconsciously finding themselves resting at his hips, elbows to the side as he simply waited.

Micah had silently bowed his head as Judy prayed, his hand joined to hers in the classic "prayer clasp" his parents had taught him. He'd started nibbling around when Lulu spoke up. He glanced at his girlfriend for a moment, then at Davyd when his friend spoke up as well. "You can join us for dinner, Davyd. We might take a stroll afterwards." He gave his roommate a significant enough look to communicate that that was the point they'd want some space. But having Davyd there would help mask that Judy didn't really eat anything. Three people with two of them eating while talking was more activity. "I'm not sure I can eat everything anyways. Here, Adam." Micah grabbed a spare plate and, using a couple of utensils, pushed some of the finger-food plate contents over to the blank plate, then handed it to their muscular friend. "Y'all enjoy those. I'll flag down someone and get some help moving our other stuff." Before anyone could object Micah was pushing the discrete button for service and stepping into the hall. He made sure to intercept the staff member before they entered the room, and quietly explained their request, and apologized for the inconvenience. He was all smiles back in the room, where he bent slightly and offered Judy his hand. "Miss Judy will you please do me the honor of dining in the dining car?"

Patrioteen Power Level: 8 (150/172PP) Unspent Power Points: 22pp Trade-Offs: +/-0 (Compact Shield), +4 Toughness/-4 Defense (Heavy Shield), +4 Defense/-4 Toughness (Gun Barrel Shield) In Brief: A young man finds himself an unplanned hero after bonding with a device the US Government reverse-engineered from alien technology. An uneasy inheritor to a legacy he’s still struggling to understand. Catchphrase: “Let’s get fired up!” Theme: Alternate Identity: Sharaf el-Jalil (Secret) Birthplace: Freedom City, New Jersey, United States of America Residence: Claremont Academy, Freedom City Base of Operations: Claremont Academy, Freedom City Occupation: Student, Patriotic Hero Affiliations: Claremont Academy, Patriot Initiative Family: Ramzi el-Jalil (Father); Munisa el-Jalil (Mother), Dovron el-Jalil (Younger Brother), Zamira el-Jalil (Younger Sister) Description: Age: 16 (DoB: July 4, 2005) Gender: Male (Cis); He/Him/His Ethnicity: Arabic (Socotran) Height: 5’10” Weight: 155 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Black Sharaf is a teenager who is visibly still growing into his frame. Thanks to the enhancements from the nanites provided by his bonded gear, he is more muscular and solidly built than most young men his age, but his overall build favors speed and flexibility over raw power. His skin is the same dusky tan of his parents and ancestors, while his eyes have a bit of earth tone to them. His hair is typically messy, mostly a consequence of how his costume manifests around him, combined with rapid movement through the air; he has bemoaned how difficult it would be to “work” with a head of hair to match his father, who some have opined could do shampoo commercials (he’s a writer for one of the local news stations). What he does have, he often styles into a modest pompadour, though if he has to “suit up” it sometimes ends up “ruined” if he’s particularly active. He has tried growing a mustache and/or beard a few times, and it’s never quite to his satisfaction; for now he stays clean-shaven in his day to day. When not in his “uniform”, Sharaf tends to wear jeans or casual slacks, favoring more traditional cuts over cargo-style or carpenter-style pants. For shirts, he often goes with various colors and cuts of short-sleeved button-ups, over a plain white t-shirt, with the first couple of buttons undone to make it clear just how good his physical condition is. He prefers sneakers to dress shoes. He never wears a hat, and only wears a hood if it’s very wet or very cold; he cites his hair as being a key reason why. As Patrioteen, his outfit is rather more noticeable and elaborate. The base color is a rathe bright blue, almost the same shade as the American flag. His legs, down the middle of his mid and lower torso, across his upper torso and shoulders, and down the outside of his arms is solid blue. The outer portions of his lower torso and the insides of his arms are white. His blue mask leaves his hair open to the air (for good and for ill), as well as leaving his chin, mouth, and nose uncovered, allowing him to present a friendly face. The baseline suit looks like a thick cloth of some sort, fitting much like spandex but not giving the impression of being as thin. The center of the chest has a white outline of a single star, with two parallel lines extending from the lower four points of the star and wrapping all around his upper torso and shoulders to the back. The lenses over his eyes are typically silvery in color, but they can lighten to almost full transparency, making it easier to reassure people. His boots, which extend most of the way up his calves, are thicker and more technological-looking, and are primarily red with a thick white stripe going across the front at a steep angle. The soles have vents in them to allow his fire to be channeled out, as well as a vent on each side of the calf and at the back. The material has the appearance of layered and segmented metal (allowing maximum range of motion) rather than sturdy cloth. His right hand bears a red gauntlet that echoes the stylings of his boots; thicker, metallic plates that overlap and segment to prevent impeding movement. The palm has a round aperture that Sharaf uses to focus his fire-control abilities through to produce bursts of focused flame. The rest of the gauntlet has hair-thin vents that can allow Sharaf to cloak his entire hand in flame, with the back has a slot where an exhaust nozzle can extend to allow one of his more...noticeable...forms of offense. His left hand itself has a simple blue glove that matches the rest of his suit, with the forearm bearing rings of silvery-white material. These rings are actually the compacted form of his shield. The shield itself has multiple forms. The “default” is a fairly compact circle, a bit larger in diameter than Sharaf’s own forearm. The center of the shield bears a stylized eagle with a star, with the top “line” of the wing extending to meet the border of the shield. The logo and border are bright while, while the rest of the shield is a bright metallic blue. The shield can shift into a large, elongated oval shape, providing sufficient cover for Sharaf to hide his entire body behind it; the overall decorative pattern stays the same but is enlarged a bit in the middle as the shield itself grows. In either form the shield is shockingly light. Finally, it can flow and shift into an elaborate gun-barrel design over his right arm, forming a red-white-and-blue-striped device that greatly focuses the power of his blasts. History: Ramzi and Munisa came to America, to Freedom City, as political refugees from Socotra. Long-time low-level critics of Typhoon’s regime, they’d long skirted the edge of acceptability, and one article in a paper that was a bit too strongly-worded had them fleeing for a safer place. They went to Freedom due to the higher level of diversity compared to many cities, which included a small but vibrant community of Socotran expatriates. Sharaf was born a couple of years after Ramzi and Munisa moved to Freedom. His brother Dovron came a couple of years later, while the youngest, Zamira, was born just a few years ago, making her the precocious baby of the family. Sharaf himself grew up with the sense of responsibility that comes from being “the oldest”, but with much less structure than he might have had in their ancestral lands. The largest grief Ramzi and Munisa had after fleeing Socotra was their children squabbling, or juggling schedules to make sure everyone did everything on time. Sharaf was the oldest child, but somehow managed to buck the “trend” of the eldest child being serious and responsible that seemed to be an unspoken assumption the world over. Instead, he proved himself energetic, excitable, and at time a bit unpredictable. Dovron proved himself the more dour brother, though both young men have more than a bit of mischief in them. When he was 14, Sharaf’s family was contacted by the US government. In a surprising move, Sharaf had been selected for a special program that intended to help train up the next generation of heroes in this country. Sharaf actually had a mostly-latent meta-gene that the government had picked up with new, specialized scanners. These scanners were primarily looking for individuals compatible with newly-developed technology that the US had reverse-engineered from a variety of alien artifacts over the years; the constant invasions, defeated that they may have been, left large amounts of valuable salvage behind. While he was one of the youngest candidates, Sharaf was also marked as being one of the highest levels of compatibility with this technology. But they would not force him to be a superhero-in-training. Would he take this step? Sharaf agreed, and his parents consented, though it took a couple of days of rather intense conversation between all of them, and more than one talk about how the entire program would work. So for almost two years, Sharaf has been working to train his body and mind, and bond with the Firebrand (as the advanced device has been named). The doctors, engineers, and scientists of the group working to equip the heroes of tomorrow. Now he finds himself at Claremont Academy, to learn not only how to be a hero in a broader context, but to meet other aspiring heroes, and cement his place in the next generation of defenders of truth, justice, and more. Personality & Motivation: Sharaf’s childhood was marked by a deep-set understanding that he was thoroughly blessed to be born in the country he lived in. Compared to where his parents came from, the USA was indeed a huge improvement. That sense of wonder and, to a degree, pride in his birth-nation naturally flowed into Sharaf. It was tempered by the bouts of low-level racism they encountered, but not destroyed. Sharaf himself is a young man trying to fully discover who he is in the world. He has had immense responsibility thrust upon him by happenstance, and has done what he can to live up to that. At times, Sharaf may end up projecting more confidence than he feels, due to the idea that the Patriot, or in his case the Patrioteen, needs to always be confident. Sharaf tends to project a sense of energy when he’s in a room. Not necessarily nervous energy; more of a vitality and passion. He is most excited when talking about cooking, bird-watching, basketball, and the “mission” he feels he is entrusted with. Sharaf sees himself as not only an example of a teenager doing good in the world (meaning he has an innate sense of needing to Be Responsible), but also as a Muslim American stepping into one of the most prominent hero roles he possibly can. Thus, he works hard to make sure he is friendly, confident, and ready to help. In his heart, Sharaf is often concerned he’s not “measuring up”, even if his parents, and others, claim he is doing just fine, especially for someone of his age and “stage” of life. So while he presents a confident face, he is also always trying to be conscious of Powers & Skills: Description & Tactics: Sharaf’s primary abilities come from the device bonded with him. After it bonded, it was discovered he possessed a latent meta-gene, but it was not “unlocked” until he bonded with “the suit”. Part of the bonding process also infused him with a batch of nanites that boosted his physical abilities, although these effects by themselves are largely secondary. At his “base”, Sharaf’s body is enhanced, with his general stamina and vigor along with his natural agility and flexibility being pushed higher, though his strength is certainly already higher than most. It looks as if long-term the changes will max out at around high human average, and “settle in” so they cannot be disabled or disrupted. As well, he is naturally immune to heat, and immune to any fires or flame-based effects. When wearing his suit, he is, effectively, a super-soldier in training. The basic suit itself provides robust protection against injury, as well as guarding his eyes against irritants, be they accidental, environmental, or intentional. The suit’s own nano-lacing taps into Sharaf’s resistance to flames, giving him partial immunity to ice and cold powers and attacks. Further, it channels his innate fire abilities to allow him to ignore any and all "regular" environmental cold, and uses that same energy to provide shielding against potential ambient radiation. His goggles have combat protocols that it projects onto his goggles and helps guide his body through motions and assist in aiming jumps and shots, easing his burden in combat as he is still working to internalize his skills and abilities. As well, they provide constant positional data, help calculate distances as needed, and help his eyes see into the infrared spectrum even in complete darkness. Beyond the baseline suit, Sharaf has more built-up boots, a heavy gauntlet on his right hand, and a shield on his left arm. These each provide options in a fight. The boots allow Sharaf to run at speeds roughly equal to a moving automobile, by way of small jet-booster mechanisms that, when combined with his nanite infusion and reinforcements of the suit, give him much higher run speeds. Alternatively, they can propel him into great leaps into the air, easily reaching the rooftops of many buildings; while he can sustain these leaps, he tends to prefer to only operate in comparatively short hops. These functions can be somewhat combined into a powerful attack where Sharaf propels himself at an enemy with a flaming kick. The gauntlet on his right hand helps him in close-quarters combat, serving as a potent striking surface for Sharaf’s still-developing martial arts repertoire, as well as sheathing his hand in his flames if desired. It can also enhance and focus his nascent fire powers by way of a mechanism on the palm, resulting in small fire-bolts that allow him to strike foes at a distance. Sharaf is also able to combine the functions of his boots and his gauntlet to launch himself in a daredevil sliding attack that leaves a trail of flame behind himself and culminates in a fiery physical blow against a chosen foe, and any along his path. The shield on his left arm helps him defend himself, but can be set to either offensive or defensive mode, as well as a “booster” form. In offensive mode, it is a more compact surface that allows him to chain together blows along with his gauntlet and boots, or even be propelled by bursts of fire from his gauntlet for dizzying chained-together attacks. In defensive mode, its surface area extends so that he can fully place his upright body behind it, making it unusable as an offensive weapon, but providing a stalwart bastion against many attacks that might otherwise risk injuring him. In its final “booster” form, the shield folds around and merges with his right hand gauntlet, forming a powerful arm-mounted cannon device. With this, he can greatly focus the power of his flame-blasts, though it is not as much of a rapid-fire blitzkrieg of attacks as he can accomplish with the compact offensive form of his shield. It is theorized that the Firebrand suit provides the ability to almost infinitely adapt and grow, especially with both its own nanotech-based adaptive form, as well as his own steadily-growing power. In a fight, Sharaf tends to start off at range and only move into hand-to-hand distance after getting an idea of the opponent. Unless moving in recklessly can distinctly help his teammates, in which case he may charge in and rely on his bright costume and rather attention-getting motif to carry the day. In a hand-to-hand fight, Patrioteen’s skills are still fairly basic; he can absolutely reliably hit an opponent, but most of the advanced skills he’s picked up center on grabbing hold of an opponent and not letting go. He also has some initial training with following targets in many environments, though his overall skill is still developing. His general approach shows more than a few influences from the current Patriot, and he seems to thus be falling into a style somewhere between superhero, soldier, and law enforcement. Complications: Flamboyant: Patrioteen's powers, costume, and personality are bright and bold and noticeable. Weighty Legacy: The name "Patriot", both in the hero world and in regular use, has a lot of weight behind it. Many people are going to make a lot of assumptions about what Patrioteen stands for, and who he is, before he can do or say anything one way or the other. Individual Systems: While the Firebrand suit is, overall, a unified piece of technology, the suits, gauntlet, and shield are not strongly connected in general operation. It is possible that damage to one of them could temporarily disable it, or leave it stuck in a particular configuration, making things more difficult for Sharaf. Just The Sidekick: While Sharaf is working to be his own hero, both his code-name and several (brief) public appearances have made the connection between himself and the Patriot clear. This may lead to a lack of respect, or him being a target as a way to gain advantage over the Patriot. Sense of Responsibility: Sharaf feels the importance of both his heroic mantle, and his obvious status as an Arab-American superhero. On top of that, he has a natural tendency to want to help out his teammates and fellow man, which can lead to over commitment (on or off the battlefield). Being both a "fun guy" and "the responsible guy" is a bit of a tight rope to walk. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abilities: 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 4 = 20PP Strength: 18 (+4) / 12 (+1) Dexterity: 18 (+4) / 14 (+2) Constitution: 18 (+4) / 14 (+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +8 Improved Initiative) Attack: +4 Base, +8 Enhanced Base Defense: +4 (+4 Base), +8 (w. Shield Array set to Compact Shield), +12 (w. Shield Array set to Gun Barrel Shield), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +12 (+4 Str/Dex, +8 Enh. Base Attack), +8 (+4 Str/Dex, +4 Base Attack) Knockback: -2 (No Suit, Shield Array set to Gun Barrel Shield), -4 (Shield Array set to Compact Shield), -10 (Shield Array set to Heavy Shield) Saving Throws: 2 + 4 + 4 = 10PP Toughness: +4 (+4 Con), +8 (w. Shield Array set to Compact Shield), +12/Impervious Tou 8 (w. Shield Array set to Heavy Shield) Fortitude: +6 (+4 Con, +2) Reflex: +8 (+4 Dex, +4) Will: +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 52R = 13PP Acrobatics 8 (+12) Bluff 5 (+7) Climb 4 (+8) Craft [Cooking] 4 (+6) Diplomacy 6 (+8) Languages 1 (Native: Arabic; Learned: English) Notice 8 (+9) Search 6 (+8) Survival 6 (+7) Swim 4 (+8) Feats: 8PP Benefit 1 (Patriot Initiative) Grapple Finesse Improved Grapple Improved Initiative Luck 2 Precise Shot Track Powers: 58 + 14 + 11 = 83PP Device 14 (Firebrand Suit; 70DP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose; Feats: Restricted 2 [Only Sharaf can use]) [58PP] (Technological, Nanites) Basic Suit Systems 3.2 (16DP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [16DP] Communication 5 (Radio; 5 miles; Feats: Subtle) [6DP] (Communicator) Enhanced Feat 1 (Quick Change) [1DP] [(Nano-Assembly Suit) Immunity 10 (Cold ; Flaws: Limited [Half Effect]) [5DP] (Thermo-Regulator) Immunity 4 (Environmental Cold, Radiation) [4DP] (Thermal Protective System, Anti-Radiation Coating, Deployable Rebreather Mask) Goggles 2.4 (12DP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [12DP] Enhanced Trait 8 (Base Attack +4) [8DP] (Combat Protocols HUD) Immunity 1 (Eye Irritants) [1DP] (Protective Lenses) Super-Senses 3 (Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Infravision) [3DP] (Vision Enhancement Protocols HUD) Firepower Array 8.5 (17DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [19DP] BP: Blast 8 (Fire Bolts; Feats: Precise) {17/17} (Fire) AP: Damage 4 (Gauntlet Punch; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Knockback 7, Mighty, Takedown Attack 2, Varible Descriptor 1 [Fire or Bludgeoning Damage]) {17/17} (Fire, Bludgeoning Damage Type) AP: Damage 4 (Flaming Kick; Extras: Area [Targeted Trail] 8; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Mighty, Progression [Area Size] 2) (40-200 ft. line) {17/17} (Fire) Boots Array 2 (4DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 1) [5DP] (Booster Boots) BP: Speed 4 (100 mph, 1000 ft./rnd) {4/4} AP: Flight 2 (25 mph, 250 ft./rnd.) {4/4} Shield Array 8 (16DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [18DP] (Variable Shield) BP: {8 + 4 + 4 = 16/16} (Compact Shield) Autofire Firepower 8 Adds (Extras: Autofire 1) to Firepower Array [8DP] Enhanced Feat 4 (Dodge Focus 4; Total Defense +8) [4DP] Protection 4 (Total Toughness +8) [4DP] AP: {8 + 8 = 16/16} (Heavy Shield) Protection 8 (Total Toughness +12) [8DP] Impervious Toughness 8 [8DP] AP: {8 + 8 = 16/16} (Gun Barrel Shield) Enhanced Feat 8 (Dodge Focus 8; Total Defense +12) [8DP] Penetrating Firepower Adds (Extras: Penetrating) to Firepower Array [8DP] Super Soldier Boost Package 2.8 (14PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [14PP] (Nanites) Enhanced Constitution 4 [4PP] Enhanced Dexterity 4 [4PP] Enhanced Strength 6 [6PP] Fire Controller Powers 2.2 (11PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [11PP] (Metahuman) Immunity 1 (Environmental Heat) [1PP] Immunity 10 (Fire) [10PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC19 TOU Damage [Physical] Fire Bolt Ranged DC23 TOU Damage [Fire] Gauntlet Punch Touch DC23 TOU Damage [Physical or Fire] Flaming Kick Trail Area DC23 TOU Damage [Fire] Totals: Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (13) + Feats (8) + Powers (83) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/172 Power Points MAJOR STORY SPOILERS IN THE SPOILER BELOW. MUCH OF PATRIOTEEN'S EARLY STORYLINES WILL BE SPOILED IF YOU READ IT.

Raven ignored the gunshots. He was not impressed by the already-addled goons. The leader of the group, he was stranger, more intimidating in the abstract. He clearly had some sort of stamina-draining power, but Raven was able to clench his teeth and ignore it. Instead of a verbal response, he just palmed the dispenser in his belt and lobbed another sound-grenade at the group of thugs, a bit over from where his first one landed. The effects wouldn't last long, but the more confusion and discomfort he sowed now, the better. After that was done, he turned and increased his pace, doing his best to catch up with Nevermore and their impromptu charge. He said nothing for the moment, just nodded to Nevermore and signaled to keep moving along the rooftops. A bit closer and he'd warm up the Unkindness.

Raven spends an HP to avoid Fatigue. He takes a standard action to toss another one of those auditory dazzlers down. And a move action to catch up to Nevermore and the whistleblower.

"Putting aside the broader economic debates about the ethics of the existence of billionaires at all, which I should note none of us are thanks to how much we divert to charities, tax payments, and the wages and pensions for our employees, we both know plenty of super-rich people doing actual good with their resources. Not necessarily the majority, but we're not the only ones." He shrugged his shoulders, and the cape that had been at his back moved in a way that Callie had seen Alek practice in the Rookery. The result was his entire body being shrouded in the cape, with only his neck and head rising from the indistinct black form. He began walking a lazy, irregular circuit of the room, his gaze focused either ahead of himself, or nowhere in particular, as he continued to speak. "Is revenge what drives you, Callie? I am truly asking. If it is, then we need to talk about that. But I meant more than just you in particular. We have an entire operation, at this point. Your father and older self, helping back at base. You, Charlie, your father's alt, and myself, in the field. Knowing our luck, probably even more later on. Not a singular hero, but a team. A family. You know I know a little something about found and adopted families, after all. So. Why does the entire Raven Family do what we do? What is the purpose that drives us? If you had to sum all the speeches we've all given before into one to two sentences or ideas, what would they be?"

Sharaf settled down a bit as she at least gave him direction. His confidence in front of his peers when in her presence was likely due to not feeling the entirety of her focus upon him. As he saw she had adjusted the bike to be "civilian" colors, his head tilted in curiosity. "Okay that's neat. Hm." He looked down at his right wrist, then slightly clenched that fist. His super-suit shimmered in an unearthly way, then began to flow up his legs and left arm, and down his head, the colors muting to a silvery mass until everything had flowed into what looked like, for all intents and purposes, a large-ish smart watch. He was left standing there in slacks and a button-up, whose top couple of buttons he re-fastened before donning the helmet. "Thanks for remembering the hair. Most people just laugh about it." He spoke almost absent-mindedly, perhaps self-aware enough to know that his concerns about his styled hair were mostly an affectation. He waited for her to get on board first before sliding onto the bike and getting a grip however best he could; he would spend several moments looking for some kind of secondary handlebars or something, because the other option was more than a bit awkward. "I've never ridden one of these before, honestly."

"I suppose I didn't start quite as early, but still." And then the young lady who went by Effigy showed up. He gave a slight smile at her...vim and vigor. At Velocity's question about the other student attendee, he tilted his head to one side for a moment, then spoke with a loud voice even as he stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back and armored coat flaring just so as he moved. Ever a man of the stage, he was. "I think she's in the back stage area. Would you come join us please, young lady?" He turned to regard Effigy calmly for several moments. "So. Effigy. Are you doing well?" Part of him wanted to give some advice on the dramatic entrance, he couldn't help appreciating someone with a flair for drama in the right moment. But he got a sense that he should hold off on critiquing just yet.

It took a couple of minutes after she arrived before the young man who was...well, was "apprentice" quite the right word? They'd met, and worked together a couple of times, but it wasn't the same dynamic as Alek shared with Charlie, or was forming with the younger Callie. He exited the entrance in his costume, his shield tucked away in that odd wristband of his, his red gauntlet and boots smooth and silent for the time being. He looked...nervous. There was a slight stutter in his steps when he drew within a few feet before he stopped. He almost went into an extremely sloppy parade rest, then kept trying to do something with his arms. He finally settled on having them crossed over his chest, hands tucked almost in his armpits. His left foot tapped a couple of times before going still. Finally, he spoke, his voice filled with a bit more confidence than Ashley wagered he felt in truth. "Hey. So. Uh. Ma'am. Miss. Patriot. Sir. Uh. Hi." That pompadour of his waved in the gentle breeze.