Semester Break In The City(Jiang)

[Jiang Mei]

Their waiter came and went, heading back to the kitchen with their orders. It was cute, how Zafir decided to try the same thing that he was ordering. Such a good little sheep. Now, if only Jiang could convince him that the real fun to be had on this trip would involve staying in his room and out of trouble. He doubted he would have such luck. The boy chattered on, and Jiang smiled and nodded agreeably. Yes, it was very...homey. He could honestly care less about the atmosphere, but apparently that was something the boy appreciated.\ Zafir's next question took Jiang by surprise, if only because he believed the answer to be fairly obvious. He was obviously overestimating the boy's intelligence.

“Well, I'm a diplomat first,” he replied with a smile. “The book is just a hobby I keep. It has been helping to aid relations, I think; the last American ambassador to Genosha was openly against mutants, and his post...ended shortly. There were very few people willing to come here. But still, there couldn't possibly be a better place to document mutant oppression, could there? Very few people come to Genosha because they are happy with life in their home country. There is a reason why this island is so racially diverse.”

Jiang wouldn't exactly say that he'd taken advantage of the last ambassador's untimely demise, but that was only because he was far too polite to bring it up. He was incredibly young, as far as politicians went; he'd gotten this far by being equally ruthless and charming. That was entirely more than Zafir needed to know, however. Let him think of Jiang's position as merely a lucky accident. He took a sip of his water, as he paused, glancing over it towards the boy. “If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me of your experiences in Algeria? It would be most invaluable for this book.”

[Zafir Soliman]

As Jiang told Zafir how the book was more a hobby than work related. Zafir found it interesting that Jiang would use the book to help with the relations between the world's mutant and human populations. It was also very shocking to hear that many didn't want to come to the island nation originally. If Zafir were around when things were bad he wouldn't have thought for a moment to flee to Genosha. It was hard for Zafir to even think about. The waiter returned to the table checking to see if they needed any refills on their drinks. He informed that the food should be out for them soon.

Zafir smiled because he could already taste the delicious Turkish cuisine. Everything was going well until Jiang mentioned Algeria. While Zafir loved his homeland he didn't necessarily have fond memories of his life there. He had to shake the sad memories from his head before the emotions surfaced on his face. Looking over to the diplomat Zafir gave a smile. "If you don't mind I would rather not speak on Algeria. It was a while before I lived the life of a normal teenager. It took a lot of convincing from me for me to turn my parents from their Bedouin background."

It wasn't why he truly didn't want to talk about Algeria but it wasn't a complete lie. He just didn't want to tell Jiang all of his personal business. After all he was nothing more than a diplomat who was keeping him company for a while. Jiang wouldn't understand the seriousness of Zafir's past. For all he knew Jiang may try and keep him prisoner in the country if he found out the truth about Zafir. Not even wanting to think about his family and his issues with them Zafir looked to Jiang and said, "So what made you want to go into politics. You're young...not like me but most politicians I think of old stuffy guys. Not people like you...You could be like a model or something." Zafir actually chuckled a bit as he said the last part.

[Jiang Mei]

As Zafir declined from commenting on Algeria, Jiang made a show of looking slightly disappointed. This was, after all, supposed to be about material for his book. “I understand,” he accepted gracefully. “If you would prefer talking about your time in Brazil—or as a student at the Xavier Institute—I would greatly appreciate either.” Despite Jiang's general lack of interest in the subject, getting the boy to talk about the latter would be ideal. Perhaps he'd say something about the school that had been hidden from the Brotherhood.

Zafir asked a question about Jiang's career, and he raised an eyebrow in response. It took a good deal of effort to not do significantly more than that. Oh, yes. Because being a model would surely be the best use of his abilities. Was the boy that absorbed by the celebrity world, to not understand what real power meant? Jiang paused, unsure how to delicately word his feelings that Zafir was a complete moron. He ducked his head slightly, hoping to cover the pause as embarrassment at the compliment. It gave him enough time to formulate an answer that wouldn't imply Zafir was an imbecile. In true politician style, it was almost the truth. “Thank you, but I believe I can make a difference in the world; isn't that enough? I've already done quite a bit to improve the relations between the United States and Genosha; I would be a fool to stop now. And if the United States take a more tolerant view on the country, others are likely to follow. With time, there could be peace—real peace—and wider acceptance of mutants.”

It was a lovely sentiment. Idealistic, naïve, and lacking a grasp on the finer points of politics. Exactly the type of drivel that any young, up-and-coming politician was meant to spout off. In truth, Jiang cared little for mutant rights; as long as he was publicly known as human, it hardly mattered. The real reason as to why he had gone into politics—and why he had jumped at the chance to get a post in Genosha—were far uglier. Hardly the sort of things to tell idiot tourists.

[Zafir Soliman]

The waiter finally returned with their food. He smiled to Zafir as he placed the food on the table. He never broke eye contact with him as he placed the large dish of food. The waiter spoke to him saying, "I hope you really enjoy your meal." Giving Zafir another smile he walked away. Blushing a bit Zafir turned his attention back to Jiang.

Zafir knew that Jiang would serve a better purpose being an ambassador but there were quite a few celebrities in the world who made a difference. Perhaps not for mutants but they did help the underprivileged. Looking as he listened to Jiang Zafir started to prepare his food so he could taste the Turkish cuisine. Zafir responded to Jiang's question about the school. Zafir had to sit for a moment because he thought it was a bit weird for the man to know so many details of his life but he did have to remember he was a powerful man and the information was more likely than not provided to him.

Taking a deep sigh Zafir said, "Um..well it is like any other school. More like a private school you could say. We go to classes and do homework. You know like any other school. I can't complain about it. You know they help us use our powers and train us on how to use them correctly. In Brazil I really can't say I had any issues. My best friends family is very well known in the medical and beauty fields...They are very wealthy so I don't think it would be fair for me to give my experience because it wasn't genuine. Mutants in Brazil in general are not bothered too much. THey have a very accepting culture there. It isn't as tense as it is in the U.S."

Zafir didn't want to be rude and ask him if he wanted to know anything else but Zafir didn't necessarily want to feel like he was being dissected by the man. The teen almost felt like he was being interrogated by his father almost. It was almost a forced nature to their conversation.

[Jiang Mei]

Was that blush in response to the waiter? And was the waiter...? Hmm. That aspect of the boy was definitely something that hadn't been mentioned in his briefing. Not that he had any prejudices, of course, but it would have been good to know beforehand. Maybe Jiang had the wrong idea about the type of venue to introduce the boy to. For a moment, he wondered if his reputation would survive a trip to a gay nightclub, especially if he was escorting a younger man. Unlikely. Well, even if they didn't go to places that catered to Zafir's preferences, Jiang was sure the boy could manage to keep himself entertained.

“Well, it is good to know that you are getting a rounded education,” Jiang commented simply in response to Zafir's description. It was fairly obvious that the boy was being very vague with details, which was intriguing in itself. He was either hiding something, or had little idea of what actually went on at the institute. It hardly mattered for the task at hand, but any information he gained would still be valuable for the Brotherhood.

Jiang took a bite of his dumplings, savoring the flavor as Zafir went on to describe Brazil. It fit with what Jiang had seen of the country, even if he hadn't spent much time there, himself. Most of his trips to Rio were spent in the Brotherhood base there, not out enjoying the sights. He was just as much an outsider to the country as Zafir. Still, there was a reason why the Brotherhood had set up an experimental facility there, rather than any other part of South America. He feigned a faint look of surprise, swallowing his bite of food before replying. “I was in Rio several weeks ago on vacation. Now that I think of it, there was a distinct lack of anti-mutant sentiment. That is interesting. I will have to look into their policies on the matter.”