"I mean, it's slightly worse than being arrested unless Birdcage because—I mean I like people, don't get me wrong, but dealing with other parahumans is tiptoeing around eggshells."

"... A little," she agrees. "But there are exceptions, certainly. The thing that would bother me is - the Protectorate forces their members to patrol. And patrolling is an utter waste of my time."

"Patrolling at specific times, with specific people, who happen to be traumatized superpowered individuals, not to mention all the other things we're scheduled to do. Micromanagement to the max."

"I don't actually mind being micromanaged by someone competent. It's being micromanaged by a bureaucracy that'll use me poorly that will tick me off."

They ponder that for a bit. "I mean, I agree, but I think... competent wouldn't be enough, or maybe it's not the word I'd use to describe it. It'd have to be someone I could personally verify was doing good, someone I really trusted."

Nod. "That makes perfect sense."

"Yeah. So. My options are basically being arrested, being arrested, or having to start over somewhere. Well, I mean, not completely over, but for now my rep is mostly limited to the New York Forums."

"I mean, saying you're seventeen and only putting up with the Wards for a year lessens the time being arrested, if that factors in at all, but - yeah, I see what you mean. Hmmm."

"Why would it? Lessen the time, I mean."

"... When you turn eighteen the probation ends, and you're free to do whatever you want. Wards can go immediately join the Protectorate, and are in fact kind of pressed to do so, but they don't have to."

"...what, really?"

"Yes."

"And they just believe me if I say I'm seventeen."

"I don't think they can question it if you keep your secret identity very secret and make a big deal out of not telling anyone. But I can check, if you like."

"I see. Hmm. It would have made my life easier if I'd known that last year."

"Turned eighteen already?"

"Yes, last year."

"Well. I think there are some ways around this - you can say your civilian identity was marked as legally dead in an Endbringer attack and only your power saved you, you can say you used your powers to illegally immigrate from someplace without a paper trail because where you came from sucked more - do you have parents or other legal guardians?"

"...my legal guardian died in an Endbringer attack and only my power saved me."

"Oh. My condolences. How long ago did it happen? Feel free to not answer if you'd rather not."

"Eleven years ago. It's—mostly fine."

"This whole thing is kinda confusing, though, I mean, who cares who my legal guardian is if they don't even know my name?"

"A bit. I don't know the specifics of how it all works, whatever age I am is 'over eighteen' so I haven't had to deal with this system at all."

"Hmm. I wonder if we could fib with my legal documents, anyway. I've been emancipated for, uh, a few years."