Welcome to Weiv Retni's Character Interviews
Sanjay
By Weiv Retni
Weiv: Hi Sanjay! Thanks for joining us today. Big fan. So. First questions. What’s your motto?
Sanjay: “Uh. I don’t know. Don’t be too serious, I guess,” he says, neck going red.
Weiv: Describe your ideal date.
Sanjay: “What’s a dayt?
Weiv: “Like a courtship. Something you do to sweeten a woman so she’ll sleep with you.”
Sanjay: “They do that on Osolis? I don’t remember being told that,” he muses. “Dayt,” he says slowly, trying out the word. “On Glacium, we just get them nice and drunk and-“
Weiv (hasty): “Don’t worry.”
Weiv: Tell me about the place you live.
Sanjay smiles. “It has a bit of a reputation for being cold,”
Weiv: “Anything else?”
Sanjay shrugs. “Sex, music and drinking. What more could you want?” he asks.
Weiv: What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
Sanjay: “Being in Fiona.”
Weiv: “Jesus.”
Sanjay: “What? Is that an Osolis swear word? Sometimes Olina says Solis and Veni. Whatever they mean.”
Weiv: “Er…never mind, next question.”
Weiv: What is your greatest fear?
Sanjay: “Being out of Fiona.”
[Weiv Retni pauses interview to have brief discussion with Sanjay about appropriate responses to her questions.]
Weiv: Who is your best friend in the world and what is he/she like?
Sanjay: “Not counting Fiona?” he asks.
Weiv nods.
“Adnan then. He’s a dreamer, but brillant,” he looks at Weiv sharply. “Don’t tell him I said that.”
[Weiv swears a quick oath not to repeat it. Secretly hoping Adnan doesn’t ever read this interview.]
Sanjay continues: “He’s patient. The only one who can put up with me day in and day out.”
Weiv: “Sounds like a great bestie.”
Sanjay’s face is almost as red as his hair. He assumes ‘bestie’ means best friend. Sanjay: “What can I say, I feel sorry for the guy,” he mutters, hoping Weiv will stop talking about feelings.
Weiv: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Sanjay: “My rugged, yet smooth and charming good looks. Often, people just can’t handle them. Once, this woman just blew up. Exploded right in front of me.
Weiv: “What! Are you serious?”
Sanjay sighs. “You’re even more gullible than Olina.
Weiv: If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Sanjay: “I’d come back as me.”
Weiv: “Yea, but if it had to be someone else”
Sanjay looks around the small room. “Sanjay,” he repeats.
Weiv: “Riiiight. Small attention span.”
Weiv: Who are your favorite writers?
Sanjay: “Kelly St Clare. She is so cool. Fiona has to read them to me though. I’m too manly to read,” he says, flexing his arms with a grin.
Weiv: Did you kill Kedrick?
Sanjay is suddenly all attention. Weiv swallows as the young man’s gaze, previously friendly, turns hard and cold.
“This interview is over,” he says, walking out with a slam of the door.
Rhone
By Weiv Retni
Weiv: “Rhone, thank you so much for meeting with me.”
Rhone: “…”
Weiv: “I understand you were asked to be here by King Jovan.”
Rhone snorts.
Weiv: “Well perhaps ordered is a better word.”
Rhone: “…”
Weiv: “Sooooo, I understand you have a team of dogs. You enjoy sledding.”
Rhone tilts his head on the side, observing her: “Yes.”
Weiv: “Great! So what’s the best part of the sledding?”
Rhone shrugs: “I get out of the castle. I’m alone.”
Weiv: “Sounds…fun.”
Rhone: “…”
Weiv: “You were one of the twelve delegates to go to Osolis this revolution. How did you find the other world?”
Rhone: “Hot.”
Weiv sighs: “I’ll be more specific. How did you find the people?”
Rhone shifts in the too small seat. “Less judgemental”
Weiv leans forward: “What does that mean? Less judgement than whom? The people in the castle?”
Rhone looks away.
Weiv reluctantly takes the hint: “Right. Now, unlike some of the delegates, you are a skilled fighter also. But there are many of these on Glacium. Why, in particular, were you chosen for the peace delegation?”
Rhone still doesn’t look back.
Weiv persists. “Does it have to do with why the people in the castle are judgemental?”
Rhone doesn’t answer.
Weiv: “Maybe we could play charades instead. How many words does your answer have? Have you played this gaeme? You just hold up the corresponding amount of fingers…”
Rhone snorts.
Weiv loses her shit: “When King Jovan ordered you to be here, did he also order you to answer my questions?”
Rhone gives Weiv a calculating look.
Weiv slams her questions on the table: “I will tell him about your uncooperative attitude, Rhone. Don’t test me.”
Rhone looks up at the ceiling for strength. “Ask your questions woman.”
Weiv squeals and picks up her papers again: “Have you had any luck in locating the Tatuma yet?”
Rhone: “No. Not for lack of trying. The King and I have searched nearly the whole of Glacium for her.”
Weiv: “I know King Jovan has the watchmen out searching. What other attempts is he making to find her?”
Rhone: “That’s a question you should ask the King.”
Weiv narrows her eyes: “Maybe I will.” Secretly she knows she won’t. The King is beyond scary.
Weiv: “Let’s go back to the dogs. How many are in your team?”
Rhone: “Changes depending on the load they’re carrying. Ten dogs can take around five people. Six if they’re smaller, like Olina. But I can take up to thirty dogs.”
Weiv blinks: “You just talked. Like talked talked.”
Rhone snorts
Weiv: “Anyway, thirty dogs! That must be crazy hard to control.”
Rhone: “I’m the best.”
Weiv speaks before she thinks: Cocky much?
Rhone gives her a flat look: “I win the sledding race every revolution. I’m not bragging, I know I’m the best.”
Weiv: “A sledding race. That’s kinda awesome. What’s it like?”
Rhone: “Probably how you imagine it would be.”
Weiv rests back in her chair and levels a look at the hulking man: “I got aaaall day Rhone. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Rhone: “You are very annoying for someone so small. You would see meters of snow, a wave of barking dogs, underhand cheating from other sledders. But there’s also the grim side to the races. The mistreatment of dogs, the cold nights, the frostbite.”
Weiv: “You ever had frostbite?”
Rhone snorts and Weiv doesn’t quite know how to interpret it.
[Weiv really wants to ask him if he killed Kedrick, but she’s not quite brave enough. This man is a lot bigger and more intimidating than Sanjay was.]
Weiv forces a casual tone: “So, did you get on well with Kedrick?”
Rhone gives her a sharp look: “If your asking if I killed him, the answer is no.”
Weiv: “What? No, of course not. I was….uh.”
Rhone waits for her to collect herself.
Weiv clears her throat: “Okay, last question. Where do you see yourself in four revolutions which I’m told is around 12 years?”
[Rhone looks away. A ripple of sadness moves so rapidly across his features she isn’t sure if she even saw it.]
Rhone shrugs: “Driving the sleds. Alone. The way I like it.”
Weiv speaks softly: “I see. Well thank you again for taking the time to come see me, even if you were forced to. And good luck with finding Olina. I’m sure she’ll turn up somewhere.”
Aquin
by Weiv Retni
Weiv: “Aquin, welcome! I hope it wasn’t too much trouble to get here?”
Aquin: “Everything is trouble for someone of nearly thirty-one revolutins.”
Weiv: “I suppose so. I really wouldn’t know.”
Aquin: “On with your questions Wiev. Or is it Oweiv?”
Weiv: “What do you mean?”
Aquin: “You are married, or you are not.”
Weiv laughs: “Uh, like definitely not.”
Aquin nods: “Then I shall call you Oweiv.”
Weiv: “Whatever floats your boat Mr Aquin.”
Weiv: “Okay. So how long have you known Olina?”
Aquin: “She is the Tatuma Olina and you will address her as such.”
Weiv: “Sorry. Solati are all about the rules. How long have you known the Tatuma Olina?”
Aquin’s expression doesn’t change: “Since her birth.”
Weiv: “And you spent a lot of time with her as she grew up?”
Aquin freezes almost inperceptibly. “No more than anyone else.”
Weiv shuffles through her papers with a frown: “Why did I think you trained her?”
Aquins walking cane is suddenly pressing against Weiv’s throat: “No one barring two others know this information. Tell me what you know.”
Weiv chokes under the firm pressure of the cane. “I just know stuff, okay. I haven’t told anyone else. I swear I would never.”
The pressure eases and Weiv sits up, rubbing her throat and coughing.
Aquin hands her a water. “I apologize Oweiv. Olina’s safety is paramount and I have already let her down.” Weiv can tell she’s on trial. He’s just trying to catch more flies with honey.
Weiv croakes: “What do you mean by that? That you’ve already let her down?”
Aquin cannot meet her steady green gaze. “It means I should have chosen otherwise.”
Weiv: “Well that tells me a whole heap of nothing.”
Aquin doesn’t smile: “No one will know of my mistake until Olina hears it from me herself.
Weiv: “I guess old people screw up too, huh?” She’s still angry at him for earlier.
Aquin: “You don’t stop making mistakes as you get older, you just make different ones. Often bigger, just not as public.”
Weiv puts the incident behind her. “So tell me about your family Aquin. I don’t know much about you at all.”
Aquin’s face tightens: “There was just my wife Harla. She passed a few revolutions ago.”
Weiv: “I’m sorry to bring it up again.”
Aquin: “Thus is life.”
Weiv: “Aren’t you just full of wisdom?” She slaps a hand over her mouth.
Aquin shows the barest hint of a smile.
Weiv: “Sorry. I think I’m holding a grudge.” Fair enough, too, she thinks.
Weiv: Who is your favourite out of Olandon and Olina?
Aquin: They both hold large places in my heart. But maybe Olina holds a little more. She always needed Harla and myself more than Olandon because of her…
Weiv: “Her bitch of a mother?”
Aquin smiles: “Yes, as you so eloquently put it. Though, you know, her mother wasn’t always that way. As it turns out, Olandon is the one who needs the most guidance right now. He has not taken his sisters disappearance well.”
Weiv: What about you? You don’t seem too worried about her? Like, I know solatis are good at the whole “show no emotion” thing, but you seem very confident.
Aquin smooths his face: “I am confident in her ability to take care of herself and think on her feet. Also, if Olina has one quality, it’s that she’s loveable. She will have the Bruma people wrapped around her little finger in no time. They are much more open to change than we are”
Weiv doesn’t feel like he’s telling her everything and tells him so.
Aquin: “You know, I was initially thinking you would be better suited to Glacium, but you are rather observant. I think you could survive on Osolis if you had a mind to.”
Weiv blushes: “Thank you.”
[She tries to remember the question she was going to ask, but can’t recall it]
Weiv: “What can you tell us of the last war between Glacium and Osolis?”
Aquin sighs “When I was born, the resulting famine and poverty still plagued Osolis. For a long time, males were scarce, most, excepting the court, killed in a futile and foolish bicker.
Weiv speaks softly: “Why did it start?”
Aquin: “Why do all wars start? Greed. They may use their beliefs or their disputes as a cover, but that’s what it comes down to when the firelight dims.”
Weiv: “How did you come to have a place in the Elite guard? You were the best of your time, and still hold that record - I’m told.”
A shadow crosses Aquin’s face: “My mother wanted better for me. I wanted to continue working alongside my father, but to placate her I went to the villager trials in the First Sector. I was chosen, and when I learned there was no escape from the guard, I chose to make the best of the situation and work my hardest.”
Weiv: “It sounds like the best way to move forward in that situation. Can I ask…did you ever have to do something you truly regret while you were in the Elite?”
Aquin stills: “Regret is a useless emotion. It is better to accept what happened and move forward. I would imagine this is the same for you in this interviewing job. You must constantly feel small regret when you ask a question which is too personal. But it doesn’t follow you wouldn’t ask them again, given the chance?”
Weiv narrows her eyes at the old man: “You whacked me in the throat with your cane. I feel like I’ve earned a personal question or two.”
Aquin: “What you feel you’ve earned, and what you’ve actually earned are at odds, it seems.”
Weiv: “Man, what did you do to deserve Olina’s love? You’re so…straight up grumpy.”
Aquin suddenly looks his age and he slowly leans back in the chair: “I often wonder that myself Oweiv.”
Alzona
By Weiv Retni
Weiv: “Alzona! Big fan. I thought we’d start with what work you’ve done in the Outer Rings.”
Alzona: *picks her teeth* “What’s the information worth to you?”
Weiv: Uh…a smiley face stamp?
Alzona: *gives Weiv a confused glance* “I only work in goldies. Studies Weiv intensely. Tell ya what. I like you. So I’m willing to make you a deal. One goldie per question.”
Weiv: “Do you accept NZ currency?”
Alzona: …
Weiv: *mutters under her breath about stubborn Bruma and once again puts on her hard hat* “Tatuma Olina did tell you that you were here to answer my questions, right?”
Alzona: *shrugs* “That don’t mean shit, girly.”
Weiv: *rests back in her black leather seat. How to get this woman to play along? A thought occurs to her!* “You know, Alzona, my interviews get a lot of coverage…”
Alzona: “Good on you, champ.”
Weiv: “…coverage which could bring you customers.”
Alzona: *her eyes flick to Weivs for a split second before a large shit-eating grin spreads across her face. She sticks out her hand to Weiv* “Nice to do business with you. Ask away, my friend.”
Weiv: “Wow. Okay. Well, back to my first question, I guess. Take us through what kind of work you do in the Outer Rings.”
Alzona: “For a couple of revolutions I’ve worked the fighting pits, taken some miserable looking people into my barracks and churned them out as kickass fighters.”
Weiv: “But I believe you have now branched out?”
Alzona: “Yes. I am moving out of the pits to what should prove to be a more profitable venture. I’m opening up training centers for female fighters.”
Weiv: “That’s awesome!”
Alzona: *leans forward, face lit* “It is. We have funding from a few wealthy inner rings members, and Frost helped, too. Training is free for outer rings females, but if you are from the middle or inner rings, I am currently running a deal. Alzona brings her mouth close to the voice recorder. If you sign up in the next month, you will receive three nights of training for the price of two.”
Weiv: “Uh, can I get that back?”
Alzona: “That’s right. You heard it here first. Three training sessions! For the price of two! You can’t bet that for value.”
Weiv: *pulls the recorder back with difficulty. Well, that was intense…She shakes off the weird moment* “Obviously, you are a business woman…”
Alzona: *grins evily*
Weiv: “But I know that you also do these things because you care.”
Alzona: *her smile drops*
Weiv: “You have particular interest in protecting the vulnerable in the Outer Rings. Why is this?”
Alzona: *Alzona’s eyes grow wide* “I don’t really. I mean…sometimes. It’s hard to…Uh.”
Weiv: Luckily, Olina had foreseen this problem.Weiv slowly draws out a goldie from her pocket.
Alzona: *her eyes fix on the coin. She swallows hard* “Fine. I don’t like to see people hurt. I earn money so I can always be safe, and give safety to those I care about.”
Weiv asks softly: “And why don’t you like to see people get hurt?”
Alzona: “…because I was hurt badly when I was young…and lost someone very dear to me through violence.” *she glares at Weiv and snatches the goldie from her, shoving it into some deep, hidden pocket*
Weiv: Weiv senses that she should move on, like immediately. “Alright, now I want to talk looooove.”
Alzona: “Why are you saying it weird?”
Weiv: “What? Looooove?”
Alzona: “Stop it.”
Weiv: *Weiv smiles to herself* “I want to know about you and Crystal.”
Alzona: *for the first time, Zona’s face softens. She looks five years younger, care-free* “I saved Crystal from…something terrible. It took a year for her to recover enough that she could pretend some semblance of a life. She still carries the scars.”
Weiv: “How did your relationship first form?”
Alzona chuckles: “She attacked me in my office. I loved her from the first moment I saw her, broken, in that alley. I’ve never met someone that I so immediately wanted to cherish. But she lived under my roof, worked for me. Crystal was taken advantage of before. I couldn’t pursue my feelings and do that to her again. I did nothing. Ignored her for the most part - it was hard to be around her, you know?”
Weiv: *thinks of Ryan Gosling* “Yep, I can imagine.”
Alzona smiles, tossing her hair back: “But, that wasn’t good enough for her, she smiles. Crystal took matters into her own hands and told me, in no uncertain terms, that we were going to be together. That she loved me, too.”
Weiv’s heart melts: “I think what confuses me is that Crystal liked men before.”
Alzona shrugs: “So did I. Sometimes you just meet someone, and you know that you are meant to be with them. That’s what it was like for both of us. It has no explanation, it just is.
Weiv: *wipes a sneaky tear from her eye and sniffs loudly* “I’m so happy for you both.”
Alzona: “Happy enough to give me another goldie?”
Weiv: *holds out the small pouch of goldies* “Here, have the lot.”
Alzona gives her a suspicious look: “No backsies?”
Weiv chortles: “No backsies. It was nice to meet you, Alzona.”
Alzona: “You’re not so bad, yourself. A little training and you would be prime for the pits. Remember, my three for two offer expires in a month! Get it now, or probably die.”