CHARACTER INTERVIEWS - VALIANT

On wattpad.com (where all the books are available to read for free) I used to enter these character interview scenes, where you ask a person's characters questions and in exchange they ask your characters questions and you both have to write out how each person's characters answer. Naturally, I always used characters from the Valiant Series. Enjoy!

As a side note, remember that when I wrote this, I was in the middle of writing Warrior, so the character development is way different. Skull was still a villian and at this point in the planning stage, he still had a mohawk. Also, the questions are left as the questioner typed them. And these have not been edited for mistakes, so read at your own discretion.

*** CLICK THE BUTTON TO JUMP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE AND ASK ANY CHARACTER WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU WANT - Your interview will be featured on here! ***

Here

Jared - have you ever babysat?

Jared smirked and glanced over at Averella. “Not unless you consider watching out for Aver—“

Averella interrupted him with a glare. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, jerk!”

Jared cleared his throat and then smirked. “Does saving all these idiots count?” he asked, gesturing to several of the people who sat around him.

Shinji jumped up in protest. “Excuse me, Jared, but I believe it was Akari and I that came to your rescue at the Battle for Iwashita capital!”

Jared frowned and shook his head. “We had everything under control without you.”

2. Averella - What 's YOUR favorite kind of candy?

Averella pursed her lips, deep in thought. “Um. Does berries count?”

Lanndor laughed, slapping his knee. “Of course they don’t! What have you been doing your whole life?”

“Eating berries as dessert, apparently,” Shinji muttered.

3. Rayth - Have you ever watched anime?

Rayth stared at the interviewer before he frowned. “What did you just ask me?” He glanced at several of the other people helplessly.

Cynndra leaned over to murmur in his ear. “I believe that is a genre of movie.”

Rayth furrowed his eyebrows. “What is a movie?”

Lanndor stared at him open-mouthed, before he turned to the interviewer politely. “This idiotic buffoon might not watch anime, but I do! Fairy Tail is number one!” He pointed a single finger into the air, as the others all stared at him unsure of what to say or do.

4. Akari - do you believe that dreams come true?

Akari stared at the ground for a minute, deep in thought about the question. She felt Shinji lightly squeeze her hand and it gave her the support she needed. “I believe that one can try and work for what one wants, but there is no guarantee that it will come to pass.”

5. Shinji - can you cook?

Akari immediately busted out in a fit of laughter and answered before Shinji had a chance to open his mouth. “Absolutely not!”

Shinji glared at her, crossing his arms. “Excuse me? My miso soup is unmatched!”

“That’s about all you can cook,” Akari muttered.

Averella lightly shook her head. “And even that tasted worse than our slop back home.”

Lanndor glanced at her sideways. “This coming from the girl who counts berries as candy?!”

6. Beroan - do you like dogs or cats?

Beroan shuddered and swallowed. “Well…. Dogs aren’t so bad, but cats…. They seem to hate me for some reason.”

Rayth raised an eyebrow at him, as Shinji laughed loudly. “Some reason?! You—you accidentally set a bunch on fire!”

“Accidentally?” Jared asked, at the same time that Beroan said, “ I did not!”

Shinji smirked. “I rest my case.”

7. Rothan - hypothetically, which would you rather listen to: meghan trainor or justin beiber?

Rothan blinked once, then twice, before glancing at Cynndra as if for help. He looked back at the interviewer. “I’m sorry—who?”

Shinji smirked. “They’re both female singers from Earth.”

Lanndor stood up and moved toward Shinji as if to hit him. “Don’t you dare insult Justin Beiber!”

Shinji grinned at Lanndor as Jared moved to block Lanndor from hitting him.

Cynndra whispered in Rothan’s ear, “Justin Beiber is not a girl, just to let you know.”

Rothan just shook his head and looked at the interviewer. “Next question.”

8. Cynndra - have you ever killed anyone?

Cynndra swallowed and wrung her hands. She noticed Rothan watching her closely and tried to ignore the way her heart pounded at the idea of so many people’s eyes on her. “Um n—no. Not—not yet.”

Lanndor raised an eyebrow. “Just wait a few weeks.”

Rothan shot Lanndor a glare, but didn’t say anything.

9.. Lanndor - have you ever had a girlfriend?

Lanndor grinned. “Have I had a girlfriend? Of course I’ve had a girlfriend. Well, not just one, but I’ve had many. They all adored me, but to be honest, none of them were that interesting. Not nearly funny enough.”

Shinji smirked and leaned over to Jared, “He means they couldn’t handle him.”

Jared smiled. “He actually means he only had one girlfriend and then she ditched him after the first date.”

Lanndor glared at him. “I heard that, you snot-nosed pup!”

Shinji rolled his eyes, while Jared laughed.

10. Skull - How would you react if you were forced to wear a tutu

Skull raised an eyebrow, as his eyes danced over the interviewer, bored. “A tutu?”

Averella glared at Skull. “It’s basically a really puffy skirt.”

Skull ignored her and crossed his arms, glaring at the interviewer. “Do I look like I’ve ever worn one?”

Shinji glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “Well, now that you mention it….”

Jared smirked, “He does look suited to wear one.”

Lanndor laughed. “I think it would go very nicely with his Mohawk.”

“Or all his stupid piercings,” Averella muttered.

Skull simply ignored them all, eyeing the interviewer.

Akari placed her hand on her katana. “Don’t even think about killing the interviewer, Skull.” She and Averella glared at him, making Shinji and Jared scoot away from them, just in case they got too angry.

Is anyone else curious to know the story where Beroan set a cat on fire? If you guys want me to write that scene, let me know through the contact box at the bottom of the page. All bonus scenerios and interviews are written as if all characters are alive and well and as if they had joined the group or stayed alive.

1. Aidan, why did your parents sell you?

As the interviewer looked over at Aidan, he stiffened. All the others who sat around him stayed quiet, especially Nsi, who pursed her lips. It was not a topic any of them brought up around him.

He swallowed and looked up at the interviewer with emotionless eyes. His expression, as well as his voice when he spoke next, was empty. “They needed money.”

2. Nsi, what is a shape shifter?

Nsi smiled and looked up at the ceiling of the room, as if that would help her answer the question. “Well, shape shifters are humans who can shift into animal form. We can only shift into one animal form our whole lives. It’s why we’re divided into clans based off of what we shift into.” Her mind flashed to when she had almost asked Beroan the same thing. Her chest tightened as she pictured what he’d told her.

3. Peyrce, what would happen if you became extremely rich?

“Ha! That’s easy! I’d sail to an island and drink all the rum I could buy! Might even have to let the lass here come along,” he said, putting his arm around Neline’s shoulders as he winked at her.

She pulled out from underneath his arms. “I would never go with you, Peyrce!” She glared at him.

He smirked. “Aye, lass. Ye will.”

4. Neline, do you honestly love Peyrce?

She paled, which quickly turned into a blush, as she looked at the interviewer wide-eyed. Within a second, her eyes narrowed, turning into a glare. “What are you talkin’ about?! He’s—He’s… despicable! He frolics around with women; he’s nothing but a clumsy, drunk buffoon, and he’s—“

“I’m what, lass? Go on, tell the interviewer what ye were goin’ to say.” Peyrce crossed his arms and looked at her, as if daring her to continue.

She leaned in close to him, getting right in his face. “You are nothin’ but a smelly, arrogant, drunkard…”

“Smelly?” His voice rose in irritation as he stood up and glared down at her.

“Yes, smelly.”

He sat down and harrumphed, promptly ignoring whatever she continued to say.

5. Megumi, do you think a one-handed samurai would be accepted?

Megumi met the interviewers gaze with a calm one. “A one-handed samurai is neither accepted nor rejected. To fight with one hand, means to fight with less power in attacks. A one-handed samurai cannot fight to his or her full potential and therefore will not win against a better opponent.” As she spoke, everyone grew silent, listening and hanging onto her every word. It held the full authority of an Empress, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

Ryosuke looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, nearly smiling at her wisdom. Despite that she had only one arm, she knew more about samurai and their way of fighting, than most did. If anyone deserved to be able to train, it was her.

6. Ryosuke, have you ever told Megumi you love her?

Ryosuke’s eyes narrowed at the interviewer as he practically snarled. “What!? Why would you ask something like that?!”

Megumi, though she said nothing, pursed her lips and refused to look at Ryosuke. She fought to ignore the way her heart pounded, anticipating his answer. She was hurt by his outburst and anger at the question, though part of her knew it was because they’d both been forced to hide their feelings for so long, neither were comfortable with openly expressing it.

He glared at the interviewer, who shifted uncomfortably. “She is still my Empress and I will always protect her with my life.” He kept his face impassive and his tone carefully neutral as he spoke. His eyes shifted to meet Megumi’s and in that moment, she knew what he really meant: that he had always loved her.

7. Nasan, is there anyone you love right now?

Nasan, though he raised an eyebrow and smirked, had to keep his thoughts from drifting. “Love?” he asked. He shook his head. “No. I haven’t loved anyone for centuries.” Though his words were depressing and negative, his tone didn’t match the words he used. His voice and tone sounded indifferent; matter-of-factly, as if how his life had been devoid of love for centuries was nothing more than a fact, not something to be pitied or empathized.

8. Jared, how did you become blind?

Jared smirked and looked in the interviewers direction. “Well, if I remember right, I might have set a bomb or two off.” He grinned.

Averella looked at him, appalled. She couldn’t understand how he could be joking about something that, at the time, was life-threatening and serious. “To answer the question better, we had to destroy government labs that were imprisoning our people. Even though he’s fast because of his powers, he still didn’t get away from the blast in time.”

Jared continued grinning, but looked her direction. “Leave it to you to explain everything meticulously.” His eyes softened as they searched for Averella’s gaze.

9. Averella, would you marry Jared there and then?

Averella’s eyes grew wide, but she smiled. “Um, well we’re in the middle of a war….”

Jared smirked and threw his arm around her. “I think we should get married now.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, followed by her jawline and neck.

“J—Jared, not now!” she hissed, shoving him off her.

He looked at her like a wounded animal.

“Don’t give me that look,” she snapped, crossing her arms.

He grinned mischievously. “So, Averella? What’s your answer?”

“My answer to what?” She furrowed her eyebrows.

“Will you marry me?”

Her eyes widened and she gasped. “Are you… Are you… serious?”

He grinned.

10. Skull, which do you prefer, money or ladies?

Skull stared at the interviewer with a blank expression. “Both are a means to an end,” he answered in a low voice.

“Money provides a way to build weapons, machines and armor, as well as it helps to increase armies in size. Ladies, however….” Skull shrugged, and smiled, leaving a chill in the entire room. “They’re fun to torture.”

Jared clenched his fists and started to jump up at Skull, but was stopped by the only man in the room with fast enough reflexes: Ryosuke. “Do not give him the satisfaction.”

Jared was glaring Skull’s direction with all the intensity of a killer.

Averella shivered, though she knew it wasn’t from the cold.

Obviously, this was before I had written Jared and Averella's actual wedding proposal. It's nice to have a fake one too though right?

Peyrce- what's the best kind of rum around?

Peyrce laughs at the interviewer briefly. “Is there even a best type of rum?” He furrowed his eyebrows.

Shinji smirked. “Sake is better than any of your rotten drinks any day.”

Peyrce shot Shinji a look, but grinned. “Ah, mate, ye have it all wrong; Sake sounds like a drink for the lass here!” He tapped Neline’s leg and grinned at her, while she glared at him and yanked her leg out of his grip.

Rothan just slightly grinned, while Lanndor burst in a fit of laughter. He nearly fell from his chair, and almost hit Rothan in the face. “You pups don’t know what a real drink is!”

2. Neline- do you have your eyes in anyone?

She frowned before narrowing her eyes. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

Peyrce wagged his eyebrows at her, before leaning his elbow on her head. He leaned in close to her ear. “Och, come on, lass! We all know ye have yer eyes on me! Who wouldn’t?”

“Who would,” Shinji muttered, making Jared and Lanndor laugh.

3. Cynndra- I know it's a bit random, but what type of weapon do you prefer?

“Oh, that’s not random at all,” Cynndra said with a smile. “I prefer using a whip, actually.”

Peyrce wagged his eyebrows again, leaning into Neline. “Ye wanna use a whip on me?”

Neline pushed him off.

Cynndra cleared her throat. “It, back home we had weaving ropes to make pictures with. A whip reminds me of those, actually and it clicked with me faster than a sword did. I usually have a whip in my right hand, and a gauntlet on my left wrist.”

Jared glared in Peyrce’s direction. “Can’t you keep your thoughts to yourself?”

Averella frowned and looked at Jared. “Why would Peyrce want Neline to use a whip on him?”

Lanndor fell out of his chair in laughter, while Peyrce just stared Neline, smirking.

Jared shook his head, cursing loudly. “You don’t want to know,” he muttered to Averella.

Peyrce raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter, Jared? Don’t want her to use a whip on you? Or better yet, since

Cynn knows what she’s doing, let her use a whip on Rothan!”

Cynndra’s face turned a bright shade of pink, while Rothan glared at Peyrce, with his hand around his sword.

Rothan cursed at Peyrce, which only made Peyrce laugh more.

4. Lanndor- how about you, do you have your eyes on anyone?

Lanndor laughed, before shrugging. “Most of these pups have ladies already. We’re always traveling to different worlds where women come flocking to me.”

Shinji rolled his eyes. “Right. Since when have any women came to you at all, besides asking how to get away from you?”

Lanndor chuckled. “Being married has dulled your senses, pup. You’re not even allowed to look at women anymore, so how would you know?”

Akari glared at Lanndor as her left thumb lightly flicked up her katana.

Shinji put his hand on Akari’s shoulders. “Now, now, play nice.” He grinned as she shot him a glare. “Would you rather I attack you, instead of him, Shinji?” Akari asked.

Shinji smirked, which only seemed to infuriate her more.

5. Rothan- tough love eh?

Rothan frowned, glaring at the interviewer.

Lanndor smiled. “He won’t answer that question, but I can. As General, with thousands of men under your protection, looking to you for guidance and leadership, with a war going on, trying to keep all the men safe and at the same time destroy the enemy, wouldn’t you be a little harsh as well?”

Jared gritted his teeth and glared in Skull’s direction. Averella, obviously sensing his unease, turned to look at

Skull as well, drawing almost everyone’s attention.

Skull was smirking.

6. Jared- how do you DEAL with your guilt?

Skull’s smirk turned into a grin.

Jared clenched his fists and tore his gaze away from Skull’s to glare in the interviewer’s direction. His muscles were taught, as he gritted his teeth.

Averella cleared her throat as she placed her hand on Jared’s arm. Almost instantly, his muscles seemed to relax.

“I save whoever I can now. Do whatever I can to try and make up for what I’ve done. I know it never will—but I can try.” His voice was deep, and husky.

Averella pursed her lips and tightened her grip on his arm.

Suddenly, he grew tense, as if his muscles were being stretched.

Skull’s laughter bounced off the walls. “Oh, please. You know you just push it back, out of the forefront of your mind, hoping and praying that if you push it back far enough, it’ll just go away. But it doesn’t. It stays there, clawing at your mind, eating away at you from the inside out. Still, you push it deeper and deeper, digging it into a hole so big one day it’ll split you wide open.” He smiled and looked at Jared, who had frozen; he wasn’t even breathing as he glared at the wall behind the interviewer’s head.

Peyrce laughed. “Please! Ye make it sound like he’s burying treasure!”

Several of the other men chuckled with him, and Jared relaxed a bit. Averella met Peyrce’s eyes and nodded in silent thanks for lightening the mood.

7. Avarella- do you have a plan?

She looked at the interviewer in confusion as Jared, Shinji, Akari, Peyrce and Lanndor all burst in a fit of laughter. “A plan for what?”

Jared smirked. “You never have a plan for anything!”

Akari and Cynndra both laughed. “I cannot even ask her to decide what we are going to eat for dinner!” Akari shouted as Cynndra giggled.

Averella frowned. “I do too plan things out! Like that one time we got the poison out of the river!”

Jared chuckled. “That wasn’t you.”

“Rescuing you from the mermaids?”

Jared furrowed his eyebrows. “You didn’t save us! And that definitely wasn’t a plan!”

Peyrce chuckled. “Ah, yer lass saved ye from them too, eh?”

Jared frowned as Peyrce laughed harder. “She didn’t save me from them!”

“And anyway, I do too plan things out!”

“Yeah like that time you broke into a dangerous prison filled with genetically altered humans?” Jared raised an eyebrow.

She glared at him, crossing her arms. “I thought that out!”

“Please! If you had thought that out, we wouldn’t be here right now!”

“See? It worked out, didn’t it?” Averella grinned in her apparent victory.

8. Akari- how do you deal with people like peyrce?

Shinji immediately started laughing so hard his eyes watered.

Akari, glared at him, before looking back at the interviewer with a smile. “I put them in their place.”

Shinji chuckled.

“Like ye did with him?” Peyrce asked, nodding his head to Shinji.

Lanndor, Jared, and even Rothan all laughed, as Shinji raised an eyebrow. “It was you that put me in my place, huh?”

Akari grinned. “Yes, and don’t you forget it either.”

Shinji crossed his arms and smirked at her. “If I remember right, it was me that kidnapped you remember? We both know who won the fight, too.”

Akari frowned. “I think you remember it differently than I do.”

Neline glanced at Akari. “You were kidnapped too?”

Akari nodded, but couldn’t hide her grin.

Peyrce leaned in to whisper in Neline’s ear. “See? He kidnapped her at first, and now look at them all happily married?”

Neline pretended not to hear his comment.

9. Shinji- who's better, you or Akari?

Akari glared at him, her hand clenching around her katana. “Do not even think about saying what I know you are going to say, Shinji!”

Shinji smirked. “I think we all know who’s better.”

Akari flicked her katana up out of its sheath slightly. “You may be a better swordsmen, Shinji but I swear I will win—“

He interrupted her by kissing her on the mouth. She froze in surprise at first, right as he leaned away. “We both know you’re better enough for both of us.”

10. Skull- why are you called skull? Are you the red skull? Or is your skull exposed? Or is it just a name? I'm interested, tell me.

Everyone in the room turned to listen to Skull’s reply. It was something none of them knew, and no one had ever asked him that before. In a way, they were all a bit curious to hear his answer.

Skull just looked at the interviewer with a bored expression. “I was six when the Corrupted found me. They found me in the middle of a field, where an entire city had once been, now laid to ruin. The fires had long sense been put out, but the dust and ash remained. The stench had sent every animal within a ten mile raidus scattering for the hills. When the Corrupted came to me, I was on the ground, on my knees. The decayed bodies of my family were all around me, still in pieces from when the creatures had come and ripped them apart. Right in front of me were the skulls of both my parents. The Corrupted took me, and after that day, I was known as Skull.”

There was no malice, anger or bitterness in his tone, not even a hint of sorrow, sadness or grief. His tone was lighthearted, matter-of-factly, as if he was talking about the weather instead of the death of his entire hometown and family.

“I think I liked you better before,” Lanndor muttered.

Peyrce furrowed his eyebrows, as if deep in thought. “Nay, I didn’t before, and I still don’t.” He grinned, which got a chuckle from Shinji, Lanndor and Jared.

“No one liked him before,” Shinji added.

Akari glanced over at Skull, the man in the far corner of the room away from everyone else. Though he looked the same as before; as un-phased by their words, as he was by his own moments before, she couldn’t help but feel a little pity for him.

Okay so we learned a LITTLE of Skull's background... Even though he's not a bad guy so much anymore... anyone curious for more? That's SO horrible... :'(

1. Peyrce, what was your last dream about?

Peyrce glanced at Neline and wagged his eyebrows. “Well, I believe it had something to do with ye, lass,” he started, throwing an arm around Neline’s shoulder and rubbing her leg as he spoke, “and me on a deserted island, with nothing but the sun above us and the waves lapping at the shore. Oh, and several barrels of rum.”

Neline pulled away from him and glared at him. “Of course you’d be dreaming about me.”

Lanndor and Jared both laughed. Neline looked at Jared. Before she could say anything, Jared laughed harder.

“Yeah he’s telling the truth,” he answered, as if reading her thoughts. Then again, she thought, he probably had.

2. Neline, it you had to admit one flaw about yourself, what would it be?

She pursed her lips, as if in deep thought about the question.

Peyrce laughed. “Oh, I could tell ye several things wrong with the little lass.”

Neline glared at him. “No one asked you!”

He grinned. “Let’s see, ye’re feisty, ye constantly grumblin’ at me, ye can’t handle the rollin’ of the waves, och and ye hate rum!”

She glared at him. “That’s not what she’s asking about!”

He raised an eyebrow, and gestured in front of everyone. “Well if ye’re so smart, do tell.”

She smiled and crossed her arms, huffing. “I can be a little overbearing at times,” she answered slowly.

Peyrce looked at her in shock.

“Overbearing?” Lanndor demanded at the same time, Peyrce asked, “A little?!”

3. Cynndra, do you have any scars? If so, how did you get them?

She briefly glanced at Rothan, before wringing her hands nervously. “Y—yes.” She slowly pulled down the collar of her shirt, to reveal the left side of her collarbone. There was a light, white, circular-shaped scar there. “I was shot with an arrow here.” She swallowed, before pulling her shirt.

Rothan raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you forgetting another one?” He glanced at her.

“Right.” She nodded, before turning around and lifted up her shirt to show the lower half of her back. Across it, was three jagged scars that ran across her back and around her side. “Those scars extend down my right hips and to my thigh here,” she said, demonstrating where the scar was. “I was attacked by a friend’s… pet lion.”

“Pet?! Who in their right mind keeps a lion as a pet?” Peyrce demanded.

At the same time, Averella looked at Cynndra in horror. “What’s a lion?”

Akari appeared just as confused as Averella.

Rothan and Lanndor both laughed. “In our world, most people have a special bond with an animal. One of Cynndra’s friends were bonded with a lion,” Lanndor said.

“Ye other-worlders call us pirates the foolish ones,” Peyrce muttered.

4. Lanndor, what is YOUR most favourite thing about Cynndra?

Lanndor laughed. “Oh, only my favorite? Well, let’s see… She’s got spirit and determination. When she came as a recruit, she was the only woman at the time, having to deal with a squad, or rather, army full of men, most of whom teased her and treated her bad. She wasn’t good with a sword, still isn’t, and she was, and still is at times, a scared little pup, but she’s grown, and she never gave up. She’s the first woman to compete army training, and there’s a reason why it was her.”

Cynndra pursed her lips and glanced at the floor, nervous about all the attention being on her.

Rothan grabbed her arm and lightly squeezed. He leaned over to whisper to her as the other men talked and joked loudly. “He’s right, you know.”

She blushed and glanced at Rothan. “T—Thank you.”

He smiled at her.

5. Rothan, what's the most unusual conversation you've ever had?

He laughed. “It’s definitely probably been a conversation I had with the horse I was bonded to, Iyro. We were in the middle of a battle, and since he was a war horse, I always rode him to battle.” Rothan laughed, as if remembering the story he was about to tell. “The bonds with our animals allowed us to communicate with our bonded animal telepathically. Anyway, we had the rebels nearly surrounded. Iyro, since he was listening to me give out orders, he warned me that I should send in another regiment of men. I told him he wasn’t a strategist. After that, he realized the other regiments I’d sent in had surrounded the rebel army. ‘Ah, now I see why you did not need to send another regiment,’ he said. And I just told him he could leave off the mental commentary because I had an entire legion of men to command, and in case he hadn’t noticed, we were in the middle of a battle.” Rothan paused and chuckled again. “He just said, ‘Oh really? That’s what all the blood and screaming is about. I truly had not noticed. You humans are a wise and intelligent species.’ I remember wanting to roll my eyes at him so bad, because we’re still in the middle of a battle, and all I said was ‘you’re quite sarcastic, for a horse.’ And he just replied ‘yes I am and quite proud of it, to be honest.’”

Peyrce, Shinji, Akari, Averella and Neline all raised their eyebrows. “And ye had this conversation with yer horse?”Peyrce asked.

“In the middle of a battle?” Averella asked.

“You’re kidding,” Neline said.

Jared shook his head. “He isn’t kidding. I could see the memory in his mind as he told the story.

Everyone glanced at Jared, and back to Rothan in shock.

Peyrce crossed his arms. “I think ye have had more rum than I have, mate.”

6. Jared, what's your favourite smell/scent?

“Lavender,” he replied without hesitation.

Averella raised an eyebrow. “That was a quick answer. I didn’t even know you had a favorite scent.”

He smiled, glancing in her direction. “Of course I do.”

“Why lavender?” Akari asked out of curiosity.

“I’ll wager ten silver pieces it’s the scent of Averella’s hair,” Lanndor murmured to Peyrce.

Peyrce grinned and shook Lanndor’s hand. “Yer on. He isn’t that dense.”

Pretending as if he hadn’t just heard them, or read their thoughts, Jared glanced at Akari. “It reminds me of someone very special.” Absentmindedly, his hand traced lines where it held Averella’s hand. He leaned in close to her, placing his head on top of hers.

“Pay up,” Lanndor murmured.

Peyrce grumbled, “That doesn’t prove anything.”

Lanndor nodded his head to where Jared had his blind-eyes closed and was breathing in deeply. “Pay. Up.”

Peyrce cursed.

7. Averella, are you a good judge of character?

Averella furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Jared with a smile.

Before she could answer, he chuckled. “Oh, she’s a horrible judge of character.”

She gasped. “I am? What makes you say that?”

He laughed louder. “Well… considering the fact that you never realized I was a Hunter for several weeks… if not months….” He let his voice trail off, but he still grinned.

Several of the men “oohed.”

Averella crossed her arms. “That’s a result of you being a good liar.”

The men all “oohed” again, as Jared smirked. “Ouch.”

“And you didn’t even realize I was a woman for several weeks, either, so if anything you’re a poor judge of character!”

Satisfied, she turned away from Jared and grinned.

He shook his head, but smiled at her anyway.

8. Akari, what's your favourite feature on the opposite sex?

“I would have to say his eyes.”

“Ye do realize she was speakin’ generally? Not talkin’ about yer husband over there!” Peyrce shouted.

Akari smiled, glancing at Peyrce. “I know, and my answer remains the same.”

Shinji furrowed his eyebrows. “Why my eyes?”

Akari huffed. “I just said that I was not only referring to you!”

Shinji smirked. “I know you, woman. We both know that you’re in love with me too much to look at other men’s

eyes.”

Akari glared at him, clenching her hand around her katana. “Oh? What makes you so sure, Shinji?”

Keeping his smirk firmly in place, his eyes never left hers. “Weren’t you listening? I know you, woman,” he murmured, so softly that only Akari heard him.

Peyrce cursed. “Och, enough o’ that, both o’ ye!”

9. Shinji, do you have any LUCKY items, objects or traditions?

Shinji reached into a crease in his kimono and pulled out a scroll. It was old, torn and withered.

Akari got a faint trace of a smile on her face.

“In our culture, samurai who know they will be dying, such as the old, or those about to commit seppuku, or those riding into battle, will sometimes write these, ‘poems of death.’ It’s like our final goodbye to the world. Years ago, when I was still a boy, I wrote one of my own, believing that I’d die. I’ve had it with me ever since.”

Rothan, Jared, Averella and Akari all nodded in understanding. “I’d definitely count that as a lucky object,” Averella said.

Akari nodded, as Shinji slid the scroll back inside his kimono. “Yes,” she said. “It is.”

10. Skull, if you could change something about your past, what would you change?

For the first time, his eyes left the interviewer, and though they appeared bored, there was a certain level of hidden thoughtfulness behind them that hadn’t been there before.

“I never would have chased that dog.”

Well that was hilarious.. But now even I am curious about Skull's last comment.

I really need to get to writing Corrupted (Skull's book)

1) Tell me Peyrce, how do you woo the ladies?

Peyrce smirked and lightly elbowed Neline, who jerked away from him. “I show ‘er my charms and my devilishly handsome looks do the rest.”

Neline snorted.

“What’s that about, lass?”

“Devilishly handsome?” She raised an eyebrow.

Rothan, Lanndor, Jared and Shinji all laughed. “I think you better stop while you’re ahead, pup,” Lanndor said.

Peyrce grinned at him. “Aye, that yer right, mate.”

2) Neline, can you describe to me your dream man?

Neline pursed her lips thinking carefully about the question.

Peyrce slung his arm around her shoulder. “Och, yer lookin’ at him.”

Neline pulled out from under his arm. “My dream man is a gentleman, polite. He doesn’t drink a drop of rum, not to mention he smells decent, and he’s not arrogant and rude either.” She huffed.

Peyrce smirked.

3) Cynndra, what was the hardest part of your army training?

Cynndra smiled thinking back at the early days of training. Almost without even having to think about it, she leaned forward. “Definitely the physical training. We had to build up our strength and stamina, by running and going through obstacle courses. I was so exhausted every night. I never thought I’d last another day there.”

“Yet you did,” Rothan murmured.

Lanndor laughed. “Please! You were grumbling and whining just as much as all the other pups! Sloth-brats, every one of you!”

Cynndra smiled at the insult, enjoying the memory.

4) Lanndor, tell me your best joke.

“This should be good,” Rothan muttered to Cynndra, who laughed.

“Alright, well this ship sailed the sea, plundering and taking as they pleased. One day, the lookout shouted ‘Captain, one enemy ship on the horizon!’ In response, the Captain told the men to prepare for battle, and told his stewerd, ‘fetch me my red shirt.’ So the two ships engaged and battle and our ship came out victorious. The next day, the lookout saw another enemy ship, and in response the captain once again told his stewerd, ‘fetch me my red shirt.’ After they had won the battle yet again, the stewed asked him, ‘captain, why do you tell me to get your red shirt when an enemy ship arrives?’ The captain responded, ‘It is in case I am injured in battle, the men will not see the wounds bleed.’ The next day the lookout ran to the captain, frantic. ‘Captain, there are twenty enemy ships on the horizon!’ ‘Stewerd,’ the captain shouted, ‘fetch me my brown pants!’”

Everyone laughed, except for Peyrce, who glared at Lanndor. “Lanndor, mate, that’s an old pirate joke!”

Lanndor wagged his eyebrows, and grinned.

5) Rothan, how do you feel about Lanndor's jokes?

Rothan smiled. “He thinks he’s funny. He’s a great fighter, and he’s loyal, which is what matters.”

Lanndor rolled his eyes. “General, General…. Always so serious. I don’t think he has a funny bone in his body.”

Cynndra tried and failed to hold back a laugh.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Lann?” Rothan demanded.

“Nothing, sir. Nothing at all.”

6) Jared, what drives a man like yourself to kill?

Jared looked in the general direction of the interviewer and swallowed. Averella placed a hand on his arm in support, knowing it was a subject he didn’t like to talk about.

As if gaining her strength, Jared blinked once. “At first I killed because it was what I was told to do. I had no memory, and I didn’t know anything of a world outside of Zagerah. I finally learned a different way of life, but the killing… it stayed with me. Now, I do anything in my power to help people, but I protect the ones I care about. That’s the only thing that drives me to kill now.”

Shinji and Akari nodded, as if approving of his answer. Their thoughts, along with Rothan’s all slammed into him at once, reminding him that he wasn’t alone.

Lanndor smirked. “Well… that was a little tense. Rum anyone?” Everyone lightly chuckled.

7) Averella, what is Jared's best human quality?

Averella smiled and squeezed his arm where she still held it.

Jared looked away from her, knowing there would be no answer or response.

To his surprise, she answered almost immediately. “Oh, that’s easy. It’s his compassion and sympathy toward people. He had trouble feeling human emotions at first, but once he did, even if he doesn’t understand what it is, he feels for people and their situations.”

Jared looked in her direction, speechless.

“Aww, isn’t that adorable?” Lanndor asked.

“Aye, she’s a sweet one,” Peyrce agreed. Shinji, Peyrce, Lanndor and Rothan all laughed.

8) Akari, can you describe honor to me?

“Honor is something one cannot describe with words, but through actions. It is seeing and understanding that even your enemy is a person as well, or keeping innocent or untrained people away from battle and war. It is not fighting with a long-ranged weapon against a lesser weapon. It is not killing a defenseless man, fighting a man who is unarmed, or coming after a dying man. It is not putting oneself first, or always giving in to one’s on selfish desires. It is being loyal to your comrades and friends, and giving a warrior a clean death if he deserves it, especially if he has been honorable and loyal as well.”

Shinji glanced at Akari and smiled. Lanndor, Rothan, Peyrce, Jared and Averella all looked at Akari and thought about her explanation; something many of them had never heard, or experienced before.

9) Shinji, what do you believe it takes to be a great samurai?

“Honor and loyalty to your Emperor and leader above all else. Supporting your family, being reliable to your friends and comrades, having honesty and courage. Being a samurai isn’t necessarily about how strong you are, or your sword fighting skills, or even your fighting techniques. It’s about how you act toward everyone; friends, family, comrades, and especially enemies.”

10) Skull, there's a little girl in front of you crying what do you do?

Skull watched the interviewer with a bored expression, gazing over them with lazy eyes. He shrugged. “I’d rip out her esophagus to get the whining noise to stop.” He smiled, and there was a hint of malice in his eyes, but his tone was voice of emotion.

Jared clenched his fists, and Shinji gritted his teeth. Averella and Akari started to get up, but before Averella could move, Jared grabbed her arm, already anticipating what she would do. Shinji, on the other hand, slipped in front of Akari and clenched his own katana, glaring at Skull. Lanndor and Rothan stood up, blocking Shinji from going any further.

“Don’t let him get to you,” Rothan murmured.

Shinji stared past them, directly at Skull, but finally relaxed.

Before anyone could move, Jared had stood up and moved around everyone to get directly in Skull’s face.

Skull smirked, but stayed right where he was, unmoving and unphased by the Hunter who stared at him.

“Jared, don’t,” Averella pleaded.

Slowly, Jared relaxed and moved away from Skull, but never once took his blind eyes away from Skull.

Well that was tense o.o I really don't miss Skull as a villian. I really don't.

Okay maybe just a little bit...

Peyrce - Where do you plunder most of the time?

Peyrce grinned. “I like this lass.” He winked at the interviewer, making Neline frown and scoff. “Och, all over the Eious Sea. There are freed islands there—places where the Merchant Guard won’t bother us—and of course we also sail to Eious now and then. Mostly in the Outlying Lands, where the Merchant’s are, and where their ships are too.” He wagged his eyebrows and grinned bigger.

Neline rolled her eyes. “Freed islands,” she muttered. “Why don’t you call them what they really are, Peyrce?”

“And what is that, lass?” Peyrce gazed at her lazily.

She wanted to smack him. “Islands taken over by bloody pirates!”

“Aye.”

2. Neline - How do you feel about Peyrce? *winks*

“I despise him!” She clenched her fists as she yelled.

“Och, that hurt, lass. Ye know ye don’t really despise me!” Peyrce lightly elbowed her, making her glare at him.

“Do not tell me what I do and do not feel, Captain Peyrce!” She spat the title like a curse.

“Aye, ye tell me that all the time.” He rolled his eyes.

3. Cynndra - How does it feel to be one of the only women in the army?

She wrung her hands, and tried to ignore the way Lanndor and Rothan watched her. Especially Rothan. “It’s n—nerve-wracking and stressful, to say the least. A—Also intimidating.”

Lanndor rolled his eyes. “Come on, Foxy! Being the only lady has it’s perks.” He winked at her and glanced from her to Rothan and back again.

Cyndra just blushed horribly, while Rothan shot Lanndor a harsh glare.

4. Lanndor - Why are you mocking people like Cynndra?

Lanndor shrugged. “It’s good for the pups! It helps ‘em build character!”

Cynndra chuckled.

“Don’t let him fool you. He likes tormenting the poor recruits,” Rothan muttered.

Lanndor looked at him and gasped, much too loud and much too fake. “As if you’re on to talk, General!”

Cynndra, Shinji, Jared and Averella all laughed.

Rothan glared at them all.

5. Rothan - WHY IS YELLING YOUR BEST TECHNIQUE? XD

“It gets them moving, and shows them who’s in charge,” Rothan answered simply.

Cynndra nodded. “It definitely does that.”

Rothan shot her a look, but said nothing.

Lanndor laughed. “Please! Admit it: you love yelling at them as much as I love tormenting them!”

“So you admit, you love tormenting them?” Rothan asked, with a smile.

Lanndor opened his mouth, then closed it again. At last, he finally let out a long, bellowing laugh.

6. Jared - How has being blind improved your senses?

“At first, it didn’t improve anything. My powers and abilities constantly fluctuated, and there were times my powers wouldn’t work at all. But over time, my human senses kicked in and became even more enhanced than they were. Now my hearing, and even smell is ten times more than what it was before—even with my powers. Plus, it helps that I can sense people and objects, too.”

“Ye know, I’ve always thought that was… odd. Ye stripping away a man’s privacy like that! Peerin’ into his thoughts and mind…” Peyrce started.

Jared smiled and glanced in Peyrce’s direction. “I don’t do it all the time, you know. I can tune it out.”

Peyrce raised an eyebrow.

Jared laughed, obviously reading something in his thoughts.

“If you say so, mate.” Peyrce laughed.

7. Averella - What if someone were to punch Jared for no reason? What would you do?

Averella frowned. “I’d punch them right back, although, he’d probably already have them knocked halfway across the world before I even have a chance to move.” She crossed her arms.

Jared glanced her direction. “Is that irritation I hear?”

Averella stuck her tongue out at him, making Shinji and Peyrce chuckle.

Jared, obviously missing what she did, cocked his head. “Alright, the next time someone punches me, I’ll give you a five second head start.” He smirked, making Averella roll her eyes, but she smiled.

8. Akari - What is the "way of the warrior?"

“Bushido is the path one follows on the way of life, as a samurai. To follow it, one must have loyalty, honor and kindness. One must stay true to their beliefs, loyal to their family, to their clan and their leaders. One must fight with honor, and not cower back, or fear death. One must always be open to learn, and have the wisdom to know when a fight is possible to win, and when a battle will be lost. One must always strive to make the right decisions, knowing that mistakes will be made. A samurai will always put the lives of his comrades, and especially his leaders, first,” Akari explained.

“Bushi—what?” Lanndor asked.

“Bushido,” Shinji replied bofore Akari could.

Rothan and Jared both nodded. “It sounds like something we should all strive for,” Rothan murmured.

Jared nodded in agreement, wishing he had known about it years ago.

9. Shinji - How does Akari feel about your sarcasm?

Shinji smirked. “Oh, she hates it.”

Akari glared at him with her eyes, though she was grinning. “Which is why you always do it.” She rolled her eyes.

Shinji shrugged, but when she looked away, he nodded in response to Peyrce, Jared, Averella, Lanndor and Rothan all looking at him. They all laughed.

10. Skull - Any reason for your name?

Skull’s eyes danced over the interviewer lazily. “When I was six, Agents of Darkness found me in my burnt down village, surrounded by the decayed bodies of my whole family. I was still holding my parent’s skull’s in my laps. When the Corrupted took me, they never knew my real name, and they didn’t care, so they started calling me Skull.” There was no pain or sorrow in his eyes, no bitterness in his tone. His voice was nothing but matter-of-factly, which was probably the scariest thing to Averella about it.

She glanced down and felt a surge of pity for him, which she quickly blocked out after thinking about all he’d done.

Everyone felt a chill in the room after hearing Skull’s background. No one had known the story behind his known; no one had cared to ask.

Averella shivered, though she knew it wasn’t from the cold.

Hmm. Slightly different, better improved variation of Skull's background... I still want more!

Zher, How far are you willing to go to protect others?

Zher crossed his arms and stared at the interviewer with a calm expression.

Bande snorted. “He’d do anything for those pathetic weaklings,” he snapped.

Zher shot Bande a glare, making Cynndra shiver. After a long, tense pause, Zher looked back at the interviewer.

“As far as I have to.”

2)Bande, what would you do if your arrogance caused your downfall?

Bande laughed. “Is it arrogance if I’m speaking fact?”

Fraw and Hurr snorted. “Give it a rest, you arrogant Valite,” Fraw spit out.

Bande glared at him.

Before one man could punch the other, Lanndor stood and gestured to the interviewer. “Next question.”

3)Fraw, how much would you donate to a charity?

Fraw raised an eyebrow. “Donate what to a who?”

Urek, Zher and Cynndra all laughed. Fraw just glanced at his brother, who shrugged his shoulders.

“An organization that raises money for the… less fortunate, and sometimes for a specific cause,” Urek explained.

Fraw nodded. “Ah, well… I don’t have any silver, but… would food count? I can hunt…”

4)Hurr, how would you describe your relationship with your brother?

“They’re best friends,” Zher said.

“You never see one of them without the other,” Cynndra added.

“Yup,” Fraw agreed.

Hurr smiled. “When Fraw was forced to join the army because technically he’s the oldest, I volunteered after him.” Hurr shrugged. “We’re all we’ve got.”

5)Nival, where are you from?

“I’m from the Herracian Empire across the Eastern Sea. I came to the Gannorian Empire when I was a boy,” Nival answered.

“I think it’d be fun to visit the Herracian Empire someday,” Cynndra murmured.

Everyone glanced at her oddly. “What?” she asked, surprised.

6)Cyndra, how is it like in the army/

She pursed her lips and wrung her hands, nervous from all the attention on her. “I—It’s intimidating, and hard. It’s definitely pushed me farther than I ever thought possible, but… in a way it’s made me a lot stronger.”

7)Urek, how would your companions describe you?

“They would possibly describe me as a rather quiet person, or quite laid-back,” Urek responded.

Zher, Fraw, Hurr, Cynndra and Nival all laughed.

“Nope, I’d say you’re brain’s a lot bigger than mine,” Fraw commented.

“You got that right,” Hurr agreed jokingly.

Cynndra smiled. “He’s actually really smart. And he knows a lot about elemental weapons.”

8)Lanndor, would you ever be a comedian?

Lanndor grinned. “A what?”

All of the men glanced from him, to Urek, who didn’t have an answer, then to Rothan and back to Lanndor.

Nival laughed. “You mean for once there’s something I know that you all don’t? We have them in the Herracian Empire. Comedians are people who tell jokes for entertainment purposes,” Nival explained.

Everyone’s eyes shifted to Lanndor.

“Sure! Why not? Sounds like it’d be a bit of fun, anyway,” Lanndor said with a laugh.

“He’d only be funny if his mule came with him,” Fraw muttered to Hurr, who let out a bellowing laugh.

“Both you pups shut it!” Lanndor shouted.

9)Sam, how would you react to people calling you Sir Piggy?

Sam blushed and looked at the ground. “W—well, I’m not a sir, b—because I’m a recruit, not a general or a commander, or captain. B—but they’ve called me piggy before,” he answered with a nervous stutter.

Cynndra placed a hand on his arm.

Bande laughed. “I might have to start calling you that, Sir Piggy!”

Cynndra shot him a harsh glare, narrowing her eyes at him. “You shut your filthy mouth, you lazy, arrogant Valite.”

His eyes widened at her boldness of the insult.

“Alright, pups, settle down, or you’ll all be doing laps to free all that pent up energy,” Lanndor threatened, lighting the mood in the room.

10)Rothan, what would be your dying wish?

Everything grew quiet, as Rothan’s eyes narrowed. Only Cynndra watched him, anxious to hear his response, afraid of what it would be.

“To see this war comes to its end,” he answered in a husky voice, plain and simple. “I want to know our country is at peace before I go.”

I HAVE MISSED THEM SO MUCH. My heart just melted...

Zher, were you ever bullied as a kid? What would you do if someone close to you, say Cynndra, ever became a bully?

Zher shook his head. “Uh… no? Not that I remember anyways. I know a few of my younger siblings did at some point, but…” His voice trailed off, thinking about the interviewers next question.

Hurr and Fraw, glanced from the interviewer, to Zher and back to Cynndra. At the same time, they started bellowing in laughter. “Cynndra…? Become a bully?” Fraw asked in between fits of laughter.

Hurr shook his head. “Foxy isn’t brave enough to bully anyone around!”

Cynndra blushed and glanced at the ground.

Zher shot them both harsh glances. “Leave her alone you two. And to answer your question, I don’t know. Put a stop to it I suppose.”

2. Bande, what would you do if you were born into a different family that didn't have as much wealth? Would you still be an arrogant ***? No offence.

Bande frowned, meeting the gaze of the interviewer. “What kind of question is that?” he snapped.

“Bande, cut it out,” Zher warned.

Bande rolled his eyes. “Seriously? What idiot would ask me that?”

“Bande!” Zher shouted.

Bande grumbled. “Fine. I probably would still be just as ‘arrogant’ as I am now. Even though it’s not arrogant if it’s true.” He smirked, infuriating Cynndra and everyone else in the room.

3. Fraw, nice name. Almost sounds like Straw. Do you think that the fact you're bonded to a Black Lion gives you an advantage over other guys when it comes to the ladies?

Fraw laughed. “Well, of course! The ladies just go crazy when they find out about Caste. Haven’t you?” he asked with a wink.

Hurr rolled his eyes. “You’re such an idiot.”

4. Hurr, what were your parents thinking when they named you and your brother? Do you always get compared to your brother a lot?

Hurr put a hand to his chest in fake betrayal and gasped. “I’m hurt! I like my name.”

Lanndor laughed. “I think their parents were drunk, obviously.”

Hurr and Fraw both looked at Lanndor with wide-eyed expressions. “Really, Lann?” Hurr asked. He turned back to the interviewer. “And to answer your question, ehhh, sometimes. Minus the fact that half his right ear is torn off.”

Fraw shot him a look, but everyone in the room chuckled.

5. Sucks to be a foreigner huh, hey Nival? Do you think your eyes would be more opened to things that others would miss because they are so familiar with their environment?

Nival nodded. “In a way, yes, but as you said, it provides opportunities to see many things that everyone else misses or even takes for granted.”

Hurr and Fraw laughed. “Don’t get poetic on us now, Nival!” Fraw shouted.

6. Cynndra, you're the Mulan of the group, am I right? The guys have nothing on you honey!

Cynndra lightly blushed but smiled. “Yeah, I suppose you could say I am. Thank you!”

“Awww come on! Don’t give her sympathy just ‘cause she’s a girl!” Hurr shouted.

7. Urek, when you say you were forced to join the army, what do you mean? Did someone hold you at gun point or threatened your family? Are you not a fighter?? And that's why you say 'forced' because it's out of your comfort zone, but you had to get revenge for your brother, right?

Urek furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, thinking on the question. “By ‘forced’ I simply mean that is the way our Empire is run. The first born son joins the army, while the second born son stays at home to carry on his family bloodline. If the second born son is killed, then…” His voice trailed off with a shrug. “No, no one held me at gunpoint, and I actually was not a fighter until I joined the army and trained. My brother was killed by the rebels before he had a chance to join up. If I wanted revenge, I suppose I am getting it now.”

8. Captain Awesome! Lanndor my man! Why did you choose to be playful with them, instead of being the typical commando? Is it some kind of strategy?

Lanndor grinned. “Alright, I like you! It’s—“

Hurr interrupted him. “Playful? You think he’s playful?”

“And you say our names were weird!” Fraw shouted in agreement.

“Alright pups! Quit down, this is my question!” Lanndor cleared his throat. “Anyway, my dear, it’s not really any sort of strategy. I guess you could say it’s just the way I am. As you can see, they don’t see me as playful at all.”

“Well… you do joke around a lot,” Cynndra murmured.

Lanndor grinned at her. “See? The woman defends me!”

9. Sam, are you ever gonna learn to stand up for yourself?

Sam blushed and looked at the ground. “I—I know it’s something I need to learn...”

Bande laughed. “Yeah, piggy, why don’t you stand up for yourself?”

“Bande, stop it!” Zher glared at Bande, daring him to continue.

Bande glared back, but stayed quiet.

10. ****! You're a dead man walking, Rothan! When do you plan to tell this to Cynndra???

All the eyes in the room shifted to their general, who’d been sitting quietly. Cynndra paled. “Wh—what?”

Rothan glared at the interviewer with all the intensity of a killer. “Why would you ask that?” His voice sounded strained. “Even if I was keeping it secret, it’d be secret for a reason,” Rothan snapped.

Lanndor laughed. “A dead man walking! Now that’s something I’d like to see! General Rothan would be unstoppable then!”

Rothan glanced at him, silently thankful for the save. Lanndor slightly nodded his head so no one noticed but them.

I guess the cat's out of the bag... I STILL MISS THEM ALL THOUGH

Okay Zher, so you're a good guy. But say you were blackmailed by someone powerful and strong. They tell you that you have to bully someone you love into leaving, or something bad would happen to some you equally love. Would you do it?

Zher sighed and grimaced. Everyone else in the room stayed quiet, anxious for his response. “To protect them? Yeah.”

“Well, now we know what would break the honorable Zher,” Bande said with a smirk.

Zher shot him a harsh glare, but stayed quiet.

2. So I've hit a nerve, I'm sorry Bande. Hmm, what are your thoughts on poverty and world hunger? Would you ever give money to a homeless person on the street? For this question, I'm going to pretend that you have a heart. You should too :)

Bande sighed. “Very well. Let’s say I do have a heart, why would I give my money to a poor soul on the street, who probably deserves to be there? Oh, I suppose I could conjure up a few thousand silver pieces to pass around. But why? What purpose would it serve me? They’re only people, probably would die in a few months anyway.”

“You’re so uncaring, Bande,” Cynndra said, but her voice held pity.

“Didn’t the interviewer say to pretend you have a heart?” Fraw asked.

“I did,” Bande snapped.

“Yeah, well apparently Bande with a heart, is still as heartless as normal Bande,” Hurr muttered.

3. Yeah, I'd probably go crazy alright. But from fear, sorry Fraw. Anyways, back to the questions. Do you sometimes have self-image problems because of what happened to your ear?

“Aw, well… Better luck next time, Fraw,” Hurr jokingly said.

“Shut up,” Fraw replied. He shrugged. “Not really. It makes for a funny story though.” He grinned.

Cynndra, Lanndor, and Zher all laughed.

4. What would you ever do if you lost your brother, Hurr?

For the first time in the whole interview, Hurr frowned. He scratched the back of his head. “Uh… I wouldn’t know what I’d do, honestly. I mean, when we lost our parents, Fraw and I had each other. Now we’re all we’ve got, so… It’s not something I wanna think about, to be honest.”

5. Don't mind them, Nival. Be as poetic as you can please. Now, apart from being a foreigner, what do you think makes you different from the others here?

“Well, I’m dark-skinned, but I guess that’s the same as being a foreigner. I’m bonded to a falcon, and no one else around here is.”

“Aw, c’mon Nival don’t sell yourself short!” Fraw shouted.

“Yeah,” Hurr agreed. “You’re the only one of us who doesn’t have a problem following orders!”

Zher laughed. “Yeah, you got that right!”

6. Hey, Cynndra, don't mind what Hurr and Fraw said about you not being brave enough to be a bully. It's actually quite the opposite; bullies are not brave, they're cowards! So consider it a compliment! Saying that, what is your biggest fear?

“Hmm. Honestly? My biggest fear is… failing my family. They’re relying on me for so much, and I don’t want to fail them. But it’s more than just… completing the training in the army to save them. I don’t want to fail them by becoming someone I was never meant to be—a killer.” She glanced down and lightly blushed, feeling everyone’s eyes on her.

It was Rothan’s she noticed most of all.

7. If your brother was never killed, or your Empire run differently; do you think you would be where you are now? Is being in the army a bad or good thing for you?

Urek pursed his lips. “It has it’s benefits. I probably would have been working with my father building elemental weapons. In the army I get to use them—not that I ever wanted to, you see, but it is fascinating to see them working in action.” Urek grinned as everyone stared at him. He never looked so captivated before.

8. I can see why you have a soft spot for Cynn, Lann! How would you react if she did something that goes against your morals?

Lanndor chuckled. “Well that’s easy. I’d knock her back where she belongs! Figurtively of course,” he said with another laugh.

Fraw and Hurr laughed. “Why isn’t that surprising?” Fraw muttered.

“It’s not,” Hurr replied.

9. Look Sam, you need to man up! I don't mean to be harsh, but the truth hurts. If you can't stand up for yourself, how do you expect others to constantly stand up for you?

Sam glanced at the ground. “I—I know! And I try, really I do.”

Zher shot Bande a harsh look before Bande had time to open his mouth.

Cynndra gave Sam a reassuring smile.

He returned it.

10. Oookkkaaayy....so I have stepped on a landmine. Backing off, General. Let's take things down a notch.. Umm, do you secretly sing to yourself in the shower?

“I’m not entirely sure what I shower is, but—“

Lanndor chuckled. “They have them on different worlds, General. It’s a bath, but rather than having to use someone to pour the water over you, they have machines that do it for them. They’re lazy sloth-brats if you ask me!” He let out a bellowing laugh.

Cynndra raised an eyebrow. “That would be nice. But I would take a hot bath over that any day.”

Rothan cleared his throat. “To answer your question, no I don’t sing while taking a bath.”

Lanndor chuckled, meeting the interviewer’s gaze. “Don’t let him fool you! He sings while we’re marching! I’ve heard him!”

All the men laughed loudly, even as Rothan shot them all harsh gazes.

Oh so this was a continuation from the last interview... Interesting. I had forgotten all of these (I wrote them what feels like so long ago, I can't remember them).

1. So you condone bullying, but you would do it if it meant saving someone you love? Hmm, interesting. But let's move on. What do you reckon is your soft side?-- Zher

“Oh, his soft side is definitely with the dog he’s bonded you, Yayn,” Fraw said, before Zher could answer.

Zher nodded in agreement. “Yeah, actually I think that’s pretty accurate.”

2. If that was you pretending to have a heart, I'm not even going to try to imagine you having a soul. How does one become so, how should i put this....full of themselves?—Bande

Fraw and Hurr both laughed. “Oh it comes from the territory he lives, Valine. They’re all arrogant up there!” Fraw shouted.

“Mostly ‘cause they’re all noblemen,” Hurr finished.

They both laughed. Cynndra and Zher both smiled, and Cynndra lightly chuckled.

Bande ignored their comments and smiled, but for once it didn’t appear forced or faked. “It comes with having a family who was too busy to have time for me. I only ever interacted with servants and people who were beneath me, so…” He shrugged.

Cynndra raised an eyebrow and leaned over to Zher. “I think that’s the closest to being open and kind he’s ever gotten,” she murmured.

Zher agreed with her.

3. Wait, how did that happen to your ear anyways, Fraw?

“Someone dared me to jump on and ride a bull, so we did it after dark so no one would hear. The bull was half asleep, which should have been my first clue. But I jumped on, it got scared and started running in the woods. It was too fast for me to jump back off or stop, so I just stayed with it. I was getting smacked with branches here and there, then all of the sudden it came to a steep back and stopped. Only I didn’t. I flew off the thing, and as I flew passed it, somehow half my ear got torn off.” Fraw laughed as he recalled the memory.

“You probably noticed, but he’s an idiot,” Hurr said.

Fraw glared at him but laughed. “Sometimes,” he admitted with a shrug.

4. How did you and Fraw lose your parents?

Hurr glanced at the ground, before looking back up at the interviewer. “Our parents were there when the rebellion first started. They were both collateral damage when the fighting first broke out.”

Cynndra glanced at him. “I never knew you two were there.”

“We weren’t,” Fraw murmured.

“Our parents were,” Hurr finished.

5. Hmm, interesting. Do you think it's a good thing that you follow orders, Nival? Do you always do what your told? If yes, why?

“I only follow my superiors, which since I am a new recruit, is almost everyone in the entire army. I believe that a person should follow the orders of his—or her—commander, general, Empress or Emperor. I believe it is a good thing, because without rules and order, where does that leave the world?”

6. So by becoming a killer, even if it's for a good cause, you're still afraid that you'll fail your family? Won't you be failing yourself instead?

Cynndra pursed her lips. “I suppose in a way, I would be failing myself too, as well as my beliefs.”

Rothan glanced at her, but she didn’t miss the movement.

Swallowing deeply, she forced her eyes to stay on the interviewer. “By failing myself, I would be failing my family.”

7. You liked building stuff, huh? What did you want to become when you were a kid, Urek?

Urek nodded. “I always wanted to work with elemental weapons. Even as a young child, the way they were built fascinated me. From the gems, to the connecting gears and mechanisms inside…” His voice trailed off, just imagining a few of the weapons.

Fraw and Hurr laughed. “You’re such an industrialist!” Fraw shouted.

Urek shot him a look. “That is quite a big word for you, Fraw.”

Fraw just stared at him open mouthed. Lanndor, Hurr, Zher and Cynndra all started laughing.

“Nice one, pup,” Lanndor said to Urek.

8. What's your number one rule, Lann? The one rule that you'd never break.

Lanndor glanced at the back wall, thinking about the question. “Enjoy life. Most don’t see it as a rule, but I do. If you don’t enjoy life, what’s the purpose of living it? This world, your world, our world… No matter what world we’re on, there’s always going to be horrible stuff that happens. You have to learn to look passed it, and enjoy wherever you’re at. Other rules, there’s always some way around them, a reason why you’d break them, but not this one.”

All the recruits stared at him, wide-eyed.

Lanndor laughed. “What? Didn’t think Captain Lann could get deep and meaningful, did you?”

9. If i dared you to slap Bande, would you do it Sam?

“Bande? O-Oh no! Definitely not,” Sam answered.

Hurr and Fraw looked at the interviewer. “You could dare me too! I’d do it for free!” Fraw shouted.

“Actually, I’ll do it right now,” Hurr said, standing up.

Rothan glared at the both of them. The stare was so intense, Hurr froze where he’d been about to stand up.

“Um. Never mind.” Hurr sat back down.

10. How old are you, Rothan? In fact, how old is everyone??

“I’m twenty-six, I know Lann is twenty-five, and men are drafted into the army at age twenty. Lann’s squad is one with recruits who’ve joined within the past three months, so they’re all twenty years old,” Rothan responded.

All the recruits glanced at him, surprised.

“Why does it seem like he knows everything about us?” Fraw murmured to Cynndra.

She shook her head mutely.

Lanndor bellowed. “That’s ‘cause he does!”

This was another continuation of that same interview. It was while I was writing Warrior and I did these to help me develop each of their personalities and voices (fun fact).

1. What would you say is your ideal first date, Zher?

Zher furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought. “Mm. I’m not sure, to be honest. I think it’d be nice to take her to my hometown; let her see the city. Just spending time with her would be enough for me.”

Fraw and Hurr both elbowed him lightly. “Aren’t you the romantic?” Hurr joked.

Fraw laughed. “Nope. There’s no way he knows how to flatter a woman.”

“And you do?” Zher asked.

Fraw frowned.

2. So your damaged goods? You're family never had time for you, but if you had a family of your own, would you treat them the way your parents treated you? Would you neglect them for your work?

“Who ever said I’d want a family of my own? I’d have to continue my family line, of course. Wouldn’t want it to die off, you see. But anything beyond that? No. I’m in the army, and the army life is perfectly fine for me. Especially once I rank up.”

Hurr and Fraw rolled their eyes.

“Just when I thought he couldn’t get any worse,” Nival muttered to Zher.

3. What would you say is your weakness, Fraw?

Fraw crossed his arms and licked his lips thinking. “Uh… Well I’m not exactly the brightest one around… I guess that’d be considered a weakness of some sort.” He shrugged.

“At least you’re honest, brother,” Hurr said with a grin.

Fraw laughed. “Yep.”

4. What's your favourite food, Hurr? Do you know how to cook?

“Favorite food? Uh, well Caste and Verol (our lions), would keep deer out of the fields. A lott-a times we’d go hunting with them. Deer was kind of my favorite. Corn and wheat kinda got old sometimes,” Hurr admitted.

“Corn? Like plain corn?” Nival asked with widened eyes.

Hurr and Fraw grinned. “Yep,” Hurr answered.

5. Wise and logical, Nival. Do you think you'd make a good leader?

Nival immediately shook his head. “No, not at all. I prefer to follow, not lead.”

6. Hmm, do you ever feel self-conscious Cynn when you need to talk about girl problems but is surrounded by men?

Cynndra lightly blushed and looked at the ground. “All the time, to be honest. I mean, I have Lyric—the four tailed fox I’m bonded to, and she helps a lot, but sometimes it’s hard being the only woman around.”

Fraw chuckled. “Girl problems? How hard is it to be a girl?”

Cynndra shot him a look. “You’re—? Uh, never mind.”

Zher rolled his eyes. “It’s harder than you think, Fraw.”

Fraw grinned. “And how would you know?”

Zher smiled. “Sisters.”

7. What are your thoughts on industrial pollution, Urek?

“It isn’t bad. There are a few larger cities in the territory of Ponde, to the southeast that hold small factories, but there isn’t anything rather large yet. What are mostly used to make elemental weapons, especially class A’s are buildings that hold special forges and blacksmiths. If the smaller factories grew any larger, or moved to more cities, then yes I could see how it would be quite a problem. Until then? I am not too worried about it.”

Fraw glanced at Hurr. “Did you understand most of what he said?”

Hurr chuckled and shook his head. “Nope.”

8. Before you joined the army, was there anyone special in your life Lann?

Lanndor smiled. “I had a few women here and there. I still do.” He laughed. “By the three moons, Haeva! She was something else. We knew each other since we were children, and the poor girl was heartbroken when I left to join the army. She’s married now, with a few children of her own, but I still see her every now and then when I’m in her area.”

Zher, Hurr, Fraw, and even Rothan all looked at Lanndor in shock. “You…?”

“Shame on you, Lann!” Hurr shouted.

Lanndor grinned. “Oh, shut it, pup!”

9. What are you so afraid of, Sam? What's the worse that could happen to you?

“Well I don’t know, really. I’m not exactly the best soldier, and I’m certainly not athletic either.” Sam shrugged.

“Physically there’s quite a bit that could hurt someone, but words… I think words are the worst weapon against another person.”

10. You're quite young for a general, Rothan. How did you become a general?

Rothan sighed. “My father was a general.”

All eyes shifted to him with mixtures of shock and surprise.

“You’re… you’re father’s a…” Hurr couldn’t finish his sentence.

Lanndor laughed. “I heard the rumors that your father was a Retired General, but I never believed them! So tell us, General Rothan, what is it like having an older General give you commands all the time?” Lanndor bellowed at this, making him receive an intense glare from Rothan.

Cynndra leaned over to whisper to Zher. “There’s someone with high enough rank to boss Rothan around? I mean, besides the Empress and Emperor?”

Zher nodded, still in shock. “Apparently.”

Rothan cleared his throat loudly. “As I was saying, my father was a general, so as a child, I just traveled wherever he went. I did everything early; trained early, learned everything from him. I trained and ate with the soldiers, slept in the barracks… I ranked up sooner than usual and continued ranking up until I’m where I’m at now.”

Last continuation and last interview I did back then. Don't forget to submit a question - any number of them - to ANY character in the entire series! I will update more interviews as I get more questions! Hope you enjoyed reading these

Joanna White

CHARACTER INTERVIEWS - VALIANT