All My Lovin'...

[Kira & Lee Norris]

OOC: Hey, I've been meaning to do this for a while now, and to post it, but I never was quite able to summon enough willpower, and besides, I didn't know where it would fit. But anyway, this is an exploration of my guy characters' (sorry Ari, Kirihant didn't exist when I wrote this...) feelings for the girls in their lives; done in a first person, interview format.
Hey! More people should reply to this. It could be fun.

Enjoy!

(Oh, and just as a little side-note, the interviewer is actually meant to be me.
Note the brown eyes and glasses, lol! Except, if you do reply, the interviewer doesn't have to be me, or anything, just to make that clear! It could be you, or someone completely random. I just thought you all ought to know who she was, though, because it isn't especially obvious.)

Well, I want you; nothing more and nothing less.

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Lee Norris

Can you please describe your fiancée to us?

“You want me to describe Maddie?”
Well, I suppose it made sense that they would want to interview me about her. After all, she was Head of the Warriors. That kind of… er… made her interesting? Except… describing Maddie… it’s not something you’d call easy, is it?
Maddie’s just so… so…
“Maddie’s…” I struggled for a few seconds, willing something good to come out of my mouth- you know, something that would do her justice. But then again, I’ve never been that articulate… “Maddie’s… Maddie’s… Maddie’s… Madeleine.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Madeleine?”
I laughed awkwardly, scratching my head. “Er, sorry. Lemme’ try again…
“She’s beautiful- I mean, really, really stunning. Have you ever seen her, anyway?” My interviewer shook her head. I sighed, leaning back in my chair, smiling slightly. Let’s do this logically… you know, head to toes. I’m no good with abstract descriptions, all those vague words- no, that’s something Kira’s good at. But me? No, I need a pattern, a system. I can’t seem to work any other way.
“Her hair’s… dark, like black marble made liquid,” I said softly, touching my hand automatically. I’m so used to running that hand through it- so used to its soft, warm, silky feel; so used to twirling her loose curls around my fingers… “And it smells… really good. Of limes, actually. And her skin smells good too- it’s this kind of rich, creamy colour; and her eyes… well, I can’t really tell you- you’d have to see them. They’re just so… big, and blue. It’s hard… I wish I had a photo, or something…
“She’s quite small in height, actually,” I couldn’t resist a laugh, straightening up now that I was settling more into the flow of this. In my head, I stepped backwards, picturing Madeleine, standing there, in front of me. I had to see if I could get this right… “5 ft 2, or around about that. Her features are quite small, you see, fine, I think you’d call it, and so are her hands, but they’re surprisingly strong. I guess you’d need strong hands, being a Warrior and all that. Strong hands… Christ, that sounds weird.”
“No, it doesn’t. You’re fine, Lee.”
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “Yeah… sorry it’s just… well, she’s beautiful. Beyond beautiful; completely out of this world kind of beautiful… but it’s just… that’s not why I love her, you know?”
The girl didn’t reply, merely smiled, and something about that smile encouraged me.
“Her beauty- Maddie’s looks- well, that’s what’ll make any guy fall in love with her at one glance. But… what’s kept me in love…”
“Go on.”
“I guess… I guess it’s how she carries herself. She’s smart, and funny, and strong… you kind of can’t help but respect her. But being Head of the Warriors, I suppose it comes naturally to her. And the thing is… she’s so small, I just wanna take in my arms; hold her close and be her shield- I just wanna protect her from this war. All this crap around us. But she’d never let me. She’d kick my butt if I tried- and that’s the truth. But… I don’t think I’d love her half so much if she was any other way.
“And with Madeleine… sometimes, when we’re together… it’s so quiet. And sometimes, that’s okay, it’s nice- but at other times, it drives me mad. I just… I just want to know what’s going on in that head of hers- want to ask her endless questions, and I know I can but… it feels stupid. I feel stupid. I feel like she’ll just roll her eyes or something- she’ll blow me off- it’s not my place to ask… all that stuff…
“My problem is… when it comes to Maddie… I guess I want it all. I know I do. And I can’t stand to think of losing it and I will not let myself go through what I’ve had to deal with before. And god… thank God I’m marrying her, because she’s going to be mine. She’s going to be my Madeleine. My Maddie.
“You’ve no idea how bloody brilliant that feels.”

Jude Dorrian

Can you please describe your girlfriend to us?

Heh?
“Ailith? Y’all mean Ailith?”
Seemed pretty random, that did. I don’t get it. What does she mean? My interviewer had a smile on her lips- apparently, my confusion amused her. I guess I must look real stupid, faffing about like this. Of course she meant Ailith. What other goddam girlfriends do I have- have I ever had?
“Um…”
“Take your time,” she said smoothly, but the smile was still there.
“Well, I don’t… er… I don’t get what y’all really mean…” I bit my lip, “um… you mean you just want me to talk about her and um… stuff?” Ashamed, I laughed feebly. “Right, sorry, of course y’all do, probably you think I’m mad… just I’ve never been asked something like that before. Okay. Yep. I’m ready. I am,” he added, catching sight of her widening grin.
“Ailith is… well, for starters, she’s real pretty. I’m not just saying that- she really is pretty; with this nice, oval face, and nice eyes and these lips that are always ready to smile. It makes y’all wanna smile back, you know? And well… okay, this sounds weird, but she’s got this habit of like… wrinkling her nose? It’s weirdly attractive. Kinda’ cute. Aw, c’mon, don’t laugh.”
“I’m sorry,” the girl giggled weakly, adjusting her glasses. “Sorry. I really am. It’s sweet. A nose wrinkle, haha.” Her own nose wrinkled accordingly, but I shook my head, now laughing in spite of myself.
“No,” I shook my head, “y’all can’t do it. You just can’t pull it off. No-one can wrinkle their nose like Ailith can-” I stopped, dropping her gaze with a blush. A blush. Chrissake, that girlfriend of mine can make me blush. “You’re recording this, aren’t you?”
“Sure am.”
“Perfect,” I said weakly. “Just… well, that’s real perfect.”
“Go on, Jude. Tell me more about her.”
“Well.” Great. Stumped again. It shouldn’t be this hard, really, what with all that time I spend thinking about her… “She’s… eh… blond. Not stupid- God, no she is far from stupid! I’ve seen her out on a mission- I’ve seen her in Spy Training, Warrior Training- no, Ailith is calm, cool and logical; and don’t y’all ever underestimate her ‘cause she’s small. It’s misleading- just like that whole ‘blonds are dumb’ thing. And because she’s so pretty… I think sometimes people don’t see past that- at least not until they see her in action.
“It’s a shock, at any rate. She’s a surprise- that’s what I like about her,” I raised my head now, and the interviewer’s smile had disappeared. Now, she was watching me intently; now, I seemed to have gotten her attention. Trust Ailith to do that for me. I inhaled deeply. “Ailith can act, bargain, barter… and okay, by my own admission, she can fire a gun better than me.
“And… y’all know… there’s more, still. Way more that I don’t know about her past, and I guess she doesn’t know much about mine… but that doesn’t matter, because I know she’ll know someday, if not now.” I nodded slightly, strangely, reassured by this. “She’s loyal, and trustworthy, and I know that she’d take any secret to the grave. But do I wanna know more? ‘Course I do. I’d love to know it all. I hang on to every scrap of information she gives me… and sometimes, I just think… well, wouldn’t it be easier to ask? But I’m gutless- totally spineless. It’s just hard because… argh, well…
“I’ve never really liked a girl like her before. Don’t laugh at me- yeah? But… if you see those couples who are real comfortable with each other; they can just kiss and stuff, and they’re okay? Whenever it comes to kissing Ailith… I want to. God, I do, but it’s just I think about it, and look at her and come so close to her and just get so…” I groaned, slumping backwards.
So what? So what?
It was fear. ‘Cause I’m gutless- there you have it- Jude Dorrian is gutless.
“Sometimes, she blushes,” I said quietly, looking towards the microphone, so I didn’t have to meet the girl’s eyes. “And I see her cheeks glow pink, and all I can seem to do is start thinking and dreaming… that maybe, just maybe that blush could be for me.
“Does that make sense?”

Jack Trove

Can you please describe your girlfriend to us?

I felt my eyebrows shoot up.
“Bloody hell. That’s straight to the point, isn’t it?”
My interviewer laughed. “A bit.”
I grinned at her, leaning back in my chair. Olivia? Hah! Poor girl didn’t know what she’d just asked me. When it comes to Olivia, I can just sit and ramble for hours. I never tire of talking about her- never tire of her, really.
“Well,” I said casually. “She is the epitany of ginger hotness. Happy? What?”
She shook her head. “If you could give us a few more details than that, Jack…”
I laughed in mock-surprise. “Details? Well, if you insist…
“Olivia is… uncultured, or so I’d like to say, but that’s in terms of sports and stuff. She doesn’t like sports- would you believe? Or any of those really good action movies, or my music- nah, she’s far too into clothes and stuff. But that’s not to say it doesn’t pay off,” I added quickly. “She’s got a great figure- she’s tall, slim and has got one pair of incredible legs. But sometimes, I just dunno why she bothers with all that fashion stuff. To be honest, Olivia could chuck on an old rotten sack, and still make it on the front cover of Vogue. Vogue! Can you believe it? I actually know what that is.”
“Incredible.”
“I know,” I smirked, and the woman in front of me laughed lightly.
“Not many girls can pull that off.”
“Not many girls can pull off what Olivia can,” I agreed whole-heartedly. “Not many girls can wear skirts that short without looking a right skank. And the girls that do call her that are just jealous; totally bogging green with envy! She’s finds it funny; in fact, she’s always up for a laugh, Olivia is. Always flirting. Always lively, and fun- and she always manages to carry herself with a kind of class.”
And my smile slipped, and suddenly, I felt something… something weird move within my chest. Suddenly, I was sitting forward, suddenly serious; but I just didn’t get why…
“And when you kiss her? God,” I breathed, “that’s something else altogether. ‘Cause when you kiss Olivia… you don’t just peck her on the lips, or anything. It’s not like that. When you kiss that girl… fireworks explode. Just to feel her warm skin against your hands; and to feel her respond? And you’re always left with this taste of her- her perfume kind of clings to your clothes- and you just can’t get her out of your head. You’re always just left wanting more.
“And every single time, she manages to blow your mind. Sounds stupid, right?” My chest tightened uncomfortably. “My brother would laugh at me. But... I don’t care what he thinks. I mean, for chrissake- Olivia’s not just some stupid fling. I was thinking the other day, about battle, ‘cause I know one’ll be coming up soon…”
I stopped, suddenly scared. My interviewer watched me, her brown eyes large, patient- but most definitely eager. Suddenly, my mouth felt dry. I didn’t think… I didn’t think I’d ever have to voice this aloud.
This would make it real.
“I was thinking about it, and I suddenly… suddenly thought, ‘What if I don’t come back? What then? Will she move on- forget me?’ God… that’s awful. Can you imagine it? Some stupid, undeserving prick- and there are plenty out there- with his hands all over her! And me… I’d never get to feel those fireworks again. It’s just…”
It’s bloody terrifying.
I shook myself, trying my best to steady my sudden nerves.
“No other guy is worth her. You don’t understand. Nobody can touch her like me. Nobody can love her… like me.”

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See, baby here's the facts, you're gorgeous- don't you know it? And I want every last bit of you...

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

ooc: Seeing as you suggested replying, I decided I would. It's not as cute as yours, Kira; I found it really difficult to write - especially with Josh, because I'm really bad at remembering to post with him... but here, anyway =)

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"Let's be more than this..."

Josh Cole

You don’t have a girlfriend – could you please describe a girl that you have feelings for to us?

What?!
“Okay…” I said slowly, looking at the woman in a way that probably made her feel like she had three heads, or something. “Just because I don’t have a girlfriend… I might not like someone like that…”
For chrissake. Why am I such a crap liar?
The woman smiled at me. Stupid interviewer. She was really patronizing, making me feel like I was some… stupid teenager, ha. Not too far off from the truth, I guess, but did she have to look at me like that?
“Oh, come on, Josh, I’m sure that there’s someone. Indulge me.”
It was a really personal question. Too personal. I couldn’t lie and say that there was no one, because there’s Ailith, and I’m no good at lying. But I wasn’t about to actually tell her about Ailith. I mean, for god’s sake…
I laughed, probably sounding nervous – though I was trying not to.
“No, there’s no one, sorry.”
I shouldn’t lie. She was a journalist, she’d see through it immediately. After all, Ailith was a lot of the time the only thing I was thinking about, no matter how much I hated that fact.
Well… I hadn’t quite made up mind about whether I hated it or not. It was slightly masochistic.
Slightly?
“A friend of yours tells us otherwise,” the woman said, and I saw a hint of mischief at the back of her eyes. “She says that she thinks you-”
“I’m sorry, what friend?”
Like I needed to ask.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you,” the woman said apologetically.
Maggie, I am going to murder you.
The thing was – how did Maggie know? I hadn’t told her, and I hope to God that it’s not blatantly obvious – and things have to be blatantly obvious for Maggie to see them, most of the time.
Or maybe I just underestimate her too much. Either way, she still shouldn’t have known – and she d**n well shouldn’t have told an interviewer about it, anyway.
I sighed casually, leaning back in my seat. “No, sorry – she must have just been making assumptions. There really is no one.”
“Josh, please, you can tell me. What’s she like?”
I considered things I could say, frowning at her Dictaphone. “If you’re recording this, what happens to it after I say whatever I’m going to say?”
“You can decide if you want us to use it after the recording is finished,” the woman said smoothly.
“Oh, okay.”
I could lie again… but the thing was, I didn’t think this woman would give up. Journalists. Mum’s friend Angela was one, and when she got hold of something – d**n, she just did not let it go. I think that woman was determined to have my entire life on a plate ready for her to dissect. Usually, when she was at the house, I made up an excuse to get out of that place as fast as I could.
So I gave in.
“She’s… really pretty,” I said, sighing at my lack of any form of willpower at all. “Like… really, really pretty, and she’s small… but she’s incredibly strong. Your first impression of her will always be proved wrong. I first met her, thought she was really pretty, but I didn’t expect what happened next… we were fencing, and she slaughtered me. She does that in most things, really. We’re always paired together in training, and every time she slaughters me. I guess it’s good though, because I can learn, but I always wonder where the hell she picked this stuff up. There’s always so much that you don’t know, because she never gives anything away. I guess I admire that about her, because a lot of girls just… talk. And talk, and never do anything but talk. Ail… she doesn’t. She has scars, but she doesn’t feel the need to talk about them, which, I guess, just shows how strong she is. She’s happy just to be quiet, and to talk about things other than herself, which is nice, and usually... entertaining, because she has a brilliant sense of humour. And she never gloats. Like, even when she kicks your ass from here to Toronto, she’s nice about it.” I laughed. “And she does that kind of a lot.”
Saying all this out loud just made me feel a million times more stupid that I hadn’t realised that she had a boyfriend before I saw Jude kiss her. I mean, for chrissake, of course someone is going to choose her, and because she was so pretty, she was bound to attract attention. Not like Maggie did – guys zoomed to her like flies to honey, but that was a different type of attraction. Ailith… guys would want to be sincere about her.
I liked to think that I’d just got there too late, but I knew otherwise. Ailith would never go for me, ever. And that’s fine. Should be fine.
“She has a boyfriend, though,” I said, failing to keep the glum note out of my voice. “And she’s happy, so I can’t begrudge the guy at all. But… we’re good friends, and that should be enough. But it isn’t. It’s not enough. But I know that that’s as far as it’s going to go, and I should just get used to it. But… yeah, jealousy can be a real b*tch.”

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"I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight…"

Olivia Skye[/i]

Could you please describe your boyfriend to us?

I raised an eyebrow. I just had to.
“Personal question,” I said, slightly coolly, but I really didn’t mind. After all, Jack was on my mind a lot these days anyway, talking about him didn’t really make much of a difference. However, I smiled wickedly, leaning forward. “Could you describe your boyfriend to me?”
She just laughed at me. “I’m afraid not.”
“Shame,” I said lightly, leaning back in my chair and crossing my legs.
There was a silence.
“Olivia, could you tell me about your boyfriend?”
I smiled. “What would you like to know?”
“Whatever you’d like to tell me.”
What could I tell her? There were things that I could tell her, and things that I wanted to tell her. To be honest, there wasn’t that much of a difference between the two of them. Talking about Jack wasn’t really an opportunity that I was given often, so now that I was given the chance, I was looking forward to it. However, I decided to tease a little.
“He’s … he’s Jack,” I shrugged.
“Could you elaborate?”
Gladly.
“He’s really into sports,” I said. “He’s captain of the rugby team, and if he’s not playing sports, he’s talking about them. It can drive me mental sometimes, but I guess no one’s perfect,” I added, with a wicked smile. “And if it gives him those muscles, I can’t really complain. And it drives him insane that I know so little about sports; the closest thing I can really compare to it is yoga – and he doesn’t complain when I do that,” I laughed.
“I can imagine.”
“Jack is… Jack is the guy a lot of guys want to be, and the guy a lot of girls want to be with. Dating him is very ego-boosting, I can tell you,” I laughed, again. “He’s… hot. But that’s not just it. There are always hot guys; Jack is very different from … anyone else, really. Everyone else. He stands out. He’s just… effortless, really. He does all this with no effort at all; he can pull of anything completely naturally. If he didn’t want a career in rugby, or the army, he could easily become a male model, he looks that good. Not that I’ve told him this,” I broke off, laughing at the idea. “I’m not too sure how well he’d take that piece of information; he’d probably tell me that it insults his masculinity, or something equally ridiculous. Jack is… he just is. He does everything better than other people do. No one can hold you like he can; no one can kiss you the way he does, no one can flirt and match up to him.
“He’s always flirting and joking; that’s the way we are. We have fun. And when we kiss… ha, I don’t even think I can describe that. It’s not just… it’s not just a kiss. It’s something entirely different when we kiss. There’re fireworks and everything just … explodes, but in a good way … and you just never want to stop.”
I paused for a second, biting my lip as I remembered our last kiss, and the sensation of his burning skin overwhelmed me for a moment. “And when you do stop; and you’re not even in the same room as him anymore, he’s still there. You can still feel him on you, his touch still sears your skin, you can still taste him on your lips, can feel the memory of his hair brushing your skin… he has this way of getting under your skin and staying with you, and while that could be – and has been – a bad thing, right now, it’s incredible. No one else can…”
I had to pause again, trying to organize the words in my head.
“No other guy has ever made me feel remotely the way Jack makes me feel. I always… I always want more of him, but at the same time, I’m completely satisfied with what I have of him. I know that that is completely contradictory, but it’s true. It’s so true. And I always… I always just want him. It’s teenage lust, but it’s more.”
I had to look down at this point, blushing. The irritating thing about being redheaded is that we’re really prone to blushing. I’ve trained myself out of the habit of blushing; I know how to keep my cool… usually. But when I do blush, it’s as though my face has gone on fire, or something. It takes pink to a whole new level.
“And when I lose him… well, I react badly. Really badly. He has a power over me that he… that no one should have over someone else. Jack is the only guy to have ever made me cry. None of the guys I have ever known have made me cry, save my brother, when I was five and he pushed me out of a ground floor window and I broke my leg,” I smiled, trying to lighten what I was saying. “That was painful, but it was a completely different type of tears. Jack has this … I can’t think of any other words. It’s a power over me, and I really hate it sometimes, but most of time, when I’m with him, I can’t hate it, because it feels so great. It probably shouldn’t feel like that; I’m not usually into masochism.” I laughed again, a little nervously this time, fingering with a strand of my hair. “But I don’t even think about it for the majority of the time. Because it’s worth it.”
I looked up. The interviewer’s Dictaphone was still whirring.
“You’re still recording?”
She smiled. “I am.”
“You’re very good at this. You should have thought about going into counselling.”
She laughed.
“May I ask you a question?”
“I may not answer it, but go ahead.”
“Have you ever fallen for someone like that?”
There was a pause for a while, then I laughed, looking back down again.
“You’re not going to answer, are you?”
”All I can say is, not like that.”
“It’s really scary,” I murmured, still nervously twirling my hair around my finger. “I’ve never fallen for anyone before… and it’s intense. It’s fun, and it’s amazing… but the intensity is a little scary. I’ve never wanted someone this badly before… but I’m glad I’ve fallen for someone who seems to want me in the same way.”

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"Oh, oh, oh, I'll look after you..."

Madeleine Baudelaire

Could you please describe your fiancé to us?

I frowned. This wasn’t the type of question that I’d been expecting when I said I’d be interviewed. I suppose, after all, Lee is the cousin of the Head of the Spies, and fiancé of the Head of the Warriors. They would want to know him.
All those fears suddenly increased and my heart skipped a beat as I realised that this was why they were asking about him. God, he really could be becoming a target…
“What exactly do you mean? Should I describe him physically, or his personality, or…?”
“Whichever you’d prefer.” The interviewer’s brown eyes smiled kindly at me, but I doubt she realised how worried she’d suddenly made me feel.
That was such a generalized question. How could I describe Lee in a few sentences? I can’t put so many things into words – the shine of his eyes, the way his mouth curved when he smiled, the way he shook his soft hair out of his eyes…
“Well, he’s… tall,” I said, before laughing. “Well, not really especially tall – I guess everyone’s tall to me! He’s about… five foot eleven, around nine inches taller than I am. I suppose we look a pretty odd couple.”
I’d never considered that before. Everyone was so much taller than me, I didn’t really think about the height difference between Lee and myself, but now that I was thinking about it, it definitely caused a smile.
“He has brown hair… it’s wavy, and it gets into his eyes quite a lot because it’s getting longer. He has to keep shaking it back, or I have to stroke it back. It’s quite cute, actually. And it’s always nice to touch…
He’s got brown eyes… they used to be blue, before his memory loss. I guess you heard about that; it wasn’t exactly kept quiet…”
The interviewer didn’t respond, just watched me patiently through her glasses.
“It was a bit of an adjustment at first; looking at him and seeing brown eyes, and not the clear blue they used to be. But now… I don’t even remember the blue at all when I look at him, because they’re him now. Even though they’re a different colour, they’ve always been the same – you can still see the same things in them. I love the brown colour now so much more than I did of the blue shade, even though, I guess, they symbolise everything we’ve been through, all the cr – sorry, the things that have been put in our way… or maybe that’s why.”
I recognised the start of a rant coming now. Excellent. Shaun always said that women talked way too much. I used to tell him off for that, saying it was sexist… but I’m starting to agree with him.
“He sees me with his eyes. I know that that’s a weird thing to say, but people see… impressions of me instead of me a lot. From when I was young, people would have a fixed idea of what I was like, and that’s what they’d see, no matter how far off from the truth it was. And now that I’m Head of the Warriors, some people are scared of me – they see me as terrifying, which I have to admit, is kind of fun at times. A lot of people in the school see me as a complete skank due to what happened in Octo- actually, lets not go into that. But Lee doesn’t see me with any preconceived ideas. He just sees me. And that’s a really rare occurrence.”
What? You’re not making any sense, my girl. Just quit while you’re ahead.
I almost laughed. Ahead? I’m making a fool out of myself, talking this much, but I still can’t stop talking.
“Lee likes to hold me. I’m always the protector, I’m the one who defends other people and makes them feel safe; it’s always been like that. I love doing that, that’s who I am. Lee tries to protect me, which sometimes drives me insane, but when he holds me… I don’t think he even intends it to have that effect, but I just feel so safe, and I don’t want to be the defender, I just want to stay there in his arms and for us never to move. Of course, that magic dies the second he moves away and its back to usual, but it’s nice. And when he does hold me, his head rests just there…”
I moved my hand to my neck, to the spot where Lee’s cheek always rested. Even when he wasn’t there, it barely took any imagination at all to feel him there, his light breaths tickling my skin. “There. And the weird thing is, it fits perfectly, like whoever up there designed our bodies made us to fit together exactly... It’s things like that, like the way our hands fit together that made me stop wondering why he picked me. I’ll never know – and I would love to know – but things like this just make me feel that it’s… God, this is so corny..."
“You’re fine,” the interviewer said, still smiling.
“… like it’s, I don’t know, fate, or some other thing like that.” I laughed at myself – this must sound really stupid. But I’m a believer, thanks to Shaun, a believer that soulmates do exist, and that some things are just meant to happen. “That sounds really ridiculous.”
The interviewer just kept smiling, again.
“He plays chess,” I said, still talking, even though I knew I should just stop immediately. “He’s really intelligent, and he thinks things through logically, which means he kicks I disagree in an argument because he makes so much sense – and he knows exactly how to get around me. When we get married, household arguments are going to be so much fun.” I had to smile at the irony of that – I can win battles against thousands, and yet when it comes to a simple decision making argument, I’m lost. “In fact, when we get married, I think most things will be incredibly fun. It’ll be new, anyway… it’s really exciting. And it’s everything that I want. I love him… god, so much, and I’ll be able to love him until death do us part – and if what I believe is true, long after that as well. I don’t know what exactly made me fall in love with him, maybe its not just one thing, maybe it’s everything I’ve told you and the so much more that I haven’t told you. But I know that I do, and that he loves me and we’ll be able to love each other and… yeah. Sometimes I get scared – well, terrified. I’ve lost him far too many times, for whatever reason, and it’s always there, at the back of my mind – what if something happens, and we’re taken away from each other? I go into battle, and before I met Lee, this had never happened before, but I get so… so scared that I might not come back. That I might leave him, and never see him again – and it’s come too close to that before for me to just dismiss that fear. And I know he worries too – we had an argument about his joining in with battle training one day, and what he said nearly killed… I’m sorry,” I finished, with a rueful laugh. “I’m really sorry, I talk far too much.”
The interviewer laughed. “That’s okay, it’s what we like to hear. But, I’m interested to know, what has the feedback about your engagement been like?”
Oh no, that.
“Well … mixed,” I said, thinking about it for a second. “Most people seem thrilled for us, but I can’t help wonder if they think we’re too young. A lot of people have said this to us, but they’ve come around eventually, although they think it’s a better idea to wait. But… why should we wait? We don’t need to,” I said, finally finishing, with a smile. “We’ve got everything we want right now.”

------

[Ailith Rayner]

Ailith Rayner

How would you describe your boyfriend?

I blink and frown at my interviewer’s question, “I’m sorry, what exactly is this for again?” She hasn’t actually told me straight out yet, she’s swerved neatly around the question a few times now. Either that or she hadn’t decided what to do with these interviews.
“Oh come Ailith, tell us what it’s like to be on this side of a guy’s affections.”
“You’ve asked him this question?”
“Of course, and he gave us a beautiful answer to which I think you owe him one.”
I think about this, what had he said? Knowing Jude it’s probably filled with a lot of sweet things that are true enough but that make me sound way better than I really am. I wonder how easy she got him to spill.
“Where and when will this be published?” I ask in vain but trying a different approach.
“You’ll see.”
“You don’t actually know do you?” I ask.
“Hmm? Oh erm sometime…” She trailed off before bouncing back with, “So… what’s your answer?” I give up.
“Alright.” I sigh smiling. “What do you mean how would I describe him?”
“Well, what do you think of his personality, what do you like most about him, do you like the stubble etcetera etcetera.”
I laugh. Usually I get frustrated with the stubble thing, on most guys you can’t tell if they’ve washed their face or not but Jude keeps his so it hasn’t got to that stage.
“I don’t mind the stubble no. Hmmm…” I think hard but not for long, “Jude… treats people with every bit of care that that person deserves, he takes you as you come and talks to you like an equal. But he doesn’t ever really change himself to fit you, if that makes sense?”
She nods, “He has a flexible and likable personality anyway so he doesn’t need to change type thing.”
“Yeah that’s exactly what I mean… He’s a great Spy in that respect. When he’s infiltrating he will adapt himself and he does it well but again he’s so casual about it that appears very natural. Which is what he is really. He’s also a brilliant counsellor. If you’re really down or feeling a bit off, he really turns it around for you. He’s everyone’s someone to talk to and he’ll always be there for you no matter what.” I wonder who he goes to actually. Tameron? Lee, his best mate? He doesn’t really talk to me about things that might be on his mind, now that I come to think of it. Does that bother him? Maybe he just doesn’t have anything to talk about.
“Does that annoy you?” My interviewer interrupts my train of thought.
“The way he’s there for everyone and not just me? Of course not. Why should it? He’s being the best person he can be so why should I be jealous because he gives attention to everyone and not just me? I’m not the jealous type. But also I know that at the end of the day he and I can spend time together and not have to worry about anyone.” Then it’s just him and me. The way he looks at me every now and again when he thinks I’m not watching. Makes me feel so bright and happy. Makes me feel so special and so beautiful. No one’s ever looked at me the way he does. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have someone like him thinking about me like that. I don’t even know why he does…

“Oh go on don’t stop.”
“What?” Again I snap back into the room and bring my focus back to the woman holding her tape recorder out close to my face. Oh crap! Did I say all of that out loud?!
“Sorry what was the last thing I said?”
“Erm … ‘to have someone like him thinking about me like that. I don’t even know why he does.’”
Aaargh! That has never happened to me before. I’m always so aware of what I’m saying. How did I just blurt that out and not realise. Wow I was miles away.
“Yeah well I think that’s answered you’re question. What’s the next one?”

[Arihant]

OOC – whew, I wrote this ages ago. I mean, literally ages ago. I figure I may as well post it now seeing as my exams are FINALLY OVER *dances*
It’s set now, so a few months after Vanilla.

’Cause If our lips can could touch here…

Arihant.

[/u]

Could you describe Kira for us?[/center]

“…What?”
The girl frowned, setting her Dictaphone on the table and pressing the record button. “You don’t want to?”
The matter-of-fact way in which she asked me threw me off a little bit. Then again, I was pretty much entirely thrown off already. That was the last thing I’d been expecting her to ask…
But I actually… I sort of…
I wanted to. I didn’t know why. But… I wanted to.
“OK,” I said, stopping myself from thinking any further. I knew I’d regret it – overthink it – if I did. “OK, I’ll do it.”
I paused, and felt my brow furrow.
“But what do you want to know?”
The girl looked confused for a second; her face mirroring mine, then shook her fringe out of her eyes. “Just… anything. Everything.”
I smiled slightly. “I don’t have time to tell you everything. Unless you plan to stay here all night, that is.”
“That’s OK.”
“Right…” I put my hands together and pressed them to my lips. I’m not good at this sort of thing. Really. Logic, grammar, vocab, sure, I can work with all that because there’s a system, but the actual words? Words get tricky. Words never work right for me.
“Well… Let’s see. Her full name’s Kira Norris, she’s sixteen, Irish, Head of the Spies, got a cousin called Lee…”
I flushed a little, and cast my eyes down. “That’s – God, this is stupid – that’s all I really know in terms of actual… facts…”
The girl waited patiently, and I searched for a way to go on.
“She’s… kind of small. Or, at least, she’s smaller than me – not a lot, it’s probably… Well, it’s probably about right for a woman, I guess, I don’t know. And kind of thin, too. Pretty insubstantial, really – it’s almost like she’s a… a fairy or something. She’s… ethereal. I mean, she does have super speed. I could just imagine her flying away some day.”
My skin heated up even further. It was idiotic, how quickly I was regretting agreeing to this.
“I’m sorry, that was idiotic.”
“No – No, Arihant, you’re fine. Go on.”
I swallowed. “S-She has really pale skin, too – like… like vanilla or something… Though I’m probably just saying that ‘cause she smells like ice cream, like vanilla, I don’t know. It… it suits her. Her hair is nearly white, after all – well, blonde – and kind of… wavy? I’m not really sure how to describe it. And her eyes – God. Well, her eyes are sort of incredible. They’re really big, this really intense shade of blue…”
How pathetic it is to describe things that can’t ever really be described.
I couldn’t help letting out a small groan. “This is harder than I thought it would be,” I muttered.
“Arihant, you’re doing well, really. Keep going.”
I breathed in slowly, and glanced away. I’d never been very good at keeping eye contact, and especially not when doing something like this.
“I’ve only known her for a few months. Why does it matter what I know? You’d be better asking someone else.”
“I’m asking you.”
I squeezed my eyes closed for a moment. “She’s… dreamy. Wait, that’s probably the wrong word… No. No, that’s it, I think. But I don’t know how to explain it, it’s not like… it’s not like she really zones out or anything – it seems like she is sometimes, but I don’t think that’s what she’s doing. Just… like her thoughts are more interesting than the world around her, and, honestly, I really wouldn’t doubt that. And she’s really smart – well, of course she is, I mean, she’s Head of the Spies –
“And that’s another thing. She’s not… it seems, sometimes, when you’re talking to her, that she’s just sort of… placid, calm… But, no, she’s really not. She has a hell of a temper.”
I smiled. “I cause that temper to snap more than I really should. I guess in that respect she’s kind of like her element – water, I mean – I’ve seen her go from Glass Lake to tsunami within seconds.”
I bit my lip.
“Well, she doesn’t take any crap. I should know, after all. I’ve given her so much. Like on Valentine’s Day…
“I… really, I owe her so much. If she hadn’t… I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. I don’t know where I’d be.
“And… there’s so much more than that. I mean, she was the first person I ever told… she was the first person who ever knew what I am. The first person to accept me in spite of it. It’s incredible, that she… that she would be able to, even after what I showed her, with the rose… All that, and then we got ice cream.” Something about that fact struck me as being intensely Kira.
“To be honest, that was probably… I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that was one of the best nights of my life.”
I gulped, and then my voice fell to little above a whisper. “And sometimes I wonder… what it would be like if I wasn’t like- like this. If I was normal. If I could tou-”
I couldn’t finish that word.
“But I can’t imagine it. I can’t imagine anything other than this. And what this is isn’t so bad, really, I just…
“Sometimes when I think of what I am, and I think of her, I get this… this weird feeling in my chest. Like something’s tugging at my ribs, or – it’s not painful, it’s just… No, it’s painful – not physically, but… otherwise, yeah. It feels like something’s pulling at my chest, and sometimes my eyes start to hurt and I feel kind of… kind of like if I could just see her, just for a second, that might fix everything…”
My voice lowered. “I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t say things like that.”
“Why not?”
“I… I just can’t. It’s stupid. It’s impossible. I shouldn’t even think about things like that. Because she… she doesn’t know what I am – not really. She doesn’t know what I’ve done. She doesn’t even know my name.”
I fell silent, and there was nothing but the whirring of the Dictaphone.
Then the girl spoke, some unreadable emotion in her blue eyes – mere shadows of Kira’s.
“What… What is she to you?”
I laughed sharply, bitterness adding an edge to my voice that I wasn’t really used to. “That’s the stupidest part. I don’t even know .”