Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today, Isalaina!

The pleasure’s mine! After all, Jaranin said it wasn’t so bad, so I thought if he was going to be brave, I’d have to give it a try, too. (Laughs)

So, let me get the quick and boring questions out of the way for the readers: tell me all the basics. What’s your full name, age, race, hair color, eye color?

Oh! That’s quite a bit there. (Laughs) Well, my name’s Isalaina Carpenter. I’m fourteen, on the cusp of my fifteenth birthday.

Really! When’s your birthday?

The fourth of Dralmey. [June 3rd]

Ah… but as for your first question, let’s see… I have blondish hair. I suppose it’s a bit golden colored? And… eye color. Hm. Well, my eye color is a bit hard to describe. It tends to look a bit different depending on the light. I just like to say it’s grayish-green. Did I get them all? Oh! Race. Right. I am a Faer.

[Faer are winged beings who appear similar to humans, but many often have a wide variety of natural hair and eye colors, including normal colors such as browns, blondes, and blacks but also including those such as blues, purples, and even greens. Our closest equivalent would be a fairy.]

And where are you from?

I’m living in Sinoa with my family.

But you also spend a lot of time at the nearby city of Wilfay, correct? Tell us about that.

Well, that’s where I work. I’m an apprentice weaver.

Is it much different from Sinoa?

Oh, night and day. Sinoa’s just a small village. Hardly anyone lives there now. It’s just a few families. But Wilfay, it’s one of the larger towns in the area. It’s a bustling city. Lots of people coming and going each day—mostly from Towston, the other large town, but that’s a good bit south. Wilfay has lots of shops. There’s lots to do there.

So, as a weaver, what sort of fabrics (or clothes) do you like to design—or wear?

Anything with rich colors. We don’t get a lot of deep dyes, so any time someone brings in a dark dye, I have to use it.

And your favorite color would be…?

Green shades, most definitely.

What’s your family like? You mentioned your last name is Carpenter, and I know in that area it’s customary for the surname to describe what the family occupation is, so I can imagine I know what your father does for a living…

Yes, my father is indeed a carpenter! My mother’s quite sweet, but she and I have our hands full with my two brothers, Will Jr. and Reevus. Will’s older, Reevus is the younger one.

Two brothers, huh? I bet that’s a handful.

They are. (Laughs) But we get by.

So, Isalaina, what kinds of things make you happy?

Oh. By Orien. Well… I suppose spending time with Jaranin and Elun, my two best friends. And I love exploring the woods and the creeks around Sinoa when I’m not working. It’s simply beautiful country.

What kinds of things frustrate you, and why?

Nothing’s worse than when the loom breaks! I have to move to a different loom I’m not used to working with, and I can never get as much done while I’m waiting for Father to come over and fix mine. And… I suppose getting poor marks when I’m practicing archery is frustrating, too. I know I can do better.

Do you have any irrational fears?

(Very seriously) All of my fears are quite rational. (Laughs) I strongly dislike any crowds of any kind. People, insects, swarms of birds. There’s just too much at once and it’s… disgusting.

Do other people think of you as a trustworthy person? Why or why not?

I certainly hope they do. You can know a secret’s safe with me. I take things to the grave. But I’m also a good listener. I like learning more about others; you can’t do that if you go blabbing it to people who have no right nor need to know.

All right, here comes the deep question. Are you ready?

You’re making me nervous! (Laughs) But I suppose I’d better be.

Do you believe in soul-mates and/or true love?

Welllll…

I get the feeling you’re thinking of someone in particular right now…

(Laughs) Well, I certainly believe there is true love. I’m certain it’s quite difficult to build up—you have to earn one another’s trust and form a bond that neither one is willing to break. That’s difficult to do, but I don’t think it’s impossible. Just… time-consuming. (Laughs) I suppose that doesn’t sound nearly as romantic as soul-mates, does it?

But yes, I suppose I believe soul-mates are made—forged, I guess you could say? That sounds rather un-romantic, too, though. I don’t necessarily think love works in the way it does in stories sometimes, where they gaze into one another’s eyes and instantly, they’re in love. I mean, they don’t know one another. How could they truly love each other, then?

What would you say is the mark of true love, then? What does it look like?

Two people who… “have each other’s backs,” I guess you could say. They work well together. They know each other well enough that they know what to expect from the other person. They’ve passed the tests, they’ve remained true throughout the years. They’re honest with each other.

I think that’s the most important part. They don’t hold things back.

Thanks for withstanding my barrage of questions, Isalaina. You’re free to go now.

Oh, that wasn’t so bad at all. (Laughs) Thank you for having me.

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Well, she certainly was concerned at first, but I think I might be able to get Isalaina to come back for another interview sometime. Leave a comment with any questions you have for her (or Jaranin too! He’s much easier with the information than Isalaina is.)

Want to read more character interviews? Check out this one with the irrepressible elf Elun here or with the soft-spoken protagonist Jaranin here.

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Questions based on Interview Your Character by FifteenthApostle on DeviantArt.

Photo originally posted on Pixabay. Used under US “Fair Use” laws.

For Him, to Him

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