Dr. Alexa Cort loved her job. While her co-workers coddled and delved into the past of characters she got pull new stories out of them. Sometimes she was nice but more often she got to tease and poke them till they cracked open and became real.
Her current patients were perfect examples of 2 dimensional characters. From the “7 seals” world these three gentlemen were supposed to be the primary emotional support for the MC Lia. However the author barely has a physical description for them. Nothing for personality except that they are really old Fae warriors who loved their niece Lia.
It would take a few sessions with each of the men individually to flesh out who they really were. This would allow the author to create more realistic dialog and non-generic reactions. She looked over the one page she had on all three of them and decided to take the oldest first. She opened the door and looked at the three almost identical men sitting quietly in the waiting room.
“Thomas Nolan?” The blond man stood up and nodded his head at her. Alexa studied him as he walked into her room. She inwardly rolled her eyes. Tall and perfectly sculpted the man was on the graceful side of masculine. He had bright blue eyes and a thin face. His blond hair was short but too perfectly feathered away from his face as if walking off a modeling shoot.
Why do authors insist on only focusing on how hot their protagonists were. Give them a scar or bad hair. Ok, he was Fae of the tall elf like variety. No pointy ears, that was good, she hated those for some reason. At least he didn’t have long flowing hair like one of his brothers.
“Thomas I’m Alexa. You understand why your author sent you here?” Gesturing him toward a chair.
“She wants to learn more about me.” His long strides took him quickly to the indicated spot but he waited until Alexa sat to sit himself.
“True but I need more than dates and times. It is your personality that we need to discover.”
“Fine.”
“Glad you approve.” He was haughty so she wrote it into her notes, “So you’re the oldest of four siblings, two brothers and a sister, what makes you different from them.”
“As the first born son my Father expected me to become his heir. For the first eight hundred years I worked as his seneschal.” Oh ye gods was that predictable. No need to write that down.
“What happened to change that?”
“I realized the truth of Fae life. We don’t age. Until my father was dead I was never going to rule. I didn’t want my father dead but I also didn’t want to be his errand boy for thousands of years. I decided to live my own life. “ Mildly interesting but nothing truly interesting.
“This is good but I think it’s the wrong direction to find your personality. What your author needs is your personality not an in depth story. Let’s try some situational reaction.” Alexa waved a hand and a dark figure came out of nowhere approaching them with determined strides. He was dressed in dark armor and holding a sword readied for attack.
Thomas jumped up and rushed the figure. He lunged to close the distance and grapple with the intruder. After a brief exchange of blows the newcomer vanished.
“Fight first talk later.” The Dr noted, “Good, an honest reaction. You can sit back down.” Anger sparked in Thomas’s eyes at being tricked but he returned to the seat. “Was it his classic bad guy look or the weapon that made you respond?”
“I supposed I should have stopped and checked to see if he had just drawn his weapon to inspect it for damage before letting him cut you in half.”
Alexa smiled, a protective instinct, that would work well with his role. A little sarcastic but within acceptable margins. Now for more immediate information that dealt specifically with his world.
“There are many races in your universe would you consider yourself friendly to others.”
“I have plenty of human friends.”
“Do you really? Are they friends or just amusements?”
“Friends. I can’t bring them around my family, of course, but they are definitely friends.”
“Why can’t you bring them around your family?”
“We live on a Fae reserve and Lia needs to keep a low profile.”
Nothing really interesting there, more a situation then a characteristic of his.
“How bout Were’s?”
Thomas’s lip curled before he could hide it. “I do not associate with Weres.”
“Isn’t your niece a Were?”
“Yes but she isn’t like them.”
“What are they like?”
“Oversexed children, they don’t take responsibility for any of their actions. They play with the people around them with no thought to hurting them emotionally.”
“Is this because one of them got your sister pregnant?”
“No. That was more proof of her recklessness. Remember, I was around during the Middle ages when Weres destroyed many of political reigns with their sexual games. They showed no respect for the sanctity of marriage or any other bond. It was like humans and Fae were just sexual toys to be used and discarded.”
“Did a Were take someone from you?” He glowered but didn’t answer. “No matter, the attitude is all I needed. How about Vampires?”
Thomas’s shoulders relaxed, “Parasites but not much different from humans. Their diet and abilities make them worthy opponents but it depends on the individual.”
“Wonderful.” A specific hatred not just one for all races not his, “Now your writer has established that you and your brothers are close but how would you describe your brothers?”
“Sean is the youngest and the practical joker. He keeps us all from slipping into boredom over the ages. Michael has always been the quiet one lost in his own mind and thoughts. But I think you have misunderstood our relationship. We have only become really close since Bedilia’s birth.” Alexa checked her notes … ahh Bedilia was Lia his niece, “Twenty seven years is barely a tick in our time. Before her birth opened the first seal, the three of us lived separately. My mother called us home for the birth and has asked us to remain close to protect her from our father.”
“Do you resent what your mother asked of you?”
“No, It has been wonderful having a purpose again. Lia is a magnificent warrior now and barely needs our protection. It has also been good getting to know my brothers again and my mother has never asked much from anyone. Doing this for the family is important.”
“Your Fae ability is with Animals like your Sister yet you dislike Weres. Why?”
“You mind is a confusing place Doctor.”
“True but I’m trying for a general picture not details”
Thomas closed his eyes and thought, “Being Animal blessed is like having a connection to the souls of every creature. You feel their needs and wants like a song in the back of your head. With most animals they are simple and pure even when angered. With Weres,” his voice became clipped, ”the feelings are stronger, more complicated, and tainted by the greed and deception of a human soul. It can be intoxicating how their animal passions reach out to anyone around them. But once a Were realizes that power they can use that draw as a tool against others. It is twisted.”
“Your niece doesn’t do this?”
“In many ways she is better and worse than your average Were. She controls herself so strongly that she doesn’t influence anyone around her. That control comes at a high blood price. If you don’t give into the animals urges in one way you must in another. So my brothers and I give her animal an outlet in battle.”
“So it is the sex that you object to?”
“No, I enjoy sex as much as the next man. Especially in this new modern age, where some women see sex as just another form of exercise. But Weres, especially Alpha’s, give off an aura that influences people sexually in ways they might otherwise not behave.”
“Alright I think we have enough to work with for now. I’ll be out in a bit for your brother Sean.”
Thomas rose confused at the startling ending to their session and left. Alexa was happy she had established just enough to start working on better situations to put him in next time. He was a protector, bigoted, and loyal with just enough of a sense of self to keep from fading into the background. His brother Sean seemed to have the next most defined personality but the quiet one Michael was going to take some though.
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