Character Interview #8: Sern Jesyn

Sooooo, this post is long overdue, I know, but I figure it's better late than never, right? 

Sern Jesyn

What did the last person you punched get punched for? 

In what context? 

Excuse me? 

Well, I suppose I should rule out anyone I had to punch in combat. Not that I've been in many battles over the past several years, but it would be difficult to remember each individual and exactly what my motivation was in punching them. 

...Fine. In a non-battle context, why did you punch the last person you punched? 

I punched Shor'el, my mentor, when he tried to give me a bed for the night. 

Okay, how about some context? Why would you punch him for trying to help you, especially if he was your mentor? 

...For the same reason I punched Krost some months previously. Both of them tried to assist me, and I was in no shape to be reasonable. They wouldn't listen to my protests, and I was too exhausted to think of many other options, so I punched them. Also, Shor'el was not my mentor at the time. He was just an old man in the marketplace who saw me pass him by looking like death, and he tried to help. I must say, he had an interesting time of it. 

Huh. And this from my most reasonable, mature character... 

You're either forgetting or choosing to overlook the fact that this was fourteen or fifteen years ago. 

Right. I also forgot that everyone always said Dertryn took after you. 

I was not myself. I had recently lost my family, and run myself into the ground trying to track down the one I had any hope of recovering. I'd found no trace. I had wounds that had gone far too long untreated, I had barely eaten or drunk anything, and I'd hardly allowed myself any rest. In my mind, finding my son was the only purpose I had left in life, and if I could not achieve it, then my life would not really be worth the living. I would either find my son or die trying. At that point, some part of me had decided that hope was lost, and that it was time to give up. So I didn't take especially well to some old man I'd never met trying to make me live a life that didn't seem worthwhile. So I punched him. 

A... natural reaction to an act of kindness, I'm sure. *ahem* Anyways, on to the next question: Why do you call Sohrem by his given name? Is there a reason, or is it just out of habit? 

The way I see it, he uses the name 'Sohrem' to escape his past. The problem is that, while he likes to think of himself as a new person, when I look at him, I just see a grown-up version of the boy I knew in Lans years ago. He seems to struggle with knowing his own identity, so, partly out of habit and partly out of a desire to help reinforce the identity that seems to fit him best, I call him by his given name. I suppose I could call him differently, but it would take a lot of effort. 

You know, for a former soldier, you talk a lot like a psychologist sometimes. 

Are we here to answer your guests' questions, or to discuss my vocabulary? 

...What color was your dragon? 

He was black. I believe he might have sired Dertryn's dragon, Tyri. Although I must say, their personalities are quite different. Krost had little difficulty involving himself in battle. He was still a one-man creature, though. Most dragons are. 

Wait, wait -- you punched your dragon? 

Excuse me? 

You said earlier that you punched Krost. 

...Oh. No, there was another Krost, a human one. He was my best friend. 

That's... confusing. Wait, I thought Cortran was your best friend. 

Krost and Cortran were brothers. Krost and I were both fourteen when we chose our dragons, and we were mischievous devils, so I named mine Krost, and he named his Jesyn. 

Whyyyyy...? 

We found it amusing. I don't know. That was over thirty years ago. 

Riiiiight... Okay, what's your favorite subject to tutor? 

Quite honestly, I don't know. I enjoy teaching history. If the families I've dealt with would allow me to tutor their children in combat strategy, that would likely be my favorite subject. 

Okay, so now a bonus question: What made you decide to tutor? I mean, you were soldier, so some of the other jobs you took make sense because of your broad range of experience gained during those years -- herbalist, handyman, forager, etc. -- but why tutoring? I seem to recall you weren't much for books as a younger man. 

You have a habit of asking very personal questions. 

Oh? Is that personal? Tell me more. 

I'll tell you, but then I'll leave, and I'll answer no more questions of that nature for you. 

Fine. Shoot. 

I doubt you mean that literally. And in any case, I don't have my bow or any arrows on hand. Anyhow, I got into tutoring because it's what Nolan wanted to do someday. I failed to save him, so he never got to live that dream. I suppose it's my way of living for him, of honoring his memory. 

Does that help? 

I've already answered your questions. Goodbye. 

Wait, no -- I didn't say you could leave yet! Sern? Hello? Grrrrrrrrrr... That man... 

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And there it is, the long overdue final installment in my earlier series of character interviews. As usual, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any further questions, comment below. Right now, I must be off to digress elsewhere. Bye!