WIP Blog Hop-- Cloverpuff interviews Tian Zheng from True Color of Betryal

From Nadinucca on CC:
Hello everybody. Just a quick and simple post today: the blog hop! 

The rules are simple: answer these questions about your work in progress, and link others at the bottom so everybody can hop over to meet them.
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As Cloverpuff fades into existence, she sees a tangle of strings zigzagging through a cluttered room.  Before she can process the convoluted web, her hat is immediately knocked off by a long metal spike.  A hand swoops in and takes her up by the ears.  When she opens her eyes, she is looking into the dark eyes of an Asian male with long dark hair.

He glances around the room, eyes narrowed.  When he speaks, his voice booms, as if he wants someone else to hear.  "A rabbit?  Here?  I wonder if the embassy chef can cook up curried rabbit stew?"

Cloverpuff kicks her hind legs as she struggles to break free.  "Let me go!  I'm just here for an interview!"

The man's eyes widens and his hands go slack, freeing Cloverpuff from his powerful grip. 

She lands lightly on the ground, and looks up, eyes glinting.  "Why, I have never..."

His wide eyes narrow again, and he smirks as his head darts around the room.  "Jie, stop playing tricks.  I know you are throwing your voice with a ghost echo."

Cloverpuff's experience on the front lines of the Martian Wars allows her to immediately recover from the manhandling.  It might have been frightening to be snatched up quickly, but it was nothing compared to that time when Darth Vader Force-choked her.  "No, no, it's me talking here.  Look, I just interviewed Princess Jingjing, and one of my readers suggested I get your side of the story."
"Jie!  This isn't funny.  We have work to do here."

"No, look, here are my press credentials."
"Press wha-?  Fine, I have a few minutes to play this game.  What do you want?"

"Just to ask a few questions.  First, what is your name?
"Tian Zheng, fourth son of the Tai-Ming Lord of Eastgate Province."

Besides trying to kill me, what were you doing when I came in?
Tian waves his hand at the room, where papers dangle from the strings and on two cork boards on two sides of the room.  "Examining information."

Information?
"Yes, that's my job.  Collecting and organizing information so that we can better understand the threats to my homeland. "

Sounds interesting enough.  If I told you you had to do some spring cleaning right away, what would you throw out?
"I don't throw away anything.  Look around this room.  Every piece of information is connected to the big picture somehow."

Look deep into my eyes... Do you have any secrets you'd like to confess?
 "Is this a joke?  Jie!  Enough of these silly games."

No joke!  Come on, spill some secrets, Tian.
"Everything here is secrets.  How much time do you have?"

Any personal secrets?  Love of your life? 
"There is no time for love.  The world is at war."

Moving right along... So who is Jie?
"Oh, come on."

Pretend that I don't know.  Is she your love?
"What?  Seriously?  Fine.  Play this game.  Jie is an annoying half-elf girl.  We grew up together in the Black Lotus Temple.  She is like a sister to me."  Tian's eyes dart around the room again.  "An annoying little sister."

So, If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
"Can I change the past?"

Well, no.  But if you could?  Does it have to do with locking Princess Jingjing in an armoire?
He cocks his head, brows furrowed.  "How did you know about that?"

I have my sources.  So it IS true?
"Regrettably, yes.  That was a long time ago, though.  I don't imagine she even remembers."

Yeaaaah.... moving right along.  And what do you like most about yourself?
"I am very good at what I do.  That is all I have in this life: duty.  I might as well do it to the best of my ability."

Is there anyone you really, really hate? Come on, you can tell me!
"Jinglong Peng, the Princess's cousin.  He pretended to be my friend when we were children.  Set me up.  I know this now, even if I did not then."

Imagine it's a typical Saturday afternoon. What are you doing?
"Saturday?  What is that?"

You know, a day of rest.
"There are no days of rest.  Everyday, something is happening, everyday means more information."

What's your strongest childhood memory? It can be good or bad.
"When I was 12, I killed someone for the first time.  It was a criminal, whose life was forfeit, and it was done with absolute precision and mercy.  But you never forget your first."

Ain't that the truth.  Just like a first love.
"Um, yeah.  You know, Jie, that was so long ago.  You can stop making jokes about it."


Well, thank you for your time! Before I head on back to my dimension, can you complete this sentence for me?  If I could be a domestic appliance, any appliance, I'd be a...
"Is that some kind of spying device?"


Check out these interviews with Cloverpuff!
Interview with Time
Interview with Alistair Leeds
Interview with Neal Rodriguez