Closed Is this thing on?

Nadia Kaster

finding talent; hidden; retired journalist
 
Messages
1,766
Blood Status
Half Blood
Relationship Status
Interested in Somebody
Sexual Orientation
Demisexual
Wand
Yew Wand 14" Dragon Heartstring Core
Age
10/2014
Nadia Kaster hadn't scored a big Interview with an International Duellist before, so she was really excited. Etienne wasn't as well known in the New Zealand community as he was elsewhere in the world, but Nadia was looking for something a bit different this time. The International Duelling Championships were in New Zealand this year, the Semi Finals would be happening in a matter of days and so Nadia had taken the opportunity to use it and his small window of availability to snag an interview. She was sure he was used to them, but never from a New Zealand magazine. She arrived at the arena, her jacket slung over her shoulder as the breeze was a welcome feeling on her shoulders as she smiled to the officials. She showed them her media pass and was immediately shuffled in, past the training rooms (lots of young men and women running around shooting dummies) and was left at a small lounge area that also contained quite a bit of food. They obviously knew who she had come here to see, because it wasn't too much later that a fit, good looking man, entered the room with all the showmanship of someone who liked to be around people and knew exactly who they were. He was taller than her, not hard, and she immediately praised her choice of heels. "Etienne, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, I understand this is a very busy time for you, gearing up for the championships and defending titles." She said, smiling warmly. "How are you feeling about that, everything good?"
 
Etienne had been in New Zealand a few times before, particularly when he was dating a lovely woman from the area, but after they went their separate ways, he had returned to Europe and only returned a few weeks ago for this year's championships. Now in his mid thirties, the duellist was finding competition to be a little harder than in was almost twenty years ago, but he had avoided falling off the leadership boards and was maintaining his score total every season. Many of his cohort couldn't find the energy to keep up with the new wave of younger duellists entering the sport every year, but seeing as his own daughter was getting to the point where she would have the chance to break out into competitive duelling, he was determined to keep up. After all, who didn't want their daughter to steal their title?​

Entering the room where Nadia was waiting for him, the Frenchman flashed a bright smile and grabbed himself a tiny muffin. It was barely half the size of his palm, but he was grabbing it primarily because it looked so adorable. "Thank you for having me," the duellist replied pleasantly, gesturing for them to sit down on the lounge. "Things couldn't be better," he assured her. They both knew he would not have answered any other way. "It's always exciting to get out on the platform and face off with an old or new opponent. Everyone has worked very hard, and honing their techniques. I'm not the least bit concerned."
 
The picture he presented, confident, self-assured, aware of his own abilities - a showman. It was the countenance he had worked so hard to keep up with and Nadia could see it on full display in front of her. Though her question had been more out of politeness, they'd both known what the answer would be, because had started as soon as she'd entered the building. It was why she'd been escorted, so she couldn't see anything she wasn't supposed to. It was smart really. Nadia had a reputation. She looked down at the muffin in his hand and grinned. "Sorry, do you mind if I take a quick snap?" He looked like such a picture, the big, tough duelling champion and the tiny muffin. "This will be a great photo for the interview accompaniment." She didn't have a lot of great skill with a camera, but she was adept enough for this, touch up artists would fix anything grating errors within the photo anyway so it was hardly a problem. She quietly gestured to him to move to a different part of the room as she took a short series of pictures as she wasn't sure which they would like more. "Thanks for that, we can get started now if you like?" She asked, gesturing for him to precede her to one of the more comfortable chairs in the room.​
 
Etienne grinned at Nadia and waggled his tiny muffin. He had been in the game a long time, given plenty of interviews and worked the media. He had a reputation to maintain, and part of that included being confident, gregarious and approachable. Orchestrating his own adorable photos was just a part of that- it helped he had teenage daughters that didn't hesitate to tell him when he was being 'boring' or 'old', as well. The photogenic man posed for the images effortlessly, before returning to the reporter.

"Of course," Etienne replied, sitting down again and peeling the paper cup from around the tiny muffin. "Where would you like to begin? I don't suppose you are interested in my defence and offense strategies," he joked. No one ever was, unless they were specifically a duelling magazine.​
 
"No, perhaps not in this issue, next time possibly?" She said, pulling her wand out of her robes and flicking it at her notepad and quill. She hated quick quotes quills, so she didn't like using them, but she did like to be able to write quickly so she often had a quick quotes quill and her normal notebook, which she then took out of her bag. "We can start with the simple things first," she said, getting comfortable and she leaned back on one of the lounges in the room. "I know from previous interviews that you've been involved in duelling from a very young age, but, what first got you interested in duelling?" She asked, crossing her legs and leaning her notepad on her knee to jot down anything important he said. She wasn't all that interested in duelling herself, she'd seen the clubs when she was at school of course, but they'd never interested her. She was always more focused on her work with the magazine. "Is there an interesting story about an action hero proving himself against all odds?" She asked, grinning.​
 
Etienne sighed and pouted despite already knowing her answer. Only specialist journalists ever asked the strategy questions, and quite frankly, getting interviewed by them was simultaneously interesting and boring. Incredible people. He smiled as the quills and books came out, ready to be quoted and preparing himself. One poorly worded response and he could take a popularity hit that he wouldn't appreciate, though he had not been warned that that was something Nadia did frequently. Still, even the 'safest' journalists couldn't always be trusted to be fair.​
He pulled tiny parts off the muffin and ate as she spoke, purposefully ensuring the portions were small enough to swallow at a moments notice. He chuckled quietly. "Unfortunately no, though I have had years to come up with several exciting stories," he assured her. "I got into it the usual, boring way, I think. Started in school - Beauxbatons. I come from a magical family, so I'd been a fan since I was... three, really. I have a twin, so he was exciting to duel with. During school, I duelled from the moment they let me on a platform, and was scouted after I graduated, worked up the ranks until I won my first major international competition at twenty-four." He smiled. "Very boring, straight forward beginning, I'm afraid. I think the duel that really told me that I wanted to do this for as long as I could was my final duelling competition at school. My competitor was very good, also from Beauxbatons, and really wanted the win. At that stage, I still wasn't quite as serious about it all. I ended up winning and they were devastated, and it essentially woke things up, for me. I won that duel because I didn't want to lose, and I didn't want to lose because I was having so much fun. Who wouldn't pursue something that doesn't feel like work?"
 
Nadia crossed her legs and leaned forward listening to what Etienne was saying. They were similar in age, she knew, they could have been friends had they met when they were young. They'd both taken very different paths in life, but for very similar reasons. She'd had a similar thought, working on the Hogwarts Monthly back at Hogwarts, writing articles and having fun doing it. Not to mention the many people she'd met over her long twenty year career. She'd hoped into the Daily Prophet almost as soon as she'd graduated, which had been a good time for her. She'd had times in her life when she'd done other things, but she'd always come back to this in the end. It was her dream. She smiled at Etienne as he continued to talk about his life and why he'd made the start he had in this career. "I agree, when you find a job you like, you don't work a day in your life." She took a couple of extra notes before thinking carefully about her next question. She'd done some research, but he'd kept most of himself to himself so it was hard to really pin point anything. She had seen that he'd been spotted with Kiera Potter a couple of times when she'd first broken up with Carter, but it seemed pointless to bring that up. She was hardly a gossip rag after all. She nodded as she thought about her next question and turned her head to look at him again. "So you've been an international champion for quite a few years now, and you make it seem effortless," she commended him, thinking about how difficult the last duel she'd seen had been. "Have you thought of when you might start to slow down?"
 
Turn thirty seven and suddenly everyone was asking you when it was time to retire. The Frenchman was hardly offended, and knew better than anyone that he wasn't as competitive as he was when he was ten years younger, but 'slowing down' wasn't in his vocabulary, and the moment he said it was, it was going to have an impact his career. Allowing rumours of retirement to flutter around wasn't on his agenda. Smiling, he shook his head and gave a confident, rehearsed answer. Every athlete had one, it was simply a part of the job to constantly reassert your ability to keep up with younger, sometimes more talented competition. Etienne had certainly faced opponents that had more raw power than he did, or were faster and had better stamina, but if they didn't have his years of experience and refined strategy.​
"I'll retire when someone makes me think I can't win." He finished his muffin and settled into his chair, looking every bit the confident showman he was. "Which hasn't happened in my nineteen year career. I suspect I'll be duelling well into my fifties before I consider 'slowing down'."
 
Nadia had to admit that Etienne was far more charming in person than he was on stage, she probably shouldn't have been as surprised as she was by that though. True, on stage he had a certain presence, and he was clearly a hard worker, but it was all directed at his opponent, trying to knock them down before they knocked him down, so it was more of an unattainable presence than anything. She was really enjoying this interview. She made a couple of quick notes about his demeanour, after all, she would be writing up this interview properly when she left here, and she wanted to take note of how he was coming across, because yes ladies, he was very attractive. "So you've never even come close to someone maybe knocking the wind out of you?" She asked, curious. All of this was on the record of course, so she could understand the hesitation to speak freely so much, since he had a reputation to maintain, as did she. "Anyone who follows Duelling has seen you grow on the circuit, is there anything you would do differently if you had to do all of it again?" There wasn't much known about his private life, but she vaguely remembered him being connected to Kiera Potter in the past, before she and Carter had gotten back together. She hadn't been across much of that though, she'd been busy on assignment in England at the time, so she'd missed almost the entire thing. She wasn't sure if he had a family or not, since he was incredibly private, but she was curious if there was anything he would change if he could.​
 
Etienne chuckled good naturally. Of course, there had been times where a competitor had come close, he wasn't super human after all, but he wasn't going to elaborate too much on those times, and they certainly had not got to the point where he considered retiring. There was one competitor he was willing to lose to, and she was far too young to hold a candle to him, yet. Peony was still in school, however, and whilst she had youth on her side, she definitely needed to get better than she currently was if she wanted a chance of beating her old man. Etienne wasn't so old that he'd go about losing to a seventeen year old.​
"Now, someone getting me tired, and someone making me think I'll lose are two very different things," he pointed out gently. "But no, no one has been close to making me think retirement is in order. I'll be around for a while yet, I think."
The next question was far more complex. His career spanned well over a decade, after all, and everyone had regrets or changes they'd make, and Etienne was no exception. Questions like these were often difficult to answer in an interview, however. "Hm, I don't think so," he decided. "I have a wonderful career, worked with some of the best in the industry and am doing what I love. Any changes might have meant that I wouldn't be doing this today. There's plenty to be happy about."
 
Nadia liked these types of flowing interviews and whilst she had a prepared list of questions she was going to ask, she liked to make sure that, though they questions were mostly thoroughly researched, she had plenty of opportunity for the kind of questions that she really wanted to ask. After all, the Prophet wasn't a sports magazine, it was a bit of hard hitting journalism and it meant she'd done her research, with that came the responsibility of asking questions the people of New Zealand were going to vibe with. She grinned when he'd caught her out and winked at him. "Well, I had to ask, if you're thinking of retiring I definitely want to know. Some of the junior leagues no doubt come up in the ranks with your name on their mind, after all, you've been the one to beat on top for a while now, I was mostly just curious." In her professional capacity, she found people like Etienne easy to talk to. They had to be confident and strong in themselves and able to comprehend and understand what she was really asking by reading between the lines. That meant they had to be quite astute, and she enjoyed interviewing those people because, as a Ravenclaw, matching wit had become something of a game in he life. She looked down at her notes, "I know you've said in the past that you like to keep your private life private, and I respect that, but I am curious about what your home life is like, I don't remember ever hearing of any marriages in the journalist grapevine, so tell me, did you marry your profession?" She asked. Some people did. She did, she'd had relationships in the past of course, but, nothing had ever truly stuck for her, it just never seemed to be the right time to settle down.​
 

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