Pocket Journalist - Part Two

[kylun]

Colin opened the door to his dressing room and lead Jubilee inside. Like the perfect gentleman he was, he offered the best seat in the room to his guest (ironically, it was also the seat that had his name on it). He then looked around in his mini-fridge for some kind of refreshment to offer.

"Are ye thirsty? Ah'm afraid all Ah've got ta offer is iced tea, lemonde and Irn Bru."

[Jubilee]

Jubilee sat in the chair he offered to her, swinging her satchel bag up and into her lap. Her feet touched the ground, but only just barely. Blue eyes watched Colin with interest, wondering what this was about.

"Are ye thirsty? Ah'm afraid all Ah've got ta offer is iced tea, lemonde and Irn Bru."

"No thank you, I'm fine," Jubilee said politely, even though she was burning to ask what he wanted. After all, he'd asked for her by name. How did someone like Colin McKay even know her name?

[kylun]

"Suit yerself."

Colin helped himself to a bottle of the Irn Bru and took a seat facing Jubilee. He could tell by the excitement in her eyes that she was just dying on the inside to ask him a million different questions. That look had been in his eyes once too, when he had been given the chance to interview the comedy sensation, and one of his favorite stars, Mr. Morph.

But he had his reasons for singling her out of all the other interns just starting in the studio. If she had what he suspected, and was willing to play along, she would be just perfect for a little job he had in mind. He addressed her with a friendly and laidback posture and voice.

"Are ye familiar with an old journalist's game called: Quid Pro Quo, Miss Lee?"

[Jubilee]

Jubilee restrained her need to question as the older journalist sat in the chair across from her, having taken a drink for himself. Hey, it was his fridge. His dressing room. He could do whatever he wanted.

"Are ye familiar with an old journalist's game called: Quid Pro Quo, Miss Lee?"

If he calls me Clarice, I'm so leaving. Before the Chianti comes out.

"Yes, certainly," she answered almost cautiously, wondering what he could possibly want to know about her. She certainly had plenty of questions to ask him! Although, now she'd wished she'd written them down so she had a concrete list to refer to. In case anything slipped her mind now she had a chance to ask. "It's a good game if everyone plays properly."

[kylun]

"Of course, no game really works if yew don't play by tha rules," Colin said with a slight conspiratorial tone. He then leaned back and had himself a drink. An amused look appeared upon his face.

"Yew can go ahead and ask meh any question ye've got. My only conditions are that this is all kept off tha record, and yew answer any question Ah have fer yew. The first one's yers. Ask meh anything."

[Jubilee]

"As long as we're off the record, sure, I'll play," Jubilee said with a grin, leaning forward a little and holding her satchel bag tighter to her chest. Her feet drew up closer to the center of the chair, toes of her sneakers just touching the ground. More the pose of an excited child then the more usual slouch of an already cynical teenager.

This was good, it was so good she could just run around and scream in glee. Only she couldn't. Had to be a little professional, after all.

"Ok, um...I guess the first question that I really gotta ask is...why me?"

C'mon, he had to be expecting that. There wasn't that many ways she'd shown herself to be outstanding yet. After this, she'd ask more...career driven questions, but she really wanted the answer to this one first.

[kylun]

"Why yew? This." Colin pulled a clipping from The New Orleans Observer out from under a stack of papers on his dressing table. It had been in a section titled New Talent. The first story in that section had a byline with Jubilee's name on it. The article's title was kind of catchy too The French Quarter Connection.

"Carrosella's agents are always looking for tha next great anything, that's one of the reasons they hired meh. They saw this, and that is why they awfferd ya tha intern's position here. Ah was passin thru thier offices and spotted it. It's impressive. Ah may have a job for yew too, but we'll talk about that later. Now it's mah turn ta ask a question."

( big dramatic pause, insert a drumroll if you'd like )

"Why do ya dislike being called Jubilation?"

[Jubilee]

"Why yew? This."

"Oh, that," Jubilee murmured as he brought out a copy of the The New Orleans Observer, her home local rag. She remembered that. She'd sort of figured that was kind of the way that she'd been picked up. Actually, she was proud of that article. It had taken a lot of footwork for a high school newspaper, and then it had been picked for the town one because the teacher in charge of the school newspaper had liked her, but the editors at the Observer had actually liked the article.

"Carrosella's agents are always looking for tha next great anything, that's one of the reasons they hired meh. They saw this, and that is why they awfferd ya tha intern's position here. Ah was passin thru thier offices and spotted it. It's impressive. Ah may have a job for yew too, but we'll talk about that later. Now it's mah turn ta ask a question."

Jubilee looked at him with interest, waiting for his question. Something about the article maybe?

"Why do ya dislike being called Jubilation?"

"It's one step away from Chastity or Prudence in the oldfashioned stupid name stakes, and it's way too long, and I think my parents were crazy," she answered him, shrugging a little. "Jubilee sounds kinda catchier. My byline is under my full name though, obviously. I can't claim to pull a Madonna on official stuff."

[kylun]

"Coulda been worse if ya think about it. They coulda named ya Happiness."

Colin looked away for a moment. Whether it was out of embarassment or amusement over his witticism to Jubilee, he didn't let on. When he looked at her and spoke again a moment later, his tone was friendly, questioning, and little playful.

"Just a thought, but perhaps you could go with tha byline, J. Lee. Sounds very perfessional if ya ask meh... Uh, are we still playin Quid Pro Quo? If so, it's yer turn again."

[Jubilee]

"Oh, I think my mom wanted to call me Fidelity at one point - it could have been so much worse," Jubilee agreed. She looked down for a moment herself as he looked away. Sometimes she really missed them though, her parents. Most of the time, she just didn't think about it. Not if she could help it.

"Just a thought, but perhaps you could go with tha byline, J. Lee. Sounds very perfessional if ya ask meh... Uh, are we still playin Quid Pro Quo? If so, it's yer turn again."

"When you're doing your interviews...how do you get ready for them? Do you have like a prepared list of questions?"

The way Colin did his work, live, in front of a studio audience as well...she thought it was a pretty good question. Sometimes, her interviews didn't go as well as she wanted them to. And if this letter she'd posted to the Princess came through, then she sure as heck wanted some polishing techniques from someone who was more experienced.

[kylun]

"When you're doing your interviews...how do you get ready for them? Do you have like a prepared list of questions?"[/i]

"Somethin like that. Ah also dew as much research as possible about mah interviewee while ah determine what those questions are goin ta be. Also, Ah try to get the interviewee ta talk about themselves by askin open-ended questions like, Who has inspired ya? What do you think? How has this affected ya personally?

But it is also good ta pay attention to WHAT the interviewee is sayin, and HOW thay are sayin it. Some of mah best material has come ta meh completely by whim. Also, it helps to present yerself as a friendly, non-judemental, and completely trustworthy person. Somebody ya feel safe sharin all yer secrets with."

Colin smiled. It felt good to pass on whatever wisdom he had.

"Hope that helps ya... Mah next question is: Why do you wish ta know about interviewin techniques?"

[Jubilee]

Jubilee nodded slightly as he explained, keeping her eyes focused on his face. It all sounded so simple, of course. But it was different to actually hold an interview. She knew that too often she got distracted off her main point of attack, what she really wanted to know. But Colin sounded like he was saying that could be ok too.

"Hope that helps ya... Mah next question is: Why do you wish ta know about interviewin techniques?"

Hmm, just how much truth here did she want to let him know? It was second instinct to cover her tail among strangers. Not to trust. To hold back while seeming to be an open book. She was good at it, damn good. But sometimes being truthful got her further. This seemed to be one of those times.

Only maybe not the whole truth.

"Oh, a few reasons," Jubilee said, barely missing a beat. "I need to be better at it, and there's no better place to learn then from a master. I don't plan to be an intern forever, and being good, no, being better is the only way to get ahead of the pack. This is what I want to do - and I want to be one of the best[/]."

[kylun]

It was obvious to Colin that she was hiding something. Maybe she had a hot interview comming up with somebody important? Colin mentally shrugged off that line of thought. If he tried to pry, he'd be no better than a nosy and dishonourable telepath. And he did like that compliment she gave him.

"That's a good motivation ta have. Now, unless yew've got any other questions...?"

[Jubilee]

"You said before you might have some work for me...can I ask what it might be? And I think that's all, at least, all I can think of at the moment."

Jubilee knew she'd be kicking herself later with all the questions she should have asked and didn't. Still, that last bit had sounded definitely like an 'I want to end this soon' sort of leading question.

She didn't like staying where she wasn't wanted. There were so many places that appreciated her, after all.

[kylun]

"If ya've got no more questions at tha momment, very well. We might Quid Pro Quo another time. Concerning tha job: Ah could use tha services of a good researcher. Interested?"