Archive of Our Own

The sound of flickering fluorescent lights and a stuttering box fan in the corner of the soundproofed room made the atmosphere feel more tense than the masked figure would like. On the hickory tabletop was a small wireless speaker decorated with colorful stickers. It was a stark contrast, the warm and inviting depictions of pride flags, books, and mugs of coffee, to the red mask and all-black suit-wearing person sitting silently in a metal chair. Well, it wasn't entirely black in their defense. Along the cuffs was a pattern of red roses, petals slowly rising up the sleeves into nothing but stems and thorns. 

It probably wasn't the best idea to wear this in front of a being so closely associated with flowers, but they digressed. The bee sitting across from them appeared nervous, shifting his legs in the matching chair, wings occasionally beating against the frame, his lower arms scratching the upper pair crossed over his chest. His expression was hard to read, with the extra facial features new to the mask-wearer, but his antenna seemed to be wiggling, buzzing even. Softly, but the motion was there. There was mesh over the eyeholes of their mask, so their own expression was hidden despite the drawn-on smile. It was rushed and hurried in appearance, with almost a childlike grin in black Sharpie. It was in agreement that they would be anonymous, as they always were, during these in-person sessions, but they regretted not being more thoughtful in a less… ominous appearance. This bee had barely come into contact with other species, let alone someone who hid every part of themself. 

The masked individual plugged the two podcast microphones into the speaker and slid one across the table to be placed in front of the bee. A red RECORDING light board flickered on above the black doorway, which was nearly hidden with all the soundproofing layers. The red emphasized all the red on the interviewer; it didn't seem to help the tension, so they decided to get the show on the road. They reached across the table and tapped both microphones to be sure they were heard before they began to speak.

"Welcome to The Interview, a podcast all about interviewing unique individuals and learning about them, and having them learn about themselves in the process. It's definitely a unique podcast in which I do a lot less talking than most hosts, but I just like listening as much as possible. Anyone and everyone is welcome, whether you have paws, claws, wings, or other things. I'm your host, Ruan Ai, and today I'm here with a very special guest. Most of us have met at least one insectoid, but we don't have them all too frequently here on the podcast. Please, go ahead and introduce yourself."

A gloved claw was reached out to gesture across the table, and he seemed to let out a small surprised buzz before replying. "Um, hello! I'm Novus, Novus Cloverstar. I'm currently twenty-three, my pronouns are he/him… As Ruan Ai mentioned, I'm an insectoid, agapostemon obliquus specifically. I realize this may not mean much to most of you, um, listeners… but it is a sweat bee, in non-academic terms." He put his upper right arm under his chin, rubbing it as he thought about what else to say. His tone was rather silvery, a tad breathy as he spoke with a heightened pace. It was the nature of bees to work quickly and efficiently, and speaking was no exception in Novus' case. "I guess my color palette is what most people care about. Most of the time, the bees you think of follow a conventional pattern of black and yellow. My species is rather unique in many aspects, but most noticeably in coloration. We come in cool hues, as in blues, greens and purples. I am… a sky blue, I would think. I have speckles of green, closest to a lime, on my antennae, mandibles, abdomen… Well, I would assume you would consider it a tail. I have purple freckles, although they are regular tufts of fur on my body… I guess they would be considered the same as the speckles, but they appear more in areas where freckles would on other species."

As Novus kept talking, his posture relaxed, and Ruan Ai adjusted their own to match the energy. A sweet kid, certainly, albeit a bit of a chatterbox. They found it a nice change of pace compared to the last few people they interviewed, it felt like an interrogation to get information out of them. "It's certainly a lovely color scheme. You're practically glowing." Flattery aside, they shuffled around some papers to see which questions they should ask first. "Would you be willing to describe your occupation?" They asked, glancing up so the eye holes in the mask looked back in Novus' direction.

He lit up a bit at the ask. "I'm not exactly sure what I would call it now, but I am an anthropologist. At first, I was specializing in other bees, as it was the easiest to understand. My species aren't actually hive nesters and have no queen bees, and things such as workers and drones are more of a foreign concept. I did my fair share of looking at honey bees and bumblebees in my early days of college, but started to branch out to insects as a whole. It then opened up to arachnids, flying beings. Now I am just interested in learning how the different species work and interact within their social groups, intra-circles and inter-circles. Since I was raised in a zone with only bees, and my college had just a few other insectoids, I only met a canine within the last few days. However, I'm looking forward to meeting many others, as well as everyone else around here."

It was becoming more and more apparent, Novus was a talker. He had his lower pair of fluffy blue arms resting on the table, the top pair moving about, making odd gestures as he continued. He didn't want to leave out any details, after all. "I realize this may be confusing to your listeners. My species of bee are burrowers, and despite not living in a hive, we are social enough to live around a specific area." He tapped on the table, rolling his fingers from the pinky to pointer, sharp nails making a consistent and satisfying sound. "I have a weird relationship with the mating patterns of bees. Having parents who are present, and didn't just lay eggs and buzz off is quite rare, especially for my area. It was nice enough of them to leave a name on my shell so I eventually could connect with them, but I've been fending for myself in this world, as did most of the individuals I 'grew' up with." He made the air quotes with both of his right hands. Ruan Ai was writing some stuff down, making small hums of acknowledgement for him to continue, and that they were listening. Novus really liked to bounce between topics, they noted. 

"There were a few elder bees who served as teachers, and taught us all the basics of pollinating, but also made us want to pursue something, higher education with honey bees in a hive once we aged-"Ruan Ai raised a hand to stop Novus from continuing, to which he quickly did with the small dots of eyebrows he had furrowing in a bit of embarrassment. "Oh no, don't worry, I just have a question. You mentioned in your application that you may not be a full bee, and with the very brief mention of your parents, I wanted to see if you wanted to elaborate. Only if you want, darling."

His cheeks flushed a bit, the purple freckles on his face becoming harder to see against the darkening blue. "It's… complicated. I look rather bee-like, for the viewers, I guess I could give a slightly better description. I have green hair matching the freckled pattern on my abdomen and fingertips, which is rather abnormal as most of the sweat bees I've met have short hair the same color as their base fur. I have four wings rather than just two, which have a more dragonfly appearance. However, bee wings aren't like this as much, nor as shimmery with hints of blue and purple.

"Additionally, we actually can hear and feel vibration through our antennae, both sets, but I have small nubs on the side of my head which also help me hear regular sounds. Many of the elders have told tales about things such as faeries intermingling with different insectoids and making different fantastical beings as offspring." He gave a small giggle, which had that underlying buzzing sound, almost like a cat's purr. "I don't believe in that sort of thing, there was likely just a mutation whilst I was in the egg. But I figured I would add that into my application, since it's a fun conversation starter."

The scribbling of the pen on the page gave a small moment of comfortable silence, and Novus could collect more of his thoughts, preparing for the next question. "Whilst we are on your appearance, how would you describe your physical attributes and health? Strength, hygiene, dexterity, et cetera. Also, before you begin with that, you said your name was written on your egg. Does it have a story behind it?"

Hmm, that made Novus think for a while, but as he didn't want to have awkward silence on the podcast, he started to speak again. I'll start with the second question, as it's a bit easier. There isn't an inheritance in the traditional way of surnames that most people are used to. Clover is where my egg was deposited, and star is in reference to something seen during the laying process. Sometimes surnames will overlap, but it becomes very rare. I've met a Mossbird, Waterweed, the strangest being Sofared; they were laid in an abandoned couch." He took a small breather to switch topics, but kept on talking at his fast pace. "I guess I would consider myself more dexterous than strong. I have four arms, as I've previously mentioned, and I have wings. I am more inclined to float around when given the chance, and zip to and from most places. But I've never had a reason to build up muscle. I can lift my own body weight for basic activities, but I'm relatively light. We have exoskeletons and chitin, which is durable and flexible, mixed with a light fuzzy fur. I'm also only five-foot-four, so I'm not particularly heavy overall. Most of my weight is in my abdomen. Um, I would think I am in decent health, I like to move around and such, and it helps keep me in shape. I'm definitely a little bit chubby, but I'm working to love each part of myself, that included." His lower arms reached down past the cropped hoodie to squeeze his own stomach. His green claws were sharp, certainly, but they seemed to retract a bit as he felt down into his fluffy body. 

"I tend to dress in an androgynous manner, but I enjoy any clothing as long as it fits. I'm not super fashionable; I wear what's comfortable. Plus, finding clothes which have holes for my wings and 'tail' is honestly harder than one might make it out to be. My abdomen is really thick in comparison to most conventional tails, I've realized. My elders specialized in making clothes for us, and it was primarily androgynous clothing, so that is reflected in what I currently wear."

His lower arms were removed from his stomach, and he shrugged a tiny bit. "Honestly, I think I take care of myself nicely, but as I am still a pollinator, sometimes things stick to my fur. Usually there is a bit of pollen trapped in there, but other things can also get stuck to me. I take at least two showers per day." He let out a small laugh at the absurdity of it, as Ruan Ai continued to take some notes, starting to shuffle around more papers to look at new questions. 

The words on the page didn't seem to stay put. Rather, they were shifting, changing, pre-printed questions being replaced with different ones depending on what Novus was answering. It was noticed by the wide-eyed insectoid, but he didn't comment on it. It just was a bit strange in his eyes. 

"Alright, thank you for all of this so far. I believe that everyone has a lovely picture of what you look like, and some of your personality. I would now like to hear about what you believe your strengths and weaknesses are in regards to skills. I have a list here, so I'd love to hear about each of them." One page was finally selected, and Ruan Ai moved it into the center of the table, a second copy seemingly appearing from the mess of papers. "Take a look at that, and go down the list. You can elaborate on all of them if you'd like, or just give a ranking if it feels too personal."

Novus held the paper with his bottom pair of hands as he rested back in the chair a bit. "Well, I guess I'm a bit above average when it comes to perception. My eyes are practically a fourth of my face, and I would like to think my senses are decently heightened. I can feel vibrations in the ground; certain shades of colors are brighter to me, et cetera." He made an audible buzzing sound, which could be picked up by the microphone. "I would like to hope I excel at communication. I like to talk and understand people and learn about them. I want to be able to write, to speak, to get my mind and thoughts out in a decisive way in which many people can digest it."

As his eyes glanced down the pages, his cheeks flushed again. One specific 'skill' was rather embarrassing, but he would get there when he got there. Truthfully, he might just skip it… But he wanted to be open and honest, so he continued on.

"I'm decently persuasive, but it really depends on the context. I don't tend to need to persuade anyone for things, but in the rare chance I do, I usually can convince others. But with new species around, I'm not too sure how it'll work out." Ruan Ai let out a small laugh. "Maybe I'll give you something to persuade me of later on." Novus laughed as well, wings fluttering a tiny bit as he looked back down at the list. "Mediation… It's probably the same level as persuasion, maybe a bit better. I'm a pretty neutral force, so many of my friends came to me when there was disputes between them. Oh! Literacy though, that is my forte. I love reading and writing! I have a large RV as my home, and most of the storage space is reference books, notes, and the few conversations I've had with people. I jot down whatever I can remember. My free time is often in libraries, with any and all genres. My creativity is probably just around the same as literacy, as I deem myself to be rather creative. I have painted my RV fully, I've decorated my notes and their coverings. This is just a few examples, though.." He glanced back down, finding his place halfway down the page. 

"... I hope I'm not talking too much…" Novus suddenly mentioned, before shaking his head a bit. "I know I tend to ramble on like there is no tomorrow. I hope this isn't boring…" He began to scratch at his own arms, looking down in an angular direction away from the table. Ruan Ai let out a small sigh as they stood up from the chair, shoes clacking along the cement floor as he placed his gloved hand on Novus' shoulder. Through the silk, they felt the soft fur of the bee, and the gesture seemed to relax the other. Their voice was calm, wanting to make sure Novus felt comfortable. "You aren't boring, darling." They began with, resting their posterior on the table as they continued. "I am enjoying listening to you. We'll cut this out of the recording for the public, just so your personal anxieties aren't aired for everyone to hear. But I am rather fond of all the things you've said thus far. Based on your suddenness of bringing this up, I assume it's something that constantly plagues your mind, but I can assure you. You've been a great listener for me when I was giving you all the nitty gritty details earlier, and you've been so engaging to listen to. Please, don't feel so stressed when it comes to this. For the love of Gaia, we are on a podcast. Talking is the whole purpose. Talk my ears off, alright love?" They scooted back off the table, a small seam coming undone against a rough spot. It was frustrating, to say the least, but they could always stitch it up later. They were currently more focused on calming the anxious bee, to which it seemed to be working. His wings were a flutter, antennae turned outwards in what appeared to be embarrassment, but he nodded after a moment, and the hand was removed from his shoulder. "Thanks, Ruan Ai. You're really sweet for that."

Returning to their seat, Novus watched to make sure Ruan Ai was situated comfortably, before continuing down the list. "Okay… I left off at cooking. I don't really do a lot of it myself, since I don't eat much meat. I'm not a vegetarian per say, I just don't seek it out. Plus, since I'm in my RV, I usually prefer to eat out. On the rare nights I do cook, it's usually fish. Oh! But I can bake quite well! I love brownies." His feet barely hung above the floor due to the height of the chair, and they began to swing back and forth. It may have to do with his anxiety, and this being an outlet, or the excitement from speaking about another topic he was proud of. At least he seemed a bit happier, Ruan Ai reasoned, going back to marking off answers and writing notes down.

"Being tech savvy and good at combat are probably both medium to low in my skill set. I prefer the physical to the digital, like books, note taking, et cetera, but I have begun making copies online to save all my information. In such an age, it's becoming less and less convenient to use paper, but I still can't bring myself to get rid of books in that regard. I've never been in a fight before, and learned very limited martial arts as a core part of my education. I could probably defend myself for a while or just fly away from danger, but I'm not exactly an action hero. But since I lived out in the forest, survival skills were drilled into us. I can make a fire from scraps, forage for my own food, do whatever I need to fend for myself. I'm decent at first aid, too! One time, I landed and scraped my arm up pretty good." He held up the lower left arm, showing a patch of fur that was a tiny bit shorter than the rest, noticeable only because Novus pointed it out. "I was a few miles away from home back then, so I just used some medicinal herbs and make-shift gauze from fan leaves to bandage myself up. It's like what… the boy scouts? They also have to learn some similar stuff, but for us solitary bees, it's somewhat natural, but also drilled into us all by elders."

Novus' expression morphed into something more unreadable as he kept looking down. He was approaching /that/ question, but the other stuff not in the skill section also caught his eyes. There was a section on his mind, on his social life, beliefs, and priorities… and some others were rather explicit. Was this even allowed to be talked about in detail?

It's not that he minded too much, but it's a rather intimate discussion to be had smack dab in the middle of some regular answers. He could clarify once he got to one of them.

"Stealth is a little trickier to explain. I am quieter in comparison to other bees and wasps and the like that I grew up with. I'm not too sure if the microphone has picked this up, but I tend to buzz a little bit… The few non-insects I've met have compared it to a cat's purr. I don't control when it happens for the most part, but it tends to happen when I'm tired, really happy, or just content. Given that I'm quite content most of the time, I'm usually quite abuzz.

"I would also say… I'm rather below average in regards to street smarts. Bees are social creatures, despite my specific species being solitary. I like to go up to people, talk to them, make small talk with anyone I come across… I'm coming to realize that not everyone likes being that social. But I can't help it!" His arms were all having about as he spoke, the upper right one rubbing the back of his neck. "I like to be social."

His face began to flush once more, and his lower arms settled down into his lap, knees pressed together. His sweatpants rubbed together, making small shifting sounds on the chair.

"Um… s-should I talk about this next one-?" Ruan Ai nodded in his direction, and he took a shaky inhale before sighing. "Okay. I don't think I'm seductive… B-But I've been told by a few people that the way I dress and my figure is really appealing. So I guess it's more 'up to interpretation'? I've been called a femboy quite a few times, and I guess that works for some guys… Oh. If it wasn't obvious, I'm gay."

Ruan Ai continued to write stuff down, even during that reply, which definitely made Novus more self conscious, but it also felt… a bit nice. Maybe he'd get a boyfriend out of this whole podcast thing. He looked back at the paper, nodding to himself as he got closer and closer to the end of the section. 

"I'll get these three done quickly… I'm not extremely lucky. I tend to trip and only catch myself with my wings, stuff sticks to my fur, I tend to smack my lower arms on things, and finding clothes that actually fit four arms and wings for decently cheap is sort of hard. I've been scammed quite a few times… But I think it's a product of my own doing, as I don't do a lot of good things to accumulate my luck quota." This was also apparent from the side of his cropped sweater being cut out on the sides where his second arms would come through, as they were just high enough to not be where the crop begins. 

"I was born and raised in the woods, animal training and handling is part of our curriculum. I can ride horses, help wounded wild animals, calm things like birds… It's really nice, but now that I'm traveling through cities, I'm not sure how useful it will be. Maybe with pigeons?

"But pacifying children… my mandibles and sharp claws tend to scare them before they could even get that close to me. But I'm also not great with kids. I don't plan on having any, ever, so I would rather leave it to other people. I could probably do it if it's a kid I knew pretty well, but someone's a random baby… It's definitely not something I'd be comfortable doing."

Finally, he was at the bottom of that list. Before his very eyes, the bubbles next to the words filled in. He blinked, he just couldn't make sense of it. Magic wasn't real… Maybe Ruan Ai just swapped papers really fast, and since he was still a bit flustered from the seduction prompt, it just didn't meet his eye. 

Yeah, it had to be that.

"Thank you for sharing all about yourself, Novus. I know some of these questions can seem super personal, but I'm certain that everyone is very interested. Why, you're just a doll to listen to. These next few prompts are pretty similar to the first, but after the first eight prompts, it goes to a scale between two different extremes. You can just describe where you are for the listeners, but mention both extremes before placing yourself on the scale, if possible. If you would be so kind, though…" The microphones picked up the sound of a pencil sliding across the table. "Mark them down for me, would you darling?"

The pet names flustered Novus to no end, but he nodded with a somewhat happy buzz in reply. His upper hands were covering his face a bit, the left one fanning himself, whilst the bottom two held the paper as he looked over the new responses. "The tick boxes, please list out all the options, and select up to three."

The bee decided to first start on the regular section. "Alright… To start us off, not to brag or anything, but I definitely think my intelligence is pretty high. I don't want to say knowledge, per say, as there is a lot I don't know about a lot of things, but I learn really fast, and have a pretty decent memory when it comes to other people and things."

He scratched his hair, brushing a few strands of green out of his face out of embarrassment. "I'd also say I have quite a bit of passion. I love what I do, and I do it with all my attention dedicated to it. Um, happiness is high, but probably not as high since I also have decently high anxiety…"

He took another deep breath as he talked. "... It's hard, you know. I've dealt with anxiety ever since I was a young kid. When people look at me, usually I think that they;re judging me. The way I look, the way I act, my colors… I've been mistaken for a fly a lot, and due to that, I've had less than nice things said towards me. I wish I could stop thinking eyes were always on me in a negative way, and it definitely drains my overall joy, but I know I have a lot to be grateful for, so I still consider myself a happy person."

Ruan Ai nodded, speaking up for a change. "I'm really glad you're comfortable enough to talk about this. I know mental health is becoming more mainstream and okay to chat about, but it's still difficult. I've had similar experiences, of course, I wear a mask and have an alias for a reason. I've talked about it before, but much of my face is burned. I'm also a hybrid species, and it tends to scare people, so I don't go outside without my mask and gloves." Ruan Ai adjusted their position, peeling their gloves off slowly. He had paws, which appeared to be feline in nature with the retractable claws, but the red fur was short, some of the skin beneath shown in small patches from being horribly burned. The soft buzzing of his wings ceased, and he looked rather distraught, before Ruan Ai pulled the glove back on. "Please don't fret. I cannot feel the pain anymore." He tapped his fingers on the table. "I just show you this to help you understand how I can emphasize with you. Continue whenever you'd like, or we can take a break."

Novus' wings slowly began to flutter again. "I am alright to keep going. Thank you for the offer, but I fear if we stop I'll be too flusted to continue." He buzzed a bit at the next few answers. "My confidence is decently high, but it entirely depends upon the day and what I'm doing. I can fein confidence if needed, but it depends on my anxiety levels as well. I like to think I'm decently humourous, but it's usually not intentional… I like pointing out what I see and stating the obvious. Sometimes this gets decent reactions from people. Um, I'm pretty patient as well, despite it not always seeming that way. I can wait a long time for things or people, especially if I'm telling or teaching them something. I know it might not seem like it since I'm always moving around and stuff, but that's the nature of a bee! I can't really stop it.

"The last thing is spirituality… I guess I'm in the middle. I don't really have any beliefs in a higher power, but I do believe in things like luck and karma." He rubbed the back of his neck again, a clear sign to Ruan Ai of being his nervous tell. "I guess I still have a small belief in the fae and faeries. It's so ingrained in the culture I grew up in, that I don't know if I could fully leave it behind. Sometimes little things happen which might be hard to explain, or something really good happens to me, and I give my little thanks to them. Maybe if I experience more things like that, I might have more of a belief."

Novus then took the pencil left by the paper and looked down at the scale bars. He could just mark them however he would like, with any symbols… He figured little hearts would be cute. It'd show off more of his personality." He took the pencil up and tapped the eraser on his chin a few times before he began to speak again. "Okay… between nice and mean, I'm definitely nice, but around midway from the midpoint." He drew a small heart on the line, filling it in as he continued on. "Like I said, I'm patient, but I am a bit of a… perfectionist. I like things to be done a certain way every time, and if someone does it in a different way, I tend to come off a bit mean. Or if I invite someone to my RV, and they move stuff around… It's just frustrating, and I get a bit anal."

He started to mark off the next answer. "Between brave and cowardly, I would like to say I'm more brave. But less than halfway towards that, because I do get scared quite easily… I like to seek out things, find logical conclusions, and figure out what's going on, but if it ends up in me being scared, I'm a screamer. I quickly choose flight over fight, literally, as I will fly away from whatever is giving me terror." He hummed with a small smile, looking off into the upper corner of the room. "One time, my bunkmate decided to prank me on Halloween and scared me in my room… But she scared me so bad, I tried to fly away… straight into a window. Didn't break it, thank goodness, but I had a nasty bump on my head for a few weeks."

Ruan Ai was doing their best to match the marking scheme, to which they could swap papers later to get all his answers in order. "Okay, I'm certainly more of a pacifist compared to violent, and probably even closer to pacifist than I was to nice. … If that makes sense."

He tilted his head and bit his lower lip, trying to figure out what examples, if any, he had. His sharp teeth were rather surprising, since there didn't appear to be incisors. Maybe he only had front canines, but molars further back? Ruan Ai would need to inquire later on.

"I don't really have any stories for this. I just don't like fighting. Um… the next one… I am putting myself smack dab in the middle of thoughtful and impulsive. I like to do events just sporadically, and am pretty down for whatever, but I do like thoughtful events too. It just really depends on what's going on for me. Same with between idealistic and pragmatic, I consider myself a realist, I like to stay grounded in reality, not super optimistic or pessimistic."

He quickly went through and made the little hearts on all of those, before going back to the ones he's skipped. "Between agreeable and contrary, I'm more agreeable, a bit more center to the chart rather than towards the side. I can be rather… assertive on a very few things, primarily related to all the books I've read. If someone says a fact that is wrong, I definitely can come off as a meaner person trying to assert the truth.

"Oh, I'm certainly more frugal than a big-spender. Over halfway over the midpoint towards frugal. I never had a lot of money, we used trading for most things until we got older, and now my job doesn't pay all too much, just researching and writing articles. Most of my money goes to my RV, making the necessary improvements to keep it running and filling it with all my books, and then new clothes. But otherwise, I don't like spending too much money."

He was going rather quickly, but it showed how comfortable he was getting. Plus, these were certainly easier questions, and there were less of them overall. "I'd definitely classify myself as an ambivert as again, it depends on the situation for how I feel, but I would also think I lean a bit further towards extrovert rather than introvert. I like talking to people, like I said, but I do enjoy my alone time too. Finally… I'm almost all the way to the left on collected versus wild. I can get wild, don't get me wrong…" Novus' cheeks flushed once more. "I do like drinking and smoking weed, but if I'm not going out, I'm definitely collected."

Ruan Ai took some time to finish writing down stuff themself, before looking back up towards Novus. "Alrighty. Which of these six descriptions sound the most like you? Choose up to three and check them off as you do."

The bee took a moment, before making three check marks in quick succession. "Okay. I marked off ambitious, decisive and perfectionist, and left stubborn, possessive and jealous blank. I have so many hopes and dreams I want to achieve, people I want to meet and learn more about, and some other things I want to take off my bucket list. Although I say 'I think' quite a bit, I am usually really sure of myself and pretty sure of decisions I make. I don't like to second guess myself because then I get really nitpicky. I guess that's where the perfectionism comes out too… If things can be done nice and neat, and in a certain way, I definitely want it to be done perfectly. Especially if I'm doing it myself. I hold high standards for me and my work. Um… I guess since I've never been in a relationship, it's rather hard for me to gauge the other three."

Novus took the liberty to slide the sheet over, showing off where his marks were on the sheet. To which Ruan Ai nodded in his general direction as thanks. They copied down the information quickly, as they looked at the other sheet to continue onwards. 

"Alright now. We are moving on to the social section of this sheet. Once again, I want to thank you for being so cooperative, open and honest with all the questions. It's been such a joy to learn more about you, Novus. This is six of the bubbles, four of the scales, and a bunch of either/or check mark boxes. You can fill in everything as we go now, since you have your own writing utensil now."

Novus nodded as he decided to write a few down at once before speaking to give him a bit of time to think about the answers. He filled in one bubble part way on what he thought the maximum for the first values were, before coloring the rest in neatly as he began. "Okay… I would say I'm pretty generous on charisma, probably right at the halfway point… but like with seduction," his cheeks flushed again, "It's really accidental. I've been told I have a naive charm? I blame it on my eyes… They're rather big in comparison to many people, and I've heard eyes are the window to the soul. Heh."

His face flushed further as his wings started to go at a rapid pace as he saw the really, really embarrassing question was now staring him in the face. How hadn't he realized when he filled in the bubbles? And he put it rather high… 

He was just going to have to go with it. Maybe, like Ruan Ai said, it would make him more likely to wind up with a boyfriend.

"I am… just going to cut to the chase…" He was staring down at the table like it was going to engulf him. "I-I have a rather high libido… It's not for any particular reason, I just tend to get… feelings frequently, and it takes quite a while to deal with them. Um, next question, I'm really empathetic. I feel people's emotions and get upset when others are upset too. A-And to the contrary, my aggression is next to none."

He was practically speaking in tongues with how fast he was going, trying to move past the sexually explicit remark. He took a few deep breaths as Ruan Ai let out a small laugh mixed with a hum. "You're adorable, you know. Don't worry, we can cut that question if you would like." Catching his breath and collecting his thoughts, Novus shook his head, his green hair floating about. "I-It's okay. Just embarrassing… I've never talked about this before with anyone."

There was an air of nice silence for a bit, as Novus tried to settle himself down, his wings slowing back to their original slight flutter from the beginning of the interview. "I would consider myself decently generous, but not really wealthy. I like to give gifts to people, do acts of service, and give up my time for others, and will do so in a heartbeat. But otherwise, I usually don't have a lot of money to my name, since I spend it on clothes. … Sometimes shoes, too."

After another few beats of silence, Novus began to write in the check marks, as well as the small hearts on the scale bars. "For the rest of these, I think they're a bit easier to answer than the others. I'm one hundred percent on the honest side of honest versus deceptive. I hate lying, unless it's for a good cause, like telling a kid about Santa Claus, or that an outfit looks nice when it… really doesn't suit a person. But it's nothing big, and I prefer to be honest with individuals. 

"I would say I'm trending towards the middle of leader and follower, but a touch more towards follower. This is mainly since I've not done all too much in a leadership position." He went back to rubbing his chin in thought. "I'm a solitary species, for one, we are all leaders in our own way, but I still prefer to follow directions to a T, since then I can do my own part to my own standard, versus ordering others around and disliking the way things turn out. I would like to think I'm above the halfway point on politeness on the scale of polite to rude. I do my best to respect everyone whenever I can, and I don't like to be a dick. Lastly…”

Novus paused. This was difficult, not like the two explicit questions, but he already placed down a marking. "So, I would say I'm a little closer to the middle of the political side on political versus indifferent. I have many beliefs, like the freedom of choice, freedom of expression, to love whoever. But I'm not really engaged in politics since I just came from a secluded community. I want to try doing more activism, but I know it's best to go in groups, and I don't really have a group to go with yet."

Finally, he got down to the check marks. "Okay… I actually put four checks down, for cute, gullible, obedient and forgiving, and left cool, flirty, fun and scary." He hummed in thought. "I've talked about my accidental cuteness and flirtiness, but I'm also really gullible. I've fallen for a million pranks, you could tell me it was written on the ceiling and I would believe you. I take orders well and like to make things as perfect as possible, especially when I am trusted with a specific task. For forgiving… just as I am always gullible, I usually forgive people. It's so hard for me to stay mad at people, and I don't like to have bad blood with people."

He pursed his lips in thought. "I don't come off as cool, I'm probably the complete opposite of nonchalant… is 'chalant' a term? I'm completely too chalant. I don't flirt with people really, I feel like it'll end in disaster… it makes my anxiety get too high, and I don't think it's good for my heart. I… don't really think I'm all that fun. I talk a lot, and am sort of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol… less with weed, but that's a different story. I've never been to a party or anything, and don't have all too many friends, so it's a bit harder to determine if I would be considered fun or not. Finally… Just look at me." Both Ruan Ai and Novus laughed for a moment. "I am probably the least intimidating person on the damn planet."

Ruan Ai, after collecting themselves, nodded in response. "I must say, as we are nearing the end of the questions we have on our page, and I must admit that it's been such a lovely experience talking to you. Before we get to the end of everything and I sign us off, I actually have a proposition for you."

Novus' head tilted. A proposal wasn't discussed before they began, he definitely would have remembered it, so he was listening with open ears. Well, antennae. "I… have been doing this podcast for many years. Truthfully, it's been the most exciting thing of my life. However, I'm getting older, and ready to do another adventure. I've been thinking about starting a new podcast about cooking around the world, and start exploring things I haven't been able to see. However, I know there are a lot of people who enjoy The Interview, and since you love to talk to people and learn more about them in a similar fashion that I am learning about you…"

His eyes widened, and Ruan Ai nodded to him. "I would love to pass you the torch. Give you the opportunity to have the studio, make it whatever you'd like it to be. I know it looks like… a dungeon, but I didn't feel like adding too much decoration during my years, as I knew this was going to be a temporary endeavor for me. But I want to give you all of this, under the one condition that you keep making The Interview. Would you be interested in taking over?"

The immediate fluttering of his wings, buzzing, and the fact he actually flew out of his chair, his lower set of arms resting on the table and the upper wrapped around Ruan Ai's neck in a hug. "Oh my, of course, yes! Absolutely! I'd be absolutely honored! This is the best case scenario, I'm so honored! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Ruan Ai was rather surprised, but they reached their hands out to hug the bee back, being careful to touch only the sweatshirt. It would… be a strange way to continue if their hands touched the bare waist of the bee. 

Especially after hearing about the other's high libido.

He slowly returned to his seat, still hovering above the chair as his excitement was at an all time high. His knees were pressed up against the back of the head rest, and he began to go back to the questions. "Okay, okay, I want to keep on going now before I get too excited to think!" Ruan Ai had to adjust their mask a bit, the hearty laugh he was giving was actually making it slide down their face, but they motioned for Novus' to continue.

"Okay, the next section being beliefs… I am very torn about that. Like I've mentioned before, my elders talked about stories of fae, and I don't think these are all too true, but at the same time, they've been so drilled into my brain, I can't help but think about it. I guess that would qualify more as magic versus a higher power. I don't think there's a person up in the sky just pulling strings for everything in the world, but maybe a group of them? Some beings having more abilities than others in a 'godhood' like way? I think that is… plausible. I guess though, I do somewhat have a belief in a deity or magic haver of death, and like, something in the afterlife. But it's definitely not my main belief on this page. I am one hundred percent in the belief of good and evil, as well as luck. Luck, in my opinion, is a really strange concept. I think it's most similar to karma, where you can gain and lose it depending on things you do. Luck can also be spent. Think of it like… the scale bars we used for some of the answers. You start right in the middle of good and bad luck, and your actions determine how much you gain. Say, you're a really good person, you gain a bunch of good luck, and then you win the lottery. Depending on the amount, you may be set back all the way to neutrality, but you won't go into the negatives. Do bad things, you have a load of bad luck coming your way, and you're back to the neutrals."

Ruan Ai had gone back to guessing the options in which to fill in, as Novus was talking at an even quicker speed than before and seemed to have no interest in writing anymore, which was understandable. They made a motion for the other to slow down, to which Novus nodded, flushed a bit, and took a few moments to relax his tone before continuing. "Okay. The other part I believe in is good and evil. There are certainly people who are good and people who are nothing but plain evil. But all of us fall within those two frames of existence, most on the good side, with quite a few morally gray individuals. I try to see the best in everyone, but sometimes, you have to acknowledge the evil in the world in order to heal from it."

He slid down into the chair, the sound of his wings beating against it loud for a bit as it eventually slowed to mimic the sound of a leaky faucet, tapping against a metal sink every so often. "I'm quite the believer in fate and destiny, just a touch lower than the other two I've just mentioned. It's primarily actualized in what I believe about soulmates, which I would put at the same level. I think I am pre-determined to meet someone, maybe multiple someones. The red string of fate is one hundred and ten percent my belief, which also means it could be severed, cut, tied again, mixed and matched. But my main belief is I have one and won't, you know, die alone. Also, I feel the same way about things like friends, mentors, and critical people in my life. I hope I'll be able to meet them all soon!" His smile was wide, showing off the strange sharp teeth he had, but he was too bashful to care about it in the moment. "Last section… hmm. My main priorities lie in justice, truth and love. I want everyone to feel heard to the best of their ability, and silenced voices are certainly not receiving their due justice. I also hate things like inequality, all the -phobias and -ists. I hold honesty really high in my heart, as I've mentioned, and I am a firm believer that love changes the world, and can really change a person. Physical, romantic, emotional, platonic, sexual, all types of love are so important. My least important priorities… are probably fame, home and power. I don't really want to be famous, but I want to know a lot of people, be friends in that manner. Home is just… odd to me. I've been on the road a lot, moving around, and now having this opportunity… It's just a place to be, you know?" 

He took a pause. "I sort of feel like this is the physical place, but the emotional state of home means more to me. Places change, stuff moves, but a person or a feeling can't be replaced that easily. So I guess it depends on the context, but as I think it's more of a physical place, I rank it decently low. Power is the same as fame, except I just don't like power. Why would I want to be dominating over others when I can just promote my sort of things without it? Power makes imbalances, and I like being on the same level."

His cheeks flushed once more for the final time that night. "Praise doesn't mean all that much to me, it would be zero, except… for… well, you get the gist." Hopefully, that made enough sense. "Oh, friends are also really high on my priorities, but it's primarily since I don't really have a ton. I have my anxieties, of course, as do most people that I've chatted with, but I would say I definitely worry about what others think of me a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. Health is more than halfway important, but I definitely have days I take care of myself, and others where I am so in the flow of writing or reading, it will be nine p.m and I will have forgotten to eat, let alone drink water. Family… is strange, as I consider friends family, since my actual one, you know, I've never heard from. Last but not least… wealth isn't everything to me like I've stated before."

With one big exhale, Novus finally stopped his happy chatter, and Ruan Ai finished writing down all the answers. "Well, Novus, thank you so much for all of your answers, being so open and honest. I'd also like to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for continuing on the legacy of The Interview. I started this originally from the basement of my old house, and it's eventually become a comfortable chatting podcast where I've been able to learn so much about the community. I do hope that you will make it into something bigger, something better that I wasn't able to do, and truly make The Interview your podcast. Maybe later down the line, once I've done some cool new adventures, you'll invite me back on, and by then, I feel more comfortable with myself and my identity. For the last time, this is Ruan Ai, and thank you for listening to the Interview."

The red RECORDING sign flipped off, and before they could adjust once more, Novus flew back into Ruan Ai's arms. "Thank you so much again! This has been such a fun experience, and the fact you trust me to take over your position…" He pulled back after, tears welling in his eyes. "Are you sure? I don't want to let you down-"

Before he could finish the statement or let the happy tears fall, Ruan Ai… did the unthinkable. At least, in Novus's eyes. They reached back and unclasped the mask, taking off the mask as well as the balaclava which held their fur in it. They had all white eyes, like Novus, but theirs was cloudy, a signifier of being potentially blind. Their snow white fur had some burned ends along their face, and the tall, yet floppy rabbit's ears seemed to have scar after scar littered on them. Additionally, they appeared to have antlers at one point in time, but they were broken off crudely. Novus couldn't help it, eyes roaming around the brand new appearance, but Ruan Ai pulled off their gloves, placing them on Novus' shoulders as they slowly moved to stand. "Novus, darling, don't worry. I don't think there is a better, more capable, more deserving person I've ever interviewed, let alone in the city. I know you worry about what everyone is going to think once this episode comes out, but I adore you. You have such a nice personality, are absolutely adorable, and I can see that you have that determination in you that I had when I first started out. I just wanted to tell you though…" They motioned up to the broken antlers. "Be careful, okay? Unfortunately, I have the same belief in good and evil that you do, but I've met some cruel people. Please keep yourself safe, no matter what you do. I would feel horrible if something happened to you because of the podcast." 

Novus nodded and took a few breaths to get his thoughts in order. "Of course. I promise to keep myself safe." Ruan Ai smiled, their cracked lips worn by age and trauma. Novus had so many questions, which they noticed by the curious gaze. Heh, in the small amount of time they knew each other, they were getting better at reading insect expressions. "Let's talk more when we start to make this place your place. I just request you don't tell anyone. You certainly can understand why people might not like that a rather strange appearance of a not so known creature was the one doing the listening." 

The other nodded, but he couldn't help one question slipping by with a small smile. "I take it you're a jackalope?" Ruan Ai shrugged with their own smile. "Mixed with a moon rabbit." 

"Woah… I think my belief in magic just went up."

It took well over a week to set up Novus' new permanent home, as well as making the recording studio and booth to his liking, as well as learning how to set up and record the actual conversations. 

The formerly prison-like room where the recordings were done had the most work done. Instead of just a table and metal chairs, the floor was carpeted, and a nice purple sofa was brought in, set up underneath the window for the booth, where things could be edited and such. He brought in a small table for items to be set down in front of them and set up wireless microphones and a camera facing the couch. Starting a video feed would be nice, allowing all the viewers to see exactly who was being interviewed, and catch all the mannerisms otherwise impossible to hear. 

Apart from logistics, Novus also did things to make the room more inviting. The gray walls were painted a light purple, the soundproofing pads in fun colors, he added a coffee machine, popcorn maker and minifridge so it felt more like a conversation rather than an interrogation. Snacks and drinks always made him feel more comfortable, so hopefully it would help with his own nerves, and whoever he was chatting with on that particular day.

There were also blankets, an overhead fan installed that made less chattering sounds compared to the box fan Ruan Ai loved so much. Each blade was painted differently, one with the pride flag his fur and hair seemed to resemble since he was gay, and the others with stars, flowers, the like. It was much cozier than he first anticipated it to be, but was happy that the room was starting to look like his own

The booth went through a makeover as well, though less extreme. There Novus had a place for even MORE books, so some bookshelves were in order, and he invested into a dedicated laptop just for editing and posting the clips, and he was able to remotely access the mood lighting of the room, put in a small speaker in case he needed to work in there and a guest or two war waiting outside. 

The upstairs was the most dramatic change. Ruan Ai lived rather minimalistic, but Novus… now that he had the space, and could clear out some stuff in his RV, was definitely living more of a maximalist style. All his clothes could actually be hung up, the large washer and dryer was going to be put to good use rather than the one he ordered off a cheap, sketchy website washing one or two things at a time. There were boxes piled inside on the last day Ruan Ai was scheduled to be there, unpacked for later, but they were more concerned with their eventual goodbye.

Novus… was crying. He was just so emotional, in the span of a week, he not only was able to move into a permanent place that was already paid for, so he could focus his time and money on the podcast, he also gained a lifelong friend, since he obtained Ruan Ai's personal number. As they stood in the small parking lot, Ruan Ai had a different mask on, hard plastic with glued on crochet cheeks, eyebrows and a slight grin. "Take care of the place, Novus." They placed a hand on the bee's own. "I'll keep in touch daily, let you know how things are going. I know our paths might not cross again in the physical sense for a long while, but I do hope, from the bottom of my heart and soul, that things work out for you, and everything you've ever wanted and more comes true. You deserve all the best luck in the world."

There were so many things he wanted to say, but all Novus could do in the moment was hug. The top pair of arms wrapped around their neck, the lower around their waist. The silence was emotional, despite the rushing cars down the street and general city sounds filling their ears. 

"I… thank you so much. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for this, but I will do my best to make you proud."

Novus pulled back after some time, and Ruan Ai nodded, lifting their head back to look up at the clouds through the mesh. It was partially so they didn't cry, but they knew they would once they got on the road.

"I can't wait to see what you do. Or what I'll do, too."

With that, Ruan Ai entered their van with all their things, shut the door, and turned it on, waving to Novus as they pulled out of the small parking lot, onto the road, and into the day's traffic.

Novus probably stood there until just before sunset. It didn't feel real. The best friend he had ever made had already left in the span of a few days after only meeting those days prior. Only when he received a text confirmation that Ruan Ai was past state lines did he feel comfortable enough to go back inside. 

After all, he had to start networking. New people to interview weren't going to show up by themselves. Novus entered the booth, booted up the laptop, and began writing a small blog post.

Hello everyone! As you've heard from the last episode, my name is Novus Cloverstar, and I will be taking over The Interview! I was the last person on the list, so I'm very open to interviewing anyone and everyone. Please shoot me a message, and I promise to try and live up to Ruan Ai's name.

Can't wait to talk to you soon!

- Novus Cloverstar