(A/N) Hey guys, after a bit of a delay we finally have the third interview for Symptoms of Rampancy, written by Baldore and Minaethiel, as they discuss Kiara Thomas' feelings on being signed by Rampancy shortly after her signing. Hope you'll enjoy this one as much as I did!

*Disclaimer* Any and all swearing within this chapter will have been due to the editing process, and not the original words of Baldore. The work of other writers may contain swearing which was originally attached, other than that which the editor adds.

Enjoy!

Interview with Kiara Thomas

Two Weeks after Kiara Thomas' Unveiling

Written by Baldore and Minaethiel

Sighing in relief, Desmond slid into a park bench barely holding onto his notes with one hand, and a sandwich with the other. For once in his life he was actually early, not late, even without his photographer Sam to remind him, as she had taken a sick day. Biting into his sandwich, he glanced at his watch. It was almost time for the interview. He scanned the park before finally spotting who he was looking for. He tried to catch the female Grifball player's attention, waving his half eaten sandwich in the air to do so.

Interviews weren't her thing, but hey, as Kiara Thomas reasoned to herself, with the spotlight come new requirements, and what most would consider perks. Scanning the park, she couldn't help but feel the nervous butterflies she always had before talking to people. A movement out of the corner of her eye caught Kiara's attention, and she turned towards the sight to see the interviewer waving at her. Twisting a thread of hair nervously, she made her way over and took a seat next to him. "Hello, Mr Danhar, how are you?"

Desmond was surprised and impressed. Normally, the player or coach or whoever didn't know who he was. He also noticed that Kiara seemed nervous, even for her first interview. "I'm doing well, thanks Miss Thomas! Also, feel free to call me Desmond. It feels weird to be a 'Mister', like I'd have to be responsible and all that." He said, grinning broadly, and offering a handshake with the non-sandwich wielding hand. "And how's your day been? You haven't had any paparazzi trouble, have you?"

Kiara found herself giggling at the reporter's quirky nature and gratefully took his hand; he reminded her of Alex and Will. "Okay, and you can just call me Kiara, for the record. I'm still not entirely used to people addressing me so formally." Coach often addressed her as "Miss," but then he was older than her, and was technically in a superior position. As for everyone else, it felt strange to be addressed so politely. "My day has been fine, thank you. The paparazzi have been as determined as they always are whenever a big story pops up. The shock of women and Grifball coming together hasn't worn off just yet."

The scatter-brained reporter frowned, not happy to hear about her media troubles. He considered himself a reporter, unlike the scam-hound paparazzi. They wouldn't even give new players a break" "Okay Kiara, I'll try to keep this painless then. And if you have trouble with those paparazzi again, just say you're late for something big. Most of them won't be complete jerks and will try to avoid making a pro Griffball player late for something important. Anywhoooo, first question, how'd you react to being picked up by Rampancy? Surprised? Nervous? Cocky?"

Kiara felt herself smiling in relief and chuckled slightly. "Thanks for the tip. I just hate to disappoint the fans. They want to see their team interacting with them, and the press is a part of that. It gets overwhelming quickly, but you have to bear it sometimes."

Growing thoughtful, she considered his question before giggling slightly to herself. "I honestly couldn't believe it. I was fully prepared to just make my name in the amateur leagues for the rest of my career. However when I got contacted by members of the pro league and offered me a spot on Rampancy, I didn't even think twice about saying yes. At the same time when I saw the reactions, I was, and still am, nervous about letting the team and the fans down."

"Well, just remember that if the paparazzi get too...out of hand, there is a line. And if they cross that, then they don't count as the press. They count as idiots with cameras." Desmond stated, smiling reassuringly. "And I'm sure you'll do great. Heck even if you go in and bomb, scoring dozens of own goals, you still made it to the stinking pros! Okay, next question. Have you had a chance to meet your new team or Coach Anderson yet?"

She smiled at his comment and nodded. "That's why I like practice so early in the morning. There's normally no one there except for us. Plus the stadium employees keep the worst of the press away. Making it to the pros was one of my proudest moments. When I was little my brother and I would talk about forming our own team. You can imagine how crushed we were when found out women couldn't be pros."

Kiara smiled softly at the old memory. "Yes, I've gotten to meet them. We've been practicing together for a week or so and it's been great. Arika and Ellen are turning out to be really great friends. Alex and Will are funny guys, and they've done their best to include us in Rampancy life. Jackson is a bit tough on the team during training, but any good captain pushes their teammates to and past their limits."

No way was she about to say anything bad about Jackson, even if he had been a total asshat from the off.

"I bet your brother's proud now, huh?" Desmond said, jolting down seemingly gibberish shorthand notes. "Yup, I've met Arika and Alex, but not Will or Ellen yet. Jackson hasn't been..." The brown haired man paused, considering his word choice. "Harder on…or unfair to anybody, has he?"

Kiara hesitated for a moment, before smiling and nodding to the reporter. "He sure is. When I called about getting a spot on Rampancy, he wouldn't stop raving about it." In fact, he had gone on about how his baby sister was moving up in the world and how he knew she would make it to the pros someday. A lot of support talk had followed. Before answering Desmond's next question she felt myself tense slightly. No bad words about the captain, must remember that. Coach would probably kill her if Jackson didn't first. "He's pretty hard on all of us, but I know he'd be hard on any new players. He wants what's best for Rampancy, and I can respect that."

"Ha, does your brother still play Grifball?" Desmond said, laughing, while raising an eyebrow. Either Desmond had misjudged Jackson, or the red head was just being really loyal. Or stubborn, depending on your point of view. "I'm glad Jackson isn't given you new guys too hard a time, at least. Okay, next question, how'd you feel about leaving your amateur team?"

A wistful sigh escaped Kiara's lips. "Not so much anymore. Occasionally we'll get together and play some mock games, but he's busy with his career and a kid."

She then smiled brightly. "My nephew is showing a fascination for Grifball already. He gets excited to hear about Aunt Kiara's games."

Smoothing her shirt over, she took a brief moment to consider her old team. They had been a close bunch, and had endured some rough times together. When Kiara had shared the news – that she was going to be moving to Rampancy – not all of them had taken it well. Her response would have to be worded carefully. "I felt a little bad. Not everyone took my choice to move up in their stride, and I can imagine that a few people thought I'd abandoned them. I'll miss them though, and wish them nothing but the best."

Desmond smiled when he heard about Kiara's nephew, and waited for her to finish before bringing him up. "Who knows? Maybe he'll follow in your footsteps and go pro also! And I'm sure you're old team is proud of you, and hey, it's their loss if they're resentful." Desmond began shuffling through his notes again, making an occasional scribble before moving on to his next question. "Okay, Kiara, what are your goals for his season? Either personally or team wise."

"I certainly wouldn't mind the company if he did," she said, smiling. As long as he didn't end up playing mock Grifball with golf clubs and sticks he'd be fine. Desmond's next question caused her to bite her lip, as she paused for a moment, deep in thought. What did she hope to accomplish? What was her driving point? "To get better at interviews? No, I want to be a player the fans can be proud of. When I walk into, say, a bar, and hear people talking Grifball, I want to be among the names they mention when talking about the greats." She sat up a little straighter, and could imagine the determined glint in her eyes. "With the support of Coach Anderson and Rampancy, I believe I can get there."

Desmond laughed when she came to the part about getting better at interviews. "Relax, you're doing great. And I'm sure you'll be a fan favourite. Plus, you've got some great statsQ" Desmond waved one of his papers. Turns out they actually do have stuff on them. Useful stuff. "And a great personality. Put everything into your training and games and you'll achieve that goal, of that I have no doubt."

Kiara felt a blush creep up on her cheeks at the reporter's praise. She knew she was a cut above the amateur leagues, but it still hadn't entirely sunk in that her stats had earned her a place on a pro team. "Thank you," she said shyly, "Even if I don't make that goal this season, there's always the next. I hope to stick around for the long run in order to make my mark."

The brown haired man smiled. "Y'know, a lot of players wouldn't be willing to work at their goals. A lot of 'em just expect to be served the championships on a silver platter. I'm glad you're different. Okay, you're almost done. So, the pre-season is coming up fast. How do you expect Rampancy to do?"

She nodded along thoughtfully. "There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and that line is the work you are willing to put in to prove something or earn it."

Kiara thought about this for a few seconds, running over the trainings the team had gone through and trying to visualize how all of us had performed. Nodding slowly, she turned back to Desmond. "I expect that Rampancy will give each team we meet a run for their money. We're going to show that we're championship contenders straight out of the gate."

"Wise and confident words, Kiara. Is there any particular team you want to win against or meet?" Desmond said, meeting her gaze with his normal easy going smile. "Maybe a favourite team or just one you want to test your metal against?"

Excitement lit up on her face at his question. "Absolutely! I've been a Maverick fan since I was younger, and though players have come and gone I've followed the team for years. Gosh, if we were to win against Maverick I'd be on Cloud Nine for days. Getting a chance to meet them would be just freaking amazing. Call it a childhood dream to meet my favourite team. I also want to see how I perform against Heretic. It seems like you'd need to take a different approach against them since they're super tall and have a longer reach."

Desmond stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That would be true about the Heretics. Once they bothered to learn the rules, they actually turned out quite decently. And I'm taking that as a challenge for you to Maverick. You won't have a pre-season game with them anytime soon, but there will probably some point where you'll meet 'em. Do you have any favourite player, not necessarily from Maverick?"

That was true. Having watched their first game against Slipspace, Kiara had never thought Heretic'd make it as a pro team. When they learned the rules it actually resulted in some good games. She smiled shyly. "Well hey, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone. My favourite player would have to be Sean Cadmen of Overcharge. He used to be on Maverick until a payment dispute, and then he got picked up by Overcharge. I've been a fan ever since he pulled off getting bonked by Castle and scoring the winning goal."

"Unfortunately, I don't know Sean very well. I've only had one interview with him, after the said payment dispute, but he seemed like an alright guy." Desmond had finally finished his sandwich and tossed the wrapper in a nearby trash bin but it rimmed out. He sighed. "I'll get that later. Anyway, so how'd you decide to become a Tank? Choice? Necessity? Just 'cuz?"

Kiara smiled at his question, but quickly leapt to the defence of her idol. "Oh Sean's great; he always interacts with his fans when given the chance. I haven't gotten the chance to meet him, but I try and emulate his behaviour with the fans."

She then paused, and laughed a bit at his question. "Well, when I first started out in my backyard playing Grifball, I'd be forced to play Tank. At first I hated it because the gameplay just felt slow compared to a Runner. However, I quickly got used to it and decided to make a career out of it. Tanking just holds so much excitement for me, and I like showing the Runner that he or she can depend on me to clear their path."

"You were forced to?" he asked, surprised. "Well, that's new. Never had someone choose their position that way. Speaking of clearing a path, what weapon are you going to use? The traditional Tank weapon of a Grav Hammer or do you go for the advantage of speed and use an energy sword?"

Kiara nodded, smiling. "My brother was our group captain and wanted to be Runner, so I got stuck playing Tank. I was only seven!" She then giggled for a bit, as she considered her next answer. She was good with a sword, sometimes verging on Defender territory. However it was best not to let in other teams regarding that knowledge. "Well you'll just have to see when I get out on the court. Can't give away any trade secrets," she said, chuckling slightly, as the reporter moaned.

"Man, what the hell does Anderson do to you guys?" Desmond said, exasperated with the Tank's evasiveness. "Nobody on Rampancy will tell me anything! C'mon, just give me one little scoop. Pleeeeeeease?" The reporter tried his very hardest to put on a puppy dog face, but it just ended up looking like he really, really had to go to the bathroom.

Now Kiara truly burst out laughing, finding it hard to speak. "Threats of laps, Desmond. Plus we love surprises at Rampancy. It's part of our charm." To be honest, she felt bad that she couldn't give him more information, but Coach Anderson would probably have her head if she gave away any play styles or strategies.

"Oh! The horror! Laps!" Desmond exclaimed, holding his face in his hands in the classic horror movie scream. "Okay then, since I don't want to get you extra laps, we'll move on. How do you feel about your new fame? Being on T-shirts, in magazines and being interviewed by yours truly?"

She pulled a strained face, her eyes drawn out to mirror his mock-horror. "Hey, you don't know pain until you've ran twenty laps after a few dozen pull ups." Still, she allowed herself to relax further. "It's strange, honestly. Our first game hasn't even happened and we're already getting magazine offers and such. In the amateur leagues if you got recognized on the street it was a pleasant surprise. Now everywhere I go at least one person knows who I am."

The professional reporter chuckled at Kiara's twenty laps comment, knowing how bad that'd be from his college Grifball days. "Are you adapting alright? A lot of players have trouble with the transition, and a few have even dropped back into the amateurs because of it. Are you worried about that at all?"

Growing thoughtful, she hummed to herself for a moment before answering. "It will definitely take some time to adapt to all the new fanfare. However I don't think the league would have picked me up if they didn't think I could handle it. The biggest concern I have right now is disappointing Coach Anderson, the rest of the team, and the fans."

"I hope my interview isn't causing you too much pain," he replied, smiling. "And from what I've gathered, as long as you do your best, Anderson'll be happy. He's one of the best coaches in the league, you're lucky. Some coaches are..." Desmond tried to find a polite phrasing and failed, instead favouring bluntness. "...well, honestly, sexist and unfair."

Kiara shook her head and smiled. "Not at all, this is much more pleasant than what I expected. Honestly when I think of interviewers I usually think they're going to ask me trick questions to get sensitive info out of people." However, she couldn't help but feel surprised at this news about other league coaches. If it was true, she really had gotten lucky with Anderson. To him, the whole team was on equal ground. "Really? They seem polite enough."

"Well, some interviewers will try to embarrass you. But I've always figured, Grifball players are people too and if I don't want to be embarrassed either, which is why I haven't asked a bunch of trick questions," Desmond explained. "And, to be fair, the majority of coaches are in favour of women playing, but there are a select few who are still sore on that topic. Old habits dying hard, and all that."

Nodding along, Kiara found herself clenching and unclenching her hands out of nervousness. Desmond was nice enough, but other people wouldn't be as considerate. She hated to think that way, but it was becoming more and more apparent that giving people the benefit of the doubt wasn't going to help her in any way. Still, she chuckled slightly. "Well, they better get used to it; we're not going anywhere anytime soon."

Desmond smiled. "That's the spirit! And if you ever run into trouble, just ask and I'll give a non-paparazzi filled interview. As I said before, I don't like when people twist the truth. Okay, final question, how do you feel about people saying that you're too small to be a Tank?"

The Tank in question huffed slightly. "Size doesn't matter! Yeah, I'm short, but I've held my own for years on the court, and I plan on doing it for years to come. It doesn't take height to heft a hammer all game. However if people still have a problem with it, I welcome them to do what I do in a game and see if they're still able to stand, tall or not." Being short never earned her points for Tanking in the amateur leagues, and she could already imagine people complaining about it in the pros.

"So you're definitely looking forward to proving yourself, eh?" he replied, doing all he could from not laughing hysterically, "Like Yoda said, 'size matters not'."

Kiara nodded proudly. "You bet, and even after I do there is always a higher bar to reach." Staring at his face as it twisted in amusement, she quirked a curious eyebrow which was followed by a giggle as he spoke. "As a fan of older films, that's a good quote."

"Thanks! I've always loved those movies, and it's appalling how many people haven't seen 'em!" Desmond said, before trying to organize his stack of papers that would make an obsessive compulsive cry. One rogue sheet started to fly off, but the reporter grabbed his pencil and impaled it before placing it messily back into the stack. "Okay, that pretty much wraps things up...anything you want to say to the readers?"

Thinking for a moment, Kiara felt a serene grin spread across her face. "I just want the naysayers to know that women are here in the pro leagues to stay, and no amount of doubting or insulting is going to change that. We're tough, we were picked up from the amateur leagues for a reason, and we're going to prove ourselves throughout the season."

"Well said, Kiara," Desmond replied, congratulating her, before standing up and offering the Tank a handshake. "Okay, if you wanna read my column, it'll be in the next AGLoA issue. But that pretty much concludes the interview, and I'm looking forward to watching Rampancy's season, with maybe some more exclusives to come, eh? Oh, and could I possibly get a quick picture? Bossman always likes to have one for the column."

Following his lead, Kiara stood up and shook his hand. "Thank you; I'm sure I'll enjoy reading it. If you want, I'm sure I could pull some strings with Anderson to get you some of those exclusives. And sure, I don't mind a picture."

Smiling, Desmond lifted the camera. "Say, 'Grifball'!" he told her as he snapped off a picture. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to take off the cap and had to take another picture, casually trying to play off his mistake. "Okay, well, considering that I was taking it, that picture looks pretty good. And I'd love an exclusive! As long as no lap running is involved, in any shape or form."

Chuckling, she crossed her arms. "No guarantees on that. Although if you took a day to participate in our training regime, it might be a good story for you. Like I said, I'll talk to Anderson. Thank you for the pleasant interview though."

"Ha, I might try and take you up on that. I did play Defender in college but...well, there is a reason that my brother is still playing, not me," Desmond said, slightly sheepishly. "And I enjoyed it too, and if you ever need something or just a pick-up game of Grifball, just call," Desmond finished before handing Kiara his card and starting to head out, picking up his sandwich wrapper on his way out.

"Doesn't matter to me, Grifball can be just as fun when it's a relaxed game." Kiara called after him, pocketing his card. "Bye, I'll be sure to also call if Anderson agrees to your request!"

As Desmond left, a thought entered his mind. 'Rampancy is sure shaping up to have an interesting season...'