The House That Ivy Built Character Interviews

Adele's Interview


What are your earliest memories?

My earliest memories. Very difficult question there! I have many half-memories of before I came here. But it's hard to know how many of them are actually my memories and how many of them are my constructions from finding things out in other ways. One of the earliest things I know happened to me was my being singled out for my abilities, among my people. I can remember being young and small and being proud to be recognized as a future . . . the best word I can think of to describe it is "priestess" . . . of my people. I can recall a few faces from my world. I know our people lived in homes that we built, but nothing so complex or LARGE as human civilization. Most of my memories are not so much memories as just understandings of "how things were." Strangely I seem to recall that one of the customs of my land is that no one should ever prepare his or her own food. I think it was a symbol of playing up our interconnectedness, of institutionalizing dependence on each other. Of course in this new world I break that "law" all the time. Every once in a while I feel wrong about it. I don't know why. I don't talk about it. My earliest memories from my old world are watching a certain woman weaving and strangely I have a very vivid memory of cleaning a floor when I was very young. (I think the weaving woman was a relative of mine, and I think cleaning the floor was a punishment for something I did. I don't know what the crime was, but I'll bet I learned my lesson, because I sure remember hating that floor.) In this world, my earliest memories involve some slight cloudiness and some mindless wandering, searching for someone. I really think someone was supposed to meet me on the other side, and they never did, so ever since then I've been trying to pick my way through a maze without a legend. But mostly it was not difficult to survive here at first because I could always trust myself to know whether what I was doing was appropriate.

Have you had any human friends or acquaintances before joining the current group?

No one in this world. The first person of human origin I met in this world was Alix, with the exception of several folks I bought things from in the city before I came. In my old world, there was my teacher, Tabitha.

Any other languages beyond English you've become familiar with? Believe it or not I can dish up some pretty good Latin. Add that to my rusty but passable Shioan and I'll be saying a bunch of things no one understands.

Any foods you're particular to?

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I'm very fond of the humans' processed sweets. Their artificial fruit snacks are fantastic, and I don't know how they ever came up with the idea of grinding up a bitter cocoa bean and mixing it with various ingredients to produce *chocolate*, but all I can say is I will forever be grateful for their willingness to try anything. . . .

Anything you've learned about yourself over the years since becoming acquainted... that you're willing to admit to?

I've learned to keep my mouth shut. Sounds strange, doesn't it? Sometimes it's better to let people find things out themselves than it is to play mother all the time. That's a big thing I learned: I'm a bit more motherly than I thought I was. I thought at first that I gave advice simply because it was there in my head to let out. But I realized later that I gave my advice because I honestly didn't want anything to happen to these people I had started caring about. In my experience, all of the boys reacted somewhat badly to being told what to do when my advice made things only slightly better; they didn't appreciate the convenience so much as resent my butting in. So it became a matter of saying something if they were going to be attacked by a lion, but shutting up if they were going to be attacked by a skunk, you know? It was strange how I began to view them as my children even though they were all basically grown men.

What most amuses you about human society... and what also ticks you off?

Maybe my answer is predictable, but I'm going to go ahead and say that what amuses me most about humans is their limited perspective, and probably the thing that angers me most about them is their attitude of having the right to ignorance.

What kind of books do you enjoy, and are there any authors you hold in high regard?

I tend to like philosophy, religion, natural history, fiction (more the literary type, I have no real patience for books with no patience with their own audience), and myths and legends as well as young children's books--they reveal a lot about a culture! For fiction I'm a fan of Hawthorne, Potok, Wharton, Arthur Miller, and Keyes--nonfiction I don't care so much for certain authors so much as their subject matter, with the exception of Stephen Hawking--he's amazing! (If you ever want to read about science, I recommend him over Carl Sagan ten times over.)

Have you an art form of your own, like Ivy, or are you more the pragmatist?

I'm pretty handy with needlecraft and weaving. I'm afraid I can't claim that as my own though.

Have you adopted a faith, or are you resuming one originating from your home dimension? And, if so, what might that be?

I don't have a faith/religion/belief system. I put personal meaning into small rituals of everyday living, but though there is much meaning in my life it's not focused on giving reverence to or paying homage to a higher being.

Are you ever held in awe by any of your human housemates, or are your abilities not known to them... at least, to their full extent?

Even the ones who give me lip harbor plenty of awe for me. Few of them wear it on their faces. I tend to be able to bring it out in them more when I do less--that is to say, they find it more amazing when they don't see it all the time. Nobody knows the full extent of my abilities, not even me. I was sure surprised at some of the things I could suddenly do because of Ivy and especially Nina. They opened up whole worlds for me. I have no doubt that there are plenty of things I can do that I never will because I already have so many doors to peek through that I don't turn the knobs of other ones.

If Zeke could make you a gadget that could access the internet, would you use it for your anonymous hint laying and such, or would such endeavors be more easily accomplished via your willing accomplices?

The Internet would be interesting. I'm sure I would use it sparingly for my "hint-laying," but unfortunately the Internet carries a stigma where even very credible-sounding and proof-backed stories are automatically rejected just because e-mail is the messenger. I'd probably have to build trust with a few liaisons and let them drop my tips to important folks in person.

Should you be invited to a science-fiction/anime con where you could kinda blend in for a bit, would you take the opportunity to mingle with the savages^^, or no?

Out of the question. I've no doubt I'd get fewer strange looks and much less open judgment, but I have no intention of ever going among humans without a disguise regardless of the circumstances. "The savages," as you call them, can have their fun by themselves.


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