with every intention of learning the truth [kate]

Piper took deep, steady breaths, rubbing her temples in an effort to coax the pounding ache in her head. Her next guest would arrive soon but until then, she had retired to an empty office, turned off all the lights, and had laid her head on the desk. There was an upcoming work weekend for the company therefore the monthly company drinking party had been schedule for a Thursday. It had been an event she must have unconsciously nodded her head in agreement to. In retrospect, going out drinking on any work night was simply a bad idea. In previous occasions, it would often take her the entire Saturday to shake off the effects of a hangover and to start feeling like herself again. Piper was not one to normally drink heavily the night before work but when the expensive firewhisky had arrived at the table and her bosses had taken their seats directly in front of her, Piper had no choice but to drink with them. Piper could handle her drinks well, she had spent most of her adult life, and part of her teenage one, partaking in the bitter liquid. But with the stress of her recent schedule and the little time she had to eat that day, it wasn’t long before she had to call it a night and be escorted to her flat.

Most of her co-workers had taken the morning off. Many of them had reduced workloads due to the upcoming work weekend so in the end it was not a big deal. However, as Catherine, her personal assistant, had so kindly reminded Piper that morning, she had to cover for the chief writer, who had been on maternity leave for two months already. For next month’s issue, Piper had suggested focusing on females that took on important managerial positions that had been traditionally reserved for men. The week prior, she had met with the female CEO of one of the most successful Quidditch teams in the world, and today she had been scheduled to meet with Catherine Duenas, the band manager and publicist for Banshee, a London-based band that established deep roots in the music scene. Having a woman as a publicist was no big deal. After all, it fit the stereotypical notion that a woman would be charming enough for that kind of job. However, a band manager, and a relatively young one at that, was something that Piper took particular interest in. She admired young women that were in charge, as that had been the policy that she herself had held to, she was determined to be the best in the field.

“Ms. Morel, Ms. Duenas is waiting in your office,” Piper heard the soft voice of her assistant calling out to her and slowly turned, the bright lights of the hallway assaulting her senses at once. Giving her head one last rub, she checked her face in a pocket mirror and reapplied her lipstick. It was a deep violet red, her favorite shade this season. Then, she followed Catherine to her office down the hall, fixing her face to a big, bright smile as she entered the room.

“Ms. Duenas, it’s a pleasure to meet you, thank you for coming in on such short notice. Could I interest you in a drink? We have tea, coffee, and if you are feeling particularly festive this morning, a great selection of alcohol,” Piper said with a smile, sitting at her desk and opening a drawer to take out her notebook and pen. Piper would definitely be holding off of the alcohol for at least a week. Catherine stood in the corner, waiting for the young woman’s answer to prepare the drink request, should there be any. “Unfortunately the chief writer is unavailable to handle your interview today but I am Piper Morel, the junior editor here at Label Magazine. As you know, we asked you here to not only talk about the Banshees but to talk about your role as a manager and publicist and as the challenges you face as a woman in the music world,” Piper started, her hands moving animatedly in attempts to look attentive and aware.  “Our chief writer tends to shy away from certain topics but I am hoping that you can be open and completely honest with me and I will make sure to show the world the best you and offer some great promotion for the band,” she added. “So to begin,” she started, “can you tell me a bit about how you got into the music business?”

@Kate Duenas

Horribly rickety and treacherous as it might've been for Kate to have agreed to an interview so soon after a scandal, it would be necessary to clear (or at least de-fog, to some degree,) her reputation as the slutty, privileged product of nepotism in the music industry. That whole air was ramping up because of the two closest men to her: her father and her boyfriend. At nineteen, what had she done other than allowed herself to be a servant, a hole, or a doormat to have deserved this job? In the eye of the European wizarding public, nothing. And maybe she hadn't, really. Charlie had insisted that nobody else had been right for the job, but there was absolutely no denying his bias and as of late, she was wondering how strong their bond really was -- for him to have gone out and stuck it in one of his groupies while she'd been out of town. Maybe that was all she was, really. A sex-providing, food-making, money-earning, house-cleaning doormat.

That aside, nobody else needed to know that she was suspecting of their malicious claims. It was nobody else's business. Insisting Charlie's innocence and pinning it all on the bitch who had violated them and their home was paramount to dismissing this and leaving it where it belonged: out of sight and out of mind. The truth, which was that yes, initially he'd cheated and yes, she'd perhaps weakly forgiven him, was murkier and wishy-washy in its resolve. Variations of that story, and her lack of self-respect, would be all over and would linger for months. She'd managed to keep it on the DL from most of her family, except for Francesca, who was pretty much in the know about the entire thing. Not very many people knew what had really happened and as far as Kate was concerned, that was the way it was going to stay.

With all these thoughts filling her mind up fragile and tight like helium in a balloon, she felt the urge to run. Obviously that was not an option. When her name was called, she straightened her houndstooth tweed dress, made sure the chain of her Gucci handbag was hanging off the exact centre of her shoulder, and fluffed the tousled, shiny curls spilling delicately over her frame. Nobody ever told you this, but interviews were one of the most important places to look in and relevant: they never told you about surprise photo ops, and they never told you they'd list the articles of clothing you were wearing (and their prices) in the editorial. A tweed sheath, black pumps, and a turtleneck would always be relevant in the late fall season.

Kate followed the assistant into Piper Morel's office and sat down until she entered, and Kate stood to shake her hand, offering a bright smile of her own. "Oh, of course, I'm happy to have been able to work it in. I read Label myself, I've really enjoyed the last few articles you've done on women in powerful positions." And she had, of course, but that wasn't... the only thing which had been included about the women in the articles. She sat back down after their prim introductions and crossed her legs, yanking gently at the dress to bring the hem down to an appropriate level. "I would love coffee, thank you." A skinny margarita sounded more appealing to calm her nerves and settle her down, but Kate was well aware that wasn't, perhaps, the best idea. And in her rush to get ready that morning, she hadn't brewed a pot of coffee or had time to stop at the cafe down the street from her house, so hopefully this would stave off any headache that was preparing to assault her.

"Right, of course." Kate said a little less confidently, trying not to flinch at the quip about honesty and openness. Surely Piper knew that was irresponsible in a world such as this one. "Yes, um... My father Antonio Duenas is a booking agent in the United States, so from childhood I've been involved. I was very interested in pursuing it as a career of my own, though in a slightly different way, so in my early teens he provided some necessary mentorship for me and I managed to land a job here in London following the conclusion of my studies at Ilvermorny."

“You read Label? Well, we are always happy to hear that,” Piper started with a smile, “Two coffees it is then, Catherine if you would?” she continued, the assistant nodded before bringing over two black coffees accompanied by a container with sugar cubes and a small pot of milk. Piper added two sugars and a dash of milk, stirring it vigorously before moving on, “Since you’ve read the article you probably have an idea of how this goes. You are quite popular with our readers, Ms. Duenas! So my hope is to dispel all these rumors our readers have attached to your name, or better yet…clarify them,” she added. “Some of our readers jumped at the opportunity to ask questions, and as you can guess, most of them focus on you and the band’s personal life but I’ve made sure to take out all the inappropriate ones,” she added with a laugh. Label rarely gave the readers a chance to be directly involved with an interview, oftentimes a manager would bring their client with a list of information that Label would not be allowed to ask about. It would often be related to personal relationships and sexual orientation but would sometimes extend to things such as favorite products or past scandals. But Piper had insisted. Piper wanted to make Label more approachable and even if it meant trading their image of high fashion for more of a lifestyle magazine, she was willing to take that risk in exchange for higher readership. And these days, Banshee was definitely something the public wanted to hear about.

“From what I hear, you are quite young, nineteen or twenty, was it?” Piper asked, looking over her shoulder for confirmation from her assistant, who simply nodded in return, “Now, personally I think it’s excellent that a young woman such as yourself would dive right into your career of choice, however others may…assume that the best way for Banshee to really continue to be relevant in the music scene is to…work with someone more, how should I put it,experienced?” Piper asked. Age discrimination was one of the many things that had kept Piper from reaching her full potential at a young age. Even at twenty-seven, her determination and hard work were often dismissed in favor of a person who had put in more years in the industry, regardless of how little they had accomplished. She could understand the need for someone with more authoritative power, Piper was fierce but on the younger side and small. It was difficult to be taken seriously in an industry that was dominated by giants and socialites. “This is going to start to sound like a bit of a job interview, please forgive me. But, I am curious to know, what do you think you can bring to the table that no other manager can?” she asked, her head moving to the side in genuine curiosity.

Piper did not want to doubt Kate’s ability to get the job done, so far she seemed to be doing an excellent job at it. But, she could not help but to wonder why the band would entrust their career, very promising ones at that, in the hands of a woman that was not only much younger but also much more inexperienced in the music industry. Sure, her father was a booking agent and she had been involved to some degree, but it was definitely not the kind of job relegated to an entry-level worker. It was not a smart move, Piper could agree with the critics on that, but could it be considered a bold one? A way to accommodate the different interests in the younger generation? Charlie Baker was not exactly old, he was at least younger than Piper and she definitely did not feel that she was at the end of her career. But, bands fizzled out almost as quickly as they started; it could have very well been a marketing strategy. Piper wanted to push for the more popular theory: there was a unique relationship between Kate and one of the members. And, she was determined to figure out what it was.

“And now let me get this question out of the way, what is your involvement with the band, exactly?” she asked, “Now again, these are just rumors and I really am not here to judge but I’ve heard that you and the lead singer, Charlie Baker, are quite close?” Piper asked slowly, paying close attention to Kate’s body language. Piper knew that she would say no, if they were in a relationship and they wanted to make it public, Label Magazine would probably not be their first choice. There were a number of tabloids in London that would have paid good money to publish that story. Banshee was massively popular in England, a group of young, handsome musicians would do better by staying out of relationships--if they could sell dreams, they would be some of the richest men in London. Fans were impressionable little creatures: if their fans believed that the songs were about them, that they had the opportunity, the chance to be with them in real life, now that sold records, concerts, and definitely merchandise. It was exactly why questions such as 'What is your type of girl?' sold more issues than 'Who are your favorite designers?' Piper had been part of the Label team long enough to know that personal relationships, especially in the world of celebrities, was a risk best left unexplored. But, telling a lie was one thing and making it believable was another.

Piper would pile on the pressure little by little, push as far as she could, and hope that the end of the product would be pure tabloid gold.

@Kate Duenas  sorry for taking forever <33 pls let me know if I've taken too many liberties here.

Her age was usually one of the first things to be brought up in an interview. Kate tried not to visibly bristle, but it was difficult to keep her cool when the first thing Piper had said indicated another boring, run-of-the-mill interview digging at her age, or her position and how she'd gotten it, or her relationship with Charlie. Kate was aware that the whole purpose of this column in particular was to examine her career and her success. It remained to be seen whether or not the questions Piper was going to ask would continue to pertain to that subject matter. She wasn't going to come right out and assume that was the path this questionnaire was barreling down, but she wasn't going to rule it out, either.

Patiently, she folded her hands in her lap (both to look put together and to have the option to squeeze them when she was feeling especially nervous) and listened, trying to put her judgment aside. While very kind and accepting whenever her wellbeing permitted her to be, and sometimes even when it didn't, Kate was quite intuitive and could feel out negative vibes and feelings pretty easily. She preferred not to assume the worst about people or their intentions, though, so even if she had a certain sense that somebody was less than wholesome in their nature, she tried to smother that and give them a chance to prove themselves otherwise. Or ten chances, whatever.

The witch nodded, wetting her lips before she sifted through Piper's first set of questions rather artfully and calmly. "Yes, I just turned nineteen. It's certainly a risk for an established band to hire somebody so young, but I think I can bring my full immersion into the industry to the table, so to speak. My father has been an agent since before I was born and while I was growing up, even though I wasn't being yanked around from location to location or anything like that, I'm pretty well versed in the politics, ins-and-outs, and how to be successful in the music industry. My father is a self-made man and I've been incredibly lucky and blessed to learn a lot of my trade and habits from him."

Aaaand there it was. The heavy hitter. Sunshine and roses gone. Kate inhaled slowly and silently, holding that breath in the cage of her chest for a moment while she waited anxiously for her interviewer to finish asking her really quite inappropriate questions. What did her involvement with the band members themselves have to do with her life and her career? Unbeknownst to Piper, obviously, it had to do with a lot -- but Kate wasn't looking to broadcast that to the world. Neither was Charlie. While they weren't badgered in public quite often as people like, say, her friend @Hefin Howell , who was a Quidditch player, they did tend to get pictures and houndings every once in awhile. A few nosy fans, whatever, the usual. It never ceased to amaze Kate how many people thought they were entitled to know somebody else's personal life and relationships just because they did things that tended to put them out into the public eye. Weren't famous people also people? Such prying questions about her romantic interests in an interview that was supposed to be revolving around her career were quite cheeky, weren't they.

"U-um," Kate smiled sheepishly at her and cleared her throat, being careful not to wait too long before she continued so Piper didn't interpret any of it as hesitation. It was, certainly, but it was more important to say the right things than to blurt random things out. Words were hard, cold evidence -- people could fudge a bit of radio silence as much as they wanted, but nothing about that was concrete. She leaned back into her chair and tread carefully on forward. "The band and I are quite close." Kate avoided, "We've all become good friends since I moved to London for the job. Charlie has been a family friend for some time now."

Piper listened intently to the young woman’s response—it was as she had expected. She admired the way the young witch spoke, confidently and calmly, she could almost believe that they were rehearsed answers were it not for how naturally she spoke them. “Yes, of course, coming in with years of experience, even second-hand experience, is definitely a strength,” she responded softly, writing down her thoughts in her notes. But Piper knew of this, had had her assistant gather information on Ms. Duernas beforehand, not one to go into an interview without at least a little knowledge on hand.

It was always a good starting point, to ask easy questions, even if just one, and it would give her an idea of how she answered something simple in order to compare it to the way she answered something more complex, for example the status of her relationship with the band. It had been a strategy she had learned from a mentor. Interviewees were never honest; it wasn’t in their interest to be honest with any magazine, especially considering that their words would almost always be misconstrued. But, Kate managed the band’s PR, she would know that a good answer was better than the right answer.

Piper liked the young witch—had never bothered with her personal life and would not have cared had she been involved with Charlie Baker, or, frankly, all of the band members at the same time. It took a certain type of person to manage anyone else, especially a group of male musicians with an ensemble of fans following them from one location to the other. If Kate could handle the pressure with the same amount of confidence that she had portrayed so far, if she could overcome the judgment, Piper believed that she could really become a force to be reckoned with in the music scene.

Piper had so many questions about vision and her future goals for herself and for the band but it mattered little what she wanted to ask. Even before the interview, her boss had made it perfectly clear that readership would be improved if the interview went in the direction of discussing the band rather than the young witch’s personal vision. And while Piper could say that she liked Kate, at least she liked what she had seen so far, she also loved her job and craved the recognition that they would give her if the numbers changed—as they had said. 

“I see,” Piper said, smiling politely, slightly tilting her head to the side, “but that doesn’t quite answer the question, now, does it? What do you mean by close? Perhaps you mean close on a professional level or best friends, do the two of you do shopping, can you answer questions about each other’s personal lives, have you,” she hesitated momentarily, more for effect rather than because she felt too shy to ask the question, “have you ever been romantically involved? I’d say that is the true question here, wouldn’t you say Catherine?” she turned to her assistant who only nodded in agreement. “But don’t mind these kind of personal questions, Ms. Duenas, fans are curious little things. Personally, I think that’s fantastic that the two of you aren’t involved,” she added.

She did not believe it, Piper knew that she must always doubt the people she interviewed, but she wanted to push the young witch, to get a rise out of her, she slightly leaned over her desk, lowering her voice, “I’ve read the tabloids too, you know, all those women he’s been seen with—well I’d hate to know what sorts of things he gets into with them behind closed doors, and I certainly wouldn’t want anything to do with a man who couldn’t be at least more discreet about his conquests.” She said, “Anyway, let’s see here,” Piper paused to check her notes, taking a glance at the young girl to see if anything had changed, “oh right—as a woman in charge it must be difficult to find a companion and at nineteen, well a little romance certainly won’t hurt, how do you balance romance and your career, surely your good mate Charlie has introduced you to a few of his handsome friends?"