EMPLOYEE INTERVIEW: KENNETH 'KENVIE' LOTHIAN, OFFICE AND ARCHIVE MANAGEMENT

The following is a transcript of an interview between Kenneth Lothian and ███ ████.

███ ████: Can you please state your name and codename for the records?

LOTHIAN: Kenneth Jackdaw Victor Lothian. The Hunter. They call me Kenvie around the office.

███ ████: What is your role at Everwood Ink?

LOTHIAN: I work in office and archive management. I maintain the archives, attend meetings, and generally assist with the business side of the organisation.

███ ████: And your specialist field?

LOTHIAN: Non-humanoid creature pursuit. Monster-hunting, in Layman’s terms - tracking, subduing, eliminating... the whole works.

███ ████: What drew you to that line of work initially?

LOTHIAN: I’m from a dedicated line of monster-hunters. The Lothians have been tracking and hunting the supernatural since before a lot of these creatures had names. My father, rest his soul, was one of the leading investigators in Operation Deepscan, the Loch Ness exploration. It seemed only natural that I should follow in those footsteps, and as such I sought out Everwood Ink. I was a dedicated field operative in my youth, and I am still called upon for cases of extreme monster pursuit.

███ ████: You were a field operative? What was that like for you?

LOTHIAN: Not nearly as negative as people make it out to be. I suppose it runs in my blood, but I’ve always excelled at those sorts of things. I wouldn’t mind still working in the field now, if circumstances allowed. Unfortunately, I was forced into a less active role, after a monster attack wiped out my group. I escaped… mostly unscathed, and received an office position for my dedication.

███ ████: Would you elaborate on 'mostly unscathed'?

LOTHIAN: ...I sustained some rather nasty damage to my eyes. More than physical injury, the attack... did something to them, something I can't recover from. I’m not quite as sharp to react as I was before, and thus management felt it best I be transferred to the archives.

███ ████: And that’s why your hair changes colour, too?

LOTHIAN: Oh. Oh, no, that was a different field mission. I was cursed by a witch. Entirely harmless aside from the hair, more of an annoyance than anything.

███ ████: Right. Back to your position - what sort of things do the archive manage?

LOTHIAN: Research materials pass through us - transcripts, video footage, photographs, the whole works. We categorise, file, and prioritise these pieces of information, distribute them to the appropriate sectors, and generally keep everything neat, tidy, and undamaged. We also work on preserving and transferring older documents, maintaining them so they can continue to be used for research.

███ ████: Do you get called away from that often, for those 'extreme cases' you mentioned?

LOTHIAN: Once or twice a month. The disruption is… manageable. I primarily handle monsters who have caused trouble for junior field operatives, major public safety issues - I also have a more… personal connection with our previous employees, which often demands my attention.

███ ████: Could you elaborate on that?

LOTHIAN: I cannot. Just let it be known that my skills are indispensable to the company, especially in regards to those… fired. I ensure their safety, and the safety of the organisation.

███ ████: Right. Then let’s move on to your current research. What are you working on currently for Everwood Ink?

LOTHIAN: Much of my archive work is classified, but I’ve also been undertaking a personal project through the company, documenting the Lothian family tree. In doing so, I’ve identified an interesting little… ‘blip’ in our family history, one from approximately the 1700s-1800s that doesn’t seem to be well-documented.

███ ████: What do you mean by a ‘blip’?

LOTHIAN: Well, in my family’s own records, Malcolm Lothian had one son, David Lothian. But I’ve recently uncovered documents through Everwood alleging a second, older son, one that we never see discussed in our own records. Achaius Lothian, who died in his late teens. By the looks of it, the family had a close encounter with a kelpie that took Achaius’ life.

███ ████: That’s horrible. Do you know why that might have been omitted from your own records?

LOTHIAN: Scandal, by the looks of it. Achaius Lothian wasn’t a particularly proficient monster-hunter, and it also seems he was… close with this kelpie.

███ ████: …friendship close, or... historical best friends close?

LOTHIAN: They were romantically involved. It appears the scandal of a monster-hunter being seduced by a monster was obscured from our family history.

███ ████: Oh dear.

LOTHIAN: You can see why this story caught my attention. I’ve been attempting to find what little documentation remains of this encounter, and fill in the gaps.

███ ████: As a monster-hunter yourself, how do you feel about that sort of family history?

LOTHIAN: …I don’t know. Not yet. But I’m sure I will, given time.

███ ████: Of course. Thank you, Kenneth, your interview will prove useful to the company.

LOTHIAN: I’m sure it’ll pass through my archive. Goodnight.