SCENE 12

Greetings, fellow readers!

Here we are. A plan has been set, everyone is on the same page, and they all have their individual missions to work on. Granted, both Maren and Koda have to wait for Mav to complete his goal before they can move, so they do have to be passive, at least for a little while.

One thing I find interesting with this scene, as well as the others involving Maren and Koda interactions, is how quickly the conversation flows. We have two competent, intelligent, and active characters working together, though their goals don't exactly align. They get to the point of the conversation, are very perceptive of each others' meanings, and are essentially making business transactions. Sure, they have a moment or two where they are less serious (like when Maren bashfully looked away after her own "immaturity" is called out), but for the most part, their growing relationship is entirely professional, not at all personal.

I think these kinds of dialogs work quite well, but sparingly. And, to be honest, those types of conversations are not as fun to write as getting two people who are quite different in their demeanor -- like Koda and Mav -- to has things out. So much more personality can be shown, so much more depth of character, when opposites attract. Not saying we can't see either of their personalities in this exchange, it's just not as engaging from a character-development perspective (but very good for plot development).