Private Where No One Goes

[Braze]

TAGS: Casaana

Braze arrived at the vibrant spaceport of Haleoda, the bustling capital of Kattada. The air was warm, carrying the scent of fresh saltwater and tropical flowers. It was a planet well known for it's pristine beaches and endless blue oceans and he could certainly see why as he gazed out across the seemingly endless azure expanse before him.

He was hoping to pay a visit to a new friend of his. Casana had a project regarding her Skyhopper, and today seemed like the perfect day to see to her first voyage on it. From what Braze could tell, she had it all fixed up now, and he was curious to see what she'd done to it. He went to go find his friend at the meet up location and padded out on to the landing pad. There was a soft balmy breeze and the sky was clear. Paradise like weather perfect for the occasion.

Braze called out, a grin tugging at his lips. "Hey Casaana ! You've got it all fixed up. I'm impressed at the work you've done. What's the plan for the first flight? Have you given 'her' a name yet?"

​

 

[Casaana]

Hearing her name called out, Casaana looked up from the hammock she had been napping in from the shadow of the Quonset hut she was using as a hanger. "Hey Braze! You made it!" She gave him a smile as she sat up to swing her legs free of the hammock's netting. She'd half been expecting him, never too sure what the wars were doing with intra galactic traffic. "Just in time, too. Already got my pre-flight cleared and just waiting on the evening traffic to die down." She checked her chrono, a large men's model strapped to her wrist that poked out of the stained coveralls she was wearing as she ambled closer to give him a hug, really pulling him in after not seeing him for so long. "I've mostly been calling it things that'd get me in trouble. You can only lose the same fastener or smash a finger so many times before you need to vent. But really, Zephyrs are really easy to work on. Really easy."

She led him to the big front door of the weather beaten hanger and pushed it open along its tracks to reveal the emerald green body of the skyhopper. It had a long and thin nose that led to a ball cockpit domed in transparent theadian which sat just behind slightly forward-swept rectangular wings. Behind the cockpit which seemed to bulge out the curves of the aero frame, peeked the singular large turbothruster along with its air brake on its mounting. "Isn't it beautiful?" She asked, running a hand along the waxed surface. The Zephyr didn't have its optional under-slung cannon. Hers was cheaper for it, and she figured lighter and more aerodynamic without.
Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Casaana

Braze perked up hearing her familiar voice. He padded closer and hugged her tighter, even lifting her a few inches with the force of his embrace before gently setting her down again. He glanced at her chrono with curiosity. "That's a nice model," he complimented, admiring the craftsmanship. It seemed Braze had grown up just a little more. He was a bit more muscled, and slightly taller. He hadn't grown as quickly as Aris Noble , but he was changing all the same as time passed.

He had come to enjoy Casaana's company and often wished for more time to spend with friends, doing fun things. Suffice to say, today was a real treat.

Braze stifled a laugh at her response to the name. "Ah, I always find those kinds of words the most fun to come up with in unique combinations," he said, grinning.

He allowed his jade green gaze to sweep over the emerald green body, taking in all the subtle curves of the design. Walking around it, he gave it a curious once-over before replying, "Very much so. That's a stunning paint job." He couldn't help but admire the intense emerald green; it was such a pretty color, one that seemed to almost shimmer in the light.

"Want any help moving it out into the open?" he asked, offering her an excited look. He felt a rush of anticipation just thinking about it. For Braze, the untamed freedom that flying provided was something special, and he was eager for Casaana to experience that same thrill today. Nothing quite compared to the sensation of having your own craft to glide through the skies with.

"Oh... I made this for you. " He moved to hand her a glass vial with a decorative little plant atop it al crafted from glass. Inside the bottle was a fragrance that balanced freshness with warmth. The bright, citrusy bergamot opened the scent, quickly followed by a spicy hint of pink pepper. At its heart, sweet jasmine and calming lavender blended together, adding a soft, floral touch. The base was grounded in an almost creamy sandalwood, with a warm amber finish that lingered, wrapping everything in a subtle, sweet warmth. It was a scent that combined strength and elegance, with a balance of masculine depth and feminine sweetness of typical perfumes. "I was thinking of calling it Velvet Ember. "

 

[Casaana]

Huh? Wha? Buwah? Casaana's mind did a few mental loops as Braze casually handed her the vial of perfume past the Zephyr's nose. "That's... that's a nice name." She said, taking it and pulling the stopper to take a whiff that rocked her head back before she sent in for another, more gentle sniff. "Lot of sharp smells. I like the orange through, and the flowers." She placed her wrist over the opening and tilted a little onto the skin there before stoppering the perfume again.

Her brain was double shocked, first at the usually romantic gift....? That he'd made? And then the deep scent of it that she was still processing. Also was he hitting on her? Well, no... but indicating an interest? What about Loomi? Ohhh dear, hopefully inviting Braze out here hadn't been a mistake. She ran through a quick meditation exercise, before remembering he'd asked other questions too. "Force!" She blurted. "And um, repulsors. Was just going to power it out." She pointed out to the sand, and then to the wheels to clarify. "No hard top to roll on." It really was the cheapest hanger space for a reason. At least the air con had started working once she'd replaced the coil. Also that was a terrible name, velvet would burn if you put an ember on it. Also, embers didn't feel like velvet.

"I'm going to check if I've got flight permission yet. You bring your own ship out? I figured we could go through a few moves, play follow the leader or something." She pulled herself up the ladder and through the clamshell opening into the skyhopper's cockpit, where she was grateful Braze couldn't see her face anymore. She dropped the decorative vial into a chest pocket and pulled on a helmet in the A-Wing style, making sure to tuck her banes back as she settled onto the speeder-like seat. "Get your head together," she muttered to herself under her breath as she brought the power up on the Zephyr and plugged in her ID code. "Got a ping from the tower! We're all clear to free fly all around as long as we stay away from the airfield."
Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Casaana

Braze stood beside the side of the Zephyr, crossing his arms as he watched Casaana's reactions with mild amusement. He'd expected some confusion; Handing over a bottle of perfume wasn't exactly the most typical interaction between friends, but he hadn't expected that level of fluster.

"Orange and flowers, huh?" he echoed, tilting his head. "Yeah, I thought you'd like something with a bit of a sharp edge to it. Something that stands out. I'll keep that in mind for the future that you enjoy citrus scents." His tone was casual.

He looked towards the where she'd pointed, nodding at her explanation. " Makes sense, though I wouldn't mind seeing you power through it manually. Bet you'd make it work anyway." A small smirk crossed his face, but it vanished quickly as he stepped away stretching slightly.

Her sudden scramble up the ladder and the way she seemed to bury herself in the cockpit didn't go unnoticed. Was she always this jumpy, or did I just throw her off that badly?

"Yeah I brought the ashwing with me. " He turned on his heel, already heading towards where he'd left the star fighter. "I'll meet you in the air. Try not to lose me too fast, yeah?" He cast a glance back over his shoulder, a knowing glint in his somber jade green eyes.

 

[Casaana]

'Sharp edge to it?' What did that mean? Well, she could be rather rambunctious. Or had been. Something about actually having work to do and long periods of quiet had changed her. Maybe. Looking over the controls laid out before her, she thought back to their first meeting. How she'd barged into his boys only pillow fort and made space for herself. Maybe she had grown up some, maybe she should try to reclaim some of that spirit.

Once power had come on and the systems cleared green, she toggled one of the Zephyr's displays over to communications and sent her clearance to traffic control, remembering to add a plus one to the free flight for Braze. Things were pretty laid back on Kattada, especially above the surface. If it weren't for tourist shuttles coming into some of the ports around here, there likely wouldn't even have been a need for an ATC. Flipping through the options, she also sent a link request over to Braze's transponder signal requesting open comms and a flight link that would tell their avionics they were a squad together.

Flitting her fingers into the switch groves of the controls as she took them into hand, she gently eased the repulsors on and throttled them forward, making sure she was well clear of the shabby little Quonset before activating the turbo thruster. Even at idle, she could feel the thrum of the vibrations in the skyhopper's lightweight frame. Pausing, she considered what to do next. Every instruction and guided flight she'd done before had the pilot, her, gaining altitude on repulsors until a safe cruising altitude. But this was also her first solo flight and the maiden flight of her Zephyr. She eyed the controls before shifting her gaze to the sensor map. The skies were clear, she had twenty yards of sand before hitting the ocean. Twisting her wrist bought her another few meters of ground clearance, enough to retract the landing gear. She knew she shouldn't, but something in the little ship seemed to be urging her on, going "come on then!"

The turbothruster let out a throaty roar as Casaana gunned the throttle up to full, the outsized engine pushing the light craft out over the water to send up a tail spray from the wake left behind. Grinning in joy, she stifled a laugh, instead pulling back on the controls and going into a vertical climb which she rolled out of. "Braze, you there?" She called out over the comm, joy evident in her voice. "This makes all that mechanical work soooo worth it!"
Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Casaana

​

Braze patched their communications together as the request came through. He smiled at the sound of her voice and keyed up his mic to respond.

"Yeah, I'm here, and I can hear you loud and clear."

He grinned wider at the excitement threading through her words. It was infectious.

"Oh yeah—shoot for the sky, Casanna!" he called back, his voice brimming with boisterous cheer.

Flying was, without a doubt, one of the coolest things he could think of. The ultimate freedom. He thrived on that kind of exhilaration, the kind that sent his heart racing, the kind that felt like an addiction he never wanted to shake.

"You're doing great out there," he assured her.

He had chosen to take a slower approach, hanging back just in case—stars forbid—something went wrong.

 

[Casaana]

She let gravity pull her back as she held on with clenched thighs to the speeder-like seat and the controls before she toggled the dampners on. Once she could feel them working, she put the light craft into a vertical roll that she pulled out of to fly inverted for a moment before righting herself again. She found herself smiling a big idiot grin as she called out to Braze again. "Okay! This is not like shuttle flying!" And it wasn't, even the relatively nimble shuttles had seemed sedate, and she'd been taught to fly those in a normal way that wouldn't draw attention on any planet she ever visited, which made them extra boring. Stuffy even. Like when a dad first teaches his child to drive the family speeder.

Finding the blip of Braze's fighter on the screen currently displaying the scanner, she brought the nose around, overshot, and corrected to fly parallel with his trajectory for a bit before succumbing to whimsy a moment later and putting the Zephyr through a series of wide banks along their path out over the sparkling ocean waters far below. "Another minute, and we'll be far enough out from the city's surface water to play around." She commed Braze again, letting him know about the invisible boundary line as she cycled through her instrument readings now that she was flying. Everything looked good, and she had a good feeling about the little craft as she lofted it up and over a wisp of cloud that barely marred the blue sky.
Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Casaana

"I noticed," Braze commed back, his tone even but not entirely masking the touch of amusement that laced his voice.

"Try not to spin yourself into the ocean before we get there," he added after a beat, banking his own fighter with far more restraint, staying just ahead of her trajectory but not interfering.

Still, even as he leveled out, he couldn't help but feel the itch in his fingers, wondering perhaps what it would be like to throw precision to the wind. To let instinct pull him into something untamed for the sake of it with some one else.

But he let the thought pass, watching the Zephyr carve a path through the sky. "One minute, then," he acknowledged, tone settling back into something composed. "Show me what you've got."

​

 

[Casaana]

Pouting a bit, Casaana throttled back before sliding into position some distance off Braze's wing. Not as close as a wingman should be, she thought, but she didn't feel ready to try formation flying or giving up the extra maneuvering room. She might need it to make mistakes in. Waiting, she could smell the perfume Braze had made for her filling the cockpit with its scent. Velvet Ember, named after her. What did that mean? Maybe she was reading too much into things, he'd had a habit of showering the girls around him with gifts. The dresses he'd given her during a shopping trip with himself, Loomi, and Azurine still hung in her closet. They were safe there except on the few occasions she had to wear one. Otherwise, they'd be like the smell of perfume, out of place in the skyhopper's cockpit, still smelling of chemical sealant and that dusty oil smell old parts seemed to accumulate.

Once across the imaginary line of being far enough out and he let her cut loose, Casaana again opened the throttle wide. This time thumbing the button that kicked on the SLAB afterburner to turn the little aero frame into a rocket. The acceleration pulled her back along the saddle as she hung onto the controls, her thighs reflexively clenching down to hold herself in place. Panting, she cut the burner, but kept the throttle open. Well that was her first modification to do, get a good inertial dampener installed into this thing. Coming out of the boost, Casaana went into a roll while pulling back, starting a very basic but defensive canopy roll. She figured Braze was on her six and he'd wanted to see what she could do.
Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Casaana

Braze was blissfully unaware of the mixed thoughts swirling in Casaana's mind as she over-analyzed the seemingly innocuous gift of perfume. To him, it had simply been a gesture aimed at an expression of admiration rather than a declaration of deeper feelings.

He maintained a significant distance behind her skyhopper, watching intently as she executed a series of impressive maneuvers. Her confidence radiated through the cockpit, and he couldn't help but admire her flair. While he hung back, allowing her the space she needed, he felt a swell of pride; she was proving to be a formidable pilot, even if he remained just out of reach.

Each tight roll and graceful manuver had him grinning, like he was witnessing a holo-reel come to life, except this wasn't staged; this was Casaana, in her element, and she was dazzling.

"Keep flying like that and the sky's gonna have to work harder to keep up."

​

 

[Casaana]

Coming out of the looping roll, Braze had her laughing as she enjoyed the sheer freedom of it. Once she understood the easy controls, it was almost as if the nimble skyhopper were reading her mind. Catching sight of Braze's Ashwing in the rearview gave her a thought, and her grin spread even more. Being in front was good for a race, but they were in nimble little fighters. Being on the other's six was what you really wanted.

Leaving the throttle on full, She yanked back on the yoke, pulling the Zephyr into a tight loop as its turbothruster roared its approval behind her. The maneuver pressed her into the saddle as the endless horizon gave way to endless water and back to sky as Casaana cast around for Braze's fighter.
Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Casaana

Braze's fighter fell in behind the Zephyr, matching her arc as she looped through the sky, sunlight dancing off her hull. He caught a glimpse of her profile through the cockpit. There was something infectious about her excitement, raw and untamed.

"Not bad at all, flygirl," he commed with a quiet chuckle, "I think you've officially broken her in."

He let the silence stretch for a moment, letting the hum of engines and wind rush fill the space between them. The ocean sparkled below like a shimmering blanket of blue.

"It's exhilarating isn't it ?" ​

 

[Casaana]

Coming out of the loop she saw.... empty sky. A glance at the scanner showed her Braze was still on her tail after effortlessly following her through the loop. She laughed at his comments as he radioed in, unashamedly letting it transmit back to him. "I know I've already said it, but this is not like shuttle flying!" She enthused before going into another spin that she ended by pulling into a dive. Below her, she could see the evening sun reflecting off the ocean to turn the white caps a brilliant orange.

The few seconds it took to take in the view seemed to stretch on forever before she pulled out of the dive. From there, she and Braze spent the rest of the short evening playing chase and pretending to 'tag' each other before she called it quits as the sun was beginning to touch the horizon. Landing outside her makeshift Quonset hanger in the last of the day's light, she and Braze made a fire on the beach before breaking out a dinner and talking about the experience and life in general.
Braze