secondnature | IC CONTACT ( meadowlark )

remember that conversation we had about flying?

I remember.

What happened? You're opening with that for a reason. Right?

right!
something from home showed up that i want to show you

Got it.

Should I meet you somewhere?

yeah
my apartment is probably good enough for this

[ gps ping! ]

Got it. See you soon.

[Keith is technically on the clock, but he turns off the monitors inside of his taxi about three minutes later, assuming that's enough of a grace period. Once he comes near Kara's apartment, he lowers the taxi down, parking it in the street.

And then he stands outside of her apartment.

Awkwardly.

Because he's Keith.]

Do I need to be buzzed in?

[ she doesn't answer. instead, she races down the stairs and out the front door, grinning madly as she grabs keith's hand and tugs him towards the alley between her building and the next. ]

Look! [ she shows him her right hand and the ring on her middle finger. ] It's a flight ring. The alloy it's made of allows the user to fly, so long as they have the willpower to do so.

Not ... what I expected. [His face says these words, but then he actually speaks them. Keith reaches out to touch her ring. A special alloy, based on willpower—it's something that he's uniquely familiar with given his knife. He draws his hand back after a moment.

He had been expecting a ship.

Like, one that could go into space.

But this is somehow better, at least in terms of "in the meantime." A hovercar helps, but it isn't anything more than a bandaid. Then again, it's not like they can go into space. They'd suffocate. He's been there. It sucks.]

So—you can fly. Anywhere you want.

And I can take people with me. [ or lend out the ring, but she's. not quite ready to do that yet. ] So long as they don't mind piggybacking, that is.

Sure ... but does it make it easier to carry people? Or does it help with that? [Physics wise—which, let's be real, Keith's knowledge is limited on that front to what he needed to know as an astropilotnaut-guy for the Garrison—he has to ask. He's not exactly as tiny as he used to be, though he's small compared to most of the Galra. So, there's that?]

Ehhh... [ she wiggles her hand in a so-so motion. ] Not a lot? But I'm betting I could carry you easily.

[ she is tiny but mighty. even without the superstrength. ]

[Keith's arms cross. Should he doubt her? He's used to being picked up and thrown around by Galra. Jason has been the closest thing to that since he's gotten here. He's light-weight compared to most of them, but ... still ...]

Guess it wouldn't hurt to see if we can make it happen.

Good answer! [ she's taking that as permission to duck behind him and wrap her arms around his waist and then take off. ] Up, up, and away!

[No surprise here: Keith has never flown like this in his life. The closest he's come is being in space, or even using the jets that are available in his paladin suit. But like this? Not at all. He almost wants to tell her to fly the two of them out of the city, but they ought to be careful. There's no way of knowing if they'll actually seriously get in trouble for trying.

This is also not a condition in which people can talk easily, which is fine, because Keith is content to just ... look out over everything. And over the horizon, too.

This is amazing.]

Let me know if this starts hurting your arms or anything. [ she says like she's not the one carrying him...

they don't go too high up. a little above the roofs and in lazy circles around the neighborhood. kara's careful to keep an eye on the ground and the buildings around them. both so she can find a landing place when they need it and also because flying people is not exactly the norm here. ]

If it weren't for the power dampeners, I'd be able to take you higher and faster. For now-- [ she pauses, shifting her grip a bit. ] Lean back and keep your legs close to mine, if you can.

[ they're going horizontal. ]

[If this were anyone else, someone could make this into a cute and intimate (read: romantic) moment. But it's Keith, so he just does as she says, keeping his eyes open as they go horizontal, which is just amazing. Keith craves the level of control that this gives the two of them right now, even if his is only a facsimile of it provided by the circumstances.]

I've never thought about what it's like to fly like this. I've done it in space, and while I guess it can be terrifying ... it's not for me. Not in the least.

[ essentially laying in midair like this distributes keith's weight a little better. means kara won't get tired so quickly and they can do this for more than just a couple minutes. ]

It's the same for me. There was so much about landing on Earth that was frightening. But flying was never one of those things. It's like-- [ gods, how does she even explain it? ] It's like freedom, in a way.

[ she pauses, then laughs a little self-consciously. ]

That probably sounds cheesy.

No, it sounds fine. [Kara hasn't gotten a friendship speech from Keith yet, but there is a high likelihood of it happening in the future. It's part of his cute awkwardness when he plays leader and doesn't feel like he's under fire.]

Even before I knew ... what I was, I always wanted to go to space. I didn't think I could. But it happened. And it felt freeing. It was. I found myself out there.

[As a part of the galaxy as a whole.

A part of the cosmology of it all.]

I get it.

IC CONTACT ( meadowlark )

@kara.lang

is that icon mark bagley

no but it sure looks like it

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