Oh, how I love these two.
Fun fact: In the original draft, Briar was supposed to die at the end of Renegade Skyfarer (and Jade was supposed to lose her entire arm). But I couldn’t kill Briar. He’d become too important to me. He was the patient insight to Jade’s emotional volatility, and he was the sweetness to Krista’s spice. How could I kill my Briar?
Spoiler: I couldn’t.
He still went through the wringer, but he lived. And I utterly adore his gentle soul. He can fight when provoked, but he’d much rather be in the kitchen, or gardening, or wooing Krista.
And Krista…sweet sassafrass. I didn’t intend to model her off anyone in real life, but there are so many Krista-isms that are inadvertant echoes to firecrackers I know and love (and yes, they sometimes scare me as much as Krista scared Weston in Void Born). How can her personality not reach the heights of the sky, when having grown up on an airship where the sky is the literal limit? When her passion and job is working with hot and dangerous elements in an engine room, and making them work for her?
Much like some of my IRL friends, Krista (and Briar) can speak gentle truths to a hurting heart…and also whack some sense into the thick-skulled when needed (and then soothe that ache with a cookie after). Which actually reminds me. I don’t remember if I’ve ever shared Briar’s cinnamon spice cookie recipe here. I should remedy that soon.
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