Private Balancing Act

[Braze]

Aris Noble

Braze hadn't had much time to spend with his peers. The older ones were knights, burdened with war and duty, while those his own age or younger were padawans, helping where and when they could. It was immensely stressful, and to top it all off, Braze felt as if someone had carved out his heart, leaving a gaping void in his chest. He was soarly missing Jasper's presence.

He had done his best to double down on his stoic outlook, reinforcing the ironclad walls around his emotions. But every so often, when he lingered too long on how suddenly everything had unraveled, the cracks began to show. Tears would slip free despite his best efforts to maintain a calm facade.

It was jarring—to catch sight of himself in a mirror, a perfectly neutral expression staring back at him, yet with silent tears streaming down his face. He couldn't stop them, couldn't control the way grief bled through the armor he'd spent years forging.

Even as he stood before Ilaria Morvayne , explaining his views on the temple, Braze betrayed no trace of the turmoil roiling within him. His expression remained composed, his voice measured, and his mental shields held firm—an impenetrable fortress against any prying senses. No flicker of doubt, no tremor of hesitation. Nearly no one ever found cause for concern, no reason to question the perfect control he wielded like a weapon.

He was a Jedi Knight. Composure was his duty. Strength, his obligation. And worry—worry was a burden he refused to place upon others.

But today promised to be different. Today would be a fun day, a positive day—a day for recreation.

Braze hadn’t spent much time with Aris, always feeling like he was on the outside looking in. He didn’t fully understand the challenges Aris faced—or rather, he couldn’t quite comprehend them. Their struggles were different, their experiences shaped by things he had never lived through. But that didn’t change the simple fact that he wanted to be friends.

He just wasn’t sure how. Or if he was doing it right.

But a long time ago, he had decided that wouldn’t stop him. He would keep trying with Aris, no matter how uncertain he felt.

And today, he was finally going to see what a hoverboard was—and how Aris used one.

He had heard about them before, of course, but never had the time or the opportunity to try one himself. From what little he knew, they required balance, finesse, and a bit of daring—qualities he liked to think he had. But Aris made everythibg seem effortless. Braze wondered how he might preform today.

Maybe today, for just a little while, he could set aside everything else. Maybe today, he could just enjoy the moment.

 

[Aris Noble]

"So this is the one I built with mom. I sorta built it on my own at first, from scraps. Turns out being able to superheat your hands makes forging a little easier. Mom ended up letting me borrow some parts to make it look better, and I've been working on it for a couple years to smooth it out." It wasn't professional to any degree as he lifted it up, but it was built quite solidly. Wood and metal together, treated and retreated to look smooth and whole. It was simple in design, certainly, but a closer look showed how it was literally shaped by hand. Grooves where there shouldn't be in a machine process.

At first, Aris used to try and fix those. Had, even, with the prototype. Now? Now it made him feel more human to have.

"The engine on the back is what keeps it moving, you control it with your foot, more pressure means faster sorta thing. Otherwise, it's all how you balance that shows where it goes."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze cast a curious glance at the hoverboard, studying it.

"You did a good job with it. It looks really nice. I didn’t know Valery was into building things. I like building stuff a lot. It’s one of my favorite pastimes. There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when a project you’ve been working on is finally finished, when you can step back and admire all the hours you spent painstakingly piecing it together," he offered.

He knew mechanical work was different from sculpting, but both gave him that same state of flow, that inner zen where he became so caught in the moment of creation that the rest of the world and his worries faded from thought.

At the mention of balance, he visibly perked up. Balance was something he could do.

"Have you learned any neat tricks with it yet?" Braze asked curiously.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Mom prefers speeders, but she helped me a lot with this." It was their thing, him and Valery Noble . What they bonded over, what they did together. Maybe he should make a new board some time with her, something just for them to do outside of all this battling and war. "I know some tricks, yeah. It helps with how durable I am that I can experiment pretty freely and figure out what might work."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze smirked, "Why don't you show me your wildest, coolest trick? No holding back." His tone carried an easy challenge, the kind that dared Aris to step up and impress.

"Unless, of course, you're worried I might actually pull it off better." The tease was light but deliberate, just enough to nudge Aris into action. Braze wasn't a hoverboarder, but he knew how to push someone toward their best.

 

[Aris Noble]

"My best trick?"

What counted as his best trick? Aris mulled over the thought for a moment longer before hopping onto the board. It kicked to life as he seemed perfectly at home on it, balancing with seeming ease. He'd been using it for years now, why wouldn't he? A softer expression took over, a real one that rarely showed before he crouched, kicked on the engine, then sped right off.

If Braze wanted to see the best, then, he would.

It took only a moment before Aris wasn't just coasting over the ground but launching straight up in the air. Just enough for the trick itself. Then, freefall. His smile widened to a grin as he plummeted back to the earth, the engine cut off entirely. And he spun, twisted and turned with a free hearted laugh before just at the last second, just when he would hit he ground the engine kicked back on and he was suddenly coasting again, right back towards Braze with the same grin.

He'd hop off after a moment, leaving the board on before motioning towards Braze.

"Wanna give it a try?"

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze stood watching,crossing his arms loosely allowing his weight to shift as he tracked Aris's movements with a scrutinizing gaze. He cataloged and assessed the trick as if instinct alone weren't enough. The way the board responded, the precision of the fall, the timing of the restart.

And then there was him.

The way Aris grinned, reckless and sure. It was joy, pure and simple.

Then the offer came. The board, still humming with energy, waiting.

"I don't know how it works. " Braze offered, he had a faint smile on his features seemingly happy to see that Aris was enjoying himself. " Can you explain it to me a little more?"

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris would get very into the technical side of things. His min remembered facts and blueprints as if it very much was a computer, and him listing it off was very much as if he was reading from a manual. That he'd sort of written himself, by all accounts. A very, very tech heavy manual. ".. And that's all there is to it. Actual control is just speeding and slowing the back thruster, and balance."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Stepping back, he listened as Aris dove straight into an explanation. He rattled off the mechanics, detailing every component, every function, every bit of fine-tuning he had done. The words came fast, like he had all the specs memorized in perfect detail. Braze nodded along, trying to keep up, but the sheer amount of information was overwhelming.

His lips twitched in amusement. "That's, ah… a lot to take in."

Braze stepped onto the board, adjusting his weight carefully. The surface was more sensitive than he expected, tilting with even the smallest shift. He tried to compensate, bending his knees slightly to steady himself. For a brief second, it felt like he had it under control.

Then he pushed forward.

The movement threw him off. The board reacted faster than he anticipated, and his stance wobbled dangerously. His arms flailed for balance, but it was no use. Instead of wiping out completely, he hopped off, feet hitting the ground as the board spun out slightly without him. He reached out to catch it with the force.

A short laugh escaped him as he shook his head. "Alright, I see why you said balance is everything."

Braze offered it back to Aris. A grin lingered on his face. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll leave the hoverboarding stunts to you. I'd rather not spend the next few hours with bruises I'll have to pretend don't hurt."

Deciding to shift the conversation, he glanced at Aris. "Where do you normally like to go when flying?"

As he spoke, he reached into his backpack, pulling out his Sky Skimmers. The lightweight flight boots he had brought just in case, though he doubted he'd be able to keep up with Aris. Still, if they were going somewhere, he wasn't about to stay grounded.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"If you're sure."

Aris smiled faintly, nodding his head. It wasn't for everyone, he knew. But at least Braze seemed to mostly get it. He hopped back on to his board, glancing to what Braze had pulled out before motioning out towards the water. "Usually over the water. It's safer for if I crash, and, I just enjoy it a lot. The water is fantastic to fly over."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

"Over the water it is," he said, snapping his skates into place.

With a sudden gust of wind propelling him forward, he took off, aiming for a head start. As he zipped ahead, he shot Aris a smirk over his shoulder.

"Hurry up, slowpoke!"

Braze didn't seem to care about the stuffy etiquette of a Jedi today—he just wanted to have fun with a friend.

 

[Aris Noble]

Slowpoke?

Aris squinted before he hopped back onto his board to take off right after Braze, the engine on his board kicking on as he soared over the water to catch back up to the other boy as they sailed over the waters. Crisp and clear it held the reflection of the two sailing above, rippling under the speed of their trustors.

"I'm not slow, you know!"

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze shifted his trajectory, sailing through the air and flipping upside down near Aris. "You suuuuuuure you ain't slow? Took you a little to say that~" he teased, knowing full well that Aris's hoverboard could outpace his skates with ease in the open sky.

He'd never really gone out of his way to be an absolute pest to Aris before—not in that annoying, sibling-like way. But now? Now seemed like a fun time to poke the proverbial bear, so to speak. After all, if Aris could handle Vera Noble , maybe he was well-equipped to deal with a little brattish behavior from a peer. Only testing the waters would tell.

Braze stifled a chuckle, as if his playful accusation of Aris being slow was some undeniable truth, one he alone understood despite all evidence to the contrary.

Shifting his weight, he redirected a small gust beneath him, climbing higher over the ocean. The cool sea wind rushed past, tousling his snowy-white hair. He hovered at the apex for a moment, letting the wind whip around him as he took in the breathtaking view.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"That's- not how that works?"

Aris tilted his head in confusion as he sped along to catch up beside Braze. By the smile on the boys face though it was clear that he was teasing. He blinked slowly before his brow knitted together just a bit. He sped across the water, ducking lower to help with that until he ended up beside Braze, even in front of him.

"The only thing quick about you seems to be your wit you know."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

Braze chuckled at Aris's remark, a glint of mischief in his gaze. "Oh, come now… that's not the only thing that's quick," he countered, lips curling into a knowing smirk. "I like to think it's sharper than quick—but together, well, that's a dangerous combination. One that tends to land me in increasingly difficult situations."\

He exhaled, tilting his head as if recalling something particularly reckless. "Like that time on Korriban…" His voice trailed off for a beat before his curiosity took hold. "Speaking of which; did you ever find what you were looking for? Or was that whole suicide mission just another entry in our ever-growing list of bad decisions?"

He asked shifting about to move backwards oddly as he swept his hands in slow motions almost like one would do if they were swimming backwards.

 

[Aris Noble]

Ah, right. Korriban. Aris's expression dipped a little. Not into sadness or anything, just.. Calm. "Something like that." He wasn't going to tell Braze everything. He couldn't. There was the feeling that Carnifex would know if he did, and after what happened with Vera he wasn't going to endanger another of his friends. The smile returned as he flashed a grin.

"It's still working, but I should get the answer I'm looking for soon enough."

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

​

Braze shifted to hover upside down, arms crossed, tilting his head curiously as he looked at Aris.
"And what happens if it's an answer you didn't want?" he asked, genuinely intrigued.

He couldn't always read Aris's emotions, but every now and then, he caught glimpses only a friend would notice.
"Did you ever tell your parents about what happened?" he asked, unsure if things had ever come to a head with Aris's family. "You know Valery Noble is kinda my boss now right?"

Braze hadn't been privy to that part. If there even was a part. But it would be nice to know if it was still a secret he was meant to keep... or not.

 

[Aris Noble]

"I'll handle it. I doubt it's anything too important anyway." He was lying, of course. Whatever the Forge was was incredibly important, to him, to his people. Possibly even more, considering Darth Carnifex 's interest. But he wasn't going to tell that to Braze. Especially given what Braze said next. Having to tell his mother was only going to pull her away from all the wars currently ongoing. What her focus needed to be on.

He could and would handle this. Alone.

"Did you make those skates yourself?"

Braze

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Aris Noble

​

There it was. Braze could tell he was lying.

Not because of anything dramatic, there were no shifty eyes or guilty look. Just… a little too quick to move on. Like he didn't want to stay in the moment for too long, afraid it might crack open if he did.

He was dodging. Not clumsily, but clearly enough if you were paying attention. And Braze was.

The subject slipped away almost as soon as it came up, swept under the rug like it didn't matter. Except it clearly did. You didn't brush something off like that unless it mattered.

And then—just like that—he switched gears.

"Did you make those skates yourself?"

Braze blinked, caught off guard by the shift. It wasn't just changing the subject. It was shielding something. Like maybe if he talked fast enough, Braze wouldn't see it. But he did. Braze knew this kind of game all too well as he recognized actions he himself did very often.
"You know…" Braze started, voice quiet but firm, "no one just casually walks into a Sith Kingdom capital… then makes their way to some oversized station to pull stolen intel from right under Darth Carnifex's nose in his own dominion—for something that's not important."

He glanced over, expression unreadable but eyes sharp. "You don't have to tell me anything. Just don't insult me."

"Whatever you're wrapped up in," Braze said after a few long moments as he shifted to be right side up and leaned back, "I hope you're ready for what it'll cost you. Because people like Carnifex don't just let things go... And if you think doing this alone makes you stronger?" he muttered. "It doesn't. It just makes you a target. You're not invisible, and you're definitely not invincible."

Braze sighed however and shook his head, knowing this was not the time or place to argue about it.
"Just promise me you won't die. You're the only friendly rival I have, and I'd rather not have to find another."

Braze understood the desire to learn about one's culture, and to know where you came from, and why it mattered. To find a place in the galaxy that felt like it was yours, not just where you happened to land. The need to belong… was human.

 

[Aris Noble]

"I know my grandfather better than you think. I exist because of what he did to my dad." A lecture wasn't what Aris expected. Nor was it something the boy wanted. His expression blanked as he looked ahead. "I won't let anyone die." It was why he wasn't going to tell anyone what was going on. He could handle it. No one else would be at risk. He wouldn't let anyone else be at risk.

He smiled after a moment, more grinning at Braze than anything.

"I dunno where you got the idea I think I'm invincible though. Every time we've fought something together it's always you carrying me away."

Braze