Ira Valentine

Gentle as the Carmedil breeze
Ira was born and raised in the south of Carmedil, a western province of the Cerulean Empire. It is said that Carmedilians are a kind and tame people, and Ira is the perfect example of this. Always happy to help and lend a shoulder to cry on, Ira's parents even considered him too soft for the turbulent times he was born in. If you were to ask him, Ira's ideal life would consist of tending to a small herd of Erva, flying a kite when the wind is good, and having nice conversations with the neighbors. Despite his best efforts, Ira just can't seem to hold an angry expression for too long.

War devours kind souls first
Ira never considered himself much of a patriot. He wouldn't have even joined the army if it wasn't for the developing war against Arabelean separationists north of the Rift, and the empire-wide enlistment. Despite his opinion on independence of Arabelean territories greatly clashing with those of the Empire, Ira decided to do "what's right" and join the war effort on the Cerulean side. Many times he had to bite his tongue when around his fellow soldiers, as to not cause a scene and provoke them into conflict. Soon enough Ira proved himself to be quite a talented pilot, and was swiftly transferred into the Air Force of the Imperial Army. "Foot soldiers are like dust, you can find 'em everywhere. But a good pilot Ira... A good pilot is worth his weight in gold".

The first, never forgotten love
"Greymist" is the plane that allowed Ira to shoot down his first enemy during his very first aerial fight. This peculiar name comes from the constant stream of bullet patches of metal that were hastily added to the craft in-between fights. Often these patches would slightly vary in the shade of grey, giving the plane a mottled look. Ira quickly fell in love with Greymist and made sure that "she" always received the best possible mechanical care after each altercation. "Don't touch the paint job, it makes her even more special!"

Ace in exile
From the first time he took off, Ira knew he was born to be fly. During his time with Cerulean Air Force Ira became something of a local legend, respected and revered for his incredible piloting skills. His gentle character made it quite easy to love him. He quickly befriended his co-pilot Anselm, who just so happens to be the son of the General of the Air Force. Two of them seemed to mesh well and were an extraordinary flying team, earning a place in history books for ages to come. In the background, Anselm was slowly growing more and more fed up with just being "the co-pilot of Invincible Ira". Sometimes around midnight prior to an inspection Anselm hijacked a plane and flew it around, trying to prove to the shadows that he is just as good(if not better) a pilot as Ira. Luckily the resulting crash had no casualties. With the power of his family name and his father's influence, the blame was quickly placed on Ira, who according to the report: "drunkenly forced his co-pilot into a dangerous flying challenge". Not only was Ira threatened with a discharge, he was promised incarceration if he was to raise his voice against the accusations. In a spur of panic, Ira jumped into the recently fixed Greymist and just flied until there was no fuel left.

Ira and Greymist north of the Rift
The night finally caught up to Greymist. Flying across the Rift that halves the continent, Ira realized that he truly didn't care under whose flag he was flying. All that mattered was the flight itself. Just as he was running out of fuel, Ira finally crept up to one of the Arabelean strongholds. He was quickly confronted by Arabelean pilots who surely weren't expecting a tattered Cerulean plane to fly in. Against better judgement, they allowed him to safely land and explain himself.  Upon meeting with the first awake high-rank Arabelean, Ira poured his heart out and begged to be allowed to fly, even if it meant he was fighting against his own kind. Flabbergasted by his story and status as an aerial legend, Arabeleans were quick to take him up on his offer. With a new perspective on everything he believed to be true until that point, Ira Valentine joined the separationist forces, pledging his loyalty to the Arabelean war efforts(as long as they let him fly that is).

Meeting the One
Surprisingly enough, Arabeleans quickly accepted Ira as one of their own. After all, good word spreads fast, and if there is one thing Arabelean men appreciate, it's prowess in a manly profession. Unbeknownst to Ira, this quick integration meant that he would also be quickly introduced to the favorite pastime of Arabeleans: unscrupulous banter. Ira would find himself tearing up often, as he was never introduced to jokes of this harshness. Nobody made him tear up more than a certain man named Ermas Wershtam. Inspired by the never-ending Arabelean fight for freedom, Ira decided to finally stand up for himself. He began throwing jabs back at other men, and would even stay up at night thinking of comebacks tailor-made for Ermas. This determination to not be crushed impressed Ermas. Slowly but surely, they became very close friends. As war dragged on, the constant stress of the situation made them grew closer and closer, until Ira realized that he loved Ermas more than he'd like to admit. Back home, Ghalla with his "preference" were shunned as per the teachings of Hezon the wise(TBA). Despite his fears of losing Ermas, Ira confessed to his attraction to men to Ermas. While shaken a bit, Ermas quickly accepted this newfound information and made sure Ira never felt uncomfortable around him(though he still teased him in his own way).

One conversation is all it takes
One dog-fight in specific was the first and only close call in Ira's piloting career. After the fight was won he immediately sought out Ermas' company as first aid. Ermas barely waited for the two of them to leave the party for a more private place before pouring his heart out to Ira. Much to his surprise, the feelings were mutual. Despite the confessions, Ira felt deeply hurt by how Ermas treated him before. It would take some time before they could be truly comfortable around each other, with Ermas teaching himself to take it down a notch around him. Ira wanted to respect Arabelean view on same-sex relationships and keep things private, and Ermas just wanted to hug him no matter who was around to witness it. Unfortunately for Ira, his and Ermas' friends aren't that dense as to not notice the obvious.

When the war ends
While Ermas used his military pension to buy them a small home on the south border of Sterkhmas, Ira chose to continue working as a piloting instructor for both the civilians and the army. Shortly after, Ermas proposed to Ira with a lover's necklace(a common proposal method for couples of any orientation in Arabelean territories). He pledged to be the best housewife Ira and the world have ever seen.