Hanna von Falkenheim
General Info
Name:Hanna von Falkenhein
Birth Date: Winter 2nd
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Straight
Relationship Status: Single
Profession: Crop Duster
Who would've known that it was easier for farmers to just hire a pilot to spray their crops with pesticides, fertilizer, and whatever else you want. She also does some work for others as well, typically helping to find lost ships or people. During festivals, she will give a little airshow and offer rides in her older biplane.
Physical Info
Appearance: Hanna stands at a reasonable five feet, seven inches, with slightly athletic build to her. Most of this appearance is covered in her old military flight jacket she wears, and typically when she is not flying or planning too, she can be see wearing her old officer cap. Other than her odd grey eyes and equally silver short hair, she seems fairly normal. However, she carries many scares from flight of the past, most notably large burn scars along her forearms and covering her back. During winter, one might only notice the scars peeking out around her neck, almost like flames flickering upwards, but during the summer, Hanna will not bother to cover up the burns on her arms, but will usually politely decline if you ask about them.
Attire/Style: During the winter and fall, she'll be seen wearing her heavy military coat and hat when not flying or getting ready to fly as well as pitch black, polished leather boots. During the summer, she'll wear lighter clothing, like t-shirts, shorts, and rarely light summer dresses, but will still wear her black boots. Regardless of the season, her flight attire never really changes. Hanna will sport a fur lined, military leather jacket over a heavy jumpsuit with flight goggles typically worn around her neck or on her forehead when not in use.
Mental Info
Personality:
It is taught far and wide that the first and foremost job of the pilot, is to fly the plane. Seems pretty obvious, but what that really means is important. A pilot must adopt a very level headed, straightforward personality in order to survive whatever problematic situations that may arise. As such, this sort of "pilot's mentality" of live and let live has thoroughly been impeded into Hanna's mind. Being a veteran pilot, she will come off as calm and friendly towards most people. There's also a sort of open air about her that makes Hanna a very approachable person.
However, occasionally on certain days, Hanna will be a bit more reserved. Get her drunk, and she'll be either a happy, giggly drunk who wants to have a fun time, or get very quiet, dark, and angry if she was in a bad mood before.
Likes:
Beer (Prost!)
Hot coffee
Flying
Dogs
Books on space, weather patterns, or various scientific subjects
Philosphy
Maintaining her aircraft
Dislikes:
Staying in cramped places
Farm work (very boring for her)
Quiet people
Overly sweet things
Soda
Hot Weather
History:
On a windswept strip of flat dirt, snow, and ice, the sounds of propellers spinning fills the air. An old war plane, now fitted with hoses rather than guns, lazily floats down from the sky onto the the airstrip, rolling along until slowing to a crawl before a old sheet metal hanger. The pilot turns off the engine, propellers slowing further before coming to a halt as the pilot climbs out of the aircraft. She moves towards the hangar, but pauses for a moment. The blowing of the wind and the sight of the old hangar takes her back. She pauses, she remembers.
She remembers a time long ago, when she was a but a child arriving at her grandfather's small country airstrip in the middle of nowhere. Her name is Hanna von Falkenheim, and this was where she was first introduced to flying, where she discovered her love and talent for it. Her grandfather was an old pilot who had flown in a conflict long ago. Though during her childhood, he spent his waning years enjoying a peaceful life of helping the farmers of Hope Valley protect their crops. He was the one who sat her in that cockpit, had let go of the controls, and showed her the joys of flight.
Hanna smiles for a moment, staring at the rusty old hangar. She remembered the antics, the mischief she would get into. Though her smile soon turned into a frown and with a sad sigh, she tried to go about her day.
Where had it gone all wrong?
Hanna von Falkenheim was a veteran pilot, an ace of her home country. As history does, wars broke out, and she answered the call like so many. During those early years, she saw it as an opportunity for adventure and excitement. She joined with her childhood friend, Alexi Kraft and they were both assigned to the same flight, becoming wingmen. He watched her back, while she watched his. During that terrible war, as brother killed brother both on the ground and in the skies, they found solace in their friendship.
However, as is so often the case, history is anything but kind to those who live through war, and Hanna was no exception. It was meant to be a routine patrol, nothing particularly big. Hanna and Alexi had the simple, almost relaxing task of just doing a big circle around their homebase, protecting it and giving any early warning of an attack, but they were so far away from the front, it was figured that the two expert pilots could easily handle that job. Little did either she nor her commanders know of the massive offensive being launched. A wave of 500 plus bombers were on their way, and they ran right into the pair. It rained steel and fire for hours as Hanna and Alexi flew through the formation, fighting like they had never fought before. Dodging escorts, gun fire from the bombers defensive guns, and all the while trying to make every shot count. Soon they were forced to withdraw, running low on both ammo and fuel, but they tried to land, the enemy fighters took their revenge, following them then strafing the airfield.
Alexi was turned to paste in his cockpit as cannon rounds tore his aircraft apart. Hanna's plane burst into flames and slammed into the runway, streaking across the tarmac before slowing to a halt near the end. The base itself was ablaze with burning aircraft as they were in the middle of taking off to intercept the enemy.
That day, Hanna lost half of her flight to the attack, her close friend, maybe even lover, gone in an instant. She herself was horribly burned, only being saved by a brave engineer who had pulled Hanna from her plane. To make matters worse, Hanna felt responsible for the deaths at that attack, because in her eyes, she had lead the enemy to the home base. The recovery was long and painful with her in the beginning fading in and out of consciousness. Though through the haze of pain medication, brief moments of consciousness, and surgery, she dreamed. She heard an oddly soothing female voice in her head, telling her of a place, a familiar place called Hope Valley. For the most part though, Hanna simply brushed it off as hallucinations. While in recovery, she was awarded with a few medals for her acts of "valor" but to Hanna, it was sickening. The medals only reminded her of mistake and she soon got rid of most of them. By the time she had finally recovered enough to return to service, the war was over. Hanna dropped out of the military.
For the next six months, she bounced between odd jobs, drinking to forget, and gradually declining into a severe depression, but then suddenly, a family member reached out to her. Her grandfather had passed away, but had left his property to Hanna in Hope Valley. That name... it resonated with her, shocked her. The memories of that voice came flooding back and almost as if she was under a spell, she accepted the invitation and traveled to her grandfather's little airstrip.
Hanna walked into her grandfather's old home, the memories began to pour over her. All those times she had flown with him, the joy she had experienced. Hanna was nearly brought to tears, the feeling breaking the daze she had been in on the way over here. It was too much for her, and she nearly turned around and walked right back out, but a piece of paper on the table stopped her. It was a letter, from her grandfather.
"Dear Hanna,
A long time ago, I fought a war. The horror I saw, the futility of it all broke my spirit, crushed my love for life. A long time ago, a young man lost what he thought was his world, his family, his wife, and his home. That young man stumbled into this town, scared, alone, and rapidly losing any sense of purpose. This world had shown its true colors, and that young man did not want to be a part of it. This is why I tried to stop you all those years ago, but I was too much of coward to keep you from this path that we now both walk. But this place, this town, this home, and that plane, it saved me. I carved out this corner of peace not just for me, but for any who know what this world really is.
Hanna, you saw this world for what it was, didn't you? You saw the cruelty of man, and the harshness of life. So hear, take this home for yourself and lose yourself in this wonderful little corner of peace. I will be gone by the time you read this, and hopefully you've heard her voice too. March on Hanna, fly smoothly.
I love you.
A fellow veteran,
Erich von Falkenheim"
That was it. She has now been living in this town, on this property for over seven months now. While still somewhat new, Hanna has put on a new face of determination, filled with a new sense of purpose. No longer does she drink to forget, but to drink to have fun! What, you'd think she'd give up drinking? But the beer here is amazing, not to mention the 50 year old bottle of moonshine she's been saving in the attic! Hanna, while still shaken from her past, but is now trying to move on.
Trying to carve out her own little corner of peace.
Trying to carve out her own little corner of peace.