Practice had ended early for Dusty and Skipper. Storm had come in right in the middle of practice and drenched the two, making them retreat back to the Fill N Fly to get dried off.

"A-ACHOO!"

Dusty rubbed his nose, shaking a bit. "Oh come on, I better not be getting a cold from being out in the rain for just a few minutes!"

Dottie shook her head, bringing a blanket around him. "Bless you, and you and Skipper got pretty soaked out there."

"Heavy rain today." Sparky added as he tended to Skipper's engine. "Plus it's freezing outside… so it's possible, Dusty."

Dusty groaned. "Greeeeeaaaat."

"We'll just take it easy for the rest of the day." Skipper said, wringing some water out of the sleeves of his flight jacket. "You've been working hard the past few days so I think a day off was in order anyway."

Dusty nodded. "Okay…"

"Say… why don't we go to Honkers?" Sparky suggested. "Heard they got some fresh oil from Dinoco shipped in, plus hot chocolate too to help you two warm up."

"Sounds good to me." Dusty looked over to Skipper. "Skip?"

"Agreed."

"We'll head over once we're done tuning you two up." Sparky said as he got the rest of his tools.

Dusty nodded, waiting patiently for Sparky to finish. Dottie gave Dusty one more quick look over to be sure nothing was busted.

"Well, you're all clear." she said.

Dusty sighed in relief. "Good."

Dottie nodded. "Yep… Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "Almost forgot, I have something for you."

Dusty raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Dottie hurried over to her desk, bringing over an envelope.

"Your special someone replied back." she said, presenting it to him. "Kept it safe for ya since it came in while you were out flying."

Dusty blushed madly, taking the letter. "T-Thanks Dottie… I'll read it when we get to Honkers…"

She nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Sparky finished the last of his check on Skipper, closing the panel in his back. "Alright, all set to go."

"Then let's head out."

The four got up and made their way quickly over to Honkers, trying to keep as dry as possible. They slowed their pace once they were inside. Dusty and Skipper grabbed a table while Dottie and Sparky went to go get drinks.

Dusty shook off another cold chill, rubbing his arms a little to warm himself up.

"You'd think with all the time I spent on the Pacific Ocean the cold wouldn't bother me so much." Dusty said.

Skipper chuckled. "Try sleeping on the ocean itself then you can start talking."

Dusty shook his head. "Still not letting that go…"

"I'm your teacher, I'm supposed to give you a hard time."

Dusty chuckled, nudging him little, Skipper returning the gesture.

"So, you got a letter?"

"Oh! Right!"

Dusty dug the letter out of his coat.

"From Ishani, correct?"

Dusty nodded. "Yeah… Sparky tell you?"

"He heard from Dottie and then told me since he wanted to give me a heads up that if you seemed distracted that would be the reason but you've been alright in training as far as I'm concerned. Completely focused."

"That's because I kept my mind off it to the best of my ability."

Dusty looked at the letter, feeling a little nervous before opening it and began reading the contents.

Dear Dusty,

I was glad you replied… I'll admit… I was kind of nervous when I sent the letter. I wasn't sure what you would think but then… your response washed all of that nervousness away.

Your family sounds wonderful Dusty. Your two siblings are lucky to have you for an older brother. You've already met both of mine but I suppose I could tell you a little bit more about them since you only got to talk to both for a moment at the victory party. (Of course… they were a little wrapped up in their game they were playing on us…)

Kali, my younger sister. Two words are perfect to describe her. Smart and fast. Though young, she's very bright and well… very good at plotting various schemes. Both good and evil. I can't trust her all the time, especially if she's giving this particular grin of hers that says "I'm up to something." that's when I know to start backing away. But then there is the fast factor. She's about as fast as I am, if not possibly faster. Works well for her when she pulls her tricks. Does them before you can blink. But aside from that… she really is a good girl. She wants to be a racer just like me, which I'm always touched to hear. She always wants me to show her techniques in racing and works hard everyday to get better. I think she and Olivia would probably get along.

Then there is my brother, Isaac. Kind, quiet and gentle. He was actually my inspiration when it came to going into racing. He was going to be a racer but fate had other plans. He got in an accident that cost him sight… well most of it. He can still see but not enough for him to be able to fly on his own. He needs someone around to help him not crash into things, be it on foot or in the air. It was so sad to see his dream taken away from him… When I got a little older, I made a promise to him I would race for him. See all the world for him. He was surprised when I told him that, but he was very encouraging of me carrying on what he left behind. I still keep that promise for him till this day. Telling him of all the places I've seen in detail so he can know what the rest of the world is like. I love seeing him smile as he takes in all the words. It makes me so happy to do that for him.

And those are my siblings. As for my parents… Akash and Reena… All they want is the best for me. They love and care for me very much and are supportive of what I am doing. Though… they weren't too happy with me after what happened at the Wings Around the Globe Rally. It's gotten better, we just had smooth things out as it were. I'm grateful for their forgiving and kind hearts… I'm really glad they were blessed as my parents.

That's all my family. I'm really happy we're doing this… I don't think I could find words to describe this feeling I have while writing this letter. I have so much I'd love to talk to you about but… I just get lost where to start. I guess improvising is going to be a common theme in these letters. I'll be sure to have more to write about next time I hear from you. I hope you enjoy this letter as much as I enjoyed yours. Till next time.

- Ishani

He finished reading it and leaned back in his seat, scanning over it again. She's had it rough… I can't imagine what happened to Isaac happening to Olivia or Andy….

"Interesting letter there?"

Dusty nodded tucking it back into his pocket. "Yeah…" He sniffed a bit, cringing. "Ah… Ah…"

Skipper grabbed a waitresses platter to use as a shield.

"ACHOOOO!"

Skipper shook his head, lowering the platter and handing it back to the waitress. "Bless you and please cover your mouth for heaven's sake, I don't want to get sick too."

Dusty grabbed a napkin on the table, wiping his nose. "S-Sorry…"

"It's fine… You're definitely resting for a bit till that clears up."

Dusty nodded. "Yes sir."

Sparky and Dottie came over, setting down the drinks in front of the two men before enjoying theirs. Sparky and Dottie started their own conversation about mechanics while Skipper and Dusty sat quietly till Dusty pulled out the letter again, reading it over.

"Improvising is right…" Dusty said, rubbing the back of his neck. "This letter thing is gonna be harder than I thought… I'm kind of stumped on what I'm gonna write back."

"You'll figure it out… Though, if you want my advice, just be truthful in what you say, don't be fake in what you write. Try treating the letter like a normal conversation and basically talk about anything, that's how relationships are built. You learn about each other both good and bad."

Dusty nodded, smiling a little. "Thanks Skip… I'll keep that in mind."

Skipper gave a small smile back. "Anytime Dusty."

"Just out of curiosity, have you done something like this before? Just asking based on the advice you gave me..."

"Well, not in a situation like this persay." Skipper answered, leaning back in his chair. "Back in the war I'd write to my friends and family a lot and I treated it like a conversation with every letter. Told them stories about what was going on in training, how I was doing in health and that I was thinking about them. I didn't tell them everything of course, but I did my best to stay truthful in my letters." Skipper smiled a little. "All they really wanted to know was that I was okay… so I made sure to tell them that everytime."

Dusty smiled. "That's sweet… So only family and friends huh?"

Skipper nodded. "War doesn't really have room for love… There were some special people there along the way but fate didn't seem kind in letting any stay." Skipper frowned a little as some memories came back. "Last one that was special to me I never saw again after I went down with my squadron… They just disappeared."

Dusty frowned. "Sorry Skipper…"

"It's okay…" He looked over to Dusty with a serious look. "Just promise me this… If you ever start to find the courage to tell Ishani how you feel about her… Do it. Don't waste time like I did… Okay?"

Dusty nodded. "I promise."

"Good…"

Sparky placed a hand on Skipper's shoulder, giving him a good squeeze. He and Dottie had been listening to the conversation without Skipper and Dusty realizing it. Skipper looked to his companion giving reassuring smile. "I'm okay…"

"I know… can't help but worry though. I take care of you after all… and you've been through enough."

"It's all in the past now, we just need to do our best to move on and look to the future."

Skipper looked over to Dusty again who was focused on Ishani's letter again.

And make sure others don't make the same mistakes we did.