Breath of Fresh Air

Noah waved as Lily and Infernus made their way down. Seeing the other dragon made him instinctively long to be near Chaital again. But he'd be back soon enough.

He hurried to offer to help when Lily began taking the saddle off, but he only stood patiently nearby instead when he realized Jasper and Lily had it under control. "Two miracles?" he asked with a laugh. "Okay, first of all, I like Jasper. He'd have to be really mean to scare me off. And second of all there were more like three or four miracles. We've got some news to tell you once you and Infernus are settled in for dinner." His eyes glittered. "Gr - uh, Mr. Jenkins is making stew."

It was very difficult to keep quiet about the news on the way back to Mr. Jenkins' house. So Noah focused on Lily and Infernus instead. "Did you both have a good trip? Did anything exciting happen?" he asked.

Once the group returned, Mr. Jenkins poked his head out the door and waved an arm. "Hey! Good to see you all. C'mon in! Stew's a-waitin'!"
 
"You haven't seen him when he's hangry," Lily insisted, a mischievous glint in her eye even as she leaned a bit to see Noah past Jasper's shoulders. "And he never takes days off." Two miracles. But she was mostly teasing.

Jasper only rolled his eyes and helped her get the saddle hung up on the rungs meant for her before walking back out. "Keep talkin', short stack, we'll see what happens."

She only giggled and hurried off after Noah as if to get out of his reach, then just fell into step with Jasper and Infernus following along behind them. "Nothing too crazy today! Just normal routes, mostly envelopes. Fern isn't big enough to carry too many packages at once, so we only get big stuff when it's one or two things and not going a long way." More miracles sounded like some sort of surprise, but everyone was happy so she knew it must be the good kind and was happy enough to wait.

"Smells great already!" She declared with a little wave when Mr. Jenkins poked his head out, and couldn't help smiling at his good mood. Was that part of the surprise?

Infernus, willing enough to wait for his dinner, went to the shelter to quietly inspect Chaital's protected bundles of scales, checking on Nobu and Naga to be sure they were happy before laying down nearby to stretch out and rest. He was happy to fly all day with his Lily, but it was good to lie down after a day's work.
 
Chaital lifted her head and let out a chirrup of greeting on seeing the group. She would have hurried over to lick Noah, if not for the three small dragons nestled against her. Thankfully, Noah ran over to her to give her a hug, and she gave him a few happy licks before he headed inside with the others.

Then she spotted Infernus ambling over. She gave another chirruping call to him as well and swished her tail. Then she lay her head down around the smaller dragons again, relaxing and closing her eyes.

Noah was practically bouncing in his seat while Mr. Jenkins served stew to everyone. "Okay! So," he began, beaming from ear to ear. "First of all, Mr. Jenkins adopted Jasper! And we found out I'm Mr. Jenkins' grandson, on my mom's side! And that one dragon, Soot, has been making great progress and the three of us and Chaital got to pet him!"

"Chaital petted him?" Mr. Jenkins asked, laughing and ruffling Noah's hair.

". . . Three of us got to pet him!"
 
It was all happening so fast, Lily's head spun. She gave Jasper a grin he only looked away from, having previous knowledge of what Mr. Jenkins wanted to ask and having guessed how it would go. She was happy for him. And then Noah just kept going and it was like getting whiplash. His grandfather? She didn't understand that part, and she was just about to ask questions when he went on again and her jaw just about dropped onto the table.

"You got to pet Soot?" She repeated incredulously. "That's so not fair!" She'd been peripherally aware of Nel working with the rescued dragon for a long time, and couldn't help pouting a little at the idea of them getting to do it first.

Jasper only laughed, glad to have the attention dragged away from himself. "Told y' she'd be jealous."

She scowled at him for a pause, then just shook her head and refocused on Noah and Mr. Jenkins, looking between them and all but bouncing in her seat. "What do you mean you're family? How'd you find out? I was only gone for half a day!"
 
Noah chuckled. "Don't worry! I'm meeting up with Nel tomorrow. Maybe we can ask him when a good time for you to meet Soot is. As for how we figured out I'm Mr. Jenkin's grandson - " He gave a quick, high whistle.

Pumpkin came flying in through the window, skidding to a stop near Noah before leaping into the boy's lap. Chaital's eye could be seen peering through the window with curiosity.

"So it started when Jasper and I stayed the night," Noah explained. "I couldn't help but feel the room was familiar. And at one point I started humming the lullaby my mother sang me." He lifted Pumpkin up and kissed the dragon's head. "This little guy used to be my mother's dragon. He not only recognized the lullaby, but he brought me the music box it came from. And the next morning at breakfast, Jasper encouraged me to tell Mr. Jenkins my last name. Turns out my mother's maiden name was Anna Jenkins," he explained.
 
"I don't want to bother him. . ." Lily mused, but she really did want to meet Soot. Some day. Maybe on the next Sunday, she would have time to come and say hello, at least.

She blinked at Noah's whistle, looking over as Pumpkin flew in the window and giving a soft gasp as he started to talk. Jasper could almost have laughed at the drama if he wasn't still wincing about the sound.

"That's crazy!" She sat up straighter in her seat, so distracted she hadn't yet touched her food. "And to think, if you hadn't been so worried about the dragons, we would never have found Chaital and then never found Pumpkin!" She had to wonder what he'd been named before, but that was a point for later. He seemed to like what they'd named him now. "I can't believe it. . ."
 
Noah scoffed and turned Pumpkin to hold him like a baby. "I can't even imagine you bothering anybody, Lily. You're always helping people. I bet Nel would be more than willing to let you come with next time we see Soot! It mostly just depends on Soot himself."

"I can," Mr. Jenkins said, replying to Lily and gently patting Noah's shoulder and then Pumpkin's. "Noah an' Pumpkin are in the family photo album, along with Noah's mother - and father, in one or two pictures." His eyes twinkled. "I'll be happy to show it to ya after dinner. But first we gotta get some stew in yer bellies afore it gets cold."

Noah chuckled and set to work eating dinner, humming happily and petting Pumpkin with one hand.

Pumpkin had at least enough table manners to sit placidly on his leg and rumble, closing his eyes.
 
Lily shrunk down in her chair just a bit at the praise, suddenly shy under the attention, but perked back up again at the mention of the photo album. "Ooh, pictures!" She said, enthused, and only smiled sheepishly afterwards. "Sorry, sorry, thank you for dinner!"

Jasper chuckled at the way she dug in afterwards, just shaking his head at her. "Don't choke yourself. It's not cooling that fast."

When dinner was over he would help make sure the dragons were fed while Lily looked over the photo album with them. It was only fair to give her a chance, since he'd already seen it.
 
The older man laughed and waved a hand. "No need to apologize. It's all right. Jus' thought ya might want warm food, is all."

After dinner, Noah, too, was eager to help feed the dragons. He watched Jasper closely and followed behind him. "So what's the best diet for a dragon?" he asked. "Lots of fresh meat I'm guessing, right?"

Inside, Mr. Jenkins sat in a chair nearby while Lily looked over the photo book. "Look how cute Noah was, eh?" he asked with a chuckle. "Ah can't believe I didn't recognize him the moment I saw him. He's always had that ruffled look to his hair. His mother's eyes . . ." he added wistfully.
 
Lily was quick to eat and show her gratitude, and afterwards to settle in with the photo album spread out in front of her. "They're all so cute together," she murmured fondly. "She's so pretty. . ." Her expression went soft and sad, fingers sliding lightly over the photos of Noah and his mother, and Mr. Jenkins. "I'm so sorry. . . You must miss her a lot." It wasn't fair. They didn't deserve to lose her so quickly.

"Mostly raw meat," Jasper explained as he set out food for the smaller dragons, "but a lot of dragons like things added in for variety and nutrition. Fruits, vegetables, nuts." He gave a little shrug and patted Naga before getting to his feet. "Naga's not just a tiny, bitey monster, greenery is good for her digestion. I wouldn't intentionally feed her flowers, but it's not gonna hurt her." He gave a little wave to Chaital and Infernus to get them to follow. "Come on, guys. Let's go get you something more substantial. You up for sharing, or you want your own?"
 
Mr. Jenkins' eyebrows pressed lightly together, and he nodded, the smile fading from his face slightly. "Oh, yes. She used to visit all the time." He let out a long breath. ". . . And when she stopped visiting, I assumed it was because she was spending more time with Noah's father. I never should've been so hard on the poor fella."

----

"Sorta like how humans eat all sorts of different things. I get it," Noah said with a grin. When Chaital lay down next to him and extended a wing, he climbed on at once to get some more riding practice in. "I assume we're heading off to get these two some larger portions?"

Chaital licked her lips and rumbled. Then she gently nudged Jasper's head and blew a soft breath. She'd often been prone to sharing her meals - even more so with the smaller dragons she'd lived with in Upper Floaten. Today was no different. She liked Infernus, and she knew how to hunt in the wilds if she needed more food later.
 
"It's not too late," Lily suggested gently, though she wasn't sure she had any right to be butting in. "I'm sure he would love to have someone to talk to about her." She was too used to Jasper, who had known immediately when his parents were gone, and later his grandfather. She couldn't imagine what it would be like, living with the mystery, wondering if someone she loved was ever going to come home, if they were alive or if they were just staying away. "I bet Noah would like to hear more about her, too." She was sure it would hurt for a while, still, but it was better to hurt than forget. Wasn't it?


Jasper gave little chuckle when Chaital nudged him, sidestepping slightly to avoid getting pushed and reaching up to give her a gentle nudge back. She hadn't known him extremely well before, but it was a good sign that she was still very friendly to humans, even after her time away. "All right, we'll find you something big enough to share." He said, glancing over at Infernus as the blue dragon followed with an agreeable little chuff. "A goat, maybe?"

He paused thoughtfully as they walked, and after a moment glanced back at Noah. "If you're squeamish, you might wanna walk away for that. I'll send someone to retrieve livestock, but they generally make the kill themselves." It wasn't pretty, it was just the way of nature. But it might be a bit much to someone not used to the blood and gore of a dragon eating a fresh kill. "Once they've got it, we can leave 'em to it. They'll go wash up in the river after."
 
The older man rubbed the back of his neck. ". . . Do ya think so? I'd reckon he wouldn't ever want to hear from me again. But I suppose . . . if his son's gonna be livin' here now, and all . . . I wouldn't want him to think the same thing happened to Noah that I thought happened to Anna. I oughta write him a letter." He got slowly to his feet, nodding.

Then he blinked and glanced over at Lily. "Say, yer a mail delivery gal, ain't ya? Don't suppose you ever go up that way, near Axle Harn's place?"

-----

Noah shrugged and shook his head. "I'm not that squeamish any more. Not after all the shit I've seen in my adventures. But I feel like they might appreciate some time to themselves, so - yeah, I'll leave them to it once they've gotten a chance to make the kill."

Chaital stretched her wings out a few times, glancing up at the sky before back towards Noah on her back. Eventually he'd want to fly with her. She just knew it. But she was nervous about taking off with a human on her back, even for just a short flight.
 
"I don't know him," she admitted, almost sheepishly, but with something hopeful in her expression, "but . . . you all loved her, so . . . you have that in common." She was sure they would find some sort of common ground.

"Oh, Fern and I aren't allowed to go very far into Upper Floaten," she said with an apologetic sort of smile. "But I'd be happy to make sure it gets to the distributors they've got up there! Or I'm sure Noah would be happy to take it home with him whenever he goes back for more of his things."

—————

Jasper raised an eyebrow even as he held up a hand to the attendant working the fields of livestock when they approached. It signaled the man to go and retrieve something for the dragons, and Jasper just crossed his arms with an almost amused expression when he turned to look at Noah again. "And what shit have you seen in your 'adventures'? You guys got many big prey animals topside?" He'd thought their utopia had left all of them down on the ground with the peasants.
 
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Mr. Jenkins smiled and patted her shoulder. "Thank you. You're very kind. In that case, why don't I go and write that letter, and you can help yourself to any of the snacks you can find in the kitchen?" he added. With that, he ambled off.

Pumpkin soon ambled back inside, and he headed for Lily before trying to leap up into her lap with a soft chirp. He could sure go for a few pets right about now.

Noah's smile faded a bit, and he grimaced. "Not free roaming ones. Or ones that get to live very long, no. But actually I was referring to just guts in general." He shuddered and petted Chaital's neck gently. "I took a wrong turn once. Ran into a gang. They were - " He paled and shook his head. "You know what, I won't bother telling you, you might get sick. Let's just say if I hadn't booked it out of there when I did, I probably would've been next."
 
Lily only grinned, happy to help, and gave him a little salute as he walked off. "Roger that!" She was good with snacks.

When Pumpkin came trotting in, she smiled and helped him up into her lap, cradling him in her arms and planting a kiss atop his head. "Hey there, not-so-baby Pumpkin. I bet you're real happy to have Noah around, huh? Lets go see if we can find something to snack on and you can tell me all about him." She often encouraged Nobu to chatter at her like it meant anything, and talked back like they were having a conversation to amuse herself.


Jasper frowned as Noah started to explain, grimacing a little at the idea of what the younger man might have found. He supposed seeing what he could only assume was an actual dead person, guts and all, could do a lot towards desensitizing someone, when they started to compare everything else to that. "Don't worry 'bout me," he said with a little shrug, leaning back against Infernus when the dragon settled behind him to wait for their dinner. "You should be more careful, especially down here. It's easy to take a wrong turn and end up somewhere you don't want to be." He wasn't going to talk about criminals, not if it meant Noah would get uncomfortable. It wasn't like he didn't think there were crooks in Upper Floaten, but he thought people down below tended to get more desperate, and more vicious. Wearing masks all the time helped make it harder to find them, and harder for them to feel empathy for their victims.
 
Pumpkin was delighted to do the same. He squawked and chirped in reply, flapping his wings once or twice to accentuate his "speech." He put his paws up on Lily's shoulder so she would hopefully carry him to the kitchen.

". . . Yeah. I guess it hasn't really quite sunk in for me yet that it can be dangerous down here, even with the dragons," Noah admitted softly. "I mean, up there, in Upper Floaten - I've gotten so many injuries and gotten involved with so many weird people I can't even keep count any more. And down here, the worst thing that happened to me was I fell. And that was an accident."

He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "I guess it's stupid, but I feel safer down here. Although maybe that's because I'm just staying with people and in places that are safer, instead of wandering around looking for stuff to do."
 
Lily grinned and took Pumpkin with her to poke around in the pantry, supporting him with one arm while she used her free hand to look and giving him a steady stream of little responses - Mm-hm, that's great, tell me more, and then what happened? - like she was speaking to a babbling human baby. Eventually, she settled on one of the leftover brownies for herself, and some salted nuts for Pumpkin. "I don't know that you'll like chocolate, so how about these? I'm sure Noah won't mind if you have a few, right?"


Jasper made a soft, noncommittal grunt, just shrugging in response to the idea of Upper Floaten being more dangerous. Maybe it was. "Maybe people down here you can just take at face value more often. . . As long as you've got Chaital at your side, nobody's gonna come near you. As much as we discourage it, everyone knows if you hurt a rider you lose limbs, at best." Chaital would bite clean through someone's arm if they happened to hurt Noah with it, and there weren't many people here, at least, that would hold that against her.

"Just watch your back, watch where you walk - if it feels bad, it probably is." After a pause he shook his head, straightening away from Infernus and offering a small smile in an attempt to make things feel less dark. "If you ever go anywhere with Nel, some day you might see some unsavory types cower. He's the one that any given dragon in town might defend." On the off chance it was one he knew, and one he'd assisted at any point, their peaceful dragon handler could easily be defended by any dragon around. Nobody was taking that chance. And besides, Nel was nice to everyone, even gangsters, so no one really had a reason to come after him, anyway.
 
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Pumpkin squeaked in delight and licked up the treats from Lily's hand, very gently making sure to use only his tongue and not his teeth so he wouldn't hurt her fingers. He'd learned early on from Noah's mother that he had to be careful around human fingers.

Noah couldn't help but brighten a bit at that. "That's the other thing. People don't pretend as much down here. If they act like something, they probably are." He pointed a finger upwards and frowned. "Upper Floaten? It's super hard to get a read on people. Everyone's acting like someone they're not. Nicer than they actually are. Fancier. Richer. People like you and Lily and my father are really hard to find."

He slid off Chaital's back and patted her shoulder so she could head off to eat in peace once the food arrived. "But I'll take your word on stuff when it comes to trusting my gut. And I'm glad being involved with dragons is a sort of safety net. I'm someone who could always use that sort of thing."
 
Lily was careful, in turn, to offer Pumpkin treats on a flat hand, like she might a horse if she'd actually met one in person. She was used to Naga being not so careful with her teeth and was always careful. "That's good stuff, hm?" She murmured idly to him, holding him in her one arm and rocking her body a bit more out of habit than anything, like she was holding an actual baby and not just a small, older dragon. She would take care of Pumpkin while the others were gone, and go out to check on Nobu and Naga once she finished her snack.


Jasper made a thoughtful sound and waved Infernus off once the goat for he and Chaital had been released nearby, letting him know it was safe to get it. "I guess? I'm not saying nobody's hidin' anything down here, but people are pretty straightforward most times." It was just a part of the culture that had developed down below, where lying and deception were often looked down on almost more than straightforward theft. Trust was a big deal. "You've got a dragon at your side, and it's like your own personal security system. Messing with you would be like poking at an egg with the mother right over your shoulder." It was death, was all he was saying.

Infernus waited back a little bit, looking to Chaital to see if she wanted to make the kill herself. He wasn't picky, and had spent the whole day flying, so he would let her go for the hunt if she wanted to. He didn't mind sharing afterwards.
 
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