Breath of Fresh Air

It was partway through the night when Noah first woke up. He found the note fairly quickly and grateful took the ice packs; he was already feeling sore. He quickly fell back asleep, curling up with one ice pack and laying on the others.

They did help a bit. But the next morning, when Noah woke up to roaring dragons and the sounds of someone in the kitchen, he was still pretty stiff and sore all over. He groaned and rubbed his eyes before slowly making his way down the stairs. Yesterday he'd climbed them holding a dragon with ease. Today he felt like an old man, who might keel over any second if he wasn't careful.

But at last he staggered into the kitchen and gingerly put himself in a chair. "I'd gladly pay extra for breakfast," he said, scooting his chair in a bit. "How much does it run?" He chuckled a bit on hearing Lily's reply. "I am sore. But I could really go for some breakfast." He realized, all at once, that he'd gone and slept through supper, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to make Lily feel guilty, though he figured Jasper wouldn't care.
 
By the time Noah made it to the table, Lily was most of the way through her breakfast already. Jasper was still at the stove cooking, and both Naga and Nobu were sitting at his feet staring up at him in clear anticipation. Finally, he rolled his eyes at them and took two eggs, dropping one into each of their upturned mouths shell and all. Only after he'd gobbled his down did Nobu finally come scrabbling over to Noah's feet to push up against his shins in a probably somewhat painful greeting.

"You should just learn to ignore him," Lily said with a shake of her head, even hurrying to finish eating so she could go. "We can afford to share breakfast."

"Why don't you ever let me have any fun?" Jasper asked with an eyebrow raised, walking over to set a plate of pancakes and eggs in front of Noah with silverware resting carefully atop it. "This is what we're making this morning so if you've got no allergies, no complaints. Butter and syrup on the table if you want 'em, and orange juice in the fridge. If you want some, get it. I've got dragons to feed."

Nobu perked up a bit more and watched eagerly as Jasper walked away to get their breakfast together even while his own cooked on the stove. They always came first, so he kept only part of his attention on the stove while he chopped up raw meat for them, tossing in a handful of nuts and greens as well, with a powderized 'Dragon Feed' sprinkled on top. Some people thought it was meant to be all a dragon ate, but Jasper would personally fistfight anyone that tried to feed the scaley creatures Dragon Feed slop and nothing else.

Lily was finished eating before he was done and flipped his pancakes for him on her way to put her dishes in the sink, stirring the eggs so they wouldn't burn and then hurrying off to get her jacket. "Sorry I can't stay and chat, but duty calls!" She said as she rushed past, and came back out of her bedroom with the bag she usually carried and the same tank of air from the day before - Jasper, predictably, had filled it for her the night before, so she was good to go. "I'll bring Fern around before dinner time, so just try to rest until then. Be nice, Jasper."

Jasper gave her a dry look as she passed him, as if completely immune to the way she hopped up and kissed the side of his head before running out. "Yeah, yeah, he'll be in one piece when you get back. Fly safe."

"Always!"

When she was gone, hurrying out the door, he shook his head at her and set down bowls for the dragons. "Eat, Naga. Nobu." He signaled to let them know it was all right to dig in, and finally went back for his own food once they'd hurried over to gobble it up. "You'll not want to get too close to them again until they've drank a lot of water. Dragon Feed and raw meat don't exactly smell the best."
 
Noah winced a bit as Nobu rubbed against him, but he fought back the pain with a smile and gently petted the dragon's head. He shrugged helplessly at Lily and smiled. ". . . I can't tell when he's joking or not. But really, I don't mind paying for breakfast. It's the least I could do," he added softly.

Then there was a fresh breakfast set before him with eggs and pancakes. Noah sighed in relief and cut into the meal at once. "Thanks!" he replied, his mouth already full. "Yeah, definitely don't want to keep hungry dragons waiting. I imagine they'd chew your legs if they didn't get their food in a hurry."

He watched both the dragons and Jasper with intense interest as their food was prepared. For one thing, he was curious to see what the dragons ate, and he looked forward to watching them enjoy their meal. But he took a break to wave when Lily hurried out the door. "Bye! See you later!" he called.

His eyes glittered in delight when the dragons set to work gobbling up their food. His eyes shifted to Jasper, and he nodded. "Good to know. Say, um . . . as long as I'm here for the day, I don't suppose you need help with anything?" His muscles ached, but he was determined to be a good guest. He was sure he could probably lift a box or two if needed.

He had all but forgotten about his communicator. Frankly, it was replaceable, and he was only going to be away from home a few more hours.
 
Jasper raised an eyebrow at Noah's clear infatuation with the dragons, and for a moment as he put his own breakfast onto a plate wondered what the younger man would be like if he saw one of the really big ones. Naga and Nobu were small fries, about as small as dragons came, but there were some - usually only found deep into areas not populated by humans - that were dozens of feet tall. They had to be old to get that big, usually, and were generally not very friendly to other dragons or people, so there wasn't that many of them, but it was an amusing thought.

"Help?" He prompted as he took a seat to butter his pancakes, expression dubious. "Can you weld, solder, or otherwise forge metal? You know how to sew leather?" He shook his head with a small, almost amused little smile, and just took a bite of his eggs. "Just take a load off for the day. You can keep Nobu out of my hair while I work on your fancy radio."

He would need the dragons once he was done with that project, since he had some metal working to do, but for a while he would let Noah have his fun with the friendlier dragon.
 
Noah sucked in a breath and winced. "Uh . . . no," he mumbled at last, shrugging. "Sorry. But I'd be happy to entertain Nobu while you're working! He's a cutie. Naga, too, if she wants to play. I ran into five pipes. Dragon teeth can't hurt that much worse."

He finished off his breakfast. Then he slowly rose to his feet, making his way to the sink like a decrepit mannequin. Finally he made it there and managed to start washing his dishes. "I think I might sit on the couch for a bit, if I can bring the dragons there," he said. "I'm still a bit sore from yesterday."

They were hidden under his clothes, but he had six separate welts and bruises. All of them stung.

Once the dishes were finished, he made his way slowly back to the couch, easing himself into a sitting position. Then he whistled lightly and patted the couch cushions. "Nobu! Naga! C'mere, dragons!" he called cheerfully. "Hey Jasper, have any toys for them to play with?"
 
Jasper made a sort of wincing expression as he started to eat, and shook his head at Noah's optimism. "Says the guy who's never seen dragons before." He could think of more than a few people he dealt with locally that had some nasty scars from dragon bits or slashes - he had some of his own on his forearms, which were mostly only exposed while he worked and needed his sleeves out of the way. Nobu and Naga were friendly enough, but it wasn't like they'd never had their bad moments as they grew. As smart as they were, they were still wild animals.

Once he'd cleaned up the dishes, pans, counters, and table, Jasper shooed Naga down the stairs to the workshop and stood looking at where Nobu had come to see Noah on the couch with his arms loosely crossed, assessing. ". . . It's safe enough to leave Nobu up here with you," he said finally, "but Naga's not for beginners. She'll chew on you, and if you get startled and pull away too fast you'll slice yourself on her teeth. I'll need Nobu back later on, but for now he can sit with you."

He walked away for a moment, coming back to give Noah a very firm-bristled brush. "He likes a rubdown with this. It gets between his scales well enough, but try not to touch the bristles with your hands or you'll scratch yourself. If he gets antsy, just tell him 'Find Jasper' and he'll come down to me. I don't want you trying to guess at what he needs. Jug o' water in the fridge if you're thirsty. You can figure out which door's the bathroom. Anything else before I get to work?"

It would be fine if Noah wanted to mess with the dragons downstairs where Jasper could keep an eye on him and give instruction, but if they were out of sight of each other he wasn't going to let the younger man do anything other than pet or brush. It was too risky letting someone who didn't know anything about dragons get too adventurous with trying to 'care' for them - for Nobu's sake, and Noah's.
 
The young man nodded solemnly at Jasper's instructions. While he wasn't sure if he was joking about other things, he could certainly tell Jasper was serious about this. "Got it," he said softly. "Thank you."

He took the brush carefully by the handle when it was passed to him, and again he nodded. "Brush him and tell him to find Jasper if he gets antsy. I can do that. Thanks, Jasper." He smiled lightly, and at once he set to work carefully brushing Nobu's scales. The sensation was comforting. He could almost feel the vibrations of the bristles on the dragon's scales.

Finally he gave Jasper another brief glance and a smile. "Nope! I think I'm good. Thanks, though. I appreciate it."

He waited until he was pretty sure Jasper was out of hearing range. Then he quietly talked to Nobu as he brushed him, enjoying the weight of the dragon that distracted him from his bruises. There was no point in convincing Jasper he was crazy for talking to a dragon. "You're a gorgeous dragon, you know that? And one of the first dragons I've ever seen in real life. Besides maybe the ones I saw at the abandoned space cruiser complex. Anyway, the point is, you're about the cutest little fella I've ever seen."
 
Jasper looked at Noah once more before finally turning to walk down the stairs with Naga following quickly behind him, and hoped no disasters would follow. Nobu was a good boy, and Jasper had things to get done. Once the communicator was dealt with, he could get back to his real work.

Nobu, for his part, looked after his caretaker almost sadly until he realized Noah was holding his brush still, and immediately perked back up. He made eager, pleased little rumbles as the brush scrubbed at his scales, even going so far as to turn onto his back in Noah's lap so the human could get his belly as well. He made grumbling 'mrr' sounds when spoken too, like a cat with a very deep voice, and slapped his tail in a slow rhythm against the couch cushions as he was pampered. Everyone was normally busy, so it was nice to have someone who was giving him undivided attention.

It was only a couple of hours later that a very sharp whistle came from down below, which immediately had Nobu jumping up and chasing after the sound.

"If you're gonna call home to daddy, you'll have to make it down the stairs!" Jasper's voice called from the bottom floor. "This communicator's nothing but a pile of wires and circuits now!" In other words, it would not travel. If Noah wanted to call home, he would have to brave the uncomfortable walk down. If he decided not to, Jasper had other things to do.
 
Noah had just about settled into a rhythm of brushing Nobu's scales and scratching his head when the sudden whistle frown downstairs caught his attention. He frowned and slowly stood up, making his way towards the edge of the stairs. He should probably call.

He hadn't stayed out all night for a long time, and even when he did, he usually told his father first. He was probably worried sick.

Noah took a deep breath and gingerly made his way downstairs one step at a time. It was nearly a solid two minutes before he reached the bottom, but at last he staggered his way over to Jasper. "I was afraid of that. Thanks for giving it a shot. How much do I owe you for the repairs?" Then he blinked and tilted his head. "You mentioned another way to call my father. Is there a pipeline phone or something to use?" he asked hopefully.

With a quick rub at one of his bruises, he glanced around the workshop at the various projects and parts. There was so much to take in. Scraps of metal and copper, partially rusted gears, wires and tools and cloths. "Wow. You must work on a lot of different projects at once," he murmured in awe.
 
Jasper wiled away his time waiting for Noah to come down the stairs holding onto one end of a rope almost as thick as his wrists, with Naga pulling on the other end. He had one work glove on just so he wouldn't have to let go, knowing if he did he would have to chase her to get it back.

"Welcome to the shop." He said dryly when Noah finally made it down. "It's alive, just patched together, so you won't be getting more than one use out of it." He let the rope go so Naga would go tumbling and run off with it, and led the way to one of the light duty work tables, and the little amalgamation of wires, circuits, and a small power source. "Push this to start, and this to talk, and have at it."

He shooed Nobu out of the way so Noah could come closer, and shrugged as he moved out of the way himself. "Forget the fee, you paid me yesterday. And besides, you said it yourself. I've got plenty of work." He pulled the glove off and tossed it on a table nearby, picking up a small length of thick plastic piping to toss blindly into the air behind himself. It only soared for a moment before Naga shot by to catch it and fly off with Nobu giving chase. "You want to pay me back, tell your pops to make a donation to the Dragonry."

They were the ones in the market for his prosthetics, after all, and they were always just scraping by. Any dragon that needed help, or needed corralling, it went through the Dragonry.
 
"Oh, thanks. Even one use is more than I thought I'd get," Noah said happily. He watched the buttons and pieces Jasper pushed carefully, and then copied the motions to get the phone ringing.

It only took a few rings before someone picked up. "Harn Dragon Saddles, Mr. Harn speaking."

"Father! Hi!" Noah burst out. "I thought I should let you know, some stuff happened and I wound up in Lower Floaten. But I'm okay! I should be back later tonight."

"Lower - Lower Floaten?" the man asked in surprise. "Well, all right. As long as you're safe. Clearly you found a safe source of oxygen or you wouldn't be talking to me right now. How did you get all the way - "

"Long story," Noah admitted with a chuckle. "Anyway, I made a few friends, too! And they said I could come back and visit their dragons. They have dragons, father!"

His father laughed lightly. "That so? All wearing Harn saddles, I bet."

Noah clicked his tongue. "Not exactly. Two of the dragons are too little, and they said our saddles are too expensive."

The man laughed a bit louder. ". . . Maybe they are, at that. Why don't you give me their address when you get home, huh? And could you pick up some strawberries on your way? We're fresh out."

"Sure, father. Thanks. See you soon!" Noah called.

"Stay alive!" his father called back, joking.

Noah hung up the phone and grinned. "I didn't think he'd be worried, but it never hurts to check. But yeah. I'll have him make a donation to the Dragonry. What's the Dragonry?" His family dealt in high-end saddles, so he wasn't very familiar with the Dragonry.
 
Jasper was patient, waiting idly nearby to be sure nothing went wrong and he didn't need to adjust wires on the defunct communicator. For a moment he was caught up in wondering if the man on the other line was laughing in s way that was good-natured, or laughing because he felt the need to mock those that couldn't afford his products.

When the call ended, he only gave Noah an incredulous expression. "What do they teach you about the world up there?" He only rolled his eyes after, waving off the question because it didn't matter. "The Dragonry is a sort of dragon sanctuary, east of Floaten. The outskirts of the city have clearer skies and bigger land, without Upper Floaten around to get in the way. It's where any dragon that needs help in the immediate vicinity goes, and its the place people ask for help when it's dragons that are doing the bothering."

He paused, frowned, and gave Noah a pointed look. "If you give that man my address I'll break your legs. He wants to find me, he can get his shoes dirty and come look for himself." It was an empty threat, but the sentiment was true enough. A wealthy businessman from above was not someone he wanted to see.

Shaking his head, he turned to walk back to where his latest project rested in pieces. A foot was the hardest thing he'd ever had to make, given how it would need to function for the dragon it would be attached to, and he was still messing around with the catch and release that would be needed for the dragon to be able to perch on things and then leave them again. "You can rest on the workshop couch, over there. I don't think you'll make it up the stairs again so soon."
 
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Noah's eyes glittered. "An entire dragon sanctuary? That sounds amazing! I wonder if they'd let me come over and help out? I'd love to donate to a place like that." Then he blinked at Jasper's threat and scoffed. "How's he supposed to find you if he doesn't have an address, silly? Lower Floaten is huge. I only found this place because Lily pulled me in here. Can I at least give him the name of your business? Or your name?"

He made his way to the workshop couch and sank down gratefully with a groan. "Mmpfh. Listen, if you're worried about why he wants to find you . . . it's probably to thank you for helping me. Especially since he knows there are dragons here." His eyes twinkled. "If I know my father, he likes to give saddles as thank you gifts when he can. He'll probably leave you and Lily one. Or I will, if he doesn't."
 
"What about me has made you think I want him to find me?" Jasper said with a little scoff, putting a pair of lighter duty work gloves back on to prod at the press and lock system he'd been pondering over for days. "I'm not gonna stop you from saying the name 'Jasper' out loud, but that's as much as he gets. If I wanted any part of big business, I'd've looked for it myself."

Shaking his head, he took a piece of the mechanism and cinched it in a vice to keep it still. "Dragonry doesn't usually take on inexperienced volunteers, given the risk of actually losing your entire arm to a grumpy or overeager gigantic predator, but if you donate enough Mal might let you visit sometimes. Under close supervision." He glanced up to find the dragons, and gave the table the vice was attached to a couple loud pats. "Naga. Heat."

She was better for well aimed, steady heat than Nobu, and eager enough to fly over, land on the table, and blow fire at what he pointed at until he told her to stop. When the metal was glowing red, he gave her the signal, then picked up a hammer and chisel to reshape the bits that kept getting caught. He was getting close to a working prototype, if he could just work out some of the kinks before assembling it fully.
 
"I'm telling you, he's not going to come down here for a business proposal. He'd invited you to a fancy dinner for that," Noah said, rolling his eyes. "He probably just wants to thank you in person. That's all." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Could I just . . . show him the way to get here? Bring him myself?"

He nodded with understanding as Jasper described the dangers of the Dragonry. "Fair enough," he said at last. "And I would like visit when I could." Then Jasper called for heat.

Noah's full attention was drawn to the brilliant flame of fire let loose from Naga's jaws, and he let out a soft "Ohhhh." He watched quietly for a few moments until Jasper didn't look quite as intensely focused. Then he leaned forward on the couch a bit, the light from the heated metal reflecting in his eyes. "What are you making?" he asked.
 
Jasper rolled his eyes even as he tinked carefully away at the metal to fix the grooves. "Acceptable. Mr. Moneybanks deigns to come visit the lower dregs of society in person, I'll allow it. If he shows up with bodyguards I'm shutting my door in his face."

When he thought the groove was correct, he reached carefully for a pair of what amounted to very thick tongs, took hold of the part he'd been working on so he could undo the vice, and moved it carefully over to a nearby bucket of water to dunk it in, all but immune to the way steam hissed up into the air as it cooled. Once it was no longer glowing, he brought it back up to lay on the table, as it was cool enough not to damage anything, though not cool enough to touch bare-handed.

"Don't touch that." He advised, though he was hoping Noah was smart enough not to touch much of anything in the shop. "It's part of an annoyingly complicated catch-and-release system." He said, reaching over to Naga and holding up one of her paws to curl her talons in towards the paw pad and then back open. She didn't seem annoyed, only taking the opportunity to chew idly at the open end of his glove. "One that needs to clasp, then let go, like so. Like a pen. Push down, point stays out. Push again, point goes back in. Same concept." It was just that making the spring-loaded, spin-lock-release with the durability and scale it needed presented many more problems than making pens.
 
Noah raised an eyebrow. "That's an oddly specific caveat. But all right, we'll see. Otherwise I can bring the saddle myself."

He wasn't used to the steam in the slightest, though, and when it hissed and rose up he flinched back instinctively. But he was a curious sort of person who learned from experience, and after the fifth time he burned himself he knew that generally speaking touching hot metal was a bad idea. He nodded and watched from a safe distance.

And as he watched Jasper move Naga's paw, he slowly pieced together what Jasper was making. His eyes went wide. "Is that . . . that's going to be a prosthetic foot for a dragon, right?" he asked in delight. "That's going to look so cool! How does it stay on? Do you use a special kind of glue?"
 
"All right, fine," Jasper conceded, "You think you need a bodyguard, then at least leave them on the corner. If he thinks he's in danger inside this building, he shouldn't come." It was an insult, really, to show up to where Jasper was alone with backup. And he wasn't running the risk of unattended paid help stealing his designs.

Despite the distracted trains of thought, he was still present enough to make a disgusted face when Noah suggested glue. "What - Do you glue prosthetics to people up there? No. It's gonna have to be a perfect fit, with supports going up the leg to the shoulder, where it can be strapped on securely enough it won't just rub off. The trick is making it strong enough to last."

He'd been idly demonstrating with little pokes and slides up Naga's own foreleg, and after growing a little more squirmy the small dragon opened up and then closed her mouth around his gloved hand. He didn't move, used to her antics and knowing pulling away always made things worse, just gave her a disappointed look. "Naga? Ow."

She made a faint, muffled rrm? sort of sound, and looked guilty when she let go to snuggle into his chest instead. He gave a long-suffering sigh, patted her head, and picked her up to set her gently on the ground where she could scurry off to find her rope again. "Anyway. If you glue on a prosthesis it can't be removed for maintenance, and if they're strong enough to rip it off, they'll injure themselves again doing it. Dragon missing a whole foot doesn't usually make it long out in the world, so this one'll probably take up resources at the Dragonry for the rest of its life."

It was why the Dragonry needed donations. Jasper would never ask for unearned money for himself, but if he could weasel a large sum for the Dragonry out of someone rich and itching to spend credits, he would.
 
"I don't need a bodyguard. But my father often travels with at least one, that's all," Noah said at last. He smiled and waved a hand. "Listen, don't worry about the bodyguard. I'll bring the saddle so it'll just be me. I know where your house is now."

He only shrugged helplessly at the face Jasper made. "I have no idea how prosthetics work. I don't know anyone who has one," he admitted. "But I guess a strap does make more sense."

His eyes widened slightly when Naga bit down on Jasper's hand; it was a good thing he was wearing a glove. "Oh! Wow, look at those teeth. I should probably wear thick gloves myself if I go visit the Dragonry, huh?" He smiled and watched Naga run off to find her rope. "Sounds like they do really good work there. I'll be happy to donate. My father will too, I bet."

Noah settled back on the couch and gave a slight yawn. "Would you mind terribly if I took a nap for a bit? Don't worry about noises, I'm tired enough to sleep through them."
 
How did a person grow up with the idea in their head that prosthetics were glued on? Jasper was sure even rich people could guess those things, though he supposed it wasn't as if he'd ever traveled in those circles himself. What sort of things did a child from a rich family learn?

"If you get close enough to any Dragonry residents for them to bite your hand," he said with a little shake of the bitten appendage, "you'll have bigger worries than a few dents in your skin. They wouldn't let you near any that are this testy." Naga didn't even mean to hurt him, he knew. She was just annoyed with how he'd touched her and trying to tell him to stop the way she would another dragon.

"Sleep if you want," he said with a shrug, going back to his work to look it over once it had cooled. "I've got plenty to keep me busy." Enough that he didn't always think to stop and eat, or occasionally to drink. It was usually Lily coming home that prompted him to walk away from his work and make dinner for the two of them.
 
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