Breath of Fresh Air

Mr. Harn smiled back at the older man, tears brimming in his eyes, and he hesitantly held out his hand for a shake. "It certainly has been a while. Um - "

His father in law pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close. "Ah am so sorry," he murmured. "I have so much to apologize for."

"I have lots of time. It's so good to see you," Axle murmured, hugging him back. Then he felt Lily rush past him. He glanced up to figure out what was going on. Then his mouth dropped open in shock. "Oh, for - " he stammered. "Mr. Jenkins, have you got any ice packs or bandages?"

Mr. Jenkins chuckled. "Eeyup. Already had at him. Just needs that ice pack and time, now. That there's my grandson Jasper."

Axle let go of Mr. Jenkins and hurried to Jasper. "Are you all right? What happened?" he asked gently. "Do you need to sit down?"

"Father, it's Jasper," Noah said, following him into the house. "I'm sure he's - " His voice broke off when he caught sight of Jasper. "Hoooooly shit. Jasper, what happened?"
 
Jasper heaved a sigh when Lily's fussing brought more attention on him. "I'm fine," he insisted with a bit of annoyance at first, but was quickly left blinking in surprise at Axle Harn when the man came up to him like he needed a sickbed to lie in, his concern extreme for never having met before. Really, he was torn between stubbornly crossing his arms, and just laughing.

"You, too-" He rolled his eyes at Noah's approach and just put the ice pack he'd been carrying around back on his face, if only to hide the evidence and prove he was taking care of it. It was mostly his jaw and hadn't come close to his eyes or anything, so he wasn't sure why they were all fussing. It was like they'd never seen someone get smacked in the face before. "I'm not dying, just ugly," he said with a bit of laughter in his voice at all of their reactions. "This is what happens when you stand next to a real big dragon and they twitch."

Lily sighed at him and slapped an exasperated hand lightly to her own forehead. "You're lucky you've still got all your teeth, at least."

He had the good grace, at least, to agree with her. He would tell her later how funny it was when Nel reacted like he'd been slaughtered after he fell over.
 
Noah snorted and grinned. "I'm not sorry. We're not allowed to be worried about you? I mean, I'm glad you're not hurt. It just looks nasty."

Axle sighed in relief, nodding. "Apologies. I've been Noah's father for years, and now I suppose I get overly concerned over injuries because of that."

"Hey! I don't get hurt that often!"

"Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't been injured since you came down here. You've got a penchant for trouble," Axle added. He cleared his throat and wiped the tears from his eyes. Then he extended a hand to Jasper. "Anyway, I'm Axle Harn. Nice to meet you, Jasper." He smiled warmly.

Then he turned back and went to give Mr. Jenkins another hug. "I've missed so much. You have two grandsons now! Is Jasper just as much a trouble maker as Noah?" he added, glancing over his shoulder at Jasper with a smile.

Noah smiled and nudged Jasper's good arm. "So is there anything we can do for you, or did Grandpa basically cover it?"
 
"In his defense," Lily pointed a teasing finger at Noah, a little smile on his face. "You did fall to get here."

Jasper paused at the hand extended to him, and took a moment through the surprise to shift the ice pack to his other hand and shake the man's hand. He frowned a little after, feeling somehow like he'd been tricked into being nice to the man, and just shook his head after.

"So much trouble!" Lily declared with a dramatic flourish, instinctively doing her best to stay energetic and light to help stave off the tears. "He works through meals and stays up late, and uses his dragons as flamethrowers! I'd call it unfair if I didn't spend the whole day flying." She was experienced, and Infernus was careful, but speeding around on a dragon all the time did have its dangers.

Jasper just rolled his eyes at her and paid attention to Noah instead, to avoid egging her on. "I'm fine, really. The inside of my cheek even stopped bleeding after like twenty minutes."
 
"I'm glad to hear you're doing better. So what, like, actually happened?" Noah asked, ambling towards the table for dinner when he saw his father setting out the pasta salad.

Mr. Harn had smiled warmly at Lily before finally pulling away from the hug and helping to set out dinner. "Good. I wouldn't it any other way. Why don't we all sit down and have some dinner together, eh?"

"Is that pasta salad?" Mr. Jenkins asked, his eyes sparkling. "You sly dog! Ya know that's my favorite."

"No, I didn't know. Lily suggested it," Mr. Harn admitted with a chuckle.

"Oh? Good on ya, Lily. You know just what I like," Mr. Jenkins replied. He reached for the spoon and began scooping salad onto everyone's plates who wanted some. "Say when," he told each guest, starting with Mr. Harn's plate and moving directly to Jasper's after.

Noah beamed, but then he frowned a little. "Will you be able to eat okay, Jasper?" he asked softly.
 
"We were testing a prototype prosthetic on a big dragon earlier," Jasper explained with a shrug. "She startled a little and gave me a nudge. It happens." It wasn't a lie, but Lily had been right to say he was lucky he still had all his teeth. He shook his head at the thought, closing his fingers into a fist a few times just to make sure nothing had been damaged. "Mostly just surface damage, maybe some muscle bruising. I should be fine."

lt was easier, ignoring Axle, who was an unknown and a wealthy Upper Floaten businessman, and focusing on Noah, who he at least sort of knew. If he tried not to think about where they came from, it was easier. The concern the older man had showed seemed real enough, and had gone a long way towards soothing Jasper's eager-to-find-problems temper.

Lily gave a little laugh at being praised as they settled at the table and just shrugged helplessly, careful not to jostle Pumpkin too much. "It was a real good guess. I thought it would be easier not to have to heat things once we got here." Maybe, when they were more comfortable around each other, Noah and his father would just bring ingredients, and they and Mr. Jenkins could all cook together. She really wanted her friends and their family to be happy, even if she wasn't always around to see it.

Jasper frowned at being questioned, giving a little nod of thanks when Mr. Jenkins served him to let him know it was enough, and put a hand to his cheek as he gingerly worked his jaw to test the stiffness. ". . . I'll take small bites." He said dryly, not looking forward to how it would feel that night, or the morning after. At least they had managed to keep the swelling down so he could still move it, it just wasn't very comfortable.

"Where are the littles?" Lily asked as everyone was served, waiting politely for everyone to have something before she would start eating. "Mr. Harn brought some treats for everyone!"

Jasper glanced between her and the man in question, highly doubtful it hadn't been her idea, but finally just shrugged. "Wanderin', probably wherever Fern is. They'll come soon, I'm sure." Infernus treated them like his own babies, sometimes, and would often share whatever he'd gotten for dinner, so sometimes when they were at the Dragonry Jasper didn't even need to feed them.

Lily only smiled. "I can go find them after dinner! I'm sure Fern's been waiting for me to come home anyway."
 
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Noah nodded sympathetically. "If you want, I could bring some soup over for you tomorrow. That'd probably be easy to eat," he said, keeping his voice quiet so no one else would overhear.

Then the conversation turned to dragons, and Noah's eyes lit up. "Oh! Father, you have to meet Chaital! I saw her sleeping on the way in here, but I bet she'll be awake after dinner. You're going to love her!"

Mr. Harn laughed and finished swallowing his bite of pasta. "I'm sure I'll love all the dragons. The better question is whether they'll like me." He pulled off his outer jacket and passed it to Noah. "Here. Why don't you introduce my scent with this first, and if they react all right to that I'll come out?"

"Heh! Yer father's got more dragon sense than you have, lad," Mr. Jenkins said, laughing and shaking his head.

Noah smiled and blushed in embarrassment. "Well, he got to grow up around dragons! He's got an unfair advantage."
 
Jasper gave a little huff that might have been laughter, exasperation, or a mix of the two, but his expression wasnt unkind. "I'm not gonna die, don't worry," he murmured in a tone that suggested there was a 'thank you' somewhere beneath it. "Sore doesn't mean I can't feed myself, promise." The soreness just meant he probably wouldn't work for a couple days, that was the annoying part. Now that he knew what adjustments needed to be made, he wanted to get started on the new foot.

"Chaital and Fern are always here," Lily added in, "so they're super used to people! And you probably smell a little like Noah, so I'm sure she'll like you! Fern's pretty okay with most people, and Nobu is pretty okay, too, but he and Naga are inside more often, so she's probably not gonna warm up very fast. Don't take it personal if she yells at you."

Jasper raised an eyebrow at Noah's comment and glanced between the two of them. "Lotta dragons runnin' around up top when you were a kid?" He asked, with disbelief in his voice he didn't hide very well. Unless he'd come to visit his late wife a lot growing up, Jasper had to wonder how Axle had been around dragons before starting his business.
 
"I know that. But it's a lot easier to eat food that doesn't hurt when you chew," Noah whispered back, clearly already planning to bring Jasper some soup the next day.

Mr. Harn smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you're sure they'll be all right. You all know your dragons best." He glanced at Jasper and shook his head. ". . . Not exactly. I may have snuck down to Lower Floaten fairly frequently to visit Noah's mother. She taught me everything I know now," he added, putting his coat back on since it wasn't needed. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. "It was worth every moment of nearly getting caught by my parents when I was younger. And once I got older and made my own decisions, I married her."

Mr. Jenkins stretched out a hand to touch Axle's, and when the younger man looked up, the elder gave him a smile. He understood more fully now what had happened. Axle had clearly never meant to take Anna from him.
 
Jasper raised an eyebrow with a little tilt of his head, conceding the point. He still didn't think he needed help, but Noah was probably right that he wasn't going to want to move his jaw for a while, and he had a feeling he wasn't going to be able to dissuade the younger man. Even now it was a little sore while he chewed.

As Axle talked, he felt almost guilty for prodding, eyes aimed more often at his plate than anything else. He knew Noah's mother had died, but knowing was different than accidentally making them talk about it. Axle Harn wasn't a faceless name from up high anymore, but a real person in front of him with real loss and real pain. He could relate.

"She must have been impressed by your determination, making the trip so often," Lily said with a little smile, a hand automatically going to touch Pumpkin in case he understood who they were talking about and felt sad, but wanting to encourage Axle to speak if it was okay for everyone. It hurt to remember that people were gone, she knew, but everyone deserved to share their happy memories, once they felt ready to. She was more than willing to hear more about Noah's mother, if they wanted to share. "Did she come to the Dragonry a lot?"
 
Axle met Mr. Jenkin's eyes first, and he relaxed more than he had in a while. The wall was gone. He smiled and glanced back at Lily. "I'm pretty sure that's what got her to marry me," he admitted, chuckling lightly. "And yes, she did. She lived here in this house with Mr. Jenkins. And even after we were married, she came here so often that Mr. Jenkins was kind enough to build Noah a room."

Noah grinned. "I still like it, too."

Pumpkin jumped a bit, but only because he'd taken the opportunity to try and sneak a bite of Lily's salad and now had been caught red-pawed. He chirped apologetically and licked Lily's cheek.

Mr. Jenkins snorted. "Pumpkin, ya rascal! Didn't ya hear you lot are gettin' treats later?"

"I'm sure he just can't resist my good cooking," Axle said, and when Mr. Jenkins laughed, his smile widened. He was exceptionally glad he'd come to the dinner,

Then he noticed the large metal paw glinting in the corner of the house. "Say. What's that? Looks like someone's trying to stick a foot in here."
 
Lily was smiling contentedly, happy to hear people talk about someone they'd loved, and something to do with the house they were in, at that. When Pumpkin stole food she jumped a little and then just laughed, giving him a little boop on the end of his snout as if to scold him.

"Silly dragon!" She said with a little roll of her eyes. "I'd share if you just asked. No plates for you, okay?" He just had to paw at her and she would give him a bite.

Jasper made a little tch under his breath at what he thought might have been an attempt at a joke. "It's the reason I got clocked," he said, unconsciously trying to deflect a bit away from more serious attention towards his work. As much as he could get enthused talking about the technical aspects of what he did, he didn't deal well with anyone that tried to shower him with praise. "Big dragon Koatl lost part of her front leg in a fight, few years back. That's Replacement Foot Mark I."
 
"Ohh, it's a prosthetic?" Mr. Harn asked, his eyebrows raising. He'd thought at first it was a decoration or maybe a sculpture of some kind. "Would you mind if I took a look at it after dinner? I'd love to learn a few things about prosthetics. Especially metal ones. Leather works alright for short term wing replacements, but we don't have a metal specialist at the factory, so anything with metal's got to be special ordered, like the hinges and frame pieces."

Noah popped another spoonful of food into his mouth. "Oh, yeah! I forgot about that one dragon who comes in for custom orders sometimes. Calamari, right?"

"That's the fella. I think he's the only dragon that comes in for custom prosthetics, Noah. Everyone else is there for saddles," Mr. Harn added, finishing off his plate.

Mr. Jenkins snorted. "Ohhh, here we go. Yer tellin' me yer a workaholic, too? If you and Jasper ever worked on somethin' together, there wouldn't be no sleep or disturbin' ya both for days. We'd best keep ya separated for yer own good," he teased.
 
"Uh, sure," Jasper managed, a bit caught off guard by the more professional interest. "Nothing's strong enough to take the weight but metal, for something so big. The trouble is less the wait and more making sure she can use it. I've had a heck of a time trying to come up with something that can grip, with a mechanism that won't break when she steps on it. Leather's just for padding, and for attaching it to her leg."

"No, no," Lily told Mr. Jenkins with a little wave of her hand, smiling to herself. "Just lure Nobu and Naga away with treats, then he can't forge anything!"

Jasper rolled his eyes at her. "I could use a regular forge if I had to. Naga's just better."

She only laughed in response, picking up a couple pieces of vegetable to share with Pumpkin. "I've never seen prosthetic wings before! That's really cool."
 
Mr. Harn nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Well, my experience is obviously in leather and more delicate hinges - but I'd love to see what you're working on so far. Though I doubt I'll be much help fixing the problem."

"Can I look at the foot, too, Jasper?" Noah asked, grinning. "I promise I won't touch anything!"

"As for the prosthetic wings, Lily - I could introduce you all to Calamari and his rider sometime," Mr. Harn said with a smile. "They're both very patient and sweet. The tricky part is catching them when they're not in for a replacement. Always off on an adventure, those two." Then he spotted Chaital's eye in the window and smiled. "Ahh. Your dragon, Noah?"

"Chaital! You're awake!" Noah burst out happily. "Hi, girl!"

Chaital rumbled happily, giving him a soft blink with her eyes while she tried to see inside.
 
Jasper looked uncertain for a moment, at the thought of sharing his work, but he'd promised to play nice, so he tried to tell himself it wouldn't actually hurt to have a second opinion. Who knew. Maybe fresh eyes would even help refine it. "If you'd like. I've got a few notes on how I'll change the next one." He looked over at Noah after, amused but also a little incredulous. "I know I said don't touch things in my shop, but that thing's meant to withstand wear and tear from a dragon 30 times your size. You can try to throw it, for all I care." Not that he truly thought the younger man could manage that.

"Ooh, I'd love to meet them!" Lily agreed with a grin. "I'm always on the run, too, but I stop by the mail drop-offs in Upper Floaten pretty regularly. Maybe we can meet up there, some day." She didn't want to make Calamari and his rider come down to Lower Floaten if they didn't normally, so it was a good enough meeting place.

She turned when Axle's attention went over her shoulder, and smiled at the sight of Chaital's head. "Don't worry, girl, we'll come out and see you soon! Did she get dinner, Mr. Jenkins? I can run and have somebody fetch something for her." She wasn't working today, but she was so used to running around doing errands, of a sort, that it was second nature by now.
 
Noah chuckled and shrugged. "Just double checking!"

"Ohhh, she had dinner, all right," Mr. Jenkins told Lily, his eyes glittering. "But she knows a guest when she sees one." He stood up and set his hands on Mr. Harn's shoulders. "I think she'd like ta meet ya, Axle."

Mr. Harn glanced up in shock on hearing his first name spoken by his father in law. Then he smiled warmly, stood up, and nodded. "I'd love to meet her, too." He glanced briefly at Jasper and smiled apologetically. "Would you mind terribly showing me the foot after? Humans are historically more patient than dragons."

"An' after you all check out the metal foot, we can have dessert!" Mr. Jenkins added. He smiled warmly and led Noah's father towards the door, where Chaital was excitedly waiting. The dinner couldn't have gone better. It probably went ever smoother with Jasper's injuries garnering him extra sympathy.
 
Jasper held his hands up a little in a sort of surrender, not over eager to share. "Take your time. I'm in no hurry." And he was eating much slower than everyone else, anyway. He'd stay in and finish dinner so they wouldnt crowd Chaital with too many people.

Lily gave him a little pat on the shoulder and got up to follow the others out. "I should go and find Fern so he can come and have his treat!" She said with a grin as they walked out, then paused thoughtfully and tried to look at Pumpkin on her shoulder. "Unless, you want to fly up and see if you see him for me? You've got wings and I've just got legs," she said with a little laugh, giving him a few pets. "It's okay if you're tired, though. I can find him."
 
Pumpkin squeaked happily and flew up into the air. Finding Infernus was the least he could do after all the trouble he'd caused. He soared above the clouds, gliding on the wind and searching for the dragon's familiar sight or scent.

Noah, meanwhile, hurried out to rub Chaital's nose and introduce her to his father. "Father, this is Chaital! Chaital, this is my Father."

Chaital gave the man a generous sniff. Then she bobbed her head in a nod and gave him a lick.

Mr. Harn laughed. "I take it that means she likes me?"

"Oh, yeah. I'd be shocked if she didn't," Noah added, climbing on and sitting atop Chaital's shoulders. "Pretty, isn't she?"

"She sure is. Where's her saddle at, kiddo?"

"I haven't gotten her to Upper Floaten for measurements yet."
 
Lily jumped a little at Pumpkin's takeoff, despite asking for it, and waved as he flew away. "Thank you!"

Infernus wasn't far away, having washed off after dinner and started to walk leisurely back to Mr. Jenkin's home with Nobu and Naga riding on his back. When Pumpkin found them and came down where he was visible, Infernus knew it meant his Lily was back and gave the little dragons a chuff too get them to fly so he could, too.

"Maybe tomorrow you could take your cruiser again, and she could follow you?" Lily suggested after Chaital had been properly introduced, then paused with a little frown. "But you'd have to take the elevator back up, or catch a ride, since it's still up there. Maybe Nel can help you find someone to give you a ride up instead?"

It wasn't long before Infernus touched down a ways away, ambling towards them at a more leisurely pace than he'd flown in with. He was a bit more intimidating to look at than Chaital, Lily thought, given the fangs which were still visible even when he closed his mouth, but she had always been a fan of his blue coloring, and he was her baby still anyway.

"Fern!" She cried, and ran over to grab him by the muzzle and pull him down for a kiss even though she'd just seen him in the morning. "Pumpkin found you!" She looked up and around a little, and spotted three smaller shapes not far behind. "Oh, and the others are coming, too - the gang's all here!"
 
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