Breath of Fresh Air

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Mr. Harn looked up to smile at Jasper, lightly shaking his head. "Not spoiled," he said softly. "Just very well loved. He's a very sweet dragon who's very polite. You clearly trained him well. And Naga, too. She just . . . has more energy and more teeth," he decided at last. He was more than happy to keep petting the dragon, who had settled perfectly on his lap like an overgrown cat.

Eventually Chaital's second pear was also gone. She licked her lips again. And on hearing her name, she ambled over towards Lily, sniffing around gently to see if she was going to get lucky enough for thirds.

Noah chuckled and followed after her, patting her side. "Our pleasure. Hey, do dragons like apples as treats, too? They're a little easier to find than pears. Especially this time of year."

"Y'all humans want some dessert, too?" Mr. Jenkins asked. "Jasper an' I worked real hard on somethin' extra special."
 
Jasper shifted his weight a little, almost shyly, a hand rubbing idly at the back of his neck and unable to leave because Naga was still using him to hide and he was a pushover that couldn't bear to take it away from her. "They'd better be. I've been workin' with Nobu since he hatched, basically." He, at least, had come from the Dragonry. Naga, unsurprisingly enough, had basically come from a trash pile in a random, abandoned lot Jasper found while scavenging for metal scraps as a teen.

"You should see 'em forge." He admitted after a little pause, willing enough to talk about his 'pets', as most were. "He gets hotter, but she's better for precision, and can keep it steady for longer." He gave a little huff of laughter at the thought of their training. "I've got a few scars from figuring all that out." It probably would've been worse if he hadn't had his grandfather's help still, back then. He tried not to think too hard about it.

"Ours like apples," Lily confirmed, holding out the last couple of little pieces Pumpkin hadn't eaten for Chaital to lick off her hand. "I think it's something about the crunch. Their jaws are strong, so stuff that's too soft is no fun for eating, usually." Not that there weren't exceptions.

Jasper turned a little and raised an eyebrow at Mr. Jenkins, giving an amused little chuckle. "You say that like I did a whole lot." He didn't feel like he'd helped that much, but whatever made people happy. "Come on, Naga. You all done?" She was eating it still, but had slowed down and was clearly only doing it to chew on something and not because she still wanted more. He gave her horns a rub as he took it from her, murmuring soft encouragements when she gave it up easily, and just gave it a toss to Infernus, who caught it without having to be warned.

Lily giggled at the quick, familiar interaction between her dragon and her friend, and just gave Infernus a few affectionate pats. "Nice catch!"
 
"Oh? So you've had Naga less time - and she's already this sweet, eh?" Mr. Harn asked with a smile. He nodded and scooped Nobu into his arms, carrying him like a baby towards the house. "Of course, some dragons just have a spicy personality their whole lives no matter how much you work with them. Take little Pumpkin, there. Now he's a mischievous one."

Pumpkin's ear fins perked up at hearing his name. He hid slightly behind Lily's hair, but there was still a playful smirk on his face as though he wasn't actually embarrassed.

Noah finally sighed and hugged Chaital's face, pressing his forehead against hers. "Sorry, Chaital. You're not gonna fit inside," he murmured.

Mr. Jenkins snorted. "We can bring dessert outside if ya like. Ain't like it's stormin' out here."

"Can we?" Noah asked, his eyes lighting up in delight.
 
Nobu made a pleased little rumble as he was lifted, relaxed and trusting and just lazy enough to enjoy being toted about like an infant. Jasper only rolled his eyes a little and picked Naga up purely because he needed to wash her paws before he let her on the floor and if he didn't carry her she'd only collect dirt. "Got 'er about a year after I got Nobu. Unsurprisingly, she was chewing on wood when I found her."

Back then her chewing had been because she was a hungry little baby, on her own and struggling to find enough food. Now he had to guess it was just habit, or something about how her teeth felt when she did it. He was only happy he'd stumbled upon her before it was too late.

Lily giggled at the way Pumpkin hid in her hair, a bit tickled by his breath so close to her skin. "Pumpkin? Mischievous? I would never have guessed!" She grinned and hopped over to Mr. Jenkins since Pumpkin was fine hanging out on her shoulder without her help. "I can help bring it out!"
 
Mr. Harn nodded and rocked Nobu gently in his arms. "Sounds about right. She sure does like to chew on things. I assume her vet ruled out any problems with her teeth or jaws?" he added, but very casually and as though he fully assumed as much; he knew Jasper was the type to take his dragons' well being very seriously.

Then he glanced over at Mr. Jenkins. "Oh! If we're having dessert brought out, mind if I keep Nobu out here?"

"Go right on ahead. The three of us can manage fine," Mr. Jenkins replied warmly.

Axle smiled and sat down with Nobu near Noah and Chaital, relaxing together with the pair. "Thanks. I can't bring myself to set this little one down."

Noah climbed up onto Chaital's back to rest there, and he glanced down with a smile. "Sure you're still talking about Nobu?"

His father chuckled. "Don't you worry about me, Noah. I'll still come visit all of you. And I'll be quite all right on my own."
 
"Yeah, she's fine so far," Jasper said with a little shrug. "I have 'em checked out every once in a while to make sure she's not hurting herself." She liked chewing on things that weren't food, after all. He did enough work for the Dragonry that the experts around didn't mind giving his little ones checkups. "Be good, Nobu."

Nobu only made a happy little whine, content to be cradled and showered with affection. Lily was happy to help gather desert while Jasper washed Naga's paws at the sink, laughing when the little dragon stuck her face under the water and opened up to try and catch some in her mouth.

When they emerged from the house again with dessert, Naga was walking on her own but still near Jasper's feet.

"Dessert time!" Lily declared brightly on their way out, smiling when Infernus wandered closer to lie down near where Axle sat, to better keep an eye on his small friends. "People dessert! Dragon dessert time is over."
 
But to Axle, Infernus coming over to sit close to him also partially read as the dragon enjoying his company. He smiled and leaned back against Chaital's shoulder, who was right behind him. Then he glanced up at Noah. "You've gone and found a remarkable family, kiddo."

"Yeah. And you're part of it," Noah reminded him.

The pair glanced over and smiled at the mention of dessert. "Smells delicious! What is it?" Noah called.

Mr. Jenkins proudly helped carry the tray forward, which he'd covered with a metal tray. "It's just a lil' somethin' Jasper and I tossed together. Ain't it, Jasper?" he asked.

Noah slid off of Chaital's back and hurried over. "Can I see? It smells super good!"

"Can you see? Don't you mean can you eat?" Axle asked, laughing and stroking Nobu's back.
 
"It's just cookies," Jasper said with a chuckle, shaking his head at Mr. Jenkins dramatics. "I could barely even mix any of it." He would've been fine, he was sure, but he hadn't wanted to make the man worry.

Lily hopped over to where Axle sat on the ground to join him, settled up against Fern's shoulder so he could easily reach his head down and nose gently at her hair. "What a little baby~" She cooed, looking at the way Nobu was laying limp in his arms, and gave Pumpkin a little pet so he would know she hadnt forgotten him. "Is he gonna get in the way of your dessert time? I can take him if you want." If she sat cross-legged he could lay cradled in her lap still while freeing her hands. She didn't mind being covered in dragons.
 
Mr. Jenkins chuckled and lifted the tray. "Jasper, are ya able to eat a few without Naga gettin' into 'em?" he asked. "I can pass you a few if you'd like."

Axle sighed deeply and was very, very tempted to kiss the top of Nobu's head, but he didn't want to risk the dragon moving and accidentally getting scratched by his horns. "Ohhh, you don't have to take him. I'll get a hand free. Even if I couldn't eat dessert - I can't say no to a little face like that," he murmured.

Noah took a few cookies to help pass them out. "Hey Lily, how many do you want?" he asked with a smile. "Father? How about you?"

"I'll start with two, thanks. That was a big dinner."
 
"I think she's fine." Jasper said with a shrug, setting her gently down on the ground to free up his hands and rest his arm. She looked up at him, at first, then just settled near his feet with a little huff at being put down. "Can't baby her forever. She'll be back to chewing on my tools by tomorrow, I'm sure." He accepted a cookie with a little thank you, hovering nearby the group that had sat down on the ground but remaining on his feet. He was standing close still, but had a habit of overseeing 'from afar', and now was no different.

Nobu, having gotten his fill of snacks, looked up enough to sniff at the cookies but made no moves to get them. He used his paws instead to try and pull Axle's empty hand closer, careful of his claws but whining for more pets.

"Oh-ho~" Lily drawled, an almost mischievous look on her face. "Someone is falling victim to chubby baby dragon charm!" She snickered at how greedy Nobu reclined in the man's lap and looked the very picture of spoiled baby, despite being almost five years old already, then reached her hands out to Noah with a grin. "One cookie, please!"

Jasper gave a small, amused huff at Lily's description, but couldn't say he thought she was wrong. "Don't let him convince you he's never a tiny demon like his sister just because he likes to be held like a baby. I've got scars from him, too." Perhaps he wouldn't, if he'd been more attentive to wound care when he got scratched or accidentally bitten, but that was besides the point.
 
"Good. As long as you're able to eat your cookies in peace," Mr. Harn replied happily. Then he chuckled and let Nobu pull his hand closer, giving the adorable dragon a few more pets. "I have to admit, I can't resist his charm, Lily. He's awfully cute." He glanced at Jasper again with a smile. "But don't worry. I'll still be careful with him. Even the sweetest dragons are still dragons."

Noah gave Lily a cookie with a smile, and then settled down to eat his own, sitting between Chaital's paws and leaning back against her chest.

A few minutes later, Old Boulder ambled up to the group. He was carrying another power crystal chunk in his mouth.

"Hm. Found another piece, did ya, Boulder?" Mr. Jenkins called out, his mouth full of cookie.

Boulder quietly set the crystal down in the grass and rumbled. He nudged it forward with his muzzle a few times.

Mr. Jenkins' smile faded a bit. ". . . Where'd he get a chunk of power crystal that big?"
 
Jasper sighed and gave a little shrug at the idea of being careful around Nobu. "He doesn't usually bite, in my experience, he just destroys things. He'll leave if he doesn't want you to touch him anymore. He's not super careful with his horns or claws, though."

Lily smiled at Axle, amused by him getting charmed by Nobu's affectionate nature, and just took little bites of her cookie, enjoying the company and happy everything had gone well. Jasper was even being good, and not getting irritated with anyone but his dragons. When Boulder started to make his appearance, she got up and hurried inside to get the pear she'd set aside for him before even seeing what he'd brought.

"That . . . That's bigger than the last one." Jasper said with a frown, stepping over Naga to go and have a look at it. "If some place had lost chunks like this, we'd've heard about it . . . right?"

"Oh." Lily stopped nearby, having run back outside with the fruit in hand, and her smile faded when she saw what they were looking at. "Again?" She looked between Axle and Mr. Jenkins, confused but not pleased by everyones expressions. "Is that bad?"

Jasper shook his head, a thoughtful hand to his chin. "I wouldn't say it's good. Not for the place that's losin' 'em, anyway."

With a worried little frown, Lily stepped closer to Boulder and held his pear out for him to have. When he'd eaten it, she gave him a few little pats to the side of his neck to show affection and to gently draw his attention. "Hey, Boulder . . . Where'd you get that rock? Could you show me?" She wasn't sure if he would understand, but maybe they could try to follow him on his next walk and figure it out.
 
Axle, too, was surprised at how easy going and straightforward Jasper seemed after all of Lily's warnings. He seemed like a fine, intelligent young man who cared very deeply for his dragons. And as such, he set Nobu down very gently before standing and heading over to where Boulder was. "Hm. There's only once place I know of with chunks of crystals that big," he murmured.

He went over to Mr. Jenkins and nodded solemnly. "Mind if I use your pipe phone?"

"By all means," the older man said, stepping aside at once and gesturing towards the door.

Mr. Harn hurried inside, and a few moments later, he was speaking with someone in hushed tones.

Noah waited worriedly outside and leaned against Chaital, who calmly licked his hair.

But as the minutes went on, Mr. Harn's voice grew more frantic. ". . . What do you mean, there's not a backup power crystal? That is the backup?" He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, well, we've got a pretty sizable shard that just broke off. I think we either need a larger crystal or less power being used. Yes, really. I - no, I know that. Mhm. No, but listen, if that crystal fails, half the city will - !" He scoffed when the man suddenly hung up on him. "Are you serious?!"

He called a different number at once and huffed. "Head of the dragon riders, please. It's urgent."
 
Lily was frowning, rubbing Boulder's big, spiky head to soothe herself just as much as him, in all the sudden tension. Worried about her sudden change in attitude, Infernus got to his feet and wandered over to be near her, nudging gently at her side until she leaned on him, and looking at the chunk of crystal that had upset everyone. Jasper was kneeling, holding it in his hand and turning it this way and that as if expecting it would give them some sort of answer.

"Looks like it's been banged up a lot. . ." He murmured, and when Axle's voice grew louder from inside ran a hand back through his hair. "Maybe from falling so far."

Something was wrong, that much was for certain, but just how wrong was something they still needed to learn.

Worried and a little uncertain, Jasper looked over at Mr. Jenkins. "Think I should take this on to Malia?" She basically ran the Dragrony, as it was, and had connections to pretty much all dragon-based services. Maybe she would know what they should do about it, or could still least find the scouts that might.
 
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When Axle came back out of the house looking frazzled, Mr. Jenkins nodded to Jasper. ". . . Eeyup."

"I can't get ahold of any of the dragon riders," Mr. Harn explained frantically. "But evidently the backup crystal is already in use, and we don't have one ready for when it eventually breaks. The city's using too much power. If the crystal shatters completely, the emergency thrusters around the city won't work!"

"Does . . . does the city need those, right now?" Noah asked with a wince. "I mean, we haven't used the damn things in twenty years."

"Noah. If too many of the support structures were to fail, Upper Floaten could literally crash into the ground," Axle said sternly. "And we live with giant dragons. I'm sure you can imagine how quickly things could go downhill if someone were to crash."

". . . Oooh. Yeah."

Mr. Harn sighed and rubbed his temples. "Does anyone know how I can get ahold of the dragon riders? Quite odd no one answered their phone . . ."
 
Lily was antsy, shifting her weight back and forth and reaching up for Infernus to stroke over his muzzle. "That . . . That sounds bad. . ."

Jasper took a slow breath in, let it out in a long sigh, and gave Naga a gentle pet before pushing himself back up to his feet with the chunk of crystal in the crook of his arm. ". . . Come on." He said finally, turning enough to look back at Axle with a calm Lily still found a bit eerie. "We'll get hold of 'em the old fashioned way. I'll take you to see the Matriarch. She'll know where to send the right messages."

Lily stepped forward, uncertain but doing her best to stay calm even though everything sounded big and scary. "I can come, too. Me and Fern are some of the fastest flyers around."
 
Noah glanced briefly at Chaital, but she rumbled at him and tilted her head. And when he tried to stand up and join the group, she gently pushed him towards Mr. Jenkins with her tail. Then she padded over to the group by herself. Noah shrugged and cleared his throat. "I'll stay here. I don't think I'll be much help. Chaital wants to go, though."

Axle pulled in a breath, nodding. "Thank you, Jasper. Pumpkin, could you go see Noah?"

Pumpkin squeaked and flew over, cuddling into Noah's arms, and Axle met his son's gaze. "You'll be plenty of help. Can you watch Pumpkin until we get back?"

Noah's face brightened, and he nodded. "Sure! No worries."

Mr. Harn nodded and turned back to Jasper. "I'll follow you."
 
Jasper paused for a moment, watching as Naga scampered after him and then looking over at Nobu. "You can come with me, or stay here with them," he said gently. "It's okay. I'll be back soon."

Nobu looked back and forth between the two groups, then finally turned and hurried over to Noah to curl up against his leg. Someone had to stay and keep him and Mr. Jenkins safe, and he wanted to get more snuggles anyway.

Jasper only nodded and started to walk, and after a minute or two he held his hand out for Lily, let her latch on to him as they made their way to the Dragonry's main buildings. With his family gone, and hers not always with her, he had had to become the 'man of the house' at a young age, years ago, and he would play the part for as long as he had to. He had to be strong for her, and Noah, and Mr. Jenkins. Someone had to take charge.

"Malia should still be working, somewhere." He explained for Axle as they went. "She pretty much runs the Dragonry, and she's in contact with most rider associations, so she'll know who to talk to."
 
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Noah's eyes went wide when Jasper told Nobu to stay with him. "I'll take good care of him! I promise!" he called out. He giggled when Pumpkin licked his cheek. "Yeah, and you too, Pumpkin."

Mr. Jenkins patted Noah's arm. "C'mon, lad. Let's get Ol' Boulder his treat, eh?"

"Sure thing, Grandpa," Noah replied with a smile.

-----

"Excellent," Mr. Harn replied. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how urgent this matter is. And before anyone asks - no, I don't think the city will be convinced to use less power. Not at a timely rate, in any case. They often take months to make decisions. It's infuriating." He let out a long breath. "In any case, I hope Malia's close by. And that the dragon riders are all right. I've never called them without anyone picking up before."

Chaital walked behind the group, resolutely and with her wings held aloft. She could tell something was wrong.
 
"Should be close," Jasper said with a slight shrug, not making any promises. "Maybe someone's just stepped out while they're on duty." It could be something very simple keeping them away from the phone, or something big. They couldn't panic now over something they really didn't know or understand.

The walk to the Dragonry wasn't extremely long, as things go, but it took a decent chunk of time that could've been spent thinking and panicking. Lily was quiet, which was enough to tell Jasper she was worried, but he wasn't sure if she knew exactly why she should be. He had gathered enough of the full story - if anything went wrong, a large chunk of Upper Floaten was going to come crashing down, likely killing everyone on it, and everyone under it.

Malia, thankfully, was actually in her office, and showing her assistant the large chunk of crystal in his arms was enough to get them the go ahead to interrupt whatever she was doing. She was sitting at her desk, looking through papers when they arrived.

"Marelis?" She questioned when she saw Jasper first, briefly looking him up and down. "What's the other guy look like?" She asked, a faint smile on her face at the jab despite knowing exactly what had happened. "Are you all right, or are you lodging a complaint?"

He only shook his head, letting go of Lily's hand to present to her the crystal. "Not why I'm here. Boulder brought this home tonight, and it's not the first time. This is Axle Harn. He needs to be put in touch with the riders up top."

Malia looked at Axle for a moment, as if she could possibly doubt his identity, or as if she were considering whether his recent donations had anything to do with why he was present, then just stood to take the crystal from Jasper's hands. "Did this come from where I think it did? I knew something was going wrong, but I didn't know it was this bad."

Her original picture was an elf, so this'll do as a replacement ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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