Breath of Fresh Air

"Oh, that's good! What about your birthday?" Noah insisted. If Jasper wouldn't tell him, surely he could get Lily to later.

Then the topic turned back towards the dragons he may have seen in Upper Floaten. "Okay, so . . ." He took a breath. He kept brushing Nogu though, just as gentle as ever. "Here's the thing. Upper Floaten likes the power and protection dragons give. But they don't like the mess, or the work, or - basically anything else. Dragons aren't usually allowed up there except in certain areas. And I'm worried that if there are wild dragons nesting in an abandoned space cruiser complex, things could get ugly."

He gently ruffled Nobu's head. "But then again, if it is a group of dragon riders, what the hell are they doing out in an abandoned space cruiser comped, you know? Either way I'm definitely going to go check it out. Just trying to figure out the safest way to do that."
 
Jasper only shook his head, and refused to give over the answer. "Don't worry about it," was the only thing he would say on the matter. Noah was oddly persistent, for a strange boy dropped from the sky. Maybe he just wasn't used to being refused.

When he went on about the dragons, Jasper straightened up away from the table with arms crossed over his chest, a slight frown on his face to indicate just how horrible an idea he thought it was. "You go there by yourself and find ferals, you'll have worse things than a fall to worry about." He shook his head, sighed, ran a hand through his hair. ". . . Lily could take you, on her day off - but not without me and someone from the Dragonry with you." He would've suggested local authorities, but knowing Upper Floaten they would rather go in guns blazing to get rid of the 'problem', rather than peacefully relocating the beasts.

"I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if you ask her to take you there alone." There were no descriptive threats, or colorful language, and his expression was serious. If Noah put Lily in danger, it didn't matter how capable she and Fern were. No matter how friendly he could be towards the boy, or how small or large his desire to make a new friend was, Jasper would break Noah's teeth on his bare fists.

Nobu, oblivious to any human troubles, pushed into the brush for harder scratches against his scales and made happy, rumbling sounds not unlike a cat. Wherever he wanted the brush, he would turn and angle his body to get it there. Naga, peacefully enough, had chewed on her new toy until she started to doze off on the floor with her chin on top of it.
 
Noah only nodded about the birthday and resolved he'd ask Lily when he got the chance. He tilted his head when Jasper seemed to get tense over the idea of him going off to check on the dragons himself, though. He wasn't stupid. He just wanted to get close enough so he could see whether the dragons were feral so he could go tell the Dragonry about them.

. . . Okay, maybe he was a little stupid.

But then Jasper suggested inciting Lily, himself, and someone from the Dragonry along before shortly warning him about putting Lily into danger. Noah frowned softly and crossed his own arms. "I don't want to put anyone in danger. That's why I'm not calling the authorities on the dragons," he explained. "And I would never want you or Lily, or your dragons, to get hurt."

He cleared his throat and dropped his eyes. "But yeah, going with a group to check out the dragons is a way better idea than the one of me just sneaking over to look. Dragons probably have better hearing and senses of smell than us, huh?"
 
Didn't want anyone to get hurt, but already seemed like he had a penchant for getting himself into trouble, anyway. Jasper let it go, for now. He didn't truly want to threaten the boy, he just needed to make himself clear. For years now it had been the same - if anyone tried to hurt Lily in any way, there would be hell to pay at his hands.

"Depends on the dragon," he said instead, with a little shrug. "But usually, yes."

There was a click-click of the front door being unlocked, then, and Nobu and Naga both hurried off to greet Lily as she came inside. She spared them some attention and greeted them with the sort of baby voice one usually reserves for dogs and small children, then appeared around the corner of the entryway even as she pulled off her mask.

"I'm home!" She declared with a grin. "Did you play nice without me?" She leveled her amused but accusing stare at Jasper, who only rolled his eyes, then laughed and gave Noah a wave. "Ready to go? I've gotta swap out tanks, but Fern's waiting outside so we can't linger too long." He wasn't going to get run off, given he was still big enough to threaten most people, but it was a bit rude to leave him outside where he was blocking both sidewalk and roadway.
 
As the click of the door sounded, Noah, too, glanced over. He smiled at how excited the dragons were to see Lily. They really were pretty similar to dogs - just with more powerful teeth, as far as he could tell. And less fur.

He got to his feet and stretched again and found he was no longer sore, which he was very grateful for. He laughed at Jasper's question and gently patted Jasper on the shoulder. "We had a great time, actually. We worked on projects together and had lunch. I made chew toys for Naga and Nobu."

Then he nodded and ambled over to Lily. "Yeah, I'm ready. Do you think I'll need a mask, or will I be able to hold my breath until we get to Upper Floaten? I mean, it took me just a minute to fall down here. It'll probably be about the same to get back up, right?"
 
Lily laughed at the exaggerated look Jasper gave Noah for touching him, kneeling to give Nobu a rub and gently patting Naga's head until they ran off to play with each other. "You did? That's cool! I bet they loved it." Any new things to play with or hunt were usually things they loved.

"You can borrow my mask again." She said as she undid the buckle across her chest and took off the shoulder straps. "It'll take longer to get up in the air, since we'll have to wiggle past buildings, and if you try to rise up too fast you might black out." She still didn't know how he'd survived the fall down in the first place.
 
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Noah only gave Jasper a sheepish grin, as though to silently apologize (but not really), and then turned back to face Lily with a smile. "I'd appreciate it. And don't worry. I'll bring my own mask next time," he added with a chuckle. "I couldn't exactly plan to pack while I fell through the floor. But I'm feeling much better now, thanks to you both," he added.

He ambled toward the door and was indeed walking just fine now. Then he pulled in a breath and cleared his throat. "I was going to ask - can I pet Infernus? I bet he's absolutely gorgeous to look at," he added. He turned for a moment, waving at Jasper. "Bye, Jasper! Bye, Nobu! Bye, Naga! See you all really soon!" he called lightly.
 
Lily was quick enough in swapping out tanks, and idly directed him into strapping the new one onto his back for him as he seemed too distracted to realize going outside would mean he would need it rather immediately. "Mm, that's something we'll have to ask Fern," she said with a little shrug. "He's usually pretty friendly, so I'm sure it'll be fine. We'll just greet him where he can see you, and you hold your hand out, then he'll put his snout in it if he wants to." That would be the sign it was okay to touch him.

"All right, Jas," she said, putting in a filter mask and making sure it was tight. "I should be back before it's fully dark. Remember to eat dinner, okay?"

He shook his head at her as if she didn't have a valid point, and just gave a little wave. "Fly safe."

The smaller dragons were interested at the sound of their names, but not ones for goodbyes, and knew it wasn't time to go flying for them. Noah and Lily made it outside without being assaulted by either eager animal, and she made sure Noah's mask was on well and he was breathing fine before moving away from the closed door. Fern was already in plain view, waiting nearby in a relaxed pose with wings loosely folded. He raised his head at their approach, and when Lily hurried over and raised her arms up to him he pressed his muzzle gently into her chest so she could "hug" him.

"Ready to go for a big flight, Fern?" She said with a grin, giving him a nuzzle and then turning to gesture for Noah to come closer, one hand resting on the dragon's neck. "This is Noah. He's a friend, so be nice, okay? He wants to say hello before we go.

Once Noah had given his palm, Fern stayed still to catch his scent, then slowly extended his neck just enough to press his nose against the boy's hand and signal it was all right to touch. Once Noah had gotten it out of his system, Lily would go over their riding rules.
 
Noah had made it only a few steps out the door before he saw Infernus. He slowed to a stop a short distance away, staring in awe. The dragon looked - to him, at least - to be the size of a small elephant, only much longer. His scales glistened in the sunlight that filtered through the pipes. And his eyes seemed much more intelligent than the baby dragons'.

"Wow. He looks amazing," Noah breathed. He took a step forward and slowly reached out his hand, holding his breath. Then Infernus gently bumped his nose against it. Noah let out a soft giggle and carefully pet the dragon's muzzle and cheek. "Thank you, Infernus." After having met him up close, he couldn't even imagine calling such a creature by a nickname. He was far too imposing, and graceful, and regal.

But then, Noah had only known him for about five minutes.
 
Fern gave only a deep chuff in response to Noah's praise, less likely to preen as his smaller counterparts. He was on the smaller side, as dragons went, but Lily's head still only came up to his back when he was standing, and his wingspan from one wingtip to the other was as wide as his body length from snout to tail when fully opened. He was too big to permanently keep in the house, like the smaller dragons, who were fine to fly around the open space of the shop between more temporary trips outside. Jasper did take them out to go flying rather frequently throughout the week, as well.

"He's the best!" Lily said with a proud grin, affectionately patting the big dragon's side. "And he's much sturdier than Nobu or Naga, so as long as you avoid his wings, it's all right to use his legs as a step up. Like so!" Lily demonstrated by putting her foot on the knee-like joint of Fern's leg to give herself a lift up onto his back, smiling behind her mask once she was settled. "You can use his back leg to do the same, I'll help you."

She held out a hand for him to grab for balance and once he was settled stayed twisted to see him better. "Unfortunately, because his wing bases are wide, you'll basically be sitting on your knees," she explained, with an apologetic tone. She herself sat far up enough her legs dropped in front of the wings, and there were raised handles for her to both hold onto and to help steer Feen with. "But there are footholds just in front of his saddlebags back there, and you can hold on to the straps up here with your hands, or if it makes you feel more stable you can hold on to me. Since this is your first flight, it might be good to just put your arms around me for stability."

She didn't want him to get scared or sick and not be able to hold on for some reason or another. In-air remounts were difficult for inexperienced riders, and it would be hard - though not impossible - to catch him again without injuring him.

"Takeoff is a little fast, so let me know if you start to feel bad, okay?" She turned to dig in her bag and produced two sets of goggles, holding one out to him. "Here, you can use my spares. The wind is a little harder on your eyes than you'd think, and I have a feeling you'll want to keep them open." The last she said with a grin, pleased to be able to show him what it was like to be up in the skies with nothing beneath his feet. As much as working all day got her tired, she would never get enough of flying with Fern.


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"As long as Infernus doesn't mind! That does look easier than trying to climb up," Noah admitted as he watched Lily use the dragon's leg to get herself up and onto his back. He gave Infernus' leg a gentle pat. Then he copied Lily's movements, taking her hand and hopping up with relative ease onto the dragon's back.

He grinned and scoffed at the slight apology, waving a hand. "So? I get to ride a dragon! I don't care if I have to hang on to the tip of his tail or get carried in his teeth. This is gonna be amazing!"

In any other context, he might have felt a bit awkward wrapping his arms around Lily's waist. But he was so delighted at riding Infernus that he didn't take much notice. He wrapped his arms around her carefully and locked his hands together, only taking a break to slide on the goggles that Lily offered him.

His heart was already slamming against his ribcage with excitement. He felt positive that both Lily and Infernus could hear it - maybe even feel it through their bones. Noah swallowed and pulled in a deep breath. "All right, go ahead. I'm so ready!" Strangely, he wasn't too afraid of falling despite his previous experience, probably because he felt sure either Lily or Infernus would catch him if he slipped off.
 
Lily made sure her feet were settled into place, just giving Noah's arms a little pat to let him know it was okay to hang on like she'd told him. "All right. Don't be afraid to squeeze, okay? And let me know if you need to stop for any reason. I'll let you know when it's okay to take the mask off, all right?"

When she was sure he understood, she put both hands on the saddle's handles, giving them a push down even as she squeezed her feet into Fern's sides to signal it was time to go. "Ready, Fern? Watch the pipes, okay?"

She needn't have worried, really. Fern was used to flying in cramped spaces, delivering mail wherever it needed to go. When Lily gave him the go ahead, he spread his wings and shifted his weight left and right to be sure of how he balanced both of their bodies, then took a short running start and leaped up into the air with powerful beats of his wings.

They had to keep low, at first, moving smoothly between buildings and signs, support columns and piping, but once they broke free of the edge of town where Upper Floaten no longer needed supports, they were free to take off into the skies.

"We're gonna start climbing!" Lily called over her shoulder, voice raised for him to hear over the wind. "Hold on tight!"

She had Fern climb gradually, making a slow, wide arc up and around to where they would be allowed to land once they got high enough to reach Upper Floaten. She hoped that way Noah wouldn't feel like he might fall, and would have some extra time to look around. When the air was clear enough, she pulled off her own mask and made sure to let him see it before slipping it into her bag in a practiced, one-handed motion so he would know he could take his off too.
 
"I won't be. I'm sure it'll be fine," Noah added with a grin. He already trusted Lily with his life, and by extension, Infernus. As the dragon wiggled a bit, he clung tightly to Lily's waist. With a burst of speed Infernus took off running. Noah blinked instinctively until he realized the goggles were protecting his eyes, and he relaxed a bit.

Then they were taking off. Noah felt his heart drop down into his stomach as they lifted off the ground with a gust of wind, his messy hair whipping across his goggles. He laughed in delight and held Lily a little tighter. "Wow! I can't even believe this!" he stammered. It took less time than he expected to get used to the wind rushing past him, the feeling of his body dropping up and down and tilting, the lack of gravity.

He loosened his grip on Lily at first, and then he was only holding on with one hand, riding Infernus confidently. He pulled his mask off and copied Lily's motion to put it into the bag. "This is the most fun I've had in years!" he bursts out. "Do you get to fly around with Infernus all day?"
 
When Noah freed a hand to take off his mask, Lily made sure to hold on to his other wrist, just so he didn't underestimate the wind and wobble. It was fine once someone got used to it, but most people didn't have to counterbalance against strong headwinds on a regular basis. When she was sure he was steady, she let him go to give Fern proper, two-handed direction.

"Most days!" She replied with a smile. "It's my job, after all!"

Flying wasn't as fun in bad weather, but being underneath another city meant most of the rain missed them, which was good for some reasons and bad for others. Still, flying up to Upper Floaten to drop off whatever letters and packages were small enough for Fern to carry was always a treat. The trip, anyway. The destination, not so much. But Lily was used to often being treated like she was no more than a well trained dog, or a robot, something without feelings that just brought mail and had no other purpose. Some people were nice, like Noah, but it was best not to linger.

"I can only drop you off," she explained as they got higher, twisting a bit to see him over her shoulder. "Fern's only allowed at certain skydocks, so we can't take you all the way. Will you be okay getting home?" She hoped so. She couldn't leave Fern alone to walk him there, after all. Not with those people.
 
"Only drop me off?" Noah asked, laughing. "As if you didn't literally save my life. Yeah, I'll be okay to walk home." The wind tussled his hair again, which was quickly becoming his favorite part about flying. He blinked and glanced at Lily. "Oh! Almost forgot. When's Jasper's birthday? I wanted to know so I could get him a present. And when's yours?"

He gently patted Infernus' shoulder with one free hand as the edge of Upper Floaten came into view. "Thanks for flying me, Infernus! It was absolutely delightful," he told the dragon. He glanced over at Lily and beamed. "Oh, one more thing! When can I come back to visit?" he asked hopefully.

Being the son of a rich man, he had plenty of free time to do as he wished. Part of that time he spent working. The other part he'd find adventures to go on, some of which were rather dangerous. But if he spent more time with Lily and Jasper and the dragons, maybe he'd be a bit safer.
 
Lily did her best not to feel embarrassed by the idea of being someone's savior, and was grateful for the way Noah quickly moved on despite the confusion that followed. "My birthday is August 3rd," she answered, automatic though still wondering why he wanted to know, "and his is January 21st. Y- You really don't have to get us anything, Noah." She laughed with a little shake of her head. "Jas is gonna be mad I told you!" That was all right, though. He would forgive her quickly enough.

She had to focus, then, to guide Fern into the right place, at the right speed, so as not to startle anyone or make them think they needed to be alarmed. Once they had gently touched down on the correct platform, Lily turned to look at Noah with a little smile, running a hand back through her hair to keep it from blocking her vision even through her goggles. "I work most days, but I'm off on Sundays, and sometimes Saturdays too. Jasper's always home if he's not out with Nobu and Naga, or running errands, so even if I'm not back yet I'm sure it'll be okay to visit." She gave him a sheepish smile. "I promise he's not as grumpy as he seems! He just takes a while to warm up to people. . ."
 
Noah carefully climbed off Infernus once they landed, and he gently patted the dragon's leg. "Thanks for the lift," he said gently. Then he chuckled and glanced up at Lily. "I'm sure he won't be that mad. But he wouldn't tell me when it was. Anyway, I can't promise I'm not going to buy you presents. That's half the fun of being rich."

He stayed near Infernus, running a hand across his smooth, shimmering scales. "How about I visit next Sunday, then?" he offered. "I figure I'll probably visit while both you and Jasper are around." He could understand Jasper taking a while to warm up to people. That was fair enough. But since Jasper currently only tolerated having him around, he thought it was wise to visit when Lily was also there. Then he wouldn't cut into Jasper's projects as much, either.
 
Fern turned his head to look at Noah but was unbothered by the touching, just giving a deep chuff at the thanks and the affection. Lily stayed mounted up to let the nearby sky dock guards know she went going to stay long, and laughed at Noah's declaration of presents. It was a strange thing to say, she thought, but she didn't mind the differences between them. Noah had lots of money, and she and Jasper just got by okay on their own. That was how the world was, and it didn't matter so much as the fact that Noah was a nice person. To her, it didn't feel as if he were really trying to brag, or throwing his wealth in her face.

"Sounds good to me!" She said with a grin, and gave her goggles a tap before holding out her hand. "I'll take my gear back for now, if you don't mind. Next Sunday, we can take Fern out on a longer flight!" It was probably best she was around to mediate between him and Jasper a bit, too. Jasper was the one that would take issue with Noah being so obvious about his money.
 
"Oh! Right. Goggles," Noah said with a laugh. He'd almost forgotten he was wearing them. He pulled them off his face and held them out with a smile, nodding. "Hey, thanks again for everything. I look forward to hanging out with you and Jasper and the dragons more often."

He took a few steps back, but still stood close enough he'd feel the wind from Infernus' wings when he flew. "All right! You're cleared for takeoff! Have a great night!" he called. And once the pair had taken to the skies, he stood waving with a wide smile until they disappeared beneath the pipes and support structures. Then he turned around and made his way home.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. As promised, he and his father made a sizable donation to the Dragonry. A recurring one that would be made monthly, at that. And Noah gathered his own supplies for more frequent trips into Lower Floaten.

He showed up on Sunday with a pair of goggles, a clear rebreathing mask that didn't require a tank, and a tiny little space cruiser that was so small it could nearly fit through the front door. It was just large enough for Noah to sit in. He'd painted it with fake scales and added a pair of clearly homemade dragon wings. Then he knocked a few times on the door and waited for someone to answer so he could ask where to park.
 
"Bye, Noah!" Lily called even as she had Fern back up towards the edge of the sky dock. "Stay safe!"

She gave him a little salute, then waved one-handed as Fern leaped and plunged down and away, back on the familiar path towards home. Days later, she only heard about the donations that had come from the Harn family when she was dropping Fern off for the night, and a few of the workers were talking about it. She couldn't believe how much it was, or how often, and though there were worries about some sort of strings attached she was happy for how relieved the Dragonry was for more funds to spread around for the keeping, feeding, and care of the dragons that lived there.

After a week of life going on as normal, Lily was excited to have Noah come back to spend some time with them on Sunday, even if she thought a lot of the reason he came was for the dragons. She was upstairs when she heard the knock, and came down as Jasper was the one to answer the door, in less grease-stained clothing than normal, given he tried to take the day off work at Lily's demand.

"Oh, my god," She heard him say dryly as she made her way down, followed by a big sigh. "Take it around to the bay door. I'll open it from inside."

She didn't get to see what it was until he opened up the larger bay door meant for projects and supplies too big for an average doorway, and she hopped with glee at the sight of it. "That's so cool! I didn't even know they made these things that small!"

Jasper rolled his eyes as he pulled the bay door closed behind Noah and made sure it was sealed properly. "You have to park it in here or you'll never see it again. Didn't I tell you to dress down a little?"

Lily punched him in the arm for being a grump and just laughed as Nobu and Naga immediately swooped over to inspect the new piece of machinery. "He's just jealous of your tech! But . . . You do sorta stand out a little around here," she admitted, and shook her head after. "But that's okay! I think your fancy clothes are nice!"

Jasper only sighed, rubbing his arm with a little wince. "Later we're gonna look at a map and point at places where you'll get robbed if you come through with this cruiser. Just fyi."

"That's Jasper talk for wanting to keep you safe," Lily said in a sort of stage whisper, with a little wink, and dodged out of the way with a little giggle when he made a swipe for her as if to keep her from talking. "I charge no fees for my translation services!"
 
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