Breath of Fresh Air

The man's eyes went wide, and he blinked and stared at her. "Me?" he whispered in shock. He chuckled lightly. "You must have me confused with someone else. Grandpa Jenkins is the master griller. I wouldn't dare steal his title."

And when she hurried off to greet Nel and Soot, he leaned patiently against Boulder, watching the group with a pleasant smile. He had more caution than Noah and knew better than to go running up to strange dragons.

And if Noah wasn't already traveling with Soot and Nel, he may have needed Jasper's reminder. But as it was he slid down off Chaital's shoulder and knelt down. "Hey, Nobu! Can I get some cuddles?" he asked, holding his arms out.

Chaital gently touched muzzles with the little dragon and gave him a lick, chuffing.

Soot was delighted to find someone in the group he already knew. Malia was here! He swished his tail and chittered a bit. Then he hesitantly approached Malia and tried to lick her cheek.

"Well. Now I'm extra glad I made plenty of extra meat!" Grandpa Jenkins said with a chuckle. "Somebody remind me to save some fer Lily and Infernus."
 
Malia was cautious, still, of Soot getting so close to her head with his jaws, but his body language was friendly and relaxed like it had never been before, so she merely allowed it and gave him a smile, patting lightly at his cheeks. "Like a whole new dragon," she said with a chuckle, and turned to wave him along with them. "Will you come and say hello to the others?"

"Do you remember Jasper, and Grandpa Jenkins?" Nel asked the dragon as they started to walk slowly over, a hand lightly touching Soot the whole time in case he needed reassurance. "We met them before. I'm going to go say hello. Okay?"

When he was sure Soot would be okay on his own, he went to see Mr. Jenkins to finally respond to his invitation. "It's good to see you," he said a bit shyly when he made his way over to the man, hands clasped loosely in front of him and giving his head a polite little bow. "Thank you for inviting me stay."

Nobu flopped happily into Noah's embrace when the boy offered it, with excited little 'mrr's and rumbles, pushing onto his back feet to reach higher for Chaital when she reached down to greet him. She was his new big friend and he loved all his big friends just as much as his human friends.

Jasper laughed a little at Mr. Jenkins, shaking his head. "Infernus can go without if there's not enough. It's fine." He liked raw kills anyway, and he wasn't present to feel left out. Jasper would skip out on some himself and leave it aside for Lily if he needed to. It would be fine to only eat a little.
 
Soot watched Nel carefully as he approached the group. They all seemed gentle and kind, and nobody rushed towards him. So eventually, Soot ambled over behind Nel and sniffed carefully at each person he passed. He rumbled quietly and eventually settled himself in the middle of the yard, folding his wings and crossing his front paws with a satisfied huff. This was a safe place, with safe people, and he was more than content to relax around them.

"Heh. Right near the meat, eh? This fella knows where it's at," Grandpa Jenkins said with a laugh. Then he turned to beam at Nel, and patted the boy's shoulder. "Aw heck, you can swing by any time, Nel. Happy to have ya! I hope yer hungry," he added brightly.

He turned towards Jasper and shook his head. "Don't you worry. I made sure there's plenty to go around, and then some! Do you want to start helpin' me serve it up, lad? I figure we'd better feed the beasties first so they ain't tempted to steal ours."
 
Nel flushed a little under the attention, but there was a happy smile on his face anyway. It was always good to go places where the people were warm and he felt welcome. Eating together with a group always made it feel like home.

"You're a wise man," Jasper said with a little laugh, agreeing with Mr. Jenkins that the dragons should be fed first, and clapped Nel lightly on the shoulder as he passed to help make the portions. "I'll leave yours to you." Soot might be peaceful, but any dragon could get nervous when it was time to eat.

Malia came strolling back after saying hello to Soot and Chaital, and stopped once she was standing next to Axle again, gesturing over to Nel. "Axle, this is Nel. Nel, this is Noah's father, Axle Harn."

Nel smiled a little shyly, shuffling out of the way of those preparing lunch and closer to her side. "Hello, Mr. Harn. It's good to see you again."

She blinked, surprised, then finally gave a shrug. "Oh, you've already met. Well, good. Now everyone knows each other."

Nobu, much more adventurous and friendly than his 'sister', approached Soot soon after he had laid down, going slowly and keeping even his shorter body close to the ground as he came so as to be the least amount threatening or unfriendly. He stopped at the big dragons front feet and stretched forward to sniff lightly at his paws, then gave a small, questioning squeak and very gently reached out with one of his own. Was it okay to say hello? Was this a new big friend? Everyone was calm and Chaital hadn't stopped him, so he assumed so.
 
"And it's good to see you, Nel," Axle replied with a gentle smile. "I take it things have been going very well with you and Soot. He seems very different from when I first saw him." He waved Noah over, and then pulled his son into a hug. "And what've you been up to, you goon?"

Noah giggled and hugged him back. "Chaital and I have been practicing flips, how to stay on when she stops short, and how to fall off without getting hurt!" he gushed. "We also did some tight turns while we were flying. I'm getting pretty good at it!"

"I've no doubt you are," Axle said. Then he caught sight of Nobu, and he gasped softly and pointed. "Oh! Look, there goes Nobu to make another friend."

Soot's ear fins perked up at once towards Nobu. The dragon was so small that he didn't register as a threat in the slightest. Was he a hatchling? Soot couldn't tell for sure. Either way, he was definitely friendly.

And he'd seen Chaital greet younger dragons before.

He laid his head down fully on the grass, let out a pleasant greeting rumble, and kept his wings folded - an unmistakable sign he was approachable.

Chaital looked on proudly and then went back to preening her scales, confident that Soot wasn't going to accidentally hurt Nobu.
 
Jasper glanced over when Nobu was mentioned, and though he tensed a little at the thought of how skittish Soot could be he could recognize the dragon's body language as friendly. "Too adventurous for his own good," he muttered with a shake of his head. "He's gonna get himself stepped on one day."

Nel only smiled, at ease with the dragons' interaction though he flushed at Axle'a praise. "Soot has been doing very well. He's finally ready to believe that he's safe."

"Thanks in great part to your constant effort and belief in him." Malia patted him gently on the back, not wanting to embarrass him but endlessly proud of him, and after that left him alone. "Don't be too confident," she advised Noah gently, with a little smile to show she wasn't scolding him. "It's easy to relax when you're strapped in. Remember to stay vigilant." Keeping their attention fixed was advice she gave to every rider. After doing it for a long time, people were prone to relaxing too much, but they had to remember that both dragons and air currents could be unpredictable. It was her job to help keep them safe.

Nobu gave a happy little rumble, delighted at Soot's approval, and hurried forward to press their snouts briefly together, then wriggled his way into laying pressed up to Soot's head and paws. Once he was sure Soot was friendly, he was all too happy to cuddle and even attempt to play, rolling onto his back and batting at Soot's head fins with his paws though without actually touching them.
 
Noah smiled up at her and nodded. "Don't worry," he told Malia. "Once the safety straps come off, I'll make sure to be extra careful. I promise. Right, Chaital?"

Chaital bobbed her head in a nod, snorting. And on the off chance Noah ever forgot to be careful, she would make extra sure he was.

"The harness is the only reason I'm flailing around and trying stuff out. Then I'll know how stuff feels. I'll be prepared for it," Noah explained.

Mr. Harn smiled gratefully, knowing his son was already acting more cautious than he had before.

Soot, meanwhile, absolutely melted over the tiny dragon. Even his instincts told him to be extra gentle around Nobu. He licked Nobu carefully and returned the playful bats with a few very light nudges from his muzzle.

"All right, Jasper," Grandpa Jenkins announced, "Let's get some food into these dragons, eh? Could you help me carry the bigger chunks?" Together, they lifted several huge chunks of meat, setting them out apart in different areas on the grass. Then they put out some smaller pieces a short distance away for the smaller dragons. Even with Soot visiting, there was still plenty left over for Infernus. "Who do we call to eat first, Jasper?" Mr. Jenkins continued. "I'm guessin' there's a sort of hierarchy."
 
Malia nodded for him, reassured though always wary of riders' attitudes changing. "Good man. Caution is never unwarranted."

Jasper helped out moving the larger pieces of meat around with little prompting, helping space them out so everyone would have the room they needed to not bump each other or get possessive. When that was done, he gave a sharp whistle and waved Nobu closer. "Nobu, play later. Time to eat."

Nobu was happy to play, grabbing on to Soot's snout with his paws and licking back at the bigger dragon with little grunts and play growls. His head turned immediately when Jasper whistled, though, and he gave Soot one last lick before wiggling free and running over to his human to wait for treats.

"Let's start with Boulder, and go from there." Jasper said with a little shrug, as most of their dragons were rather friendly even when eating. "Nel, you can go and bring Soot over to his, on the end."

Nel nodded and walked over to Soot's side to give the dragon a pet and wave for him to follow. "Are you hungry, Soot? Come with me. Do you want me to stand with you while you eat?"

"Here, Boulder." Jasper, walking over to and pointing at the older dragon's food, then Chaital's when he came to claim it. "Chaital, for you."

When the big dragons were settled he worked on convincing Naga to hand over her stick for him to hold for her, then set the little ones onto their own piles and stood back to be sure everyone was okay.

Malia stayed back, letting him work with dragons he was familiar with, and just smiled a little when everyone was satisfied. "Good work. I think it's safe to say it's our turn now."
 
Soot gave Nobu a final lick as the tiny dragon wandered off to eat. And when Nel approached to invite him to lunch, he was beside himself with excitement. He wriggled and chirped before bounding over to the place Nel led him. Then he dug into the meat at once, tearing off strips and tilting his head back to gulp them down. He was content whether Nel decided to stand near him or not. It wasn't often he got cooked food. That meant it was human food, which made it special and clearly more delicious.

Boulder didn't often walk fast. But he made a beeline for Jasper and the meat and started in on the meal just as fast as Nel.

Chaital had tastes closer to Infernus and preferred raw meat. But she wasn't one to turn down a meal. She chirped politely, licked Jasper's hair to say thank you, and ate her food a bit slower than the others.

Grandpa Jenkins beamed. "Y'all like it, huh? Good dragons. Aight, all you humans sit at the picnic blanket, an' I'll serve ya." The plates had plenty of meat on them when he passed them out. Then he snuck into the house and returned to offer mashed potatoes and gravy, fruit, steamed vegetables, and biscuits.

Noah was beside himself in delight and barely had time to talk between bites, closing his eyes and enjoying the savory flavor rolling through his mouth.
 
Nel was proud of Soot for feeling relaxed still, despite other dragons around eating, and slowly stepped away until he was confident it was all right to turn his back and walk back to the others. Everyone was happy with their food, so it was all right to feed himself now.

"They've got good taste," Jasper said, giving Mr. Jenkins a little smile, and rather than fight to help did as he was told and sat down. The older man wanted to show everyone hospitality, so unless he asked Jasper had enough sense not to take it from him.

"Thank you," Nel said as he was served, setting off a little chorus of repeated thanks around the table, and helped pass serving bowls around until everyone had a bit of everything on their plate.

"When will you learn to slow down?" Jasper teased with a laugh when Noah started to stuff his face, shaking his head at the younger man. "If it's good, go slower and savor. You're gonna choke some day."
 
"That's what I keep telling him," Axle told Jasper, sighing and shaking his head with a good natured smile. "Noah, you don't even listen to Jasper about slowing down? Who will you listen to?"

"Even your dragon knows to eat slow - " Mr. Jenkins began. But then he glanced over to find Chaital tossing her food up and trying to swallow it whole. ". . . Ah. Well, like dragon, like rider."

Noah swallowed and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I can't help it. The faster I eat, the faster I can get back to doing stuff. Like flying! Anyway, thanks again, Grandpa. This is super good!"

The older man's eyes twinkled. "Well, at least ya enjoy yer meals."

Axle adjusted his flower again, making sure it didn't fall into his food, and glanced over at Malia. "So, ah - what sort of plans do you have after lunch?"

Noah smiled at the pair, and then immediately tried to hide his smile behind a napkin. He knew his father well enough to know he already really liked Malia.
 
Jasper shook his head at Noah, but when he turned to see what Mr. Jenkins was looking at he couldn't help but laugh. 'Like dragon, like rider' was right. "The faster you eat, the faster you get indigestion. Just don't make yourself sick," He said with a shake of his head, but let it go after that.

"Hmm, boring, tedious office work," Malia said with a small smile, resting her chin on a hand and thinking it was best to keep the possible impending doom for the city out of table talk. "I have to draft a few letters, move some staff here and there. Boss things."

Nel nodded a little, eating much more slowly than Noah had but with not much better table manners. He didn't make a mess, but also had no compunctions against eating with his hands. "Please let me know if I can help." He could deliver letters to anyone locally, at least, even if he didn't know much about all the technical and financial things she dealt with. She was always working hard.

"It will be all right," she assured, gently but firmly. "You and Soot should spend time together. But I will send for you if I think of anything."
 
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Axle nodded. "Ah, I see. Well . . . I don't have a dragon I can ride. If there's anything I or Pumpkin could do to help, please don't hesitate to ask," he said softly.

Noah gulped down another drink and grinned at Nel. "Hey, if you want, how about we take our dragons out flying again after lunch? If you have time, anyway. I know you're busy. Oh! I was gonna ask, would it be safe for me and Chaital to practice crash landing in water? Like what we were doing with the crash mat, just in water."

Grandpa Jenkins cut his meat with a knife and fork, but clearly had no objections to anyone's table manners besides Noah's, and then only because it could be dangerous. He popped another bite into his mouth and glanced over at Jasper. "How about you, Jasper? Ya got any plans fer the rest of the day?"
 
Malia chuckled good-naturedly at the idea of Pumpkin helping again, despite the fact that he had proven useful once. "Thank you. I may take you up on it some time later." She was used to doing a lot of her work on her own, but perhaps a fresh set of eyes could help. He had as much invested in the issue as she did, after all.

Nel made a thoughtful face for a moment, not wanting to say no but not wanting to shirk his duties either. "I suppose we could, for a little while," he allowed, only to blink at Noah's request. "If you mean to fall while she is in the water, that's all right, but falling into water from anywhere higher than . . . I suppose it depends on how fast you're flying, but let's say ten feet? It's not as gentle as you think. . ."

"Hitting the unbroken surface can feel like hitting concrete, if you fall from too high," Jasper added on, because Nel didn't want to say he would break bones, and looked at Mr. Jenkins after. "I have a meeting about a commission in a few hours, but otherwise I've just been working on Koatl's prosthetic. I'm hoping to have a working model in another month." If all went well and he could source the materials, at least.
 
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Noah burst out laughing. "Oh! No, yeah, definitely in the water." He took another bite of meat and waved his hand. "I already learned that the hard way that time I jumped off a building to escape a gang. It was like fifteen feet up, and there was a pond down below, so - " He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Now I know better."

Axle's jaw dropped open. "Is that why you came home with a twisted ankle one time?"

". . . Maybe."

"Noah! There was a gang after you? Why didn't you say anything?"

Noah blushed and sank down in his chair. "I didn't want you to worry more than you already were. But it's okay, I'm in Lower Floaten now. No way they'd come after me here."

Axle sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, but - oh, Noah, what other sorts of trouble are you in?"

The young man bit his lip and shrugged. "I, um . . . not a lot. I mean - "

"Hm. I think we'd better have a chat once you come back from training," Axle said at last.

"Sounds like he takes after his mother," Mr. Jenkins said with a laugh. "So Jasper, yer prosthetic - do ya want to bring it back to yer place? I think it's still in a corner of my house at the moment."
 
Malia was carefully neutral, letting Axle parent the way he saw fit with little interjection. She wasn't around to pester Noah about mistakes past, only to be sure he didn't make more with Chaital involved. Nel, on the other hand, winced several times at the imagined pain, looking stricken at the idea of being pursued by a gang. Such big city conflicts were far beyond his ability to comprehend. Even the gangs in Lower Floaten seemed keen on leaving him alone.

Jasper bit down on the urge to say someone was in trouble, because Noah was being scolded enough, and just let Mr. Jenkins guide the conversation away. "Ah, shit, I completely forgot about it. Sorry, I'll get it out of there soon. If Noah wants to go for a walk, maybe Chaital can help me carry it." His arm was healing well, but it was a long way to walk with something so heavy, taking it all the way home. The first time, he'd had Infernus to help him tote it around. It was that or he would have to go home, get a wagon, and come back to load it up.
 
Axle was more worried than he was angry. He knew the gangs didn't often, if ever, let one of their targets simply walk off. The discussion later would be more about what Noah had done to get their attention, what they looked like, and where the last place he'd seen them was. He sighed heavily and patted Noah's shoulder. "I'm glad you're safe now," he said at last. "But we really do need to talk when you come back from flying later. I love you, Noah."

Noah leaned against him and smiled. "Love you, too. I promise I'll be careful!" And once his meal was finished, he brought the dishes inside to the sink and spent a few minutes washing them before heading back outside. "Chaital, want to help Jasper carry his prototype?"

Chaital chirped and swished her tail, flapping her wings.

"Sweet. Nel, can Chaital and I meet you and Soot in an hour or two? We'll find you at the supply shed, how's that sound?"
 
Malia thought it was sweet, really, the way father and son interacted, but it was buried beneath worry about what Noah had gotten up to in Upper Floaten. She did truly hope he wasn't in trouble, and secondary to that concern that he hadn't brought the trouble with him. For now, she let it go, but she would keep an eye out if she had to. He was at her Dragonry now, with one of her dragons at his side. They were her concern as well as his father's.

Jasper did his best to let it all go, since it wasn't like he'd never had run-ins with unsavory types before. He was happy enough to chat with Mr. Jenkins while they passed the rest of their lunch in peace, and helped clean up some before they were ready to go. As Noah wrapped up, he went inside to retrieve his contraption, taking an old towel from Mr. Jenkins with promises of replacing it and wrapping it around the length of metal that was easiest for Chaital to get her mouth around so it wouldn't hurt her teeth.

"Here ya go, girl," he murmured when he'd brought it to her, hefting it up for her to take hold of the towel-covered portion. "Thanks for the help."

Nel was happy enough to wait, nodding for Noah and just waving as they started to go. "That's just fine. I'll see you there."

Jasper waited for him to follow, then gave a whistle for Nobu and Naga to join them, and rolled his eyes when Nobu took to perching on Chaital's back rather than walk or fly. "Spoiled," he muttered, biting back a laugh when Nobu only swished his tail about, happy to be lazy and also sit with his friend. When they were far enough away from the house to be out of earshot, Jasper finally looked over at him with a barely withheld smile. "So, your dad's got the hots for teacher."

He didn't know why it struck him as funny. It was not a matchup he had ever imagined happening.
 
At last, once the meal was complete, Axle put the last dish away and smiled. "So," he began, turning towards Malia, "Would you like Pumpkin and I to walk you back to your office?"

Mr. Jenkins waved Jasper off happily, teasing him that he knew where he lived and he'd go break in and steal it back if he needed it. Chaital was more than happy to help carry the fascinating object. She gently clamped her jaws on the makeshift handle. Then she trotted along the road, carrying both Noah and Nobu on her shoulders.

Noah burst out laughing when Jasper let him into the loop. "I know, right? Did you see the way he kept looking at her? And he's got a flower in his hair! He's never worn flowers before." He beamed and raised his eyebrows. ". . . Think Malia likes him back? They'd be cute together, I think. They seem to click, you know?"
 
Malia gave a shrug and a little smile as she finished helping out, not in need of a guardian especially in her own domain, but not against the company. "If you'd like." She said agreeably, and said both her goodbyes and thank yous to Mr. Jenkins when Axle and Pumpkin were ready to go. "I've a few letters to draft once I'm back, and shift leaders to speak to. Everything will become a mess of moving pieces, soon enough. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." There wasn't much he could do except wait for the times she would ask his advice. "If you would rather go and see your boy, I wouldn't fault you for it. It isn't exactly exciting work." With the current crisis hanging over their heads, she couldn't afford to spend as much time as she usually might hands-on with the dragons.

Jasper was sure to repeat his promise, though with a fond, amused smile as they left, waving back to Mr. Jenkins. He stayed in his feet, not wanting to make Chaital carry all of them purely because it felt unfair, but also because he was just so used to walking everywhere.

"I don't know," he said with a little shrug, "she's been an independent lady as long as I've known her. But they were giving Boulder a bath when I walked up and she didn't seem to mind how shirtless he was." He gave a little laugh at that, shaking his head at the memory of walking up and immediately deciding to leave. "How's your dad so jacked - I thought he was a rich business owner, not a body builder."
 
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