Breath of Fresh Air

Noah gasped in delight. "That's great!" Then he blinked and cleared his throat. "Oh. Uh - I mean - I hope you get back on your normal route soon. Does here mean the Dragonry? Maybe you could help me and Chaital train when Nel and Soot are busy!" he said.

He followed her into the kitchen and slid down into a chair, sighing happily. "Anyway, it's good to have you back," he said as he served himself a cinnamon roll. "It's been forever since I've seen you!"

Axle smiled and prepared a few sandwiches to take with to the office for lunch. And, since he was going to meet Malia, he slipped a blue flower into his hair for good measure.

Noah chuckled and raised his eyebrows. "Getting spiffed up, Father?"

"Mm? Oh! No, not at all. This is casual," Mr. Harn stammered, blushing in embarrassment. "Just lunch at the office. You know. Do you think Malia would like some fruit with the sandwiches?"
 
Lily smiled at Noah's backtracking but didn't laugh, not wanting to embarrass him. She was sure it was hard for him, having friends that worked all the time when he didn't quite have any official duties yet to keep himself busy. It was nice to think he had missed her.

"Mmhm, close enough for Malia to call me back if she needs me for anything." She shrugged a little, unsure how she felt about it yet. "But I don't see why I couldn't. You've been training with Nel, then? That's nice! I don't get to talk to him super often, but he knows a lot about dragons and how they behave!"

Despite holding back for Noah, she couldn't keep down a little giggle at the way Axle turned pink. He was having lunch with Malia, then? And feeling embarrassed about it? She wondered if that meant what she thought it did. "I'm sure she would like it. Who says no to fresh fruit? She's always scolding people about eating right, after all!" It was funny, some days, when she got to witness the Matriarch sternly counseling riders on their diet when they often complained about not feeling well.
 
Noah stuffed a cinnamon roll into his mouth and nodded. "Nel's the best! He came over for supper last night, and slept over, and he knows so much about dragons. I hope he stays over more often," he added happily.

Mr. Harn cleared his throat and adjusted the flower in his hair. "As do I. As for Malia - I do hope she enjoys fresh fruit and meatball marinara sandwiches! They're some of my favorites."

"Aren't those usually toasted and melty?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right. I'm packing the ingredients with ice. Then, once we're ready to eat, I'll have Pumpkin give the sandwiches a light toast," Mr. Harn explained.

"Whoa! He can do that?"

"For the small price of a piece of the sandwich, yes," Mr. Harn said with a smile.

Noah gulped down the rest of his cinnamon roll. "Cool! Lily, want to help me train Chaital to do that?"
 
Lily laughed softly at Noah's breakfast enthusiasm, taking a fork for herself and peeling the layers of the cinnamon roll slowly as she ate each bite because she didn't really like getting her fingers all sticky. "I'm glad you two have been having fun! Is he still here, then? I saw Soot outside - I didn't know he was so okay with other dragons now."

She smiled for Axle, pleased that he seemed to like Malia - maybe even a bit romantically, if the little flower in his hair was for her. "I'm sure she'll love it, and Pumpkin will have fun getting to spit flame at things with permission!" She paused, thoughtfully, and gave a shrug for Noah. "We could try! She might be too big for low heat flames like that, though. Fern can't be as precise as Naga and Nobu can be, and he just turns things to char." Smaller dragons were more suited to carefully controlled flames, but it was still possible Chaital could do it too. She was a smart dragon.
 
"Yeah, he's sleeping in. I figure he doesn't get a chance to do that much," Noah said with a gentle shrug. "He'll wake up when he's ready. There's no rush today. But yeah! Soot's been making amazing strides with other dragons. And with Nel, too! He flies now, did you know that?"

He stacked a few more cinnamon rolls on his plate and grinned. "Worth a try with Chaital. Never know what sort of tricks she could learn with enough effort!"

Mr. Harn smiled at the pair. "I wish you both the best of luck. See you both later!" He gave a soft whistle, and moments later, Pumpkin came sailing down the stairs, landing on Mr. Harn's shoulder with a squeak. "Either of you need anything before I head out?"
 
"He's always working so hard," Lily murmured agreeably as she ate her second breakfast for the day, with less gusto than Noah but no less enjoyment. She didn't think she'd ever seen Nel at rest before, not unless he was sitting with a dragon to calm them. "Wait, really? He's flying?" She blinked at Noah, surprise and confused. She'd only seen Soot fly once, from a distance, and it hadn't been very far.

"Oh - I'm okay!" She called with a little wave when Axle stopped to check on them as he left. "Thanks, Mr. Harn! Have fun at lunch!" When he was gone she looked at Noah again, eager and excited. "Wait, wait, you mean with Nel? Is that why they're both here? That's amazing!"

Malia, meanwhile, was busy at the offices of the Dragonry, flitting here and there as she organized and oversaw the many different tasks for the day. There was always something that needed seeing to, with the Dragonry itself and with local riders, scouts and other official entities. It was why she often forgot to eat lunch entirely.
 
Noah nodded and took a long drink of juice. "Mhm! And not just flying with him. He picked Nel, Lily. He chose him." He sighed happily and leaned his chin on his hands. "it was so cute. All of a sudden, Soot just rolls over onto his belly and tries to lick Nel. And I just - it was magical. The best thing I've ever seen."

Chaital grunted indignantly from the window.

"Well, yeah, obviously besides being picked by you," Noah said with a laugh. "But seeing someone else realize they and their dragon were going to be partners - wow. I wish I could've seen the look on my own face when it happened."

-----

Mr. Harn soon arrived and knocked lightly on the edge of the door frame, his eyes sparkling. Even while harried and busy, there was something to admire in the meaningful, planned way Malia moved from place to place. He smiled and waved his free hand. The other held the basket of lunch goods. "Hi, Malia. Is now a good time for some food?" he asked hopefully.
 
"Really?" Lily dropped her fork onto her plate in surprise, giving a few little hops on her toes and grabbing onto Noah's arm to give it a shake. "That's amazing! Nel's been around so long, I was starting to think no dragon ever would! This is perfect!" Soot was a special case, and he needed lots of loving care. Nel would be perfect for him.

Nel woke much later than usual, late enough that it had him frowning at the amount of light in the room and getting himself up to investigate. He always felt like he had so many things to do, and losing daylight was never good - but he knew that Malia would tell him it was okay to rest, so he tried not to feel too anxious about it. Instead, he made his way down the stairs, curious at the voices until he recognized them both, and followed them towards the kitchen.

"Good morning. . ." He said quietly, blinking at Lily when she gave him a look like she wanted to run over and grab him. He was grateful, at least, that she was kind enough not to. "I'm sorry for oversleeping."

"Good morning, Nel!" Lily said with a grin, though not as loud or boisterous as she was with Noah. "I just heard about you and Soot - congratulations! You'll have to come flying with us some time soon. I can't wait to see you two in the air!"

Nel paused, a bit flustered by all the attention so soon after waking up. "Thank you, Lily. We're still practicing."

****************

Malia was standing at her desk, too distracted to even sit down as she poured over a piece of paper on her desk, but didn't quite startle when Axle knocked. She blinked instead, straightening up enough to turn towards the clock on her wall and making an almost confused face at it.

"Is it that late already?" She wondered out loud, then gave her head a shake and started to gather the things strewn across her desk so that they might use it as a table. "Ah- Good afternoon, Axle. I'm sorry, I didn't realize what time it was. Please, come in. Have a seat."
 
Last edited:
"Hiya, Nel!" Noah called out, waving an arm. "Do you like cinnamon rolls? My father made them fresh this morning," he added, gesturing towards the large plate in the middle of the table. "Help yourself to as many as you'd like!"

He stuffed another one into his own mouth and leaned back in the chair. "Nel, is it okay if Lily and Infernus come with to practice flying today?" Then he blinked and looked out the window. ". . . Evelyn, has Infernus met Soot yet?"

By this time, Grandpa Jenkins had brought the dragons their food.

Soot was happily chewing on his large piece of meat, tearing off bites and tossing his head back to swallow them. His ear fins perked up when he noticed Infernus nearby. As far as he knew, there was no more meat coming out. So he chuffed and gingerly nudged his meal towards the larger dragon, offering to share it.

----

"Sure is," Axle said with a chuckle, flopping into a chair and relaxing. "Why don't you grab a seat yourself? Pumpkin has a special truck he'd like to show you. It'll be lunch and a show today."

Once Malia had sat down and the sandwiches were prepared, Axle held a sandwich carefully above Pumpkin. Pumpkin blew a small, consistent flame, moving carefully from one end of the sandwich to the other while Axle moved his hands. Soon the cheese was melted, the bread was toasted, and the meatballs were nice and hot. Axle grinned and held the sandwich out. "Bon apetít."
 
"Oh, thank you," Nel murmured softly, and moved past them to get one for himself. He didn't usually eat such sweet things for breakfast, but it would be all right just the once. "Of course," he added with a little smile, not a thought in his mind about denying Lily's presence. "The skies are big enough for all of us." It would probably help to have someone who flew more frequently than he did, after all. She would know more practical things, rather than just his own by-the-book knowledge.

"Hm?" Lily lifted up on her toes as if it would help her see out the window at a better angle, then just dropped back down with a little shrug, unconcerned. "I don't know for sure if they've met while I wasn't around, but it's all right. Fern's not territorial or jealous. He knows what he's doing." He wouldn't start any fights, and she couldn't see a scared thing like Soot doing it either. They would've made noise by now if there was going to be any problems.

Nel nodded a little to himself, agreeing with the sentiment. "Soot's much more open to newcomers now, and he knows Chaital enough to be comfortable with her nearby, I think. Since she's relaxed, he should be too."

Infernus had settled in nearby, a bit apart from the others to give them room to eat, as Lily had made sure he was fed before they went to work for the day. When Soot tried to offer him food he gave the other dragon a grateful rumble, closing his eyes for a moment like a cat to communicate his thanks and that he was relaxed around them all. For good measure, he got to his feet and moved close enough to gently push the food back to Soot so he would know it was all his, then settled down nearby again.

****************

"Sorry, sorry," Malia said with a soft chuckle at his insistence, moving a few things before settling into her chair opposite him. "Busy is my default, these days. I would love to see Pumpkin's trick."

It was more than she had expected, actually, and she watched with some genuine surprise and awe as Pumpkin toasted the sandwich without burning it, giving a little round of quiet clapping for him before accepting the warmed meal from Axle. "Very impressive! Thank you both. A warm meal is not something I usually have for lunch. It's a nice treat."
 
Last edited:
Once Noah had caught a glimpse of the dragons, though, he was quickly distracted by them. He scooted his chair closer to the window to watch with half a cinnamon roll still in his hand. Then his eyes sparkled. "Awww! That's too cute. Soot's trying to share his breakfast, and Infernus shared it right back."

Soot squeaked happily and took the meat back, settling right back in to tearing off strips and gulping them down. Chaital stretched out her neck to gently give Infernus a nuzzle, and then went back to eating. Boulder chuffed a greeting but didn't even bother looking up from his meal.

"They're all so friendly with each other. It's so nice to see," Noah murmured. He finally glanced back at Lily and grinned. "Oh! Chaital and I were thinking of doing some rolls in the air today!"

-----

"Understandably so. But a little break can work wonders," Mr. Harn said with a smile.

He beamed when Malia complimented him and Pumpkin. Even the little dragon leaned back and rumbled in delight. "Why, thank you," Axle replied. He held out his own sandwich to be toasted, and then tore off the end and tossed it into Pumpkin's waiting jaws. "He only requires a bit of the result as payment. A rather fair wage, if I say so myself."
 
Lily, done with her cinnamon roll, followed after Noah to the window to look out at all the dragons and bounced excitedly on her toes. "Oh, Soot's doing so good~" She said in an almost baby-voice. "Look at him, all happy and confident!"

She blinked at Noah when he mentioned doing rolls, looked back at Nel over her shoulder in time for him to mime clipping something onto his side for her, and made a soft 'ahh' as she turned back around. "That's fun when you're all safe and strapped in!" She said with a smile. "You know, if you only planned on shorter rides you could customize a saddle to strap your legs in, so you could do the fancy tricks without worrying about falling off. If you're on long flights, that gets uncomfortable quick, but I'm sure once you have the space for it you could have two!"

He had the money for it, and his father's company could make them for him so it would be customized however he liked. Maybe he even wanted to try making his own.

Outside, Infernus was happy to give Chaital a little nuzzle back and to chuff back a greeting at Boulder, then to get out of their way again so they could eat. He was an early riser, as he and Lily often started moving about even before the sun had come up, but he was perfectly content to wait for them to catch up.

****************

"A fair price, indeed," Malia agreed with a chuckle, watching Pumpkin chew on his reward for a moment before taking a bite of her own sandwich with an appreciative hum. "It's very good, thank you," she said once she'd swallowed, and relaxed a bit in her chair, telling herself to take the break while it was there and let work and crisis be set aside for a little while.

"I like the flower," she said with a little smile as she noticed it, fighting down the urge to ask if it was for her because she had a feeling it was but not above a bit of light teasing or jest. "Have I turned you on to new fashion accessories? We'll have it nicknamed Natural Glory and make the price of flowers in Upper Floaten soar. Anyone who's anyone will be wearing it this time next week, you'll see."
 
"Not a bad idea!" Noah said with a grin. "Once I've graduated from the safety harness, that's a great plan for the days we want to try more daring tricks. But for today the safety harness will work." He gulped down his last bite of cinnamon roll and nodded. "See, I figure while I have the harness, it'd be a good idea to have Chaital move in as many different ways as possible. Then I'll be extra prepared in case of emergencies." His smile faded a little. ". . . Of rain."

----

Mr. Harn blushed a bit and ran a hand through his hair, smiling and adjusting the flower. "Ah. Thank you. I have to admit, I do quite like the pop of color they provide. I think I ought to try wearing them around Upper Floaten; maybe it will start a trend." He had started wearing the flowers because Malia liked them, but they were very colorful and fun to accessorize with.

He folded one leg over and began eating his sandwich. "Have any spare time for a walk today?"
 
Lily, uninformed about the actual significance of rain but able enough to pick up on Noah's tone, nodded slowly with a somewhat confused expression. "Things certainly do get a bit slippery when they're wet, so we should probably get you some proper riding gloves, some time soon. You can get special shoes and, like, attachable stirrup sort things, too, if you're worried about it."

"It was raining when she lost her first rider," Nel explained gently from where he stood a few feet away, eating at the kitchen counter. "She was very frightened last night."

"Oh!" She said, then frowned a little. "Oh. . . Poor Chaital."

****************

She laughed softly at his playing along, and just made a gesture at one of her shoulders. "Perhaps, if you're wearing a suit, it would be less controversial to tuck it into your lapel." She was sure there were a lot of people, living up where the earth was so far away, that wouldn't like the idea of a plant in their hair.

"I'm afraid I haven't much," she admitted after they had eaten together in companionable silence for a moment. "Perhaps just a short trip." She had a lot to do, but when didn't she? As long as she made the time to continue making sure the shuffling of riders and duties was taken care of, the rest could wait or be handled by someone else.
 
Last edited:
Noah nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine with rain, but she gets extra protective of me when it's raining out. Won't fly. Won't let me go out in it. Not that I can blame her." He shrugged and took a sip of his drink. "But hey, we can work on it with her. Hopefully with time she'll feel a bit better."

He smiled again and set his glass down. "But it's clear skies today, and that means a happy Chaital! Happy Noah, too," he added with a laugh. "Hey, Lily! Any flying tricks you can teach me and Nel today?"

----

"Pffft, controversial. I'm Axle Harn. If anyone could get away with starting a controversial fashion trend, it's me. I quite like the flower in my hair," he added with a huff and a smile.

His expression softened, and he took another bite of his sandwich. "Well, a short trip is better than none at all. Especially if it's with you." He choked on his meatball and coughed. "Er - pardon me. I meant - well, never mind."
 
Lily gave a thoughtful hum, considering the problem and laughing softly at Noah's jokes. "Maybe we can try spraying you guys with a hose some day to simulate rain while you're on the ground!" It wouldn't actually be raining, so maybe that would help her not have bad memories.

She shook off the ideas for now, though, focusing on the day at hand, and gave Noah a smile. "I don't do a whole lot of tricks anymore - I'm all long flights and working around saddle bags while I'm delivering things - but I'm sure I could think of something! A spiral, or a loop-de-loop!" If she was going fast enough and positioned right, Infernus' momentum would glue her to his back rather than toss her off of him.

She did her best to ignore the disapproving frown Nel was giving her from the side.

****************

Malia laughed at Axle's confidence, amused by what could be taken as conceited, as having a good sense of humor about himself, or just incredible self confidence. As he went on, though, her amusement turned gradually into a softer, more affectionate smile. She didn't think she had needed him to confirm that he held some affection for her already, but reassurance was always nice.

"That's very sweet of you," she said warmly. "I can spare the time for a walk with good company."

She did enjoy being around him, so far. Impending tragedy had brought them to each other, but at least it had allowed the blossoming friendship between them and perhaps, she dared to think, even something more.
 
Noah smiled and nodded. "That's a great idea! And maybe if she's okay with that, we can try going into a lake or pond next." He paused, tapping his chin. ". . . Although I think it was less the rain itself and more the noises it made that triggered her. The lightning and thunder. She got a lot calmer once the storm did."

His eyes gleamed when Lily described spirals and loops. "Sweet! Those sound great!" He caught sight of Nel's expression and chuckled. "Hey, don't worry! I'll be strapped in the whole time. And I'll only try it if Chaital wants to."

-----

Axle smiled in relief. Good, she wasn't put off by him admitting he liked her. Maybe he had more of a chance with her than he thought. He certainly couldn't deny it to himself any longer; he very much fancied her. "I'd appreciate your time," he said at last. "Where would you most like to walk to today?"
 
"I could bang pots together and scream real loud if you want to practice," Lily said with a grin, if only to make Noah smile. "Regular, sunny skies flying is good, too, though."

Nel gave them a sheepish but no less disapproving look, though he wasn't truly trying to stop them. "Even strapped in, these aren't very good things to practice. . ." They weren't proper flight training, at least, and carried some danger with them. Lily no longer flew strapped in, after all, and he just had to believe that whatever she was doing she was confident that she wouldn't fall.

***************

"I should be asking you that," Malia said with a little shake of her head, amused at his generosity. "I know every inch of these grounds, top to bottom. What would you like to take a look at? Most people are interested in the hatchery, but we haven't received any eggs in a long while, so it's just an empty room of incubators right now." It was better for eggs to be able to stay with their parents anyway. "Perhaps the greenhouses? We grow a few plants that aren't native to this area, for the dragons, and for medicine. It's very pretty."
 
Last edited:
"They're not? How come?" Noah asked, tilting his head. "Isn't it good to know how to move with your dragon in as many ways as possible? Like, if we get thrown off course or something and Chaital tumbles and rolls - I should practice how to stay on for that, right?" Then he gave Nel a lopsided smile. ". . . Although I guess I can see how the loops wouldn't really come in handy much. But it would look so cool! That could be a trick I just use the leg straps for. And Lily at least has a tow rope. Right?" he added, glancing at Lily.

----

Axle's eyes sparkled. "Oh! I'd love to see the greenhouse," he agreed. He finished his sandwich and held the almost empty basket up. Then he smiled and tilted it so Malia could see inside. "Maybe we could eat fresh fruit on the way over? I thought that might make a nice dessert."
 
Nel only shook his head a little, uncomfortable at the thought of Noah doing anything overly dangerous. "Well, yes, but . . . I wouldn't tell anyone you were planning to do it. . ."

Lily laughed softly at his hesitance and gave Noah a pat on the back. "What he means is it's kinda like putting on a fireproof suit and having a dragon roast you to see if you survive. Technically okay, but not really what one would call 'safe', or 'advisable'."

She shrugged a little when he asked about her safety gear, though, somewhat hesitantly. "Most of the time?" She admitted sheepishly. "Fern and I don't really do much more than straight lines, and I'm on and off so much some days it does a lot more to trip me up than keep me on. . ." Truthfully, also, after clipping and unclipping it a whole lot of times the hooks would wear out anyway, and she couldn't always afford to replace it. When she didn't have one she mostly relied on Infernus and her own grip strength to keep her on. After riding so long, and doing so every day, the muscles she used to fly were reasonably strong.

Again, she had to do her best to avoid Nel's disapproving frown. She knew it wasn't particularly safe, and she shouldn't let experience make her lax about safety, but. Well. Sometimes things happened.

****************

"I thought you might like that," Malia said with a smile, almost but not quite done with her sandwich. She hadn't been to Upper Floaten extremely often, but the times that she had been there she had felt a distinct lack of greenery. "Ooh, a treat as well?" She shifted forward a bit in her seat to look and smiled at what he'd brought. "How thoughtful of you. I would love to." It would save them time to eat as they walked, too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back