Breath of Fresh Air

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"Start on the small rocks. Got it!" Noah replied with a grin. After taking in the group's advice - well, Lily's advice, Jasper's threat, and Nel's encouragement - he started up the first section of rocks. He took things fairly slow, following the lantern light that Jasper moved for him and making sure his next movement had a stable handhold or footing. He nodded and picked up the pace a little. "Say, this is really fun! I like rock climbing!"

Chaital made sure to climb nearby, but she was far faster and larger, and she'd move past him occasionally, disappear briefly into large crevices, or give her wings a flap to maintain her balance.

A third of the way up the pile, Noah glanced over his shoulder at the group on the ground. "Anybody else coming up?" he asked.

------

"Not on others' accounts, certainly," Axel agreed. "But when it comes to himself - I'm sure you've noticed, but he's very shy to request anything. I wonder if a trip to Upper Floaten, centered around him, might throw him off a bit."

He shrugged and returned Malia's smile. "But I do think inviting Lily and Noah would be a good idea. If Nel does wander off, those two will be able to help protect him. The large dragons won't be able to attend the adoption ceremony itself, much less follow him around the city. Which reminds me - do you think Soot will be all right, being separated from Nel for a few hours?"
 
When they reached the rocks Jasper passed off the third and last lantern to Infernus who dutifully took the handle in his jaws and carried it up with Chaital ahead of their human counterparts so they could see as they advanced. It wasn't the brightest lighting in the world, but with he, Noah, and Lily all holding one, it was enough for them to keep their footing. If not, Infernus or Chaital would do their best to catch them.

"I think I'll keep my feet on the ground." Nel called softly back, raising a hand in a little wave to tell them to go on without him. "Just in case anyone needs help from here." Besides, it was a good opportunity to talk with Jasper one on one, which he almost never had the opportunity for. Jasper had been around Mr. Jenkins and the Harns for longer than Nel had, so he thought perhaps to ask advice about if he should change his current living situation or stay in the rider's temporary dorms for a little while longer.

Jasper only shrugged with his hands in the air. "Yeah, somebody's gotta be here to identify the bodies after."

"We'll be fine!" Lily promised with a laugh at his snark, waving back down at them as she headed up. She gave Noah a smile as she scrambled up after Infernus, occasionally catching onto the end of his tail so he could pull her with him. "I've only come up here once or twice at night before, but it's really pretty to sit at the top and look at the stars!" Jasper and Nel would be okay standing around in the dark with Soot for a little while.

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

Malia gave a small tilt of her head towards him in way of conceding the point. Nel was rather more brave when it came to doing things for others as opposed to for himself, Axle was right about that. "If he knows he must go if he truly wants to be part of your family, then he'll find the courage." She said, giving his hand an absentminded squeeze at the idea of Nel being adopted even as a young adult, grateful that someone was trying to claim him even if it wasn't her. He deserved to have a family again. "But it doesn't hurt to have friends around in difficult times. If nothing else, one of them will hold his hand to keep him from getting separated."

She chuckled softly at that, but as they grew closer to the building her office was housed in gave a small sigh. "Thank you. For helping him. He's always here, but I've worried about him going through life alone." She was nearby, and the rest of the Dragonry staff and visiting riders were around, but beyond her there was no one for him to truly call his own. It soothed her heart in some ways, knowing he would be cared for by someone who was capable of it. "And thank you, for walking me back."

A dozen or so feet from the doors still, she stopped and let go of his hand, reaching up to brush her fingers over the edge of his jaw to keep him still and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight, Axle." She said quietly, giving him a small, not quite shy smile as she stepped back to head inside. "Sleep well."
 
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Noah scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Relax. There aren't going to be any bodies to - ooop!" He yelped in surprise when his foot slipped and he stumbled backward a few feet.

Chaital's head shot up to push him back upwards. A few pebbles skittered past her to the ground below, and she snorted and blew a bit of smoke.

". . . Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll be careful," Noah said with a sheepish smile. He patted her muzzle and regained his footing. "Thanks, Chaital." He carried on climbing again, and this time his dragon stayed much closer by his side.

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"I'm always glad to have your company," Axle said gently. He smiled and nodded. "And I'm very glad to have the chance to adopt Nel. I haven't known him long, but he's going to fit into the Harn family perfectly. I can tell."

Then Malia brushed her fingers over his jaw. That alone was enough to catch his attention and freeze him in place, his eyes flicking over to meet hers. But then she kissed him. He let out a shuddering breath and very nearly fainted on the spot, staggering backwards a bit, and his cheeks and ears flushed red with blush. "O - oh!" he stammered. He smiled and chuckled, running a hand through his hair. ". . . I - I, um - yes! Thank you. You, too?"
 
Lily was ahead of Noah, and when she heard him start to fall she turned to see if she could help him but was grateful Chaital was way ahead of her. Given that Noah was heavier than her she probably would have just gotten them both in a heap at the bottom of the rock.

"Whoa!" She reached for his hand when her feet were steady enough for it and gave him an almost nervous little smile. "Careful, there! Come on, we're almost up - Grab onto Fern's tail and he'll pull you to the top!"

From the ground, Jasper only raised an eyebrow, ignoring the worried sound Nel made beside him and looking up at them with crossed arms. "Uh-huh. No bodies, huh?" It was good that Chaital and Fern were around, at least, and that was most of the reason he hadn't gone up to help. They would make sure no one fell to their doom.

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

For a moment, Malia worried she had gone a bit too far. The way he reacted, one might have thought she had kissed him full on the mouth rather than just the cheek! She almost would have apologized, if not for the flush across his cheeks in the dim lighting of the building behind her. Rather than say anything more, she only gave him a little wave and walked inside, letting out a little breath of relief as the door closed behind her. She hoped it hadn't been too forward of her, but if there was anything wrong with it she supposed she would find out the next time they met. For now, she had work to focus on.
 
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"Oh! Good idea. Thanks, Infernus," Noah said, and he carefully reached out to take hold of the dragon's tail. Then he scrambled up the last few feet of rock and found himself standing above a large stretch of land.

Mountains rose in the distance. Some of the rivers glittered in the moonlight. And the waves of long, tall grass flashed turquoise and blue.

He let out a breath and smiled. ". . . Wow. Gorgeous view up here," he murmured.

Chaital crawled up and curled around him, huffing and giving his hair a lick. Then she, too, settled in to enjoy the view.

----

All too soon, she was turning to leave. Axle waved back, a shy, lopsided smile on his face, and he sighed again earnestly. He couldn't wait to see her again. His thoughts were a whirling mess, but they were all positive thoughts. Was Malia interested in him, romantically? She must be if she kissed him. Would she want to go on a date? What if he tried putting his arm around her? What if they wound up being a couple?

He practically floated back to the old mill. He was still smiling when he arrived, and he sat down to chat with Grandpa Jenkins at length. The night couldn't have gone any better.
 
Infernus chuffed and extended his tail with a curl at the end to give Noah something to hold on to, and once Lily had taken hold as well pulled them up to the crest of the rocky hill they had climbed. Once there, he laid down to let them take in the view without getting too close to the edge and tumbling over.

"Isn't it?" Lily said softly, reaching almost absentmindedly for Noah's hand and giving it a squeeze as they looked at the expanse of nature in front of them, the city and its metal and pollution left behind them for just that moment. "When Fern found me, I got to start coming out here all the time. I'd lived in Lower Floaten all my life, so coming out here where everything is green and the air is clear and there's nothing above you but the skies. . ." She took a deep breath of fresh air and let out a long, slow sigh, smiling just a little to herself. "It's been my favorite thing, ever since I saw it the first time. It makes me feel small, but . . . in a good way, if that makes sense."

She knew not everyone was so lucky as to escape the smoggy, confined area of the lower city, to have the sky in their reach whenever they wanted, so she tried not to forget to be grateful even for the things she saw and did every day. She hoped she would never stop feeling like it was all a gift, every time.
 
Noah almost didn't notice Lily's hand until it was wrapped around his, comforting and gentle. Even when he did eventually notice, it wasn't consciously, and he gave her hand a squeeze back without even thinking about it. He glanced over at Lily when her words struck a chord within him. She had the same adventuring spirit that he did. "Of course it makes sense," he said softly. "It's why I like exploring so much, I think. There's just - so much of the world, you know? And the more I see of it, the smaller I feel, and the more there is to find. There's just something so comforting about knowing there's always more to see."

He blushed a bit and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "And it's always more fun exploring with a friend or two. Especially if those friends are you and the rest of the gang. We just - we just fit together. I feel like I've known you all for years, even though it's only been a short time." He gave Lily a warm smile and stood ever so slightly closer. "Don't tell the others - but I think I get along with you the most of everyone."
 
"I like that." Lily said with a smile and a thoughtful little hum. "'The smaller I feel, the more there is to find'. Sometimes being small's not so bad." Sometimes the world was big and overwhelming, but thinking of it as an endless space to explore was better than being afraid.

While she wasn't one to be easily embarrassed, she found her face felt a bit warm at his admission. Having someone basically say she was their favorite did make her feel special, with a pleasant but nervous little flutter in her stomach. Noah's hand was warm in the chill of encroaching night, and she had to fight the urge to squeeze it again like she didn't want to let go. After being left behind by her old friends as a little girl, she was always afraid she held on too tightly now, whether that was physically or metaphorically.

"I'm sorry you fell down and got hurt," She said, turning to him with a small, not quite teasing smile, "but I'm really glad you found our way to us. You, and your dad, and Pumpkin - life is hard here, sometimes, but . . . it feels like you belong here."

She could admit there were many bad things about Lower Floaten, including the poor air quality and the poverty, but there were good things too, if you looked for them. Somehow, despite hardship, lots of people had come to the realization that they had to help each other to survive, rather than fighting only for themselves. Maybe she was just privileged, having a dragon at her side for most of her life, but feeling safe made it easier to see. She always tried her best to see what good was around, no matter how bad life got.
 
"I do belong here," Noah said happily. He gave Lily's hand an extra squeeze himself, and leaned in a bit closer. "You and Jasper and everyone else here have made that really clear. You know, I hardly remember the pain from falling now. But I remember meeting you and Jasper and the dragons for the first time. Especially you." He blushed a bit, and gave a soft chuckle. "You, um - I really . . . I - "

Chaital's eyes took on a mischievous twinkle. Then she gave Noah's head a slap, just enough to send his head forward and accidentally kiss either Lily's cheek or lips, whatever he was closer to.

Noah squeaked and stumbled back, blushing beet red. "Shit! I am so sorry. Chaital!" he protested, turning around to shoot the dragon a glare.

His dragon only chuffed proudly, laughing, and curled her tail pleasantly around herself.

"I - I don't know what happened," Noah stammered as he turned back to Lily. "Chaital doesn't usually - I mean, she does, but not - it wasn't - "
 
Lily was only curious, at first, feeling warm inside at the idea of making her friend feel so at home and waiting patiently for him to figure out what he was trying to say. She wasn't really sure what he would say, and she was nervous in ways she couldn't quite quantify before Chaital moved and everything happened at once. She almost didn't know what was going on when the motion made her jump a little, recalling more than feeling in the moment the press of Noah's lips half on her own and half on her cheek.

Stumbling back a step at the shock, Lily made a soft, surprised sound and pressed her fingers over her mouth where she could all but still feel his touch, cheeks burning pink even as Infernus' tail rose to wrap around her waist and keep her from falling. The protective dragon turned to be sure no one was hurt, then gave a little chuff that was half amused and half annoyed and let them be, unimpressed by Chaital's antics. She was much more playful than he was.

Eyes still a bit wide as Noah stammered on, Lily took in his reddened cheeks, and Chaital's decidedly smug posture, and abruptly as her brain caught up to it all sputtered and began to laugh, her hands reaching to take hold of both of his to keep him from running away, or thinking she was laughing at him. How funny it was of them both, to do such things and react such ways, and for herself to feel so flustered in response. Noah was kind and warm, and Chaital was playful and mischievous, and she loved them, she thought. There were a lot of feelings swirling around inside her that she couldn't quite piece through, but in some ways, at least, she was sure enough of that.

"It's okay," she said with a little laughter still in her voice, squeezing his hands and finding her balance, standing close to him and holding his hands with a bashful sort of smile on her face. "It's okay. . ." She repeated a bit softer, turning her head just a little away, shy and uncertain but knowing she didn't want to be anywhere else. She had spent so long focusing on Infernus and Jasper, on Naga and Nobu and their friends at the Dragonry, on making ends meet and getting all her work done, that she hadn't had much time for anything else. It was okay, wasn't it? To consider the idea of being a bit more than just friends? At least, she thought it was okay.
 
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Chaital, for her part, only gave Infernus a smug look that said she wasn't apologetic in the least for her mischief. Everyone was perfectly safe, and she wouldn't have let either of the humans fall off the rocks if they accidentally stepped back too far. Even better, her ploy seemed to be working.

Noah was about to run his hand nervously through his hair when Lily took both of his hands in hers and squeezed them gently. All at once, his stammering ceased, and he gazed up at her with sparkling eyes. It was okay, she said. It was okay that she'd accidentally kissed him. That he couldn't quite get his words out. That maybe they were falling in love.

He gave her a lopsided smile. And when Lily turned her face slightly away, he reached up with one hand, brushing it against her cheek and trying to turn her face back towards his. Then he pulled in a breath and nodded. "I love you," he decided softly.
 
Holding Noah's hands felt grounding, when everything else felt so fluttery and uncertain. When he reached for her, she curled her fingers around his arm instead, like holding on was the only thing keeping her from hiding her reddened cheeks instead. She didn't know what to do, even when she let him make her face him again, even when making eye contact made her feel so overwhelmed she thought her eyes might water. When he spoke her eyes widened just a little, and she bit lightly at her bottom lip as if to keep herself from speaking too soon. It was such a small word to make her feel things that were so big, like a wave crashing over her head she had no chance at fighting back. But it wasn't bad. She was sure of that, at least.

"I - . . . I need to think." She said very gently, lifting up and down on her toes once as she tried her best to study his face in the dim lighting, hoping beyond hope that she wasn't going to hurt him. "I really, really, really care about you," she rushed to reassure, her fingers curling briefly tight where she held on to him almost as if to keep him from running away before she could finish, "Don't ever doubt that, I just - I've never . . . I've never loved anyone before." She had loved plenty of people, as family and friends and companions, but not the way he meant, and there was mingled worry and apology in her eyes as she refused to let herself look away. "I need to make sure it's right. . . Will you wait for me?"

She did love Noah as her dear friend, as she did many others, and she knew there were warm feelings stirring in her chest that were different from just that, but she didn't want to say Love, not like that, not yet. She wanted to spend time with him, and get to know everything about him, and as they stood with just their dragons under the starry sky she wanted him to kiss her again. She just hoped he wasn't upset with her.
 
Noah gave her a soft, hesitant chuckle in response, squeezing her hands gently back when she curled her fingers tightly around his. "It's okay. I haven't loved anyone like this before, either," he admitted softly. His eyes held a warmth in them the entire time he spoke to her. Honestly, Noah was just grateful he hadn't scared Lily off by being so forward with her.

He nodded eventually and slowly let go of her hands, clearing his throat. "Of course I'll wait for you. I won't make a single romantic move unless you decide you want me to," he promised with a smile.

Then he tossed his head towards the rock cliffs. "Should we start climbing back down? We still have a lot of the forest to climb around and explore in," he offered. Plus, if they were with the group again, hopefully Lily wouldn't feel pressured into staying near Noah the whole time.
 
As they stood there under the stars, Lily started to wonder why she'd ever been scared. No matter what happened, Noah was still Noah, without an unkind bone in his body. She was just happy that he wasn't hurt, and that he understood her hesitation. Or, at least he partially did.

"Well. . . I didn't quite mean that." She said with a shy little shuffle of her feet, wondering If it was okay to have a little romance before she could figure out which words to use to describe how she felt. That wasn't a bad thing, was it?

Finding a bit of her daring spirit through the nerves, she reached for him to keep him from turning away, a hand on his shoulder for balance as she leaned up on her toes to press a soft, brief kiss to his lips. When she dropped her weight back down onto her heels she gave him a small, bashful smile, cheeks flushed a bit red, and reached for Infernus' tail when the dragon offered it to help keep her balanced.

"Now we can go."
 
The young man had just been about to turn away fully when he suddenly felt Lily's hand around his again. "Oh. What did you mean, then? I - "

Then she reached up with a hand on his shoulder and kissed him. His cheeks blushed red all over again, and he smiled brightly and met Lily's eyes. ". . . understand," he finished softly. Clearly she felt safe enough around Noah to experiment a bit with romance - maybe a kiss here, or a hug there, to try and figure out her feelings. And Noah didn't mind offering a date for her here or there, maybe some flowers now and again, or maybe going for a fly with just the two of them. And their dragons, of course.

He sighed happily and nodded before stretching out a hand to pat Chaital's side. "Yeah, let's head back down." He glanced briefly at the height of the hill, and then to Chaital, both of them locking eyes. Noah laughed and looked back at Lily. "Wanna try a dragon slide?"
 
Noah's smile was soothing even if she hadn't truly believed he would be upset with her. Lily was hopeful that it would be okay, being together in ways that were romantic without using words she was unsure of yet. They were reading the same book, she thought, they were just on different chapters. She needed time to catch up.

But first, she needed to figure out what on earth he was talking about.

"Dragon slide?" She parroted with a little laugh, looking between he and Chaital as they seemed to conspire together for something. "What do you mean, 'dragon slide'?"
 
"Well, I was just looking at how tall the hill is, and how long Chaital is, and I thought - huh, that section there is the same measurement," Noah explained, grinning and pointing at a shorter section of the hill. "And Chaital had the same thought. I think."

Chaital chuffed and swished her tail. Then she angled herself with her tail pointing down, so when Noah slid it would be over her scales and not against them. She laid down and flicked her tongue out with a lazy chirr once she was ready.

And Noah laughed in delight. "Hell, yeah! She was thinking the same thing! Watch this, Lily." He climbed on top of Chaital's head, and then slid all the way down her back and tail, squealing and rolling to a stop in the grass below.
 
Lily blinked and looked between them, confused for a moment and then suddenly understanding with a little hop on her toes. "Oooh- dragon slide!"

She watched Noah slide away with a laugh, and the second he was clear climbed up to follow him down with a delighted Wooohoooo! and then an oof as she rolled into the grass with him.

Jasper wandered over as they lay laughing together on the ground, an eyebrow raised at the strange way they'd gotten down from their climbing adventure and hardly glancing over his shoulder as Infernus glided down to the ground behind him. "That's one way to descend a hill." He said in a tone that clearly questioned their sanity, and held out a hand to each of them to help them up. "Up y' get. Naga brought me a dead bat, so maybe don't look over where Nel is."

"If you go on ahead a bit, I'll nudge it into the bushes." Nel said a bit hesitantly from where he waited a ways away with Soot. Naga had looked very proud of herself for bringing back proof of her hunt, but it wasn't like any of them were going to eat bat. Once she followed the others a bit away, Nel would carefully hide it from view, unless one of the big dragons wanted to eat it.
 
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Noah gratefully grabbed Jasper's hand when it was offered and climbed back to his feet, still grinning ear to ear even with the leaves and twigs he'd gotten tangled in his hair after the roll at the end of the slide. "Heh, thanks, Jasper."

He tilted his head and glanced over when Jasper mentioned the bat. Then he shrugged and strolled on ahead. ". . . I feel sorry for the bat. But I've seen worse than roadkill. It doesn't bother me much." He offered Lily his hand to hold as they walked.

Meanwhile, Chaital slid down off the rocks and trotted over behind the group. She paused near the dead bat and sniffed at it with interest, but she wasn't exceptionally hungry so she let it be.

Soot was a different story. He crept up cautiously to the bat, sniffed at it, and gave a soft whine, glancing up at Nel as though asking permission to eat it.
 
Jasper dug his heel into the ground and leaned back to help pull Noah up from the ground with a little nod in way of acknowledgement, shifting his weight a little to help Lily up as well afterwards. She grinned at his exasperated sigh when he brushed a few little leaves and blades of grass out of her hair, but made a disgusted face when he mentioned the bat.

"Ewww, poor bat!" She complained, but with her voice lowered so as not to hurt Naga's feelings. At least the small dragon had never gone after anyone's pet cat or anything of the sort.

Jasper raised an eyebrow at their backs as she hopped past him to take Noah's hand, but for now left it all alone. He and Lily were good friends, and she was sort of like a younger sister to him, but she was an adult and who she chose to spend her time with wasn't any of his business. He could bluster all he wanted, if he were the type, but if anyone was going to threaten bodily harm for hurting her, it was going to be Infernus, not him.

Nel signaled for Soot to wait with an apologetic sort of grimace, watching as the others walked away and waiting for Naga to be a decent distance ahead as she trailed after Jasper's heels to carefully nudge the poor bat closer to Soot. "Shh," he urged in a whisper, stepping a bit out of the way as if to block Naga's view should she glance back in the darkness. "Quickly, but quietly." It was already dead so someone may as well eat it rather than let it go to waste, and none of the local bats had any diseases that they knew of, so it was fine if Soot wanted to clean up. He just didn't want Naga to get upset if she thought someone was taking the prize she'd left for Jasper.
 
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