Breath of Fresh Air

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"Sure did!" Grandpa Jenkins announced with a grin. "Good job, Nel!"

"I want to try next!" Noah burst out, clapping his hands.

Soot's head followed the fish up and down, and he chirped and wriggled excitedly. He leaned in close and very, very carefully, took the fish between his teeth before withdrawing a short distance away. Then he set the fish down on the ground and licked it. He froze for a moment, ear fins perking up and wings going stiff as he stared at it.


Opal's head snapped back with a sharp crack. A few moments later, he felt something hot and wet dripping down his mouth. He lifted a hand instinctively and found blood leaking from his broken nose. For a few seconds, he stood in complete shock, his heart pounding in his chest and his mind whirling.

Then he growled low in his throat and lunged back at Jasper. "You dumb sinker!" One fist flew towards Jasper's chest, and his other hand tried to yank down on his shirt to get him off balance. He wasn't an experienced fighter. But he was angry enough to come at his opponent in a flurry of punches and scratches. Surely something would hit, right?
 
Nel smiled at the praise, but more so at Soot's interest. "Good job," he praised gently when the dragon took it from him so carefully, letting him move away to eat it like he wanted to and not following after. "That's just the skin," he explained when Soot licked at the fish. "Take a little bite first and see if you like it." He wasn't sure how often Soot had eaten whole animals before, if he was used to skin or fur or scales, but it was best to let the dragon try before offering to help. If Soot needed him to, he could pull the meat out by hand.


The sight of blood might have been enough to get Jasper to back down, his point clearly made, but when Opal only surged towards him all bets were off. It caught him off guard at first, a small grunt and a slight step backwards his only response to the way Opal hit him. It was enough to tell him Opal had probably never been in a fight before, not one that really mattered, or he would've gone for softer or more easily damaged body parts, might've aimed for his face or stomach instead. Knowing he would win almost made him stop. Almost.

He took hold of Opal's arm when the young man grabbed him, taking a cheap shot at his ribs when it left them exposed and shoving his own weight forward. Tangled together rather than held still, he hooked a foot behind one of Opal's ankles to knock his legs out from under him.

"If it weren't for us sinkers," he shot back, grappling with the hands swinging his way and hardly flinching at the elbow that had caught him across the face as they crashed to ground, "you whole fucking city would be on the ground!" He used his weight to keep Opal from getting back up, and if he were more coherent and less blinded by rage might have been able to more quickly stop the wild, almost ineffective fists flying his way. As it was, he could hardly hear Nobu's worried bleating behind him, growing louder and louder with each call. If he were in his right mind, even one would have been enough to stop him.


Outside, Nel was watching Noah's turn at stripping a fish with his bare hands, and looked in confusion at the house when he started to hear the small dragon's cries. ". . . I wonder what's wrong. Maybe I should go check. . ." If Nobu had hurt his leg again somehow, he would need attention.
 
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Opal grunted and wheezed when Jasper made a shot at his ribs, very nearly folding and collapsing on the ground then and there. But he was stubborn. He rolled across the floor with Jasper, throwing punches and kicking and even attempting to bite him once or twice. "Get off of me! Get off!" Opal yelled when Jasper's weight pushed him down at one point.

And a few seconds later, Axle Harn stepped in through the door. He'd been practically floating a few moments before, delighted at his time spent with Malia, but suddenly he snapped to attention and tensed. There was an intruder in the Mill.

They had to be. Why else would Jasper be grappling with someone and tearing across the floor while Nobu cried out in alarm?

He had to act fast. He ran over to the pair, reached in amidst the chaos, grabbed Opal's shirt collar, and hoisted him up until he was at his eye level. "Who in the hell are you?!"

The color drained out of Opal's face. He blinked a few times, panting lightly and staring back in shock. ". . . I - I . . . Axle Harn?"


Soot was about to try the fish again when he, too, heard Nobu's cries and chirred worriedly.

Noah frowned and nodded. "Yeah. You'd better go take a look. Let us know if you need help, okay?"
 
"It'll be okay," Nel reassured Soot as he walked past, giving the dragon a small smile to calm him. "Have your fish. I'll be right back."


What Opal lacked in technique and experience, he made up in sheer animal panic and ferocity. More than once Jasper resorted to simply pushing him away by the jaw to keep from getting bitten, and lost the advantage of weight and position when he had to avoid having his eyes gouged. He had never pictured someone from Upper Floaten getting into a fistfight before, but he would never have expected one to fight so dirty.

It was after a particularly sharp blow from Opal's knee had caught him in the stomach that they were finally separated, and Jasper sat up with a sort of affronted glare like something was being taken away from him, teeth gritted with an angry sound in his throat before realizing that another person had pulled Opal away.

"A useless bastard, that's who," he hissed as he pushed up to his feet, the anger only just beginning to fade into something more like shame now that there were witnesses.

". . . Jasper?" Nel had stopped only a couple of steps into the room, eyes first on Nobu before he saw the rest of them, and somehow it was worse that there was no anger in his voice, only a quiet shock and confusion, and something a little hurt. "What . . . What happened?"

He had expected to find Nobu in pain and Jasper tending to him, but all he saw was the clear aftermath of a fight - Opal's nose dripping blood onto his rumpled clothes, Jasper's split lip and the scratches across his collarbone where his shirt had opened, reddened skin on each of their faces where there would soon be bruising. For a moment, they were all frozen in time.

Jasper was first to break the standoff, turning away with a frustrated growl and stalking past Nel so close their shoulders almost brushed. "Watch Nobu for me," he bit out before he stalked out the door, slamming it closed behind him so hard it rattled in the frame.

Nel flinched at the sound, feeling very lost - and, if he thought more closely about it, more than a little sad. "Opal?" He managed quietly, afraid of what the answers might be even though he had a feeling he knew them already. "What happened? Are you okay?" He didn't know what to think anymore, but first things first. Opal needed first aid again.

Lily and Infernus touched down nearby as Nel went inside, and she hopped off at the sound of Nobu's most panicked cry before it finally began to quiet at Axle and Nel's arrival. "I'm back!" She declared with a wave as she jogged towards the house, though a little frown of worry had come over her by the time she got close, deciding whether to go to Noah and Mr. Jenkins or go inside. "Why's Nobu crying? Did he fall?"

She spotted Jasper a moment later, confusion and worry blooming on her face at the state of him and the look on his face as he walked quickly away. "What the hell is going on?" She got out, stepping slowly back from Noah as she asked and then turning to hurry to the house. The way Jasper had looked, she knew better than to try and go after him. The only answers she would get would still be inside.
 
Noah stared when he suddenly found Jasper stalking past in a state of disarray. "- I actually don't know. Nel just went in to check on Nobu, but - we'd better go, too. C'mon," he added, taking her hand.

To Opal, it was akin to having had the president of the United States yank him up off the ground. But for it to be Axle Harn - one of the most respected and influential members of Upper Floaten society - Opal was beside himself. He blinked several times and glanced between Axle and Nel. Finally he crossed his arms, pouted, and dropped his gaze. ". . . Nothing."

He certainly wasn't about to admit he'd started a fight with Jasper just because the boy had insulted him. And maybe because he'd insulted him back a little.

Axle frowned and set Opal down gingerly on the couch, just as Lily and Noah headed in as well. "Would you all mind if we started from the top? I'd like to know who this boy is and what on earth is going on in here."

Noah stared when he found Opal bloodied up with rumpled clothes. What did Opal do to make Jasper so upset? He clicked his tongue and let out a long breath, squeezing Lily's hand. ". . . I can guess what happened. But yeah. We'll start from the beginning." He spent a few minutes explaining who Opal was, how they'd found him, and why he was in the Mill. ". . . So I'm assuming Opal said something or did something to Jasper to make him snap. Am I right?" he asked with a pointed glance at Opal.

Opal shifted uncomfortably and lowered his gaze. ". . . I didn't mean to the first time," he muttered at last. "It just kind of - we just kind of . . . we may have spiraled a bit."
 
Lily squeezed Noah's hand as he took hold of it, worried still as she followed him inside, and was both confused and very certain of the situation all at once. She didn't know who Opal was or why he was around, but it was clear from his clothes and his hair, despite the current state of them, that he was from Upper Floaten. From there, she could guess what had happened well enough.

Noah's explanation, at least, clued her in on a few things.

In the end, she could only shake her head, and gave Noah's arm a brief squeeze with the hand he wasn't holding. "Well, you were both stupid." She said with exasperation in her voice rather than anger, a weary sigh escaping her right after. "But I know Jasper well enough to know it wasn't all your fault. He's such a hothead, sometimes. I just thought he was done getting in fistfights."

It had been long enough since his last, and he'd been doing better after his work began to pick up some traction and they weren't struggling as much to make ends meet. It was more disappointing than anything, really. She would be mad at him later. Now wasn't really the time for everyone to be angry.

"Nel," she directed more gently, seeing him floundering for what to do and thinking he had probably never had two people he knew come to blows before, "Nobu's real upset. Can you sit with him for me and make sure he's okay? Opal? Why don't you come with me, I'll help you get cleaned up." And maybe they would talk a little about what happened. It was best to get both sides of the story.

Tima, cowering behind a couch pillow still, only dared to begin to peek her head out as voices lowered and tones stopped being so angry. Was it safe now? She could still smell blood in the air.
 
Opal stiffened when Lily asked him to come with her. He had no idea who she was. And besides, he couldn't leave Tima. When the tiny dragon finally poked her head out from behind a nearby cushion, he reached a hand back and gently petted her back. ". . . If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to stay out here," he told Lily at last. "Besides, I need to watch the fish be cooked. Have to ensure it's up to standards."

Axle rubbed his temples and gave a soft groan. "Ohh, I feel like I'm right back at home again. I'll go cook the fish with Grandpa Jenkins. Then I can explain to him why Opal's in here bleeding all over himself."

Noah clicked his tongue. "I'll go talk to Jasper. He - "

"No, ya won't," Grandpa Jenkins said, shuffling inside with a fish. "He needs time to cool off. He'll come back when he's ready. You talk to him now, you might get punched in the face yourself."
 
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When Opal refused help, Lily thought she could see more clearly why Jasper had jumped him already. An attitude that was used to getting everything he demanded from anyone he demanded it from was sure to rile her friend immediately. It wasn't as if she liked it, but she was less prone to letting it get to her.

"Compromise, then." She said, standing her ground rather than bending to his will. "I'll set out a few things in the bathroom and you can clean yourself up instead. You can come in the kitchen once you're not bleeding everywhere anymore." It was unsanitary, to say the least, and she was also not above pushing back against him for trying to order anyone around, though she did it much more gently than Jasper obviously had.

When Mr. Jenkins came inside she gave him a brief little pout, upset by what had happened and knowing he was likely the only other person that understood Jasper like she did. She hoped he wasn't as disappointed as she was. "Hate to say it, but he's right, Noah. Just let Jasper go brood for a while. If he doesn't come back later we can go look for him." Or at least, she would. It was probably best if either she or Mr. Jenkins went after him, anyway.

Nel picked Nobu up off the ground to hold him, instinctively rocking him a bit like one might a very large baby to soothe the sensitive dragon's worries. "Is your dragon all right? She must have been scared."

Lily, upon hearing him and seeing Opal reach behind the pillow, made a soft, amazed little sound under her breath. "Is she yours? She's so pretty, poor thing."

At the invasion of her hiding space Tima shrunk down against the cushions for a few seconds, then gradually began to relax tense muscles as he stroked at her, and eventually came out to tuck herself very tightly against his side beneath his arm. It seemed safe now, and she wanted to be close to him so nothing would hurt her.
 
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She didn't want to seem to let him stay in the living room. To be fair, he was dripping blood all over himself, but he was worried if he went to the bathroom or even left the room, Tima might be too scared to follow him and be left by herself. Something about that just didn't sit right. But he couldn't quite put it into words.

He swallowed thickly and wrapped his arm around the dragon, still petting her gently with his hand. ". . . I can't leave her," he admitted quietly. "And I need to watch the fish be prepared." He wasn't quite sure why it was so important. But he knew for a fact he needed to watch how they cooked the fish, and he needed to keep Tima safe. He'd forgo medical treatment to do so if need be.

Mr. Harn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Now that he'd gotten a better look at the young man, his face and name did seem familiar. ". . . What was your last name, Opal?"

Opal blinked and glanced over. "Ah, Cutter. Opal Cutter."

"Hm. I'd better go make a call. Excuse me a moment," Axle said, and he headed off into the other room to use the pipe phone.

Noah cleared his throat. "Lily, let me know when we should go talk to Jasper. I'll come with you. Just in case."
 
Lily didn't quite frown, the corner of her mouth dipping slightly in a sort of dubious expression as she tried to figure it out. The little dragon was clearly scared, which was understandable, and if she was his then Opal not wanting to leave her behind made sense. Still, there was something about the idea of him not wanting them to make food without him that sat strangely with her. There had to be something else behind it.

"I'm sure she'll go right with you." She said gently, stepping closer with slow, unthreatening motions and crouching down near the couch without holding out her hands to frightened little Tima. "It's all right, little one. All that ruckus was super scary, hm? But don't worry, it'll be okay. You can stay with Opal, and he'll help keep you safe. You're safe here."

Her voice was soft and warm, so unlike the shouting and anger Tima was used to hearing. She listened with large, black eyes staring right at Lily as she spoke, and finally gave a little shudder and pressed a little further into Opal's side. After a pause, she dared to let go of the grip her small paw hands had on his shirt and climbed up to his shoulder to curl around his neck once more.

"There we go," Lily said with the same soft voice, giving an encouraging smile and taking a step back as she got slowly to her feet. "See? She'll come right with you. How about you go clean up, and we'll wait to make dinner until you come back? Is that okay?"
 
Opal was hopeful, in a strange way, that Tima would refuse to leave and give him a reason to stay near the kitchen where he could see what was going on. The fish was already up on the counter. If he left now, even for a moment, it was all the time they would need to - to . . .

He wasn't quite sure what. But it couldn't be anything good.

To his surprise and horror, though, Lily convinced Tima to climb up and rest around his neck so he could stand up and move. Panic rose up in his chest when Lily drew closer and insisted he head to the bathroom to wash up. "No!" he burst out, much more sharply than he actually meant to. He blinked a few times, surprised at himself for once, and quickly held a hand to his nose. ". . . I - I apologize. I didn't mean to yell. I'm afraid I must insist on staying nearby to ensure the fish is cooked properly."

Noah raised an eyebrow. He'd known food critics and people obsessed over their food in Upper Floaten before. Opal clearly wasn't one. ". . . I'll go bring the medical supplies out here," he said at last. "Lily, could you grab some towels to put around Opal so he at least doesn't bleed onto the furniture?"
 
Lily flinched back a little when Opal suddenly shouted, more startled than anything, and for a moment only blinked at him with slightly widened eyes. She frowned at him, and the way his raised voice had made Tima cringe and curl up tighter, almost more behind his shoulders than on them. Only Noah's voice finally drew her attention away with a little frown on her face.

"Right. . ." She said slowly, and finally just gave her head a little shake and turned to go and get a towel like he had asked.

Nel watched in silence as they both left the room, cradling Nobu in his arms still despite the fact that the small dragon was on the heavy side for something his size. ". . . Are you really all right?" He asked very quietly when the room was empty, not stepping any closer or looking Opal in the eye for too long. "You don't . . . You don't have to be afraid. I don't - I don't know why Jasper would . . ." He floundered for words, then finally just shook his head and let the idea go unspoken. "But it won't happen again. No one is going to hurt you here. . . We'd like to help, as much as we can. . ."

The whole idea of fighting was beyond him, though he knew tensions were high with such a devastating disaster only days behind them. Nel was not so good at interacting with people, but he knew the look of a cornered animal when he saw one. Tima was not the only one who was afraid.
 
For a few moments, Opal held his breath, waiting to see how Lily would react. But eventually, she went off with Noah, although she looked none too pleased about it. He couldn't blame her.

He glanced briefly up when he heard Grandpa Jenkins start work in the kitchen. And there his gaze stayed, locked on the fish and the older man and only briefly flicking back to meet Nel's eyes now and again. "I'm fine," he said quickly. He had to muster all his courage to even attempt building back up the facade he had built. "The fight wasn't . . . I don't blame Jasper. I suppose we both went off the rails a little."

He smiled shakily and wiped more blood from his nose. "I'll be all right. My parents will come for me shortly, and then - then everything will be taken care of. I'm sure," he added. "But I'm rather surprised Axle Harn is here, of all places. What's he doing in Lower Floaten?"
 
Nel offered a small smile back when Opal gave one first, though it looked strained on the other man's face. "I'm still . . . sorry it happened." There wasn't much more he could say about it. Lily would know more about Jasper and why he did things.

His gaze flowed Opal's to the kitchen, a confused furrow in his brow as he tried to figure out what was wrong. "Axle? Ah, when Noah found his dragon, they started spending a lot of time at the Dragonry, since her living here made Noah stay here. Mr. Jenkins is his father-in-law, so they've been living here together." And Axle had taken a romantic interest in Malia, which was another tie to the Dragonry but that didn't seem like his business to be telling people, even if it wasn't exactly a secret.

"I can . . . I'll go ask Mr. Jenkins to wait for you to be ready, if you want me to." Something about the fish being prepared was obviously bothering Opal, though Nel couldn't for the life of him think why. Maybe he was just very picky with his food, and not self conscious enough to hold back from saying so.
 
Opal tilted his head. "Hm. He moved here willingly? Interesting," he said at last. And the reasons actually sounded compelling. Axle's family was here, so of course he'd be here as well.

"Mm, thanks," Opal added softly when Nel offered to postpone the fish being cooked. "But it's already in the kitchen. I'd rather see him finish making it all the way. I have to make sure it's . . . it's . . ." His eyebrow furrowed. "Up to standard" was his go-to phrase, but somehow he knew that wasn't the reason. And he couldn't think of another phrase that clicked. "Not . . . burnt?" he guessed at last. No, that wasn't it, either. But it seemed closer.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Noah pulled some medical supplies into his arms and gave a deep sigh. "So," he told Lily slowly, "I know Opal kind of seems like a stuck-up prick, but . . . listen, I've met a lot of actual assholes before. And he might be a tiny little bit stuck-up. But the food thing - something's going on. He's acting weird."
 
Nel was confused still, to say the least, but wasn't sure what else Opal could possibly mean. The hesitation in his tone made Nel think something was going on, he just had never been very good at figuring out what exactly that was. For now he only smiled a little, uncertainly, and let it go at face value.

"Oh. All right." He said with a nod, not sure how else to respond. "Mr. Jenkins is a very good cook. He feeds us all the time." Maybe Opal was worried he just wouldn't like the food. It seemed like a silly reason, but he'd been through a lot in the last few hours already.


"I gathered as much." Lily said with a shake of her head, wondering at Opal's strange habits so far. It was far from her first time dealing with assholes, too, though she was sure the ones Noah dealt with in Upper Floaten had been of a different caliber. "I guess we'll figure it out later. I don't get the impression he would answer if we asked." It would just be pinning him into a metaphorical corner, and he was freaking out enough as it was.
 
He feeds us all the time. And they were all safe, somehow, and healthy and alive. Opal paused to consider that for a long moment, glancing back towards the meal. "Hm. That's - that's good." He wasn't sure why, but the idea relieved him a little, ever so slightly. "It just makes me feel better to watch. I can't explain it," he stammered at last. "All I know is that it's important I watch, for some reason. I can't remember why."


Noah shrugged. "Yeah. But look, as much as I don't like catering to stuck-up pricks . . . maybe I'll go easy on this guy. Just for now. Just until we figure out what's going on with him." He lifted his armful of supplies up and smiled. "I can take care of bandages if you want to convince him to let us put towels down."

Axle strolled by in the hallway, muttering to himself and rubbing his chin worriedly.
 
It was a strange thing, hearing someone speak as if they didn't know something about themselves. Malia had said Opal wasn't concussed, so what was it? Something was wrong, and he didn't know what.

"A- All right. . ." He said softly, his tone gentle both for Opal and for the gradually calming dragon in his own arms. "I'm sure once you're all cleaned up it'll be just fine to watch Mr. Jenkins cook. He can be grumpy sometimes, but . . . he's been a lot happier since his family came to stay with him." He was so good natured and generous now, most days. It made Nel happy to know that the older man was happy himself. Maybe he would have an idea of why Opal was acting strangely.


Noah was right. There was something wrong with Opal, and brute force wasn't going to solve it. "I'm sure just towels can't be threatening to him. I'll go see if I can keep him from bleeding on the couch."

She gathered a couple of towels into her arms and hurried out, slowing a bit as she slid past Axle in the hallway. "Everything okay, Mr. Harn?" She asked, slowing a bit on her way. She really needed to get Opal covered up, but she hoped something else wasn't wrong now.
 
"Hey! I can hear ya, you know," Mr. Jenkins teased. "But Nel's right, lad. Ah don't bite. How d'ya like yer fish? Lemon juice? Maybe some salt n' pepper?" He had no idea why Opal was so strangely obsessed with the meal. But there was no reason the boy couldn't watch him cook, and he had no desire or stress to cook up to supper Floaten standards. He knew what tasted good.

Opal blinked a few times and carefully turned to face him. "Oh. Um . . . I guess all three?" He didn't think he was picky about food, usually. But something had changed, at one point. But what . . .?


Mr. Harn waved a hand. "Mm. Well, hopefully. I called around a few people who know the Cutters in Upper Floaten. No sign of them yet. And with Opal's injuries . . ." He took a shaky breath. "I'm trying to stay positive. But I'm worried about what may happen if Opal's parents have perished. Technically he's old enough to be on his own, of course, but I couldn't just throw him out . . ."
 
Nel jumped a little a Mr. Jenkin's voice, flushing a bit in response. He hadn't thought the man could hear them so well from the kitchen. Nothing he'd said was untrue, but it was still a little embarrassing to be 'caught'.

"That sounds good," he agreed when Opal hesitated, unsure still about why but wanting to be encouraging somehow. "I'm sure you'll like it. Can I get you some water in the meantime?" Nobu would be fine for just a moment on his own, or Nel could carry him in one arm for as long as it took. He was heavy, but it would be okay for a moment.


Lily frowned a little at first, but gave her head a shake in response, not wanting to think the worst. "There was a lot of chaos - maybe they just ended up on the other side of the city. . . Come on, Noah, let's go help him clean up."

She didn't want to think yet what they might do if poor Opal had actually lost his parents. What would he do? She couldn't imagine the pain.
 
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