Breath of Fresh Air

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It didn't take long for Noah to notice Nel's outstretched hand, and he took it with a smile and scooted closer. "Lots better now. Thanks," he said, wiping some tear streaks off his face. "Sometimes a good cry just helps get all the pressure out. I really needed that."

He sighed contently and leaned back against Soot's side. "I think Chaital would come closer if she knew I needed her. But she's hanging out with Infernus. Gotta give those two some time to relax together, you know?" he added with a smile.

Axle soon returned with two glasses of ice water, handing one to each young man. "Here you are. And Nel, I went and got you an extra muffin," he announced, holding one out. "Would you two like to help me feed the one that fell in the dirt to Pumpkin?"

"Aw, yeah!" Noah said, tossing back his drink and getting to his feet. "I bet he'd love it. Nel, want to bring your muffin and water with and come watch?"
 
Nel managed a small smile, glad Noah was feeling better and beginning to recover a bit himself, though he did still feel a bit embarrassed about it all. It was all right to cry in front of Noah and Axle, he told himself. They were family, after all.

"Mm. They've become closer friends since she's come back." He leaned back against Soot as well, giving the dragon a few grateful pats with one hand and just taking slow, deep breaths to be sure he was done and could be calm. It was probably strange how reassuring he found it to have such a large and deadly creature to rest against.

"Oh - thank you," Nel said softly when Axle came out with water, not wanting to tell the man that he didn't feel very hungry. Something to eat would give him something else to focus on, at least, and when Axle offered another distraction it felt a little easier to keep smiling. "Of course. I'm sure he'll be happy to have a treat. He's been working hard."

It was nice, if he thought about it too hard, how Pumpkin had taken to bouncing between Malia and Axle, staying active and also helping them find each other. Nel hoped with all his heart that the two of them would always make each other happy.
 
The trio spent a few minutes feeding Pumpkin the treat once they'd gone inside, tearing it into tiny pieces and taking turns throwing them for the little dragon to catch. Then Pumpkin insisted on cuddles, so Axle scooped him up and carried him out of the room, rocking him like a little baby.

Supper was ready a few hours later thanks to Lily and Grandpa Jenkins. Just after everyone had come to sit down at the table, Opal carefully made his way downstairs with Tima curled around his shoulder and neck. He was far more soft spoken during dinner - and a bit more eloquent, too, Noah noticed, but with none of the bite that his words had had before.

Opal even had a strong enough appetite to finish his soup, take a bit of fish, and insist he had room for a small dessert. He waited patiently at the table while Axle and Grandpa Jenkins went about fixing some dishes of lemon tarts and whipped cream for the group.

His brightly colored hair was a little unkempt after his nap, but he hadn't seem to notice yet. Or he was too tired to care. "I say, how long have you all had your dragons for?" he asked, glancing around the table with a smile.
 
Feeding Pumpkin was peaceful, and listening to Lily and Mr. Jenkins chatter over preparing supper was always lively. She really was good at making people smile, Nel thought to himself, and felt better just being around people talking like everything was fine. It was good, too, to see Opal feeling better when he finally rose from his nap. His recovery even had Tima looking a bit more interested in all that went on around them, though she still stayed glued to his side.

"How long?" Lily repeated when he asked, sitting down at the table with him to wait for dessert since she didn't want to get in the way. "Let's see . . . Fern's been with me for . . . about 8 years now, I think. He found me when I was just a kid, so we've been together a long time!"

"Soot and I have only been riding together for a couple of weeks now," Nel added in with a little nod to himself. "He was rescued from a horrible situation, so we'd been working together already, but he didn't choose me as his rider at first." What dragon could have, before he'd finally learned that not all people would hurt him?

"He's come so far!" Lily said with a grin, and would have continued to sing their praises if she hadn't heard the front door open. More than that, a sign of Jasper's return was Naga immediately scampering into the house at full tilt, sprinting until she found Nobu with them in the kitchen and hurrying in with a little squawk of greeting and inspecting him head to toe to be sure he was all right. Lily looked out the doorway of the kitchen just in time to see Jasper walk by, and got to her feet with a little gasp when she caught a brief glimpse of his sleeve, torn and stained red in ways it hadn't been when he'd left.

She wasn't sure if anyone else had seen it, but she hurried after him without saying anything, finally catching him at the top of the stairs. It was easy to forget she'd been angry when she was busy wondering if he was okay. It wasn't good that he'd been hurt, but she was glad, at least, that it was only an accident with Naga, and he'd been gone so long because he'd already gone and had it looked at.

Their voices were barely a murmur from the kitchen, but when no one was panicked Nel was reassured that nothing was too horribly wrong. "Maybe they'll come back for dessert?" He offered, though he wasn't sure if Jasper would want to come down at all. After a pause, Nel looked at Opal with a worried little frown. "Ah, unless you would prefer to stay in different rooms?"

He knew Jasper had gotten angry and fought, but he wasn't so unkind as to resist someone asking him to stay away. At least, Nel didn't think so. It was hard to decide what to think anymore.
 
"Chaital and I have probably been together . . . hm, maybe a few months now?" Noah guessed with a smile. "But it feels like a whole lifetime. Like, we just click."

Opal listened intently while the group described each of their dragons and how long each of the pairs had been together, smiling with his chin resting on his hand. "Why, that's marvelous," he said quietly. "I'm so glad you all were able to - "

But his voice broke off when a door opened. He glanced around just in time to see Naga bolting across the floor to get to Nobu. Then his gaze traveled to Jasper, and he, too, gasped. The young man's sleeve was tattered and bloody.

He glanced back at Nel and nodded slowly. "I do hope he will. But first, I . . . I owe him an apology. I'll be right back down." He smiled gently and stood up. Then he headed upstairs after the pair.

And a few moments later, he knocked quietly on the door. "Jasper? Lily? May I come in?" he asked softly.
 
Nel frowned a little, worried about his friend but hoping the answer would come soon enough and not wanting them all to run upstairs. Sighing softly, he just reached down and gave Naga a little pat, then got quietly to his feet. "I'll find you both something to chew on." If there were old bones lying around outside, it would at least keep them busy while Jasper was gone.


"I said it's fine." Jasper's voice drifted through the door as Opal approached, quiet and far more subdued than it had been the last time they'd spoken, trying to soothe Lily's worries. "Got it all cleaned up already, so you can stop worrying."

She only made a soft, upset sound as she stepped back to get the door, his ruined shirt in her hands. "You say that like it's possible." She muttered fondly, and was only frowning a little when she opened the door for Opal. "I'll, uh . . . just go get rid of this." What we're the chances they would fight again? She hoped zero even as she slipped past him and left them alone. It was probably better that they talk without her around.

Jasper was only just pulling on a new shirt as she left, heaving a sigh at the fact that she'd let Opal in but sounding more tired than irritated. His left forearm was bandaged almost from wrist to elbow, with a few spots of fresh blood showing through but nothing too awful anymore. Even the scratches and split lip from their fight had been cleaned up, though he was sporting a bruise here and there from the scuffle just as Opal was. For a moment he was silent as he did up buttons, looking more towards the window than at Opal, though not really looking through it either.

Eventually, he glanced sidelong in the young man's direction. ". . . how's your head?" If nothing else, he hoped he hadn't made it worse.
 
Opal held his breath while he listened to the tail end of the pair's conversation. Whatever had happened to Jasper since the fight, it sounded like it wasn't too bad. That didn't stop him from being a little concerned, though.

Eventually Lily opened the door. Instead of either of them directly responding to him, Lily announced she had to go get rid of a shirt, and Jasper silently worked on buttoning up his shirt. But this time, instead of insisting someone address him, Opal waited quietly for a moment.

He was about to ask Jasper if he could come in when the young man spoke again. Opal blinked in surprise, and reached up to gently rub the bandaged portion of his head. "Oh. It's . . . it's fine. Thank you." There was no point in beating around the bush. He took a breath and took one step into the room, gently petting Tima to try and keep her calm. "I . . . wanted to apologize. It was awfully rude of me to get you all worked up. And insult you. And bite you. And attempt to punch you several times." He shuffled uncomfortably and glanced at the floor. "I'm sorry."
 
Opal's patience was a surprise, given how he'd acted high and mighty before. Jasper had thought being ignored for a minute while he tried to think would upset him, but it seemed like they had both mellowed out in the hours he'd spent away. Probably for the best.

Still unsure quite what to say, Jasper was still gathering his words when Opal went on, and only managed a soft, acknowledging grunt in response, glad Opal was feeling a little better, or at least not worse. Tima pressing down against Opal's shoulders at the sight of him was enough to make the guilt stab Jasper in the chest, if it hadn't already been lodged there before he'd even arrived.

The apology, when it came, was so unexpected it kept him silent for perhaps a beat too long before finally, mercifully, he made a small sound like he might laugh and actually cracked a smile. "You fight like a rabid animal." He remarked, amusement in his voice rather than irritation, and finally gave a slow shrug as he straightened out his collar. "And I shouldn't have snapped like I did."

They had both been in the wrong, he thought, neither one of them more or less than the other. They'd gotten worked up, taken it out on each other, and both paid for it. He was more than willing to just let it go, and after a pause he finally turned the rest of the way to face Opal, sure to make the motion slow and unthreatening when he offered his good hand to shake so Tima wouldn't be afraid.

"Truce?"
 
The sudden warmth behind Jasper's voice was unexpected. Opal glanced up just in time to catch the twinkle in his eye when he described Opal as fighting like a rabid animal, and he chuckled a bit in response. ". . . I rather can't tell if that's a compliment or an insult," he admitted, but he was smiling.

He shrugged and shook his head. "Nonsense. I should have known better. Anyway, neither of us got too much injured. Perhaps besides our pride." And when Jasper offered his hand to shake, Opal took it, clasping it and giving it a gentle shake. "Truce. On two conditions. One, that you teach me how to properly fight so next time I might punch you," he teased. "And two - join us downstairs for dessert. There are lemon tarts and I daresay I'm worried there won't be many left for us if we stay too long up here."

He gestured his hand elegantly towards the stairs and met Jasper's eyes. ". . . After you." It was a subtle gesture, in Opal's eyes, that hopefully signified he saw Jasper as an equal at last.
 
In all honesty, getting into a scrap together had almost made Jasper respect Opal a little more. It was easy to use words, to say what you wanted or have unreasonable expectations, but the fact that Opal had come in swinging rather than just talking a big game was more familiar and easier to accept. They'd taken out their frustrations on each other, and now it was over. Done and done.

"Bit of both, to be honest," Jasper conceded with a bit of a smirk when Opal questioned him, and didn't use too tight of a grasp when they shook hands. The first 'condition' even made him shake his head and chuckle as he let go. "Teaching you how to hit me seems a little counterproductive, but I accept your terms." If nothing else, he did know how to properly throw a punch.

He hadn't eaten dinner, but having dessert instead wasn't going to kill him for one night. Though he raised a brow at Opal's inviting him to go first, he did mentally prepare himself for facing everyone and walked out of the room towards the stairs. It wasn't the first time he'd been in a fistfight, and wasn't even the first one Mr. Jenkins had seen the aftermath of, so he was hopeful he hadn't made the man worry over him. He would be fine. He just hoped Lily was the only one mad at him for being an idiot.
 
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Opal chuckled. "Well, actually, I suppose I want to know how to fight so I might properly defend myself in case of intruders or enemies." He followed Jasper down the stairs, far more at ease, with one hand resting lightly on the hand rail. "Say, have you had dinner yet? I think there's extra fish and soup to be had along with your dessert, if you'd like."

Noah glanced up on hearing Opal's voice from the staircase. He smiled and bit into his second lemon tart, meeting Nel's eyes. "Sounds like things went well. I don't think we'll have to worry about those two fighting again. I hope, anyway."

Grandpa Jenkins waved a hand when Jasper finally made his appearance. "There ya are! Hungry? I was wonderin' if you'd want some soup, or fish, or some of these here lemon tarts."

"Or all three," Opal added to Jasper. "You may have all three if you like."
 
Jasper shrugged in response, Opal's new attitude not escaping him but thinking their fight had probably mellowed them both out a bit. "That's fair, I suppose. Everyone should learn how to throw a proper punch at some point. Even Lily."

He'd taught her how to not break her hand and which body parts to aim for ages ago, but it wasn't like she needed it or worried too much about being in danger all the time. There wasn't much weight to her to put behind her punches anyway, but she had Infernus, after all, and everyone knew that to hurt a rider meant getting mauled by a giant beast with claws the size of their entire hand. Infernus was a relaxed dragon, most days, but Jasper knew if anyone hurt her where he could see they would be dragon food in seconds.

Nel breathed a soft sigh of relief when all he could hear were friendly tones, his dessert having gone untouched since Jasper had walked in. "I hope so…" he said softly, and turned to look when they came into the kitchen. He wasn't fully over what had happened, but concern for both of their health was enough to override the strange disappointment it made him feel.

"Just one for me," Jasper said, rubbing a hand sheepishly over the back of his neck. "But I'll take some fish if you've got it. Thanks." Having Mr. Jenkins welcome him in like nothing had happened was a relief, even if he wasn't too fond of the face Nel was making at him, all worry and confusion. With a soft, almost sheepish sigh, he put his arm back down so his sleeve covered the bandages, feeling Nel's eyes on them. "It's nothing. . . Something was upsetting Naga. She scratched the shit out of my arm, but I had it treated already."

"Not again." Lily said with a shake of her head, looking mock sternly down at Naga who had tucked her head under Nobu's at the sound of her name like it would hide her. "What a naughty dragon."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Jasper shrugged as he took a seat, unbothered after years of experiencing one calm and one flighty dragon. "Add it to the list. At least she settled down after a while. I couldn't make sense of what she was trying to get at, she just kept pestering for something."
 
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By the time he returned to the kitchen, Opal was relieved to find most of the group still looked relaxed and calm. Nel still seemed a little hesitant, and Opal realized he'd probably let him down. He was supposed to make friends with Jasper, not fight him.

He cleared his throat and made his way over, dipping his head slightly. "Nel," he began. "I ought to owe you an apology, too. I certainly wasn't on my best behavior while I was with Jasper. I'm sorry."

Noah gave Jasper an almost apologetic look, as if he were the one to have scratched him. "I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just glad it's nothing serious," he said softly.

"Mm. As am I," Axle added, helping Grandpa Jenkins get a plate ready for Jasper. "But I'm happy to see you and Opal getting along well. Not surprised you two fought, though - just lightly surprised you didn't fight sooner," he admitted with a soft chuckle.
 
Nel looked at Opal with not some little amount of surprise, taken off guard by the apology and the admission of guilt. He didn't really know Opal and what kind of person he was, so there had been more disappointment than upset at his part of the fight. Really it was Jasper that had shocked him, and Nel realized in that moment that he had only been giving any of the blame to his friend. It hadn't occurred to him until just then that they had both started the fight.

"Y- You don't have to . . ." He started a bit weakly, but wasn't quite sure what to say. Why was it him that was getting the apology, and not each other? Perhaps they'd already made up. Were his eyes still red? Did he still look upset?

"Yeah, uh . . . I'm sorry, too." Jasper added in a bit more awkwardly, much to Nel's additional surprise. "I shouldn't have taken the bait, either. Takes two to fight, and everybody's on edge."

Lily, when he looked at her, gave a stubborn little hmph and crossed her arms, turning her head away like she wouldn't forgive him. "Well. As long as you're both sorry. Idiots." She could only maintain the haughty air for so long though, eventually peeking one eye open at Jasper.

He gave her a sheepish, guilty sort of smile, and at Axle's comments as well. "Well, in our defense it took us a few minutes to start talking." Makes a person wonder about his reputation, though, even if he hadn't really had any misconceptions about it before. "But Naga didn't mean anything by it." He added with a shake of his head, a hand running lightly over the bandages beneath his sleeve. "She just got herself worked up about something. Happens. Should see some of the scars she's given me over the years."

She was a wild dragon, after all, and had taken a lot of work and pitfalls to train. Eventually he'd learned how to handle her, and she him, but she was a flighty, scrappy thing. Sometimes injuries just happened. It was a side effect of living with dragons, and one he'd learned to accept years ago. There was no use getting mad about it unless he thought she'd done it on purpose.
 
Opal smiled gently. ". . . I suppose not. Jasper and I already apologized to each other, but you seemed so upset after our fight I suppose I felt I ought to say something." He shuffled his weight, reaching up a hand to pet Tima's muzzle. "In any case, we have formed a truce."

He couldn't help but chuckle when Lily called them both idiots. "Yes, I suppose we are." He nodded lightly to Nel and made his way back to the table, where he sat down to dig into his lemon tart. "Mmm. But at least we're idiots who are friends now."

Noah scoffed and smiled, shaking his head. Opal jumped to the same conclusion he had - that Jasper would immediately befriend them. In any case, he was sure he and Opal both considered Jasper a friend anyway, even if he wasn't sure about them yet.

After a few minutes, once Jasper had had a chance to eat something, Opal finished his snack and set down his fork. "Say. Would . . . would anyone like to accompany me on a walk later? Or perhaps play a board game?"
 
Nel sat back a little in his chair, eyes drifting shyly down to the table. "Oh. . . Thank you." It was all he could think to say. It was nice of Opal to think of him, and nice to know at least that they had made up. He had never understood the way some men could throw punches and then immediately be on good terms again. Maybe he was the strange one, having grown up largely removed from most people his age. It was still strange.

Jasper offered only a shrug, though he did cast Noah a look when Opal wasn't looking. He didn't deny the 'friends' part. It would keep Opal placated for now, and he would make his own decision later. Still, he was leaning towards liking the pompous Upper society fool already. Respecting, at least.

"Just try not to make each other bleed again," Lily said with a little chuckle, though she rolled her eyes afterwards.

Everything was calm as people ate and chit chatted, and Tima relaxed on Opal's shoulders. The atmosphere of the room was very different from when things had been scary, so she was beginning to decide it was safe.

"Getting a little late for a walk," Jasper said with a little stretch when Opal asked, "and I think I've had my fill of fresh air. We could play a game, I suppose."

"Yeah, there's too much going on right now for walking around in the dark," Lily agreed, thinking of all that had happened the last time they'd taken a night walk. "Maybe we can go in the morning, once it's light again? I won't be on duty tomorrow, at least."
 
"Oh, I can't promise that," Opal told Lily with a laugh. "Especially not since Jasper's going to teach me how to punch for self defense."

Noah gave Jasper a lopsided smile, shrugging in reply. He could tell at a glance that Jasper was probably in the same boat he was when it came to thinking about being friends with Opal.

Opal, meanwhile, nodded when the group collectively opted to play a board game together. "Marvelous! It's probably a bit chilly out there, anyway," he decided, noticing how dark it had gotten. "What board game shall we play? Do you all have Ships on the Water? Oh, or chess? Have you got chess?"

"We got all sorts of games, fella," Grandpa Jenkins announced. "But with a group this large, ah'd suggest cards. Nothin' more inclusive an' easy to set up."

"Cards! Yes. Wonderful choice. Ah . . . how does on play cards?" Opal asked sheepishly.
 
Lily gave Jasper a narrow-eyed look, to which he held his hands up in front of him as if in surrender, a sheepish look on his face. "We'll be careful. I'm sure there's some padding lying around somewhere." He would just hold something up for Opal to punch and when they were practicing punching actual people they would just miss.

"Boys." She muttered with a little huff, but a moment later smiled just a little to show she wasn't angry with them. "I'm sure we can think of something that all of us can play. Jas, why don't you help me look for them while Noah gets the table all cleared." She still needed to tell him what had happened to Opal while he was gone, hopefully before they ended up throwing insults at each other again. Surely once Jasper knew Opal hadn't been himself he would be even more forgiving.
 
Noah nodded and saluted. "Sure thing, Lily! I'm on it," he announced, clearing the table at once and carefully moving dishes and decorations out of the way.

"What should I do?" Opal asked, tilting his head.

"Well, ya can relax an' pet yer dragon," Grandpa Jenkins told him. "I'm sure she's enjoyin' the quiet atmosphere."

Opal smiled and reached up to stroke Tima's scales. "Hmm. Yes, I suppose she is. I rather think I am, as well." So while everyone helped clean the kitchen, Opal focused on his dragon, making sure she felt relaxed and comfortable.

At some point, while waiting for Jasper and Lily to come back, Grandpa Jenkins got out his own deck of cards, and he taught Opal the basics of one or two simple games like War and Go Fish. Opal picked the instructions up quickly, and when Jasper and Lily returned, he was in the middle of a card game with Jenkins while Noah and Axle spectated.
 
Tima had begun to relax enough to be tired, luxuriating in the way Opal stroked her and eventually lying relaxed and almost limp around his shoulders, her body draped over his shoulders like a particularly strange scarf. When his hands were busy with cards, she finally slid down to his lap to curl up there where she was partially hidden by the table and could relax and have a nap.

While Lily was off explaining to Jasper and finding another deck of cards to add to what Mr. Jenkins had, Nel stayed with Opal in the kitchen, watching over Nobu and finding he and Naga something to chew on to occupy them while everyone sat around the table.

"Oh, they started without us!" Lily cried as they came back in, with a mock affronted gasp. "Who's winning? When this round is over we should combine decks and have an all out war!"
 
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