Breath of Fresh Air

And with Nel as his teacher, Soot was a quick learner. He soon realized that the gentle nudges and pulls were the same as the directions he was flying. So far, they were the same - but he wanted to test if they were just to help Nel stay on, or more to guide Soot towards different directions. He turned again and flew off towards the East, waiting to see if Nel gave a corrective nudge or not. They both knew the actual way back to the Dragonry.

Axle's eyes sparkled. "Why don't you set up a time to meet with them? I bet Nel would love to show you how far Soot's come, and it would be good for Soot to interact with more people." His gaze slowly drifted to where Malia was holding his arm. But he quickly looked back at the dragons again and didn't say anything, for fear she might take her arm away.
 
Nel blinked at the sudden change in direction, worried that something was wrong or that Soot had sensed something he didn't like. "Everything okay?" He called, shifting his weight to lean back towards the Dragonry with the appropriate pressure to indicate where he wanted to go, almost forgetting Soot might not recognize it at first. "Do you not want to go back?" He could let it go for a little while, he supposed, so long as nothing was wrong. He needed to go back and eat something eventually, but he wouldn't mind being hungry for a while if it was for Soot. An empty belly wasn't an entirely foreign feeling to him, anyway.

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

"No, no," Malia said softly with a little shake of her head, brimming with pride for them both as she watched them fly in the distance. "That's all right. I'll see him some time soon, I'm sure. He's always worked better without a rigid schedule." He was the Dragonry's wandering spirit, accomplishing any tasks he was asked to do but otherwise simply drifting here and there, making sure each dragon was cared for in any way they needed.

After a moment, as the initial shock and elation began to fade into something softer and more muted, she realized she was holding on to him and let go with a little twitch. "Oh- I'm sorry," she said with a helpless little laugh and a faint dusting of pink across her cheeks. "I didn't mean to drag you along with me. I should let them be. We've a job to finish, if you two are done throwing buckets."
 
Soot only rumbled happily and turned back towards the Dragonry, picking up speed a bit. That was it, then. The nudges were directions. He felt so accomplished with himself for figuring it out.

Once they were over the same area they'd started in, Soot began a gentle descent, moving in a slow circle. Finally he landed in the grass. He was so beside himself that he pranced in a circle, twitching his wings and chuffing.

Chaital and Noah landed soon after. "Wow! You guys were great!" Noah called out. "I can't believe you got him to fly!"

----

"Oh! Ah . . . it's all right," Axle stammered, blushing and smiling. "I didn't mind. I was more than happy to be dragged along." He cleared his throat and headed back towards Boulder. "But yeah, we should probably get Boulder cleaned up before Noah and Chaital come home. It's not a good idea to eat lunch without a shirt on."
 
Nel relaxed when Soot seemed okay, though he wondered what the detour had been for. He settled in for the return trip and braced carefully for the descent, but Soot's landing was as smooth as anything. It was the celebration after that caught him off guard, and he gave a delighted laugh as Soot bounced about beneath him.

"I didn't do anything but come along for the ride," he said with a pleased but somewhat sheepish smile. "He really wanted to go on his own, didn't you, Soot?" When the dancing was over he unclipped himself and carefully made his way to the ground where he could hold his hands out for Soot and truly praise him. "You knew everything you were supposed to do to keep us both safe. I'm so proud of you. Thank you for letting me come with you."

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

"Let's get to work," Malia agreed with a nod, smiling a little to herself at his agreeable nature. She was soaking wet still but ready to get to work again after the brief interlude, troubles momentarily forgotten in the joy of good company and hard work. They worked well enough together, she thought, and just did her best to keep herself from admiring the view for long enough to get caught at it.

They were nearly done when Jasper came wandering along the path to Mr. Jenkin's home, quiet and unnoticed in their mutual attention for each other. His presence was only announced when Nobu ran over with excited, croaking cries to flop himself onto an unguarded bucket and whine for attention. He wanted bathtime brushes, too!

Jasper only stopped near the door with Naga at his feet, looked them over with a raised eyebrow, and turned to walk away without a word. Whatever was going on was not his problem, and Nobu was theirs now.
 
The grey and black dragon chirped and wriggled with excitement, like a dog with a new toy. He rested his chin briefly in Nel's hands. Then he licked his face, and to even Chaital's surprise, he rolled over onto his belly and blinked up at Nel with his tongue lolling out.

Noah's jaw dropped open. "Well, shit. Nel, are you sure that's Soot? He's on his back, even!"

Soot knew good and well that Nel was smaller than he was. But somehow, he felt protected around him. They could protect each other. And Soot was thrilled he'd done a good job for his person.

-----

Thankfully, Axle didn't notice Jasper coming home. But he did notice Nobu. He laughed and reached down to kneel beside the dragon. "Aren't you here at the perfect time! We just finished Boulder. You want a few scrubs, too?" he offered.

He plunged his sponge into the bucket again and smiled up at Malia. "Why don't you go get changed up for supper? I'll be in after I give this little fella a bath. Unless you want to help," he offered.
 
Nel smiled when Soot's body language was so loose and happy, and actually twitched back a bit in surprise when the dark dragon rolled onto his back. He went a bit goggle-eyed at the display, shocked still despite Soot's progress, but after a moment did kneel down to rub Soot's belly with gentle hands, not wanting to make him nervous by pressing too hard.

"He's never done this before," Nel said with something stunned in his voice. "Thank you for trusting me, my friend. Do you want to get out of the saddle now?" He was still struggling to understand and accept what it all meant. Usually he could spot a bond with just a glance, but it was so much harder to accept when it came to himself. He and Soot had worked together so much that it had come on too gradually to notice.

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

"I suppose I should go and dry off," Malia said with a little chuckle, watching the way Nobu rocked the bucket as if begging for someone to pour it on him and using him as an excuse not to stare at the man next to him one last time. "I think this one is small enough for you to handle on your own.

Nobu only gave a quick, excited mrr and spun a quick circle, pressing into Axle's shin with an eager wiggle as he got the sponge wet again.

"Hey, Papa J. Thought I'd come early and see if I can help with lunch." Jasper's voice was a bit distracted as he walked into the house to find Mr. Jenkins, eyes lingering back at the closed door, but after a second or two he shook it off and just followed after Naga, trotting happily into the kitchen with her stick from the day before held in her jaws as if to show Mr. Jenkins she still had it. "I see Boulder's getting a nice bath."
 
Soot closed his eyes happily and wriggled in the grass. Truthfully, he didn't mind either taking the saddle off or wearing it. It didn't hurt. It didn't trap him. And Nel was there. But eventually he rolled over upright again, his tail swishing back and forth through the grass as he watched Nel with patient, trusting eyes.

Noah leaned against Chaital before carefully starting to remove her saddle. ". . . Huh. So that's what it looks like when a dragon picks a human," he murmured with a grin.

*****

Axle chuckled and nodded, blush still tinting his cheeks and ears. "Sounds good. Ill, uh . . . I'll meet you inside in a few." He gave his attention to Nobu then and carefully gave him a sponge bath, rubbing the sponge down his scales until the dragon practically sparkled. Eventually he stood up and grinned. "There! Looking good as new! Should we go show everybody how pretty you both are, boys?" he asked.

Boulder rumbled happily and lifted his head, ambling over to join the parade.

********

Grandpa Jenkins glanced over from spying on the pair from the window, and he grinned and nodded at Jasper. "Eyup. An' that ain't all, either. I dare say Malia an' Axle have taken a bit of a shine for each other." He came away from the window and patted Jasper's shoulder. "And even more excitin', guess who we seen flyin' a few minutes ago?"
 
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Nel felt a bit lost for what to do. He'd seen so many people paired off with dragons and now they interacted and what their responsibilities were like, had even coached one or two himself, but having Soot bond to him was surreal. As much time as he had spent around the Dragonry and all its residents, he had become comfortable with the idea that he was meant to be there for all of them, and not just one. It was strange to have that change, though far from unpleasant.

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

Nobu wriggled happily as his scales were scrubbed clean, holding his wings and limbs out one by one all on his own without being told. When Axle praised him he gave a happy wiggle, walking off towards the house with high steps and his snout raised, so pleased with his bath from someone other than Jasper and Lily.

"How could you tell?" Jasper said with an eyebrow raised and a little smile on his face. "Was it the gun show?"

He shut up when Malia walked through the front door, glancing back over his shoulder in time to see her stop and lock eyes with him, a stern, suspicious look on her face. He only raised his hands in response, as if to say he had nothing to do with whatever was going on, and waited until she'd gone all the way upstairs to chuckle about it. What grown adults got up to in their own time was none of his business, it was just strange to see Malia interested in anyone. It wasn't as if they were very close, but he had never seen her involved with anyone in all his time at the Dragonry.

He leaned around the corner again when the door opened a few moments later and he could hear Nobu's footsteps, laughing when he saw the dragon strutting proudly into the house with Boulder looking pleased with himself just outside the door, as well. "Well, look at you, all shiny and pristine. Did you say thank you?"

Nobu paused and gave his head a tilt, as if trying to figure out what that meant, then turned and hurried back to Axle to press up against his leg with a happy squawk. Mostly it just accomplished smacking the man lightly in the shin with his horn, but he didn't know that.
 
"You okay, Nel?" Noah asked, tilting his head and smiling gently.

Soot scooted closer in the grass, shuffling his wings. Then he reached up and gently licked Nel's cheek. He was very decided. Nel was his person, and Soot would do everything in his power to make him happy and connect with him. Maybe he could even help other dragons the way Nel had helped them. Nel would have an advantage now; if ever they came across a feral or abused dragon that was terrified of humans, Soot was there to be a softer voice they could connect with.

*****

"Well! Boulder! Don't you look like a million credits!" Grandpa Jenkins burst out, hurrying over to pat the dragon.

Boulder looked very pleased with himself indeed. Then he turned to amble off and go sit by where the meat was smoking, eager for the dinner that was on the way.

Axle winced and grunted a bit when Nobu slammed straight into his shin with his horn, but he smiled and leaned down to pet the dragon's head. "Heh. You're welcome, bud." He reached for a towel that Mr. Jenkins handed him and dried off. "Ah - sorry about my lack of shirt, Jasper. I didn't think anyone else would be here so soon."
 
Nel was lost in thought, so much so he had only been staring at his hand on Soot's scales, and startled back into reality when the dragon licked him. "Oh!" He flushed pink at the lapse in attention, reaching a hand up to gently pet at the dragon's snout. "I'm sorry, I drifted off for a moment. . ."

With a little shake of his head, he shifted closer to begin working at the straps keeping Soot's saddle on. "Sorry, Soot, I'll get you out of this." He didn't spend a whole lot of his wages, so he was sure he could get the dragon a proper riding saddle at some point, but he wasn't sure what kind, or if they would even ride frequently enough to warrant the expense. He thought to ask Malia what she thought the next time he saw her, but she was always so busy.

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

Jasper was distracted watching Naga, the little she-dragon shuffling around near Mr. Jenkins wherever he went with her stick in her mouth, in anticipation of settling down near wherever he did. It was adorable, really, how she had started to enjoy spending time with him lately.

When Axle apologized to him, Jasper only gave him a shrug. "Not bothering me." Not bothering certain other people, either. He thought, but had the decency to keep his mouth shut about it. Axle and Malia's business was their business. He wasn't familiar enough with them to tease about something like that. "Looks like Boulder gave you as hard a time as ever."
 
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"It's all right. It's a lot to take in, I know," Noah said, carefully pulling the saddle off of Chaital. "You two are a great match for each other, though. You're both so gentle with the people around you. And dragons and riders seem to mirror each other a bit, I've noticed."

Chaital playfully swatted him with a wing, and he giggled. "Okay, a lot."

Soot chirped and patiently held still while Nel took off his saddle. It seemed odd, now, to think he'd ever been afraid of the saddle. But he associated them so strongly with Nel now that probably the only thing he'd actually be scared of were actual chains.

*****

Mr. Jenkins had gone to get a few more spices for the meat, smiling when he spotted Naga at his feet again. "Ohhh, aren't you a sweetheart?" he murmured. "Ya like yer people, don't ya?" If he'd been more familiar with the dragon, he might've tried to pet her. But as it was he just let her be nearby while he worked on dinner.

Axle smiled in relief and nodded, pulling his shirt back on. "Good, good." He reached for his flower he'd set nearby and put it back into his hair. "So! Want to help me and Grandpa Jenkins with the meat?"
 
"Everyone deserves to be treated gently," Nel said softly, careful in how he freed Soot from the last rungs of the saddle so it wouldn't catch on his horns again, and was sure to give him a pat before going to the storage room to put it away. When he came back, he stepped over to Chaital with a little smile at the way they played together, reaching out to gently hold her snout in both hands and touch their heads lightly together. "Thank you both for being such a good example."

If Soot hadn't watched the two of them getting ready to fly and taking to the air, he might never have wanted to take Nel with him at all.

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

Naga perked up a bit when Mr. Jenkins acknowledged her, but kept out of reaching distance until he stayed in place for longer than a few seconds, then settled to chew on her stick while she watched he and the others interact. After a little while, she even tolerated Nobu coming over to lay pressed against her side, so long as his muzzle didn't come near her prize.

Jasper eyeballed the flower for a moment, wondering at the fact that Axle had clearly been saving it to wear, but after a moment just shook his head and decided he didn't want to know. "Don't think you want me ruining it," he said with a little laugh, though he did hover nearby just to keep them company and in case Mr. Jenkins wanted him to run inside for anything. "Lily and I get by, but we've got nothin' on Papa J."
 
Chaital chirped and closed her eyes, enjoying the contact with Nel and folding her wings at her sides.

Noah beamed. "You're welcome. Hey, you know - it's just about dinner time. You want to come back with us to Grandpa Jenkins'? I'm sure he wouldn't mind one or two mouths to feed."

Soot watched with curiosity at the display Nel and Chaital were doing. He could tell the forehead touch meant something. Maybe trust, or friendship. It was clearly good. Soot chittered happily and swished his tail, enjoying how happy everyone was.

*****

"Nonsense, you wouldn't ruin it," Axle said, waving a hand. "We could give you some pointers, if you like. It's just about time to go out and baste them. What do you say, you coming with?"
 
Nel gave a soft, content little hum when Chaital leaned slightly into his embrace, nuzzling her carefully before gently pulling away. "Oh, I - I couldn't impose. . ." He said softly as his eyes slid away, shy and timid again as he always was when it came to matters concerning himself. "I don't want to bother him."

It made him feel almost embarrassed, thinking of crashing someone else's gathering they had already planned.

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

Jasper, after being foiled at not having to get involved, sighed finally and gestured towards where the meat was smoking. "All right, all right, show me how to baste." He was stubbornly against 'bonding time', but he was clearly not getting out of it. Might as well just be a willing participant.

Malia came out dressed in her own clothes again not long later, hair a bit damp and braided loosely to keep it out of her face. "What did I miss?" She asked as she wandered out to where they all were, stopping to give Nobu a little pet while carefully not touching Naga so as not to upset her. "Did Boulder let you live?"
 
"Nel, you wouldn't be imposing," Noah promised. "Look, I know Grandpa Jenkins pretty good by now. He'd love to have you over. Soot, too, if he's up for it. We could all walk over together!" he added.

He disappeared briefly to put Chaital's and his saddle and harness away, and then returned to hop up almost effortlessly onto Chaital's shoulders. "I really think everyone would be happy to see you. And Soot. Actually, they might be more distracted by Soot than you," he added with a chuckle.

****

Luckily for Jasper, Axle finally remembered Malia's advice. And he could tell Jasper didn't seem too enthused about the basting. Axle smiled apologetically and waved a hand. "Well, you don't have to. I didn't mean to push you into it. My apologies. Suppose Grandpa Jenkins and I call you when it's ready instead?"

He glanced over and smiled when Malia returned. "Oh! Welcome back, Malia. Yes, Boulder let me live. He was very proud of showing off his nice clean scales to Jasper and Grandpa Jenkins." He paused for a moment. If Jasper didn't want to mess with the food, maybe . . . "Say, would you like to learn how to baste ribs?" he asked. The question was a bit more open this time, more gentle. He was learning.
 
Nel shuffled his feet a bit, uncertain but taking Noah honestly at his word. Perhaps it would be good for Soot, seeing other people interacting. He was comfortable with Chaital, and Boulder didn't bother with other dragons overmuch, so it would be all right if Nel simply kept an eye out.

"A - All right. . ." He said softly after a pause to think it over, hesitant still but agreeable nonetheless. "If they really won't mind. . ."

He took a moment to remove his own safety harness and store it away, closing up the storage building and finally following after Noah at a walking pace. He hadn't bothered to go back to his quarters for his shoes, which were likely still soaking wet from his dip in the stream, but he had spent much of his time as a child running about barefoot and didn't think much of it.

"Will it be all right, Soot," he asked gently as the dark dragon followed along, turning to see him though he was comfortable, finally, in letting Soot have his back, "if there are other people and dragons there? It's all right if you want to go and rest. I can find you later."

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

Jasper blinked at the sudden change in attitude, frowning just a little at the backpedaling but watching the two of them interact for a moment. "I'll just . . . watch." That was a decent middle ground that wouldn't get him yelled at for being 'disagreeable' when Lily came home, wasn't it?

Malia raised an eyebrow at Axle as if unimpressed, a little smile on her face. "Bold of you to assume I don't already know how." She prodded, but after only a moment to see his expression she laughed softly and waved it off. "Kidding. I welcome the opportunity to learn. Is he going to put you to shame, Henry?" The older man was a better cook than he had any right to be, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease him.
 
Soot paused to think that over for a moment. Nel, Chaital, and Noah would be there - so if anything happened, he'd probably be safe. He bobbed his head and chirped, extending his wing so Nel could get on again.

Noah gave the young man a warm smile. "I'm positive! Jasper might pretend to mind, but you know how he is. They'll love seeing you both!" he promised.

*******

"Certainly. And of course you're more than welcome to join in if you want to," Axle replied with a gentle smile. But his smile faded into a worried expression when Malia pretended to be offended for a moment. Apparently, he needed more practice at interacting with people casually than he thought. Even when she told him she was kidding, the worry didn't fully leave him.

Noah was living here now. And as his father, it was important he make a good impression on his family. He cleared his throat and smiled. "Ah - my apologies. If you already know how to baste, go right ahead." He paused a moment and nodded to Grandpa Jenkins. "Actually . . . I suppose we'd better let the master do it, eh, Grandpa Jenkins?"

Mr. Jenkins raised an eyebrow, but he stepped forward towards the large sets of grills anyway. "But didn't you want to - "

"That's all right. Maybe next time," Axle said, waving a hand. He'd been going to baste a few of the sections with his own blend, but he'd hate to ruin the roasts with something everybody else might not like.
 
Nel paused when Soot invited him up again, and after a moment did very carefully climb up to ride, for the sake of his feet as much as for Soot's desire to be close to him. "There will be other friends there, I'm sure," he said softly to the dragon, "but everyone is very nice."

He smiled a little at Noah's view on Jasper, and just shrugged. "If you so, I'm sure it will be okay." He was still a little worried about simply showing up, but Noah had invited him so he supposed it was okay.

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

Malia's smile went a bit soft at Axle's change in attitude, thinking to herself that he was a very sensitive man, if just that had bothered him. It wasn't a bad thing, really, she would just have to keep it in mind.

"No, no," she insisted rather than dwell on it, reaching over to wrap a hand around his arm so she could keep him from getting away, and leaned a bit against his side. "Show me the master at work. It will make me feel like I'm helping somehow instead of just showing up."

Jasper didn't backtrack or apologize, not really sure what to do about the man's hurt feelings without awkwardly changing his mind about participating. He would leave that up to Malia, he thought, and just wandered closer so he could see what both Axle and Mr. Jenkins were doing, ignoring the way Nobu trotted around observing them all. "How long's it been smoking? How do you know if it's done?" He'd cooked meat before but never smoked it, so the whole process was a mystery to him.
 
"It will be," Noah said with a smile. "I promise."

***

Axle cleared his throat, blush filling his cheeks when Malia leaned against him and took his arm. "All right, well, then - take it away, Grandpa Jenkins," he said with a nod. He'd just described the older man as the master after all, and he couldn't cook with his arm looped in Malia's, so as far as he knew she was referring to Mr. Jenkins.

Grandpa Jenkins clicked his tongue. "All right, all right. Well, first thing ya gotta do during basting is make the basting sauce. Everyone's got their own recipe, an' it's directly responsible fer how the final product tastes. Now, we'll leave most of the meat unbasted cuz it's for the dragons, but for ours - "

He spent a while explaining how to properly baste and finish cooking the meat.

And a while later, when the food was nearly ready, he stared and pointed over the hill. "Well! Look who's comin' to lunch!"

Noah and Chaital ambled over first, acting as relaxed as possible to make Soot more at home.

Then came the shyer black and grey dragon, hesitantly following behind the pair with Nel on his back.

Grandpa Jenkins grinned and waved an arm. "Nel! Good to see ya, lad. Ye want to stay fer lunch?" he offered at once.

Soot paused as he got closer. The smell of meat wafted over the hill, and he pulled in a few deep sniffs, rumbling happily. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the scent to his heart's content. Even the sight of the other dragons didn't bother him much - especially since the biggest dragon was Boulder, who was only sitting nearby like a rock.
 
Malia bit her tongue against a sigh when Axle misinterpreted her attempt to soothe him, and for the sake of not embarrassing him just let it happen. A minute or two after the older man had started explaining, she leaned over and whispered for him to hear, with clear amusement in her voice though no mocking accompanied it.

"I meant you," she said simply, gave him a little smile, and finally let him go to be attentive to Mr. Jenkins as he talked. Eventually, when he noticed the rest of their lunch group, she looked over and immediately left them all to go and meet the dragons before they got all the way to the house, half because she was excited for Soot and Nel, and half to be sure no one was still feeling so anxious it would be dangerous to keep them around.

"I'll get down here," Nel murmured softly to him, climbing down when Soot stopped walking, staying still for a moment to pat gently at the side of his neck and reassure him, then stepped away to meet Malia with a small, hesitant smile. "You won't believe what happened-"

She stopped him with a knowing smile, reaching out to the boy she had almost come to think of as her own with careful and unthreatening motions to take his face in her hands and stop him from looking away. "I saw." She said gently, almost breathlessly. "I'm so proud of you." There were so many things she could say, but she knew if she kept going now, with others nearby, the moisture gathering in his eyes might actually boil over into tears.

"And you," she added with a smile, letting go of him to turn to Soot and offer him a hand in way of greeting. "You were very brave. Did you have fun?" In the beginning she had also spent a great deal of time with Soot, until they had reached a point where it was safe for Nel to be alone with him, and from then she had gradually seen him less, despite the occasional visit. They had both grown so much.

Jasper had stayed back with Mr. Jenkins, not wanting to intrude when he would usually have made fun of Noah already as a sort of greeting. For Axle he held up a hand, just to be sure the man didn't get overeager about another dragon to meet and befriend and interrupt too soon. They could all wait for Malia to walk back the short distance herself. Until then, Nobu had enough sense to run off and greet Chaital without getting in the way.
 
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