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Carnival.

Chapter 1: Airship.

Dawn broke over town as it tended to do on a daily basis, casting rays of sunshine into windows, between buildings, and over various public green spaces. Birds were soon chirping up a storm, and bit by bit, the modern urban complex began to wake up and produce its own chirps and beeps of current day society. The place really was a wonder to behold, perfectly round and built with mass transit and pedestrians in mind. Within an hour of sunrise, people could be seen buzzing up and down enclosed transit tubes between large apartment and office buildings, or heading to central spokes to board light rail vehicles. Trains circled the town at various key points, getting people larger distances then they may want to walk, and in a fraction of the time.

Street-side vendors opened up on ground level, bordering parks that were crisscrossed from above by all the passenger tubes. People came outside to have their breakfast, play with their pets, run around and enjoy themselves, or merely lay down to soak up the sun. It was an efficient town, home to a few hundred thousand people, with all the services anyone could ever want. But, that didn't stop outside entertainments from popping into town every now and again.

A shadow was spotted to the south, passing over the rounded lanes of the ring road, and the industry located there. The huge ovoid shape was soon passing over the outer rows of commercial buildings and houses, making a B-line for a huge open field off to one side of town. Anyone whom cared to look up saw a strange sight indeed, but not that strange in the grand scheme of things. It was one of many large cargo airships that could be seen drifting all over the country these days, or boosting along at high rates of speed, as the case may be.

This one stood out a bit more than most, however, as the gas bladder of the huge craft appeared to be shaped like a cartoon dragon. It was surprisingly detailed, with big eyes, puffed up looking back spines, a huge tail, and even a curious bulge at the back only barely obscured by equipment and scraps of cloth. Obviously the designer of the craft had an odd sense of humour. As was typical with the large airships, there was equipment draped all over the thing, plus a large streamlined compartment hanging off the bottom, likely full of cargo. Anyone whom continued to stare up at the craft for a prolonged period might have seen the big inflated tail swish around from time to time, but that was surely just the wind.

As many observers had guessed, the craft was definitely heading to a large open field, which served as both a secondary landing zone for airships, and an event centre. Some wondered why it wasn't heading to the proper airfield on the other side of town, but all became clear within moments. The large craft came to a dead stop above the field, and drifted down silently to land with the slightest of thuds. With a loud hiss of air, the dragon shaped balloon began to rapidly deflate, and was soon drawn into the top of the craft itself, hidden from view. Large seams visible on the ship parted, and what previously appeared to be a solid hull revealed itself to be a modular system of containers. Each one hovered a few inches off the ground, obviously with built in hovering motors like many vehicles had these days.

The sections of hull moved away from the former central mass, and formed a half circle of buildings instead. Large inflatable masses emerged here and there from the metal structures, filling up to be a series of domes, that were secured to the ground by work crews with heavy hammers and large metal spikes. A carnival was emerging out of thin air, but not one many were overly familiar with. This one had obviously upgraded itself to get with the times, if the technology already on display was any indication. Other than the metallic buildings and giant air-form domes, nothing else was visible. If there were any rides or games, they were obviously being set up in the domes. No doubt the citizens would hear all about it in the news sooner than later.

Preparations went on at the carnival all day long, with one of the buildings opening itself up to the public as an obvious ticket booth, point of entry, and large washroom facility. The rest of the buildings had various windows facing outward, and appeared to be workshops, cook houses, and places for the staff to rest and sleep. The whole system of modular buildings and interconnected parts was quite novel, and many curious citizens showed up merely to look over the structures from an engineering standpoint. Papers would later be written about the feasibility of interconnected modular structures and air forms, with a focus on using such structures for mobile research and development in isolated sections of the planet.

As morning turned to mid afternoon, signs were unfurled at the main entry structure, and the carnival opened itself for business. Various people were soon trickling in to see what they had to offer, spurned on by swift citywide announcements that an event was taking place off in the North-West corner of town. Word of mouth helped out even more, as curious visitors sent out electronic messages to friends and family, to come check the place out. It was deemed a "themed" carnival of sorts, and the reason why became quite evident for anyone who cared to look.

The two individuals working the ticket counter were 7 ft tall shaggy werewolves, complete with loose fitting vests and even glasses, form fitting over their long ears and thick faces. Their jobs were fairly easy, to anyone whom cared to investigate. They merely sat in their respective booths, and waved people through after they waved their credit chips in-front of the readers. Beeps and confirmation screens informed the two creatures that payment had been accepted, so they delivered smiles, waves, and bows to the paying public. Everyone thought some complex suits, holograms, and animatronics were hard at work, if that much trouble had gone into putting realistic looking monsters at the entryway alone.

Inside the great domes were even more sights for the eyes, as people exited reality and entered a huge chamber full of sunny gardens and vibrant forests, the likes of which could only exist in story books and fairy tales. Bipedal foxes stood at wooden booths hawking their wares, calling out to anyone who wandered too close to come buy some trinket or gewgaw they might not need, or perhaps have a cup of tea and a tasty pastry of some sort. More announcements went out over the public social networking sites, announcing that the insides of the domes were incredibly convincing hologram simulators, going so far as to have realistic sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even tastes. Though the latter was easy enough to accomplish, as real food was obviously being served at the vendor stands.

One could walk a circular route of sorts through the various domes, going from one interesting display to the next. There were lines for "rides", which were also simulations, but so very realistic. People could go partake in war games, or fly like birds through areal courses, and whatever other dazzling simulation the carnival operators had dreamed up. There were games too, of course, harking back to the previous century with old classics that involved throwing darts, hoops, or other things to hit targets. Prizes were of course awarded. What really stood out to many were some of the so-called "workers" walking around within the simulator fields. A big smokey-grey bipedal dragon was stomping around here and there, quite well rounded about the middle, with short stubby legs, and a narrowed upper torso with properly proportioned arms and such. His belly was completely black, and quite rubbery looking, shining in the light like one would expect a balloon to do. Swirling marks of dark olive green were present on his grey hide, complementing various spikes and fins around the rest of his hide, of the same colour. Finally he was sporting a large set of bright eyes, yellow in colour with red irises. He squeaked and wobbled with every movement, towering a good 3 meters in height, and about 2 around the middle. Waving at everyone who met his gaze, the big fellow walked casually around the gathered mass of people, supervising it all from up on high. He liked what he saw.

People laughed when they saw what appeared to be a living balloon dragon, stomping around, and happily took pictures of the big fellow. This only caused more people to want to come, as said pictures eventually found their way to the internet. Word of mouth and social media was a wonderful thing, as far as free advertising went.

The dragon glanced down at a sole accessory decorating his squeaky frame, namely an oversized wrist watch strapped to one thick wrist. It lit up as attention was focused on it, revealing a bright holographic display, that announced the time, any scheduled meetings in the near future, ambient temperature, wind speed, current GPS location on the planet, and when he last ate. All important data, to be sure. The schedule component beeped slightly, letting him know that it was time to get to work. Smiling to himself, he spun on one thick heel, and squeaked off in another direction, parting the sea of paying customers like a ship in the water. Or on the water? Nobody bothered with actual water based craft anymore. Airships were so much safer, and could handle larger loads.

Bounding down a simulated cobblestone lane and ducking into another dome, the big dragon soon got his own act together, in the middle of a partially simulated field. A group of paying customers turned adventuring band were wandering over a nearby set of hills, and had been informed to look out for dragons. Seeing his queue, he jumped out from behind a conveniently rendered tree, and did his best to roar loudly at the band. They reacted as one might expect for a group of gamers within a full sensory simulation, and drew their weapons. One fired an arrow at the blimp of a dragon, which of course didn't do anything, but he acted as if it did. It rendered itself bouncing off his hide and leaving a slight mark. This only enraged the beast, causing him to inhale huge volumes of air, and snort out wispy streamers of purple smoke. What surprised the adventuring party however, was that with each deep inhalation, the dragon was growing bigger and wider. His 3 meter hide soon yielded to 10, then 20, and he loomed ever larger over the band. As he hit 30, and roared loudly down at them, they fell into a panic, and ran away screaming.

As they vanished beyond his line of sight, he laughed to himself and belched out the excess air, returning to his normal stature. The air was full of purple mist, making for an eery sight indeed with such a big dragon hanging around. He wondered if he'd overdone it somewhat, but he thought that every time. Rare was the group that stood up to him when he got huge and really put on the angry dragon act, despite the fact that they were perfectly safe within the simulated environment. Cackling to himself, he scampered off once he was small enough to exit the big dome, and took an employee tunnel to beat the band back around to the entry chamber. There he fetched a cup of tea, did his best to look casual as he leaned against a very convincing brick wall, and waited for them to emerge. As if on queue, the half dozen or so friends whom decided to partake in the simulated game came wandering out, still talking to themselves about what they had experienced. All of them stopped in their tracks as they walked by the literal wall of puffy dragon flesh, and looked up at the smiling face of the big critter.

"Better luck next time!"

He laughed to himself as they blanched, and made haste to exit the zone and move onto some other form of entertainment. Other groups were already queued up to try their luck at the game, and go on an epic adventure. Heading back inside to take his place, he waved to the slender raccoon running the entry booth to the simulated adventure land, watching her shake her head and chuckle at the antics he was no doubt up to within. This time around he found himself running the inn within a fantasy village, serving cold drinks and hot food to bands of adventurers whom were wandering through to seek their fortunes. If anyone had a problem with a large full-figured bipedal dragon running the inn, they kept it to themselves. Perhaps this time around one of the other "monsters" on staff would jump out and go boo. It wasn't always the dragon, of course.

Snickering to himself, he sat down at his front counter and counted stacks of gold and silver cons, as an innkeeper was expected to do. He did so love this part of his job.

---

Eventually night settled in over the city and the carnival, and things began to close down. It was late when the last happy customer finally wandered back out through the main gate, and all was silent once more. Well, silent for a few moments, anyways. The two werewolves running the ticket booth shut large metal doors up tight, and locked them securely with huge bolts for good measure. There always seemed to be some group of people who thought it was a good idea to sneak into places like that after hours.

Various creatures soon emerged from behind bushes, out of booths, and anywhere you might have bothered to look, wielding brooms and other implements of cleaning. As they swept up the place, others got busy cleaning off surfaces, swamping out any of the simulator chambers, and even cooking dinner. A familiar looking bipedal dragon was there as well, looming over the heads of everyone else, as he wandered this way and that, offering sage advice and occasionally helping. Eventually he found his way to the kitchens, and after squeezing in made himself useful via stirring a huge cauldron of soup.

As the evening chores were taken care of, the largest dome was quickly filled up with all sorts of curious looking creatures, sitting on the grass and eating from large platters full of various filling food-stuffs. Even the dragon found a place to sit, and a tree to lean up against, and began stuffing his face. One might ask why an apparently rubber dragon was eating, if the tree he was leaning against was even real, or even if he himself was an elaborate costume and simulation overlay. Things got tricky when you were in a high tech simulator environment, with dedicated staff whom were passionate about their craft.

None of these questions seemed to bother the big dragon, as he devoured a large bowl of soup, and a plate filled with all sorts of tasty edibles. Potato salad, devilled eggs, pickles, blocks of cheese, crackers, cookies, danishes, and even sushi rolls vanished down his gullet, one after another. Belching out purple mist and a smidgen of spittle, the large creature squeaked as he rested his arms atop his own mid-section, and sighed contently, tail thumping around against the base of the tree. As with all the others, he eventually got up and turned in his dishes to those on kitchen patrol that night, and went about the rest of his business.

Various people waved and nodded as he passed, and of course he returned the gestures in kind. Eventually he found himself back inside one of the more rigid metallic buildings, squeezing his soft and stretchy hide around corners and between tight doorways. A few short steps brought him into a larger room that appeared to take up two floors, leaving it mostly cubical. It was definitely a dragon sized habitat. There was a large hot tub off in the corner that functioned as a bath tub, a plus sized bed built into the wall that folded down, a sofa, an entertainment screen, and a big desk with a char that could hold even his ample frame.

Looking about with a nod, he settled into position at the desk, and flipped a switch built into the side of the metal framed construct. A holographic screen flickered to life at eye level, which of course was equipped with all the latest features for moving around windows and data points with your fingers. Wiggling his chubby digits around briefly, the big fellow got to work once more, and began sorting through various data entries that had popped up in his digital to-do list, namely the daily finances. It was his ship after all, so it was only proper that he'd have to do the bookkeeping. Profits were up slightly more than expected, which was good.

Everyone liked getting a little extra bonus each quarter, and higher profits meant a higher payout for the staff. It was a nice system they seemed to have going. Everyone got room and board in the Carnival, and aboard ship when they were in transit. Every quarter they were paid out a set chunk of wages, plus any bonuses the whole crew made, split evenly. At that point, everyone would go on vacation for a few weeks, then come back and do it all over again. Most elected to just stay with the ship, as there wasn't much outside it that interested them these days. They preferred the company of their fellow monsters and carnies, so to speak.

That suited the dragon well, as he felt much the same. Where would he go that could possibly match all the comforts of home?

A knock upon the bulkhead door broke into his revery and accounting, causing him to look up and call out the customary reply.

"Yes?"

A large talking snake was busy slithering in the door, head held high with tongue darting out every now and again to taste the air. What exactly he used to knock on the door will be left as exercise for the reader. The fellow appeared to be a puff adder, though considerably larger than one you might find in a nature preserve. He was a good third of a meter in diameter, and at least 5 meters in length, tapering somewhat to his large head and narrow tail. As he approached the desk, he coiled up somewhat, and raised his head up to eye level with the big squeaky dragon.

"Evening, boss. I trust you're going over the finances for the day. How are we doing?"

The dragon smiled and flipped a switch on his desk, causing the projected screen to flick over to a wall display instead, so both of them could look at it. He pointed at a few figures and bar graphs for good measure.

"We did pretty damned well today, more than either of us expected. I think we'll easily get a few more days business out of the marks."

The snake chuckled, hissing slightly as he stuck his tongue out in jest, over the use of the incredibly ancient term for their client base.

"Good to hear, boss. Everyone will be happy to stay around for a few days. Some might even want to try and take a look at this fancy city we're in. Well, assuming they can fit in, anyways. We always seem to stick out like a sore thumb, don't we?"

The dragon laughed and patted himself on his rounded front, emitting many squeaks.

"Yeah, that we do old friend, that we do. We just radiate "Carnie" wherever we go, it seems. Do you fancy taking a visit outside anywhere?"

The snake wrinkled his snout somewhat at the idea, looking mortified at the very thought.

"Me? Hell no, not after the last time. People didn't like having a giant snake wandering around downtown, even with the excuse of costumes, or simulator equipment, or whatever other inane excuse they used to apply logic and reason to what they were seeing. Damned marks, all they're good for is bringing us money to skillfully part from their pockets. For only the best of entertainment, of course."

Laughing once more, the big fellow reached out a paw and playfully patted the snake on the head, earning a mild glare of annoyance for his trouble.

"There there Puff, we all remember your little incident.

The snake continued his glare, large eyes swirling around as he rolled them toward the ceiling. Everyone knew damn fine his name was Parker, but the nickname persisted. The dragon continued speaking, carefully ignoring the look of annoyance.

"Then again, it was a few decades ago. Don't fancy trying again, eh? Well, I can't really blame you. I don't feel like I fit in out and about either. Literally, in some cases. Why people insist on making doorways so bloody small, I'll never understand."

It was Puff's turn to laugh, and he used the tip of his tail to drum on the dragons large mid-section.

"Oh, they're not small. You're just fat."

Snickering, the dragon got into the banter, and pinched his own hide, stretching it out a ways before letting it snap back into place.

"You know full well I'm light as a feather, and this is all plain old air. And maybe a few other things, of course."

Eyes glimmering, the snake knew he couldn't resist the obvious quip.

"I always knew you were an old wind bag."

The friendly barbs lasted a while longer, before the snake decided to turn in for the night. As he turned to leave, he said goodbye in his usual way. Namely wagging his tail around in a sort of wave, followed by speaking up once more.

"G'night boss."

Rolling his eyes, the dragon went about his business, and waved a paw in the general direction of the departing snake.

"I keep telling you to call me by my name already, we've known one another long enough."

The snake was of course gone by then. Everyone else called him Delos, but the old snake insisted on calling him "boss". Well, he was the boss, after all. He shrugged to himself, and figured some things would never change. With a button press and a gesture in the air, the big fellow made another screen pop up above his hot tub, displaying various news and entertainment broadcasts from the city they were in. Climbing into the tub, he just managed to stay in the water rather than float above it, thanks to some careful ballast management within his own frame. He always made sure to keep sufficiently weighted down, unless he was having a little personal time, of course.

Sighing happily, Delos the Dragon lazed into the bubbling jets of water, and looked over what the city had to offer. Parks, entertainment and simulation zones, schools, offices, transportation, vertical farms... All the ultra-modern things a person could expect to find in a city built this century. They were quickly replacing all the old ones, built right atop the crunched up ruins in most cases. Demolished buildings made a pretty good foundation if sufficiently compacted.

Sure enough, the evening news had something to say about the Carnival in their event field, and spoke of various citizen reports about how much fun they had with all the simulated actors and operators. This of course made the dragon snicker. How little these people actually knew, some days. He made a note to send a little donation to the chamber of commerce, as a thank you for likely helping to mention their operation on all the public news stations. Every little bit helped, after all, and they were likely to see increased traffic for at least 2 days, knowing current trends.

Reaching a large arm out, he swiped up a hose that was dangling against the wall, and stuck it in the side of his mouth. Lazing back all the more, he flicked a few hidden controls nearby, and sighed as a slow and steady jet of air came rushing through the hose, and into his squeaky frame. Even as the news faded away into some home gardening show, his view was soon blocked out by the rising mound of his own belly.

Bit by bit he filled the tub to capacity, then began rising up and over it, squishing against the ceiling and distending out further to fill his personal space. Rumbling in a state of bliss, he didn't even notice the hose pop out of his mouth, or hear it shut itself off. He stayed that way the rest of the night, blown up huge, squishing over most of his stuff, and quite pleased with the situation as anyone whom could smell the musky air would tell you.

Eventually the big fellow fell asleep, quite content with himself, his business, and his air gorged antics. Tomorrow was another day, and he'd no doubt have lots to do.

Chapter 2: A new face.

As was usual in their chosen line of work, everyone was up early and busy setting things up for the day ahead. Breakfast was served, bellies were filled, and everyone took their assigned stations. Customers started to trickle in soon after the doors opened, most figuring they'd get an early start with their daily entertainment. They were all pleased to see the various food service booths ready with a selection of breakfast products, all served by various mythical beasts, and creatures that could only exist in stories or video games. Delos had installed himself at a waffle stand for the morning, and was busy handing out bite sized waffle chunks, served with maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Of course, he snacked on the things quite a bit himself. Who could resist such a tasty treat? The customers certainly couldn't, and they were all too happy to see the big rubbery looking dragon as well, barely fitting into the big booth. Still, he was quick with his hands, and kept up the pace for hours. Tail wagging around, he always had a smile to give to anyone who made eye contact, or came to buy a snack.

Around lunch hour he surrendered his post to a scrawny lizard whom wore only loose cargo shorts, and went about his business. His schedule indicated that he yet again had to go frighten some people running around the adventure simulation, so off he bounced in the correct direction. Before long he was jumping out from behind a windmill, roaring loudly at a collection of 4 people wearing light arms and armour.

Three of the group wanted to turn and run, but one of them reminded the lot they were on a quest, and needed to overcome anything in their path. Drawing a sword, the lone figure charged the big dragon, only to rebound off a large and rapidly expanding mound of dragon belly. Looking up with obvious surprise, the group was treated to the sight of Delos huffing and puffing out clouds of purple smoke, and swelling up larger by the moment. He decided to go all out, and knocked the simulated windmill over with one fat thigh.

Dozens of meters packed themselves onto his stretchy and air-gorged frame, until he topped out at a full 100 meters in height. He could have gone much larger, but his head was already deforming the very apex of the gigantic simulator dome, throwing off the pictures and cloud cover somewhat. Leaning down at much as he could, he dropped to all fours and planted his massive face right up against the brave soul, and snorted out twin jets of purple smoke.

"Boo."

All four of the people blanched white as sheets at that point, and dropped their various drawn weapons as they ran back to town. Booming with laughter, the massive dragon rolled over onto his back and made himself comfortable. Looking up at the simulated sky, he allowed himself a little more air, and distended further still until he was really filling up the dome. Anyone who came in now wouldn't see much other than a giant air filled dragon, and an empty town serving as the entry point. Tail swishing this way and that, he rumbled to himself with obvious delight.

Eventually he was surprised to feel somebody poking him on his left shoulder, and turned his huge head in that direction to see what was going on. Sure enough, his right hand snake, Parker, was prodding him with the tip of his tail.

"I see you're enjoying a break, boss. The staff at the front wanted to let you know that the last band of customers are long gone, and the next are suiting up as we speak. You might want to ditch the mega dragon act for now. Care for some lunch? I hear they've got egg salad in the employee lounge."

The snake was bobbing his head this way and that as he spoke, licking his chops and trying not to drool. He did love his egg salad, that much was clear. Nodding in agreement, Delos opened his huge mouth and belched out quite a lot of air and smoke, and swiftly reduced himself down to his normal size. Parker was busy fanning the air in-front of his face with his tail, snout wrinkled in somewhat at the smokey display.

Soon the two were wandering off out an employee exit hidden off to one side of the massive dome, just as another group of happy players were entering the zone. There was treasure to find, and damsels to rescue, as always. It took mere minutes to navigate the connecting tunnels between domes and support buildings, and find their way to the lounge. Parker was all too happy to fetch a large bowl full of his favourite treat, with various fixings on the side of course, and dug in. Face first. It was always funny to see the normally quite composed fellow lose himself to food related bliss so easily.

Delos meanwhile got a big bowl of soup, some egg sandwiches, and various leftover waffle bites to tide himself over for a while longer. He was always ready for another bite to eat, that much was clear. The two old friends spent the rest of the day hanging out in the lounge, eating, talking, and laughing over various jokes and video replays from the simulator domes. The marks always did manage to be funny people, especially when running away from some big bad monsters. Some were clever however, and managed to beat the game and complete their primary quest, but they were few and far between. Still, the customers kept on coming, wanting to try their luck and experience the incredibly real other worlds offered to them in the domes.

The rest of the day passed smoothly, as did the next, and one more before business started to slump. A few days was usually good enough for one city, and this one was no exception. As the week came to a close, Delos decided it was time to break camp and move along as they always did, to find another city in need of quality entertainment.

They announced to the city that they would be leaving in the morning, and closed up shop Friday night. Everyone was soon busy cleaning up for the night, and getting a few things packed away for the journey ahead. They knocked off at a reasonable hour, intent on getting a good nights sleep before spending the early morning hours stripping camp, and cleaning up after themselves. It was always a good idea to leave the fields in a good condition when they left, so a city wouldn't frown on them coming back. It only made good business sense, and it was the nice thing to do at the end of the day.

The breakdown of camp was well underway shortly after a healthy breakfast of pancakes and eggs, starting with the huge simulator domes. They were disconnected from the connecting tubes, deflated, and stored in their proper compartments aboard the container segments. Bit by bit the grass was smoothed out, all traces of any strange fields, wayward trees, or waffle booths completely invisible within hours.

Everyone pitched in, including Delos, gathering this and that and packing it all away. Customer accessible facilities were converted back into bunk houses and private living spaces, food and supplies were stored in the kitchens, and a few individuals waited near the edge of the collection of ship pods, awaiting a delivery. On schedule, several delivery trucks showed up and began offloading crates of frozen food, ready to be defrosted at a moments notice into fresh supplies for the whole crew.

Parker was among the group waiting to receive them, staring at several boxes of fresh eggs and licking his scale covered snout with obvious delight. If the delivery crew had any concerns about being met by a collection of creatures and monsters, they kept them to themselves. As it stood they merely turned over the boxes, and held out a tablet to the big snake.

"So, you folks keep up the act even after hours, huh?"

Parker flashed a fang filled smile as he waved a credit chip over the tablet, emitting a beep confirming fund transfer.

"Oh yesssssss... The show must go on."

Both of them exchanged a brief laugh at the forced lisp, and that was that. The delivery men climbed back into their vehicles and went on their merry way, while the crew gathered boxes and loaded them into freezer units. Even the fresh eggs would be good in the freezer unit for a while, seeing as they weren't in the shell anymore. Eggs right from the shell were nice and all, but a few dozen cracked open, poured into a container, and frozen kept a lot longer. Parker could never tell the difference, and he knew his eggs.

Job complete, the large snake slithered on along the grass, enjoying the feel against his sensitive underside. He decided one last tour around the field was in order, before they took off. Who knew how long it would be before they came back to this city again? It was a rather nice city, that much was agreed upon. A lone figure caught his attention as he rounded one of the buildings, and he paused to have a look. It was a man, early to mid 20's, wearing comfortable clothing and a backpack, heading in the direction of the former ticket booth and main entryway. Oh boy, Parker thought, a runaway! It had been a few years since the last person had shown up at their door, wanting to take off from it all and join the carnival...

Smirking to himself, the big snake slithered closer, and watched as the fellow reached up and knocked on the door. Sure enough he was let inside, after asking to speak to the manager.

"Well, this should be amusing."

Chuckling to himself, Parker slithered off between two of the building like ship segments, and went to go find Delos. He'd no doubt want to speak to whomever it was. He always did.

The newcomer meanwhile was sitting at a fold down table just inside the main entryway, being served tea and cake by a helpful and rather friendly elephant. His or her trunk was quite agile, and the creature appeared to have a natural talent for table conversation. Delos marched on up after a short wait, and the Pachyderm excused itself. Much to the visitors delight, the critter stood upright suddenly and walked away as a biped, despite very plainly being a quadruped mere moments earlier. The big squeaky dragon caught the fellows gaze and laughed, gesturing after the departing creature with one fat finger.

"It never gets dull around here. So, I hear you wanted to speak with me. Here I am, speak!"

Clearing his mouth of cake with a swig of warm tea, the lone human in a house of monsters cleared his throat, and extended his hand in greeting. It was swallowed up by the thick paw of Delos, and shaken firmly.

"So, you're the fellow in charge around here. I got that feeling when I visited. You kind of stand out in the crowd."

Delos smirked and waved a paw, bidding the fellow to continue while also trying not to make a big deal of his slowly swishing tail.

"I'll cut right to the chase. Are you folks hiring? Normally everything in town, even things passing through like your carnival are listed on the electronic job banks. I didn't see you when I looked, so I figured I'd come out and ask myself."

Sure enough, Parker was right. The packed bags were a dead giveaway to be sure, but who knows. He could have just been a drifter looking for a handout. Fingers tented on the table, he hunched over slightly and took a good look at the individual before him. Little curling wisps of smoke trailed out of his rubbery nostrils, and he thought over what he saw.

Definitely in his 20's, possibly even nearing 30. Relatively fit, not skinny, but not obese. Seemed comfortable in casual clothing, and the garments themselves seemed like old friends. This fellow was generally laid back, and easygoing. Definitely good qualities, in the big dragon's book. Being served tea and cake by a talking elephant didn't seem to bother him, nor did any of the other staff wandering around clearly in his line of sight. He had come to the carnival, liked what he saw, and decided to take a stab at joining up in person. And to top it all off, he didn't seem to care in the slightest that an oversized and rather well rounded rubber dragon was busy staring into his very being.

Blinking and breaking his revery, Delos leaned further down until his elbows contacted the table surface, and rested his large head in his hands. Tail twitching this way and that, he snorted out some remaining smoke, and smiled slightly at his guest.

"Tell me, why do you want to sign on with a Carnival? You probably didn't go to school to be a travelling entertainer, and I doubt this is exactly up your alley in terms of work experience. Surely there would be other careers that would pay better, why not take one of those?"

Smiling, the visitor playfully tugged at a small goatee dangling off the end of his chin, and took another sip of his tea.

"Well you're right on some points there. I took all the usual mandatory post secondary training like everyone else, then I spent a few years studying computer systems with a focus on user interfaces. That of course led me to spend quite a lot of time with simulator systems, and their various implementations. For my graduating project, I built my own hologram projector from the ground up, and turned my lecture hall into the surface of Mars. Needless to say I passed with flying colours."

He paused then to clear his throat, and refill his tea cup. While he did, he took a moment to size up the dragon in his head, trying to spot any subtle errors in what he perceived was a rather powerful holographic projection atop an actor.

"After that I managed to find work in various simulation parlours, usually peddling cheap thrills and digital hookers like some pimp from the previous century. None of the larger companies or even R&D firms would give me the time of day, because I lacked work experience. That seems to be the case everywhere, when you think about it. No wonder nobody seems to really kick off a career until they're in their 40's."

Delos nodded his large head sage like. He had noticed much the same, and it had been that way for decades, if not longer. Young people were generally kept out of the "advanced" workforce for one reason or another, while the old just kept living longer, and kept holding their jobs longer too. No doubt it was a powder keg in the making. He briefly mulled over the idea of relocating his operation to an off-world colony...

The sight and sound of his guest pouring them both some tea broke the revery.

"So yeah, that's my story. I actually know quite a lot about simulator systems, computers in general, tech of all shapes and sizes, and of course customer service. Just from looking around, I'd say you were using heavily modified last generation K2 units, possibly the G5000 series. They weren't meant to run on projection domes as big as yours, but whomever boosted the power output did a good job."

Delos grinned, and nodded. So, the kid did know his stuff. Perhaps he would be useful after all.

"Well, it sounds like you do know your simulator systems. We have a rule here, namely to never turn somebody down for a job if they really want one, and if it looks like they could provide a useful skill-set to our crew. So, do you think you could handle flying around the world with a bunch of monsters? We move around randomly, never stay in the same place more than a few days at a time, and don't exactly have a lot of living space available per person."

The fellow shrugged, then reached down to pat his backpack.

"I've been travelling around for years now, trying to find a larger company willing to give me a fair shake at doing something other then working in an arcade. So, moving around a lot doesn't bother me. I've actually grown to like it quite a bit. I've been living in youth shelters on and off for years as well, or out of a tent, so I'm sure a bunkhouse would be lovely. And I bet that you... "monsters" as you call it, are a step up from the crazy shits I've met in public shelters."

That was that, it seemed. The fellow was a wanderer of a sort, definitely had no problem with the lifestyle from what he'd seen so far, and wanted a dash of stability in his life.

Shrugging, Delos thought to himself, why the hell not? They'd worked with less than that before. The only way to be sure would be to put him to the test, and see if he could really handle life aboard ship. Sticking out a big paw, he once again shook the fellows hand, and smiled.

"Well, welcome aboard then. I'm sure we can find something for you to do. We're taking off today, if all goes according to plan. I'm guessing from your bags that you're already packed and ready to go?"

The new hire nodded his head once, and gestured at his bag.

"Yeah, I travel light. Oh, the name is Mark, by the way."

The big squeaky dragon nodded and stood up from the makeshift meeting table, and gathered up the tray. Mark meanwhile folded the table back up against the wall, and secured the chairs back where they were first found. He grabbed his bag and followed along after Delos, stepping out onto the grass, and eventually around into another building to drop the tray off in the kitchens. The two soon stopped at another building like ship section.

Inside he was shown to a long row of small rooms, each with their own door facing the wide hallways. Delos bent down and opened up an empty room, revealing a normal looking bed, a footlocker, shelf, mirror, and even a small entertainment screen. Definitely more comfortable looking then a public shelter. To top it all off, there was even a round window looking outside. Delos gestured down the hall with a big fat thumb.

"Off that way is a group lounge of sorts, for everyone in this bunk section. There's more above and below, and in other parts of the ship. The showers and washrooms can be accessed from there as well. The kitchens are back the other way, in the middle of the ship. Or what will become the middle of the ship, once we put it all together again. There are signs and such on the wall if you get lost, and any other crew will point you in the right direction. Why don't you get settled for now, and relax. Somebody will be by for you later, once we finish packing up and getting in the air. I need to go supervise that for now, so I'll leave you here. Enjoy!"

With that, the big squeaky fellow turned on one heel and wandered back the way he came, ducking back outside again through a hole in the hull. Mark was left to himself, so he did as instructed. Before long he had tossed his bag full of personal belongings into his footlocker, and had even locked it for good measure. The shower and washroom facility was examined then used happily, and eventually he settled down in the lounge on a rather oversized sofa to chill out for a while.

Meanwhile, everyone else was either packing the last few things and or themselves back aboard ship, and getting ready to move. Small control stations were manned within the hull sections, and lifting motors came to life below. One after another, the half circle of segments were brought back into line quickly but carefully, and docked with one another. Huge bolts, clamps, and even magnetic seals flipped on, and locked it all together. Before long, it looked like a large metal barge was sitting there in a grassy field, floating scant centimetres above the ground.

Delos busied himself getting ready to go, and had various straps and cables hooked up in their usual places atop the large ship. Grinning impishly, he stepped inside a rather gigantic pair of shorts, which would fit like a glove soon enough. With an incredibly lewd expression planted on his snout, he stuffed a thick hose down his rubbery dragon sausage, and made sure it held firm. Then with a wave to the bridge crew, a high pressure flow of hydrogen began to fill him up rapidly. The hose filling up his loins was definitely a good thing, as it allowed him to keep his mouth free for talking.

It also prevented him from spraying a giant sized load down on the ground below, when he was having fun being the airship balloon. There were two on board, namely the one that looked almost like him and was just an inanimate object, and then himself, when he felt the need for some size. Rapidly his perspective changed as he towered higher over the ship itself and the ground below, forcing him to get into position. It wouldn't do to blatantly show off such a huge growing dragon balloon to the common citizen, after all. Likely, they just wouldn't understand.

Laying down, he made sure the shorts were on enough to stay on, hiding his massive arousal and instead forming a bulge some might call obscene. Bit by bit he stretched to cover the entire barge below, then began squishing over the sides and filling out longer and wider. The barge itself was a good 300 meters long and 60 wide. Delos meanwhile filled out to over 500 meters in length, and about 250 meters around the middle. More than enough lift to get off the ground, and then some. When manning his favourite station, as the balloon itself, he could help steer the ship around with his tail and wings. Still, the ship had all the motive power, in the form of large electric driven props sticking out the back.

Delos was left to be squished against the barge, feeling like he was hugging the little thing against his massive bulk, as the huge ship took off, and sailed away. Various news agencies got footage of the huge balloon filling up from above the ship itself, taking on the same dragon shape it had when coming in. Some people swore it looked more life like this time, or pointed out that the balloon looked like a character they'd seen in the domes. Nobody truly suspected the truth of it all.

Within moments of lifting off, Mark heard a slew of people coming down the hall, and looked over his shoulder to see all manner of creature heading in his general direction. Various bipedal reptiles and amphibians went into their rooms for a bit, only to come out once more and head to the showers. The elephant he'd seen before walked by and waved its trunk at the lone human, smiling playfully before vanishing down another hallway. Two large thumps and being lifted into the air by a distending seat cushion snapped the fellows attention back forward, only to notice large masses in his peripheral vision.

A very big tiger positively rippling with muscle had sat down on his left, and an equally large but rather rotund rhino had flopped to his right. There was barely enough room for the lone short and lanky human between the two, but they didn't seem to mind. It was the tiger that first broke the ice, looking down with mild surprise at the new addition to the crew, and smiling faintly.

"Are you watching anything on the viewer?"

Mike took a moment to shake his head no, and that was that. The feed was changed to a retro station showing decades old science fiction shows, much to the delight of his two sofa guests. He'd seen the programs before, multiple times in fact, but they were good so it was worth staying. The two large creatures to either side took note of his continued attention and obvious enjoyment of the corny old programs, and decided he was a keeper after all. Who could pass judgement on a man of taste? He was formerly accepted into the lodge when two rather heavy hands plopped down on either shoulder.

The oversized duo pointed and laughed at their favourite scene of the episode, and began making various impersonations of characters they had seen after the credits began to roll. Deciding to see how far the rabbit whole went, Mark joined in with what had previously been voted the second best impersonation of a TV show character at the previous years North American science fiction and fantasy convention. He had the two creatures in stitches even before he was finished, and couldn't help but laugh when the rhino fell off the sofa during a truly spectacular belly laugh.

As the two got themselves back together, still chuckling and wiping tears from their eyes, they once again patted the little human on his small shoulders. Once more, the tiger decided to speak up.

"Heh, you'll do. I'm already glad they stuck you on our floor. I'm Larry, by the way. My corpulent companion is Texas, or Tex for short."

Mark shook hands with them both, and eyed the plus sized rhino with a wry grin, almost not wanting an answer to his upcoming question.

"Texas? Why Texas?"

The rhino shrugged and sat back down again, smiling as wide as he could.

"Because Leopold was already taken."

Some questions were better left unanswered.

Mark soon found himself being ushered along the row of bunk rooms, and the two pointed out their respective units as they went. After a short walk down rather wide and tall hallways, the trio arrived in the kitchens, and joined a building queue for a late lunch. Mark introduced himself along the way, and mentioned that he was the new hire, should it for whatever reason not already be blatantly obvious. Both the plus sized critters grabbed about 10 times the food that Mark fetched, and the trio found an empty table and claimed it as their own.

As they ate, they chatted about this and that, with the big duo interested in the various nerd fuelled conventions and such Mark had attended over the past few years. When asked why they hadn't made it themselves, they shrugged and muttered things akin to "height clearances" and "weight allowances" as viable excuses. Mark was done his food long before they were, and rose to fetch a refill of tea, and some apple pie for desert. Looking around the room, he once again was treated to a sea of creatures, all large, some wider, some not, and not a single human being other than himself. He thought it curious. Deciding to get it over with, should it be some kind of crazy theatre secret, he simply decided to ask.

"So, when do you all take off your costumes?"

Both Larry and Tex stopped in their tracks with food on the way to their mouths. Some fell off forks back to their plates below, seeming to echo loudly in the resulting silence. They were definitely perplexed, and Mark could see it in their wide eyed expressions.

"Do you not call them costumes or something? I figured they must be elaborate suits responding to the holographic projector systems, placing a super realistic character atop you like a mesh..."

He stopped when the two put down their cutlery and simply stared at him, Larry even going so far as to raise one fuzzy eyebrow in a look of total confusion.

"What, you're serious? Didn't Delos tell you? No, of course he didn't... Hammy bastard of a dragon, he just loves letting people find out the hard way."

Taking a moment to inhale and find the best way to say it, Larry completely had his thunder stolen when Tex simply blurted out the blunt truth, making the tiger practically deflate as he exhaled suddenly.

"These aren't costumes. We're really giant animals, monsters, and such. Welcome aboard!"

With that statement, and another wide smile, Tex went back to shovelling food down his gullet. Larry stared at the wide-load Pachyderm for a moment, before turning a mildly annoyed but rapidly stabilizing gaze back in Marks direction. It appeared that he was taking it rather well. Mark raised a finger and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead he extended the finger and poked Tex in his squishy middle, feeling the digit sink in deep to the soft and warm flesh. He repeated the experiment with Larry and found steel like muscles under soft fur. After processing for a moment, he decided he had something to say after all.

"Huh."

With that, he stood up and went back the way they had come, and eventually closed himself off in his bunk room. His two new companions were left to finish their meals and clean up the dishes, then went back in the same direction. They tried knocking on the door to Marks room, and were surprised when he opened it a bit.

"I don't suppose I can be let off anytime soon, right?"

Tex shrugged and Larry shook his head, tapping on the door frame with a claw tipped finger.

"I doubt it. Usually once we've taken off, we don't land again for a few days. This is our down time between events, after all. Give us a chance mark, we'll likely grow on you."

Mark managed the faintest of nods, then closed the door again. Laying down on his bed, he found himself thinking over the situation. Nothing about these people had seemed off in the slightest until he'd been told they were real, not costume wearing human beings. He'd of course read all about such things in novels, comic books, fan fiction, and various other mediums strewn all over the internet. Why, he'd even met his fair share of costume wearing people who secretly or rather openly wished they could be their costumed selves in reality.

He wasn't mad, just shocked. Some part of his mind said that this wasn't a big deal, and was simply reality proving itself to be more complex than he'd first realized. Another part of his mind thought over old science books, and fell onto a now ancient question that was still the subject of much debate. Where is everybody? Well Mr. Fermi, it would appear they were right here all along. One final part of his mind wanted to jump ship and take its chances in free fall. It was outvoted two to one.

Shrugging, he eventually decided that running around screaming wasn't going to do much of anything. When in doubt, do something productive. That's what one of his many teachers used to say. He began going through his things, fishing out this and that, and finally locating a video memory module containing various recordings and highlights from the last convention. After some more time to collect his thoughts, he went back out into the main living space, and found both tiger and rhino sitting on the couch once more. Nobody else was in sight, oddly enough. They didn't say anything as he came around and plugged the little memory chip into the side of the entertainment screen, and still held their tongues when Mark sat down between them once again.

"So, you two have never been to one of the various conventions out there."

The duo nodded in unison, looking briefly sad for the missed experiences.

"Well, it just so happens that I have various highlight videos from the last few I've been to. We can watch this one, if you'd like."

Both smiled, and nodded. This time Larry beat Tex to the punch.

"That would be very nice, Mark."

As the video loaded, Mark looked to either side at the large creatures, and really let it sink in.

"You are real, aren't you?"

Again, the duo nodded. Mark turned to the screen as everything began to roll, and allowed himself the slightest of smiles.

"Well, how about that."

---

Sometime after dinner Mark found himself alone in his room, laying on his bed and contemplating the ceiling. He most definitely had a lot to think about, seeing as apparently he was a lone human on a ship full of monsters. That, or he had finally snapped and the whole experience was all in his head. No doubt he'd come to if it was the latter, eventually. Should the situation be real however, then he had to cope.

Jumping out the window was hardly an acceptable option.

A gentile knocking at the door broke his contemplation of ceiling fixtures, and he grunted out permission to enter to whomever it might be. To his surprise, a rather gigantic snake slid through the doorway, leaving most of itself still in the hall. The eyes of the snake swirled this way and that, noting that Mark's belongings were still strewn about the room, rather than packed away. This seemed to indicate a lack of intention to leave immediately, which suited the snake fine.

Nodding and bobbing his big head around, Parker slid all the way into the room, coiling up on the floor and closing the door behind him with a folded up bit of his own hide. There he sat, so to speak, and looked Mark over. Nothing seemed wrong with the fellow, either visually or as far as smell was concerned. Parker had always insisted that you could tell a lot about people by how they smelled. Most of the rest of the crew simply used smell as an indication that it was time for a shower.

Mark meanwhile had sat up on the bed, and draped his legs over one side. He sat hunched somewhat, staring right back at the plus sized snake currently occupying most of the floor space in his bunk room. Before he could say anything, a tail tip was presented at hand-shaking height, and he reflexively grasped the appendage firmly, and shook. Parker smiled, thinking he'd effectively broken the ice, so to speak.

"Hello there, Mark. I'm Parker, second in command, so to speak, of this operation of ours. I understand from Delos that you have experience with a lot of the tech we use on board. I head up the department that does various repairs and general service of all the equipment we use, and that's the team you've been assigned to. You'll help run checks on computer systems, test new simulations, turn wrenches, and even occasionally sweep the floor, just like the rest of us. Pretty much everyone in this wing of bunks is on the maintenance team, and no doubt you've already met some of them. They'll all start showing you the ropes tomorrow morning, if that's alright."

Mark shrugged, then nodded. He had after all signed up for a job, and one couldn't knock work experience. Perhaps he'd come out of this fiasco with a letter of recommendation, if nothing else.

"Yes, Parker was it? Yep, that will do fine."

It was impossible to not notice the sense and smell of worry emanating from the human, so Parker turned his head to one side, and asked the next question on his list.

"Are you alright?"

Mark had to think about that one for a while, and finally he had to just shrug and talk about it.

"Not really. This has all been kind of a shock. They don't exactly train you for this kind of thing in life, you know? Surprise, you're surrounded by creatures and monsters, and they're all real! Oh, and you can't leave, unless you want to jump for it. I think... I think I'll be fine, though. Despite it all, some of the folks I've met so far have been really nice people. Its just a shock, and kind of odd."

The big snake nodded, and took a little action that seemed appropriate at the time. Before Mark had much time to even realize that Parker was moving, he suddenly found quite a lot of heavy snake wrapped around him once, applying a gentile hug around his middle. The large fellows face, came around to face his own again, tongue stuck out complete with a smile.

"You'll be fine. It was much the same for many of us when we first came aboard. New and strange situations can be hard to deal with. Just hold on for a few days. If you find the situation intolerable at any point, you can shut yourself up in this bunk room. When we next land, you can leave if you want. Or, if by then you decide you have a place here, then you also have the option of staying."

Uncoiling himself after another quick hugging squeeze, Parker slithered towards the door again, and exited. Poking his head back in once more, he added a last bit of commentary to the situation.

"Oh, and if you need anything, just ask. We're all friendly creatures, and most of us don't bite. Hard."

With that, he was gone, leaving Mark alone on his bed once more, smiling faintly from having received a giant hug from an equally large snake. The world was a strange place, and he was right in the middle of it. Shrugging, he grabbed a wash cloth and towel from one of the shelves near the bed, and wandered off to the showers. No doubt it was high time to get the stink off for the day.

The bathing facilities were state of the art to say the least, and he lingered longer than required to really give everything a full rundown, and truly enjoy himself. He could get used to something like this as a morning and perhaps even an evening ritual too. The rest of the evening passed swiftly, as he had coffee and a snack with Larry and Tex, followed by playing some games. All too soon he was sleeping in his new bed, with what could become new good friends.

He was definitely open to the possibility, and willing to work on it. He felt like he owed everyone at least that much, for being so nice to him. That, and trying their best to not freak him out or anything. Minus the fact that they weren't human, it was just like hanging around with a bunch of geeks at a convention, or over the weekend during a marathon gaming session. They were people, just like he was.

It certainly made a fellow think.

A good nights rest was just what Mark needed, and was no doubt enjoyed by the rest of the crew as well. Duties were relatively light while in transit, unless something needed service. If everything was working, there was no point breaking things just to fix them. He ran into several familiar faces over breakfast, and was not surprised when Larry and Tex came down to sit with him.

"Good morning you two."

Larry smiled and rumbled back a hello while sipping a mug of coffee and reading a data-pad, while Tex merely looked up, grunted, and continued shovelling eggs down his gullet. Priorities, and all. Mark didn't mind the relative silence, as it gave him more time to focus on eating, drinking his own mug of coffee, and generally thinking about the day ahead.

After polishing off their first courses from the kitchen, the two plus sized critters at the table seemed more disposed to conversation. Tex mumbled something about seconds and wandered off, while Larry tapped off his data-pad, and looked over at the smaller human.

"Well, I hear Parker came to have a chat with you last night. As I'm sure he mentioned, Tex and I are both on the same team, so we'll be working with you. So once we're all done here, we'll take a romp around the ship, and make our rounds. Ooop, there's Tex now with seconds. Best grab what you can before he eats it all."

The plus sized Pachyderm sat down heavily and placed a tray in the middle of the table. It contained fresh mugs of coffee, a mound of scrambled eggs, toast, and various baked goods. Mark helped himself to the coffee and another scoop of eggs, plus a delightful looking danish. The other two briefly looked aghast at his obviously inferior appetite, before tucking away the last few thousand calories all on their own. Both chuckled to themselves, thinking that for all they knew Mark would be eating them under the table soon enough.

Breakfast done, the well fed trio wandered to the back of the ship, and began looking over various displays. Mark was shown one thing after another, mainly computer systems, engine readouts, and various other points of interest. All they really had to do was make sure nothing was displaying an error state, and move on. They moved from one service room to the next, looking at this and that, occasionally opening a wall panel to confirm readings with manual tools, and other relatively basic checks.

It was familiar work for Mark, part and parcel for most high tech systems. Go forth, make sure it works, confirm that the system itself says it works, then move on to the next item. If something is broken, fix it. After combing over the ship from one end to the other, it was most definitely time for some lunch. Mark observed that everyone sure liked to eat on the ship, some more than others if the plus sized figures were any indication. Tex smirked and shook his flabby belly around, as he sat down with a tray of sandwiches, and overheard Mark musing aloud.

"Of course we like to eat. It takes a lot of food to keep plus sized bodies going. Besides, some of us like to work on our figures."

Larry chuckled, slapping his fat friend on the gut for good measure.

"And some of us like to be fat as a house. But yes, Tex is right, Mark. It takes a lot of energy to keep a larger body powered, so to speak. One of the many reasons that the kitchen is so well stocked, and why it rarely closes. And even if it does, you can generally get in yourself and fix up a snack at all hours. It wouldn't do to let a fellow go hungry, now would it?"

Mark couldn't help but agree. Sound logic.

"So, what's next on our list of chores? That big snake mentioned there was a testing element to the job."

Nodding, Larry flicked through a digital to-do list on his little data-pad computer.

"Yep, Puff... Parker was right about that. Please don't tell him I spouted his nickname, he might murder me in my sleep."

Mark laughed, figuring he knew where that particular name came from.

"Puff Adder, yeah I can see that. Don't worry, my lips are sealed. So, do we have anything to test?"

It turned out that they did, today at least. A slight tweak to the swords and sorcery adventure simulation had been put into place, and the resident programmer wanted to get opinions on it. Plus he wanted to see if anyone on board could actually complete the objective, seeing as not a single customer at the last stop had been able to pull it off. Some argued that Delos getting all huge was scaring everyone off, but that was half the point. What kind of brave adventuring sort soils themselves and runs away just from seeing a giant rubber dragon get even bigger?

And so it was that Mark found himself wearing thick leather armour with metal studs, wielding a rather nice crossbow with a backup dagger for close in work. He'd apparently drawn the role of a rogue, and intended to act accordingly. Tex and Larry were wearing heavier looking armour and carrying wicked looking battle axes, definitely making use of their size to be effective warriors. They talked amongst themselves in the prep room before the game began, then set off on their grand adventure.

As was typical for the start of this particular simulation, the party went into the inn to see if there were any stories or rumours about quests to do, or anything of interest. Naturally the innkeeper, played this time by preprogrammed holographic character, informed them that there was a dragon in the area, and it seemed to be keeping everyone away from a cave off in a distant forest. There was likely treasure there, and there was most definitely a bounty on the dragon.

The armed and armoured trio decided not to bother with any potential side content or gathering different equipment, and stuck to the core objective. As such, they picked up their things, and went off down the road, towards a distant forest. Along the way they had various random encounters, from a pack of goblins to a marauding pack of dire wolves. It was nothing that two heavily armed warriors and one fairly skillful rogue couldn't handle.

All three took mental notes of their surroundings, stopping to speak aloud out of character from time to time to the operator and programmer whom was listening in. They pointed out anything they thought was enjoyable, or anything they thought needed improvement. After an hour of walking along a field not facing anything, Mark mentioned that the long period of not having to do much was curiously disarming. This was as intended, because a dragon jumped out at them from behind an old abandoned watch tower. This one kind of looked like Delos, but it was obviously a simulation, not a real sentient being.

The dragon briefly launched into a dramatic monologue about how it had claimed this land for itself, and the band of adventuring fools had best just lay down their weapons and flee, rather than be cooked alive. Mark interrupted the conversation via a well placed crossbow bolt to the forehead.

The simulated bolt bounced off the simulated scales of the simulated dragon, but it still recoiled with rage and even a little pain. A few inches to one side, and the bolt would have taken out an eye. With swirling clouds of smoke and even a little magic, the dragon began to grow bigger and bigger, seeking to scare off the party with sheer size and power. Failing that, it would definitely have the strength advantage. The trio looked at one another and nodded as this all went on, and set their big plan in motion. They wanted to see if they could outsmart the system, so to speak.

Larry and Tex launched attacks as the dragon was still swelling, smashing their huge axes down against the things feet and legs, making it howl with pain. The simulation was meant to be non gory in nature, so while the dragon had obvious scrapes and potential wounds, it was not gushing blood. Mark meanwhile slipped around behind the watch tower, and promptly vanished. The dragon was not meant to be something a moderately armed band of fellows could take on, so after a few blasts of fire, the warriors ran for town.

The dragon of course took a moment to look smug for anyone whom might be watching, and looked around for the rogue. Not seeing him anywhere, the software assumed he had run off as well. The dragon reduced itself back down to size, then ducked into the guard tower and vanished. Mark meanwhile had hunkered down and crawled through some tall grass, eventually lowering himself into a creek to run along quickly but quietly. And best of all, he was unseen.

It was a small matter to avoid a few lower level enemies milling around the forest, then finally duck into the cave and pick up an easy to carry chest full of gold coins and precious gems. Tex and Larry met up with him outside of town and further off to one side, as Mark had circled around a long route to hopefully escape detection by any of the computer sensors. It worked, and the trio came back to town triumphant, with a chest full of treasure.

Naturally they had to sit and speak with the operator for a while, discussing the various ways they had outfoxed the simulation. It was slightly easier for them because they knew what to expect, and there weren't any actual crew members on staff acting the part of monsters and such. That always added a high degree of difficulty. All they had to contend with was the game operator, whom was largely remaining passive.

It was ultimately agreed upon to increase patrol routes in the dead zones of the simulation, so that a lone party member trying to sneak through it all would have a hard time escaping detection. That done, the trio retired to their bunk room section of the ship, to hang out and chatter about the fun they'd had in the sim room. It was no substitute for the huge open domes, but it did in a pinch for small groups. As it turned out they were booked by the game operator to continue running tests, and to help prep the computers to deal with the extra projection power needed for more simulated characters appearing in the game once deployed in the domes.

By dinner that evening, Mark was viewing Larry and Tex as friends, not just strange creatures that happened to be co-workers. They shared a lot of the same interests, liked playing the various games aboard ship, and enjoyed their jobs as well. It was a warming thought, one that settled into Mark like a happy glow from a filling meal or that first cup of coffee in the morning. He could get used to this, that much was certain.

Late that night the ship set down briefly in a field between cities, and began deflating the large balloon helping to hold it all up. Delos was done having his fun for now, and it was time to put the regular balloon back to work. Besides, he needed a bath to wash off all the splattered bugs and such on his hide. With a pause out behind some trees to relieve himself after being pent up as an engorged blimp for a day or so, he wandered back into the ship once again.

The intercom system aboard ship announced that they would be staying for a few hours to rig and inflate the other balloon, and to give the crew some time to get out into the wild and stretch their legs. Horns and flashing lights on the exterior of the ship would be an indication to come on back, and get ready for takeoff again.

Mark decided to get out with everyone else and go for a walk. It was a warm summer day, and the shade under various trees was quite nice. The air in the area smelled just right, and Mark thought there might be a river nearby. Sure enough there was, and a quick inspection revealed that the water was slow moving, and it did not seem to be clogged with anything unpleasant. Smiling to himself, he ditched his shoes and shirt up against the trunk of a tree, and dove into the water wearing a trusty old pair of shorts.

The water was cool and refreshing, and felt absolutely wonderful all over. He was able to swim this way and that without touching bottom if he was careful, and was amused to see the odd fish swimming by, no doubt looking at him funny as he paddled around. Apparently he was far from the only one to realize there was a river nearby, as various snouts and such began poking through bushes and crops of leaves, smiling at the sight of the lone human in the lazy river. With a loud cry of "Cannonball!", Tex came bounding out of nowhere, and jumped into the water rump first, setting off a small tidal wave.

Larry was busy for a few minutes helping to extract Mark from a tree where he'd landed after the explosion of water had carried him away, while another fellow tried to find a lost pair of shorts. Before long the lazy river was filled with a good hundred or so plus sized bodies, raising the water level considerably. Mark eventually rejoined the splashing mass of critters along with Larry, and everyone had a nice long soak. A collective "Awwwww!" went out from the crowd as the sirens and lights began to go off, signalling everyone to come on back.

Mark couldn't help but laugh as the river briefly dried up to a trickle when the collective mass of bodies all left at once, before slowly refilling itself thanks to upstream flow. He bumped into Delos and Parker while walking back to the ship, walking bare-foot and holding his clothes under one arm, allowing his skin to air dry. Everyone exchanged greetings, and Parker once again asked Mark how he was doing.

"I'm fine now, I think. Things have definitely been good. I can see why folks seem to enjoy it aboard ship. I'm not going anywhere just yet, I don't think. Thanks for checking up on me, Puff."

Delos bellowed with laughter as Parker briefly puffed out his cheeks with annoyance, visibly struggling to remain calm as his trusty old nickname once again found its way into the mouth of another.

"No problems, Mark. And please, I prefer to go by Parker..."

The big inflatable dragon couldn't help but snicker and prod at his serpentine friend the rest of the way back to the ship, earning himself many glares for his trouble. Mark meanwhile caught up with Tex and Larry, and the trio managed to duck into the showers before they filled up, to get properly cleaned and dried after their short swimming adventure. With the reported popularity of the river, the spot was saved in the ships computers for future stopovers should they be in the area.

The massive dragon shaped balloon was fully inflated and ready to go by then, and within minutes the huge ship was taking off once more, heading for some distant city. There they would continue their mission to entertain the masses, and part from them credits they weren't using anyways.

It was definitely an entertaining life.

Chapter 3: Business as usual.

It was a few days later, and early in the week when the huge craft found another populated place to land and set up shop. This time it was a field just outside of a smaller town, in the middle of being upgraded to current standards of living. Everywhere you looked, there was a mixture of super modern buildings, and old brick structures in various states of decay. Within a few years, all would be new and functional again, that much was certain.

It was the perfect location to bring in some outside entertainment, for the hard working masses likely deprived of all modern comforts currently available in new cities. As was typical, the town was called in advance, and permission was given to land and set up shop for a while. Advertisements began ringing out here and there all over the place, announcing that a travelling carnival was landing just south of the city, in an old field. They would likely be open for business the following day.

It was a routine matter to land the ship, deflate and stow the huge balloon, and once again break the ship components up into large container like buildings, arranged in a half circle. Mark, Larry, and Tex worked with a good number of other folks to get the huge simulation domes blown up and connected in their proper spots, staked to the ground on the outside, and held in place thanks to the ship components as well.

One by one the massive domes took shape, creating a lovely scene for the nearby town to look at from high rise windows. The main entryway was once again converted into a ticket booth, and this time a large rotund Minotaur took up the role of gatekeeper and ticket seller, with an equally wide elephant matching him in the second booth. Mark and the others got to hang around inside the domes for a while before they were turned on, and smirked at the plain grassy surface they were walking around on, plus the weak exterior light managing to find its way through the skin of the simulator domes.

Thanks to some mobile communication devices, they were able to talk to the individual operators of each dome, and get everything turned on and properly configured one dome at a time. The central dome went on first, of course, that being the one that held all the food stands, washrooms, and other public facilities. A pixel filled storm of sensation washed over the crew as everything sprang to life, replacing the dark grassy field with a vibrant cartoon like setting. The sun was shining, small clouds were bouncing here and there above, and a gentile breeze wandered by every now and again. Solid structures sprang to life amidst the colourful landscape, to house portable washroom facilities carried in from the main ship, and to further accent the various booths already being set back up again.

Satisfied that the simulation was holding strong with no errors detected, they moved on to the next one. The spent the whole day turning on adventure simulations, ride simulations, virtual petting zoo's filled with creatures commonly believed to not exist in nature, and various standard games and attractions. Delos had even booked himself in to one dome for a day, to be part of a so-called "freak show". There he would demonstrate his stretchy body to a likely stunned audience, as he puffed up to large round proportions. It had been a popular event in the past, and it was time to bring it out for another whirl. It always amused everyone in the business that nobody really caught on to how real the so called simulations were.

It was easier to believe a comforting untruth than to accept reality, after all.

Dinner was brought out to the simulation dome crew as the last one went online, revealing a vibrant park where guests could simply walk around, and see plants and animals from a very alien environment. It was both calming and thrilling, as everything seemed both peaceful, and so different as to be inherently frightening. Sitting on a park bench near a grove of very strange plants indeed, Mark and his two good friends devoured several sandwiches each, and washed it down with quite a lot of good tea, plus fruit juice for good measure.

Staring over his shoulder, Mark chewed on a cookie and watched a grove of plants do their thing. They looked like giant sized fly traps, but instead of snapping up passing dragonflies that were the size of your arm, they instead occupied themselves blowing huge soap bubbles. The bubbles drifted around this way and that on the wind, before bursting against one thing or another. It was really quite the relaxing sight. The plants even crooned if one were to reach out and stroke them.

Thinking of the main dome and its current cartoon like nature, Mark had an idea. Picking up his communicator, he called the operator for this dome and struck up a conversation.

"Dome 17 Operator, are you there? This is Mark calling, from the inspection crew."

There was hardly a pause. Obviously the fellow was still at his station.

"Go ahead Mark. What can I do for you?"

"These bubble blowing plants in the garden simulation, can we project them in other domes?"

"Yes. We can copy the program over to another projector. Why, have something in mind?"

Mark nodded to himself, reaching over the low picket fence to scratch one of the plants, smiling as it rumbled and leaned into it like a very content house cat.

"Yes, I do. I think they'd make a nice attraction for the main dome as well. Possibly not in the quantity here in the garden dome, but something we could sprinkle here and there for people to see and interact with. They're pleasing enough to the eye, respond well to physical interaction, and the bubbles floating around would fit the theme of the main dome, I think."

Larry and Tex listened in to the conversation eagerly, nodding along with Mark as he made his points, and smiling to themselves. It would likely fit the area well. After musing over the logistics of it for a while, the dome operator got back to them with a reply.

"The operator for Dome 1 thinks it could be a good idea, and figures there is enough power to project a few of the plants here and there. Why don't you head on over to that dome once you're finished your breaks, and talk to the operator there. A few other crew members will meet up with you, and everyone can plan ideal plant locations."

Mark smirked to himself at the break comment, being reminded that they were likely on camera everywhere they went in the domes. Security, and all that. He acknowledged the request and finished up his desert and another cup of tea, before grabbing his gear and standing up again. Turning to Tex and Larry, he invited them to come along.

"Do you two want in on this?"

They shrugged, and apparently didn't have anything better to do, so they wound up coming along.

"Sure, why not. On the fly alterations can be fun. Take a look in your pockets, Mark. You should have something that looks like a laser pointer. That will help the dome operator pinpoint desired locations for new materials."

Poking over the vest filled with pockets he was currently wearing, Mark found what he was looking for. Indeed, it was just a small metal tube with a button, that shined a laser out the tip for computer tracking. Handy thing, that was for sure. The trio took their time wandering through the service tunnels back to the main dome, where they were met by Parker and Delos, who wanted to partake in the partial redesign.

They had already been briefed on the idea by both dome operators, and liked it. Both took a moment to pat Mark on the back for the idea, literally in the case of Delos. The poor fellow nearly got knocked over when slapped by a giant squeaky paw. Thankfully he saw it coming, and braced for impact accordingly. Together, everyone gathered in the middle of the dome, and waited as one of the simulated plants sprang to life before their eyes atop a small hill. It looked around briefly, then grunted and began slowly emitting bubbles, one after the other.

Everyone smiled, so it seemed like a good idea and then some. The group went for a walk, shining their targeting lasers here and there, making plants pop up in small bunches, or all alone amidst other groups of foliage. Soon there were random streams of giant soapy spheres floating this way and that in the huge dome, plus a lot of happy plants that wiggled around and made happy noises if you decided to sit down and pet one. It really did lend to the cartoon like nature of the simulation, and everyone felt it would be a very good addition to their regular rotation of themes.

Delos shook Mark's hand for the wonderful idea, and Parker did so as well. Tex and Larry pounded the fellow on the back a few times for good measure, and everyone had a good laugh as the long stream of praise made Mark blush slightly. They all thought he would wind up being a great addition to the crew for the long run, assuming he decided to stay of course. That decision was still up in the air.

It was late by the time they had performed a secondary inspection of the primary dome, making sure the new additions hadn't messed anything up. Power needed to be boosted ever so slightly, and it was decided that an upgrade was in order whenever convenient. Mark made a mental note to research new projection systems that would better suit the huge dome, or find the right components and design his own. It was after all what he'd trained for in university.

Inspections done, everyone hit their respective bunks for a good nights sleep, as the show would open the following morning. Mark found that he passed out almost the instant he hit the pillow, and slept soundly until somebody pounded on his door the following morning. The sun was just rising as he opened his eyes once more, and a muttered command turned on the lights, and opened the door too. Tex and Larry were waiting for him as always, looking slightly fatigued as well, but definitely awake.

"Up and out of bed, lazy bones. If you're quick, you'll be able to get into a shower stall before they fill up. We're heading there now."

A shower sounded like a wonderful idea, and he grabbed a towel and a change of clothes, then joined everyone for a good freshening up. Shower used, clothing changed, and other important morning activities taken care of, the trio soon walked out into the main dome, and over to another ship segment to join the buffet line and get some breakfast. Coffee and orange juice flowed, pancakes were devoured, eggs were inhaled, and bacon was made to disappear.

That done, it was time to get to work once more. Their crew had to inspect all the projection and power systems daily, and they split the work in two. Half the inspection and service crew would start from one end of the ship in the morning, and likely finish in the afternoon. Then the second half would start all over again, and work backwards, making sure to cover everything twice. During downtime, half the crew were on call if something went wrong, but they could relax in the lounge or even wander around the carnival itself. The latter was encouraged, as having all sorts of critters wandering about enjoying themselves only furthered the atmosphere of the whole event.

The trio were on the morning shift for the duration of the event, so they set about their duties. It was relatively simple work, that occupied the mind enough but still gave leeway for chatting amongst workplace friends, and taking the occasional break for food and refreshments. The first shift went by without incident, and only the most minor of tweaks to various computer systems. They definitely worked, but they were showing their age.

That done, the first crew went on standby mode, and broke up to go do their own thing. Tex went to go have a nap, and Larry decided to visit the gym aboard one of the ship sections. Mark meanwhile decided to wander over a few ship segments, then head up top to a control room and have a look around. He was allowed in without any issue, just so long as he didn't go fiddling with any controls he wasn't trained on. He found the operation station for the central dome, and let himself in, calling out a greeting to the fellow within. They'd yet to meet in person, and had only chatted over the communication system so far.

The fellow at the controls was a bipedal toad with long whiskers trailing down from his face, and huge wart like bumps running down his back. He smiled quite widely as Mark approached, and extended a proportionately small hand in greeting. After shaking, he waved over his display and pointed a finger down at it all.

"The new plant arrangement is a hit. Customer reaction seems to be very positive, and as you can see lots of people are happily just hanging around the plants, giving them a scratch every now and again for good measure. That was a very good idea you had, Mark."

Mark smiled and rubbed the back of his head, accepting the complement with a nod as he looked over the display. It was really quite something, namely a half sphere sticking out of a large table, with a deep holographic display that showed the entire primary dome, just in a smaller scale. The operator was able to manipulate controls on his end and cause changes down in the dome, or just monitor things and make sure all was working properly. The other domes had much the same setup, but the operators were usually busy acting as game masters, directing the action from above, so to speak.

It was clear that the operator had to focus on his duties after a while, so Mark excused himself and let the fellow get back to work. He decided to have a wander through the primary dome himself, still wearing his vest and gear, to identify himself as part of the crew, not just another customer wandering around. Hundreds of people were wandering about, buying things at the stands, playing with the bubble plants, and generally enjoying themselves in the simulated environment.

Smiling, he took a wander from one dome to the other, and wound up in the alien garden. It looked like the operator had responded in kind to the addition of new foliage to the main dome, and had set up multiple groves of the bubble plants. The air was positively swarming overhead with large soapy spheres, and people of all ages were running around trying to pop the things. The beauty part to it all was that the bubbles were simulated, so there was no risk of getting soap in your eyes. An unpleasant experience, to be sure. One happily avoided!

After hanging out there for a while, he decided to go check out the freak show, and was just in-time to watch Delos puff up so big he practically filled the whole dome, looming up over the stands close enough that people could reach out and touch him. Many did, with mixed expressions of confusion, shock, or utter delight. Mark decided he should ask the big dragon how big he could get sometime, with a smile.

All too soon the day was over yet again, and Mark found himself sleeping soundly in his bunk. Perhaps he really had found a place in the world after all, and one that wasn't a complete dead end as far as personal development went. The rest of the days of operation would tell, for sure, if he could handle it here.

The next day awaited, and the next, and however many were left until they packed up and took to the skies once more.

---

Several days passed in a blur of activity, after hours partying, and quite a lot of mirth and merriment from the whole crew. All too soon it was closing time again, as business began to taper off. The simulation domes were turned off, and the wonderful landscapes vanished only to be replaced by empty grass fields. Bit by bit the domes were deflated, rolled up, and stowed away in their proper compartments.

Mark was out helping to direct one of the huge ship sections back into line with the rest of the hull, when he felt a gentile tapping on one shoulder. Turning around, he came face to face once more with Parker. Smiling at the huge snake, he briefly excused himself from the rest of the work detail via his communication equipment.

"Hello there, Parker. What's up? Reassembly of the ship is on schedule, if that's why you're here."

The big snake shook his head, then twisted his tail up and over Marks shoulders like one would do with an arm, and began walking along with the fellow in tow.

"While that's good news, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to check up on you, Mark. Have you made up your mind? I know it hasn't even been more than 2 weeks since you joined up with us, but hopefully that is enough time to sample the waters, so to speak. Are you planning on staying? Or do you want to grab your things and stay here?"

Mark had been wondering if this conversation would ever come, or if they'd just wait for him to announce his intentions either verbally or by action alone. Smiling happily, he looked around at what was left of camp, all the crazy creatures he was working with, and even the big snake he was having a walk with. It felt like home, more of a home than he'd had in quite a while.

"If you'd asked me to go or stay for the first few days, I probably would have left. I'll admit, this was quite the change, and quite confusing indeed. No doubt most people deal with vastly new knowledge in various ways. But, now that I've worked and lived with you all for a while, I don't think you could pay me to stay away. I like it here quite a lot, I like the friends I've made in my bunk section, and I like what we do. So yes, I would like to stay if that's alright with you."

Parker smiled, and Mark detected a twinkle in one serpentine eye.

"I knew you'd decide to stay. Delos was pretty sure as well. So was everyone else, after a while."

Nodding, the big snake slithered around to face Mark directly again, and extended his tail for a hand shake of sorts. Mark accepted it, and shook once with a grin.

"Well Mark, let me fully welcome you into our little Carnival. I hope you find it a truly magical experience. Things might get a little odd around here at times, but I'm sure you'll be able to deal with it. Once we're underway, we'll have a nice dinner as always. No doubt many others will want to properly welcome you aboard."

Mark chuckled, and shrugged a bit.

"Sure, I guess. I'm not much of a party animal though, if that's what you had in mind."

The big snake grinned impishly, and turned to slither away at high speed.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll grow to enjoy it, much like the rest of us did. Back to work for the both of us, for now. See you tonight, Mark."

Mark was left scratching his head at the somewhat cryptic conversation, but ultimately he was soon too busy getting the ship ready for takeoff to worry about it long. Delos heard the news about Mark deciding to stay, and elected to postpone being the balloon this time around, so he could join in with what was likely going to be one hell of a welcome party. As the sun started to hang low in the sky, the ship was once again floating up off the ground, and heading in a random direction. There was bound to be another town out there in need of quality entertainment.

After getting cleaned up for the evening, Mark found himself quite literally picked up by Tex and Larry, and escorted to dinner. A cheer and loud calls of welcome went out as they all entered the dining area. Practically everyone was jammed inside, passing out beverages of various strengths, and quite a lot of food. Sitting down at a table with his friends, Mark found himself holding a plus sized mug of rather good beer, plus a plate full of finger food. Everyone got down to the business of eating, drinking, and occasionally coming over to properly welcome Mark aboard with a mixture of hugs and hand shakes.

There were no speeches, there was no proper organization to anything. It was just a big gathering of like minded individuals, welcoming a new member to the family. Mark found himself drinking more than usual, and definitely eating more than usual too. Delos looked over at the inebriated human from his table, and grinned knowingly, snorting out quite a few puffs of purple smoke. A few others were doing much the same here and there, and everyone took a moment to look. The air became thick with a purple fog, and everyone just kept on eating, drinking, and generally having a good time. Apparently indoor fogs were perfectly normal with this group.

By then Mark was too out of it to really notice, and soon fell asleep face down on the table, snoring softly. Those sitting with him laughed as the poor light weight passed out, and agreed amongst themselves to help him out in the morning should be be hung over. Later that night, Mark was carried to his room by Larry, with Tex bringing up the rear. They placed him on his bed with a smirk, knowing full well that the next few days were going to be interesting indeed. They had been for everyone on board, for the most part.

Closing the door gently, they quietly went back to another portion of the ship, and joined a gathering throng of people around a large display screen. Delos was up at the front, waving a pointing stick around at the screen, which displayed a large grid of information. There were various types of animals listed, including those folks would call mythical, and a cash pool listed in red.

It would seem, that Delos was taking bets.

"Alright you lot, you know the drill! Place your bets on what the new guy becomes! It has been a few years since we did one of these, so try your luck! Get it right, and the pot is yours! Multiple people can bet on the same thing, and split the pot accordingly. Come on folks, don't be shy! 10 credits a bet! Like you're going to spend it anywhere else, right?"

Everyone laughed, and agreed. They practically had no use for money, minus ordering things to be delivered to the ship whenever it landed. Being able to order things off the internet was handy when they had set up shop. But still, most of what they needed on a daily basis was on ship. They were just saving up for retirement, whenever that was. It varied on a person to person basis.

Everyone interested pulled up various pocket computers, and began making their selections, putting their hard earned credits into the pot as well. The money began to steadily increase, as folks partook remotely from other parts of the ship, or placed multiple bets on different creature types. Even Tex and Larry joined in, both agreeing on "Wolf". Delos placed a bit on "Gryphon", even though they hadn't seen one of those in a while. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it was his credit to do with as he pleased. Parker meanwhile selected "Reptile", to much teasing and such. He always picked reptile, and was right every now and again.

He figured if you stuck with a choice, you'd be rewarded in the end. Besides, he liked having more fellow reptiles around. The thought of having another snake on board to coil up with made his mouth water more than a fresh bowl of egg salad. The betting was kept open until midnight, then the whole system was closed down and carefully hidden again. A lot of folks on board were very superstitious when it came to a few things, and this was one of them. They believed that if fresh crew knew about the bets, they might be influenced somehow.

Others felt it was a predetermined thing based on a persons inner self, or some other non physical property. Either way, new crew always wound up joining the band of creatures completely, should they truly commit to staying. After that, there really was no going back.

The morning would likely give some glimmer of a result, but awarding the prize was always left until the transformation was complete. Sometimes folks looked like they were going one way, then would shift into something else entirely. Magic was a crazy thing, that was for sure. Everyone went to bed with a happy glow, pleased that they had once again added to their numbers.

Daylight awaited, much to the delight of anyone whom was hung over. Mark was lucky enough to have a bunk facing west, so the rising sun didn't come blasting through his window. Many others were not so lucky however, and one side of the ship was subject to much groaning. The noise gradually woke up everyone else, and Mark too wound up stumbling out of his bunk. He was wearing nothing but dirty shorts from the night before, and definitely felt like he had consumed far too much booze. His "friends" were on standby however, and bodily grabbed him off his feet before he even got his door closed again, and took him into the showers.

Protesting proved fruitless, so instead he focused on not vomiting down Larry's back, as he was carted along over the large fellows shoulder. Cold water shocked his senses as the trio all gathered into an open line of showers, and began scrubbing off the grime and funk. Tex carefully turned up the temperature bit by bit, as Larry fussed over scrubbing down a very unhappy looking human. Everyone failed to notice a bump straining the back of his now rather wet shorts, as they busied themselves both being silly, and seriously attempting to make Mark feel better in a hurry. They had experience imbibing far too much, and dealing with it the next morning.

Gradually as the cold water turned to hot, Mark began to feel more alert, and could have sworn he was sweating rails. When every nerve ending in his skin was screaming at him to get out of the hot water, and the scrubbing action of two large creatures with wash cloths, the water was suddenly shut off. He was tossed a towel, and left to sit there on the ground, as the jumbo sized rhino and tiger snickered at him somewhat.

He had to admit, he was feeling better already. By the time he was dried off again, all he wanted was a big drink of water, which the sink happily provided. It took a few minutes to go change his clothes, pausing briefly to whip Larry's behind with the wet towel, then run away cackling madly from one angry kitty. All that was required all of a sudden was food, and likely lots of it. The two mad giants definitely knew what they were doing when it came to dealing with a hangover.

Once more the trio sat down at breakfast, stuffing their faces with glee. Even Mark was helping himself to more than usual, going back for seconds and eventually even thirds. He didn't think anything of it at the time, and only upon belching after his third cup of coffee did he realize how much he'd just tucked away.

"Oh my. I haven't eaten like that since I was a teenager. I must have been short a few calories from last night. My head felt like all I had was beer."

Tex and Larry looked at one another knowingly, smirking to themselves. A body tended to need a lot of extra food when it was going through... changes. Various interested parties walked by, silently pointing at the back of Mark's pants, and carefully keeping their mouths shut about it all. Sure enough, there was a larger bump back there, but the fellow had as of yet failed to notice it. He just kept unconsciously hiking his pants up, as they were attempting to slip off over the new part of his anatomy.

Breakfast done, the trio went about their usual inspections, followed by lunch. Yet again Mark stuffed his face, surprised at how hungry he was today. A very tail-like nub was starting to poke out of his pants by this point, but still, he failed to notice. Tex and Larry both figured it must have just not registered, being such a foreign thing. They were working in a simulator test room early in the afternoon, tweaking the garden simulation for optimum plant placement, when things really started to get crazy.

Mark suddenly stood up straight after being bent over a simulated plant, as the most curious of tingles ran down his back, and out to a portion of his anatomy that wasn't there until recently. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a flesh coloured bulge sticking out of his pants, and could have sworn he felt the thing getting larger. A sense of pressure was rapidly building up in the new nub, and he turned to his companions, holding out one finger and opening his mouth to ask for assistance.

Before he could say anything, the nub exploded in size, making a sound not unlike stretching rubber and the popping of a cork from a bottle of champagne. He suddenly had a skin coloured tail, which hung down almost to ground level, and proved to be quite thick at the base. Stunned by this development, he found himself at a loss. Looking back and forth from the tail to Tex and Larry respectively, all he could do was gesture frantically.

They got the gist of what he was trying to say. Larry decided to swish his own tail around in reply.

"Yep, that would be a tail alright."

It was not the sort of commentary he was overly excited to receive. Running in circles screaming and shouting didn't seem to accomplish anything, nor did trying to pull the mystery appendage off his backside. It merely hurt, and proved frustrating. Before he could damage himself or freak out too much, Tex stopped Mark with a wall of pudge, and placed two thick hands down on the fellows shoulders.

"Calm down. This might be confusing to you, but you'll be fine. Most of us went through this ourselves, at some point. How did you think we got a ship full of creatures in the first place? You did after all sign up to be one of us."

Mark stopped struggling and thought the matter over, realizing that he had not even begun to think about how most of these strange and wonderful creatures had come to be. Were they all former humans? Had they all been transformed into what they were now after staying with the Carnival? It was definitely a strange set of thoughts to be having.

His revery was interrupted when his shoes suddenly exploded off his feet, revealing four toed paws with blunted claws to boot. He felt like he was going into shock, and likely was, due to the speed of the changes. Tex and Larry both thought it would be a good idea to simply sit down, relax, and ride it out. So they sat there close by, one hand each on the fellows shoulders, doing their best to help him through it. Larry also placed a short and quiet call to Parker, letting him know that the changes were happening very quickly indeed.

As the trio sat and relaxed, contemplating the bubble plants, Mark looked down to see his hands stretch out into larger versions of themselves, absorbing a finger and gaining small claws as well on the thick digits. He could still move them around well enough, though they felt oversized and ungainly. Still, he was nimble enough to scratch one of the friendly plants without damaging it, and received a plethora of happy noises for his trouble.

Parker slithered around a large hedge sometime later, and noticed the group sitting there, nodding with approval. Mark had continued to change, and now looked like a freak of nature. Pinkish human skin covered a fat tail, large feet, hands, and the beginnings of a snout starting to push out from the obviously frightened mans face. But, he was dealing with it as calmly as he could. It looked as if he didn't have long to go now, as his body continued to reshape and distort as everyone watched. All at once it stopped, leaving everyone somewhat confused.

Then, as soon as it had ended, Mark began to vibrate rapidly and felt his mind grow quite foggy indeed. He blacked out just as his hide practically exploded outwards, putting on a good deal of height, making him a good 2.3 meters in height, or as tall as Tex and Larry respectively. His features thickened up, limbs growing more muscular to fit with his engorged hands and feet. Even his tail grew larger, becoming a thick implement indeed that twitched around randomly. Parker rather liked that new portion of his anatomy, that much was clear.

Scales erupted from darkening skin, and the snout stretched out longer into a very reptilian shape indeed, with big eye ridges and what would likely be large eyes as well. A mess of body hair was left strewn about the simulated landscape, likely to be swept up later once it was all turned off. In the place of what had been a human being the night before, a tall, fairly well built lizard passed out on the ground. One huge intake of breath through flared nostrils indicated that he was indeed alive, and a sharp exhale from his face left his mouth hanging open, with tongue lulled out to one side. It was thick, and a nice shade of blue, revealing his new species to be that of a blue tongued skink. Parker smiled and wriggled about, pleased that there was not only a new reptile on board, but that he had also won the betting pool. He turned to Tex and Larry, grinning proudly and displaying his fangs.

"Well, that was fun. It looks like he'll be alright. If you can mange it, why don't you two carry him back to his bunk. He'll likely sleep this all off for the rest of the day, if not longer. Keep some food nearby too, as he'll likely be ready to eat the furniture when he wakes up. I know I was, after the change."

Larry nodded, and slapped his Pachyderm friend on his large belly, throwing the fellow a grin.

"And if he's anything like Tex here, he'll eat way more than that."

Everyone had a laugh, then went about their business. Parker went off to spread the news and collect his winnings, while Tex and Larry managed to pick up the sleeping lizard between them, casting off his ruined clothes. They didn't mind his naked form, as anything worth mention was currently tucked away securely behind scale lined lumps of flesh. Besides, they were anything but prudes.

They left the large lizard belly down on his bed, and slapped a blanket over him for good measure. Water and various food bars were left on a table nearby, and that was that. They turned off the lights, and shut the door. Then with a shrug, they went back about their duties. Nothing to do now but wait and see how Mark was doing whenever he woke up. It took a few days to get used to the new you, so to speak. Practically everyone on board had gone through it at one point or another during their lives, some farther back than others. The story of their ship was quite a long one to tell, should anyone want to sit down and hear it. Perhaps they'd write it all down someday, outside their own private computer systems, anyways.

No doubt it would be a best seller.

Chapter 4: Scales and Tales

Late in the afternoon a day later, one large scale rimmed eyelid snapped open, and a plus sized orange eye within slowly came into focus. Smacking reptilian lips together, and running a very blue tongue over the lot, the owner of it all sat up with a groan, and looked about the room. It was most definitely his room alright, just as he'd left it. A quick sniff with one nostril however indicated a change, further confirmed by swinging his large head over to a side table.

"Yep, that is food alright."

As if on command, Mark found his belly sending out an uproar of hungry growling, loud enough to likely be heard a deck below. Slapping a wide paw over his pudgy mid-section, the creature reached out and grabbed the pitcher of water and plate of food bars, and devoured the lot. It seemed to fill the hole for the time being, and solved one problem. The next one was slightly more pressing, worsened somewhat by the added pressure of food and drink in his guts.

Hopping off the bed, Mark clumsily scampered down the hall to the washroom facility, completely ignoring the fact that he was nude. There he found a stall, sat, and relieved himself with the most contented of sighs. Upon reaching the sink, he finally caught sight of his now rather large and scale covered hands, and held them up for further inspection. They were a tan colour, mixed with bits of yellow and orange, like a cob of corn. Stripes of black ran up his arms, and by the looks of it ran just about everywhere else, minus his sandy coloured belly. Finally he looked up into the mirrors over the sink, and marvelled at it all. He had definitely filled out, and up too by the looks of it. He was tall, scaly, and handsome, to those who liked plus sized bipedal reptiles, anyways. The memories of his rapid transformation came flooding back, making him wobbly on his feet.

Steadying himself against the wall, he ran a leathery palmed hand over his scaly side, and grunted. He felt positively filthy, which he probably was. Laying around on the deck while he changed, covered in fibres from burst work clothing, then being passed out for who knows how long. Plus he hadn't even had his evening shower the day prior. Fortunately this was one issue he could remedy himself, without assistance.

The shower stalls were empty, which suited him fine at the moment. He was able to step into two lovely streams of warm water, coming out of a set of shower heads angled in his direction. What appeared to be a stiff brush did wonders in scrubbing the grime off his scales, and even polishing them a bit. Sitting down, he let his hands wander over his new hide as he cleaned it all off, making sure everything was still there. Certain parts were just where he left them, while others had moved around and hidden themselves in a handy pouch of sorts.

Then there was his rather wide tail, which flopped at his side and wagged about on command. That was definitely a new feature. All in all, he was curiously accepting of his new situation, though he still meant to talk to one or more people about it. It was quite the surprise to change species without any warning. Then again, it was quite the surprise to suddenly find work aboard an airship with a travelling carnival of creatures and monsters.

Life had a funny way of tossing you off the rails.

Shower done, he marvelled at how the water simply beaded up on his scaly hide, and was very easily removed with a towel. Plus, there was no body hair to fuss with anymore, that was a plus. Assuming one wasn't attached to their hair-style of choice, anyways. With a grunt, he lumbered back to his bunk, looking down to watch his oversized feet. He'd have to work on his balance, and spacial awareness. Within the bunk, he found that all his old clothing was far too small to wear.

On the back of the door however, some helpful individual had hung a bag filled with a few things. There were jumbo sized shirts, shorts, even a kilt, and other assorted items. He settled on some black cargo shorts that had an adjustable hole in the back for tails, and a matching black vest with pockets. The vest was left open, as it felt too tight around his chest.

Looking at himself in the mirror once more, he shrugged, and deemed the outfit acceptable.

"Well Mark, you aren't going to win any beauty pageants. But this should keep anyone from staring."

His wall clock chimed once and signalled that it was now 6pm. That meant dinner would be ready in the galley, which suited him fine. A quick mental probe down to his stomach was received by a firm growl, signalling that he did indeed require more food. Eggs would be nice, as would toast. And baked beans, and whatever else was edible.

Stomping along the metal floors of the ship, he passed a few others milling around work stations, and returned any nods or waves tossed in his direction. No doubt everyone knew who he was, seeing as word travelled fast in a closed community such as this. When he entered the dining area, and cheer went up from dozens of people, all whom were standing there waiting for him. He was surrounded within minutes, and subject to many people poking and prodding, and getting a good look at the new lizard aboard ship.

Larry and Tex came over to pound him on the back and welcome him to the family, so to speak, and pointed at they had saved him a spot at their table for dinner.

"Thanks you guys. I'll be over once I load up a tray. Or three."

Many laughed, remembering how hungry they were before and after the change. And in some cases, how much their appetites had changed, if some of the rather fat creatures aboard ship were any indication. Parker slithered over and gave the big lizard a good looking over, nodding his head with appreciation the whole time.

"My my, you've certainly filled out nicely."

Mark had the good graces to swish his tail around, and roll his eyes.

"Letch. My eyes are up here."

Still more laughed, Parker included, and he went back to his dinner happily weaving back and forth as he went. The snake really did like his fellow reptiles. Delos came close enough to poke Mark on one shoulder, and lean over to talk quietly.

"Come see me after you've had something to eat. No doubt you have many questions, among other points of conversation. I'll be in my office."

With that, Mark was finally able to head to the buffet, and came back with a tray stacked high with whatever looked tasty. Sitting down with Larry and Tex, he began to stuff his face rather happily, using a serving spoon to better facilitate food transfer between plate and snout. Larry eyed how much the big lizard was tucking away, but made no comment, and merely watched after finishing his own meal.

When Tex got up for seconds, Mark joined him, and was soon shovelling things down in gullet in time with the overfed pachyderm. Seconds turned to thirds, and eventually to fourths, Tex by this point simply eating to try and keep up with the hungry lizard. He had an image to maintain, after all. Both their bellies were squishing over the edge of the sturdy tables, Tex more than Marks of course, seeing as he had years of over eating to catch up on in comparison to the fat rhino. By the time they waddled back to their table with fifths, a small crowd had gathered to cheer on the food battle. Mark felt full, but he also felt like he had room, so he kept on eating.

Tex finally threw in the towel and leaned back to belch thunderously and groan, rubbing his engorged stomach with both hands. Mark meanwhile flashed a toothy grin, and finished his fifth tray of food, then had desert. A cheer went up as he finished a whole pie all by himself, and sipped coffee. The food gorged lizard had to sit sideways on the bench, as his gut stuck out a full meter in-front of himself. Some part of his mind recoiled over what he'd just done to himself, but the rest of him didn't care. He was hungry, so he ate. If all these other people could be jumbo sized monsters, then he could to!

Tex laughed and performed a little mock bow to Mark as they walked out of the dining area some time later, splitting up to take care of various things. The fat lizard had to hold his shorts up to prevent them slipping off entirely, as his drooping and rather round dome of a belly made doing them up properly rather impossible. Eventually he managed to get them buttoned and zipped up again under his engorged gut, and waddled along to the front of the ship, to speak with Delos.

The inflatable dragon was waiting for him in his office, and had to take a good long look at the rather stuffed nature of Mark's belly once the lizard wandered in. Snickering, Delos playfully offered the fellow a plate of cookies and some coffee.

Mark thought about accepting, but shook his head no and belched thunderously, blushing somewhat at his rather insane display of over eating.

"No thanks, Delos. I think I'll be able to get by on what I've got here, for the time being."

Smirking, the big dragon patted the shorter lizard on his well developed belly, and went over to a big sofa to sit down.

"So! I bet you've got all sorts of questions. Ranging from 'why me?' to 'what the hell?' and even possibly 'why didn't you tell me this would happen?'."

Mark blinked, and nodded. Those were indeed the questions on his mind. Obvious Delos had done this before.

"Well let me clear a few things up for you. This happened to you because you chose to be here, plain and simple. You were presented with the reality of the situation, and given some time to adjust to the idea of living with a bunch of monsters. You decided this was the life for you, so here you are. Next, how did this happen? Well, we're all technically magical creatures, and you are now as well. After deciding to stay, a little bit of old, old magic kicked in, making you into one of us, quite literally. There's an old story behind all that, which I'll go into later. Finally, why didn't we tell you? Simple! You, like so many others, had a hard enough time coming to grips with the fact that we creatures even existed in the first place, let alone the idea of staying with us. If we had also told you that staying around meant changing into a different species, you would have run for the hills. Worse, you probably would have told others about us. Sure, most wouldn't believe you, but some might. And really, we can't have much of that. There are rules to follow, you see."

Mark could only nod. It did make sense, after all. They needed new talent, and they were just honest enough to keep him around, while letting the potentially freaky stuff show up when it was too late to change his mind rashly. Folks had trouble with change, after all. Well, most did, anyways. Delos went on to explain many other things for the next little while, and it all proved to be quite interesting.

This particular carnival had been around in one form or another for several centuries, even as far back as the 15th century if you believed certain stories and such. Not much was written down about the carnival back then, which was merely a travelling fare at the time. But according to legend, at one point they just been an ordinary band of human beings, setting up shop outside of towns, and selling their goods. One day however, a strange being all wrapped up in robes and a hood had joined the travelling band, whom generally accepted anyone. There was some concern that whomever it was, he might be carrying some form of disease. He displayed no signs of being sick however, so he was allowed to continue on with the group. Besides, he had his own horse and carriage, so that worked out for everyone.

One night however, some of the labourers thought they'd peek into the strangers tent, and saw a monster without his robes on. They ran screaming to the rest of the camp, and announced that they had a demon in their midst. He of course was not a demon, merely a creature of some sort. There were much of them in the world back then, some hiding, some trying to still live in society. But the humans would have none of it, clinging to hateful beliefs that deemed the creatures of the world to be horrible monsters, fit only to be killed at the end of the sword.

The band of loons managed to capture whomever it was before he could flee, and did their best to burn him at the stake.

It was a shameful period in world history.

Unfortunately for them, the fellow was a magic user of sorts, and uttered curses even as he went up in a puff of purple smoke. There was no ash, no corpse, not even the remains of clothing. Whomever or whatever it was, the fellow as just gone. Many hope that he survived, and merely transported himself elsewhere. But the curse was cast, and the magic went to work in a hurry. Screams echoed through the night bestial and savage, as everyone in the camp transformed into some sort of beast, from werewolf to dragon.

Much like the beast they had attempted to burn, they enshrouded themselves with robes, and did their best to hide. It is unknown if the travelling fair went on from that point forward, or if they hid for a while getting used to their new lives as beasts, cursed by forces they did not understand. What is known however, is that eventually the lot became a sort of mobile exhibition, with robe wearing members showing off "mindless beasts" in cages, for audiences. The transformed members of the crew took turns being the beasts in cages, and subjected themselves to being gawked at, poked with sticks, and fed horrible scraps of food.

The curse didn't stop with them, either. Whenever somebody new was brought into the group, they too transformed into a beast. After a few generations however, it was merely normal, and even enjoyed by the travelling group. They moved around the old world, and eventually most of Europe, never staying in one place for too long. They became like many other bands of that time, displaying "freaks" or "monsters", or whatever else they were called at the time. Sometimes they did magic tricks, turning a perfectly normal robe wearing individual into a creature, then back again. Sometimes the audience would catch on that something was wrong, but most would just think it all an elaborate trick, and happily turn over their coins for the show.

And so the group moved on, and the world moved on around them. Magical creatures had already begun leaving the planet by that point, going somewhere else entirely, to a new world without human beings to worry about. Pretty soon only a handful of die-hard survivalist monsters were out and about in the world, plus the carnival. New laws were put in place on this new world of theirs, saying that creatures could no-longer stay on Earth, as it wasn't safe. Besides, the humans needed room to grow without the forces of magic getting in the way. It was not something they commonly understood, or could even work with.

The carnival however was allowed to stay, so long as they kept in line, and did their best to keep secret. If a person ever retired from the carnival, they would be picked up by the proper authorities, and brought to their new home. As technology improved, they went from people tending horses and buggies, to folks driving trucks and even a train at one point. Now they had their trusty airship, and that suited them fine. Some people had been around for over a century now, and others several decades. Nobody was in a hurry to leave, as barely any of them had seen this other world, and they were in no hurry to leave.

Vacations there cost a lot of money, and the waiting list was rather long indeed. So, most new arrivals simply worked, until they felt it was time to go. There might be some point in the future where the carnival had to close up shop for good, but that was then. Besides, even if they did all have to leave, they'd likely keep doing what they were doing over on the new world. The show must go on, as always.

As Delos finished his story, he looked over to see Mark helping himself to the coffee and various snacks, laughing at the hungry lizard.

"Don't worry, your appetite will calm down after a few days."

Mark chuckled, and sat down on the couch once more, snacking away and offering some of the treats to Delos, whom helped himself to a nice looking danish.

"Good to know, Delos. And that was quite a story. So there's a whole other world out there, full of people like us. That certainly would be quite a thing to see for myself. I can see why you all need to keep it a secret. No doubt humanity, even with its current easygoing nature, would likely find this all very strange indeed. Is contact ever going to be made again?"

Delos shrugged his large shoulders, and leaned back with a faint squeak.

"No idea. I'm just a carnival operator, not some elected official. I heard something once about a strict no-contact policy until humans found us via space travel, or something. It might be something to worry about in a few centuries. I'm more worried about how the next city will respond to our brand of entertainment, and how bloody hot it is getting in the southern parts of the world. Folks will start moving further north, at this rate."

Chuckling, Mark sat back to relax, and enjoy his snack. He felt as if a whole new portion of reality had been shown to him, and that was quite apt. He had a place amongst a lot of rather interesting people, a brand new body to explore, and likely a lot of time on his hands. Curious about that last thought, he turned his head to Delos.

"So, how long have you been with the Carnival?"

Delos did a little mental math, then grunted.

"One hundred and thirty two years, give or take a few months. Oh, I should probably mention that most of us are rather long loved. I think Parker has been here for about seventy. Your friends, Tex and Larry have been around for a few dozen years, now. Hell, I'll probably still be running this show for a while longer. You yourself might even be around when we're all forced to move the show off planet, one way or another."

Mark stared, then realized that judging age on what appeared to be an animate inflatable toy was rather useless. He accepted the estimated figures as facts, and was left with another fun possibility. Would be live to be that old? Or older still? And still appear young, capable, and still be amused? It was most definitely a delightful notion.

Eventually their evening came to a close, and Mark was left with all the answers he needed for the time being. His new reality was what it was, and that was good enough for the time being. All too soon he hauled his food bloated hide to bed, and couldn't help but smirk as the structure groaned under his increased weight.

He had work to do in the morning, no doubt, so he very happily got some sleep.

His future awaited.

Epilogue

Life, as it had a habit of doing, went on. The carnival circled the globe several times, and always managed to provide just the right kind of entertainment for whatever city or town it landed at. The world was growing technologically in leaps and bounds, much to the delight of many.

A settlement broke ground on Mars, and full scale mining of asteroids was underway. Several members of the airship crew retired, and left Earth to make a new life for themselves on another planet. As intended, Mark continued with research and development in holographic simulator domes, and eventually built an entirely new system for the ship, that allowed for more things displayed in larger areas. It allowed them to upgrade the domes to even larger ones, producing huge landscapes that far more people could enjoy at once.

The new system was patented through a small company the carnival used to manage their electronic savings, and royalty payments soon started to fill their coffers for future projects. Many of the senior staff saw the continued development of all the humans around them, and thought that within a few years they might want to further alter their operation. Plans were set in motion to research and design space station components, as well as ship parts, so they could move their Carnival off world entirely. A focus was made on being able to land parts of the ship, if not all of it, so they could bring the entertainment where it was needed. Until certain off-world outposts really picked up their production, it wouldn't be viable to expect the citizens to come up to them.

Still, that was a problem for the far future. Most people off planet were far too worried with mining, or building habitats to worry about something as trivial as a Carnival passing through town. Mark and his friends had many good times together, and drifted in and out of various relationships. Not many people were "married" aboard ship, so to speak, as everyone generally considered everyone else to be family. Everyone was your husband, your wife, your partner, your friend with benefits. It was a system that worked well enough for all on board, and managed to not overly complicate things.

After all, they had to work with one another too.

Mark grew used to his new form over the years, and found that his appetite stabilized within a few weeks. Still, if he really wanted to, he could eat Tex under the table. Workouts at the gym with Larry left him looking like a blacksmith of old, with thick musclebound limbs, and a large round dome of a gut sticking out from it all. The build suited him fine, and he was always eager to show it off to others.

Over the years, tastes changed, technology improved, and business moved up and down. There were seasons where nobody wanted to bother with something so mundane as a bunch of carnival simulations, and others where the whole retro scene was in demand. Simulator tech had improved so that anyone could have a system in their own homes that matched or even rivalled what they had on ship, even with constant improvements.

The Carnival tried different things, offered different experiences, and even set up shop in a fixed location for a while, to try and make a more permanent name for themselves. Still, it just didn't seem like they could compete anymore. There were others like them hawking digital experiences on the planet now, though it was highly doubtful they were actually monsters themselves. And even these impostors eventually folded up, and went to go do something else.

A decision was ultimately made through community meeting aboard ship, to try one last effort at getting their business up and running again. Should it fail, they would all have to retire off world. Not a horrible thing in its own right, but they wanted to keep doing what they were good at. Money was spent, plans were drafted, and years later a simple yet effective space ship was launched from a ship yard orbiting the Earth, bound for Mars. Their old airship was sold for scrap, and everyone whom decided to come along was packed in tight to the modified colony ship, with all the new tech they could bring.

A few people chose to retire rather than leave for Mars, but not much. There was still more than enough to go on. After the long journey to the red planet, the crew landed in a large swarm of pods, and proceeded to work via a lot of remote control machines. No pressure suits could be ordered to fit most of their huge frames, and barely anyone was the sort that could go outside into the raw martian atmosphere without getting killed pretty quick.

After much remote labour, they finished their work, and flicked the lights on, literally and figuratively. A fair sized transparent dome held food production and atmosphere supporting machines, plus a lot of nice living arrangements for the crew. This was all tinted on the low portions of the dome for privacy, so folks could be out and about as they were, without anyone noticing. One massive pressurized simulation dome sprouted out from the living dome, which was used to create a wonderful fantasy environment, filled with every kind of wonder people would come to expect from this particular venue.

Rather than individual domes filled with many things, they instead had a small outpost with things to do and eat within the dome, then a huge wilderness filling the rest, to wander and explore, or to partake in adventure games. It suited the nearby residents of the primary martian colony, whom always came over for a break every now and again. They were less up to date on fads or high technology than Earth, so the slightly dated systems of the new Carnival did not bother them.

All good things must come to an end however, and they finally did for the Carnival. A good number of years later, their base on Mars was turned off, and everyone was transported off planet in a swirling puff of purple smoke. The abandoned dome was eventually broken up for scrap, and used to continue developing the martian colony. Nobody even questioned where the band of entertainers had gone off to.

With the Carnival broken, and no more humans being brought into the fold, the old curse was finally lifted at long last. In their new home, many found different things to do with their lives, but others continued the traditions, and simply started up a new travelling Carnival. They wandered this new land, selling things of interest, making tasty food, providing amusing games to play, and even letting people ride around on a truly giant sized inflatable dragon. For a small fee, of course.

Mark, Tex, Larry, Delos, and Parker all stayed with the carnival, for as long as anyone could remember. At the end of they day, they shared a motto with the rest of the crew, that kept them going even in the worst of times.

"The show must go on."

The End.

-Tombfyre 2012