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Rise of Dragons - Part 2

As it had been many times in the past, it was once again "morning" on the Titan colony. The light level hadn't changed much while everyone was sleeping, and it likely wouldn't for a few days yet. But such was how things were on their converted moon. The day did bring one change for a resident of the colony, namely a freshly transformed inflatable dragon by the name of Simon.

Instead of waking up flat on his back with the covers still in one place as was typical, he woke up with a snuffling snort, flopped sideways with various assets rather exposed. Huffing out a sigh, he was surprised to see a waft of purple smoke exit his snout. Blinking with confusion, he glanced down to see that he was indeed still a balloon of a dragon, still quite bottom heavy, and that he'd apparently drooled all over his pillow in his sleep.

Curiously enough, it would appear that such a drastic life change might just take some getting used to.

Yawning wide, and stretching with a squeak, Simon dragged his shiny hide up and out of the mess of covers, and stumbled out into his main living space. This time he turned himself sideways to shuffle through the door, as his engorged frame just wasn't going to fit through straight on. Repeating the process, he managed to stuff himself into the washroom, and was soon enjoying a quick shower.

Warm water and ample scrubbing bubbles served to completely rouse the sleepy dragon from his slumber, and before long he was drying off in-front of the mirror once more. He wasn't so shocked to see his own reflection this time around, and spun about in place a few times to get a better look at himself.

He was still a lovely shade of shiny orange from snout to tail, minus his darker brown horns and such. His hips and rump were quite large, and his tail was enormous. He was still sporting a taut belly, puffed up chest, and very thick limbs. Combined with a large neck, big head, and package sticking out obscenely from under his gut, he made for quite the sight. Glancing down at his southern assets once more, he blushed a tad, and wondered just how he was going to set foot out of the house like this? Balloon dragon or not, they'd likely lock him up for carrying an unregistered weapon. Perhaps some kind of squeaky bludgeon.

An idea sprang to mind that might help out there, but it would have to wait. He felt something akin to a stomach growl, and realized that it was time for breakfast. Bounding into the main room, he busied himself in the kitchen, scrounging up what provisions he had left. A few eggs and some bread were quickly turned into french toast, with a meagre side of fruit. With that, his supplies were exhausted. It didn't help that he'd eaten a few days of food the night before. It would have to do, if only take the edge off.

The snack of a meal vanished down his seemingly hollow gullet with minimal effort or time wasted, and he tossed the dishes for recycling. Rumbling with satisfaction, be got to work on part two of his day. Squishing back into his bedroom, he gathered up spare sheets and blankets, and got to work. It was difficult, trying to measure himself on the fly, but he did the best he could. With a few folds, some spare fabric adhesive, and a scavenged clasp from an old coat, he had success! It was messy, it seemed somewhat lop-sided, but it was most definitely a kilt of sorts. And better still, it could get it closed around his fat waist, and drape it over his tail and naughty bits.

It would do the trick, for now.

Feeling quite pleased with himself, he soon felt something else entirely, namely warm and somewhat fuzzy. Panting, and blushing somewhat, he began to hear a somewhat familiar hissing noise. Once more, his vision distorted somewhat as his perspective altered, and he felt his squeaky hide filling up even larger. It was quite clear now that he was ballooning with air, and he was beginning to suspect that food was doing it.

Grunting, and panting, he tried to squeeze at his own belly as it stretched out even further, and his height increased. He must have been at least partially successful, as his upwards assent seemed to gradually slow to a stop, leaving him flopped against his bed feeling both pleasured and relieved. At least his kilt hadn't popped off, though it felt tighter than it had a moment ago. Huffing out another curious cloud of purple smoke as he stood up again, he wobbled on larger feet while he tried to find his balance, and forced his way back out into his living space. A quick look around definitely confirmed he was larger than usual, and a quick measurement up against a shelf gave him an approximate figure in his head.

He was at least 50 centimetres taller than he'd been that morning, putting him well above the average even for folks on the Titan colony. Puffing out more smoke, he decided to relax and mentally prep himself for the day ahead. From the growl in what passed for his guts, he figured he needed more food. But he didn't want to swell out of control... at least not at the moment. He had to go to work, after all. Surely that wouldn't be too big of a deal, or at least so he thought. He mostly worked alone, and all that really mattered was what his ID card said. He'd of course have to register his new biometrics with the city, but that could be done later.

Making sure his identification was still pinned to his makeshift kilt, Simon took a deep calming breath, and went out the door. Mere moments later, he was quite stuck in the door-frame, trying not to bump his head. Grumbling to himself, he managed to push his way back into the apartment, and attempted to turn through. It was a struggle, but he managed, practically dragging his ballooned hide through the door with many the squeak. What with the sound dampening included in modern buildings, it was no surprise that people didn't come looking for the source of all the noise.

Huffing, he closed up his unit behind him, and tromped down the hallway, carefully making his way down the stairs. He passed a woman heading the other direction, who yelped and got out of the way of his ample hide. She didn't look too closely at him, but chose to hurry along and head up the stairs. Simon frowned a tad at the response, but he wasn't exactly sure how he'd have replied in the same situation. Fortunately he had no troubles exiting the double doors at the front of the building, that led him out into a public plaza.

There were many small trees, bushes, and other things to break up sight lines, so the various folks wandering around doing their thing didn't really catch sight of him. At least not immediately. He'd decided to take the long way to work, first walking further into town to pick up a few things, then swinging out to the parkland and green belt. His target was a little automated market in the centre of the plaza, filled with a plethora of vending machines. The odd individual was milling about, but they were all too engrossed in their purchases to pay much attention to an oversized squeaky balloon dragon in their midst.

Simon began to wonder if this would be easier than he'd previously thought.

A swipe of his ID badge upon credit readers automatically deducted funds from his accounts, as he roamed squeaky fingers over displays and made his selections. First, a heavy cloth bag was spat out of one machine, and quickly loaded up with instant food from several others. A few beverages were added for good measure, and finally he accessed a machine that helped to create custom clothing. Tapping out a few commands, the big fellow stepped back onto a circle projected on the ground, and had his measurements taken. Digital photographs and complex software went together to form a 3D mesh of his new body, nozzles and all.

The software didn't seem to care that he was so large and well rounded, though the next machine over chimed in that perhaps meal-replacement diet beverages were in order? Everyone it seemed, even automated shopping systems, was a critic. The clothing machine mapped his frame within moments, and asked what exactly he wanted. He selected a pair of shorts, and spent a few minutes convincing the software that there was indeed supposed to be a hole at the back for his ample tail. It suggested a highly stretchy fabric made out of various synthetic rubbers and plastics, and Simon couldn't help but agree. The result was a shiny looking set of black cargo shorts, with ample pockets. The displays indicated they were quite stretchy, but would only stretch so far.

A few more taps on the screen approved the purchase of 3 copies, all slightly larger than the last. Just in-case. Due to the need for excess fabric, he was informed that his purchases would arrive at his home later in the day. That done, he turned around, bag of goodies in tow, and found himself facing a line of curious onlookers, and even a security officer. The officer gestured to big fellows bag of goodies, then waved a tablet at the rest of him.

"What's in the bag, son?"

Seeing no harm in being honest, Simon took a step forward and opened the bag up, showing all the instant food and snacks within.

"Just some groceries. Is there a problem, officer?"

Everyone was looking at him curiously, and it was clear that they were trying to determine exactly what they were looking at. Was he in some super realistic costume? Many such things had been made over the years, even out here on the Titan colony. It could be a mixture of holographic projection and suit, or just a super detailed skin-suit with all the latest artificial muscles and support structures. Or they could really be looking at a large balloon dragon in an ill-fitting kilt, if one were to believe in such things.

Evidently a comforting lie was easier to grasp on to, as the guard eventually relaxed and shrugged.

"No, no problems here. You just surprised everyone with that getup of yours. Must be one crazy party you went to, or are still attending. Take care not to alarm everyone in the future, if at all possible."

Simon could only nod, as the guard broke up the crowd, and everyone went about their business. Huffing out a sigh, and noting the purple tinge to his exhalations, he decided that haste might be a good idea. Tromping off, he only got a few happy smiles, or the odd stare for his trouble, as he made his way out to the green belt. It was still early yet, so he decided to relax in the park for a while, out of the public eye. A tree looked like a good enough place to rest, and he flopped down against it with a squeak. Rattling his bag around, he decided that a second breakfast was in order, and began rooting around for something to stuff his face with.

After all, it was always a good idea to keep the tank filled up.

Cartons were opened up and set down to warm themselves one after another, and Simon couldn't help but smile down at the curling streams of steam escaping the internal liners of the instant food packs. Whichever brilliant individual had come up with the self-heating frozen meal packs deserved a pat on the back. Within moments he had more eggs, sausage, oatmeal, and applesauce than he'd commonly know what to do with. In his current state however, things were much more clear.

Using the cutlery strapped to the side of the containers, he scooped one delightful entree down his gullet after the other, and soon built up a growing stack of empty containers. Slurping some instant tea to wash it all down, he lazed back against the bark of the tree, and sighed out a very dense gout of purple smoke. Smirking at it as it drifted by and faded into the air, he pondered just what he was going to do with himself in the long run. No doubt he was going to have a long conversation with the city government before long.

Huffing and grunting, Simon looked down at his engorged gut, and gave it a wobble. As if on queue, he began to hear a hissing noise once more, and blushed brightly as his hide began to expand yet again. Focusing, he remembered stopping his bloat earlier, and worked hard to try and get himself to cease ballooning out of control. Something must have clicked this time, because as soon as the process had started, it shut off. Sighing with relief, he mulled on the odd sensations in his mind, and tried to see what would happen if he relaxed the desire not to self-inflate. Sure enough, he began to hiss and bloat again, stretching up taller and wider from some internal source.

Huffing out quite a gout of his coloured smoke, he focused and got it to stop again, then just as easily got it going once more. With a few more spurts of growth and bloat, he began to understand it like flexing a muscle. He decided to stop for now, as his kilt was straining and creaking, and not hiding much of anything down south anymore. Grunting, he couldn't help but smile to himself, and gave his full-figured hide a good hug. Lazing there, squeaking and enjoying himself, he nearly lost track of time. With a squeak, he decided it must be getting on in the morning, and busied himself gathering his things.

Before long he set off down the garden path once more, and all too soon arrived at his destination. Pausing only to toss his empty food containers in the recycling bins, he walked by a few surprised looking co-workers, and went about his business. His locker was just where he left it, though it seemed quite a lot smaller than it had been a day before. It still opened up when he waved his ID badge at it, so that was a good sign at least. With his bag of goodies tucked away in the metal box, he settled in for his shift, which wasn't all that long in the grand scheme of things.

Most people only worked 20 to 30 hours a week, as automation had drastically increased productivity. Wages were still good, prices were relatively low, and their colony economy was stable. Most of the real money was made selling natural resources to the other colonies, and to Earth itself. This large credit buildup was used to pay for basic services, communication, and to generally keep costs down for the citizens. Things worked much the same everywhere else, these days. The only reason they still used a credit system at all, was that market research showed that most people weren't quite ready for a fully moneyless society. They'd tried it a few times in test cities back on Earth, and too many people got lazy, and didn't contribute back to society as a whole.

The good news was that each time they've tested it out since, things had gotten better. Pretty soon such a system might work, with even more leisure time for each individual as automation increased.

For now however, the system they had worked for everyone, even for big balloon dragons. Simon was finding it surprisingly easy to keep doing his job as well as he'd done it before, minus perhaps bumping into things from time to time. Heavy trays were no problem, and his fat fingers still worked just fine on touch-pad controls and manual switches. Green leafy things were still growing without much outside assistance, even with a somewhat unusual caretaker at the helm. The big fellow found himself wagging his tail as he worked, thumping it up against things and producing much the same sound as an air filled ball being bounced along pavement.

A few of his co-workers stopped by as he was pausing for a break, and caught sight of the rather oversized fellow sitting on a box, munching packets of cakes and cookies, and drinking pouches of tea. Simon was feeling entirely too pleased with the world to really care about their curious stares, and welcomed them in with a wide sweep of one thick arm. He puffed out streams of purple smoke as they approached, and opened up his bag of goodies to offer them some.

"Hello you guys. Welcome to my little corner of the greenhouse. Come on in, have a snack. I don't bite. Or at least, I haven't yet."

Somehow managing to look both sheepish and amused, the trio found their own boxes to sit on, and gathered around their fellow worker. They noted his ID badge, as if that was confirmation enough as to who this was before them. As they reached into the bag and helped themselves to beverages and snacks, they looked up into the broad orange face of the squeaky dragon, and tried to make sense of it all.

Nobody really had much to say, though all of them did poke and prod at Simon's orange squeaky hide from time to time, making him wriggle. The subject of his appearance didn't come up much, minus one of his co-workers complementing him on his healthy life choices and positive self expression. Apparently they had decided this was an elaborate costume, or something of that nature. The truth would likely come out sooner or later, so Simon let them have their comfortable views for the time being.

He caught one of them wafting his smokey emissions away at one point, and could have sworn he briefly saw a large squeaky looking hand waving through the smoke, if only for the blink of an eye. Focusing, he got the flow of smoke to stop too, and they all looked relieved. He hadn't even realized he was smoking the place out, with his mirth. It was yet another thing he'd have to get used to, by the looks of it. He pondered the odd sight he'd seen, and snapped back to reality when the trio got up to leave.

They thanked him for the snacks, and went on their way. He didn't catch any more strange sights as they exited, and he huffed out a big sigh as the somewhat awkward situation came to a close. The huge burst of smoke he huffed out made him jump somewhat, and he clomped his hands over his snout, the rest of it all firing out of his nostrils. As before, it all eventually wafted away in the air, leaving him somewhat confused as to its purpose. No doubt he'd find out eventually.

Shrugging, he put away the last of his snacks and got back to work. His shift was nearly over, and he might as well earn his credits. All too soon he was happily busy with tending plants once more, humming some nameless tune to himself, and squeaking his hide around. Strange days or not, he was at least enjoying himself. And at the end of the day, that was all that mattered in life. Or at least, it was definitely a healthy attitude to have!

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Simon came wandering back out from the greenhouses, and set off down the path that would take him back to his place. He pondered over his recently expanded bulk for what was quite possibly the hundredth time that day, and wondered if he'd fit through the door anymore. Considering how much of a squeeze it had been to exit in the first place, he began to doubt it. Looking back over his shoulder, his wings caught his attention, causing him to pause and tap on his elongated chin in thought.

Glancing up at his building, mere metres away by this point, and his elevated balcony, a plan of action began to form. He was a dragon, and he had wings. Why not try to fly? The gravity was low, the air was thick, and he felt light enough for a giant pile of rubber. Smirking, he figured if nothing else he wouldn't be injured if he missed. A year before, when he'd just been a normal citizen of the Colony, he'd jumped off the balcony and landed with no more than a slight twinge in one ankle. In hindsight it had been stupid, but at least he didn't have to worry about getting out of the place in a hurry.

Giving his wings an experimental flap, he took a few bounding steps, and bounced right up into the air. Lacking any sort of experience whatsoever, his trajectory became more or less ballistic. Fortunately he'd aimed well, and he wound up more or less on target. Unfortunately, he slammed into his closed balcony doors, rebounded off the railing, and wound up head-first in a squeaking heap on the balcony itself. Collecting his wits, and attempting to extract his tail from the railing, he wondered if there was anywhere he could go for flight training.

Dusting himself off, he managed to get upright again, and was pleased to see no wounds or holes anywhere on his person. Glancing down below, he figured he'd try gliding gently next time, instead of trying to be a squeaky cruise missile. With a purple-tinged sigh, he spun about and waved his ID card near the doors, and heard them unlock with a faint click. At least he hadn't snapped his card, else things would have gotten even more interesting.

The double-doors slid open in either direction, creating a more than wide enough portal for him to enter through, even though he had to duck. He could feel his horns rubbing against the ceiling as he stood up inside his living room, and smirked. The ceilings were around 3 metres high, so apparently he was too now. Not bad, for a formerly average sized Titan colonist. He'd certainly prove to be a blip in the next census, that much was certain.

He was barely in the door when a whirring noise caught his attention outside, and he turned to see one of the local delivery drones coming in for a landing on his balcony. As its rotary blades came to a stop, it chimed for his attention, and projected a little display screen with his invoice. It was a small matter to step over, lean down, and accept his order with one thick finger tapping at the projection. The automated vehicle chirped once and released a parcel from its underside, then flashed a warning light. Stepping back inside, he smiled as the bot took off again and headed off to the local delivery centre, to be recharged and reloaded for another delivery. Simon stepped back out onto the balcony and watched it fly off, whirring up and over the various buildings. At least machines continued to not care that he was a balloon dragon.

Bending down, he grabbed his parcel and stepped back in, leaving the big double doors open for now. The fresh air was likely still good for him, after all. The box opened up easily enough, and out came his three orders of stretchy dragon shorts. He slipped on the smallest pair, and found that they just barely fit. In fact, they felt more like short-shorts on his rubbery frame, if not a thong.

Still, they would do for now. Whenever he figured himself out more, he could expand his wardrobe. He was just glad he could get them on with a minimum of effort. The scanning systems on the clothing creator had been quite accurate, that much was certain. Feeling a little more comfortable now that his unmentionables were tucked away, he decided to get some important business taken care of. Turning to face his wall screen, he turned it on with a wave, and spoke clearly to the built in microphones.

"I'd like to place a call to the city government, please. Registrations."

An animated smiley face popped up and winked at him in reply for asking so nicely, and was swiftly replaced by a comically ancient image of a ringing telephone. The call connected, and the face of a somewhat bored looking young agent appeared on screen. Said agent went into the usual data gathering enquiries before blinking with confusion, and sitting up very straight in his chair.

"Can I... Can I help you... sir?"

Simon smiled, exposing perhaps a few too many sharp looking teeth, before nodding his head with a slight bow for effect.

"My name is Simon. Citizen ID 0945981-G7X5209. Please allow me to present you my ID card for citizen verification."

With that he held up his ID badge, and heard the beep on the other end as his ID was logged. He was certain that his stated identity matched that of his card, though the photo on file was definitely out of date. Wrapped up in protocol, the agent appeared to be regaining his composure, as he nodded and tapped a few keys on his end.

"Very well... Simon. What is it we can help you with today?"

Simon waved a large hand at his ample frame, and did a slow turn in a circle, knowing full well his image was likely being recorded in full detail.

"I'd like to officially re-register myself with my current physical appearance. I know this is likely unheard of, but at least at the moment this is my new reality. This isn't a costume, a holographic field, or some elaborate prank. Due to some strange situation still beyond my understanding, I've been like this since yesterday. Multiple locals have seen my new appearance and can likely confirm it. I just... I just want to continue living here peacefully, doing my job, and trying to resume my life if at all possible."

He shut his snout firmly then, and sat down on his large beanbag couch. The whole thing could just barely fit him now, by the feel of it. The agent on screen looked concerned for a moment, then confused, and finally decided that this really was an official matter.

"Hold please." was all Simon got in reply, before the screen went blank, and was replaced by a prerecorded scene of a grassy meadow somewhere back on mother Earth. Minutes later he was still on hold, and he occupied himself with a secondary tablet screen, ordering groceries to be delivered right to his balcony. Watching his credit account dwindle, he decided that he should probably pick up a few more hours at work. He could certainly use it, if he was going to keep spending money like this.

It was a whole 20 minutes later when the screen finally flicked back to life, and Simon found himself facing a series of smaller windows all lined up together. It was a group call, to multiple higher ranking officials, by the looks of things. Unless his new eyes were playing tricks on him as well, the elected leader of the entire Titan colony was on the line too. Apparently balloon dragons were attention grabbing news.

One official or another chimed in first, giving the slightest of nods in greeting, before speaking.

"So... Simon is it? It seems like you've gotten our attention this evening. You claim this body you present us with is yours, and not a mere fabrication? We'll want some proof of this of course, via physical inspection rather than just a call. Video can be faked, after all. But for now, we'll take your claims as truthful. After all, what do you have to gain by deceiving us? How about you begin by telling us exactly what happened to you. It could be important..."

Seeing no reason not to, Simon went into his story. The walk home a mere day before, the golden statue, the booming voice from up above, the wind, the purple smoke, all of it. He covered the sudden and rapid transformation, how he was already comfortable in this new body as if he'd been born with it, and even his strange ability to blow himself up larger. The increasingly tolerant and accepting nature of humanity could be easily seen at that very moment, as they listened to his story with a minimum of personal bias, and no crazed denials of what they saw before them.

Occasionally the odd figure on screen would ask a question, and some time later folks began to drop off the line. Simon was left speaking to just one individual, namely the mayor of town. She had been picked to lead a few years back, and Simon had even voted for her.

"Well Simon, you've certainly caused quite a stir this evening. I personally would like to thank you for getting this all out in the open, rather than hiding in the shadows and scaring people whenever they caught sight of you. Here's what is going to happen now. An inspector will be by before long to take a good look at you, and take some high resolution photographs if that is alright."

Simon nodded to indicate that it was.

"That's fine then. We'll do a little research, and prepare a statement for the citizens of the colony. They have a right to know that there's more than one species living on the planet now. Believe it or not, we actually planned for this kind of thing decades ago, when humanity began spreading out further and further from Earth. We honestly thought we'd run into Aliens first, but I suppose all the laws we have in place will cover citizens who have changed species. You are still protected under all the rights and laws of any citizen of this colony, and of our collected worlds and outposts. So don't worry, you're not going to wind up in some lab somewhere. Unless of course you decide to become a scientist."

The big squeaky dragon let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and relaxed. He even smirked at the little joke, as the call wound to a close. They finished up with a request that he stay inside for a day or two, and take a little break. Even with rapid communication, it would take a bit of time to inform everyone of the new face in town, and to remind them not to grab the torches and pitchforks.

With that, the call was dropped, and his screen went into standby mode. Simon was left in the somewhat dim front room to relax and brood for a moment, letting it all sink in.

He still had his life, not much had changed, though going forward might be interesting. Still, it was another challenge to tackle, and hopefully claim victory over in the long run. His brooding was silenced by the arrival of another delivery drone, and its insistent chirping calling him over to claim his bounty of food. It had been a while since he'd last eaten, so he happily hefted himself up, and went to accept delivery.

He was well into a third plate of re-heated Chinese food when there was a knock on his door. Mumbling around a fork, he invited his guest in, and admitted a somewhat nervous looking city inspector. Being offered a dumpling by a room-filling inflatable dragon was not yet something he'd experienced in his line of work, so he was understandably flustered. Simon's pleasant behaviour and offer of tea and snacks soon won the fellow over however, and he set about doing his job.

Simon was poked and prodded, and no zippers or seams were found anywhere on his person. A few hundred high resolution images were taken, enough to form a good quality 3D model of the fellow in no time flat. His measurements were calculated, his nozzles were inspected curiously, which led to Simon blushing a deep crimson, and shuffling around. Those things were sensitive! Finally on a whim, saliva samples were taken, and even a good puff of purple gas once the inspector saw a few wisps of it curling out of the big dragons nostrils.

The fellow accepted a cup of tea and a doughnut to go, and shook Simon's hand with the faintest of smiles. The big guy thought if this briefest of interactions was any indication, he'd surely be alright in the days ahead. He was left alone in his place once more, and glanced outside to the open air beyond. The light level was starting to drop, announcing the start of another sun-set. Smiling, Simon took a big mug of tea and a basket of snacks, and walked outside to his balcony. With an easy hop, he bounded up to the roof and found a clear spot to sit, avoiding a bank of solar panels.

Sure enough, Saturn was starting to look brighter in the sky as the sun began to vanish behind it, and the light level dropped ever lower. Outdoor lights began to twinkle on as far as he could see, pointing down to light up the streets and pathways as if it were still daytime. But up above the roof tops, the city was plunged into darkness, and the stars came out.

Lazing back with a squeak, Simon relaxed and used his ample tail as a pillow, while munching on his bounty of snacks. This was still his home, and he aimed to keep it that way for now. Within the hour, it was quite dark out, minus the reflection of the sun from other moons further out, and the odd sparkle off the rings. Standing back up again, Simon looked out over his sleepy little town, and smiled to himself.

"Good night, fellow citizens. Sleep well."

With that, he hopped back down to his balcony, and went back inside to sleep. He had a feeling that the next few days were going to be very interesting, to say the least.

To be continued, in Part 3.

-Tombfyre 2014