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“Ghost, wake up.”

His head was pounding from the night before, the drinks kept pouring in and Miel's appearance didn't help. A bottle was placed on his desk, if the sound of glass on paper was any indication. He opened his eyes and confirmed his suspicions, “What's that?”

“For the hangover, we're going out for field work today.” Ghost sat up and reached for the beverage, a little glad that his room was so small. It tasted like dairy and sugar, with a creamy texture, “Hurry up, I heard that it is best to arrive early.”

“What time is it?” His headache was feeling better already, “Let me shower.” He took a quick shower, trying not to think about the time or the field work. Mirabelle was a soldier first, so her ideas weren't the safest or easiest to explain. He dried off and slipped on his robe and shoes.

Mirabelle was in her form-fitting armor, tapping her foot while leaning against the wall, “Good, let's hurry.”

They left the room and walked to the elevator, though Ghost took note that Mirabelle was moving a bit faster than usual. She was probably excited about the trip, which could only mean something bad was about to happen. She hit a button Ghost had never noticed and off they went, “Where are we going Mirabelle? I don't like being left in the dark.”

“Be patient.”

“You're jumpy, it's early in the morning, and you sound happier than usual- oh no.” Ghost had it figured out, and when he didn't move Mirabelle tugged him by the arm into the small transport ship, “No no no no no.”

She smiled, “Come now, it is an essential part of the culture here.” She took a seat and lowered the shoulder restraint, “Take your seat, Ghost.” With a grumble, he sat in the uncomfortable bucket seat and lowered the restraint. A red light came on and the ship took off immediately, yet felt as though it wasn't moving. The dragons had figured out how to negate the effects of force, or at least, learned how to disguise it. The ship set down and landed if the green light was any indication. Only a minute had passed, “Hurry now.”

The hatch opened and Ghost saw nothing but a dark, mostly empty parking lot. The glowing lights, the familiar shape of popular characters on lightposts to signify parking areas, “For fucks sake.”

“A theme park is a very popular part of the culture in this part of the world. It would seem that I cannot merely hear about it, it is something I must experience for myself.”

“I hope you got tickets already.” She produced two from her hip pouch, “Oh great.”

She smiled again, “Come now, this should be fun. Look at the smiling characters and the colorful attractions you can see from the gate.”

Ghost walked with her to the front gate, “The first problem is that this park opens at 7:00 in the morning. It's, what, five? Four?”

“4:30”

He grumbled, “So we have to stand here, in the dark, for a few hours.”

Mirabelle looked a bit nervous, as though she hadn't thought this far ahead, “Oh, I suppose you're right. My apologies.”

The first two hours were silent, but the warm temperatures kept Ghost from freezing. A few crowds started to arrive, but as expected them kept their distance from Mirabelle. Even staff members looked a bit worried around the dragon's prescence, but soon enough a manager came from a restricted area, “H-Hello, honored visitor. We are very... honored to have you here. Currently. I mean...”

“Calm yourself, I am Grand Inquisitor Mirabelle, it is my duty to understand your culture, and from my understanding theme parks are a part of it. I do not wish for special treatment, only to see for myself what this sort of place offers.”

“R-Right! Or course! But to fully grasp the entirety of our parks, all four, a stay in one of our luxurious resorts would be in order. If you don't mind, I can comp you a room for as long as you need. If you're looking for the full experience, this would be in order. If you don't mind of course.”

“What do you think, Ghost? Would this help me understand better?”

Ghost shrugged, “Couldn't hurt. Throw in a meal plan and additional tickets and I don't see a problem.”

“Of course! Of course! Please, allow me to take care of all the details! At the end of your visit, please see the customer service desk just inside of the park and they will give you everything you need!” The chunky, older man smiled like a used car salesman and walked away, “The gates will open soon, so please enjoy your day!”

“Suck up. Bet he'll get a raise for this.”

Mirabelle nodded, “Perhaps, but this will help my research. Come, let us wait a bit more.”

“This had better not be a waste of time. Never liked rides.”

“I'm looking forward to the various attractions and foods. Please make sure I'm not getting ripped off or purchasing something terrible.”

Ghost shook his head and waited with the rest of the crowd, who now saw Mirabelle as an attraction of sorts, until the park finally opened. Mirabelle and Ghost were the first ones inside, as nobody wanted to butt in front of the important dragon that towered over them. As with most amusement parks, the opening area contained souveneir shops and little dessert shops, “They put this area first to give park goers a taste of the atmosphere and to get an idea of what they want. Some of the merchandise is overpriced, so when you see a similar store further in with a lower price you feel like you're getting a deal.”

“The air smells... sweet.”

Ghost looked around at the crowd which parted around Mirabelle, “That's to make you feel more relaxed and to stimulate appetite in a lesser way. Grab a map.” Ghost pointed to a kiosk filled to the brim with folding maps, and Mirabelle grabbed two, “Find where we are and you should... you know how a map works. But see that display? Those are the most popular rides. It's best to get to those fastest if you don't want to wait.” A digital display was giving approximate waiting times.

“So, if this is here, then we should head... in that direction, towards the 'Wild West' area.” She took off with Ghost in tow, and they arrived at an old fashioned wooden roller coaster, “Shall we wait?”

“I hate roller coasters, but I don't have a choice, do I? Get in line.”

With only a handful of park visitors in front, and Mirabelle having to tell them over and over that she didn't want to go ahead of them, the wait was only around five minutes. Mirabelle and Ghost were put in the front car, “I see the track, but most of the ride is hidden. What should I expect?”

Ghost gripped the safety bar tightly, “Probably drops. I hate drops.” While Mirabelle was bored with the coaster, being used to space travel and flying on more traditional dragon mounts, Ghost felt sick to his stomach. At the end of the two minute ride, they stepped off, “No more roller coasters for a while...”

“I have no objections, that was not as thrilling as I had hoped. Come, over to that ride.” It was a raft ride, a relaxing one at that. There was a little hill to go down, but no real drops. The animatronics were there to add to the amusement, but the line was a bit longer, “The description on the sign said that this would be a fun ride for all ages.”

“It's simple, cheesy, but enjoyable for most. It's also a good way to get off your feet after walking around for so long.” The day continued much like this, with Mirabelle asking about every little thing, going on every ride that interested her, even walking around shops over and over. She ended up buying a bandana from the pirate store and some treats from the candy store. Around lunch time, she became quite hungry, “Ghost, what would be a good place to eat?”

He opened his map and looked it over, “Cheap, cheap, junk, cheap... we can try one of these three places. They seem to have the best food options in the park.”

Mirabelle looked at the descriptions, “Alright, let's head to the outdoor... I can't pronounce that word.”

A certain area of the park held some “cultural” attractions, though mostly food and some drinks. Mirabelle decided on an outdoor restaurant that focuses on sausage and some Eastern European foods. They sat down and within seconds had a waitress come over to take their orders, “We'll have the 'Feast' option.” Ghost placed the order and the waitress skipped off.

“What did you order again?”

“A lot of food. I'd pick a drink from that menu if I were you. Park rules won't let your order alcohol at the same time as food.” He passed over a little velvet wrapped menu, which Mirabelle scanned over quickly, “Find something?”

“I believe so.” Another waitress came over, pen and order slip at the ready, “I'll have the number 12, large.”

“Number 3.” The waitress walked off, “We still have over half of the park to go, eat up when the food is here and let's get moving.”

Mirabelle was in no rush, “I do not believe we need to hurry, we can take our time so we can avoid missing anything important. After all, that is our job.”

“More rides and trinket shops, not a lot more to see really.” The food was brought out. Clearly the cooks were told that this meal took priority and worked hard. The large platter was filled with various sausages, meats, buns, peppers, onions, and three types of mustard. Mirabelle's drink was dark amber and in a mug that would put most bars to shame, while Ghost had a dark stout in a regular glass, “Eat up.”

The two ate in relative silence, if you ignored the cameras and terrified park visitors which surrounded them. Mirabelle finished off her beer slowly, and before long they were done, “I think I picked a good place to eat.”

“We're happy to hear that. Your tab has been taken care of through your meal plan, so there is no need to pay more. Have a great day!” The waitress said before skipping off. Even though Mirabelle was unarmed, she was still intimidating.

“This food was certainly better than the rations back home, but I think going on too many rough attractions will have unintended consequences. Come, let us finish this park.” She stood up, followed by Ghost. He wouldn't say it, but he was impressed that she ate so much so easily.

“All that's left is the future area and the old timey area.” Mirabelle took off, and Ghost had to increase his own pace to keep up. She was obviously enjoying her time at the theme park too much, nearly forgetting about work. A few more rides and a few more trips to the store passed the time until Mirabelle was starting to grow bored, “Already done?”

She sighed, “I think I'm about done. I would like to go to a store to purchase a shirt though, a memento of my visit. Do you think they will have one that will accompany my size?”

“Mirabelle, they have shirts that can cover the whales that come here, I think they have one that fits you.”

The clerk behind the desk was certainly surprised when a seven foot tall dragon walked in, followed by a human carrying several bags of merchandise and treats. The young woman couldn't even speak, but a bit of relief was written on her face when the dragon walked of her own accord to the clothing, “Which color do I like best...”

Ghost felt defeated in this militaristic dragon's sudden shift in behavior. She was behaving a lot like he expected, but he hadn't prepared properly, “It's all the same crap. Plain words, a picture, or a combination. Pick one and let's go.”

Mirabelle looked over the selection and picked a simple shirt with the park name on the front, blue on pink. The clerk took payment, still frightened, and then happy as the dragon left, “To the customer service desk, correct?”

“Right, over near the entrance, let's go already.”

The entrance manager was waiting with a cloth bag filled to the top with various items, “Oh, fantastic! I was hoping to see you! Here you are, a gift bag from our park, reservations at the Coastal Breeze resort, a full meal plan including snacks and any meal you want at any time, and a hotline directly to the company for any further questions. If you need anything at all, at any time of day, please don't hesitate to ask a staff member, and enjoy your stay! If you'd like to return to your room now, the exit located...” He looked at the large laminated map at the customer service desk, “Here. A walking path will lead you there. You already have your card keys in the bag!”

“Thank you very much for your kindness, I'll retire now.” Mirabelle took the bag and led Ghost to the exit, down the walking path, and directly into the resort, “It says the room number is... uh...”

“Top floor, waterside. See? 509. Get in the elevator, this crap is getting heavy and I feel like I haven't done anything today.”

Mirabelle seemed uncomfortable in the elevator, “Why is this moving so slow? I can feel it slowing and accelerating, the sloppy cable work must require frequent maintenance.”

Ghost shrugged, “I've been on worse.” The door opened and the two went to their room. Mirabelle looked at the card for only a moment before sliding it into the doorknob and turning the handle.

The room was large, a single queen bed took up a great deal of space while a couch, table, and dresser took up a lot of the remaining space. There was plenty of room to walk around, and a basket on the bed. Ghost took the liberty of opening the wrapping, “Booze. Good stuff too. They must want you to recommend this place to the other dragons.” He opened a small bottle of scotch, “Bottoms up.”

Mirabelle sat on the bed and opened a similar bottle, “Cheers.”

Ghost was waking up again with a splitting headache, “I really have to stop doing that, it's getting painful.” He pulled off the blanket and sat up. He was used to sleeping in nothing but his underwear, but this time he wasn't even wearing that much. Then he remembered that there was only a single bed in the room. His heartbeat rose and he slowly turned to find a sleeping, naked dragon next to him.

He couldn't sat that he knew a lot about a dragon's biology, but the stirring and sudden freeze made him think that dragons had a better sense of what was around them than humans, “Ghost...”

“... Maribelle.”