.5% of you will be happy to know I’m making a conscious effort to write more, and to write in

.5% of you will be happy to know I’m making a conscious effort to write more, and to write in actual story form. Planning to make myself illustrate each written thing before I share it cuz I need practice in both mediums!In this one, you eavesdrop on Cornelius and Eric mutually bemoaning life as part-time monsters, get a taste of Eric’s curse, and accidentally see a corner of Cornelius’ dirty laundry.It was a sunshiney day on the isle of Ahjeea Ki. On a balcony of the Montrey Mansion two old monsters watched the glittering bay, bickering over who had it harder.‘Fur sheds.’'Gills itch.’'Getting your tail closed in train doors.’'Have you seen my tail?’'Fair. Uh, claws are murder on your phone screen?’'Same.’'Curses.’The speaker leaned back on the railing and switched tactics. 'Hell. I know you don’t love this body on you, but lookit you! Sleek and tall, cool and intimidating,  you’re in excellent shape…’'I’m perennially ill, freezing at all times, waterbound, and you try having this giant awful tail.’Eric Thedrial laughed out loud. 'Trade you for a belly that beats you into the next room, mate!’'You, you’re all fuzzy and cuddly-’'You’d wanna be fuzzy n’ cuddly?’'Not personally. Merely saying you are approachable.’'It’s the fat. Anyway, folks should be MORE afraid of a round monster than a skinny one, one of these is a better hunter.’ He turned back to the bay. 'Pft, hunter. The fearsome hunter of fast food, that’s me. Anyway, you’re hardly even a monster monster, Cornelius Montrey.’A snort from the big blue amphibian. 'No! Really. Where are your horns? Cloven hooves?’ He clacked a foot against the marble of the balcony.  'I am a monster. A big, beastly, hairy, drooling brute. You are like…’ he raised a pinkie claw and mimicked Dr. Destastiel’s voice, ‘an enhanced evolution of the human form.’Cornelius snorted at the (admittedly good) imitation of his partner. 'If by 'enhanced’ you mean 'trash at everything.’ Clumsy on land and in water, on two legs and four-’'You seen ME on all fours? Er, sixes?’ Eric corrected himself, glancing at the sky and wiggling the claws of his four hands.'And I have this mouthful of deadly virus juice-’'My spit eats through plate glass, friend. Hey, at least YOU can shift between human and otherwise whenever you want! And you don’t have to immediately eat a corner grocery store.’Cornelius broke into an actual laugh. ‘Alright, granted. But you know full well I can’t change whenever I want. Also I have to spend most of my time this way whereas you-‘‘Have a psychotic voice in my head badgering me to eat everything in sight twenty-four-seven and have for nearly four hundred years and will until the end of Time?’'When you put it that way.’ ‘You have draconian charm, Cornelius. This shape suits you. A sea baron indeed. And you’re so young. You’ll grow into it. As for me… well, perhaps I shouldn’t say.’‘Go on.’‘Just that the terms of my curse were to make my insides my outsides.’‘Sounds painful.’‘No joke. Anyhoo, that is to say… well, it’s a bit embarrassing TO say. This body is, save the horns and hooves and hunger which belong to you-know-who… who I AM.’ ‘Heavens, Eric. Anyone could tell you that.’‘Wha? Yeah?’‘Of course it is. You look exactly like you are.’‘Oh. That bad?’The sea monster scoffed and looked away. 'It’s all the things my sister sees in you.’ ‘Oh?’‘I’m not going to give you a list.’‘Awww, c’mooon!’‘No.’ ‘Fine. I know myself. As does Penny. I’ll say frankly I wouldn’t mind all this,’ he said running his claws through his mane, ‘if it weren’t for the uh, eating disorder and associated infernal passenger. But it’s been my life for some time. Used to be much worse! Amazing what you can get used to, eh?’‘Rather.’‘There must be SOME things you enjoy about your second self?’Cornelius continued studying the bay for a while. ‘Being tall is kind of fun,’ he conceded. ‘There it is!’ Eric punched his arm. ‘Right? And YOU can even fit through doorways!’‘Don’t start up again.’‘Deal. Hey, this will come as no surprise but I am peckish. You wanna grab a food? Penny should be just about back.’‘Why not. By the way, you should know the staff utterly adore you.’ ‘Oh?’‘It’s ridiculous. They’re completely bored with only Mother and I here most days. Your appetite’s like catering a party, they live for this. Mind yourself. They will pamper you silly.’Eric smiled and rocked on his heels. To no one in particular, he said quietly, ‘I don’t know about you, but I could go for some pampering, wot ol’ boy?’ His eyes flickered bright orange and he chuckled. He caught Cornelius watching him curiously. He winked, one eye returning to blue. ‘Tony says hi.’ ‘Uh, good day.’‘It would also say, ‘thank you most kindly, Master Montrey, for allowing us to visit your beautiful home and clear out your larders now and then,’ if it had any manners, which it does not.’‘My treat,’ he said slowly, watching Eric’s mismatched eyes. ‘Does it talk? Gluttony?’‘Never shuts up. Nothing interesting, though.’‘Try me.’Eric rolled his eyes and fussed with his sleeves. ‘Just constant bellyaching about food. That’s all it is, you know. Hedonistic hunger incarnate. It’d have you believe you’re starving to death while you are eating. It’s a frustrating roommate.’ ‘Your eyes just there…’‘I don’t really love talking about-‘‘No, no.’ Cornelius wagged a webbed claw at him. ‘No, you can’t corner me up here about myself and then deny me a question or two. Can it speak?’Eric smirked. ‘You really want to go there?’‘You are, Penny assures me, my future brother-in-law. I should like to know the man my only blood is engaged to.’‘Well, you won’t get that from Tony. Just… urgh. Don’t judge, please.’ He squeezed his eyes shut and snarled quietly, ‘And for heaven’s sake behave your goddamn self for once will you?’Cornelius puffed up indignantly. ‘What?!’Eric opened his eyes slowly. Luminous orange orbs without pupils. He had hunched, his four hands curled into claws, fingers twitching. His tail lashed as he appeared to scan the room. He- it, Cornelius realized- smelled the air deeply, two deep, long pulls as if drawing on a pipe, before exhaling with satisfaction. It chuckled quietly, deep in its chest. ‘Mm. Hay comida aquí, Theeedrial. Abajo. Montonesss.’Ok… so it spoke Spanish. Fine, so did Cornelius. He cleared his throat and switched languages. ‘Master Tony, I presume?’ Eric’s head twisted to face him, a robotic motion, bird-like. It twitched. ‘Corneliussss,’ it breathed, grinning. Copper-colored smoke rolled out of its mouth. Cornelius steeled himself as Eric’s body prowled towards him, dropping for a moment to all six limbs as if bipedal motion challenged it. It rose to face him, uncomfortably close, a full foot taller. He could feel their heat. And their breath… smelled like nigiri and red wine?‘It iss not often we are invited to sspeak.’ The demon’s voice was Eric’s- what else should he have expected- but with an oiliness and a deep tiger’s purr. A voice he immediately distrusted. It had locked eyes with him above a frozen, fangy grin and was otherwise failing to emote. Cornelius found himself unusually speechless.‘Theeedrial says we have not mannerss but,’ Gluttony cocked Eric’s head, ‘we DO thank you, Corneliusss. For your hospitality. This mansion remindss us of our castle, sso long ago. Sservants tending to uss. And the KITCHENSS,’ its grin widened well beyond the bounds of proper anatomy as it drew Eric’s tongue across their teeth, catching some drool, ‘HOW do you nOt indulge yourrrrrrRseLf consssssstaNtlY?!’‘It’s… not my thing.’Tony coughed up a laugh unblinkingly. ‘Oh yesss, perhapss not meals no,’ it said, settling back into its eerie stillness and twitching. ‘But we are pleassed to sssense that you ARE a man of indulgence, yes, yess, Corneliusss? No stranger to the ssweet abandon of the bottl—‘Eric’s eyes flushed blue.‘Enough, Tony.’Eric straightened and backed out of Cornelius’ space, drawing an arm across his mouth.‘Sorry ‘bout that.’‘Not at all,’ Cornelius said. He carefully relaxed his fins in the vain hope maybe Eric hadn’t noticed them standing rigid. ‘Tony is… well. Personal restraint is not Gluttony’s strong suit, let’s put it that way.’ ‘I wouldn’t have thought. Is that strange for you?’‘Being moved around by another thing in your head? It was once. Again,’ he winked, ‘amazing what you get used to. Anyway, everyone kind of knows the feeling. We’ve all got… our thing.’ Cornelius turned back to the bay with a cough. ‘Did Penny tell you about my, uh…’ ‘Oh, no. No, no. I mean, yes. But not before I already knew. Sincere apologies, Cornelius. We’re kind of the patron saint of excess. Tony can sense- smell, literally- things like, ah… alcoholism.’Cornelius raised a sharp eyebrow at the seascape. ‘N-not that you ARE, or that you have a problem, I just… I mean… No. No, I’m sorry, friend. I can’t sugarcoat it. I’m afraid I know without question that you are.’ He joined his fellow monster meekly at the railing. ‘Hey, for what it’s worth, I am the LAST person on the planet who can judge. Look at me! Half my brain isn’t my own! Trust me when I say I know addiction. It hangs its coat in my head. That,’ he faked a twitch, ‘damn twitching of Tony’s? Withdrawal. Constant, unending withdrawal.’ Cornelius sighed quietly. His fins hung slightly wilted. ‘Nevermind it, Eric. It is what it is. But speaking of such things, Tony’s breath…?’‘Oh,’ Eric chuckled. ‘That. Yes. It’s a quirk of ours. Consider it a tiny taste of Gluttony’s power. What was it for you?’‘Sake nigiri and… wine.’ ‘Ooh. Yes, it’s different for everyone. It’s piña colada and hot wings for your sister.’Cornelius gagged. ‘I know, right. And if you weren’t hungry before, you are now, after breathing that in.’‘Why?’‘Are… you not?’‘Not particularly.’‘Oh. Odd. Well, maybe not odd. Many people with strong wills seem to be immune. Most people get terrible munchies.’ Cornelius scoffed. ‘Do I have a strong will?’ ‘Oh, come now, sure you do. Of course you do. Willpower isn’t like some big umbrella thing. We’re all weak and strong in different places. Hey. I won’t tell a soul. But if pride allows, you should maybe get some help. I had to climb out of a HELL of a hole myself, a very literal coming to terms with my addictive personality. You just met the devil! So I know something about these things, if you are interested.’ ‘I will consider.’ ‘Good!’ The monster clapped all four paws together. ‘Bueno, even! Excelente Español, by the way. Tony is just like the worst part of me cut off and frozen on the day I was cursed. Three hundred and seventy years and it’s never grown out of our native tongue. Creature of habit, eternal.’ ‘Does it see everything you do?’ ‘I mean, it’s me. But frankly it only really pays attention when food’s involved.’ On cue his stomach growled enormously. ‘Yes, yes,’ he growled back. ‘We were headed that way, weren’t we. Cornelius, if you don’t mind, I am apparently starving to death.’‘And I could use a drink. Lead on… brother.’ -- source link

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