The Making of a Monster (A Fell!Poth Story)

Iniquity

Drinking like a fish.

That phrase never made a whole lot of sense to him. Those creatures were always wet, but his mouth felt very dry.

Even the bottom of the glass did not hold any answers to this question. Squinting his eye sockets, the amber liquid which dripped down to the circle's bottom were a complete tease.

Even as Rurik tipped it back, the few droplets did little to quell the feeling.

All the easier to reach out and signal for another.

The bartender nodded, side-eying him as she mixed and poured. He had grown ever present or just how much humans thought they were being sneaky and coy. With the small tilts of their head, the lifts of their eyes. Nothing that really stopped him from picking up on the movement and calling them out.

Not that there was much of a point to that either. Sure Rurik might ruffle them a bit, but nothing really rewarding. He instead looked up at the cattle skull which hung from the wall, surrounded by cheap Halloween decorations that had not been taken down yet.

The googly-eyed bats with dopey smiles make him smirk.

What strange customs up above. He was still trying to familiarize himself with everything.

The first time he had passed a house with a skeleton prop hanging from the tree, he had really been wondering what kind of freaky shit the population was into.

Then to see those figures everywhere was simultaneously hilarious and disturbing. Bare pelvises for any passing eye. Racks of ribs on display. A whole spine hanging out.

Rurik was only loosely aware of the appearance of another round in front of him. He looked down, watching ice cubes crackle and shift as the liquid settled from its journey.

His hand wrapped around and tipped the cup back. Still parched, but now his tongue felt stickier. How helpful.

A small thud sounded as the drink went down again, leaving him a chance to debate. How was he meant to get into Lotus's good graces again?

Roses were a thought, but ultimately overused. He had used them once to commemorate their anniversary on the fly when the date slipped his mind. Then another time after a fight about putting clothes into the hamper, instead of just the general area. The date he had 'ruined' by calling out their waiter on their clearly prejudiced behavior and 'causing a scene'. The funeral..

His glass was empty again. The ice clattered inside as he shook the glass, willing more into existence. He swayed in his seat, trying to pinpoint where the bartender was to gesture another.

Instead he turned to face somebody with a clear lack of personal space. Rurik's gaze furrowed at how much this guy's elbow was pushing into his bubble.

Inhaling deeply, he recalled the penalties in place for any monster who dared to grapple with a human. Jail was not appealing, so he settled for turning and shouldering the treatment for now.

Back to brainstorming. Roses were a no go. But what about chocolate? That could be viable.

Often Lotus would take the sweets and stash them away in a place he thought only he was aware of. Then over time the cache would be chipped away at until the empty package was disposed of in secret.

One of his cute quirks, something Rurik had never thought to question.

Definitely an option then.

What else was there? He could think of lots of gifts, but most lacked the specialness he was seeking. Definitely nothing that could get him out of the dog house in one fell swoop. Lotus was not really one for physical items anyway. During this break, he had only taken enough to fill a pitiful box.