12 Angry Monsters
an Aaaah! Real Monsters Fanfic
by Save Fearow
Author's Note: This all started with a deviantart poll where I asked readers what they wanted to see more of in stories. Because there was an interest in fanfics featuring "Ickis and other students" I decided to go with a homage to courtroom drama.
It was one of the hottest days of the year, so of course these lucky students were given the distinct honor of sitting in a cramped room until they reached an uninamous decision. The only bright spot was that the assignment looked to be an easy one, it was obvious that the Snorch had been the one to pour ink into the Gromble's bathtub. All the evidence pointed to him (the golden nosehair left at the scene of the crime, the eyewitness testimony from Boral, etc.) so once they finished voting guilty, all the students would be free to return to their normal lives. It didn't mean, however, that they couldn't gripe about things.
"I don't think the Gromble is playing with a full Grishnak." Kriggle opined.
"I don't think he's playing with HALF a Grishnak." Horrifica giggled.
"I like playing Grishnak! I can beat anybody!" Ickis boasted.
Hairyette rolled her eyes. "Don't bother acting competent Ickis, nobody's fooled." she declared.
Ickis' face fell. "It's not an act, I really -am- good at it." Ickis maintained.
"Don't get cocky, kid. I'm trying to run a racket here, I don't need you dipping into the profits." Pugh warned.
"Speaking of rackets, if the Gromble were to hear that kind of talk, you would all be in trouble. Gambling, honestly! It is FORBIDDEN!" Oblina lectured.
"Lighten up, Oblina. It's just another one of the Gromble's silly rules." Dizzle stated.
"There is nothing silly about following rules and protocol." insisted Oblina.
"Oh, really? What about all that 'upper crud' stuff? Rich monsters got rules for ev'rything! Elbows out when drinking kerosene tea. Never eat more than 2 slop crackers with a meal. Garbage soup must always be served cold. Wipe your nose with a napkin. When are you -ever- gonna use that in real life?" Ickis questioned.
"Just now. Your nose is running." Oblina pointed out.
Ickis blushed. "There's too many strong odors in here." he complained.
"Sorry." Krumm apologized. "The heat always activates my stink glands."
"That's not so bad. What really gets to me is how Horrifica an' all the other girls have DRENCHED themselves in odorant." Ickis clarified. He wiped at his nose with a paw.
"Blugh. Remind me never to shake paws with YOU." Horrifica determined.
"You never do that anyway!" Ickis retorted.
"And you wonder why?" Horrifica was incredulous.
"I always figured you were playing 'hard to get'." Ickis determined.
Oblina sighed. "Try not to embarrass yourself more than necessary, Icky." she advised.
"Is any of this necessary? I want to go back to the gym where I can see myself in the mirrors." Gludge whined.
"Are you sure they have -any- big enough for your fat head?" Oblina snapped. Evidently Gludge's dismissal of her still rankled.
"Sometimes I take 2 mirrors, and stack them together." Gludge admitted.
"Snav and I use the same mirror." Blib declared. "It's even featured in our friendship album!"
"All those memories are precious." Snav added.
"My -time- is precious. I wanted to watch the glorp tournament this afternoon. Did you know the Great Slickis is the favorite to win?" Dizzle gushed.
"Slickis is always the favorite to win." Hairyette reminded her.
"Go Dad!" Ickis cheered. "Y'know he takes me mini-glorping sometimes. I do alright with putting, but when we're on the driving range..."
"You drive everyone crazy." Hairyette supplied.
Ickis' ears drooped. "What is this, Pick On Ickis Day?" he grumbled.
"Nope. That's next Tuesday." Krumm remarked.
"You set aside a whole day jus' for that?! Krumm, why?" Ickis screeched.
"The Academy President's gotta listen to his constituents." Krumm maintained.
Ickis folded his arms crossly. "I'm sorry I helped with your campaign." Ickis decided.
"It could be worse. Zimbo wanted to make it a month-long event." Oblina recalled.
"Oblina? You were in on this too?" Ickis sobbed.
"Attendance -was- mandatory. You should have been at that assembly, too. Every vote counts." Oblina stated.
"Yeah, that's why we're stuck here til everyone votes guilty." Kriggle interrupted. "Places everyone!"
"It doesn't HAVE to be a guilty vote, we just have to reach a consensus." Oblina remarked as she slid into her seat.
"Puh-leeze. It's obvious the Snorch did it. This is just a formality." Horrifica countered.
"Even so, we -should- take voting seriously. If we vote guilty, the Snorch is gonna be in big trouble." Frunk observed.
"Good. See how HE likes it." Hairyette groused.
"Hairyette, dear we -are- s'posed to be open-minded." Oblina cautioned.
"I'd be open to Krumm moving back into our dorm!" Blib chimed in.
"Me too!" Snav agreed.
"So not fair! Krumm's our roommate!" Ickis whined.
"I thought you liked girls, Ickis." sneered Horrifica.
"Of course I do! Why d'ya think I keep trying to sit next to Oblina?" Ickis argued.
"That isn't your spot, Ickis. You're Juror #8, you need to sit between Dizzle and Krumm." Oblina instructed.
"I'm the jury's fore-monster! I should tell him what to do!" Kriggle countered. Ickis looked up at him expectantly. Kriggle sighed. "Ickis, do what Oblina told you." he commanded.
Ickis nodded and scooted over to the proper seat. "Hey buddy." Krumm greeted him warmly.
"Oh, Ickis. Could you do me a big favor?" Dizzle batted her eyelashes at Ickis.
"Y-yes." Ickis stammered.
"Would you get your Dad to sign one of his monster trading cards?" Dizzle requested.
Ickis' ears drooped. "Sure. Do you want the Sewerball version, or the Wave-riding one, or the looming one, or the one where he's riding in a trashboggan?" Ickis asked.
"Looming, of course. I love big, scary monsters." Dizzle declared.
"I can loom too." Ickis muttered sullenly.
"Settle down, everyone. We gotta vote, and then we're outta here." Kriggle announced loudly. He surveyed the room. As fore-monster he was seated in the first chair on the left side. Next to him was Blib, then Hairyette, Oblina, Pugh, and Snav. On the right side of the table sat Dizzle, Ickis, Krumm, Gludge, Frunk, and Horrifica.
"I can't wait to be included in the judicial process!" Frunk noted.
"It's probly the first time YOU'VE been included in anything, Slimebucket." Gludge opined.
"Hey, knock it off. Frunk's alright." Krumm insisted. He'd been on a few scares with Frunk and knew the oozing monster was quite capable. Besides, Frunk was one of the few members of the Ultra Monster Fan Club who thought Stink Boy deserved more respect as a sidekick.
"Of course, dripping is very fashionable this season. It's hebopply." Dizzle commented.
"My nose has been dripping all day! Does that count?" Ickis asked hopefully.
"No." Dizzle maintained.
"I can make blood drip into my eyes, too!" Ickis offered.
"You'd only give yourself a headache if you tried it now, Icky. You didn't have a big enough lunch today to pull off a loom." Oblina remarked.
"Did too." Ickis protested.
"Did not. You were too busy doodling to eat properly, and if I hadn't taken the pencil away, you would have continued fooling around all during the Snorch's trial. As soon as the Gromble appointed us jurors, I -knew- I'd have to keep an eye on you." Oblina detailed.
"But how can you do that when your eyes aren't detachable?" Krumm wondered.
Pugh laughed. "Ha! You sure boss Ickis around, girlie! What are you, his mother?" Pugh joked.
"Of course she's not. Ickis' mother is dead." Hairyette remarked callously.
Ickis' lip quivered. "I need a moment." he whimpered. Krumm and Oblina looked at him sympathetically.
Kriggle sighed. "Let's all take a moment to write down our votes. When you're done, crumple the paper up and put it in the waste basket. That way the ballot is official." instructed Kriggle.
Ickis sniffled unhappily. "Can I borrow a pencil, Krumm? Oblina's still got mine." Ickis realized.
"Sure, Ickis." Krumm obliged.
All the monsters began scribbling down their votes. Then Kriggle got up and walked around the table, holding out the waste basket so they could toss the ballots inside.
"Here we go!" Kriggle boomed. He dumped the votes onto the table and began unfolding each scrap of paper in turn. "Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, lot of guiltys, not guilty..." Kriggle gasped as he read the dissenting vote.
Most of the monsters groaned. "But I have very important monsters to watch! I can't stay here!" Dizzle whined.
"I got a life outside the Academy too." Pugh grumbled.
"Yeah, a life of crime. We know what your sort is like." Horrifica opined.
"The sort that kicks your scales, is that the sort you mean?" Pugh threatened.
"Whoa there. Calm down." Krumm advised.
"Oh, so now the walking stinkbag is gonna preach to us." Hairyette snapped.
"You're the one who stinks. I can smell you from here!" Ickis retorted.
"Go cry to your dead mommy." Hairyette sneered.
"WAAAAH!" Ickis wailed piteously.
"Enough. Not only was that insult unwarranted, it's unproductive. We shouldn't be sniping at each other, we should be doing OUR job." Oblina criticized.
"We'd be finished our job if you hadn't voted not guilty, Oblina." Gludge theorized.
"Oh, so you've finally gotten my -name- right. Bravo." Oblina quipped. "But if you were REALLY paying attention, you'd realize that I couldn't possibly have voted not guilty."
"Why's that?" asked Gludge.
"I would have spelled my vote correctly." Oblina concluded.
Ickis blinked back tears. "What, is there an E in it somewhere?" Ickis wondered.
"You moron! You're ruining everything!" Horrifica shrieked.
"I wouldn't say I've ruined it..." Ickis began.
"11 out of 12 monsters think you're guilty of that!" snapped Hairyette.
"Make it 10. If Ickis' is gonna vote not guilty, he must have a good reason." Krumm decided.
Ickis smiled weakly. "Thanks Krumm." he acknowledged.
"Great, now we're even more deadlocked than before. We're NEVER getting out of here." Horrifica grumbled.
"You guys are making this too complicated. Ickis, Krumm, stop being pests." Kriggle urged.
"I can't. The Gromble says we shouldn't vote guilty so long as have reasonable doubt. I'm not sure the Snorch did it." Ickis insisted.
"He -had- to have done it. The Gromble's office was locked. You need a strong monster to open that door." Kriggle opined.
"Plenty of monsters could manage that. I break doors down all'a time when I loom." asserted Ickis.
Oblina gasped. "Ickis, you didn't!" she exclaimed.
Ickis flicked his ears in annoyance. "Course not. I was with you and Krumm all day. I was trying to get you to pose for the new WonderMonster comic I wanted to draw. Your costume is the best! You get to use the Chains of Compulsion to thwart evil-doers!" Ickis babbled.
"Do they work on little red bunnies who won't stop badgering their friends?" Oblina questioned.
"I think so." Ickis decided.
"Who cares about some dumb drawing, it's not real!" Hairyette remained dismissive.
"But it's real fun!" Ickis persisted.
Pugh rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm outta here." he declared.
"You can't leave. We're all stuck in here together." Blib informed him.
"At least we won't be lonely!" chirped Snav.
"There's something to be said for solitude." Pugh maintained. He twisted the knob with his paw.
"Don't bother, Pugh. It's locked." Kriggle informed him.
"No big deal." Pugh opined. He slid a claw into the keyhole and twisted it. There was a click as he unlocked the door. The monsters all gasped.
"Pugh! Do you know what that means?" Ickis squealed.
"Yup. Sayonara, suckers!" Pugh announced.
"Go ahead and leave. You still proved my point. Any one of us could've jimmied the lock with their claws." Ickis theorized.
Pugh considered this. "Point taken. You got me convinced kid. I'm voting not guilty." determined Pugh.
"And you're staying for the remaining arguments!" Ickis added.
"I ain't making no promises!" Pugh insisted. But he shut the door and returned to his seat anyway.
"Okay, we've established that you DON'T hafta use force to open a locked door. That widens our suspect pool." Ickis noted.
"But it doesn't eliminate the Snorch. His golden nosehair was found lodged in the drain." Oblina pointed out.
"Somebody coulda planted evidence. -I've- removed that nosehair before." Ickis attested.
"You've also got sharp claws and by your OWN admission you've broken down doors Ickis." Horrifica insinuated.
"This isn't about me!" Ickis snapped. "It's about justice."
"I don't think it would be just to punish the Snorch over a nosehair that he might NOT have lost. I'm changing my vote." Frunk stated.
"I'm changing mine, too. I don't want to be unfair to any monster." Blib revealed.
"Blib, that's purely an emotional response! You're letting Ickis manipulate you into changing your vote based on feelings, when you SHOULD be looking at evidence." Oblina scolded.
"It doesn't -look- like he's guilty, I have my doubts now." Blib persevered.
"C'mon, he guards that nosehair jealously! Nobody would have a -chance- to steal it!" Kriggle argued.
"Sure they would! The Snorch's alibi is that he was sleeping when the crime occured, somebody might have stolen it then!" Ickis suggested.
"But wouldn't the Snorch have woken up?" Oblina wondered.
"Maybe he didn't feel well? Some monsters sleep -very- deeply then." Ickis professed.
"That's idiotic!" Hairyette retorted.
"I don't judge YOU." Ickis snapped.
"The Gromble is the judge. We're the jury." Snav commented.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Horrifica quipped.
"My name is Snav. I'm voting not guilty." Snav replied.
"Huh. Guess that makes it an even split." Kriggle realized.
"What's the point in counting votes for scarilectually challenged monsters? It's not like they're worth anything!" Gludge remarked casually.
Dizzle gasped. "That's cruel! You shouldn't dismiss a monster just because he's a little bit fluff-headed, my mom told me that!" Dizzle asserted.
"Fluff-heads you can reason with. That moron's a lost cause." Gludge stated.
"I think he's talking about you." Snav whispered to Ickis.
Ickis sighed. "It doesn't matter cause I don't believe it's worth listening to bigots." Ickis declared.
"At least I -am- big." scoffed Gludge.
"You're a legend in your own mind. Of course, not ALL legends are based on truths." Oblina sneered.
Gludge frowned. "You're mocking me, aren't you?" he inquired.
"Oh no, no. No, no, no, no, no. Gludge look, a measuring tape!" Oblina taunted.
"Where?" Gludge wondered.
"I'm sorry. I was mistaken. There couldn't POSSIBLY be one small enough for -you- to use." Oblina announced. The other monsters laughed.
"Oblina's fierce." Krumm noted.
"Yeah, that's why I try not to get her too angry." Ickis revealed.
"Huh. That hasn't worked out too well for you, has it?" Krumm judged.
Ickis shrugged. "It's worked better than -some- of my plans." he commented.
"You mean the plans for her to squish on you?" Krumm asked.
"Those plans are classified." Ickis maintained.
"Classified as easy to read! You might wanna start hiding your diary better." Krumm suggested.
"It's a journal. Oblina told me to write more, so that's what I'm doing!" Ickis clarified.
"I don't think she told you to write love letters, though." Krumm persisted.
"There was room to interpret it that way." maintained Ickis.
Oblina rolled her eyes. "Remember what I told you about not embarrassing yourself?" she cautioned.
"I wouldn't be embarrassed if you jus' said yes!" Ickis suggested brightly.
"No." Oblina responded flatly.
Ickis' ears drooped. "I hate my life." Ickis grumbled.
"It's not ALL bad, Icky. You -were- doing an admirable job of de-constucting the crime. Please continue." urged Oblina.
Ickis took a deep breath. "Most of the evidence doesn't -directly- tie the Snorch to the crime, it jus' suggests that he might've been there. Like the bottle of ink that was found in his dorm." he began.
"Exactly! The Snorch did it, case closed." Kriggle remained adamant.
"But the Gromble makes -every- student share a room, even me!" Ickis argued.
"Don't start acting like a spoiled bonsty again!" Oblina groused.
Ickis smiled nervously. "R-right. I only brought it up cause the Snorch rooms with Zimbo, so the ink could've been his." Ickis theorized.
"I don't really care which boy did it." Hairyette admitted. "But I know it -wasn't- Zimbo this time. Boral saw the Snorch sneak up to the Gromble's office while he was on the way to the doctor's."
Ickis frowned. "I dunno... something about that bothers me." Ickis stated.
"Oh please. Boral isn't gonna challenge your record for most trips to the doctor's office. You're such a whiny little runt." Horrifica criticized. Several monsters gasped. "I said runt!" she snapped.
Ickis glared at her. "I still don't think the ink is such a critical piece of evidence. I use ink for some of -my- drawings, got several bottles in our dorm." Ickis asserted.
Pugh grinned. "Maybe you really DID do it. You got spunk, kid." Pugh noted.
"Don't mention it." Ickis replied. He glanced around the room where Hairyette and Kriggle still eyed him suspiciously. "Please, don't." insisted Ickis.
Dizzle shifted in her seat. "Ickis isn't the only one who keeps ink around. Horrifica and I have some in our dorm, we use it as eyeliner. It's hebopply." Dizzle confessed.
"Is it hebopply to punish a monster whose guilt isn't proven?" Ickis prodded.
Dizzle shook her head. "No. I'm voting not guilty." she decided.
"I might as well change MY vote too." Horrifica acknowledged.
"I still think you're making this harder than it needs to be. Boral saw the Snorch, there's no getting around that! Plus his alibi is weak, he's got ink in the dorm, and there's other witnesses ready to testify against him, too. The librarian says that the Snorch checked out on a book on ink." Kriggle pointed out.
"No, I 'member that testimony. She said the Snorch's name was on a list of check-outs for that title." Ickis corrected.
"Does that make a difference?" Frunk wondered.
"Sure. Nesdak copies the name off'a the card that was used, NOT the monster who was carrying it. I loaned my card to Krumm a couple times when he had an unpaid fine on his. I betcha other students have done the same." Ickis predicted.
Kriggle held up a paw. "Yeah, I've done that. Smeldra was a transfer student, so she couldn't take books out her first day and I... I thought maybe she'd think I was y'know, maybe she'd like me better if I let her borrow mine. Girls are complicated." Kriggle professed.
"I've never used my library card. I lost it within the first month of school, never got around to reporting it. I s'pose -somebody- could have found mine and used it at any time." Gludge commented.
Oblina was aghast. "And you didn't think that was worth replacing?" she questioned.
Gludge shrugged. "Not alot of things in this Academy ARE worthwhile. There's me, and well, that's pretty much it." Gludge determined.
"That's a terrible attitude." Oblina chided.
"He's not the only monster who gets like that sometimes. I was kinda full of myself for being chosen fore-monster. I even thought -some- of Ickis' earlier arguments were good, but I didn't change my vote right away cause I thought it might still swing back towards guilty and I like being in the majority. But maybe I don't want that badly enough that I'd be willing to get the Snorch in trouble. He's not a bad guy, even if he doubles as the school disciplinarian. I'll vote not guilty." Kriggle announced.
"You would stick together. Boys are ALL alike." Hairyette muttered.
"Not me! I've got nothing in common with that mute menace. If he was really not guilty, he'd say so." Gludge asserted.
"How dare you! Just because the Snorch doesn't talk, doesn't mean he is any less a monster than the rest of us!" Oblina opined.
"Alright, alright, don't get so worked up about it. I won't vote against the big goon, if that's what you want. You act as if he's your boyfriend or something." Gludge groused.
Ickis' face fell. "Aw, c'mon! I can't compete with THAT!" he realized.
"There's no competition. The Snorch is a friend, same as you and Krumm." Oblina clarified.
"Then why are you still voting against him?!" Ickis demanded.
"Unlike the other students, I'm not going to let friendship influence my decision. You offered -some- alternatives Icky, but you haven't disproven Boral's testimony. I can't overlook an eyewitness statement, much as I'd like to." Oblina explained.
"Then we've reached an impasse." Kriggle noted.
"Really? I don't see it." Krumm remarked.
Ickis' face lit up. "That's it! You're a genius, Krumm!" Ickis declared.
Everyone stared at him. "I think maybe the heat's getting to him, poor guy." murmured Blib.
"I'm fine, really! This whole case, it centers around Boral identifying the Snorch, right?" Ickis prompted.
"Yes. Boral was on his way to see the doctor when he saw the Snorch standing outside the Gromble's office." Oblina stated confidently.
"On his way TO the doctor. You took lotsa notes, Oblina. Why was Boral going to see Dr. Kott?" Ickis queried.
"To get his eye washed out, he got disinfectant splashed in it on a scare." Oblina answered.
"Poor guy. Good thing he sought help right away, otherwise they'd have made him wear really stupid-looking glasses and all his classmates would laugh." Krumm commiserated.
"An' you know what that means!" Ickis crowed.
"Yes, it means that so-called friends shouldn't act superior, especially the ones who wore contacts." Krumm asserted. He scowled at Ickis briefly.
Ickis sighed. "I already apologized, an' I think a good friend would accept that an' move on!" Ickis urged.
"But I need leverage for every time you start acting like a jerk." Krumm maintained.
"Jus' ask Oblina. She keeps track of all those incidents, there's no shortage to choose from." Ickis insisted.
"It's true, you CAN be a selfish little twit." Oblina interjected.
Ickis' ears drooped. "I know..." he admitted sadly.
Oblina smiled. "But you can also be rather inspiring. You've convinced me that the evidence is inconclusive. Therefore, I'm voting not guilty." Oblina declared.
Ickis beamed. "That makes it 11-1!" he determined.
"So you can count. Big whoop. It'll take more than stupid bonsty tricks to change MY vote." Hairyette professed.
"C'mon, Hairyette. You don't -really- believe the Snorch did this. You were even one of the monsters who were trying to pin the crime on me!" Ickis recalled.
"That doesn't matter. You aren't getting my vote." Hairyette insisted.
"Why not? I think I've offered a reasonable alternative. Zimbo shares a dorm with the Snorch, he's got access to his library card, and he could swipe the nosehair whenever he felt like it. Boral saw what he described as a tall monster, but he didn't get a very good look at the suspect. Zimbo's got this -really- annoying Cuddles the Bear costume, he could've been wearing that." Ickis detailed.
"Hold it. Isn't Zimbo friends with the Snorch? Why would he want to blame him?" Kriggle interrupted.
"I don't think he cares -that- much. Zimbo got jealous when the Snorch became friends with Oblina, after he had the voice box implanted an' could talk briefly." Ickis remembered.
"You were jealous too. Maybe you've been arguing so much because you really ARE guilty, Ickis." Horrifica sneered.
"For the last time, I was -with- Oblina an' Krumm. They wouldn't lie for me, well, Krumm might but Oblina always tells the truth!" Ickis countered.
"Has she told you how annoying you are?" Horrifica asked.
"All'a time." Ickis mumbled.
"This really isn't the time or place to be making fun of him." Oblina asserted.
"Yeah, save some for next Tuesday! Pick On Ickis Day is gonna be great!" predicted Krumm.
"I don't see why that's even necessary." Ickis moaned.
"Of course you don't, you're a boy!" Hairyette spat. "Boys can't see the value of ANYTHING! That's why whenever I come home on break Father criticizes my entire performance at the Academy! Girls can't be good scarers, if you'd been a son like I wanted-" she clasped a paw over her mouth, as she realized the ramifications of her words.
"That's awful." Dizzle murmured.
"Hairyette..." Oblina began.
"It's not important, okay? Stop... stop looking at me like that. I don't need your pity!" Hairyette snarled.
"You have it anyway." Ickis whispered.
She glared at him. "Shut up and leave me alone. I'll vote not guilty, if that's what it takes to be rid of you! Now just go!" Hairyette ordered, her voice cracking as she struggled not to cry.
Kriggle shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Sure, I gotta tell the Gromble we reached a decision anyway. Let's go." he announced. The other monsters followed him out of the room, except for Ickis who lingered behind.
"Hairyette? Are you alright?" Ickis asked.
"I'm NOT crying, if that's what you were getting at. There -are- other reasons that I would sound this way." Hairyette sniffled.
"You wanna try blaming it on allergies? That usually gets the other monsters off your back." Ickis offered.
Hairyette smiled in spite of herself. "You've had practice at that." she noted.
"I've also told 'em I've been standing in the rain!" Ickis asserted. "Splash some water on your face, that adds a touch of authenticity!"
Hairyette rubbed at her eyes. "I don't think I have to go that far." Hairyette determined.
"Attagirl! Y'know in spite of all the complaining that went on, I think we ALL did the right thing. Zimbo probly won't be punished, not unless he confesses, but at least nobody gets blamed for something that isn't their fault. I always hate it when that happens." Ickis opined.
"Me too." Hairyette admitted quietly.
"We weren't really debating in here that long. There's still time for everybody to do whatever they planned on doing for the rest of the day!" Ickis tried to sound encouraging.
Hairyette shrugged. "It wouldn't have been a big loss anyway. I had nothing important planned." she revealed.
"You wanna watch Dad's glorp game? Dizzle will be there, she can explain the rules to you if you're not familiar with glorping. It's mostly Dad being awesome but you'll get to see me caddy for him. The equipment's heavy so feel free to laugh at my attempts to haul the clubs everywhere!" suggested Ickis.
"When you give permission like that, it detracts from the enjoyment somewhat." Hairyette groused.
"I'll still look thoroughly devastated, drooping ears an' everything!" Ickis offered.
"I -could- use a good laugh today." Hairyette reasoned.
"That's what I'm there for!" Ickis allowed. "C'mon, Hairyette. You'll like glorp, it's the only game I know of where you're s'posed to perform under par!"
Hairyette laughed. "I bet it's perfect for you, then." she mused.
"Absolutely!" agreed Ickis. He held the door open for Hairyette and looked at her expectantly.
"Thanks." Hairyette muttered in passing.
"Think nothing of it." Ickis replied as they left the deliberation room behind, and headed towards the next adventure.
~~~The End.
Author's Note: It was fun matching up the monsters cast to the juror archetypes and I'm pleased that 2 minor characters got to have expanded roles because of it. Kriggle, the hippo like male monster, is very outspoken and is probly best remembered for dispensing (faulty) advice on dating in the Season 4 episode She Likes Me? Based on Kriggle's personality, he's probly one of the older monsters as he seems to take on a leadership position whenever a 'boys vs. girls' scenario develops, and Ickis in particular seems to look up to him. Hairyette already had a tendency to be a bit of a feminist, and was cast as the antagonist juror with emotional baggage because Horrifica and Dizzle, the other popular girls, were already established as having excellent home lives. Reviews are encouraged.