Cruises are universally known for fattening up practically everyone involved. Denya certainly didn't intend on gaining the extra weight at all; in fact, he originally had plans to make active use of the ship's various gyms to shed the winter weight, even if they were a little worse for the wear. However, said gyms were located right next to the buffets, giving Denya all the more reason to indulge himself in an after workout meal. As one would expect from a top-rate cruise, the food was more than spectacular, every morsel was worth dying for, exotic or otherwise! One plate became two, and soon the stuffed draolf would find himself having to crawl out from the buffet, bloated and exhausted. With convenient lounge chairs nearby, as well as the gentle rocking of the ship, it was only natural for Denya to climb into the seat and take a quick nap by the poolside.

When I said cruises are known for fattening up everyone involved, I meant EVERYONE, even pesky thieves who snuck aboard to pilaf other traveler's belongings. Granted, Zero was already heavy to begin with, but his greed quickly got the better of him as staff and workers assumed he was just another traveler, offering him sweets and beverages whenever they caught sight of the green skunk. In order to avoid suspicion (as well as quell his insatiable hunger), Zero was more than happy to obligue, finding himself lost in a sea of amazing feasts and snacks hidden onboard the ship worth far more than the little trinkets he had been snatching from hungover guests.

And so, these two butterballs met on evening off the coast of Saint Thomas, recognizing each other's bulging bellies. There, the two forged a quick friendship as they squeezed into a taxi and traveled to one of the many beautiful beaches, where they spent the afternoon chatting, sleeping, and of course, eating.

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I've been wanting to write about Denya and Zero meeting each other one day, but I haven't really taken much thought as to how to go about that. I should really thank  sleepyras not only for the amazing drawing, but for stirring my creativity and finally developing an idea for how these two would approach each other via common ground. Should I turn Denya and Zero into the current journal story while finishing up Sheero's misadventures with the scary lyconroc and turning it into it's own story? Idk :v

Thanks again  sleepyras ! It turned out fantastic! :D