As the conversation between Rebecca and Theria continued at the front desk, Khalid waited for his Shoggoth Therapy materials to finish printing with a patiently feigned indifference. Despite his undeniable curiosity about the newcomer, he tempered his expectations about overhearing any juicy details. Based on her behavior so far, this aloof army woman did not strike him as the type to overshare; rather, she seemed more likely to jealously guard her secrets behind a stolid wall of dispassion. Who knew how much classified military intelligence she kept locked up tight in that mental strongbox of hers?
He certainly wasn’t going to edge any closer and risk an obvious invasion of privacy by peeking at her application form like some shameless schoolboy at test time. All Khalid could truly say for certain was that he and Ms. Holloway here hailed from very different walks of life, and judging by her exchange with the bespectacled receptionist, that went for Theria as well. Their conversation stalled as they began to talk at cross-purposes, the gorgon a little too earnest and innocent for her own good. It made Khalid want to roll his eyes, but he settled for politely averting his gaze.
For all the eruditionist’s attempts at discretion, he’d been paying enough attention to the others’ affairs that he failed to notice Max the moment his fellow human walked in. By the time he looked over, the hefty handyman was already behind the desk and nearing the printer, so while Khalid meant to take his own papers it looked like that ship had already sailed. Of course, he knew he needn’t be so secretive, especially around Max. Though the presence of an ordinary man here in a hidden monster enclave was something of an enigma to begin with, there were no secrets when it came to Max. He wore his heart on his sleeve, suspected nothing, and never thought to question. He also served as a litmus test for how the residents reacted to humans, and a much more obvious target than himself should a monstrous tenant seek to take out certain frustrations. Indeed, while the poor man seemed well-liked around here, he just couldn’t help himself when it came to monster-related misfortune, no matter how careful his fears prompted him to be. A person often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it, Khalid thought as he reached out to accept Max’s offering.
“Thank you, Erickson,” Khalid replied. While to most his words would still sound pretty formal, his omission of the typical honorific was a (dubious) honor few around here could claim. Not many monsters around here would ascribe superior standing to a human, so Khalid couldn’t afford to, either. That aside, he did not particularly like the way Max tended to look at him. Naturally he reasoned that the clerk’s trepidation treatment stemmed from his perception of Khalid as a monster, made all the more subtly menacing by his uncanny knack for disguising his true nature. But in his day Khalid had met plenty of humans who looked at him in much the same way. Not as a fellow, but as a possible threat. An ‘other’. At Umbra Rose Condos, at least, dehumanizing treatment was proof positive that his deception was working. On the most gullible and least threatening guy around, at least.
When Khalid looked over at the ladies, Rebecca seemed to be finishing up her form, so after a moment he returned his attention to Max. “You seem ill at ease…my friend,” he told the man, giving his low voice a dramatic and conspiratorial drawl. “It’s understandable, of course. Given all that you’ve seen, that was never meant for the human eye.” He held up the poster he’d printed out for Max to see. “As you no doubt noticed, I am offering a new service. Shoggoth Therapy, where monsters and mental health meet. You are no monster of course, but are we really so different?” Khalid affected a broad smile, all the more menacing for its lack of conventional menace. “If you ever wish you could simply sit and speak of what ails you, please feel free to visit for a nice chat.”
With that, Khalid turned his attention to the corkboard. Tacking his newly-printed poster to it took only seconds, but neatly folding and separating the business cards would take a little longer. Just long enough for Ms Holloway to finish her application, as it happened. When Max headed her way to pay the newcomer much more overt attention, the mysterious creature hidden within Rebecca’s clothes reared its head once more. In fact, it plopped down on the desk with a noise that more than justified a curious glance, and when Khalid looked over he witnessed the beast in all its scaly glory. It was…a normal snake? It was a decent size, its scales intricately patterned in impressive colors, but it seemed completely within the bounds of mundane biology as far as Khalid could tell. Not that normal animals -however exotic- were his forte. He continued watching, a little confused, as Rebecca draped her pet over her shoulders. So it was an independent entity after all, and while it could conceivably be some other kind of shapeshifter, Khalid knew better than anyone that Slick was no Shoggoth. With this discovery, the guessing game was back to square one.
As Rebecca began to wrap up her registration, Khalid pursed his lips and made a decision. He finished with his business cards, slipped them into his pocket, and strolled over. With the inception of Shoggoth Therapy, his time of detached observation in the background was officially coming to an end. It was time to step into the limelight.
“Since introductions are in order, please allow me to do so as well,” he began, his tone affable. He kept a respectful distance from Holloway as he sidled up to the counter, not approaching her from behind. “Welcome to our humble hideaway. I am Khalid Alhazred, the resident Shoggoth. As it happens, I am just now launching a program called Shoggoth Therapy. For now I am but an understudy, but it would be my pleasure to chat with each and every member of our colorful community. Which now, of course, includes you. So please stop by room 3-106 any time.”
With that, Khalid carefully laid two business cards on the reception desk, stacked so that the top one hid the bottom. Even if Rebecca declined to take one, there would be one apiece for both Max and Theria, either to keep or to pass on to whomever they wished. It wasn’t by accident that he was discussing Shoggoth Therapy with some of the most well-known individuals around.
