As Khalid said his piece, he made sure to give his prospective client every bit of attention that she deserved, but he could not fail to notice others as they overheard and took interest in his pitch. The arrival of Alphonse was something of a surprise, since he wouldn't have expected the rather reclusive mothman in such a crowded public space, especially given how jam-packed the Building One cafeteria happened to be tonight. He was a welcome addition to the conversation, though--sensitive and thoughtful types like him were definitely Khalid's target audience. And if their introversion meant that they had no shoulders to cry on before him, all the better. The eruditionist made sure to meet Alphonse's shiny compound eyes a few times and send a few words in his direction to make sure the cryptid felt included.

After Khalid posed his final question to Iris and the werewolf began to mull over her thoughts in silence, it was Alphonse who spoke up with a question of his own. It concerned the location of his therapy sessions, and Khalid was only too happy to furnish him with an answer. "Not at all. My clients and I can chat wherever they feel comfortable, so long as we can be reasonably assured of privacy." He knew better than most, after all, that most folks were more liable to clam up rather than open up when exposed to Eau de Shôggôth. With that very particular fragrance involved, even basic interactions could be a hard sell.

As it turned out, though, Iris didn't need any more convincing. The werewolf announced that she'd give it a try, and while Khalid limited his expression to a politely genial smile, his inner voice was whooping with delight. Rather given to paranoia, he'd grown more convinced that he'd never even get this far as the day dragged on, and yet against all odds, here he was: sitting across from his first client. It was only the first step on his narrow road to success, but to begin was half the work, as they say. "Excellent. I'm grateful to be given the chance to help. Here." He slid an Al-Azif Shoggoth Therapy card across the table for Iris to collect. "Please call or text with a time and place that suit you. Oh...but you need a new phone, don't you?" He suddenly recalled what Iris said in the lobby that morning. "No matter, we'll figure it out. I look forward to getting to know you."

As he spoke, Khalid re-evaluated Iris somewhat. The two of them had a surprising amount in common, and it was probably no coincidence that the two found one another. They were both born human, but made monsters by the caprices of circumstance, and they shared something that set them apart in both worlds. Even if Khalid had ulterior motives, he did not want to let Iris down, nor betray her trust. This would be a tricky tightrope to walk, but if anyone could do it, it was him.

Before Alphonse could rejoin the conversation, an announcement resounded through the cafeteria. While not thrilled to be interrupted in the middle of an important pitch, Khalid tented his hands and listened with furrowed brows as Theria explained what was going on. So gremlins were the ones responsible for the technical difficulties encountered by the kitchen staff. Though the creatures were elusive even by monster standards and not well documented, he'd done enough general research to be familiar with their habits, and this fell well within their expected capabilities. What puzzled him was the fact that the condos' resident gremlin community seemed to have entered a pact with the management, displaying a capacity for reason and temperance that he'd never heard of before. As far as he knew, gremlins were more like computer viruses than thinking beings. He wasn't especially interested in a gremlin scavenger hunt, but if the population here had truly been brought to heel, that definitely warranted further study. Plus, it couldn't hurt to build a little camaraderie with his clients.

Khalid returned the smile Iris gave him as he rose, gathering his plates and silverware for disposal. "I see no reason to decline. I'll lend you a hand. After all, if you manage to win a new phone, we'll be able to stay in touch, hmm?" He checked on his satchel's contents, then readied the bag for travel. He would follow behind Iris so that the Shoggoth's pungent smell wouldn't interfere with her tracking abilities. "All set," he said with a thumbs-up. "After you."