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Location: Building 1 Cafeteria|| Interactions: Iris @BunniesOfDoom, Khalid @Lugubrious
Time: Late Afternoon

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Location: Building 1, Cafeteria
Interactions: @Morgannis, @Lugubrious

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Before Iris could answer the shoggoth on the matter of therapy, Alphonse offered his own two cents in the matter. Iris peered over at the mothman before nodding enthusiastically when he asked if mattered where the therapy took place. If they could take their sessions outside, the smell from the Shoggoth would be so much easier for her to handle. It wasn't that she disliked Khalid. It's just, her senses were more advanced than the average human and this man had a very pungent odor to him. She didn't want to tell him, outright, that he had a stench to him. She hoped he understood that on his own. She didn't want to explain to someone that he really, really stunk. Like, pinch your nose and back away stunk and for someone like Iris, that smell was intensified. It was almost as if she stepped into a swamp that had been left to cook in the summer heat. It was rank. She couldn't even help it as she reached up to rub her nose for a moment, trying to cleanse her nostrils of the smell.

When Khalid asked if Iris was interested in the therapy, she gave a swift nod before extending her hand out to the man across the table. “You've got yourself a deal.” Talking about her life and the things that have been bothering her sounded like a solid idea, at least. Whether or not he would want to continue with her after the first few sessions have yet to be seen. She was sure she wasn't going to be too much of a hassle for the therapist when it comes to tragic backstories. She really only had one thing happen that jump started her whole monster career and even though she didn't really talk about it to anyone, she wasn't exactly hung up on it. At least, as far as she was aware. It was just something that happened and caused her to start a new life elsewhere. Her real problems, at that moment, were the wolf. They were always at odds, trying to fight for control. If she could find a better way to talk with the beast and actually get along, that would help solve a lot of her issues. Perhaps even start making way to having some control over herself during the blood moons.

Then the intercom crackled and Iris heard the sweet assistant manager come on and tell the whole apartment complex about the gremlin games that had officially begun. A large grin broke her face in two as she listened and when the message finished, Iris swiftly stood up from the chair. Excitement boiled in her chest as she peered around the room. A game has begun. A hunt. She gave out a hearty laugh at the idea of it. This was her favorite event to go on in the apartment complex. Each year, she was free to let herself loose within the halls to track down and capture as many gremlins as possible. It was fun for her and the wolf, even if she didn't fully take on the wolf's form while playing. She figured it wouldn't be very fair for the others if she decided to wolf out and go barreling through the halls, especially after that morning. Best to keep the beast leashed for now.

She turned towards Alphonse, light blue flecks of color dotting her normally honey brown eyes. “Oh, a game indeed! A hunt!” She was taken aback by the change in her voice and paused. She clenched her fists by her side a moment as she closed her eyes while taking a deep breath. They were getting far too excited and needed to take a moment to settle down. She slowly began to bounce on the balls of her feet as she took another deep breath. She shook herself out like a runner preparing for a race before she stilled. When she opened her eyes, they were back to the normal color with no signs of blue within them. “Sorry about that.” She gave a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I got a little too excited.” She turned to face the shoggoth, giving a broad smile. “So, Mr. Therapist. You joining us for some hunting fun?”

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."

Qaymu

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Bldg 1, Restaurant
@Lemons - Velvet

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Hmmm, Qaymu mused. Older than I expected. Good move, I'm likely to lose this game. I really should have played more, there's so much rust here.

He glanced up at Velvet and frowned. "Are you...?" he began, but she had started talking to the Japanese girls. The one's aura was interesting to watch. He wondered briefly if she'd ever learned how to contain it, having noted its effect in passing on others. Even ordinary humans were affected - although both did have a certain appealing appearance to humans that might excuse it.

He gave them a wary but respectful nod.

The assistant manager's announcement made him frown in concern. Gremlins running lose in the building? And she wanted them caught and handed over? He was not even going to be allowed to roast a few? Well, he could still use his flame as encouragement.

Location: Building #1; Cafeteria
Interactions: Miyuki @Xaltwind, Velvet @Lemons
Adjacent: Qaymu @Expendable

Miyuki said she wasn’t doing anything suspicious. Ooh, but what Miyuki says and what Miyuki does are two different things. Yumeiko watched her lover for a moment before she heard a voice from beside her. She’d barely encountered the woman that morning, so the sudden apology from an unrecognized voice was surprising. When she turned to see what this was all about, it all suddenly clicked.

This is what Miyuki was doing. The fox in question attempted to brush the latest development under the rug with some really weak excuse.

A slow sigh escaped her as her eyes slid over to stare oh-so-pointedly at Miyuki. When Velvet sat back down, Yumeiko breathed in and closed her eyes, focusing for a moment as she shifted again. Her ears folded down and into her hair as round, human ears emerged from the side of her head. Her fur shrank away and her sacred markings disappeared. Her aura shrank. She’d been too panicked that morning to think of this, but now that Velvet didn’t look like she was dying from Yumeiko’s presence, it was a lot easier to think clearly.

“Excuse me,” She began, turning to face Velvet’s seat and smiling gently at the woman, “you’re from this morning, right? You’ll have to excuse me for that. It didn’t occur to me that some residents here might be harmed by my aura. It’s kind of obvious, in hindsight. I’m used to that one,” she pointed casually at Miyuki, “and we seem to more.. cancel each other, rather than burn each other. Please forgive my oversight. Is this any better for you? I’ve never really had to suppress myself, before.”

An announcement interrupted them. Theria, the snake woman at the front desk. Gremlins? Some kind of little critter, they were to capture but not harm them, and the winner of this contest would win a prize?

“Ah, what a wonderful opportunity to let out some frustrations. It’s been a while since we’ve been on a good hunt, right, Miyuki?” Rather than let you incite this incident further.

_{Late Afternoon
Building 1 Cafeteria
Interacting with: @Expendable Qaymu @Xaltwind Miyuki @CitrusArms Yumeiko}

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Velvet wasn't stupid.

Well, she admitted to herself, she was perhaps rather foolish sometimes. Hence the last move she'd made on the chessboard, for example. But she knew from the look on Miyuki's face that the apology hadn't done much. It might've actually made things worse. And perhaps now she was glad that she hadn't spent much time interacting with the black fox before. Yes, all of it was definitely Velvet's fault, she should've been able to resist drinking from her that morning. But she put out this...vibe of selfishness and arrogance that radiated off of her like the sun and kind of reminded Velvet of her super cringe younger self who thought herself above everyone. And she didn't really want to deal with someone like that right now. Everyone goes through a phase like that, but at least Velvet eventually grew out of it.

It was as she was thinking about this in an effort to not feel the full-body ache and sickness--mind over matter only went so far, unfortunately--when her thoughts were wrenched violently back into the present as the pain suddenly--

Well, it didn't stop, per se. She could still feel it bubbling up inside her, could still feel the divinity seeping off Goldie and burrowing into her bones. But it wasn't even a comparison to before. Like the feeling of ten silver crucifixes right in front of her had turned to a single golden one, and had been placed a hundred feet away. Not absent, but easy to ignore. She was taking a sudden deep breath in shock at the unexpected relief when Goldie suddenly chimed in. And smiled. Not a malevolent promise-of-pain smile that Velvet was used to (both receiving and giving at this point), but a real smile. A soft smile; a gentle smile; and Velvet suddenly realized that all of Goldie's foxlike features had faded away before she'd opened her mouth. She just looked like a human now.

She was...nice. Really, genuinely nice. A welcome change from most of Velvet's interactions, and she felt a smile almost as real and genuine creep over her face. She let out a long sigh of relief. "God, is it ever better!" She raised her arms above her head and took a long stretch, wincing slightly at the pain that was still present in her arm but still very clearly relieved. As she made to speak again, she was cut off by the crackling of the PA, followed by Theria's announcement. She raised her eyebrows. Gremlins, huh? She'd seen them once or twice. Which meant...she sniffed the air, searching intently. Nothing; there were too much people in the cafeteria, way too many, and any of the sour notes of gremlin blood were drowned out by the dark, alluring scent of Miyuki's blood--damn her--and everyone else besides. Still. A hunt, huh? It had been a long time since she'd hunted...

...Did she want to change that?

A moment later she came back to earth and remembered what she'd been saying, then returned her attention to Goldie. Now that she was paying more attention, her blood had an almost...floral smell to it. Like light champagne to Miyuki's Cabernet Sauvignon, and would be fairly tempting if it wasn't also part of a divine being and may or may not destroy her from the inside out. Now, where was she? Right. "Your presence isn't trying to invert me anymore, it feels great." Finally done with the stretch, she dropped her arms down haphazardly to her sides, and her smile turned to one of her more common half-mischievous, fang-baring grins. "Never introduced myself, did I? Velvet, Velvet Coventry. Part-time bartender for The Alibi downtown, full-time higher vampire. You ever thirsty for blood or booze, I'm your girl."

She leaned back in her chair again, taking another long breath and gesturing towards Miyuki. "So, what's up with Miss Tall, Dark, and Sexy over there?"

SaM Of AlL cOlOrs

In his room, Sam was fast asleep, not hearing any announcements. He held his favourite Body Pillow close to him for comfort. Sam was violently awakened by the sound of his phone alarm going off. Panicking, he noticed the time he jumped out of his bed. Cursing himself for staying up to watch an all-night marathon of Sailor Moon. He rushed over to his closet, getting ready for the day. Quickly, he headed towards the cafeteria, hoping to get something to eat. As he got inside, he saw a bit of commotion going on. He wondered what was happening and thought Azir might know what was happening.

Sam looked around the room for the ogre, noticing the ogre eating a lot less than she usually would during dinner. “Hello, Azir. Did you see the Sailor Moon marathon last night?” He asked while sitting beside her. The ogre looked quite annoyed while playing with some cabbage. It took her a moment to respond to Sam’s question.

“I only caught a little bit of it. I had a date, so I could only watch a bit of the marathon.” Azir said while eating the measly food on her plate.

“Oh, was it with someone from here? Or was it a human? And do you know what is going on in the kitchen?” He asked, looking behind him at the kitchen staff frantically running around.

“It was with a skeleton named Ducky, he's a funny guy. I think you'd like him. Yeah, something happened to all the electronics and stuff; they said it was some gremlins that sneaked in and destroyed everything. The owner wants us to hunt them down. I wouldn’t mind hunting some of those bastards for ruining my dinner. Do you want in?” The ogre smiled, feeling her bloodlust rise. “We’d get something good if we get enough of them. We can team up and split the prize.” She added.

Sam wasn’t sure if he would be able to catch any gremlins. However, he wouldn’t mind helping his fellow neighbours with this problem. And perhaps the prize would be worth all of that effort. “Sure, let’s do it. But where should we start?” He asked while getting out of the chair. He was going to get something to eat before starting this hunt. They discussed their plan as they ate what food was left in the kitchen.