Corrine looked at her timepiece. Any moment now, her new roommate would arrive. She wouldn't have minded a roommate, except for one thing; he was going to be a Reptilian. She was afraid of Reptilians, although she tried to mask this with hate instead. She knew that she owed her life to one, but only because another had tried to eat her without permission. Even ten years later, she still awoke in a cold sweat at times, dreaming of going down that slick throat, this time with no way out. She could still feel those claws, and those teeth. She froze whenever one came near her. At least she could work from the apartment, and the other tenants could get her stuff, and they were all human.
That had changed the moment Mr. Skinetzy decided to install a new walk-in refrigerator, not to mention a new walk-in freeze, and an oven. The oven alone could hold, and cook, two whole pigs, while the refrigerator and freezer could each hold a dozen more of the same. Mr. Skinetzy never got new appliances for the place, not unless something broke and couldn't be fixed, and even then, the appliances were generally items that even Used and Second-Hand places tended to toss out. In short, she'd known that the place was about to get a Reptilian tenant, but she all but freaked out upon seeing the Reptilian-sized bed being brought into her room.
"No!" she had argued. "I don't want one of them in my room!"
"Can you pay the rent this month?" Mr. Skinetzy asked. "For the entire room?"
"No," she had admitted.
Mr. Skietzy grinned. "Then stop being so selfish. You wouldn't want to deny a paying tenant their right to have a roof over their head, unless you wish to be kicked out, and face all of those scalies out there. Be nice, and maybe he won't bite you. Or, maybe he'll do us both a favor and eat you!"
That had been two days ago.
Today, Corrine had to face the fact that the dream of not having to deal with another Reptilian up close was about to be shattered.
She heard a vehicle come into the lot. What she saw surprised her; the value of the vehicle was easily worth twice the value of all of the other vehicles in the lot, and that was if the vehicles were all new. As the Reptilian stepped out, she saw that the clothes on him were worth more than everything she had in her dressers. The timepiece on his wrist alone could have accounted for the value of the entire room, with plenty to spare for all of the other rooms on the floor. He got out his suitcase, and a few other things, each of which were highly valuable in their own rights. Then, he turned his head, and for a moment, Corrine was afraid that he'd spotted her watching him, but he looked past her, as if taking it all in. She then watched as he walked towards the door, finally losing sight of him.
Who is he? she wondered. Why would he want to live in a dump like this when he could easily afford his own place?
These questions puzzled her, right up until the moment her door opened, and there stood Mr. Skietzy, along with the Reptilian.
"This is your roommate, Miss Corrine Jones," he said. "I'm sure you'll enjoy her company, although I will warn you, Mr. Zkints, she doesn't like Reptilians. Maybe you can liven her ideas up a bit. Let me know if you need any help with the rest of your things."
"Thanks," the Reptilian said. "But I can take care of that myself."
"Very well," said Mr. Skietzy. "See you later. You can join us for supper, or eat in the room."
"Do you have any issues with me having a dinner guest here?" the Reptilian asked.
"No problems either way," said Mr. Skietzy. "They can come here to enjoy dinner, or be dinner themselves. I have no issues, so long as you don't make too much of a mess."
"Thank you," the Reptilian said.
"In that case, I'll be off," said Mr. Skietzy.
He then left, leaving Corrine alone with the Reptilian. The Reptilian looked at her. He then looked over at his bed. "Does he buy from the bottom of the trash heap for everything?"
"The guy is real cheap," Corrine managed to say.
"I'll say," the Reptilian said, walking over to it. He then sat on it. The noise was deafening. "At least it didn't break." He looked over at her. "Sloish Zkints is my name."
"Corrine," Corinne said, nervously. "Corrine Jones."
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
"Something tells me that you're afraid of me," said Sloish. "Why is that?"
"I'm not afraid," Corrine said, defensibly. "I just don't like Reptilians."
Sloish chuckled. "I'm read good at reading people; it comes in handy for my job. That and I took psychology classes, which also helps with the job."
"And, what job is that?" Corrine asked, as it might explain his valuable possessions.
Sloish grinned. "Easy, I'm..."
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