Chapter Text
It’s the morning after the Golden Masquerade in Mask City. A slight fog has covered the area, but it would eventually dissipate with the rising sun. The city is in its first phase of “waking up”, where most of the essential buildings begin to open to the public. In Chevron Heights, at the Old Checkered Bed & Breakfast, Monster, one of the competitors from the Golden Masquerade, is asleep. He has taken off all his clothes except for the unbuttoned orange shirt which he slept in. He thinks that with the Golden Masquerade finally over, he can relax for the weekend before he starts his new job on Monday…
“AAAHHH!” CRASH!
“Wha—what’s going on? Whatever.” Monster groans. As his sleep is interrupted, he decides to begin his morning routine. He tiredly makes his way over to the bathroom and does his business while checking his phone. But what should have been a quiet time in the toilet instead becomes a scary moment when a spider lands on Monster’s head and crawls down to the top of his eye. Once Monster notices the spider…
“AAAHHH!”
He flings the spider off his head, holds his leg close to his body, and hyperventilates. He then hears a knock on the walls.
“Can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep!” A muffled, feminine voice asks.
“I’m sorry,” Monster replies in a squeaky voice. He realizes that he was overreacting. It’s just one spider, He thinks to himself. The little guy is probably lost. I should go talk to it. He forces a smile on his face and asks the spider “Hey—hey, little spider. Are you lost? Would you like me to take you outdoors?” He imagines the spider nodding. “Okay. Give me a second to finish.”
After finishing up in the bathroom, Monster heads to the breakfast buffet and grabs a plastic cup and a napkin to transport the spider. When he comes back to his room, he ends up seeing more spiders than the one who landed on his head. This sends him into a panic, and he runs outside, dropping the cup and the napkin in the process.
He runs to the front desk to tell the clerk about the spiders in his bedroom. When he gets to the front, however, he sees a crowd of people complaining about swarms of bugs in their bedroom as well. Monster weaves through the crowd to the front desk, muttering “excuse me” to everyone he passes. At the front desk is a furry green monster with black thick-rimmed glasses and a black short-sleeved button shirt. He seems kind of nervous.
“Everyone!” The green monster shouts. “Please calm down! We’ll get to your complaints as soon as possible!” He notices Monster making his way to the front of the desk. The green monster forgets the chaos of the crowd for a moment. Once Monster comes up to the counter, the green monster asks in awe, “Are you a monster just like me?”
“I go by Monster in case it wasn’t obvious,” Monster quips. “What about you?”
“A-actually, I call myself ‘Thingamajig’ because I don’t know what kind of monster I’m supposed to be. You look like you have one eye. Why don’t you call yourself ‘Cyclops?’”
“I’ve always wanted to be called ‘Cyclops’, but where I grew up, people my age only ever called me ‘The Monster’, and that alias stuck with me ever since.”
One of the inn patrons is angry at them. “If you two are done with your little conversation, could you let the manager know about the bug problem that we’re having?”
“Oh right!” Monster composes himself. “I speak for everyone here about the sudden spider infestation. I was hoping the inn could do something about it.”
Thingamajig responds, “We’ll see what we can do.”
“Thank you so much!” Monster says. “While I’m looking for a new place to live, this inn is the cheapest place for me to live with the money I have. By the way, there’s a spider on your head.”
"AAAH!” Thingamajig screams, flicking the spider off his hair.
Still itching and mildly traumatized, Monster decides not to take a shower in his bed and breakfast room, let alone live in it. He packs up his belongings and heads to a local gym to sign up, just so he can take advantage of the showers. The gym showers are a stark contrast to the bed and breakfast showers, with their cold tiles and echoing sounds of running water. They may not be private, but he no longer trusts the showers at the Old Checkered Bed & Breakfast, after all.
After thorough washing and drying, he heads to a Starbucks café where he gets himself a Spinach, Feta & Egg White Wrap and a simple dark roast for breakfast. He pulls out his tablet and begins searching for a short-term rental.
“Morning, Monster!” A familiar voice calls. It’s Miss Monster, who had entered Starbucks for breakfast as well. She had gotten herself a Java Chip Frappuccino® and a Berry Trio Parfait.
Monster could only sigh and give Miss Monster a tired “Mornin’.”
Miss Monster looks a little bit concerned. “So…uh…how was your day so far?”
“It could be better.” Monster replies. “I’d thought I’d look for a new place on Craigslist that isn’t infected with bugs.”
“Well, you could stay with me until you have the money for your own place.” Miss Monster offers. “I’ll have to ask my parents if they could lend me the extra bedroom, though. Plus, my siblings can be quite a pain!”
“I didn’t realize that you still lived with your family,” Monster says in surprise.
Miss Monster looks away and blushes. “Yeah, it’s kind of embarrassing…”
“But it’s not!” Monster replies. “Don’t take your family for granted. I never did – even though life took them away from me before I even hatched.” He looks down at the ground and continues in a somber voice, “the last thing I want is to take away your family after the world took mine.” He looks down at the computer in sadness, the thoughts of his absent family seeping in.
Miss Monster looks sadly at Monster before she decides to say something to lighten the mood. “So…would you like to join me for a walk later? It’ll refresh your mind.”
Monster thinks about the offer a little bit before replying with “Sure.”
“Great! At 3:00, meet me at Argyle Park,” says Miss Monster, “We can just talk and embrace the nature.”
“Okay.” Monster responds.
Mis Monster smiles warmly and says, “I’ll see you later!” She then picks up her breakfast and leaves Starbucks.
Monster opens Craigslist and searches for short-term housing. After some scrolling, one posting catches his eye… “NEW ROOMMATE NEEDED FOR 2-PERSON APARTMENT ROOM!” The post says. Monster clicks on the link, scrolls down a little and reads the description that pops up:
“I’m looking for a roommate to share my 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment with. Rent is $400/month; utilities included. Rent can be split between the two of us. Utilities include:
- In Unit washer and dryer
- Parking garage
- Swimming pool
- Fitness center”
With Monster’s interest piqued, he scrolls back up and clicks on the “reply” link. The only thing that pops up is the email and upon clicking on the email link, the email that pops up is generic. Monster’s interest quickly becomes suspicion as he copies the email and pastes it. He writes in his email:
“Hi,
I don’t know who you are, but I’m kind of interested in your request. We might become the best of friends or the worst of enemies. I want to get to know you better before I enter your apartment.
- Monster”
He sends the email to his mysterious roommate and waits for a response. Not even a few minutes later, Monster receives an email back. He opens the email and reads:
“Hi, Monster!
I was going to introduce myself to you, but you seemed kind of weary about who I am as a roommate. I want to gain your trust. Can we meet at the Twin Beaches Seafood restaurant for lunch at 11:30? I really like the food there! I bet you’ll like it, too!
- Your soon-to-be Roommate”
Monster doesn’t usually eat seafood, but how can he turn down that request? So, he responds to the email with:
“Sure thing! I can’t wait to meet you!”
It’s nearly noon in Mask City. Monster has made it to the Twin Beaches Seafood restaurant, which is a long way down without a car, but thankfully public transportation is available. The restaurant is decorated with giant seashells and naval items, which makes it look kitschy but well-themed. The air is salty from the ocean and filled with the aroma of seafood. As Monster enters the restaurant, he finds it slightly crowded.
“Hello, sir!” A random voice speaks. It belongs to a young and chipper host. “Are you the Monster in the table reserved for two?”
“Uh…yes,” Monster responds.
“Excellent, Sir!” The host replies. “Follow me!” With that, the host makes his way to the table, and Monster follows him. At the table, a familiar green creature was waiting for him.
“Monster!” Thingamajig calls.
“Thingamajig?!” Monster exclaims.
“I’m glad you could make it! I saved you a seat!” Monster takes up the seat that Thingamajig has saved and holds the giant menu in front of him and next to a glass of water.
“So, are you the mysterious roommate I emailed?” Monster asks.
“Well...” Thingamajig admits embarrassingly, “I sort of forgot to add in my information. It was my first time using Craigslist, and I was in a hurry to find a roommate due to an increase in my rent. It’s eating up 75% of my paycheck! It used to be 70%. I don’t know how I’m surviving.”
“70%?” Monster exclaims. “Wow! I’m amazed that you could still afford food, let alone this lunch!”
Thingamajig smiles warmly, “I just wanted to treat my new roommate to a nice lunch without worrying about how to survive for once.”
“How about, just this once, I pay for lunch?” Monster offers.
“That’d be nice, but this lunch is my gift to you.” Thingamajig declines. “How about we split the check?”
“Well, if we can split the check, maybe we can split the rent as well? 50/50. What do you say?”
Thingamajig’s eyes soften after Monster suggests splitting the check and the rent, a small smile playing on his lips. “It’s a deal!” Monster and Thingamajig shake hands.
“Anyways, are you a seafood fan?” Thingamajig asks. “If not, there’s some non-seafood options available on the bottom-right corner of the menu.”
Monster looks at the bottom right corner of the menu and sees a handful of options available, one of which catches his eye: Pork Platter. The Pork Platter consists of ribs, pulled pork, tenderloins, mashed potatoes, and BBQ Sauce. A server comes up to Monster and Thingamajig and says, "Can I take your order, sirs?”
“I’ll have the Lobster Boil,” Thingamajig responds.
“And I’ll have the pork platter,” Monster responds.
“Excellent choices!” The server says. “I’ll have those ready for you ASAP.” With that, the server heads to the kitchen. Monster and Thingamajig talk briefly about their pasts and their aspirations before receiving their meals.
After finishing lunch, Thingamajig awkwardly explains “So, um, I have to get back to work immediately after lunch, but I can trust you to make you way to my apartment.”
“But we barely got to know each other,” Monster replies, “And I want to wait until you get out of your job, so I can have a proper tour of the apartment.”
“Don’t worry about it! Let me give you the key to my unit so you can get in and just relax. The last thing I want for you is to go back to the dirty bed & breakfast after all.” Thingamajig reaches inside the pocket of his pants and pulls out his unit key labeled 504. Thing slides it to Monster across the table, who threads it through his index finger. “I live in Accessory Apartments at 650 West. I can put down the directions on your phone.” Monster hands Thingamajig his phone with Google Maps open. Thingamajig puts down the directions and hands the phone back to Monster.
“Thanks.” Monster says.
With that, Thingamajig heads back to his job, and Monster heads to Accessory Apartments. Once Monster arrives at his destination, he takes the elevator up to floor 5 and reaches room 504. As soon he takes out Thingamajig’s key to unlock the door…
“HEY!”
Monster gets startled and fumbles the key briefly before clutching it in his hands. He looks around and sees an anthropomorphic deer with a scarred left eye.
The deer asks, “How did you get that key from Thingamajig?”
“Oh, well...” Monster begins to explain. “Thingamajig gave me his key because I’m his roommate.”
Deer nods his head. “Ah, I see.” As Monster opens the door to Unit 504, Deer asks “Since you’re his new roommate, can I offer you a housewarming gift?”
“Uh, sure.” Monster replies.
“I’ll be right back.” Deer leaves the area for a moment while Monster enters the unit. The unit looks simple and minimally decorated. It has the essentials for a living room, save for the TV, which has a Roku attachment and an Xbox One. The kitchen is minimally decorated as well, with a couple of glass cabinets for viewing the dishes. Monster makes his way to the hallway where the bedrooms and bathrooms exist and checks out both sides. Thingamajig’s side looks lived in, judging by the couple of messes he left behind on the floor of his bedroom and the random cup with toothbrush that sits on the right-hand side of the sink. The other side, in contrast, looks untouched! The bed doesn’t even have any bed sheets. The bathroom looks pristine as well.
“Roommate!” Deer yells. As soon as Monster hears Deer, he heads back to the front of the unit where Deer is waiting for him with a Big Mouth Billy Bass. “Roommate, I want to give you this as a housewarming gift. It’s a conversation starter, and any time you make a friend, you can tell them about this!”
Monster presses the button on the bass, and it sings “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” He jumps a little at the singing fish. Classic. He replies awkwardly with a smile, “Thanks...”
Deer responds with “No problem!” With that, he leaves the area. Monster decides to relax. He heads to the couch and watches some TV for an hour before he has to leave at 2:00 to make it to Miss Monster’s Park Date on time.