They call me.... Tim?

Posted on Thu May 21st, 2020 @ 11:10pm by Level 2 Itishaam “Tim” Mughabghab PsyD & Captain Ash Shultz

Mission: It's... A Bus Station
Location: NCGB
Timeline: May 6th, 2020 - ???? Hours

It was Ash's turn to cook for the station. So she boiled two boxes of rotini pasta and heated two 40-count bags of chicken nuggets. If people wanted fresh, they could cook it when it was their night. For the moment, she began to warm the alfredo sauce on low heat. All that was left, was to cook the garlic bread, for which Dilla sat on a rug by the dining table, begging for a bite.

"Garlic, no. Chicken, maybe," Ash promised her dog. She was about to place her bread in the oven when she heard the bell over the front door ring. Most NCGB members knew to use the rear exit. So Ash paused her work and headed downstairs.

Sure, just before dinnertime was an odd time to turn up, but there were lights on inside and the ad had said to reply at once. And so, here was Tim ready to look for a new job.

He had done some research the previous night on licensing for psychologists in North Carolina as compared to Massachusetts. Luckily, there was only one class he would have to take and, then came the jumping through hoops to get the license. But, something told him that wouldn't really matter with this company. After all, paranormal psychology was new. In fact, Tim wasn't sure there were any other practitioners in the world.

At once, the door opened. "Hello," said Tim in his slight British accent. "I saw your add saying you were looking for paranormal investigators, combatants and etcetera. Wondered if you could use a paranormal psychologist. I'm Dr. Itishaam Mughabghab, by the way. But, there are some who call me..." he quirked a single eyebrow almost as if unsure of what he was about to say, "... Tim?"

"Yeah..." Ash considered as she tried very hard to process his name without smirking. "...Yeah. I can get behind that. Normally I'd walk you to my office, but since I'm midway through fixing some food, you can sit at the table and make yourself useful while I ask some questions."

Ash gestured to the staircase and instantly started walking without any preamble from Tim.

Without a word, Tim followed her into the station- headquarters?- and glanced around. "Interesting place you got here," he commented.

Once they reached the second floor, Ash pointed to the long wooden table. "You can help me butter some bread," she said as she pulled a few butter knives from the drawers along with a loaf of bread and baking sheet from the bottom cupboard.

"I don't mean to brag, but I am very good at buttering bread," replied Tim as he pulled a chair over and began laying out a few slices of bread. "How much butter do you want? A little? A lot? In between?"

"Just enough so the bread isn't dry... Making garlic bread," Ash said, then opened the jars of alfredo and poured them in a source pan. Closed the lid, turned the eye on to simmer, and joined Tim at the table.

"So... why NCGB?" Ash asked as she helped him out with bread.

“Well,” started Tim, carefully dipping the butter knife into the butter so as not to make a mess. “I’ve been freelancing as a paranormal psychologist for a bit now. It’s sort of something I came up wiv in uni while studying to become a child psychologist. Although, I suppose it really started wiv that ghost of a little girl who tormented me when I was a child. One of the many psychologists my parents took me to told me to ask her what she wanted. I did and she left. Crossed over, I think. Not sure, really. Anyway, I started doing that wiv any ghost I came across. Seemed to work for the most part, so I thought, maybe that’s all they need- someone to listen and understand.” He shrugged. “I’ve been helping people get ghosts out of their houses and churches. I enjoy it, but mostly I sit around bored because there’s not enough work. I figure you will get more clientele than I could on my own.”

"We can try," Ash assured. "Sometimes we're up against ghosts too dangerous, that sitting and chatting might not be an option - but when it is an option. Yes. We'll try to help them."

For a moment, Ash wanted to tell a story. Relate to Tim. Tell him how her parents drugged her paranormal experience into silence. That would mean outing her Medium abilities though. That, she just could not do. She would not do. As Ash began to butter another slice, she went on to ask, "So we work with radiological devices on occasion. Is that likely to be an issue?"

"Not any that I can think of," replied Tim.

"Any criminal convictions I should be aware of?" Ash asked as she went for another slice to butter.

"I've never even been accused of anything," Tim replied, choosing a new slice of bread to which to add butter. "Except, you know, 'he hit me!' and all that other stuff that five-year-olds do."

Ash laughed at that. "I was an only-child 'til I moved in with my high school best friend's family. So I had little of that, thankfully... I can only imagine the fights siblings get into."

"Imagine a playground and multiply the disagreements by 70 and divide the friendly play by 700," Tim explained. "Me sister and I get along better now, but when we were little, it was pick pick pick."

Ash stood up to stir the noodles and set the oven to broil. "There something you don't like about yourself, you wish you could change?"

"Of course," replied Tim. "Everyone does, right? I suppose I could stand to be less.... I hate to say lazy, but that's the best word. I have no sense of urgency. I could use more, I suppose."

"Do you at least feel compelled to respond when there are emergencies happening around you?" Ash would be lying if she said she was fine with that flaw.

"Oh, yeah, sure," replied Tim quickly. "An emergency is different. You gotta get to it right away. What I meant was, if I have a deadline of Friday, I probably won't get started until sometime on Wednesday afternoon. I always get stuff done on time, but why wait so long to get to work? You know?"

"I follow ya," Ash nodded in comprehension, then pick up a bottle of garlic powder and sprinkled it over the buttered bread. "Well... New Hire Orientation starts tomorrow. Think you can be moved-in by morning?"

"Not wholly," replied Tim, "but at least in part. I'll have to go back to Boston to get the remainder of my things pretty soon, but I should be okay for a couple of weeks."

"We give folks time-off. Three-weeks PTO for new employees, sick leave, and two days a week off," Ash informed.

"I could probably get most of it in a couple of days," Tim commented.

As Ash placed the baking sheet in the broiler oven, she smiled to Tim. "If you need help, let me know... And welcome to NCGB."

"Thank you, ma'am," replied Tim. "Looking forward to it."