[The smirk vanishes, and there's a blink of surprise and a small laugh. Then a resigned smile.]

That makes me wonder just how much you can read from me, considering I'm masking my ki. Most advanced tech where I'm from designed to read things like that peg me as lower because of that masking. It's a survival thing.

Never heard of H.P. Lovecraft either, but I wouldn't be surprised about things outside reality. I've seen enough monsters and things IN reality that were disasters.