In a quiet part of the library, a wind started up that shook and flickered the pages of physical books, and sent e-readers skittering across the floor. There was a sound like a crack of thunder, and a blue-white crack in the fabric of reality opened briefly some three feet from floor level. It was opened long enough to allow a heavy, sinuous form to drop from it like a coil of python. Mal lay on the floor for a moment, slightly dazed by the impact, then raised their great head, thin forked tongue flicking out as they scented the air. The floor wasn't always in the same place on the other side of a portal, but three feet wasn't terribly far to fall compared to some of their more memorable landings. Their eyesight was better than might be expected, but their sense of smell was great enough to pick up the heavy, musty scent of thousands of tons of paper close together, the burnt smell of circuitry, and the thick, hot sense of hotblooded bodies someplace nearby. They had only eaten a day or two past, so hunger was no issue just yet. More interesting was the grey circuitry-smelling thin slabs of plastic their arrival had scattered across the floor. They approached the nearest ponderously, then pawed at it gently to flip it over and licked the glowing screen, turning their head this way and that so to better see the images and writing that rose like shapes in water.
And to think people said libraries are nice safe comforting places. To think people said the only danger is paper cuts. "Hi. Are you a Kintsugijin?"
Well, it was a language they understood, at least. But they did not recognise the last word, and after raising their heavy head with the slow deliberation of all large reptiles, flicking their tongue out again, Mal said, "I do not know what that is." Another consideration, tongue flicking - this newcomer smelled of hot mammal nervousness - they added, "But I do not come to harm anyone, if that is your meaning."
"You're not from here, then? Me neither. I'm Calcite. If you're planning to stay, I can show you to Someta." Cal can totally be bigger than this thing if he needs to, not that he's planning on showing that ability off just yet... "This place is Kintsugi and I'm not sure how you got in past the Wall of Nope but that... probably means you're nice. I think."
"Calcite." they repeated the name, thoughtfully. There was the barest hint of a hiss on the sibilants, but other than that their language was fluent. They raised themselves up and approached Cal with the weaving-side-to-side gait of a crocodile in absolutely no rush, although their build was broader and taller and less designed for water than those particular ancient reptiles. "You may call me Mal." They briefly considered rearing on their hindlegs in order to better know this one's face, but dismissed it, looked up at Calcite instead with almost birdlike curiousity. "May I ask what Someta is? And is Kintsugi the name of the settlement, region, planet, or universe?" "I wander a great deal," they added, after a moment. "I have seen many things, and much of it has blurred together. I do not always retain all I have learned."
Ok, this thing's friendly, probably. This is the weirdest! But Cal's pretty sure he's not in danger so he smiles, human-style, and says "Nice to meet you." He can't tell if Mal can shake hands, or wants to, so he doesn't offer. "Someta's where they handle the... official things?" He knows the word "government" but Kintsugi doesn't have anything like what he's used to calling that. "Kintsugi is this moon. Stay inside the domes if you need air. Everyone's nice." Nice, and also, a lot of people can fight. Jesse. Cal. Void. SEEBS, maybe. "Want to tell me about your travels while we walk?" He doesn't flap his hands in excitement because what if that scares Mal? But he's bouncing up and down on his toes and his ears are forward and he is SO EXCITED to meet someone new and weird and interesting and not have to be afraid of getting killed or kicked out or anything. Probably. Although... he doesn't recognize this kind of lizard, and the closest he's ever been is a snake, and snakes aren't very friendly. "Hey, how come you're nice?"
Mal tracks his excited quick little movements with their eye on that side, but makes no move to be intimidated. They've been around hotbloods for as long as they can recall, and if they let a little (loud) flailing disturb them they would have stayed in their place of origin. Their big curved claws click on the hard floor as they move, and there's the soft rustling shush-shush of their heavy tail dragging behind them. Anyone who actually knew reptile body language might say the young megalania is a little stressed by the quick movements, but neither their tail or neck is arched, so it's not stressed to the point of attack, nowhere near. "I am sure I do not know what you mean," they say placidly, to the question, giving Calcite a chance to realise his racism. They have encountered enough herpetophobia in their travels to know it when they see it, but have equally learned that going on the defence is the last thing that is remotely helpful in these situations. "Everyone is nice enough, if you attempt to understand their perceptive." There is a very small voice in the back of their head pointing out that one bite to the knee their head is currently level with would bring down this rude young man, and he would not have time to scream before their claws brought his insides out, but it is a very small voice. They know better than to listen to base instinct.
Cal tries to be really casual about moving a little farther away from the lizard thing. He thinks he might be crowding it and also it has scary teeth. "Well, I've never been a lizard, so I guess I don't know a lot about lizards. Any kind of lizard. I'm just guessing, since when I was a snake I never made any snake friends..." Cal shrugs. "I mean, I know you're not a snake. But you're doing the tongue thing and I did that all the time when I was a snake."
