"(That explains.)" The deity, he means. He remembers a small passage about a mythical time when the lizardfolk's deities were two. No wonder this one is so civilized, if he comes from the other side of that dualism.

He tensed at the insinuation of "shield." Was the situation so dire? He scanned the room again, sensing that now others are as uneasy as he was. Strange language, strange persons, the tension of explicit humor and implicit threat. Calm sounded like a welcome remedy. He went back to Common.

"Thank you for your hospitality. Let's repair to your table, and let other adventurers have this one until I'm ready to join their ranks."

If nothing else he felt sorry for the two inches away from a headlock. He nodded and got down, letting Goroket clear the path. He could feel the eyes of many on his back, and he hoped that time would smooth his presence so that his desire for adventuring companions might bear fruit.

Another piece of communal wisdom lit his mind: find points in common.

"We both walk barefoot", he noted. "Do you serve under the Knowledge Domain too? That's mine. Are you a male of your species? I am."

As he got to the tabletop, a heavenly waft from the leftover stew raised a prescient inequality and his most pressing question yet.

"Are you finished with that?"