"...And what'll you be looking for, exactly?" he inquires.

"Whether I'll regret letting you out. I'm very sorry that you were summoned against your will, but the spell they used chooses a random target, not necessarily a friendly one."

"And you can just - check that, by itself? Hell of a magic," he says. "Sure, whatever."

"Magic in my world kind of defies description a little. What's yours like?"

"There's a lot of kinds. I can do the checking thing because I'm a rare kind of dragon; I'm the only one right now. The kind that was used to summon you is called wizardry; this is a school of wizardry."

"Huh," he says. "Cool. It doesn't really come in kinds at home. People ask for things, and sometimes they get them, but it kind of varies how. I've never gotten anything to work, but plenty of people don't, I'm not special that way."

"Well, worlds can be expected to differ, that way. While you're stuck here, I can get you a room in the dormitories and a pass to the cafeteria," she adds. "And my daughter can take you shopping for anything else you need at her and her roommate's expense as part of their disciplinary process - and if you need to let anyone at home know what's happened, someone more competent with the relevant spells can send them letters, or even summon them reversibly if they'd like to visit."

"I don't know anybody at home who'll miss me," he says offhandedly. "A room and a cafeteria pass sound good. And hey, I get to keep my favourite blanket." He snuggles it. It's so cozy.

"All right then." Keo gets up and leads him out of the room, to the lift, which she directs to another dorm hall.

Under the blanket, he proves to be wearing sweatpants in addition to the shirt. Naturally, however, no shoes or socks. He follows her serenely enough, wrapped in his blanket.

She shows him to a room that looks just like the girls' except for being void of personal possessions. "What's your name?" she asks when they go into it.

"Mm... Teah," he says, pretty obviously out of thin air. "You?"

"Keo." The name's odd for his language, but not unpronounceable or anything; she doesn't comment. "When do you want Korulen to pick you up for a shopping trip for the essentials?"

"Whenever's convenient." He yawns. "I've got my blanket, I'm good."

"Okay. She'll come by this evening, then. If you need me for anything, just think my name very hard." She starts to leave, then pauses: "Can you think of any reason why you wouldn't have an empathic signature while you were asleep?"

"What's an empathic signature?"

"Green-group dragons -" she touches her hair - "are empaths, and everybody pings our empathic sense in a unique way. I didn't get one from you till you woke up and it flickered in."

"Is... that a thing that happens? Or am I just weird? I have no idea, either way."

"I've never seen it happen. It could have happened if you were behind an empathic ward, but you weren't, and I in particular can generally circumvent those with line of sight. But it could just be a thing in your world, I suppose."

"I definitely couldn't tell you."

Keo nods. "Lift will take you to the cafteria, just tell it so. Korulen will cast a translation spell on you when she comes by to take you shopping."

"—huh, I probably should've been wondering how you spoke English," he says.

"Dragons can speak any language," says Keo, smiling. "Any other questions before I leave you be?"

"Guess not," he says with a shrug. "Thanks for, you know, being nice and stuff."