Nahadnowen was grateful for Alger's assistance with the door. The naga’s appearance nonetheless unnerved him and he was relieved when Alger left to meet other students. He’d had little exposure to other sentient species where he grew up, and had heard nothing but warnings about serpentine creatures. For now, he could merely hope Alger was more civil than he’d been taught to believe.<br/><br/>The lungfish unloaded some of the trinkets from the pack and heaped them on a bed he most likely wouldn’t use. Nahadnowen had brought a tank to be filled with water that would be far more suitable for a fish, but it and most of his other belongings were still at baggage claim.<br/><br/>Having had little time to eat with the frantic new student orientation schedule, he decided to scope out the cafeteria while he had the chance. He’d deal with baggage claim and the door problem later.<br/><br/>What he saw upon drifting into the cafeteria was less than welcoming. Amid students who’d ordered relatively ordinary food, the naga and an odd human male were devouring a live rabbit and squid, respectively. This bothered Nahad, though he couldn’t put his finger (or more accurately, his fin) on why. But these oddities were nothing in light of what he glimpsed next: Axora (had he known her name) ordering a meal of live tuna fish. Disgust, fear, and moral outrage invaded his mind all at once.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Who are these people?</span>He thought.<span style="font-style: italic">Why—how can they do this so casually? I don’t belong here. I don’t understand. How can a diverse student body possibly survive with sadists like these in plain sight? Is no one else alarmed?</span><br/><br/>Feeling alienated by what was to happen to the live fish, yet prevented by his own hunger from leaving, the lungfish tentatively approached one of the machines, avoiding the one that had produced the tuna. He gave his request in a sullen voice.<br/><br/>“Snails. Tadpoles. Dead, fresh.” When his order materialized in a bowl of murky swamp water, he carried it to an unoccupied table on the side of the room opposite from the dangerous beings and hoped he would not attract unwanted attention.