The naga's words barely registered in the lungfish's mind (though Nahad did note the nagas' relative scarcity as a Good Thing), distracted as he was by the tail. He wouldn't have perceived the gesture as threatening, except that he regarded everything about Alger as dangerous. Nahad would have cringed instinctively at the touch, yet he lacked the facial features to do so, and his response outwardly registered as staring stiffly into space.<br/><br/>He finally made an effort to assert himself. "Mightn't you respect my personal space, please?"