"I'll take your word for it," she said, but she seemed more amused than anything at this point.

When Crimson Cyclone nudged her hand again, Dorothea finally allowed the little creature to climb up onto her hand, but of course he didn't stop there. Instead, he scuttled right up her arm to perch on her shoulder. Dorothea went ramrod straight, her nose scrunching up as she breathed in slowly and exhaled through her nose. This was fine. It was fine! This was someone's DTF, not a nasty bug in some filthy Enbarr alleyway. She was fine. Totally fine.

"I haven't seen any beetles like this here before now," she said, sounding a little strained. "Safe to say he has no competition."