Devin's presence comes as a slight surprise; not because it was strange, but rather because Rutile hadn't had anyone near them in a few hours now, and further because it was a mild shock to see the librarian out of context. Fascinating how his human's hands are so much rougher than they might anticipate from an academic, and how much stronger he seems than the others of his kind.

Rutile dusts sand off their clothing - back to their old garb, a ragged lab coat and black everywhere else - and rolls their eyes at his tease. "Fieldwork is critical to a well-constructed study," they chide back, "but no, this time I'm doing my duty as a citizen. It wouldn't bode well for my education if the whole of Aifaran was destroyed."

They line up their bag with his, adjusting its weight so that the distribution is even and solid. "I don't believe I've ever seen you in the open like this, though. Are you branching out into categorizing sand bags?"