Owen shoos Kero off at the door, maintaining a hard stance on giant alien lizards and the indoors. If it grew up outside, it stays outside; overpowered badgers who want to dunk him through rooftops notwithstanding. Getting that through the animal's head involves several minutes of physically blocking the door, lifting a leg to prod it back for several attempts of mounting the threshold.

"Down," he slowly intones, drawing it out just as long as Kero's plaintive whine. "If I somehow die learning about plants, you have permission to eat my corpse. Get."

Either cowed or placated, Kero trots off, leaving Owen to move inside and let the next arrivals pass. It is entirely possible for him to die learning about plants: that's the reason to show up in the first place. If the guy who's been growing all the other plants wants to share a warning or two, better to learn the effects second-hand, and not after he--or his weird, excitable lizard--step on the wrong thing in the woods.

Which doesn't make it any more fun to be in a closed space with people who are mostly still strangers. Owen makes for the back of the hall, pushing out the back door in time to see Kero round the corner. He pulls it just as quickly shut, satisfied with another exit, and takes up a place on the wall that gives him a sight-line to Mark, the specimens, and his way out.

[ Grab Owen during the seminar, or get caught at either door while he shoos his croc-dog. ]