[she's doing her best to be polite about it, but every time he gets too close she tenses and keeps a wary eye on the sharp and pointy parts of him. the longer they talk, the more at ease she becomes.]

Is that so? I don't have much--well, I don't have any experience dealing with lizard or snake mothers aside from what I've read in a few books. And I suspect those don't apply here. If that's similar to what's going on here, though, it's reassuring.