Tyler smiled and picked up the scrap of metal. It was the biggest piece, but still small enough for him to tuck away in his backpack. "Thanks. Come on; we've got someone special to talk to."
He continued to walk Nym until they got to the university. It was a wide open campus and people were out and about because of the unseasonably warm weather. Two girls in jackets and sweaters spotted Nym and immediately started smothering him in affection, getting down to his level and petting him, complementing Tyler on how cute he was. He smirked at that and let them pet him until they were finished. Once they were gone he gave the dragon-pup a little scratch under the chin. "You're a real chick magnet, buddy. Why couldn't I have found you during my high school prom?"
As they got to the science building, Tyler scooped Nym up and carried him inside. The pup got even more fawning attention, as well as threats to call campus security for rule violations by people who clearly weren't dog lovers. Remembering Claire's directions, he went upstairs to one of the lecture halls, finding her and the professor she wanted to look at Nym. He had a distinct "I was born in the 70s" vibe to him, a casual appearance with long hair (albeit with a receding hairline), a bit of a gut, and a polo shirt with a design he was pretty sure they stopped making in the 80s. Just enough strangeness to make it clear he wasn't going to backstab them in any way. Also, for Nym's benefit, his fingers smelled like pepperoni when he shook Tyler's hand.
"Hello, Prof. Schneider. Claire's told me a lot about you," he said.
"Like what?"
"Well...that she enjoys your class..." he shrugged. "And I guess that's it. Sorry. I'm not really a science guy."
"That's fine. It's hard to get into my special rank of nerd-dom," the professor joked back. Tyler smiled. He liked this guy. "Now, Claire says you discovered a new species. This little guy?" He pointed to Nym on his table, causing the pup to lick his finger. "I'll be honest, he looks like a typical wolf, with a bit of an unusual coloring."
"I haven't gotten his little coat off. You'll see. Nym," Tyler called the pup to get his attention. Once he had it, he started undoing Nym's coat and getting it off him. "Show him what you got, little buddy."