[Sometimes Vastra thought that 'skin condition' was a bit of a stretch, though. A condition that caused a crown on one's head was quite a condition for a human, but perhaps no one asked questions out of politeness. Sometimes the times she lived in really worked to her advantage.]

It isn't a skin condition, however I am certain you ascertained as much when you first saw me. You seem intelligent enough. [She gives a little wry smile and half-falls, half-leans against another tree.] How much do you know about reptiles? Does your planet even have anything that resembles me in the slightest? [Some planets and times didn't, but she hoped he knew something so Vastra didn't have to play encyclopaedia either.]