You remain deathly silent as you stare at both items. Both Alex and Sam don't bother to rush you. The paper feels unnatural against your rubber scales, while the pen seems like a foreign object. Did you really forget how such simple objects looked and felt?
You begin to shiver, oddly enough. Even with your coils around you it doesn't do much to alleviate it. Did latex creatures ever feel cold?
Or was it was due to suddenly being put on the spot? You don't remember being so moody either...
You give a quiet, defeated hiss as you lower the scrap of paper on the tiled floor, causing Alex to smile. Sam's slitted eyes stare on in interest.
Your hand shakes as you bring the pen towards the paper.
You'd almost forgotten how to hold a pen, although you thankfully manage to scribble your name down. You cringe as you realize how much worse your handwriting looks.
You pick up the scrap and hand it to Sam, the purple lizard accepting it with a smile. You pray your writing is legible enough.
“Martin?” She asks in dull surprise, almost as if she expected a more grand or fancy name. You divert your gaze at hearing your own name.
“You seem so anxious. Is this truly your name?” She inquires, and you nod.
“Sorry I doubted you then, Martin.” Sam says quietly. You give out a small hiss. You haven't been called your name in what seems like an eternity.
Being a snakeman and no longer a human made the name seem almost unfitting now. A loss of identity. You brought a clawed hand up to your snake like face.
Were you truly 'Martin' anymore?
“Martin, Alex, and Sam.” Alex says out loud, interrupting your thoughts. He gives a small grin. “I think it has a nice ring to it.” A toothy grin crosses his face.
You return a serene smile, although you retreat back into your coils and turn around. The grin from the white tiger's face vanishes.
Sam appears to grow concerned.
"You know, I believe I heard from somewhere that the name 'Martin' is derived from Mars, the Roman God of War. Nowadays your name could also mean 'brave warrior.'" She explains.
"And you were brave enough to rush into this mansion blindly without thinking, right?" She asks. You nod.
"Oh! You were brave enough to fight that wolf and cat at the same time to protect me!" Alex exclaims, his feline tail sticking up.
The purple lizardwoman nods, looking at you worriedly.
"Yet now, it seems as if all signs of that bravery has vanished. What's the matter, Martin?" She asks, her reptilian eyes piercing through your own as you make eye contact.
You quickly break said eye contact as you flinch, quickly retreating back into the safety of your coils. Sam and Alex look at each other in concern.