A cursory glance told Laurence that Emily wasn't armed, hadn't been prepared for battle at all, really. Modern pistols meant that there was little reason to carry more than one on him -- they carried more than one round, and were devilishly quick to reload -- but comfort and an overabundance of caution say that Laurence usually wore two, as well as the dragon-hilt Chinese sword he never went on patrol without. He handed over his pistol to Emily, even as he began to answer her.
"You've landed in a place called Vallo," he said, "at a bit of an inconvenient time, I'm afraid." Though, he supposed, if there were one way to become quickly acquainted with the whims of Vallo, it was to be attacked by a giant mushroom on your first day.
He regarded her for a long moment; she was older than when he had last seen her, by at least a year, perhaps two or three, and there was a moment of indecision about where to take her. He could take her straight to the Covert; Temeraire would no doubt be delighted to see her, and he'd have liked to introduce her to Lan Xichen.
But he'd take her to the DOA first; it would be easier to explain things there, and she could get sorted with her phone and her arrival allowance.
"They'll be able to explain a little better at the arrival office," he said, after a moment. "But for now, I hope you'll believe me when I say that you've been brought to another world, one both futuristic and magical, and that I'm glad to see you; I've been here over a year myself."