A Gryphon is not a lion, but it's close enough, visually speaking, to catch the eye of this particular tiefling. His first thought is how did that get in here?, not in the sense of concern about a wild animal being indoors, but in the sense that he's now mentally measuring doors and windows and wondering if a wall will have to be opened up to allow him back out.

Sometimes it seems like the faction leaders don't plan at all before they bring people here.

If anyone was going to be bold enough to approach a gryphon, it would be a Hellrider. "Forgive me, I'm terribly curious what you're drinking. I wouldn't have the first clue what to serve a gryphon, so now I have to wonder if they were anticipating you well enough to stock the bar, but not well enough to make space for you in the room."