A note before: Please take the time to comment after reading. Thank you.


In fact it all started quite a while ago.

Not as long ago as the universe itself, of course.

But the things related to the events about to unfold started some good time back. Some shorter back, some longer. And, thinking about it and to be precise, one or two of them might actually originate from around the same time as the universe.

The bits concerning the nature of a school-choir certainly do.

Now a lot of time had passed.

It had to, as some things need the existence of cities, streets, humanoid beings, and a breathable atmosphere to happen.

And it was morning now.

Early morning.

The streets of Ankh-Morpork were only marginally more busy than usual and in fact even for the city's standards nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.

If one doesn't count the small cab rattling along the road by the riverside.(1)

Granted, there were a good number of cabs, coaches, and carriages on the streets already, even here near The Shades, but seeing the combination of early day and the location it might have surprised some people to learn who was making their way down to the docks.


(1) And the unfortunate events currently happening at the estate of a certain Mr and Mrs Grouchy Dimples, involving a rubber ball, an old walking cane and a very misfortunate and confused sheep.


"I'd appreciate if you'd finally tell where we are going and why we are going there, Stibbons."

Archchancellor Ridcully was remotely grumpy.

Of course not because it was merely ten in the morning. And actually neither was it because Ponder Stibbons had come rushing into his study and dragged him out of the university without losing a word about the why except for 'It's important'.

It was rather the events of the recent past that made him feel like this. Only the past days had been ridiculously busy. With things that barely concerned the wizards of the UU. Not directly at least. Indirectly though... But indirectly everything could concern the university in the long run. The recent events at least concerned it in a small jog.

And as if that was not enough, now Stibbons was babbling about that they need to go down to The Shades before they'd make their journey to Brazeneck.

Brazeneck... Ridcully frowned inwardly as he remembered that mess.

Not the one that still laid ahead of them but the one the papers claimed to have happened.

"I'll gladly explain everything once we're at 'Twitten Close', sir," Ponder answered, leaning his head against the window, his view fixed on the street. "That's a small alley hubwards of Pearl Dock," he quickly added to avoid further questions.

"Stibbons."

The younger wizard cringed. He had hoped he could avoid this talk. He had also hoped he could do this without the Archchancellor asking any question. Couldn't that man just for once just nod and agree?

Originally Ponder also had hopes he could do this without the other man present. But several unfortunate events, amongst them the same erroneous reports that upset Ridcully, required the Archchancellor's presence.

There was still a bit of way ahead of them and Ponder knew he couldn't avoid things as long as he'd prefer anymore.

He took a deep breath, sighed and took another one:

"Sir, I am aware that I am acclaimed as the creator of HEX, which honours me. And I am aware that this assumed position will play a rather large part once we are going to Pseudopolis to aid them with their problem. But seeing the circumstances that led to it in the first place, I can and will not leave Sebastian out of the matter. We need him at this."

With furrowed brows the Archchancellor leaned back: "Sebastian...who is that now?"

"Sebastian Courtsbridge." After that Ponder refused to say any further word. A clear signal, -another one, actually, that something was deeply amiss. Much to his relief the cab stopped only a moment later and, again without a word he got off and moved into the narrow streets near the river. It took the Archchancellor a moment to catch up with the younger wizard, especially since he had to stop, turn around, pay the driver and then go and find to where Stibbons was heading again.

Said where, Twitten Close, was one of those alleys that seem to get swallowed by the streets and buildings around it. While not uncommon for The Shades it still was an odd sight to see, what with the much taller houses leaning over the alley, its own buildings rather squeezing themselves into the space between the others. The light that wasn't blocked out by the roofs was caught in the full washing lines that criss-crossed above the narrow street.

Ridcully found Ponder at the foot of a small flight of steps leading to a low, dark door which once certainly belong to an entirely different building.

"No one opening, Stibbons?"

"Not yet, sir. But that's not much of a surprise. Sebastian has, to my knowledge, twelve or thirteen siblings. Granted, his eldest brother doesn't live here anymore, but one of his sisters does with her husband and their children and..."

"Are you wishadsh?" a voice suddenly squeaked and the two men turned to look at the face of a small girl of maybe three or four years of age with short, dirty blond hair. Pretty dirty at that too.

"Yes," Ponder answered, "I'm Ponder Stibbons and this is the Archchancellor of the Unseen University. We..."

He didn't get to finish the sentence as the girl slammed the door closed again.

"Lovely..." Ridcully commented and crossed his arms to which Ponder Stibbons just shrugged, rather short of an explanation.

"Seems as if we have to wait, sir. At least Twitten Close is a rather safe part of this area. And we are wizards."

Having finished that sentence Ponder tilted his head briefly and then shook it quickly, a clear sign to those that knew him that he just realised that his words didn't really add up the way he wanted. A wizard was safe everywhere.(2) That statement was a bit unnecessary.

"Oh, that never worried me, young man," said the Archchancellor, looking with a hint of concern at the younger man. The way Stibbons spoke and acted ever since, well...ever since this very morning was unsettling.


(2) Except in the company of other wizards, that of witches or in general if his name was Rincewind.


And Ridcully couldn't even put his finger on the exact 'Why'. It wasn't that Ponder seemed to be not-all-there. That was a state of mind not unusual for wizards. And he was following one of his ideas again, a situation in which Stibbons tended to be prone to dwell in his own piece of reality. Till another member of the faculty dragged him back into the here-and-now.

But at those times he had never been so short-worded, if he wasn't babbling, repeating the same words over and over again, or seemed so sad and confused.

The latter ones at least not until someone pulled him from his little bubble of conclusions and theories.

What was he planning that it managed to upset him like that?

"Say, Stibbons," Ridcully then said, trying to perhaps get some more information. "This Courtsbridge-lad. Do I know him? The name sounds familiar; it just doesn't ring a bell."

"You met him, sir. First time several years ago, back when we had that business with the Music with Rocks in it. Which curiously happened without happening, which opens the question of..." Ponder stopped himself and forced his mind back on topic, "Sebastian has been part of my research-group for years, sir, before he had to leave the university due to family matters and unforeseen complications with his exams."

Ridcully furrowed his brows again, shook his head and thereby cause the younger wizard to sigh once more.

"You probably remember him as 'Skazz', sir."

"Scrawny fellow, a bit smaller than you," Ridcully blinked in surprise and underlined his words with several gestures, "Ludicrous haircut, bangs all over?"

"That's him, sir. Though he..."

That moment the door was opened again and narrative causality would normally mandated the sentence to be finished with a remark about how Skazz was far taller by now in a voice getting lower as the one saying the words would come aware how redundant they were, as it was clear to see.

If some far more important question wouldn't have pushed the rest of the sentence out of the way:

"Why are you wearing a dress?"

The young man seemed to be taken aback and just as surprised as the two others for a moment and tilted his head down to apparently looking at himself, as if he only just noticed what he was wearing:

"Err...'cause I look gracious in apricot...?"

Skazz shifted from one foot onto the other, surrounded by one of those infamous moments of awkward silence. What happened then, though, deeply and greatly surprised the Archchancellor, who would have never thought he'd witness such a thing happen:

Ponder rolled his eyes -nothing uncommon for him- but then grinned amusedly and... chuckled.

Ridcully had never heard him chuckle. Especially not like that. He had heard the younger wizard laugh dryly and awkwardly, but this was a clear, hearty giggle.

"Well, do come in," the young man chuckled, too. "No use talking in the doorway." He stepped aside and waved the two wizards in, "We have a living room at the end of the corridor. Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right with you."

He closed the door and moved up the staircase right next to it, leaving Ponder, who slowly composed himself again, and the Archchancellor in the hallway.

"Weird fellow you got there, Stibbons," Riduclly coughed.

"Skazz has always been a bit of...an oddball, sir. Even for wizard's standards."

"He made you titter."

There was no answer to that, but the Archchancellor could easily guess that young Stibbons, who stalked hastily down the short corridor, was flushing bright pink. Even though he had no explanation why. There was nothing wrong with showing such a side of oneself. With a brief huff Ridcully followed down the small hall.

Granted, there wasn't that much of way to follow down.

Somehow it was hard to imagine that -What had Stibbons said?- thirteen and likely more people lived here together. The building was narrow, only two storeys high and rather short. But that was The Shades for you.

"Shir?" something tugged on Ridcully's robes, causing him to look down. The child from before stood there, holding up a plate with what might very well be biscuits. At least the shape hinted into that direction. But Ridcully doubted that that many sprinkles could be in existence.

"Emily shaid I should apobogish for shuttin' the door on you."

The girl looked at the Archchancellor with something that could be called 'expecting pout' and the head of the Unseen University sighed, carefully taking the plate off her and coughing briefly:

"Well, me lass, you could have left the door open to someone not like us, which would have been worse."

The child looked at him with big eyes, nodded with a broad, happy smile and ran off into the nearby kitchen.

Ridcully looked down at the dish and, lacking anything better to do with it, took it with him into the living room.

Ponder craned his neck.

"What do you have there?" he asked.

"I dare say these are biscuits." Ridcully handed the plate over and sat down next to Ponder on one of two small couches, which might have seen better days once. But it was doubtable that there was anyone alive on the Disc to remember that time.

The moment Ponder, with a suspicious eyebrow risen, put down the dish on the low table between the sofas the door opened again. And Ridcully later admitted that he, upon seeing Skazz having tied his hair back into a short ponytail, was a bit surprised at the lad actually having a face.

"How was Pseudopolis?" Skazz inquired the moment he was seated, still mid-progress of putting his shirt on.

"We haven't been there yet."

"No?" The young man blinked, "I thought Drongo had a little poultry problem."

Ponder pushed his glasses back up his nose, eyeing the plate with biscuits with growing suspicion. "He IS HAVING a poultry problem."

"Oh. Well...shouldn't you be on your way to..."

"It's not as urgent as the newspaper makes it sound like."

"I thought that thing is rampaging through the city."

"Apparently it did for a while, laid eggs and then settled itself down on a nearby hill. They still need our help getting rid of it for good, even though it doesn't appear to mean any harm. As said, the articles about it were a bit …" Ponder bit back the word exaggerating, for obvious reasons, "they distended things a bit."

"That articles were odd in general." Courtsbridge shrugged, shifting his position to sit cross-legged. "For 'xample: Since when do we have nine square meals bigger than any of the ones I got to know at the UU? Would that even be possible from the time that would require?"

"If we'd move the Great Hall and the kitchens to that one corridor in the hubwards part of the second floor, yes. But that whole bit about the mentioned bequest and the meals is incorrect in any case."

Skazz shook his head, took a biscuit and nibbled on it for a moment:

"And what was this whole business with the orc about?"

"You'll laugh." Stibbons grimaced. "We wondered the same." He took a deep breath, "Do you know of the 'Our City-A Novel' column they are publishing on page four every now and then?"

"Ah, that one. Don't have the chance to read the times that often, Ponster, but, yep, that I know. It's the thing where they rewrite stuff that has happened in the city as if it was a fictitious story."

"Exactly that one. Well, seems the last one got a bit messed up and the serialised novel from page twelve mixed into it and then things like the drafts also, accidentally, affected the actual articles somehow and..." a sigh, "Long story short, Mr. de Worde deeply apologized for the erroneous news coverage."

"Should have known," Skazz answered, leaned back and watched the ceiling as if there was anything to see, "Y'know, I know Trev, and, heavens, he was rather upset at something last time I saw 'im. Hadn't the time to actually ask what was wrong. Though, I think I can guess where that mess came from."

"You can?"

"Yes. An' I think you too. Sasha reads that column on a regular basis and..."

"Sasha?" Ponder interrupted. There was no one of that name Sebastian had ever told him about.

"My elder sister. Anyway, Sasha and I talked about it recently and she said that they changed the rhythm to every month for the column a while back. And, as far as I saw it, now they have many more stories in there instead of just picking one or two from all the stuff that happens. Like t' see you trying to come up with a, err, leitmotif connecting some of the stuff the city has to put up with."

"At least they kept the same author for it. I don't want to imagine what it would have looked like if they'd suddenly hired someone not as talented."

Ponder stretched, a move mirrored by the younger man.

"So, Ponster, what 'cactly brings you here? Have you finally come to..."

"Sebastian!" a voice from the corridor hollered and Skazz scrambled off the sofa, before, seconds later, a man with a certain resemblance of a cupcake burst into the small sitting room, grabbing him hard by the shoulder.

The lad howled briefly, while the man was shouting words not fit for printing at him. It shall be enough to say that the man was less than happy that Sebastian had let strangers into the house.

Ridcully cleared his throat, earning a glare from the man. Not that it impressed him.

"Wizards," the man rather spat the word and finally let the lad go, who shuffled off to the side. "What do you want?"

It wasn't an actual question, as the man continued the very next instance, cutting off Ponder who had just opened his mouth to explain.

"I thought the little maggot had failed his exams. And was kicked out of the university. What did you do that they came here, you little … ?" he shouted, stumbled forward, reaching for Skazz again, but had to stop before running straight into the Archchancellor, behind whom the young fellow had decided to take cover.

"If I were you I'd stop that, my good man." The tone Ridcully spoke in, in combination with his expression towards the smaller man, should have been a clear signal. But apparently that guy was worse than anyone else in the city to get the message.

Again, the things he then said are not fit for printing, but they mainly concerned his thoughts about wizards, the university, Sebastian and manners.

His rant, though, was cut short by the sound of two people snapping their fingers simultaneously, followed by a croak.

Ponder Stibbons watched the toad hop out of the open door.

"Who was that charming individual?" he asked, as he and Skazz sat back down.

"Uncle Rupert."

Stibbons drew a disgusted face.

"You lads care to fill me in?"

For a moment the two younger men looked at Ridcully as if they, for some reason, had totally forgotten he was present.

"Skazz's mother died and his father married again, sir. The new wife's from a rather well-heeled family, but her mother was very... strict. She'd only give the family financial aid if they do her bidding. That man is here to assure everything is going the 'it should'."

"And that even after my step-granny died a few years ago," Skazz said, "Instead of giving Maman the inheritance she should have gotten, that cow of a woman passed all her money to her two sons and the other daughter. Wanna take a wild guess why, sir?"

Ridcully huffed: "Sounds like the classical 'your mother fell from grace with her by marrying your father'."

"Bull's eye, sir," a frown, "I jus' hope he's learned at least part of this lesson and'll not come back in once he's got his form back. So, back to what I was 'bout to ask: Why are you …"

Before he could say another word the door creaked and the little girl from before waddled in, climbed up onto the couch next to Ponder and looked at him with big, curious eyes.

"Yes?" he asked after a moment of feeling like something in a jar of alcohol somewhere on a dusted shelf.

"Will you make Batti a real wishad?"

"Annie," Skazz protested, abashed.

"We can't do that just like that," said Ponder, not really sure how to speak to children. There was a huge chance they'd understand him better than the UU's faculty. "Sebastian needs to pass his examination first."

"Actually Sebastian's teachers need to make up their mind if he 'has passed' his examination." Skazz pouted and now it was up to Ponder to look abashed.

As if seeking for help he glanced at the Archchancellor, who had been uncharacteristically silent the whole time. Ponder couldn't help but feel as if the older wizard was pouting too, as he, Ponder, had not yet taken the time to explain why they had come here.

He sighed, pushed his glasses back in place and started explaining:

"First of all, to have that matter out of the way, Sebastian's examination. There is one question to which he has given an answer which, while not technically right isn't wrong either. The nature of said answer requires the School's council to decide whether it gets counted as right or as wrong. Which, due to the score Sebastian has reached in the rest of the examination question, would decide whether he has passed or not."

"Ponster," Skazz rose an unimpressed brow, "If the newspapers were right at that point, you ARE the school's council. Can't you just say 'passed?'"

Ponder frowned.

"You remember the answer in question? It makes it impossible for me to make a decision on my own in this matter. I can't just say you passed just because you're my friend."

"But you do make up most of the council?"

Again Stibbons frowned and took off his glasses to clean them: "I'm also the entirety of the school's swimming team and several other things. I have too little time on my hands to sit down and continuously try to decide about your examination alone anyway."

"We have a swimming team?" Ridcully spoke up, looking rather baffled.

"Yes, sir. Me."

"Since when?"

"Ever since the pool was repaired and renovated."

"When did that happen?"

"About half a year ago."

"And why?"

"Because the swimming team needed a place to train."

"Ah."

The Archchancellor leaned back, satisfied with that explanation, only to cast a suspicious glance at a perfectly innocent looking Ponder Stibbons, who was now inspecting his glasses for smears, a moment later.

"Anyway," the younger wizard continued, rummaging his pockets for a clean handkerchief and continuing to clean his spectacles, "That is something we have to take care of another time, as the poultry problem at Brazeneck is far more pressing."

While Ponder paused to sort his thoughts again the little girl pressed past him on the sofa and leaned against Ridcully.

"Can you make it girlsh can become wishads too?" she said, "Wishads have pretty dreshesh."

To this Skazz snorted briefly, Ponder buried his face in his hands and the Archchancellor looked caught rather off-guard at the child.

"Annie, go up and help Katty with her sewing, will you?" Skazz chittered, picking the girl up to set her down in the hallway.

She nodded and waved good-bye to the two wizards.

"Dresses..." Ridcully huffed the moment the door was closed behind the girl.

"That's Another for you, sir," Skazz continued to titter, undoing his ponytail to hide his flushing face behind a curtain of hair.

"Another what?" Just a moment later the gears in the Archchancellor's head cranked into place, "That's her name, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir. Long story. We usually call her Annie. So," Skazz took a deep breath, calming himself, "Ponster. If I should guess, and I am guessing here, you are here because Drongo screwed up stealing Hex just as much as the article indicates it. And you want me to help as only Tez and I ever managed to at least guess what Hex would add to himself next."

"And, more importantly, YOU originally built Hex to begin with. Therefore I'd be glad if you'd accompany us to Pseudopolis."

"Ponder." There seemed to be a significant drop in the room's temperature as Skazz said that.

"It is NOT that," Stibbons protested, flushing and finally putting his glasses back on. "How heartless would I have to be to even think about that? It's the sheer technical aspect of the problem. And..."

"Ponder."

"Yes, maybe a little bit," Stibbons mumbled, playing absent-mindedly with the toggles of his robe.

"But, you know... We would have to stay there for a bit...Granted, your stepmother has a brother and a sister in Pseudopolis and Adrian's family lives there too, but still..."

Skazz tilted his head from side to side upon this while Ridcully couldn't help but feel like someone who, while reading, had just flipped a page to discover several important chapters missing.

"Stibbons, how about you finally tell me them important bits," he said, raising a brow.

Ponder opened his mouth to answer when he noticed the significant absence of a question mark in the older wizard's sentence.

"Drongo might think Ponster wants to hurt him if I come along, sir," Skazz answered in Ponder's place.

"Ah, because you're cleverer, right? Don't worry, lad. The only one upset about you being slicker than young Turnipseed would be Henry. Serves him right."

"So..." Skazz stretched the 'O' suspiciously long, "Am I just supposed to come along an' help with whatever Drongo threw together or is there a tiny lil' chance you will also, finally, decide whether I passed the exam and can come back to the University? If it's just the first thing I have to decline. Archchancellor, sir, this is nothing against you. A bit against Ponder, perhaps, but... I can't and shan't and won't come along to merely help you get their own backs on Adrian and Mister Porter. Yes, I am pissed they went and did what they did, but I am needed here, too. Mildred and her children are here till her husband finds a new home for them, Katty is trying her best to get accepted into the Guild of Needlewomen, Emily is this close to finally getting a job at the theatre and Maman and Papa are already working their skin off to get enough money to support us all. We're nineteen people here right now. Every hand is needed and if I'd just come along as unpaid adviser..."

Now Ponder raised a hand to signal Skazz to stop.

"Sebastian. I know it's very early in the morning and you probably haven't eaten anything yet. But normally you are quicker with your thoughts. I know exactly what you worry about. And now think about what you see here."

Stibbons's lips curled into an uncharacteristic mischievous smile and a moment later Skazz jumped up to nearly tackle Ponder off the couch, laughing heartily and thanking his former teacher over and over again. Much to the surprise and astonishment to Archchancellor Ridcully, who, for yet another time this morning, felt left out.

"Before you two start kissing," he said, "Could one of you lads fill me in...once more?"

Skazz let Ponder go, who cleared his throat.

"It's a bit complicated, sir," he started, "but it was necessary that you come along in your position as the Unseen University's Archchancellor as well as a witness as Sebastian's status as student needs to be restored even with the decision about his exam left unresolved. Something I, even though I do hold all those council-votes, can not do alone."

"How would him becoming a student -again- help the situation he just described, Stibbons? If I understood it correctly young Courtsbridge here worries about not being able to help at home if he'd come along to Pseudopolis for a few days. How can him comin' back to old UU be a better option?"

"As I said, sir, it's complicated. I shall explain the details later, if you want to hear them, but for now, well... The financial situation of Sebastian's family would greatly improve if he'd be an official student again."

"With the tuition fee they'd have to pay then?"

"Because of it, to be precise."

Ridcully looked Ponder up and down and shook his head: "Who are you, lad, and what have you done to Ponder Stibbons?"

"I am me, sir. It has something to do with an old bequest and a bit of financial trickery." Ponder blushed at the last two words, not feeling too well about that bit of cheating. "As said, I will gladly explain everything later on. But for now... Would you give your approval to the restoration of Sebastian's student-status?"

There was a quite long moment of silent and if one listened closely one could hear Ponder's and Skazz's hearts beating anxiously.

"Fine with me," Ridcully finally said, before raising a finger at Stibbons', "But we two talk as soon as we're back home, you hear me, Stibbons?"

"Yes, sir."

Next to him Skazz squealed and, with the announcement that he'll get his stuff and tell his siblings -those that were awake and in the house at least- that he was going back to the University again, he frolicked out of the room.

To return with a duffel bag on his back and a washed-out violet scarf around his neck to meet the two wizards back out in the alley.

"Something the matter?" Ponder couldn't help but notice that the -now again- student seemed rather worried all of sudden. "Is it your uncle?"

"Naw, for that bugger I'd never care. He likely went drinking. No..." Skazz craned his head, looking around, "It's Annie. Neither Katherine nor Emily have an idea where she went."

"Oh...That..."

"Could we take a moment and look for her before we head back to..."

"Batti!" That moment the girl came waddling up the alley, sobbing softly.

"Annie!" Skazz picked her up, wiping the tears away. "Oh, Dear, I already worried where you went again. What's wrong, little one?"

"It went boom."

"What went 'boom', dear?"

"I found a froggy. And when ...when I put it on the river..."

Once more the girl sniffed and flung her little arms round Skazz's neck, cuddling.

"Annie, that is the Ankh. I know you think frogs and whatnot should be in a river, but I told you that the Ankh is not..." a terrible thought snuck up the student's spine and with a paling face he looked at his two companions. Judging by their expressions they shared the idea.

"Annie, go back home," Skazz croaked, put the girl down and rushed to the river.

There were bits and pieces of fabric around a cupcake shaped imprint on the river's surface.

There should have been bits and pieces of other things too, but Narrative Causality mandated that a child of four or five years -or a wizard of almost thirty with a weak stomach- should be spared from such an optical experience.

Ponder kneeled and picked up a shoe that had landed on the quay wall. The shoe was far too new and intact to be there for longer than a few minutes. But of course there was smoke curling up from it.

The three men exchanged looks and finally Ridcully cleared his throat.

"Well, young man," he said, patting Skazz on the back, "If I heard you right, your little sister is known to put frogs and whatnot onto the river."

The student nodded.

"And your uncle knew we are wizards. He knew what was coming at him when he attacked us."

Again Skazz nodded slowly at the Archchancellor's words.

"So, my lad, it's practically suicide."

Skazz just stood there, swooning slightly. For a brief moment Ponder thought he a saw a blissful smile behind the curtain of hair.

"Well..." Stibbons then said. "They might be wondering where we are back at the University. Should we walk or should I look..."

Before he could finish the Archchancellor whistled sharply for a nearby coach.

"I never could do that." Ponder shook his head as the vehicle approached.

"It's easy."

"No, sir, I meant 'cause I'd never have a reason to even try it that way. The drivers would just shrug and ignore me if I'd try."

"You need to get yourself a better reputation, Stibbons. But now off home. I'm starting to get hungry."

Ponder smacked his lips as they climbed into the coach, wondering if he should say out loud that he was actually happy with the reputation he had by now.

Knowing Ridcully and maybe because he was getting hungry himself he decided not to.

The coach had merely started his way to the University when Skazz to ask some further, rather important things:

"Say, which other things from the papers 'bout old UU are act'all genuine and which stuff will Mr de Worde have to write a correction for?"

Ponder rubbed the side of his nose. "Is there actually anything left we haven't addressed yet?"

"Not much I think. It's amazing how much is right, while, well, being wrong at the same time."

"It's an alternate reality. We may not forget that."

"Yes, I know. But I think it's a bit... upsetting to read that near all of Trev's efforts get credited to someone who in this reality doesn't even exist."

"Outside the serialized novel. But a reality such as the one erroneously depicted by the newspapers is ought to exist somewhere after all. And to be honest: I'd be curious how they would continue on after the events described. And how they managed to handle the problem we are still about to face."

"Can't agree on that, lad," Ridcully interrupted. "It would take all the thrill out of the hunt."

Ponder stiffened briefly at the Archchancellor's words.

"Sir, you're not planning on hanging the chicken's head up on your wall?"

"Why not? How many giant chickens are out there?"

Sometimes it was still hopeless. Ponder knew that, in this reality as well, Ridcully was far from being as dull and slow-minded as he sometimes seemed. If only it would finally become clear in which ways that was.

And yet he had managed to point out something very important. Not the trophy-hunting, of course, but that looking at the other trouser-legs of time to quickly solve a problem was, in most realities, out of the question. For a moment Stibbons, who had leaned his head against the coach-window again, thought about it, adding to the fascinations of the various realities the horrors they might provide. He had already been upset enough that there had to be 'skinny' versions of him, while he was carrying around his puppy fat. Thinking further about it he wouldn't want to actually see himself in any version truly disturbing or horrifying. Or depressingly better.

It was, in some cases, bad enough to just know and imagine what could be.

"Well, wouldn't want t' live in that reality," Skazz suddenly mused, much to Ponder's relief, and crossed his arms.

"Why not?"

"'Cause I don't exist there."

Ponder turned his head away from the window and frowned at the student.

"Can't fight that logic, Stibbons," said the Archchancellor, shrugging briefly.

"What 'bout that genuan guy?" the student continued after a moment.

"Professor Macarona? Yes, he's real."

"That I know. I meant if he's like the papers described him."

"Oh...that you mean. Well, yes."

"Oh...awesome. Plain awesome." Skazz frowned, blowing a strand of hair from his face.

"Sebastian, please."

"Ponder, you KNOW how I feel about that. And I don't see a reason to NOT have him know what he's at with me."

Stibbons rolled his eyes briefly. "Please, Sebastian. Just try to avoid him instead of looking for a fight, yes?"

The student huffed, shrugged and stretched out as far as the coach allowed it.

"Fine, fine. But I tell you if..."

"Aren't you a bit prejudiced, me lad?" Ridcully felt like interrupting, not liking what the student's words sounded like at all.

"Pardon, sir?"

"You really shouldn't act as if Macarona is a lesser being just because he's..."

"Sir, sir," Ponder hastily interrupted, blushing. "No... It's... I have to explain something here," he turned his head towards Skazz, "If I have your O.K. to tell him."

"I thought you already had."

"Tell me what, Stibbons?"

"It's...You see, sir. It's not that Sebastian is prejudiced because Professor Macarona is...well..."

"I'm gay myself, sir," Skazz blurted out bluntly and Ponder tried to pull his hat over his reddening face. "I just have my reasons to have a grudge against people like him. It's nothing you should worry 'bout, sir. But..." he sighed, calming again, "I do HAVE to ask you to NOT tell anyone I just told you about my sexuality. Please."

For yet another time this morning Archchancellor Ridcully seemed to be taken by surprise. And, while others may have now started to worry whether it was a good idea to have such an odd lad, who had already displayed certain quirks, stubbornness and a degree of bluntness, back on the campus Ridcully looked forward to what was to come.