-Angua-
Captain Carrot, Corporal Nobbs, Sargent Colon and Sargent Angua turned into Gleam Street, heading for the Bucket for a post-Watch drink. They chatted mildly as they went. Some minutes later they arrived at the Bucket. A crowd was gathering.
'What on the Disc?' said Angua, eyebrows raising. 'A crowd at the Bucket?'
The crowd appeared to be mostly young and wearing odd shirts, like singlets with short sleeves, and had letters on them that Angua couldn't see clearly enough to read.
They pushed their way inside and went over to the bar. 'What's going on, Mr Cheese?'
The barman looked uncertain for a moment. 'There's these wizards,' he began. 'They're musicians, and they wanted to play here, so I let 'em. Then all these people turned up wearin' them funny shirts... Now,' he said. 'What would you fine officers like to drink?'
The four sat at a table up the front, near the small makeshift stage the wizards had set up. A group of four lanky looking wizards carrying instruments trooped on. The lead one, who clutched a guitar with a desperate grip, grinned nervously. 'Yo,' he said, uncertainly. Er… I'm Ponder Stibbons, and we're Stibbon's Band. This song is called Go Sort Of Wrinkly And Uncomfortable In The Sun.'
The room went quiet. One of the wizards, a young man in a vest with 'Big Mad Drongo' on the back, started to play a tune on his instrument. It looked like a guitar, but it bigger, and it sounded deeper. The tune kept repeating as the rest of the song went on.
The song ended, and the crowd clapped, the four Watch officers included. Angua was still staring at the instrument, entranced.
After the band left the stage, Angua followed the band out into the street. She pushed through the crowd of young women clustering around them, and cornered Big Mad Drongo.
'That thing you play,' she said. 'What's it called?'
'Oh, this?' said Big Mad Drongo, waving the instrument. 'Well, it's the base of the song, so we call it a bass. Spelled like the fish.'
'Thanks.' Before Big Mad Drongo had time to say 'You're welcome', Angua was gone, running down the dark alley towards Sheer Street.