“I see self-defense against attempted murder,” Rob asked, “but how does Death-Pride Honor come into this.”

“Fourbridge called me several names.  Some are specified in the Death-Pride Honor code,” I answered.  I was  not going to point out that deaths in Honor duels are taken much less seriously than deaths in many other circumstances. He should have known that, and understood why it mattered.  If I didn’t bring it up, people couldn’t accuse me of having an improper motive for claiming death-pride honor.

“Returning to diagrams?” Demetry asked.  I nodded and smiled.  I really didn’t want to talk about destroying the golem, not when I might yet get a bill for breaking it.  “You didn’t stay for the post-lecture tea,” he added. “That’s where the discussion became really vigorous.”

“There’s a post-lecture tea?” I asked.

“Almost all lecture series have teas,” Ron said.  “After is customary, but a few are beforehand.  After means that interruptions during the lecture can be hashed out more vigorously.”

I was a bit stunned.  During the lecture, people had been shouting at each other.  “More vigorously?” I managed.

“After, all sides can use the whiteboards.  During, the board is the lecturer’s.” Demetry commented.  “But, being fair, that was not a normal lecture.  That was a political feud.  There are a couple-four schools of diagram magic.  They don’t agree with each other.”

“Don’t agree?” Rob said.  “The Remnorak and Parsigian study groups have post-Magister researchers, folks who’ve gone through aging to grownup.  They aren’t allowed to date from one group to the other.”

“That feud started during the last ice age,” Demetry said.  “Half the time it’s carried on for show.  But what did you think of Merrihugh’s claims?”