Captain Lajos Tantony had perhaps been expecting someone taller, but certainly someone wider. The short, young, beardless wizard that emerged from the carriage was certainly rather pudgy, not to say pot-bellied, but in no way as fat or plain as he seemed to think, from they shy, disparaing remarks he'd made about himself on the PC.
He looked rather ruffled, though, and quite tired. Something untowards had obviously happened to the tip of his pointy hat at some stage during his journey, and on his grey-green robe, there were stains.
Two further ruffled and bleary creatures emerged from the carriage, both as beautiful as Ponder was homely, but both undoubtedly his, from the way they looked at him, and took a step towards him, the beautiful long-legged white dog to push her muzzle into the wizard's hand, the tall, handsome man to put a friendly, casual hand on Ponder's shoulder.
Ponder! This was Ponder! The Captain felt something close to awe as he looked at the unprepossessing little fellow still holding on to the carriage door. Ponder, inventor and maintainer of the miraculous PC system that had opened up the world to Lajos Tantony in a way he'd never imagined possible, turning perfect strangers into instant friends, and hazy memories into secret loves. Ponder, who had understood Lajos so well, and who was so much like him in so many points, they had amusedly wondered whether they were really the same person. Ponder, who had been the only person to stand up for Lajos when he'd disgraced himself terribly with that anonymous poetry a few weeks ago - not because he had any idea that it had been Lajos, just from the natural kindness of his heart. And yet, Ponder did not suffer fools any more gladly than Captain Tantony himself did. The way Ponder had summarily wiped the floor with the rather forward and careless vampire artist that had recently turned up in Bonk (and in Lajos's life) had elicited a secret, deep amusement.
And now, that miracle was standing right before him, looking at him expectantly with big, gentle brown eyes so magnified by his glasses they seemed to lead independent lives, like goldfish.
Lajos opened his mouth.
"Er..." he said, too overwhelmed for a moment to even consider "Hello" an option.
"Er..." Ponder said, at the same time.
It was at that exact moment that the Captain knew for certain that he had, in fact, met a friend like no other.
Er...
He looked rather ruffled, though, and quite tired. Something untowards had obviously happened to the tip of his pointy hat at some stage during his journey, and on his grey-green robe, there were stains.
Two further ruffled and bleary creatures emerged from the carriage, both as beautiful as Ponder was homely, but both undoubtedly his, from the way they looked at him, and took a step towards him, the beautiful long-legged white dog to push her muzzle into the wizard's hand, the tall, handsome man to put a friendly, casual hand on Ponder's shoulder.
Ponder! This was Ponder! The Captain felt something close to awe as he looked at the unprepossessing little fellow still holding on to the carriage door. Ponder, inventor and maintainer of the miraculous PC system that had opened up the world to Lajos Tantony in a way he'd never imagined possible, turning perfect strangers into instant friends, and hazy memories into secret loves. Ponder, who had understood Lajos so well, and who was so much like him in so many points, they had amusedly wondered whether they were really the same person. Ponder, who had been the only person to stand up for Lajos when he'd disgraced himself terribly with that anonymous poetry a few weeks ago - not because he had any idea that it had been Lajos, just from the natural kindness of his heart. And yet, Ponder did not suffer fools any more gladly than Captain Tantony himself did. The way Ponder had summarily wiped the floor with the rather forward and careless vampire artist that had recently turned up in Bonk (and in Lajos's life) had elicited a secret, deep amusement.
And now, that miracle was standing right before him, looking at him expectantly with big, gentle brown eyes so magnified by his glasses they seemed to lead independent lives, like goldfish.
Lajos opened his mouth.
"Er..." he said, too overwhelmed for a moment to even consider "Hello" an option.
"Er..." Ponder said, at the same time.
It was at that exact moment that the Captain knew for certain that he had, in fact, met a friend like no other.