AH, said Death, with a small nod of acknowledgement. ACADEMIA. Semantic quibbles were such a living thing, he'd found, and subsequently learnt not to contest - particularly when it came to wizardish types, always so full of questions.

After a moment, he added, I ASSURE YOU, I'M NOT HERE ON BUSINESS. Given the scythe, people did sometimes panic when he neglected to make that clear. It was a tendency they didn't share with, for instance, cats.

(If only because most cats already assumed the entire multiverse was present on their business.)