"Oh, I don't think it's a common name anywhere in the world, er..." Risu hesitated an instant before continuing, "Professor." Hecate Lafay looked like the sort of woman who did not accept the first-name basis as a matter of course. It probably had to be earned.

Another brief smile scuttled across Risu's face like a lizard. "As it happens, I wondered about that myself once-upon. Risu is a Finnish word, it means..." the smile widened, turning into an almost boyish grin "... dry twig. Believe me, it's the envy of all my friends. I think - hope - my parents just liked the sound of it. And I am not British. I was born in Sweden. But I doubt you will find many Risus there, either."

He spread out his hands. "And that was my brief foray into anthroponomastics. Dry twig. And sometimes people are more confused about my name than they are about astrophysics." Risu wondered briefly whether he would have to present his name to his students for inspection. No, he decided, "Professor Antares" would have to do. "But what about you? Have you been teaching here for a long time?"