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When Black came next Edward John went out with Merroth to meet her and said, "I was wondering if there wasn't someone qualified to teach Merroth mathematics at a higher level on... your side."

"Oh?" said Black, who usually responded to things that bored her in just that tone.

"He's quite good with numbers. I don't know that I can teach him more in the subject, and I think it would be of benefit to find someone who can."

Black tilted her head to the side, still bored. "Like a tutor."

"Yes, that would be good." Edward John shook Merroth's hand a little; Merroth was driving the heel of his shoe into Edward John's boot and grinding it, scuffing the leather. The shake was a polite request to stop which Merroth ignored.

Black shrugged. "Yes, there are people who would fit that description," she said.

"Could you arrange for one to tutor Merroth?"

"No."

Edward John was taken aback at the flat-out refusal. It was the sort of thing he expected from Nerys, not other people, who usually had a good deal more manners. (It merits mentioning here that Edward John had never spent any length of time with Black or even had occasion to speak with her before this point and had assumed Nerys and Merroth's descriptions were exaggerated, since those two had a penchant for such dramatics. His assumption was wrong.) "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," said Black sharply. She did not enjoy repeating herself. "Do it yourself."

"But..." Edward John's face fell. "But I have no experience with... with the place you come from."

"Then learn," glared Black, reaching out and grabbing Edward John by the arm. When she pulled, it was with the strength of millions, and Edward John's arm nearly popped out of its socket as the world rushed around him and Merroth.

It was a phenomenon Merroth had experienced a hundred times before if not more and he took no notice of it. Edward John, however, had travelled through dimensions only a handful of times in his life and the experience left him nauseated. His immediate first thought was Nerys, now alone on the island with no clue as to what had happened. Nerys had been watching from the window, so she would know Edward John had gone with Black and Merroth, but knowing that and having a full explanation were two very different things. Edward John expected Nerys would be very angry with him if and when he got back.

Black had deposited them at the entrance of the Liberty Center. She flicked Edward John in the arm as she released him, annoyed at having her planned day with Merroth so disrupted, and her flick was like a whiplash. Edward John gave a small gasp and clutched the spot. "You can try in there," Black shot to Edward John, and whirled on her foot and disappeared.

Merroth took a moment to absorb it all. He had never gone anywhere with Edward John. Truth be told, he did not even like the man, though he liked what the man did for him and Nerys, which amounted to almost everything and was why Merroth let Edward John call him by a different nickname than everyone else. He looked at Edward John. Edward John looked terrible, a little green in the face, and confused. Merroth reached up and tugged Edward John's hand impatiently and they made their way inside.

It took what felt like an impossibly long time for Edward John to sort out what he was doing. Once Edward John explained to the main desk secretary what it was he wanted, she sent him to the main office on the third floor. They had to take the stairs because Edward John did not understand what the elevator was. At the main office, they were again redirected to the faculty offices, thankfully on the same floor, and Edward John kept looking more and more terrified at the building the more he saw of it. Electric lights, the PA system, it was all totally alien and upsetting to Edward John's rather limited view of the world. All in all, Merroth found the whole thing to be rather trying and could barely contain himself from trying to make Edward John's situation more miserable. In the end, they kept moving so much that Merroth could not find the time to do anything but hit Edward John on the leg periodically or kick him when he paused to work out directions.

They finally found themselves in front of the door for Dr. Beatrix Darnell, the teacher they had been told they were looking for, and Edward John knocked while Merroth kicked the door and made it shudder.

And that was Merroth's cute to try and dash away because the math teacher was none other than Wisp's mother and Merroth knew a bad situation when he was one. Edward John was far too used to Merroth's attempts at evasion and grabbed him before Merroth could go more than half a step.

"Sorry to disturb you," said Edward John, trying to keep his calm in the face of yet more absurdity, "I was seeking a tutor in mathematics for my son. I know he's slightly too young to be enrolled in the classes here, but..." Edward John trailed off. He had a tendency to babble when nervous, especially when he had no idea what he was babbling about, as was the case here.

"No!" said Merroth, pulling at Edward John's arm, but the man's grip stayed firm. He chided Merroth quickly with a not-in-public tone: "Merroth!"

Merroth stared at Beatrix. Edward John was not going to let him out of this. He wriggled a bit more anyway and said, "No!"

"He counts very high," Edward John was quick to supply, trying to provide the answer he thought Beatrix wanted to hear. "Come now, Merroth."

Merroth wanted to smack poor Edward John for being so stupid, so he did. It was a stupid, impossible task Beatrix was telling him to perform. It made no sense. How do you count to the end of infinity? This was clearly Beatrix's idea of a punishment for what he had done to her and Wisp. "THREE!" he finally shouted at her, ramming his foot down repeatedly on Edward John's buckle shoe, kicking Edward John's leg for good measure. He knew he bruised the man, but he did not care.

But Merroth wasn't done yet. "ONE. FOUR. ONE. FIVE. NINE." He shouted each number like his life depended on it, which was true from his point of view. "TWO. SIX. FIVE. THREE. FIVE. EIGHT. NINE." Tears started to form in his eyes. This was worse than any torture Nerys and Black had ever inflicted on him, combined.

Edward John was mortified. He had really hoped Merroth would see this as an opportunity, and instead the boy was chanting numbers at random. His heart sank.

Merroth's breath caught in his throat on another nine and he paused. He could stop? When no one goaded him to continue he ventured to offer his answer to the question. "Two-hundred eighty-six?" His voice was barely audible and he clung to Edward John's leg needily for a change as his heartbeats subsided.

Edward John was at a loss as to explain what had so impressed Beatrix, but maths were never his best subject. He assumed it was something mathematical that made sense to Beatrix and Merroth. As long as Merroth was behaving, Edward John was satisfied.

But discipline was not Merroth's strong suit. He sucked in a nice big wad and let it fly, spitting straight on the paper before Edward John could yank him away. Edward John could not even think up a suitable reprimand for this, hoping the look of shocked dismay on his face would suffice, but sadly it was an expression in which Beatrix could nor share.

"He--" Edward John managed to lift Merroth up from the ground and Merroth promptly yelled loudly in upset and bit Edward John's arm. "If--" Unfortunately, Edward John could not manage to get half a sentence out with Merroth elbowing him in the face.

"Down! Put me DOWN!" Merroth demanded. "I don't LIKE the stupid lady and the stupid girl and I HATE you and I HATE mum and YOU ALL STINK and you're FAT AND UGLY. You stupid cows."

"Ignore THIS," said Merroth, and shot Beatrix a bird to little effect. Visual taunts were somewhat lost on the blind, even those with seeing-eye rocks.

Edward John's heart fell through the floor. "I couldn't do that," he said quickly, filled with fear at the thought. It was true. He remembered all too acutely how his parents had done just that himself and Generys Anne, and the effect it had had on his sister. He would not, could not be that parent.

"Uh oh!" said Merroth loudly, and farted, but he had not exactly had a breakfast of beans and it was a weakly-perfumed accomplishment. Edward John made an excruciatingly uncomfortable face all the same.

There was a sound in Edward's John's voice like ice cracking, that note of desperation found only when a person has reached the very precipice and the rope is slipping out of grasp. "Please," said Edward John, "I beg of you. I can't teach him anything further in mathematics, he's already well beyond me." It was a sad thing to be outsmarted by a one-year-old, but if ever there was a man willing to admit it, it was the eternally-whipped Edward John.

Merroth gave a growling sigh. How he hated adults having conversations. There was so little for him to do. "BORING," he announced, and meant it.