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Jon-Tom found out that touring the school was the only duty he had that day. He returned home, to find his new wife still is leopard form. She smiled at him when he came up the stairs. It diminished a little when she saw his face. "What is it dear?" she asked cautiously. He sat down rather heavily on the edge of the bed. He took in a deep breath before answering. "So Sybeele, you attended school here?" It was more of a statement than it was a question. She relaxed and sat down with him.

"Yes, of course I did. Eve insisted that I learn as much as I could before you came back in time to be the mayor here. It's where I learned your various customs, and your wide variety of people. It scared the crap out of me at first, but everyone was so kind. They found my constant changes intriguing. No one had ever seen magic like that before, even the local wizard's guild. However, they had firm orders to leave me alone. It was easy to be friends with the various species, since once in a while I would be the same as one of them. I quickly became the most popular girl in the school." She stopped and looked to see if that was enough to satisfy his curiosity. It wasn't.

"Look Sybeele, I'm really happy that this has worked out for you, but was it necessary to tell them about our sexual contacts? One of your former classmates seems to have taken an interest in me, which the deputy mayor has assured me is not a good thing." He waited for her to explain. She got a crafty smile on her face.

"Look my fine hunk of man, every one of those girls has devoted their lives to being something extraordinary. When they graduate, they move up to one of the guild halls. I don't know if you tallied them all yet, but there is a mechanics hall, a wizards hall, a soothsayers hall, an agricultural hall; and there are so many more. Once they graduate, they are expected to be and act like adults. But while they're in the school, they are expected to act like children; responsible children. Of everyone there, I'm the only one who has had sex. Of course, once it became common knowledge, everyone wanted to know about it. So I told them. I didn't think that everyone one of them would then want you for a partner. Some are more interested than others. But they know that we were to be partnered, so that dimmed the hopes of many. I can only assume that Pani is still being persistent."

He nodded. "Yes, she seemed quite interested. And I must admit, I would be curious to know what it would be like with her. I have bedded quite a number of species, but there are still many I haven't yet had a chance with. Of course, my duty now demands that I remain respectable, so any possibility of that is out the window."

Sybeele purred in his face. "Look husband, you have already forgotten that I change. Every other day I'm something different. I become creatures that are, creatures that were, and apparently, creatures that are yet to be. Having your power will make that easier, just in case you thought it was all fun and giggles."

He scratched his head for a bit, thinking. Roseroar and Talea had never had any trouble; why should this girl? "OK, I'll bite. Why would you need my power to help with your transformations?" She sat there looking at him, waiting to see if he could grasp the problem on his own. He was apparently in one of his stupid phases.

"Look Jon-Tom, I have little control over these changes. My next one might make me a mouse, or a rabbit, or a horse. Twice I have changed into ocean going people. One I think you would call a killer whale, and the other time was, uh, a man-a-tee. Both times I was caught unawares until I woke up and was unable to move. My bed was flattened beneath the weight. It was a pretty rough time for everyone involved. Now, with your power, I can always spell myself to the ocean if the need arises."

He hadn't thought of that. Roseroar had turned into a dolphin, and he and Orath had assumed naiad ( as well as kraken) form. Both required the ocean to survive. "You know dear," he said quietly, "I had never thought of that. Orca's, or killer whales, are fairly large. So is a manatee. Just be glad you didn't turn into a blue whale, or you would have brought the school down around their ears!" He thought for a moment before asking his next question. "Sybeele, is there a magic time when your changes kick in?"

She shrugged. "It seems to be with the rising of the sun. That would be roughly six in the morning. The sun doesn't rise and set like it does back home. Anyway, I go to bed, and I never know what I'll be waking up to. So like I said, you'll be able to try out whatever forms you haven't yet had the chance to play with, but you'll have to wait until they come around. Like I said, I have only a little control over them. It is part of the reason, I think, that I haven't had another ocean form in a while. But now it would be alright!"

He sighed again. "I guess I see where you're coming from. And I suppose girls need something interesting to talk about. But I don't want to get in trouble with anyone here in town. I hardly need girls climbing out at night to make their way here. You know how I am; and equal opportunity lover. But I've made a commitment to you, and I don't intend to break it!"

She smiled gratefully at him. "You're very sweet husband, and I appreciate your good intentions. I suppose that we should both honor each other in what we do while we're together. I am sure that there will be times when matters may dictate a need for elasticity in that commitment. Besides, Eve has given me some leeway in what I do. Therefore, as one female to another, our agreement trumps yours!"

He didn't like the sound of that one bit. Females conspiring often meant the doom of any male caught in their nets. But he relaxed. Whatever they had cooked up, he was certain it would come out alright in the end. Even without his full power, he could still handle himself with ease. "It doesn't sound like a have a choice, so I guess I'll let matters go with the flow. But I'll still be keeping my eyes open for any tricks. I'm not so dense as to not know the mischief you two could come up with."

She found the best answer to that was to simply get him undressed and make him deliriously happy. That went on so long they made love right through supper, forcing her to cheat with magic. However, it was the best sauerbraten he had ever had, and the kraut was nice and tangy. He was beginning to find this arrangement wasn't bad at all! It was a little odd being on the receiving end, but he could get used to it.

The next morning, she was herself again, pink cheeks, tousled hair and all. He got up first, and set to making some breakfast. It had been a long time since he had to use mundane methods to prepared food. The larder was well stocked, and in no time he had a tray of hot food. He came in and served her in bed. She yawned and stretched and cracked open her eyes. She was delighted with what she saw.

"Well, well! I like this marriage more and more! Of course, I could have saved you the bother. But then again, Eve said you were growing tired of having things too easy." She sniffed the air. "It smells wonderful!" She sat up, allowing him to set the tray across her lap. She went to eat, stopping when she saw him staring. She realized that she was naked, and her breasts were jutting out sharply over her food. She got a devilish grin. "Let's eat first. We'll have enough time. Your appointment today is with the heads of the guilds, but it's not until afternoon." So they ate, cleared the tray, and by the time they were done, most of the sheets as well. HE was reluctant to get out of bed when they were done. She knew better.

She pulled out a dark suit for him to wear. "The guild leaders are all rather somber fellows. They will respect you more if you dress appropriately; that is to say, if you dress like them." He would rather have had his leather pants and his lizard skin cape, but when in Rome...or Hobarrow. He pulled it on, giving himself a once over in the mirror. He looked like something out of a Dickens' novel. Well, if Victorian was the rage of the day, who was he to argue? They went downstairs, Sybeele now dressed like a German barmaid. She looked heartwarmingly like the label of a St Pauli bottle. He wanted to pull off that blouse and start all over. She shooed him out the door and into the company of Graven. The marmoset took one look at Sybeele and then to Jon-Tom.

"Well human, you have a remarkable female. She has a rare ability indeed. It seems to me, that if you ever got bored of her, two things would happen. First, you would be committed to an insane asylum. Secondly, every male in town would be on her doorstep to take your place." Jon-Tom was no fool. He said as much.

"My little furry friend, I'll have you know that she is very, very special to me. I thought that I lost her once. Now that I have her back, I will treat her with as much love and respect as I can muster!" The marmoset looked up at his much taller companion and grinned. When he spoke, it was with deep respect. "I don't know much about either of you, but you are certainly a fine pair. I believe that your presence here will be just what the town needs. New ideas have a way of getting squashed, unless there is someone who has the strength and will to promote them. I believe that you two will do just that!"

The meeting was in the main dining hall of the mining guild. Representatives of all the guilds were there. In addition to the ones already mentioned, there was the builders guild, the bards guild, the writers guild (which he found out, was involved more with record keeping, not story writing), the musicians guild, and a host of others. It was funny that he had not heard of many of these before. He was more familiar with the thieves and the assassins' guild, neither of whom were represented here. That wasn't surprising, considering they were frowned upon by the respectable class of folks.

The meeting started out civil enough. It was called to order, with each guild leader stating his name, rank and guild hall. Jon-Ton didn't know if it was procedure, or if they were doing it for his benefit. He nodded to each as they looked at him, and when his turn came, he rose and introduced himself. It was then that he realized that he was using his regular name. He hoped it wasn't going to cause any problems. They all sat back down and the meeting started.

It quickly became a shouting match. Apparently there was some purported stealing going on between the guilds. Jon-Tom tried to sort it out, but it was making no sense. He let them prattle on for a few minutes, trying to make head or tails out of it. He finally had enough and stood. He might not have his magic, but he had his voice. "ENOUGH!" he cried. His yell echoed around the room. Everyone sat down, all eyes on him. "Now, gentlemen, will one, and I mean one of you, tell me what this is all about?"

No one immediately stood. Finally, a badger named Phourteg, of the mechanics guild, stood. "Would the Lord Mayor wish to hear it from me?" Jon-Ton nodded. "Well, you honor, the stealing that is being spoke of is not in regards to goods, but in regards to students. You see, we chose whom we think are best suited for our teachings. Then, someone comes along and changes the student's mind. It disrupts how we plan our apprenticeships. It also causes, as you see here, a grave amount of discord within the guild collective."

Jon-Tom thought it over. It could be considered a serious problem; if you were a guild leader. These fellows needed to see what things were like back on Earth. There, there were two kinds of head hunters, the literal kind and the business kind. It was more of a dog eat dog world on Earth than it was here. He seemed to have a solution. "Look gentleman. The purpose of each and every guild is to pass along your knowledge to those best equipped to learn it, use it, and hopefully to build upon it. It seems to me a test should be given to each student to see where their best abilities lay. Some may have high scores in more than one field. Give them a chance to experience those guilds, and allow the student, not the guild, to chose."

That provoked an immediate outburst. Some called out, "What? That would be most unfair! You want us to give up our control over our own houses?" That comment got several cheers. Jon-Tom was not so easily dismayed. "What would you rather have, constant infighting and bickering? If you want the best for your students, which I'm certain you do, then I don't see where this solution would be considered improper. In the end, you all get the best. A student who doesn't value what he does is a poor student indeed. And if there are too many for one guild, then the lesser students in that field can enter their second choice. I don't see where this is so bad." The room was stonily quiet. Finally Phourteg spoke again.

"You have the appearance of youth, yet you speak like one who knows the ways of the passing years. What you say makes sense, which is why it will not get adopted. The guilds are too strict in their rules and regulations. It would require each of them to rewrite their codes. I believe that I would be the only leader here willing to do that." He looked at Jon-Tom and winked. At the same time, an uproar ensued from the other guild leaders. "That's not true!" said one passionately. "I have no problem with doing what is in the best interest of my guild!" cried another. Jon-Tom got the sense that there were going to be some changes coming up in the future. He also knew that he was going to like this Phourag.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly, largely because their main problem had been solved with relative ease. Any other problem suddenly seemed insignificant. There was talk of the need to expand this building, or to have additional agricultural land, or the need to import more ore or magical chemicals, but overall, these were the duties of the deputy mayor and his subordinates. Still, Jon-Tom listened intently, since this was his town now. It was a far cry different from the duties of a king. This job, thankfully, didn't require wearing a silly crown.

When the meeting was over, he shook every paw of every leader, who seemed to view him with a little more respect. Phourag shook his hand vigorously. "I like you human, and that's saying something. It was an idea I've tried to promote myself, but no one would listen. It needed to come from another's mouth I suppose. It will do them all good to be shaken up now and again. We all claim to want what is best for the next generation, but in reality, we prefer to stick with that with which we are familiar. It is good to cling to the old ways, but once upon a time, those ways were fresh and new. We cannot proceed forward clinging steadfastly to the past. You have paved the way for a better future!" With that the dining hall was deserted.

Jon-Tom and his deputy mayor wound their way through the streets. Graven was curious as to his larger cohort's meanderings. The way to the lord mayor's home was by another route. Jon-Tom didn't look down, but explained as they walked. "I need to get to know the town I'm suddenly in charge of. It help's to have someone along who knows the scenery." So as they walked, Jon-Tom asked about this shop, or that building, until they were both tired. The marmoset even acquiesced to riding on his shoulders. "Look human, I thank you for the reprieve, but this will not be a common occurrence. I feel like someone's pet sitting up here!"

Jon-Tom chuckled. "Look Graven, I appreciate all that you are doing for me. I really do want to do a good job, but there seems to be a lot to learn. This is going to be different than any other task I have had set before me. I intend to do it well. But I have a new wife, a new job, in a new town. It doesn't matter how much experience I have, it's all new to me." The marmoset could feel his shoulders droop a little as rode.

"Look my friend. This job is an important one. It may not be as fancy as being a king somewhere, or who knows whatever positions you've filled. This town serves a large portion of this world. The best of anything that happens in this world starts here. That goes for magic, food, buildings, ships, bridges; even beer and liquor. We train students into masters, and then send them forth to do as they have been trained. Your job is to keep this huge tangle of egos in check. You have shown that you have the ability. Now you merely need the confidence. If it helps any, we already respect you. She who foretold of your arrival, she who set to educating your wife; she was one to be reckoned with. She said that you were too. I have seen no sign of power about you, but I believe her words nonetheless. Here, power is more a matter of what comes off your tongue rather than a matter of force. Never underestimate the guilds. They cannot be coerced; they can only be coaxed and shepherded. I think in that, you will have more than enough power."

By now they had reached the mayor's residence. Graven jumped up and grabbed the overhang, swinging himself up with a steady arm. He looked down and gave a bit more advice. "Look my human friend, don't fret. You may think you that you're not going to fit in, but this town doesn't need someone like that. It needs mixing up, now and again, to keep it fresh. You and your lovely wife are just the thing. Now get in there and have her take your mind off your problems. I have full faith that she can do just that." With that, he swung up and out of sight.