"Excuse me," said Big Mad Adrian, his voice cargoed with suspicion. "I don't want to cause any trouble, right, but is this Death or not? I've seen pictures, and they didn't look like her."
"We did the Rite stuff," said Ridcully. "And this is what we got."
[...] "She's just some girl messing about," said Skazz.
Susan stared at them.
"She hasn't even got a scythe," said Tez.
Susan concentrated. The scythe appeared in her hands, its blue-edged blade making a noise like a finger dragged around the rim of a glass.
The students straightened up.
"But I've always thought it was time for a change," said Tez.
"Right. It's about time girls got a chance in the professions," said Skazz.
"Don't you dare patronize me!"
"That's right," said Ponder. "There's no reason why Death has to be male. A woman could be almost as good as a man in the job."
"You're doing it very well," said Ridcully.
He gave Susan an encouraging smile.
She rounded on him. I'm Death, she thought -- technically, anyway -- and this is a fat old man who has no right to give me any kind of orders. I'll glare at him, and he'll soon realize the gravity of the situation. She glared.
"Young lady," said Ridcully. "Would you care for breakfast?"
Terry Pratchett, Soul Music
