I recognized the abbreviation “Oxon.” Although I had no idea which particular college the patch represented, Oxford University apparently existed on his home world. He carried his trans-dimensional briefcase, which he set down next to his armchair. Ari and I took the couch. “So,” Spare14 began, “Michael gets his world-walker genes from your father. Your family becomes more and more interesting.” I winced. Spare14 tilted his head to one side and blinked at me. “Sorry,” I said. “I’ve got a sore wrist, and I just tweaked it.” “That’s a pity.” Spare14 looked properly sympathetic. “Now, your father’s name on his home world was actually O’Brien. It’s certainly a common Hibernian name. Irish, I mean.” “Yeah, it is, and it can be spelled a bunch of different ways.” I managed to keep my voice steady and change the subject. “This thing about Hibernia. Is that what they call Ireland on my dad’s home world?” “It’s a province of Britain,” Ari put in.
