"I should hope so. We're known all throughout this region, in both the Republic and Daina; we do advertise, after all." She gave him a curious look. "You told me yesterday that you've lived around here for about a hundred years now, right? Surely you ought to have heard about us, either on the Orb Network, or on video ether?"

"I stopped watching video ether a long time ago," Aldrec said shaking his head. "Trust me; it really does rot your brains. And as for an orb … well, I have other ways of getting information."

"You're full of secrets; did anyone ever tell you that?" Mericlou observed, giving him a mildly rueful look. To this, Aldrec laughed.

It was not gentle elf-like laughter, like Mericlou was used to. Rather, it came out as a loud, roaring, belly laugh. A human laugh, if she could believe what she was hearing. Even the marketplace goers had begun to stare. But the laugh, thankfully, was short-lived: ending almost as soon as it began.

"I shouldn't have done that in there," Aldrec said at last, after they had made some distance from the marketplace. "I hope I didn't embarrass you."

"It's okay," Mericlou half-lied. "Well, it's just that I've never heard an elf laugh like that. It was a little strange to me, but I think you scared the life out of a few people back there."

"Well, what you said was funny," Aldrec said. "And besides, people -humans especially- are easily upset by the unusual. Of course, that's not something that will change anytime soon."

He heaved a deep sigh, and his eyes wandered upwards into the sky.

"Nothing ever really changes."

Mericlou, not noticing that Aldrec had stopped, bumped into him from behind, waking him from his reverie.

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"I'm sorry!" Aldrec reached out quickly to steady her. They had struck each other softly, but its suddenness took Mericlou unawares.

"It's okay," she said, gently pushing his hands away. "Were you daydreaming?"

"Yes … I guess I was." Aldrec laughed sheepishly.

"About what?" Mericlou said.

"Nothing important."

"No, really!" Mericlou replied, insistent. "I'm very curious about dreams." "It really was nothing, honest," Aldrec assured her, but the slightly disappointed look in the android's pretty amber eyes was incentive to change his mind.

"All, right," he said, deflated, and partly reluctant. "It was just a thought about yesterday. It's an old mental … no, that's not right. It's more like a spiritual complaint. It comes and goes every few years."




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