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"Maybe one day," Aldrec played back with a grin of his own "But as it you asked me?"

"I asked about what you did What's your job?"

"Oh, that I'uess you could say"

"Really?" Mericlou's eyes flashed with sudden and intense interest "What kind of history?"

"Uhtly aed by her reaction "The whole round of it, actually You ought to see my library"

"Books?" Mericlou breathed "You have real, honest-to-God books?"

"Well, of course I have books!" Aldrec laughed at her enthusiasm "Doesn't everybody? You sound like you've never owned a book before"

Mericlou shook her head "I haven't"

"Are you serious?" Aldrec said, half in disbelief "How could anyone have never owned a book?

"I only h money to pay for daily expenses," Mericlou explained "And then the rest goes home to help my brothers and sister After that, I's that I want, unless it's during the festival season Most inforet from the Orb Network, but I'd prefer to have books of my own to read But since the Republic put all books from the National Library on the Orb Network, they've fallen out of favor in most cities, even here in Lusea So they've been kind of hard to come by, and expensive in places where you can find theot about-"

"Oh, it's alright," Mericlou cheerfully assured hiht after all; most people have at least a few books, but some androids have never had that luxury And it's obvious that you don't know much about us anyway"

"But what kind of job do you have that pays so little?" Aldrec asked, changing the subject to soht that your ain, Mericlou shook her head "I don't have one of those anyo," Mericlou said airily, and with ust "He wasn't what you'd call the most scrupulous of people To be completely honest, he was a jerk and a pervert He kepthours on appliance office jobs until my power cells were almost drained and I bled"