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"Well, that's all … very ro to absorb the elf's metaphysical ju else Ito drea that ill ht words, " …evolve to be able to do it We androids have been around for over a hundred years, and still, none of us have ever experienced a drea that I'm not quite ready to believe"

To this, Aldrec merely smiled He did it so often and so readily, but Mericlou found it nonetheless co

"Time will tell," he said, and continued down the street

Mericlou caught up to hi at his side She did not knohere they were headed, but did not care to ask His presence alone was enough to hold her interest This Aldrec had to be one of theti and now, silence, she knew that there were depths to hiesting what he had said, creating a long, thoughtful silence that passed between them for several city blocks

"You say you like plants?" Aldrec said at last, as they neared the city limits

"Well, yes!" Mericlou replied, pleasantly surprised by the question "I've always loved theardens every day, but then ot in the way But even before that, I collected an entire library of data about them from the Orb Network; I even decorate our apartment with flowers and potted plants; I have quite a collection"

"Fascinating!" Aldrec said, grinning broadly

"Fascinating?"

"Well, don't take this the wrong way," Aldrec said, "but the interests of androids that I've seen lie more in the synthetic: computers, ether links, vehicles, architecture, the Orb Network … but you're different I've never seen an android with an affinity for the natural world before"

"I guess t is kind of ironic," Mericlou said in agreeree that I'm unusual for my type My brothers and sister are more classic androids, but I've always been the exception to the rule Wouldn't I be a case for psychologists, hmm?"