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Setosa made his way through the street, avoiding the people who hurried one way or another on some type of business or another. There was a store near here, barely more than a newspaper stand, and it was there that he was supposed to go. The letter had specified that the man he was looking for was tallish, with blond hair. Not much of a description to go on, but hopefully he'd be recognized in return.
There, that was the place. Nobody in sight who matched that description yet. Stifling his annoyance, Set picked up a magazine and pretended interest.

Damn that city being so big. It still made his head spin.... Too many people rushing to whatever they had to. Big cities was not something that Zero was much too used to... He usually prefered to keep moving, away from places too crowded.

Pushing the strap of his backpack upward on his shoulder, he headed to the nearby newspaper stand, maybe he could get some damn directions.... How hard was it to find a place to rent in there ?!?

Set glanced sideways. Blond and tall - he glanced at his watch; this was the correct time. Quietly, he said, "Do you have them?"

Zero first was pretty sure he was not being addressed... Who in there would want to talk to him, expecially about something like.... What, at any rate ?

It took him some time to reply, as he glanced to the other male, a bit confused.

"....Have what ?"

"The seeds," Set answered. He studied the blond's face, beginning to feel a faint apprehnsion. Perhaps he'd jumped to conclusions a little too soon.

...Seed. Alllllright....

"...I am afraid you must be mistaken." Zero tossed a bang out of his face, a little nervously. "I do not have any seeds with me."

"Ah. Please accept my apologies, then," Set said, and nodded courteously. "I mistook you for someone; the fault is mine." Definitely a mistake, from the reaction - how awkward.

"Oh, it's all right... it happens, and there's so many damn people in there... Mixing up a few of them isn't hard." Zero wasn't mad at all. Awkward ? Yes, expecially for someone who might have well have been considered an hermit. The other man was very calm and polite trough, and he had to admit.... this was just a tiny bit.... interesting.

"Excuse my language - I slip sometimes." He reached to grap a newspaper. "But seeds... are you some kind of botanist ?"

"I am not bothered by profanity." Set considered; this might turn out to be interesting after all, and the contact he'd actually been looking for was nowhere to be seen. "Yes, actually," he answered the question, and smiled faintly. "Some types of seed are less easily acquired in stores." No harm in admitting that to someone he would likely never see again.

"I see." Zero nodded along with that statement, and didn't pry further - something knowing too much landed you in trouble, trouble he didn't really.... need, at the moment.

"Maybe your guy got lost - this place is huge." He commented, a but randomly but still.

Set glanced around, raising one eyebrow. "The streets in this section are not too difficult to navigate," he commented, curiosity piqued. "I presume you are not familiar with the area - " He made it not quite a question. The other could answer as he liked, or not.

"I just recently came from Imperial." Better to be an idiot and admit it then pass for a wiseman and look even more idiotic afterward. "I am not too used of cities this side, trough I am no stranger to travel."

A very honest answer, as well as being polite and inclined to converse. Set replied, "And I am not accustomed to travel, but I know the city well." He smiled slightly. "Courtesy suggests I should offer my name; I am Setosa."

Courtesy ? Uh, Well... Zero wasn't too.... knowledgeful... But having so many people around and listening to be made him a little bit less of a social impaired robot.

"...Pleased." He smiled as well. "My name is Zero."

Unusual. Set kept that opinion to himself. "Pleased, as well." He paused, debating with himself. It didn't look like his contact was going to turn up anytime soon, which meant that he had nothing to do. He did very little on impulse, but - "Are you in need of direction?"

Zero blinked, a little surprised. Was he this easy to read ?

"Ah, well yes, now that you mention it." He admited, again. "I was looking for a place to stay - didn't have much luck so far. Something small, yanno.... Just to say I have a roof over my head."

"In the area? I could give you names of lodgings. I know of a few places that won't empty your wallet." He glanced at the magazine in his hand, handed a small bill to the owner of the newspaper stall, and suggested, "There are more convenient places to converse."

What was wrong with the place ? Zero didn't quite grasp, but didn't express anything against leaving, either, as he put the paper back on the stand.

"I see... Where to, then ?"

"There's a cafe a short way away," Set suggested, giving one last glance around before starting up the street, seeming to assume Zero would follow.

And that he did, both hands in his pocket, his long, sandy blonde hairs shagging behind him like a small wave.

"...What about the person you where waiting for ?" He suddenly remembered.

Set glanced back and made a careless gesture with one hand. "I was there at the correct time. He was not. If he wishes to throw away potential payment in a careless fashion, it is not my affair."

"...I see." He nodded... a little confused he had to admit. Maybe those seeds weren't as hard to find then he thought ? Oh well.

Set tucked the magazine into a pocket and gave it mo more thought, not being actually interested in it. He didn't elaborate further on the matter of the seeds; soon enough he indicated an unassuming doorway. "Here. This is one of the better places in the area. Avoid the one three streets up. Filthy place." He was finding himself more interested in company than he'd thought; a couple of weeks with little conversation had made him talkative. And he could show off his knowledge of the area, at that, since Zero was unfamiliar with it.

Zero nodded a little absentmindely, but kept this in mind. Cafes where not really his kind of places.... but it might be useful someday.

He entered and waited to see where Set would want to sit - he himself didn't mind any spot in the cafe, but perhaps the other had a preference.

He found a seat near the window, flagged down a waitress, and ordered something to drink, then he sat back comfortably, observing Zero. The other was quiet and seemed agreeable enough. "There are a few places of lodging nearby," he said. "I would suggest the one called the Stardust. Smaller, but clean, and the proprietor isn't nosy."

Zero didn't order anything, but dropped is backpack and seemed a little embarassed at the cloud of dust that flew from it upon impact.

"I see... I rather prefer smaller places, at any rate. I don't really need much... and I value my privacy. Seems like this would be good.... Do you have the actual address ?"

"I do." Set pulled a small notepad and pen out of a pocket and wrote the address in his small, neat script. "Here." He eyed the dustcloud settling around Zero's backpack and pulled his foot back slightly. Must have been traveling for some time, truly.

Zero took the paper and read it over before pocketing it. Well, someone sure wrote better than him... He was told his writing was rather.... horrible. Not grammar-wise, but messy to the point of being almost unreadable. He was far too used to computers, writing by hand was awkward.

"Thank you." He bowed his head in respect. "If there is anything I could do for you, I will probably be there.... All you'd have to do is ask." Not that a brute fighter would be *that* useful to a botanist, but hey. It just felt like the thing to say.

Set eyed Zero and decided that the offer was a serious one. Well. It was always good to have contacts. "It's a small thing," he said, indicating the paper. "But I'll keep that in mind." He offered a small smile.

"Though I have no clue what you'd need someone like me for." He smilled back. There was something with this man.... Something that somehow made his words flow. "Im pretty good with computers.... and fights. No good with plants, trough." He gave a small laugh. "I couldn't tell one from another."

"We all have our strengths," Set said. "I am - ah - less good with computers than I would like to be." He shrugged.

"Yes, that's true. After all, what fun would it be if we where all the same ? A few hundreds of me running around would be big trouble." He seemed a little amused, even trough it was no laughing matter, expecially with the virus - where was it, anyway ? Not one wise crack since the start of this conversation.... Oh odd. Was his theory right ?

Set laughed, curiosity piqued. "That's an interesting image."

"Wasn't it ? I have no idea where that came from, really." The blonde idly reached to his back, grabbing a few loose bangs that where visibly bothering him, and redid his ponytail.

He tilted his head slightly, birdlike, and considered it. "Cloning, the technology of the future," he commented dryly.

"Scary s**t." He answered, working with the red ribbon that held his hairs. "But I believe they would be more interested in robotics before clones."

Set watched Zero's hands idly. "I have done some reading on robotics," he mused. "A complex field."

A part of him seemed a little amused, wondering how he'd react if he knew he was actually talking to one of those robots - but Zero wasn't that stupid to try it out, really.

"It depends." He said. "The most complex part is the ai itself... Im not too good on that part." He finally was done tying the ribbon, and brought his hands forward, to rest on the side of the chair. "I find the actual mechanics easier."

"A more concrete subject. I confess myself to be puzzled by the logical illogic of AI." Set leaned on the table. "That which is purely mechanical is far more easily defined and understood."

logical illogic ? Zero somehow really liked that combo, that.... about summed it.

"Yeah." He shrugged a little. "At least when you're doing the actual mechanics, you know what the hell you're doing - nothing worse than having to stare at a strange, cryptic code on a screen..." Trough their vision on that would probabely differ, as the robotic doushikai considered quite a few of those codes completely understandable.

"I'm certain that some can make instant sense of it," Set shrugged. "There are codes to all professions. Code that is described as such, and code that develops out of mutual knowledge."

"True." He admitted, laying back in the chair. "But some are most easely understood than others. AIs tend to use code invented only for that kind of ai.... to keep every random guy with a computer from playing god." He said. "As I believe biology must have its most complex sides as well."

"More would like to play god than are able to. Thankfully." Set's eyes narrowed briefly. "Biology has logic to it," he continued after a reflective moment. "A chaotic kind; but the unfolding of it is fascinating, and ordered down to its very cells." He gestured expansively.

"I never quite understood it.... Though I didn't really make much efforts to find it out, I must admit... I've been too busy, one could say.... perhaps someday." Zero shrugged, staring a bit at the celling for a moment. "I find it nice to know things, even if I might never get to use that knowledge."

"Knowledge is the core of all things." Set nodded. "Everything is interconnected; I find the oddest things become relevant when I do not expect them." He smiled. "And it is pleasurable to learn."

"Yes... exactly. I have answers that I seek, and that I don't know where to look to find." He shifted position, once again looking at him - his blue eyes seemed a little distant as he spoke, as if it meant something very close to him. "Figures the answer might be where Ill'd never think to look, you know ?"

"That is generally where answers are." Set's expression went briefly distant and serious. Then he focused again and produced a smile. "Sometimes they only spawn more questions."

"Oh, I know much too well." It was his turn to become serious. "Who am I, where am I going, what is my place in this crazy rollercoaster we call life ? All kind of questions."

"We are all philosophers," Set said, his tone gently mocking. He shook his head and sighed.

"Some more than others.... And some really suck at it." He grinned, visibely having taken the comment as it was mean to be - not too serious. "I believe I am in category number two."

"Not all are meant to be great sages. Thankfully! Tripping over Zen masters would be inconvenient." Set decided that he did indeed like this male.

Zero couldn't help it - he just started laughing. "That was your turn to have a lovely scene in your head, uh ? Well, it wouldn't be too bad until you tripped on a religious zealot. They tend to like curses." He said playfully, a grin on his face.

"May you live in interesting times?" Set answered, smiling outright now. "The worst curse of all, or the best. It all depends on viewpoint."

"Well, I usually get "Burn in the depth of hell" or something like that...." Oh, yes, he was extremely amused. "...But I don't think ill'd mind that one... but yeah, I guess ill't depend on the times."

"An irrelevant curse, if one does not believe in the hell in question," Set observed solemnly.

"Exactly, but don't even try to explain that point to them... Nothing good would come of it." He shrugged, glancing out at the window. How long had they been sitting there, just talking ? He had lost track of time.

It was oddly pleasant.

"It can be entertaining to observe," Set said. "Polite disbelief is enough to make most of them go into a frenzy." He flicked his fingers at the window. "There is one who comes to the park in the mornings. Harmless, unless he decides one is a sinner. Difficult to detach." He grimaced slightly in recollection.

"Ill keep that in mind." He nodded, as per habit. "But yes... But better them to believe in something that make them relatively harmless." He sighed, shaking his head a little. "....I believe you know what kind of situation Imperial is in at the moment ? Nothing really pretty...."

"I've read about it." Set leaned onthe table, his expression falling into more serious lines. "I've never been outside Elysium, myself. The situation sounds - horrific."

"Horrific.... is not the word. It's much worse... Something you've only can trully understand when you've been caught in the middle of it. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy - ....Trough he'lld prolly find it funny and quite enjoyable..." The last sentence was muttered, with a tint of hatered... no one could really think he was really talking about himself - a part of himself that he hated beyond any other thing.

"I have seen some of the refugees," Set mused. "They look empty, in some way." He gave no hint of having heard the half-audible statement, though it piqued his curiosity. Not something to ask someone he barely knew, fascinating as it might be.

"Yes... It affected each and every one of us, some more than others...." He seemed to have caught himself and calmed down a tad. "Alas, its too hard to do anything for Imperial. All we can do is move on - some will never be able to."

"Perhaps someday," Set said. He kept his morbid curiosity leashed. For now, at any rate.

"...Yeah, maybe." He answered absent-mindely. "But I perfer not to create illusions to myself.... And ratter be amazed when those kind of things come."

"Better to be pleasantly surprised by life than constantly disappointed," Set nodded.

It was weird to meet someone who actually understood him so quickly and so well - a... pleasant kind of weird, as weird as it might be. Idly, he glanced at the clock.

"...Well, I believe I might have taken enough of your time, no ? If I want to go visit, I should not wait until too late in the day." He readjusted his hat.

"Probably a good idea to get in before evening." Set stood also, nodding. He paused, then offered, "Perhaps we will encounter one another again, if you are going to stay in the area for any length of time." It had been an unexpectedly enjoyable conversation.

"Well, I believe you'll know where to find me." He smiled. "I'm not really picky.... So I'm likely to take the place you gave me the adress to, unless its like.... falling apart. And I do hope so.... It was a pleasure meeting you."

Zero couldn't quite explain how he felt when he turned and went in the streets again...

But it was anything but scared.... He liked this.

Perhaps Elysium really meant the start of something new.

"A pleasure to meet you, as well," Set answered, and meant it. He watched Zero leave, and sat down again, thoughtful.

Vivian thought he'd never seen anything as wonderful as the library in his whole life. The building was big enough to easily house his village, which was amazing on it's own, but the fact that the whole thing was dedicated to *books*... He stood in the foyer just looking around in awe, until his companions had to shake him a little to snap him out of it. "Have fun, swampling... we're going up to one of the research rooms. We'll find you when we're done," Calim said, patting Vivian on the shoulder and giving him a gentle shove towards the lines of shelves.

Vivian almost felt like the masses of books and wood paneling would swallow him up, and when he turned around again he couldn't see Calim and Shale anymore, but there were books... so many books... he grabbed a few at random and toddled awkwardly towards the nearest table, trying not to trip over his robes.

Setosa glanced up as his peripheral vision caught a flicker of motion. Someone was headed towards the table he sat at; the newcomer had an armful of books and a starry-eyed expression on his face. Set recognized that look. Silently, he moved his own stack of materials a few inches to make room for the lavender-haired male to set his books down. In spite of the interruption tohis concentration, he couldn't help feeling a spark of kinship with the expression of rapt attention the other wore.

Vivian barely noticed the presence of anything but the books, and he sat down on the nearest empty chair with a rapt expression on his face before pulling the top book off the small stack and opening it. However, his expectant look slowly changed to one of frustration. "Children's stories? I don't want those. I require something literary."
He glanced around to see if anyone had recognized his fine tastes, and was dissapointed.

Set put his pen down and regarded the other with amusement. "Perhaps you should make use of the card catalog," he suggested.

Vivian jumped as if startled, and looked at the other Dou as though he hadn't noticed him before. "Oh. Yes, of course. I was just going to do so, excuse me," he mumbled, getting up and setting off in exactly the wrong direction.

"It's in the other direction," Set pointed out, expressionless. "Past the stacks to the databanks on the dividing wall."

Vivian immediately pivoted on one foot, though he wobbled - the voluminous robes he was wearing got in the way of any quick movements. "I knew that. I was... studying the shelves," he muttered at Set as he hrumphed past. This was not turning into a good day.
After a few minutes, though, he came back, shoulders slumped. "Stacks of what?" he asked Set, defeated.

Set did an admirable job of not laughing, though his lips did quirk in a quick smile. "The shelves. They are called stacks." He paused and played idly with his pen. "Would you like me to show you where the catalog is?"

"Very well," Vivian muttered. Any hope of appearing knowledgable and sophisticated with this person was clearly already destroyed, so what did it matter? "Thank you," he added, grudgingly, after a few seconds.

Set made a minor production of putting aside his pen and shutting the notebook he'd been taking notes in (currently filled with diagrams, equations, and arcane terms), and rose, padding past Vivian. "Follow me." He glanced back to be sure Vivian was following, and asked, "Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

Vivian spotted a chance to redeem himself, and took it. "Something stimulating," he said, smoothly, standing up a bit straighter. "Something to challenge and broaden the horizons of the mind, yes. Something advanced. I'm quite learned, you know," he added, hopefully.

... Ridiculous. Set stopped in front of the catalog screens, and turned to face Vivian, raising an eyebrow. "Actions speak louder than words," he said coolly. "I'm certain you can find something you'd like in the database. If you need help, come and ask me. There is little point in fumbling blindly."

Vivian opened his mouth and closed it. Several times. "I don't know what I'm looking for," he mumbled, finally, an embarrassed flush spreading across his face. "But I want to read and learn something new. There's just so much, I've never seen so much." And the look of hunger in his eyes WAS genunine, although he still was looking fixedly at the ground and not meeting Set's gaze in the least.

The other eyebrow went up. That was a bit of a surprise - he'd expected the other to decline help in a huff. Set's estimation of the newcomer went up several notches. "Do you have a specific area of interest?" he asked, folding his hands behind his back. "Information on almost anything can be found here." There was a faint note of pride in his voice at that. The library might not belong to him specifically. But it was his library.

"Everything!" Vivian said instantly, looking up, his voice earnest. "I want to learn about everything! I want to be a great sage, you know. And a great mage," he confided, leaning in a little closer. If he'd had a tail, it would have been wagging a mile a minute.

Set kept a straight face with some difficulty. "An admirable goal," he said dryly. "What level of education have you achieved? I would not want to start you on something too simple."

"Uhm.... I'm not sure?" Vivian fiddled awkwardly with the hem of one draping sleeve. "There wasn't a school in my village. Calim and Shale taught me. They're wonderful ," he added, eyes bright with adoration. "They brought me here. To this city, I mean. And the library too. But I know a lot. Um, I think," he added, looking away for a moment as if expecting to be chastised for claiming to know a lot.

"Hmmm." Set tapped a finger against his chin, then turned and busied himself with one of the consoles. He didn't explain what he was doing, but neither did he hide it - if Vivian was paying attention, he might be able to observe the process for himself. "Here," he said. "World history - I will assume you can think and that your tutors have given you a good grounding. If it is too simple, there are better ones. Likewise, if it is too complex, there are more basic." He paused and tapped on the screen with a finger. "The numbers are how one finds specific volumes. Subjects are placed by number. Each shelf is marked; the individual books are marked on their spines." He looked back to Vivian. "Clear enough?"

Vivian looked at the screen with a serious expression. "I understand," he said, finally. "History is an excellent subject. Really, nearly all fields of knowledge connect to the study of history in some way." He stood up straighter, clearly pleased with himself, then deflated a little lest Set whack him with words again. "Honest, it is," he added, in a smaller voice.

Set eyed Vivian. "All fields are intertwined," he said, a little pompously. "History, the sciences, the arts; there is nothing that is not connected to something else." Being so clearly deferred to was simultanously pleasing and irritating, but he couldn't resist letting it inflate his ego somewhat.

"It is, it is!" Vivian said enthusiastically, admiration shining in his eyes. "Are you a scholar to- um, I mean, are you a scholar?"

Set folded his hands. "I am a perpetual student," he said. "I must necessarily focus on my work often, but learning for its own sake is one of the great pleasures of life."

"It is, it is!" Vivian repeated happily. "What is your work? Um. I'm Vivian, by the way," he added, shyly.

"I study the effects of ambient and specific magic on wild and cultivated flora," Set said, pride in his voice. "My name is Setosa Imbriss. I discovered the trace-element mineral effect of biomagical lighting in hydroponic environments," he added. He would be surprised if Vivian recognized his work - it was not, after all, the stuff of mainstream publication - but perhaps ...

Vivian looked surprised. "That sounds... important," he said, finally. "Um. Hydroponic....?"

Set flicked his fingers. "It's minor enough," he said dismissively. But he was pleased. "Hydroponic cultivation refers to growing plants without soil," he explained. "The environment must be carefully balanced for optimum results."

"Without soil? How do you do that, do you make the plants float in-mid air? Is that what the magic is for?" The questions came rapid-fire.

"The roots are immersed in a nutrient solution, instead of filtering the required nurtients through soil," Set said. "Magic plays various roles in cultivation - the use you refer to has occasionally been tried, though results are mixed. More often, it is used directly to encourage plant growth, grafting, fertilization, or mutation; or indirectly, such as in greenhouse lighting." How odd. He felt rather like a teacher at the moment.

"Are there books about that? It sounds interesting." Vivian leaned forward and tapped the screen experimentally.

"I can certainly direct you to some essential basic texts," Set offered. "Here. This is the search function." He brought up a screen filled with titles.

"Is there some book that's good to start learning with?" Vivian asked, quickly tapping the screen so that the list of titles scrolled.

"This one is a good starting point." Set tapped an entry. "The book will be on the next level up, towards the back wall and to the left. Write down the number and the information so that you can find it." He straightened. "I will return to my notes. If you are in need of help, you may ask me."

"Thank you! Um." Vivian quickly vanished into the shelves, then returned, book in hand, and sat down right by where Set had been making notes earlier.

Set returned sedately to his stack of books and flipped his notebook back open, flicking through the pages of the text he'd been using. When Vivian reappeared, he glanced up and nodded briefly, then returned to his work.