"Sounds sensible," he says agreeably. If the stakes didn't sound so high, he might even be tempted to avoid, but...better to be surrounded by people somewhat in the know than totally out of the loop and in a place where he can make a living and get training for living in an era so distant from his own.

As they go, he's watchful, head on a swivel, eyes darting. It's how he always feels in cities, on guard, never fully settled. "What kinda place you come from?"