The twoitinerant warriors approached the hostel tram opposite directions. Both weregarbed conventionally: dark pantaloons cinched at waist and knee, loose whitejacket reaching to hips and elbows and hanging open at the front, elastic sneakers.Both wore their hair medium: cropped above the eyebrows in front, above theears on the sides, and above the jacket collar behind, uncombed. Both beardswere short and scant.

      The man from the east wore a standardstraight sword, the plastic scabbard strapped across his broad back. He wasyoung and large, if unhandsome, and his black brows and hair gave him aforbidding air that did not match his nature. He was well-muscled and carriedhis weight with the assurance of a practicing athlete.

      The one from the west was shorter and moreslender, but also in fine physical trim. His blue eyes and fair hair set off acountenance so finely molded that it would have been almost womanish withoutthe beard, but there was nothing effeminate about his manner. He pushed beforehim a little one-wheeled cart, a barrow-bag, from which several feet of shiningmetal pole projected.

      The dark-haired man arrived before theround building first and waited politely for the other to come up. The3surveyed each other briefly before speaking. A young woman emerged, dressed inthe attractive one-piece wrap around of the available. She looked from onevisitor to the other, her eyes fixing for a moment upon the handsome goldenbracelet clasping the left wrist of each, but kept her silence.

      The sworder glanced at her once as sheapproached appreciating the length of her glossy midnight tresses and thestudied voluptuousness of her figure, then spoke to the man with the cart."Will you share lodging with me tonight, friend? I seek mastery of otherthings than men."

      "I seek mastery in the circle,"the other replied, "but I will share lodging." They smiled and shookhands.