Play@YSDC

Alexander looks up, clearly a little lost as he is abruptly torn from the piece of research literature he was reading.

"Euhm, yes, hi. Please 'Alexander' will do." he says, still confused and caught off guard as he puts aside his PDA.

"As for the media circus, I was hoping to bypass most of it." Alexander admits as he shifts in his chair, clearly ill at ease "I'm not very good with cameras. I'm here for the science and to guarantee the health of our expedition members."

"Would you prefer to speak in Russian?" asked Kasiliev. "Or ... what? English? Brush up on German? I'm up for most things. And don't you worry, Ophidian's aware that you're no show pony. It's more a case of simply giving the right information to a few media representatives and meeting up with some of the other professionals going along. Speaking of which, the first meeting will be between yourself and Professor Lebedev. The biologist, geneticist, etc. who's coming along. He's the only other one in the city at the moment outside of the "Hidden Places" team. Are you willing to come along?"

"English and Russian are both fine, but I only speak a few cliché words of german." Alexander admits "But yes, let's meet Professor Lebedev."

He had always felt more at ease with scientists anyway. If nothing else, they were used to some weirdness from their peers.

"This way, I have a taxi cab available and waiting," says Kasiliev in Russian. "When you're finished eating, of course."

Alexander made but a sweeping gesture through the air and followed. He had clearly already finished eating.

Kasiliev leads Lozynsky to the taxi cab that's waiting outside. "Ophidian felt it best that a compatriot do the meet and greet for the Russian expedition members. I actually immigrated here with my parents fifteen years ago but I made sure to keep the accent. The ladies find it sexy." He hops in and gives a nod to the taxi driver. "Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 29." The taxi moves off and he turns to Lebedev. "So, tell me about your fine self?"

Alexander frowns at the man's choice of words.

"I'm sure you read my file, as I'm sure Ophidian has one on me." Alexander says "Just a doctor with an interest in the micro-organisms. If this mountain is as special as they say it is, we're sure to discover new micro-organisms."

"Hopefully, it'd be a shame if it all ended up being rather dull," says Kasiliev. "And yeah, there's a file. I just find it interesting to hear how people describe themselves. Your reticence speaks of a shyness that intrigues me... Sorry, there I go again." He looks sheepish. "I just can't seem to help but analyse people. Besides, this taxi ride is going to be a rather long one in this traffic. About 30-45 minutes to get where we're going."

Alexander sighs internally. This really wasn't 'his thing'...

"I suppose I'm the opposite of you." Alexander says curtly "I study things, not people. And I'm quite happy to do it in peace, eventhough you'd think that with my job traveling across the world, from the biting cold of Siberia to the wet heat of the Congo, I'd 'open up'. Well, I don't."

"Give me a microscope & some books and I'm perfectly happy wherever I am."

"Oh, so what do you study mostly? I mean, I know the brief stuff from the Ophidian dossier, but I don't know what it means in English." Kasiliev begins tapping the dashboard with a fingernail.

"I study contageous diseases, and especially related micro-organisms. What makes them tick, how they evolve, how they react to anti-bodies, anti-biotics and so on." Alexander says visibly thinking of how to explain his work to someone who knows nothing of his science.

"So either I work in a lab doing experiments or I'm out in the world on expedition, wherever an interesting bacteria, virus, fungus or other micro-organism breaks out. For example Ebola, Cholera or the Avian Flu."

"Ever get worried you'll be infected? I mean, those are some scary diseases," says Kasiliev, looking aghast.

"Well, you take precautions, but something could always go wrong." Alexander says "Nothing prepares you for it, so you just live knowing you could end up dead by whatever you're working on."

"But then again, more truckers die on the job than doctors..."

"Wow, that's a crazy way to live," says Kasiliev. "Me? I prefer to keep things simple when I can. I don't wanna have to risk my life or anything. Real, simple, down-to-earth living for me... Guess that means no truck driving for me. What is the most dangerous job, in your opinion?"

"Politics." Alexander says with a smile "Not saying that because I come from Russia, but I doubt there is any more vile occupation around. Though the media comes close enough in many cases."

"I prefer to stay out of the media limelight myself," says Kasiliev. "I'm fine with escorting people into the spotlight, directing spotlights, attracting spotlights ... but I always stay out of it myself. It just doesn't seem very healthy to get too much att... What am I thinking? It's different for you, of course. I've just got nothing to say. You've got this very prestigious trip to go on. Which reminds me ... any idea why Ophidian's making such a big deal out of it? I mean, German-Russian scientific collaborations are one thing, but why the media circus? Why make so many people care? Not that they shouldn't, of course. It just seems bizarre to me. I didn't think it made good t.v. And now with 'Hidden Places' set to go with you all..."

"Funding. Media attention. Politics." Alexander shrugs "I don't know. Could be they simply needed the attention to get the proper funding. Or that bringing the mediacircus along would make it easier to get documented access to some parts, although I doubt that."

"Yeah, surely a media circus would make it harder to get that kind of access and besides, this is just a survey team, it's not even the real expedition, there might not even be anything there," says Kasiliev, shaking his head. "What do you think would happen then? If, like, there was nothing there. I mean, are the odds good for that? Or is it likely there is some kind of ancient city?"

"I don't know or care about ancient cities. That's not my job." Alexander shrugs "But in areas where it has been a long time since humans last set foot or surveyed, there might be some interesting lifeforms, be it plants, insects, animals, and so on."

"Ah, okay, near extinct species and all that? Endangered eagles? Sounds like a killer photo opportunity. I'm a whizz with a camera, or so I think." He plucks a camera out of his bag. It's an expensive Nikon photographic camera with an extendable lens. "Don't suppose I could take a picture of you? Yes? No?"