S a l e t é I I

XVI - Griffes - Huit

As the girls continued to sort through the leftovers from above, they came across several things of possible worth.

Monet had collected several empty plastic bottles that would have been perfectly reusable after a good wash, whilst Uliana had come across a pair of gloves that might have fit a teenager - dirty, though not beyond saving. Some finds, whether they were useful or not, were accompanied by a lesson or two from the older girl.

"Cassia, out of all the articles of clothing you can think of, do you know what one of the most commonly requested things is down at the old street?"

"Um... Coats, maybe?"

"Pairs of socks."

"Really?"

"Really. A decent pair could go a surprisingly long way."

It seemed odd only for a short while, as it lined up with something that Monet had said before, about talcum powder, of all things.

You weren't really going to get far in any location without some good feet to carry you, after all. Or, at least, one good foot.

"What else would be a really good thing to find?" Cassia asked following this latest advice, hoping to secure some more as she continued to sift through her chosen area.

"Anything hygiene related will usually get you some leeway. It's something that people here tend to be very particular about."

"A bar of soap is basically actual treasure." Uliana added.

The prospect of finding soap amongst the nearby mounds wasn't particularly one that Cassia was placing a great deal of hope in.

She'd been doing her best to remember everything that Monet had told her thus far, over all of the time they'd been together. Bottles, socks, things to keep yourself clean... Things that might be useful to others... Everything remained so unusual.

She'd tried thinking about things from different angles - if she had everything from back home at her disposal, and she was able to give Monet, say, five different things, which things would she choose? What would be the most useful items? Honey was one thing, but it didn't last. What about tools, or things worth trading?

Things to enjoy would have been welcome too. Maybe some books? She still liked the idea of a radio, like the one Roslindis would listen to in the kitchen whilst she was working, its tunes or voices being carried through the room and up the hallway outside.

Did Lower Merveille get a good signal, at all? Electronics were practically entirely absent from what she'd seen, outside of a few scattered generators that powered very basic lighting here and there. No phones, no televisions, no computers...

"Gross..."

"What is it?" Cassia asked as she heard Uliana's less enthusiastic comment.

"I think I just found a load of rubbish from a restaurant or something, it reeks..."

Cassia couldn't see just what it was that she was going through at that moment, which might have been a small blessing. The fact that Uliana wasn't immune to the unpleasantness, after she'd been so keen to get on with the day's work, wasn't something that the new girl had expected.

Then again, she was sure that anyone would have found aspects of the job nasty. Anyone sane, anyway.

"Do people really throw away food like this? A bunch of this stuff is half eaten." Uliana said, not all of her disgust stemming from the sights and smells alone.

"You must remember that most of the people above are unaware of how things really are down here." Monet began, her words not really doing much to satisfy the girl.