S a l e t é I I

XXII - Cerveau - Neuf

Some of the homes that had been assembled to form the streets that the group now traversed were gradually becoming finer, at least by Lower Merveille's standards. Building work seemed that little bit more formal, foundations were actually leaning on stable, genuine, grey brickwork replacing the unofficial arrangements that were already behind them. 

The increase in quality wasn't universal, and there were still a few more spontaneous looking setups interspersed amongst them, but any improvement was better than nothing in Cassia's mind.

The roads between rows of houses were starting to resemble actual streets now, albeit without the presence of vehicles. The majority of the housing district - or rather, what she'd seen of it - hadn't followed any kind of plan, with things cropping up wherever there was space. Here, things were different, and something resembling order was beginning to return. 

If the scruffy dwellings behind them had come after the more organised areas, like those that existed en-route to the junkyard, perhaps this zone had appeared before both of them?

A steady decline as you went further in... How lovely.

Voices were beginning to rise, floating through the murky air between them and the subterranean ceiling, a mixture of tones making their way into the echoes. Whether they belonged to men or women, all sounded young, and their seemed to be a fair mix. 

Cassie was still with Spears, ahead of the others in their group, the lad turning some of his attention to her for a moment as they headed onwards.

"You ever been this far out before, Cass? I know you're pretty new down here and all."

"Oh, no, not this far. Monet says that it's dangerous." She replied, slightly nervous. His question had suddenly made her consider that they really were in territory that was even less familiar to her, and it was impossible for her not to feel at least slightly intimated, but again, the presence of the boy at her side was kind.

"Yeah, it can be."

As they clambered over a low, gap ridden wall, he pointed off to their left, the direction the music and now the chatter was coming from.

"We're pretty close to the Red District now, it's literally on the other side of these houses."

Hearing someone refer to the structures around them as "houses" - even if they were of a marginally higher standard - was something else that didn't feel right.

"Have you ever been there...?" She asked, both because her curiosity was working up again and because she wished for him to continue talking.

"Yeah, a bunch of times. There's some good stuff there, but there's a load of shady stuff too. Anyone who goes there without being kinda on edge is stupid, I'd say."

As much as she did want to see the place, even with all of the warnings she'd heard, she certainly wouldn't have tried to go anywhere near it by herself. The girls had already said enough to make her very wary, and now Spears had all but cemented the need for caution. 

If he was unsure then there must have been weight to all that she'd heard.

She was starting to notice more litter along the paths and roads they now followed, an assortment of food wrappers, cans, bottles of various sizes and cigarette packets amongst the offending rubbish. The accompanying smells were all included, the air stale at numerous spots along each route, Uliana sometimes giving those empty cans a hefty kick as she and the others kept to the trail that Spears was leaving.

More people were coming and going throughout these areas, though she wasn't sure if they were residents or not. Some clearly were, judging by the usual badges of honour that their outfits carried - scuffs, wear and repair work all visible - whilst others stood out.