S a l e t é I I

XXII - Cerveau - Treize

The air surrounding the Brisbois complex was heavier, laden with the heat generated by its innards and cast out through its doors and vents. As mighty as it was, such a presence fell short of rendering Cassia and the others uncomfortable as they gathered around the benches near the boundary wall. 

Between such a sensation, the droning of many machines hard at work, the modern nature of the place and the range of voices from those who had already been given matters to attend to, she felt as if they had wandered into another district entirely. Only the lack of lightning above them reminded her that they were very much in Lower Merveille.

The industrial grade beacons that illuminated the wider courtyard were a far cry from the sunlight she missed so dearly, but they were at certainly strong, the majority of the grounds behind the building that they could now see entirely lit. It turned out that beyond one of the perimeter walls was one of the walls of the underground itself, the light just about managing to touch the earth and stone, the old, immense metal beams built into it holding up the weight of the world, reaching up and disappearing into the inevitable darkness.

Even with them, she couldn't imagine the city of Merveille existing somewhere above. Just how far beneath the surface were they, exactly? It couldn't have been that far, could it?

It hardly mattered, and she soon focused on Chief and what he had to say.

"It all looks pretty legit to me. Whatever they're making, they obviously do have ties to the city." He began, leaning forward whilst Monet remained sat up straight, maintaining her ladylike position.

"If they were up to anything shady, I reckon there'd be consequences. Sabre were keeping an eye on them when we saw them at the tip."

"Sabre's presence is not something that I find particularly reassuring." Monet replied, and it wasn't a statement that he tried to disagree with, considering certain differences between them. It did lead into his next question though.

"But what do you think about everything we've seen so far? Do you think they're serious?"

"They're serious about something."

"The boss himself said that they'd come down here to help, didn't he? All the money goes to Lower Merveille, and all that. Do you think he was talking bullshit?" Spears asked as he folded his arms, the boy leaning against the back of the bench that his leader was currently sat on, the girl in red the one he'd directed his question towarss. 

"It's too early to say. People have come from the city in the past to try and take advantage of cheap labour, so it would be wise to be mindful." She replied, to which he gave a single, understanding nod as he recalled such instances himself.

"Where does that leave us? It'd be stupid to write the place off, it's like you said, too early." Chief said, and whilst Monet was rife with scepticism, she didn't argue with his reasoning, allowing him to continue.

"I say we come back tomorrow and give things a go. We can come as a six again, keep things safe."

"What did the lady say we'd be doing? Something about logic?" Uliana asked, Monet stepping in to correct her.

"Logistics. Think of all the things you'd need to do to keep a place like this running. Not just the machines, or fixtures like them, but the people." She explained, Uliana nodding as she listened.

"I highly doubt they would have us shifting any products around. I could see them tasking us with fetching things like supplies for mealtimes, smaller components for the building, that sort of thing."

"Ohh. That sounds pretty simple." Uliana concluded, looking to Cassia to see if she agreed, her companion indeed concurring.

"We could haul a whole load of stuff if we worked together like we are now." Shipshape added, the younger boy evidently liking the sound of things so far, Cassie admiring the enthusiasm in his demeanour.