S a l e t é I I

XXII - Cerveau - Douze

"Please excuse me for a minute."

The young lady actually a gave a small, curtsy like dip to her male colleagues, the two of them stepping aside so that she could give her full attention to the children who were now in front of her, adjusting her glasses and holding her clipboard to her side as she went. Confidence was returning to her now that the initial surprise had passed, and she was able to give them all a kind enough smile.

Her fair voice complimented her appearance, carrying a hint of that accent that Cassia was no stranger to.

Like the others who had presumably accompanied Brisbois down from the city for his endeavour, this girl wore a set of smarter clothes, her uniform consisting of a waistcoat - slightly longer at the back - over a nice shirt, with an impressively neat, sleek skirt and leggings. She wore boots - which seemed like a practical choice, given the environment they were in - and even these were quite nice, well polished and featuring small, golden adornments on their sides that stood out against the black.

One thing that Cassia noticed was that some of the employees were wearing ruffled neckties with their outfits, whilst others weren't. The girl before them was sporting one, the articles probably denoting some sort of rank or position. 

Chief took the initiative before she could speak, visibly turning up the charm with both a good-natured grin and the offer of a handshake. It was a demeanour that came to him ever so naturally in Cassia's eyes, taking very little effort to form.

"I'm Alex, this is Monet." He began, nodding to his left where the girl in red was standing, the girl giving a small nod in acknowledgement as she was introduced. The lady had accepted Chief's hand, his grip purposeful for the gesture, making sure to look to Monet as she was made known.

"We were there when Mister Brisbois made the announcement over at the old scrapyard. Is it true he's giving jobs to folks around here?"

Something about the way he said "Mister Brisbois" struck Cassie as sweet.

"Are you all together?" The young lady asked, waving a hand at them all briefly, to which Chief quickly replied.

"Certainly are. There's a bunch more of us too."

"Goodness..."

She seemed increasingly thoughtful, and Cassie couldn't really blame her. She fell short of becoming quiet for too long, another matter of importance quickly bringing her around.

"Oh, forgive me! My name is Sabine Farrow, I'm one of the administrators working under Monsieur Brisbois."

She gave a second dip of her head as she stated her credentials, a delicate enthusiasm in her voice for a moment, as if she'd been proud - if ever so slightly shy - to make such an announcement. It was, perhaps, something she'd rehearsed, reminding Cassie of the time she'd once spent practicing etiquette. 

With such a gesture now concluded, Sabine quickly took on a more professional tone, though her fairness remained.

"To answer your question, yes, we are currently offering employment to the residents of Lower Merveille."

"Even for our lot?" Chief asked, again nodding to his companions.

"Young people of your age are eligible, yes."

Activity around them was picking up now, both residents and underlings of Brisbois coming and going. Cassia was a tad worried again, as she'd been growing increasingly mindful of potentially being in the way. Luckily for her, this was something that Sabine addressed.

"Come with me for a moment, we can talk somewhere quieter."

Her clipboard still held close, the young administrator proceeded to leave the building via the open shutter nearby, Chief and Monet leading the group as they followed. Uliana quickly arrived at Cassie's side, her voice very nearly a whisper, the industrial chimes coming from behind them easily helping to mask her words.