Claire At Night (trash)

Outsiders considered Vermilion a place to avoid. One probably was involved in some unsavory business to have any occasion to be there at all, and if you did, you had best not explore too much. Its almost eerily quiet and empty, tunnel-like streets repelled visitors.

But there were those few who have a certain peculiar character which agreed with the place. There were those who referred to District Dessous, especially the outer parts, as “the badlands”, perhaps jokingly, perhaps not. Its inhabitants, the ones who were really there by choice, wore this label as a badge of honor. But more than that, they found something comforting, almost spiritual, about the quiet emptiness of where they lived. It was far from the bustle of Haut, the central district. Far from the prying eyes of too many bureaucrats and police. Strange people found solace in the presence of strangers who, for whatever reason, ended up in this place.

The sun was going down. One could tell by the orange tint to the diffused light. Although day didn’t look too different from night here, people still fell into a normal routine, with most places closing at night. To conserve energy, or perhaps to make the place feel more natural, the overhead lights dimmed at night, and switched to an orangish hue, unlike the bright blue light of the day.

Claire leaned against a railing on one of the walkways. It was a wide bridge over what looked like a chasm. It was not quite dark yet and she would enjoy the last bit of natural light before her shift began.

She could look up to see a patch of cloudless sunset sky, a gradient of dark purple and orange.

She looked down. There was enough light that she could barely make out some shapes on the floor of the bottom level. In a few more minutes, it would appear as only a cavernous hole.

It was one of her favorite spots. The bridge had an ornate iron railing. Many padlocks were attached to it which had the names of couples written on them.

The bridge connected the main strip of Vermilion to its more abandoned edge. To her left, there was plenty of light, from overhead lamps and from shops closing up for the night. To her right there was almost no light. Since there were no residences on that side there was no need to keep it lit. There were only a few businesses there — cheap, disreputable ones — which all closed for the night, except one.