- Pronoun
- they or she
Every civilisation has those that thrive, and those that struggle on its margins. Sometimes the split is unavoidably visible, the two divided by a wall – whether figurative, or literal. Yet hope persists that one can climb out... or that one can take for themself what has been denied them.
Every part of Novelux had a distinct smell – it was unavoidable in an industrialised city. In many districts, the scents in the air were largely of smoke and oil, or of sea salt and fresh fish, or of greasy street food and crowds of pokémon in close proximity. As one entered the lower half of Realgar Springs, their nostrils would be assaulted first by acrid industrial chemicals, and then by sulphurous odours beneath it. Ask around, and one would soon learn the cause – not rotten eggs, but hydrogen sulfide gas from the hot springs and thermal vents, rich in bloody realgar. Beneath the sulphur, the garlic-like smell of arsenic sulfide powder – realgar, the 'ruby of arsenic' – the crystalline mineral which workers here mined and processed and sold to make a living.
Yet, the Springs was known as a district of wealth and taste. The best of its residences were coveted – a ruby raised high in the city skyline. Its upper district was impossible to miss, with the smooth brick road arranged into fine mosaics of bathing pokémon, surrounded by luxurious high rises of rust red brick and wrought iron staircases that coiled up their sides like jewellery. Polished and maintained to keep out the ruddy stains left by the realgar over time, as stray winds blew trace refinery fumes their way, one could easily forget the toxicity of the district's namesake. Realgar crystals were sold here as jewellery, precious for their rarity and fragility, and orange-gold wines dosed with realgar powder were uniquely popular in the fine dining venues of the upper Springs. No doubt such fine apartments were accessible only to the most privileged, with the hotsprings only a quick walk away, and the streets far above the heavy gases of industry.
It was an ideal image of the springs and Novelux at large, making it easy to ignore the fact that the path through the district continued. Following it, towards the outskirts of Novelux, would reveal more modest buildings housing boutiques that sold topical medicines, crimson-dyed prints, inks, and calico fabrics, and crackling star fireworks – all products of the 'ruby sulphur'. Further down, the fine brickwork shifted into more hackneyed constructions and corrugated rooves, tinged with rust. Still further, the powder workshops and manufacturing plants, producing lead shot, pesticides, and red explosives. Furthest of all, deep red stains crept up the walls and smothered the edges of the path – here were the mines and refinery vats that brought up the red mineral from the earth.
Most of the 'mon in the lower Springs were process 'mon – chemical workers of every stripe. It was not joyful work, but for many, this place represented opportunity all the same. Either through hard work... or through the hard work of others.
Every part of Novelux had a distinct smell – it was unavoidable in an industrialised city. In many districts, the scents in the air were largely of smoke and oil, or of sea salt and fresh fish, or of greasy street food and crowds of pokémon in close proximity. As one entered the lower half of Realgar Springs, their nostrils would be assaulted first by acrid industrial chemicals, and then by sulphurous odours beneath it. Ask around, and one would soon learn the cause – not rotten eggs, but hydrogen sulfide gas from the hot springs and thermal vents, rich in bloody realgar. Beneath the sulphur, the garlic-like smell of arsenic sulfide powder – realgar, the 'ruby of arsenic' – the crystalline mineral which workers here mined and processed and sold to make a living.
Yet, the Springs was known as a district of wealth and taste. The best of its residences were coveted – a ruby raised high in the city skyline. Its upper district was impossible to miss, with the smooth brick road arranged into fine mosaics of bathing pokémon, surrounded by luxurious high rises of rust red brick and wrought iron staircases that coiled up their sides like jewellery. Polished and maintained to keep out the ruddy stains left by the realgar over time, as stray winds blew trace refinery fumes their way, one could easily forget the toxicity of the district's namesake. Realgar crystals were sold here as jewellery, precious for their rarity and fragility, and orange-gold wines dosed with realgar powder were uniquely popular in the fine dining venues of the upper Springs. No doubt such fine apartments were accessible only to the most privileged, with the hotsprings only a quick walk away, and the streets far above the heavy gases of industry.
It was an ideal image of the springs and Novelux at large, making it easy to ignore the fact that the path through the district continued. Following it, towards the outskirts of Novelux, would reveal more modest buildings housing boutiques that sold topical medicines, crimson-dyed prints, inks, and calico fabrics, and crackling star fireworks – all products of the 'ruby sulphur'. Further down, the fine brickwork shifted into more hackneyed constructions and corrugated rooves, tinged with rust. Still further, the powder workshops and manufacturing plants, producing lead shot, pesticides, and red explosives. Furthest of all, deep red stains crept up the walls and smothered the edges of the path – here were the mines and refinery vats that brought up the red mineral from the earth.
Most of the 'mon in the lower Springs were process 'mon – chemical workers of every stripe. It was not joyful work, but for many, this place represented opportunity all the same. Either through hard work... or through the hard work of others.
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Many thanks to @Inkedust for her help in writing this up.
