Little Paris

09. Little Paris

Welcome!

Wow, this place is glittering! As you roll into Little Paris on your shuttle, it's not uncommon to feel totally and horribly under-dressed. You heard the streets were paved with gold and believe it or not, they are! The shuttle enters an entirely glass station. Upon further inspection, lustrous golden bars rim the entire structure. If you jump on the glass, it feels totally solid! Just...don't look down. This station is suspended high in the air, a bridge and a staircase made of the same materials guiding you down to the precious metal street. How did they even afford a golden street...? Oh well! The sidewalks are a glittery silver, and with every step you cover one of the various jewels sealed into the ground. It probably wouldn't be very cool to grab one, but...

As you look around, you may be overwhelmed. Tall buildings are squeezed together and each one is beautifully crafted, a good representation of whatever the store in particular sells. You notice tiny spaces between each cramped storefront; these are small golden staircases, leading up to a network of spacious condos atop the stores. To walk amongst them, there is a golden grated catwalk. Floods of people are constantly climbing these steps, bumping into each other as they glide gracefully into their homes. It seems that almost everyone you see is carrying several bags of varying sizes, and some even have large helicopter-esque devices attached to said bags, floating them in the air. Everyone seems to be on their own, interestingly enough; you may wonder which of the people in the stream of shoppers are going home together.

In the day, Little Paris is clear, bright, and beautiful. A perfect day to spend money, in these citizens' eyes. By the afternoon however, the sky is overtaken by gorgeous, overlapping shades of red, orange, purple, white...the sunset does not compare in any other sector. Most couples in the area will stop to view the beauty until it vanishes into the horizon, their hands clasped all the while. In hushed whispers, many will recite different numbers to their partner. Vaguely, you might remember a wives' tale: some day if you watch a hundred of these sunsets with your partner, you'll be together forever.

You’re hard-pressed to find anything simple in this sector. The food shops are all gourmet, and vastly expensive. The clothing is intricate and really, a trained eye would realize that most of the clothes sold here wouldn’t work well with a large majority of body types. It reflects in the dress of the population; they’ve substituted taste for wealth.

If you were missing all the big celebrities in Little West Hollywood, look no further--almost all of them reside in Little Paris once they make it big. Hollywood just doesn’t have all the commodities, it seems. Besides celebrities, you’ll mostly find families who secured their wealth before the Tragedy occurred. They pass their money down generation to generation, so a lot of people here are closely related!

But as you can see, there’s a lot of stereotypes and assumptions about these Parisians. What are they really like? Well, if you stop one in the street, they may recoil from your touch a bit. Many of the citizens here seem pretty timid! Whether it’s fellow citizens or newcomers, they always have a wary look on their face before they grow comfortable with someone. Once they get to know you a bit, it’s all smiles. They’re proud to show off their recent purchases, and they’ll often invite you into their homes for tea! Maybe that’s so you can see all their possessions, but who really knows?

Welcome to Sector IX: Little Paris. Dream big!