SENGA, 27, a WORKER, has been toiling in the Engine Room for three months. She is slightly naive and has not yet been completely disenfranchised by the conditions she’s living in, but she is timid and a little awestruck by her old friend SNAKE 2’s glamorous appearance.

SENGA’s work gear is studded with all manner of salvaged trinkets and embellishments, a common practice among those in the Engine Room. The halter-neck wrap top under her suit is constructed from the reconstituted blue overalls given to every Engine Room Worker at the beginning of their tenure.

HORTENCE, 29, a SNAKE, has been living in Ajüka for two years. They know WORKER 2 as both were members of the same Glaedyhoot tribe in the land below. SNAKE 2 has been a Snake for just over a year. They regularly take trips to the Worker bars down near the Engine Room to gauge the temperature of those living there and to scour for material for stories.

HORTENCE’s snappy ensemble is pure Ajüka business-glam. There’s something of an Eighties resurgence happening in the city’s boutiques, and HORTENCE is ahead of the curve, eschewing the newsprint motif worn by her contemporaries, she is able to blend with the upper classes and gather valuable gossip.