[ What about it keeps him away, Gustave would like to know, but if Verso really doesn't know — and why would he lie about that, when he knows how crucial it is to the Expedition's survival that they stay as far away from Renoir as is possible — then he's doomed to frustration on that point, and probably others.

Almost as intriguing, though, is the fact that Verso turns the faucet on at the sink and water comes out, readily and without any of the spurting and recalcitrance he'd have expected from a pipe that hasn't been used lately. It's clear, too, and apparently temperature-controlled, considering the way Verso runs his hand under it to test the coolness, and Gustave is in motion before he can stop himself, crouching down to open the cabinet doors beneath the sink and reaching to touch the pipes there. They're cool to the touch, water flowing easily, and — ]

How is it doing that?

[ For a moment, this new mystery — one he could solve easily if this were a normal house, he's not a plumber but he understands the basic ideas of how systems like this work — takes precedence over the other, and he's still puzzling over it when Verso turns to offer him a glass of the mysteriously available water. Gustave straightens to take it, almost reflexive, and peers at both glass and water for a moment with undisguised curiosity. ]

There's no system out here for it to hook up to, and it's not like the gestrals have indoor plumbing...