S a l e t é I V

XXXVI - Incertitude - Huit

Shipshape stepped up next without any prompting from Sunshine, the young lady watching as he did so with a proud little smile, the boy still sharp as he took his turn to present something to Monet.

"I uh... I made this yesterday. Gunner helped me out." He began, almost shy as he reached into one of his pockets, quickly retrieving the offering he'd made.

To Cassia's surprise, he took out what resembled a string at first, though she quickly realised that it was a necklace of sorts, given its length. 

He ran the wire that it consisted of through his hands until the centrepiece suspended upon it ended up between his fingers, the materials he'd used evidently ones found around their current setting, the recycled nature lending the item a notable charm in Cassie's eyes.

That centrepiece was a small, dark coloured carving wrought from wood. It was hardly anything of the most superb artistic merit, its form rough and far from free of imperfections, but those touches only contributed to its charm, the obvious handmade notes all very special. It was still easy to discern what the shape was supposed to be - a small ship, complete with a mast that sported a big sail on one side, a smaller sail on the other. 

"There was this thing my uncle used to say, about how we're all on the same boat." He began to explain, the notion of any sort of story being tied to the gift captivating Cassia almost immediately, the boy still running the wire through his hands gently as he spoke and observed the carving.

"We all sail on the same ship, and we all end up at the same place in the end, but we don't always get there together. Sometimes, people get off the boat, whether you want them to or not. We have different stops and stuff, that kind of thing."

He didn't sound the most confident he'd ever been by any means, that uncertainty not stopping him. 

Monet held out a hand, the boy placing his gift in her palm for her to look at more closely, her interest of some reassurance to him.

"The point is that life is a big voyage, and... Well, I mean, you girls still have sailing to do. I'll help, if you want me to."

Sunshine's expression had grown increasingly affectionate as he'd shared the story, the girl resting her hand on her chest towards the end as her pride in him swelled, Cassia sharing that admiration as she smiled softly, without difficulty. Monet looked up at him after observing the necklace for herself, without a smile of her own, but with genuine compassion in her tone nonetheless.

"Thank you. It's lovely."

Her verdict was what finally had him looking a bit more upbeat again, that hint of shyness becoming a little more prominent too. She didn't simply allow him to leave either, gesturing for him to step closer with one hand, leaning up to grant him a small kiss to his forehead to further convey her gratitude. 

She gave him the necklace back for a moment, enabling him to hand it to Cassia so that she could take a look as well, the girl placing it in Zisel's hand for her to feel whilst she had her viewing.

"It's a little ship. Feel the sails?" Cassie explained ever so quietly, guiding Zisel's fingers to the features in question, the young tailor smiling gently as she touched carefully, the way in which she traced her fingertips over its form both caring and respectful.

"Did you really make this...?" She asked.

"Yeah, I used a knife and whittled a bit of wood from one of the old desks upstairs into the shape. Gunner helped me poke the hole though without messing it all up." Shipshape replied, the way her smile was renewed as he revealed the details having a similar effect on him to Monet's earlier praise.