S a l e t é I V

XXXIX - Sanctuaire - Cinq

"This was the place, wasn't it?"

"Nah, it's the next one down. That's the dead end, remember?"

Cassia stood corrected as she continued to follow Spears down towards the other side of La Bande, Monet accompanying the pair as they sought out the area they had discovered only the previous day. 

Things were continuing very much like they had been then, at least in terms of appearances, not that she could make sense of everything that was unfolding around them.

In the end, she'd opted for a quieter time with her friends in the warehouse to pass the time up until their next departure, Klavdiya staying behind after only some slight concern from both Monet and Zisel - a second, long winded excursion after one so recent wouldn't have done her any good, and even Cassia was feeling the strain, their use of halves when it came to their bottles of Honey no doubt playing a role in the growing absence of energy.

Even with halves, they were down to just one. That was, one half. Their storeroom no longer contained even a single, full bottle, that knowledge as frightening as it was motivating. Returning home with less than two bottles was not something that Cassia considered an option.

Stopping off at the factory first, she and Monet had enlisted the assistance of the young man who was now with them, his willingness to help allowing that motivational side of their situation to win out for a while. He'd guided them through Lower Merveille as well as he always had, not much of note occurring along the way. 

The same, darkened alleys. The same, gritty paths. The same, crowded zones. The only excitement came from wondering if the route he'd planned to take them on would be unexpectedly filthy or not.

"This is the turn, here. See? Remember it. You remembering it?" Spears asked as they arrived at the correct side road, Cassia nodding as they turned to head down, leaving the wider bustle of the main road behind them for now.

It wasn't very long at all before the smaller building amongst the assortment that Cassia had recalled from yesterday came into view, only this time there was nobody working outside, no signs of activity pertaining to it coming into view.

"What if they're not there...?" Cassia asked, becoming nervous as she considered the prospect, Monet replying with a simple enough truth.

"There's only one way to check."

Adjusting her backpack as they approached the door, the boxes they'd sat on last time now gone, Monet gave three sharp knocks on the aged, metal door to the place. Cassia had taken care to mind her own pack, the girl in red having taken the liberty to store a few useful bits and pieces within them both on the off chance any of them might have proved useful, all of them potential offerings that could repay yesterday's generosity to some extent.

To Cassia's relief, stirring could be heard from within following Monet's knocks. A voice or two, again muffled to the degree that no words could be made out, followed by movement that soon started to draw near.

She and Monet shared their surprise when the young man they had expected was not the one to answer their call. 

Instead, the door cracked open with a slight, metallic scuffle, a girl who appeared to be somewhere close to the same age as Sleeves peering through the gap she'd made, little black lines visible on her hands and fingers, shyness so rife that it bordered on actual fear on her face.

"H-hello...?" She asked, her fair little voice as timid as her demeanour. Cassia couldn't see much of her, given how she was hiding.

"Hello miss." Monet began, her approach formal, only with a softer touch to account for that visible apprehension.