S a l e t é I V

XXXIX - Sanctuaire - Quatorze

They hadn't been out for as long as they had been the previous day, yet it was that previous outing - paired with the two hours or so that they must have spent since leaving the warehouse - that had led to Cassia becoming tired sooner. 

By the time they were rounding the corner so that they could get a passing look at the storage yard's main gates, she was already having to put in more effort to keep up, fatigue wearing on both her body and her mind.

Monet and Médée were focused on the path ahead, as she believed they very well should have been, Spears the one to take notice of her growing tiredness.

"You alright, love?"

"H-huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

Cassia rubbed at her face in a bid to return some vibrance to it, giving him the best smile that she could muster up at the time, such efforts not doing very much to reassure him.

"I don't mind carrying you again, if that'd help." He suggested, his offer one that she found sweet regardless of how she denied it.

"No, I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Mhm. I'd tell you if I wasn't." She replied, such a statement working to a much greater extent in putting him at ease.

"Alright, I'll hold you to that."

She might have been weary, but what did that matter? Everyone else was still making progress, so she could too. There was no way that she was about to hold the others up, especially when one of their group members was someone who had taken time away from their own friends to help show them something that could have ended up assisting in their endless endeavours.

After getting passed that main gate, the wider entrance matched by a wider road that still sported tyre tracks from the latest delivery, they'd come to a halt at what looked like a rather mangled intersection, one of the routes leading off from it twisted thanks to an especially dishevelled building, another temporarily blocked as three people worked together to move a broken down car, its form so rusted that it was a wonder how it had even worked in the first place.

There had been three guards visible at the front gate - one stood alone, the look on his face clearly saying that he had absolutely no desire to be there, the other two too busy talking to pay any attention to whoever or whatever was passing them by on the adjacent street. All in all, professional wasn't a term that had come to mind for Cassia during their observations.

"You seen everything you wanna see yet? We could try getting higher up like we do on the days we hit the place, if you want." Médée offered, asking the girl in red.

"No, I believe I've seen enough. Thank you, though."

"Don't sweat it! I've gotta ask though, are you thinking about helping us out now? Or do you wanna mull it over some more with your buddies?"

"Can we head back before we start gossiping? I'm all for nattering, but uh, my legs ain't as young as they used to be." Spears said, diverting their attention, his request the next source of amusement for their new companion.

Cassia couldn't tell how much of that request had really been down to his own state and how much had been down to his consideration for her. Either way, she didn't question him, as she wasn't going to pass up a chance to rest that didn't involve making a fuss.

They still had so much to do... They hadn't even started looking for bottles yet. The thought dug its nails into the corners of her head, but she had to press on.

"Sure, if you want. Sorry, I'm uh... What was your name again?" Médée asked him in return, playful at first, somewhat embarrassed as she posed that query.