S a l e t é I V

XLII - Bravade - Sept

"I'm not going anywhere. See? I'm right here. Chief will give me a wallop if I try and leave this exact spot, the kind that'll make this look like a playground scratch." Spears had been saying as he'd directed Flo's attention to his bandages, which were doing their job rather well.

She'd woken from her gentle sleep, keeping close to him, unwilling to leave. Like Cassia, she didn't think too highly of him making light of his situation.

"You can go upstairs if you wanna rest. I'll be fine." He told her.

"I'm staying."

"You can't stay with me all the time. You've gotta get a decent break."

"Later. I'm staying."

Spears was already getting the impression that no argument would persuade her otherwise, the boy giving a quiet sigh as he played with a few loose strands of her hair whilst she remained at his side. 

The candles that were still nearby had begun to grow weaker as they'd melted away, the encroaching darkness doing nothing to alarm them, so long as they were together.

"Well... Go and get a blanket or something from upstairs first, at least. Go on, take Sweets with you. I wanna talk to Monet for a bit."

Sleeves accepted his condition, leaning over him as she gave Sweets a soft push to wake her, muttering her name quietly in the process. The younger girl started to stir after the second touch, taking some time to stretch before she pushed herself up to see what was happening, her expression sinking as her memory returned, and as her gaze fell upon the boy next to her.

"Go on, sleepy butt. Go with Sleeves for a sec."

Sleeves waited after getting up from the conveyer so that she could lead Sweets away by hand, the younger lass accepting hers as soon as it was within reach. Continuing to watch from her own spot nearby, Cassia observed as they disappeared briefly into the darkened reaches of the factory's interior, appearing again only when they approached the ring of light that was cast by the candle at the foot of their chosen ladder, Sleeves once again leading the way.

Monet had been back at her side after she'd expressed her gratitude to the young man who was now by himself again, and as such had heard his wishes, moving to join him a second time once the girls had moved along. Cassia tagged along, eager to see and speak with him properly herself, the boy welcoming her with a smile that carried an affection his pain couldn't have hoped to dash.

"Hey. Sorry if I scared you." He said, addressing them both, Cassia more the focus of such an apology. 

He'd looked as if he'd had a great deal on his mind ever since Monet had moved away after giving him her thanks, that yearning beginning to diminish now that she was back before him in a more personal arrangement.

"I'll forgive you, so long as you promise to rest from now until you're better. No doing anything that could cause you trouble." Cassie replied, trying to sound at least slightly more spirited, falling notably short of his own ability to sound less than afraid. 

Even so, he appreciated what she'd tried to achieve, holding out an arm in a gesture for her to take her own turn at his side.

She wasn't going to turn such an offer down. Moving in, she rested there with the utmost care, making every possible effort not to disturb his injury in even the slightest of ways.

"You don't have to worry about that, Cass. I uh, I won't lie, it kinda stings a bit..." He replied, his hand soon finding the top of her head as he began to stroke in the same way he'd soothed Sleeves.

His touch really was calming, simply because it was proof he'd really survived, and that she hadn't just been in the midst of some shared hallucination. She'd admired it before, but this could very well have been the most valuable she'd ever viewed it to be.