S a l e t é I V

XLIV - Vœux - Quatre

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah, we've got this. Quit stressing out over a walk."

Spears had moved to sit on the edge of the conveyor on preparation for the journey ahead, whilst Chief had one final word with him before they were due to set off. 

He and Monet had finished the remainder of their own prep once he'd returned from assisting Sunshine upstairs, the girl having also descended with him so that she could be on hand to help Spears, the responsibility one that she and Monet had chosen to share.

On the one hand, he was clearly eager to get up and about, especially if it meant he didn't have to spend so much time on that same old stretch of a deceased industrial strip for the immediate future. On the other, there was no hiding the discomfort he was in, the worries that Sleeves had shared with her earlier ensuring that Cassie could not be entirely happy with the proceedings either. 

According to her, he'd been able to walk on several occasions over the past day or two, but the prospect of him pushing through any pain in order to appear better than he actually was had been very much on her mind during those instances. This time he would have the girls assisting him, whether or not he wished to rely on their help, except... 

Cassia just didn't want him to have to hurt anymore. Every ember of grief his wound was giving him - every flicker of that pain that became visible when he moved too much or shifted in the wrong way - pricked at her skin like a needle.

"How are we going to get you over the wall? What if you fall?" Sleeves asked, the younger girl ready to head out alongside Cassie and the other children, though not before her questions were answered in a way she deemed to be sufficient.

"We can take it easy. There's no rush." Spears himself tried to tell her.

"You don't know that. Sabre could show up again."

"That's why we've gotta go now. The sooner we're out of here, the better. Monet, do you have a clear way back to your warehouse lair?" He asked, a discomfort he was well used to the only one that jabbed at him whilst he remained sat.

"I'll get you back in one piece, which would be a step up from your own performance." She replied, making him smirk, the glint that came to his tired eyes very much relaying a silent touché.

"When are you coming?" Sleeves asked Chief, looking his way again.

"We'll catch up, I've still got Monet's directions. Once we've got the last of our kit sorted, and once Connie's back, we'll be right over, okay? Don't go fretting over us, we can look after ourselves."

The us he was referring to consisted of himself, Captain and Gunner. Cassia certainly had confidence in a group consisting of the three of them, and Connie would have only been another asset to that team. As confident as she was, she wasn't going to pretend that she was entirely comfortable with the thought of them staying behind. 

Sunshine made no effort to mask her own doubts, something that she hadn't attempted to do ever since Monet and Cassia had arrived less than an hour ago.

"If you see any signs of trouble, promise me that you'll leave as soon as you can." The older girl said to Chief, gentle insistence about her, only to be met with a somewhat unexpected smile.

"Bold words from a girl who doesn't mind hanging out on the same street as Sabre by herself." He replied. 

She didn't particularly connect with his bid at lightening the mood, that slightly sterner touch remaining right where it was, the boy taking a somewhat more serious approach out of respect for her.