S a l e t é I V

XLIV - Vœux - Huit

Everyone had made a start on settling in, the now constant company of her friends instilling the warehouse with a vibrant air that essentially cast the old haunt in a new light, the sense of intrigue that the factory children had towards much of it in turn leading Cassia to reconsider the familiar nature of the hideaway. 

Chief may have had his preferences for a less serious approach, but he could put in some disciplined effort when he wanted to, his work on getting everybody and everything organised only bolstered further by the assistance of Sunshine and Monet. 

The storeroom was packed, the upstairs room was ready for use, and he'd personally spoken to everyone from his group, offering a kind word here or some reassurance there, depending on what was needed more.

Seeing the reactions of their visiting friends was one thing, but seeing her fellow warehouse girls respond to all the new commotion was equally interesting to Cassie. 

Zisel almost didn't know what to do with herself, the girl spoilt for choice as to who to focus on next, or which voice to follow, anyone passing  by for any reason always pausing to give her some attention of some description. 

Klavdiya had needed to drive off Shipshape a few times with her stick already - Cassia hadn't expected him to follow up on her earlier suggestion quite so soon - and she was enjoying every minute of his antics, especially when the likes of Sweets or Swoopy either goaded him on or scolded him, either one was fine. 

Taya was simply getting lost in the activity again, not distressed in any way, merely curious most of the time.

Monet was the only one who hadn't had a proper chance to simply stop and take in the new atmosphere, though Cassia was confident that she would value it too, regardless of the circumstances that had led them to their new arrangement. 

Amidst all of the excitement, it was surprisingly easy to forget what had brought them all together, and - once the initial noise had passed - Cassia suspected that a fair amount of cheer would go with it, hence why she was so keen to make the most of it whilst it lasted.

Eventually, things did quieten down again, though the mood didn't begin growing heavy in any way yet. Rather, a general weariness seemed to descend across the group, the children settling into groups or pairs as they sought less hectic ways to pass the time.

Sweets yawned. 

She'd been sat with Cassie, Swoopy and Shipshape a short distance from the ground floor fire, the girls leaning back against one of the old container units whilst he opted to sit on top of it, the boy zeroing in on her fatigue as soon as it became noticeable.

"Getting sleepy?"

"Mmh, a little." Sweets confessed, the sound of her verging on tiredness somewhat charming in its own way.

"Do you wanna head up? I'll come with you, if you want."

"Not yet."

Sweets mumbled as she rested against Swoopy, unwilling to leave her friends for now. The older girl rested her head against hers in return, moving to put an arm around her shortly afterwards, both of them finding comfort in that closeness. Seeing them huddled together was enough to stop Shipshape from saying anything else on the matter, the boy not wishing to disturb them.

It was as this quiet between the four of them descended that Cassia shifted her attention elsewhere, which in turn led her to notice the others over by the storeroom. 

Monet, Chief and Captain were gathering a few things and sorting out their bags, such actions leading Cassie to quickly deduce that they were about to head out. She still wanted to make sure.