S a l e t é I I

XI - Yeux - Sept

"She's blind...?" Cassie asked quietly, as soon as they were in the main room of the warehouse, the door to the little space now closed behind them.

"Zisel? She is, yes, as you saw. Jouets with various problems are a common sight down here."

The confirmation only served to reinforce her current questions, whilst also raising more. Cassie refrained from asking them now, deciding that a suitable time would probably come later, once this apparent tour had come to a close.

A common sight? Was Lower Merveille... Dangerous?

She still wasn't even sure what Lower Merveille actually was.

Such a thought was far from pleasant, but there was no use worrying about such a matter now, right...? She was in a safe place, and it was secluded, and the people seemed kind... Besides, she didn't know very much at all, and so making assumptions seemed like an awfully foolish thing to do, as easy as it was.

"Taya!"

Monet called out now, raising her voice, the size and empty nature of the room creating a small echo. The girl in red had spotted the girl in question, and Cassie followed her gaze to get her first look at the last individual in her group.

Taya was currently partway up the stairs, on the spot where they turned and proceeded up, on her hands and knees - her motions suggesting that she was in the middle of drawing on the floor beneath her.

She looked up quickly when she heard her name being called, starting to scan the room with wide eyes, rising to her feet once she spotted Monet.

She began to head downstairs to meet them, only to turn back once she was halfway, making sure to pick up the case of crayons she had been using before she continued down.

Her hair was black, like Zisel's, though hers was especially messy, spiking out in various places and appearing rather rough - chin length, of course. She wore a beige dress, stopping just before her knees, with a white pattern over its front that almost resembled an apron, small frills framing it. She appeared quite dirty, no doubt because she wasn't averse to activities like drawing on the floor, and she wore a pair of old bow shoes, one of her short, white socks missing.

Once she was on the ground floor, she picked up her pace, almost skipping along in order to reach Monet, though she quickly slowed down when she spotted the stranger with her, an immediate look of scepticism coming over her.

Taya looked as if she might have been around ten, maybe eleven.

"Who's the lady?" She asked, her gaze fixed on Cassie now, the girl in question finding it somewhat uncomfortable.

Monet's was intense because of the air of respect that seemed to accompany her, whilst Taya's seemed to be dashed with something else, a sort of childish disapproval.

"This is Cassia. She's going to be here with us, for a while at least." Monet explained, speaking to Taya in the same manner she spoke to everyone else.

"Why?"

Taya's voice was impatient, and she sounded as if she wanted to get back to her drawing as soon as possible.

"Because she got lost."

"How did she get here?"

Her question seemed to be the result of a mix of actual curiosity and indifference, and Cassie felt a little unsteady after hearing it.

"Because Uliana helped her, because she's like us." Monet explained, remaining her usual self.

"She'll drink our good stuff."