S a l e t é I I

XI - Yeux - Douze

Adeline's mother... And... Her mother...

Her mother's name... Her mother's face... Gaps in her memory, yet...

Cassie was deep in thought, the concepts she was currently submerged in not necessarily frightening her - yet, at least - instead blanketing her in layer after layer of confusion, each one leading her closer to an incurable frustration.

How... How did you forget something like that, something so... Fundamental? Before Deering House, she'd lived with... At...

There was... There was the ride in the car, and then... Before that, she'd...

Blanks, every time. It was as if her ability to think simply stopped during each line of thought, as if... As if she'd reached the end of those lines of thought entirely. How was that possible? She'd only just begun to consider those ideas, and she came to non-existent conclusions?

She'd remained by the fire, with both Uliana and Klavdiya, the two girls talking, only she didn't hear much of what they were saying; her mind was far too busy consuming itself to be able to process the speech of other people. They occasionally asked her things, or tried to speak to her, and she did reply, simply out of politeness, such efforts meaningless - she soon slipped back into the bog that her memories had become.

Footsteps came from above - someone on the walkway - the pace set by them steady, the sound of shoes upon the metal producing a slight, cold echo across the warehouse. Whilst she was aware of the sound, she didn't turn or try to see who was coming, as her interest was unable to rise through the fumes that were her other thoughts.

What did catch her attention, however, was the speech that followed as these footsteps came to a halt on the steps leading to the ground floor.

"Cassia."

She turned now, roused from her thinking, as if a small jolt had been administered to her senses in order to shock her out of it, the other two girls with her turning as well. Monet was waiting, halfway down the stairs, one hand holding the railing as that calm expression of hers became fixed upon Cassie. The girl rose to her feet in order to head over.

Movement seemed to further remove her from her thoughts and, after crossing the ground floor to join her, Cassie began to notice things like sounds and voices again.

"Come with me for a moment." Monet said as she drew near, and by the time Cassie came to the stairs she had already begun to head back up, the younger girl making sure to follow her now, not questioning her reasoning.

At this point, it was almost as if her feet moved on their own, commanding her to follow, despite whatever difficulties may have been waiting.

Monet's intensity... A lot of it was down to her, yes, but... Maybe some stemmed from the fact that she spoke in such impossible terms...?

Monet didn't speak to her as she led her along the walkway, back towards the room she had initially woken up in, a sense of purpose in her steps and a natural sort of confidence in her stride, as if she truly was entirely unmoved by the nature of her surroundings. Her shoes were quite decorative, also red in colour, though they possessed their fair share of scuffs and faded patches, the socks that she wore with them just as marked.

The clothes and appearances - of all the girls present - didn't go with their location in the slightest. Everyone was so... Out of place. That went for Cassie herself, glaringly so in her own mind.

Monet opened the door at the end of the walkway for her, allowing her to step in first, and Cassie turned to face her, remaining stood where she was as the older girl closed that door behind them. She observed Cassie for a short moment, as if she was perhaps looking for something, or trying to determine something about her, but Cassie was still entirely unable to read her in return.