S a l e t é I I

XI - Yeux - Quinze

"Uliana?"

It was Uliana's turn to look back towards the walkway as she heard her name being called in a slightly cautious tone, and she was quite content to see Cassie returning from her meeting with Monet.

Cassie walked at a slightly faster pace than she had done before now, though she was sure to remain careful, both because she didn't wish to cause too much of a ruckus and because she was mindful of her less than entirely sturdy surroundings.

"Cassia? Come sit."

Uliana gestured for her to return to the chair she'd occupied earlier, a welcoming smile on her face as she made an effort to lift the girl's spirits, and Cassie accepted her offer with a small, genuine smile of her own. Klavdiya was still present, and Cassie was sure to acknowledge her with a brief bow of her head, a gesture that seemed to impress the girl in an unexpected light.

"Did Monet talk to you about stuff?" Uliana asked, looking expectant now that they were together again, the glow of the fire casting a low, amber hue across their little seating area, and the oddly natural darkness that joined them in taking up residence within the warehouse only served to grant that light an additional, quiet strength.

"Um, yes, she did, and I... Well, I wanted to say thanks. To you, I mean." Cassie began, again beginning to fumble with her words now that she was actually before her.

She'd tried to organise what she'd wanted to say on her way down, but she'd not had too much time to do so, and waiting would have probably made her muddle things; she'd decided that it was better just to face her and go from there, fumbling or not.

"That's fine! You don't have to thank me, I wasn't going to just leave you by yourself after you'd been hurt, not with those idiots looking for me." Uliana replied, though she appeared appreciative of her comments regardless. Seeing her with such a pleased look went a long way in soothing Cassie's feelings on the matter, and she could lean ever so slightly closer towards being content because of it.

"So, are you staying here now? You came from up top, right?" Klavdiya asked the newcomer, now that her immediate matter had been seen to, and Cassie was thankful for such a topic to be brought up; perhaps it would help to sharpen that gradually returning focus?

"Y-yes, for a little while, until I can get home." She replied, nodding in confirmation.

"I ended up here on a train, so... If I can get back, then I can go back up on one, right?"

"That would be risky... They normally check the trains for stowaways, because they used to have a lot." Klavdiya told her, looking somewhat concerned by such an idea, although she also sounded thoughtful, as if she was ready to consider all possible options.

Having others to talk to about the matter was certainly a blessing, and she had absolutely no doubt that these two were far more knowledgeable than she was in a lot of ways.

"You shouldn't have even gone in the first place. What were you thinking? You could've been hurt." Klavdiya continued, turning her attention to Uliana now, her tone becoming scolding as she gave her a jab with her cane.

Uliana looked entirely unsurprised, as if she'd been expecting such a reprimanding.

"I know, I know. Monet already had a go at me for it, and she made me swear I wouldn't do it again." She replied, though she seemed a little dismissive of that scolding as she quickly continued.

"I got a bunch of good stuff though, didn't I? It was worth it."

Klavdiya appeared conflicted, as if Uliana had made a fine point, whilst her earlier concern continued to trouble her on the matter. Cassie could tell that she was biting her tongue, probably because of the presence of a guest, her annoyance running deeper.