S a l e t é I I

XII - Oreilles - Un

Monet carried with her the key to the storeroom, and Cassia remembered that it was supposedly kept in a hidden location, known only to trusted group members. Uliana stood to one side, allowing the girl in red to approach the door with ease, and - once it was unlocked - she led the way inside, Cassia hugging Polina close as they went.

The room that awaited was narrower than the others, snaller overall. The walls were lined with old, industrial cabinets and cupboards, all made of some sort of metal, all of them worn. These came in various sizes, with the largest ones close to the ground, the smaller ones beginning as they ascended.

Being out of the way, and being quite small, it was quite dark in the storage area. Monet rectified this situation by producing a torch from one of the cabinets closest to the door. Cassia was actually surprised for a moment by the artificial lighting it provided, and though it seemed to falter for a moment, the older girl got it working well again with a quick, firm tap.

The bag that Uliana had been carrying, back on the train and on the way here, was currently resting against the cupboards that were now before them, unsorted and unseen to so far. Monet handed the torch to Uliana, who held it so that she could see clearly as she picked it up.

The light allowed Cassia to see a grate of sorts, present towards the back of the room. Perhaps an old vent of some kind? It was screwed shut, and an inky blackness awaited within.

"Here, leave it just outside for a moment."

Using her initiative, Cassia was the one to take it from her. It was quite heavy, and she saw again that it seemed to be full of various bits of metal - odds and ends, or scrap, perhaps - she was able to just about lift it. She left it just outside of the room as instructed, next to the door, making sure that it didn't fall over or obstruct their path.

"Uliana, get Klavdiya to help you sort through it all, and we'll see if your stunt was worth the effort." Monet instructed next, taking the torch back from her.

"Yes ma'am." The girl replied, though her tone was slightly playful, even if Monet herself didn't look impressed with the entire affair. After Uliana had left the room, Cassia stepped back inside, finding that Monet had been about to call her back in.

"Right. I'll give you a quick run down."

They moved a little further in, and Cassia observed quietly as Monet guided the beam of her torch across the various cabinets and cubby holes. Whilst many sported signs of age, like the usual scuffs, flaking areas or encroaching rust, everything seemed fairly tidy, and there was little in the way of dust or cobwebs.

This was a space that must have seen a fair amount of activity, judging by that attention to detail, and Cassia would have guessed that about a third of the units were currently in use, filled with a range of things.

More bits of what looked like scrap... A few utensils... Some tools... Bits of fabric... Crumpled magazines... There seemed to be quite a few things present, from what she could now see. What caught her eye in particular was a clear case, stored at the far back, and it did so in quite a literal fashion - a short lived, yet highly noticeable pinkish glint appeared as the light passed over it, alerting Cassia to the bottles of Honey that were stored within.

"This is where we keep all of our things, as I'm sure you can see." Monet began, starting from the top.

"Some of it is useful in certain situations, most of it won't be staying. Each day, there's a wide street in our area, and - "

"People open shops there, right?"

Monet paused, turning to her.

"The others told me a bit about it, just now." Cassia clarified, at which point Monet gave a small nod.