S a l e t é I I

XII - Oreilles - Neuf

Cassia began to stir. Polina's warmth, though small, was a wonderful force for good, and it had helped to keep her sane, the familiar nature of that sensation preventing her from slipping back into unchecked speculation and anxiety.

It was quiet, in that upstairs room. The only sounds were of the other girls in the main area, but the size of the building meant that such audible signs of activity were significantly weakened by the time they reached Cassia's ears. Such a semblance of quietness was either going to be welcomed, allowing her to zone out for a while, or detested, causing her to stumble back into endless worry - there would be no middle ground.

For now, at least, she found it beneficial.

When she did return to sitting up, making sure to keep Polina close, she picked up her book again and flicked through to her current page, looking over what she'd written up to that point. Her head felt a little heavier following her moment of rest, physically rather than mentally.

How long had she been laying there...? She couldn't really make any sort of estimation, and it felt as if time was a concept that was quickly fading away, the lack of any sort of clock in the building creating what felt like some sort of endless present.

It was still dark... And yet it was morning now, wasn't it? Or rather, it had been morning earlier... Was Lower Merveille really an underground district? There was still so much that she didn't know.

These thoughts didn't trouble her as much as her others, as she again kept in mind the prospect that they would no doubt be explained by Monet when the time came.

She rose to her feet, taking a moment to stretch, after which she approached the only door to the room. Passing through, and looking across the warehouse from the walkway, everything still looked the same, and no light had begun to enter via those old windows that ran near the ceiling.

Despite that darkness, most of the areas that she traversed remained largely visible; the glow cast by the fires that the others had set up reached quite far, the containers and crates in various places serving to obscure it, creating flickering shapes and an illumination that seemed to be alive, always in motion.

The building held a small chill - not particularly oppressive, noticeable nonetheless - that she could feel from time to time, as if it lingered and moved about the place with a mind of its own. That chill, paired with some of the areas that remained dark... It was almost ghostly, at times.

Where were the others? She could see Taya, down by the fire, kicking her feet again as she occupied one of the chairs, humming away to herself. She was staring at the fire, almost as if she was fixated by it, her eyes a little bit wider than they normally were.

Cassia turned back to her book, leaning against one of the metal banisters that ran along the length of the walkway - though not before testing that it was durable.

The questions that she'd written so far all looked as if they made sense, and they appeared to be good things to ask - things that would allow her to assess the various aspects of her life at Deering House, enabling her to move forward without any doubts or bewilderment - and yet... Something was...

Reading them back, something felt off, somehow. She wasn't entirely sure why, or how, but... Something didn't feel quite right.

All the thoughts that had come to her earlier, before she'd taken a moment to herself, remained in the back of her mind in a rather untidy scene. They weren't quite jumbled up like before, allowing her to take another look at things.

Everything she'd considered, everything she'd been told, everything and everyone back home...

Cassia tugged on the page containing her questions, carefully pulling it from the book, at which point she took one closer look at the words she'd put together. That unusual feeling didn't fade, only now she was beginning to understand where it might have been coming from. She tucked that page into one of the inside pockets of her blazer after folding it up, returning to her book - and the new, blank page before her - once she'd seen to the matter.

She began to write.

Polina remained tucked into her blazer, held in place where its buttons were done up, positioned in a way that enabled her to see what was going on around her. Every now and then, between the sentences she was crafting, Cassia would reach down and gently brush a hand against her hair, or a few fingertips against her face, the little touches serving to reassure her in a tiny way.

This might not have been what she'd been asked to do, but it was what she felt comfortable with. It was something that she felt she had to do, in fact, and the warmer thoughts from earlier were the ones to spur her on in that regard, shielding her from the more problematic ideas as she worked.

She still had questions, yes. Hopefully, getting this out of her system would perhaps shift some kind of weight somewhere, in either her head or her heart. Perhaps both?

She managed to write a fair amount quite quickly, filling a page and a half with her practiced handwriting, taking as much care as she could. With any luck, once she was done - and once she'd cleared up her thoughts a little more - this would serve as an additional driving force.

Monet would understand... Wouldn't she? They could still talk about the other questions, if that was necessary.

Where was Monet, anyway? Was she in her room? Cassia couldn't see her below, though a quick check did reveal that Uliana had reappeared from wherever she'd been, taking a seat by the fire. Taya had already moved on, apparently too energetic to stay put for too long, and now she was climbing some of the containers - using the lower ones to reach some of the higher ones, perhaps in a bid to see just how high she could get.

A new idea entered Cassia's head, a small flash accompanying it, serving to give her a little, if hopeful buzz.

What she was writing... Perhaps, if she could get her hands on a few things...

Her intent was renewed, and she was able to finish the rest of that second page swiftly. She was happy with how things had gone, and whilst she'd probably not worded her thoughts in the best way, she felt as if she'd made the points she'd wanted to make, and that was what ultimately mattered.

She closed her book for now, deciding to head downstairs again in order to pass the time with Uliana until Monet returned, or until she came looking for her. Such an occasion may have been coming soon, considering that she might have been resting for quite a while.

She still had a chance to talk to the girl who had helped her, and she was going to take it.

Writing out everything that had come to mind had shifted some of that heaviness in just the way she'd hoped, although now her new idea continued to swirl, a sense of anticipation accompanying it. Nothing was certain, and it may have ranged anywhere from an easy task to a difficult one, but it was a possibility, and that was enough for her now.

"Hey Cassia, you okay?" Uliana asked as the newcomer came down to join her, easily seeing her coming, and she was relieved when Cassia greeted her with a seemingly hopeful smile.

"Yes, thank you. I'm uh, feeling a little better now." Cassia replied, taking one of the remaining seats, and her response brought Uliana a grin of her own.

"That's good! I know we don't really have the nicest place here, but I hope you can get kind of comfortable anyway. Just let me know if you need anything, alright?"

Cassia appreciated her kindness again, finding her presence to be a warm one for quite a few reasons. Being with her, by the fire, was rather pleasant - in its own little way - and it helped to reinforce that idea in her head regarding how things could have been worse.

Positive thinking. Look forward. The Deering school of thought. She was still Cassia Deering, and she would continue to think like a Deering would. That didn't have to change, so long as she had the willpower.

She began to ask Uliana a few questions about her trip out earlier - general things, how did it go, what did the others say, simple matters. The girl was more than happy to fill her in on such details, and Cassia sensed that she appreciated the curiosity, her company becoming that little bit brighter still.