S a l e t é I I

XIII - Cheveux - Treize

Cassia had spent a good while with Uliana following their return from the old street. After seeing to the rather fine stash that they'd been able to acquire, they'd headed upstairs, where they'd gotten some rest in what was essentially the bedroom.

Sure, it might have been an assortment of mattresses and blankets, and little else, but it was better than the cold, dusty floor when she wanted to relax for a while.

Well, maybe not relax... There was still rest to be had there.

Polina, of course, had stayed close, and Cassia often found herself stroking the doll's hair absentmindedly, or running the fabric of her dress through her fingertips - tiny motions that brought her little snippets of comfort. Seeing her intact in spite their unexpected detour certainly made her feel a little more peaceful, even if such a feeling only lasted very briefly each time it arose, her thoughts soon piling back in now that she was back at the warehouse with less to do.

Polina's dress had picked up dust in a few places, in what was essentially an inevitable manner. If that couldn't be helped, then what good was there in worrying about it? Besides, a little dirt was good for you, wasn't it? That's what Roslindis had always said. Children were supposed to get dirty from time to time.

From time to time... Seeing the clothes worn by the other girls, tattered in places, or the wear upon their arms, legs or faces... That wasn't so good.

Cassia had begun to feel a sort of itch as a result of it all, a desire for cleanliness, and that had been half of what had spurred her into taking up tasks like sweeping the ground floor, or arranging the blankets upstairs in a neat fashion over the mattresses - the other half being her urge to make herself useful, naturally. It went beyond that, though; some warm water would have been nice, and a little soap would have gone a long way.

A bath... With all the bubbles, a good, long soak... The thought alone left her yearning.

Aside from such aspirations, she felt largely okay. Yes, she was still in the warehouse, and yes, her concerns regarding everyone back home were unhindered - even if she could at least tolerate such concerns now that she had her plan - but she was alright.

She wasn't hurt, and, whilst she was probably a little scruffy by now, she was doing okay physically. She felt a little off, sometimes a little slower than usual, nothing more. It took a little extra effort to stand after she'd been sat for a while, and climbing the stairs to the walkway was a little more strenuous than she felt it should have been. She chalked such feelings up to how she'd not been having her regular drinks.

Her regular drinks... Now that had been a point of interest.

"You got three?"

"Every day? All the time?"

"Actual filtered bottles?"

Uliana, Klavdiya and Zisel had all been impressed, Zisel in particular expressing her true feelings on the matter.

"Three bottles a day... Goodness, you're lucky. Can I go with you? Back to your house?"

It had been a remark that they'd all laughed about, Cassia included. That amusement aside, she'd had absolutely zero doubt that Zisel would have genuinely accompanied her if it had been possible for her to do so.

Such a thought had only served to raise an interesting point in Cassia's mind, and it had been one that she'd attempted to bring up with Monet earlier when she'd been more frantic. She raised it again now that she'd calmed down so much.

"You know, when I do get back, I'm sure that my father would reward you all for looking after me. I bet he'd give you lots of things."

"A gallon of Honey would be nice, a massive barrel of it." Uliana quickly replied, playing along, gesturing the size of the barrel she was thinking with her hand, raising it high.