S a l e t é I I

XIV - Mains - Douze

Uliana and Zisel were still by the fire as Klavdiya returned to its side, now that her guard duty had concluded. Monet left the fuel she'd brought on top of a container nearby, allowing anyone to make use of it as the need arose, whilst Cassia carried her load through to the backroom to add to the stores present there.

Monet took a few pieces up with her to her room as she left, only securing a small amount for herself. Once she was back in her room, and once Cassia made it back to the fireside herself, she felt that it was time to ask the girls something that had been bugging her for a while.

"Does Monet not sit with you down here? When you're not doing anything important?"

"Nah, she's not into the whole fun thing." Uliana replied, her tone only half joking.

"She's basically the boss, so part of me thinks that she thinks being around will make us all serious." Klavdiya explained, voicing her own thoughts as Cassia took up a chair alongside her.

"Monet's nice, she's just focused, that's all." Zisel began, her tone carrying a distinct fondness.

"She takes everything so seriously because she wants us to be safe, and taking things seriously is probably the best way to go about things down here anyway... Someone has to do the thinking."

"We can all think. She should take it easy once in a while." Uliana replied, not entirely convinced by such reasoning as she leant back in her chair, reaching for some of the scrap the girls had brought back with them, the renewed glow of the flames soon warm across her face.

"And what happens when you think? You get in trouble, and stowaway on trains." Zisel scolded. Klavdiya looked Uliana's way now, a smugness about her as the girl was reprimanded, though Uliana did her best to not let such a glance bother her.

"I bet she would come down if you all asked her to." Cassia said, continuing her original line of thought, also wishing to take some of that attention away from her companion. Uliana did indeed look at least somewhat relieved as the others turned back to her instead.

"We've all tried in the past, it's no use." Klavdiya said, giving a shrug.

"I've always thought that she just likes to be alone, and that's perfectly fine. It's not like she spends all of her time by herself." Zisel reasoned, her tone still carrying some of that earlier softness.

Thinking it over for a moment as she listened to what the other girls were saying, Cassia couldn't quite understand it, probably because she didn't like being alone herself. Deering House had quickly grown quiet without Adeline at her side, and it was a feeling that had always made her feel as if something wasn't right - as if the natural order of the place was off kilter.

None of the girls in the warehouse were replacements for her sister, that much would always be apparent, but they were good people, and she was glad that she'd ended up with them.

There it was again. That feeling. She'd been incredibly lucky, in the unluckiest of circumstances.

"I'm not going to pester her if she doesn't want to come down, it'd be rude." Zisel continued, and that much Cassia agreed with; the thought of bothering Monet in any way was uncomfortable enough, without it becoming a reality.

"How would it be rude? We're just trying to include her. That's nice, isn't it?" Uliana asked in response, and Cassia could understand her logic as well, which only complicated the whole thing.

"Go on then, go up and get her." Klavdiya challenged her, at which point Uliana looked a little less sure of what she'd said, Zisel's reasoning perhaps resonating with her more than she'd let on.