S a l e t é I I

XV - Côtes - Quinze

"How'd it go? Is everyone alright?"

"Who did you see?"

"Anything interesting been going on over there?"

"Cassia, what did you think?"

The questions came thick and fast as the trio got inside, Monet sealing the entrance behind them as Klavdiya and Zisel started on asking them about their trip.

Actually getting back to a place that was becoming familiar was an alright feeling, even if the warehouse wasn't the homeliest of sites. Maybe a couple of flowers would have made a difference? Little touches of colour...

Seeing Klavdiya and Zisel again was nice though, and the energy they now had about them was catching.

Klavdiya had been the one on guard duty again, whilst Zisel had been sat near the fire in their own little meeting zone, Polina perched tidily on her lap. They'd both clearly been awaiting their return with eagerness, returning to such a welcoming atmosphere working wonders for dispelling the otherwise cold air that the building typically possessed.

"Oh! You got your envelope!" Klavdiya exclaimed as she spotted what Cassia had on hand, such an acknowledgement quickly getting Zisel's attention too.

"She did? Cassia?"

"Yep, I've got two." Cassia replied, heading further inside, making sure to take Zisel's hand for a moment when the girl offered it, a smile coming to her as she felt Cassia's touch.

Cassia was sure to run the backs of her fingertips over Polina's hair too, although she didn't take her back just yet.

Hello, little one. I'm back.

"What else did you get?" Klavdiya asked, her anticipation not yet diminishing even slightly, her attention drawn to the backpacks that the girls were carrying.

"Get this, they managed to swipe us some chunky bottles to drink." Uliana said as she joined them by the fire, her tone a little lower, adding the dramatic effect she'd hoped to instil.

"Chunky bottles?"

"You'll see in a minute!"

Cassia noticed that Monet remained quiet in spite of the sense of excitement, which didn't appear to actually reach her at all. Instead of joining in on the welcome home, she simply took off her bag, leaving it by the storeroom door before she started to make her way across the ground floor towards the stairs, clearly moving to retrieve the key from is hiding place. Not wanting her to be left out, Cassia addressed her as she went by.

"Monet, thank you. For taking me with you, I mean." She said, not quite as confident as she'd intended to sound, content enough nonetheless.

Monet looked her way briefly, giving only a brief smile in response. Brief or not, Cassia was glad to see it.

"Come on then, get sat down! You need to tell us about what you thought!" Klavdiya said, soon diverting Cassia's own attention back to their gathering by the flames where she'd taken up her own seat. Uliana took off her bag, prompting Cassia to hand her hers too whilst she also got settled.

Recounting the day's events with everyone was actually quite fun. Everyone listened - even Uliana, who was keen to hear more about her opinion on things - and being the centre of attention wasn't horrible. She felt that she did a decent job recounting her thoughts, and her shyness didn't pester her too much.

As they waited for Monet to come down, she told them about her meeting with Chief, and about how he'd been generous and kind. She mentioned that Captain had been a little scary - a sentiment that made Uliana laugh.