S a l e t é I I

XVI - Griffes - Deux

"Monet?"

"Are we moving? Time's wasting."

Zisel had spoken as she'd heard Monet descend the final steps, Uliana's enthusiasm returning in full. Monet was carrying her bag, and whilst a part of Cassia was glad to be possibly leaving the warehouse again, another was left worried by the prospect of yet another new location.

Such anxiety was quelled only by the knowledge that the girl in red would be alongside her.

"Now is as good a time as any." Monet began as she joined them at the fire, its light instilling some brightness back into her dress in that way Cassia found so eye catching, the warmth complimenting with the most delicate of touches.

"Cassia, Uliana, get your bags."

Uliana looked delighted as she was selected, whilst Klavdiya appeared mightily relieved. It wasn't like Monet to pick the same girl twice in a row - at least, from what Cassia had seen so far, excluding herself due to her status as a newcomer - though there were many other things to consider too. If the junkyard was somewhere further away, then she wouldn't have blamed Klavdiya for her desire to stay behind at all.

"Are we going to stop off at the old street first?" Uliana asked after getting up, pausing briefly before she moved to retrieve her bag as instructed.

"We can do." Monet replied, looking Cassia's way just long enough for the girl to notice, the newcomer sure to acknowledge her with a grateful smile.

It didn't take long for the girls to retrieve their bags from the backroom, Uliana handing Cassia hers as she reappeared from its reaches, Monet opening the storeroom in the meantime so that she could collect drinks for everyone. This time, she picked out a bottle for everyone, and not just for herself and her partners for the day, which led Cassia to believe that they really were going to be gone for a while.

She hadn't tapped into the slightly larger bottles that Chief and the others had gotten for them yet. Cassia wasn't concerned, as she was intending to turn down one such bottle if it was offered to her.

"Here you go. Drink up." Monet said, her voice softer as she placed a bottle into Zisel's hands, a sweet little grin coming to her face as she accepted the offering.

"Thank you."

Monet still had two on hand, the girl calling out the name that Cassia had expected to hear next.

"Taya."

The youngster soon came running, appearing from one of the far corners of the ground floor with her things in tow, an expectant look about her as she came to stand before the older girl. Her eyes were wide and her demeanour was calmer, as if she wished to appear well behaved before Monet.

With a little tidy up, Taya might have actually been quite a cute little thing.

"Here."

Taya didn't need to be prompted twice, the lass eagerly accepting her bottle and proceeding to open it quickly, beginning to drink even more quickly afterwards.

"Where did you get those crayons?" Monet asked her, spotting them in her hand, regardless of how she knew the answer already.

In response, Taya simply pointed at Cassia, going without words even after she'd finished her bottle.

Any sort of acknowledgement from the younger girl felt important, and being pointed at in such a way left Cassia feeling more singled out than she'd expected. Taya shuffled on the spot as she performed the gesture, unable to stand still, a childish sort of energy about her as she got her daily beverage.