S a l e t é I I

XVI - Griffes - Quinze

Monet gave two sharp knocks against the metal sheet obscuring the entrance to the warehouse, after which Klavdiya called out from within.

"Who's there?"

"Monet. We're coming in."

The girl in red wasted no time in moving the barrier away after announcing her presence, stepping inside once it was to one side, crouching ever so slightly in order to pass through. Cassia and Uliana were able to enter without difficulty, following closely as Monet waited for them to get indoors, the older girl ready to shut the entrance again as soon as they were inside.

Klavdiya was already in the process of getting back to her feet, Uliana taking the opportunity to give her some help, her friend using the opportunity to give her a quick hug.

"How'd it go? Did you find anything decent?" She asked as she received that assistance. As she spoke, it appeared that another member of their group had noticed the bustle caused by their return; Taya was visible a few feet away, observing from a distance as she often did, her expression rife with intrigue.

"We've all got some useful things, I would say it was a good trip. There's nothing of any extreme value, but we'll definitely be able to use what we've got." Monet replied, the girl who'd been serving as a guard nodding in understanding as she heard such an explanation.

"Let us get sorted first, and then we can talk about it."

"I'll get the storeroom key!" Uliana announced, taking off her backpack as she spoke. Cassia took it from her so that she could get moving, whilst Monet also took off her own as she moved further into the warehouse, the new girl sticking close by.

"Where's Zisel?" Cassia asked as they went, Klavdiya managing to keep up with them without much effort.

"She's in the backroom resting, I think. She said she was going to earlier, anyway."

"I've got something for her."

"Huh? Like what?"

Cassia was a little cautious, as she was aware of Taya still watching from afar, leading to her to reply much more quietly.

"I found a teddy bear. He's a bit messy, but she should be able to fix him, shouldn't she?"

"I should think so. Zisel can mend pretty much anything."

The vote of confidence reassured Cassia immensely - not that she'd doubted Zisel's abilities in the first place. It was simply pleasant to hear that other members of the group had considerable faith in her.

That was when Klavdiya launched the inevitable question.

"How was it then? Did you have a good trip?" She asked expectantly, her tone surprisingly enthusiastic, something that suggested she'd been waiting to ask - an idea that Cassia found quite sweet.

Such warmth lasted until she started thinking.

"It was okay. I got to see a lot, it wasn't too bad or anything."

She wouldn't have exactly called that a start.

Whilst Monet was nearby, she didn't interrupt or even look their way. Even so, Cassia was sure that she was listening.

"Really? It was pretty smooth then?" Klavdiya asked after hearing Cassia's reply, sounding rather surprised.

"Yep. We didn't get into any trouble or anything like that, but..."

"But?"

"Other people we saw were getting in trouble."

This time, Klavdiya didn't look or sound surprised at all.