S a l e t é I I

XVII - Veines - Deux

Over the days that Cassia had spent with the others, she'd continued to view any time that she had with Monet as valuable, whether they were in the midst of an important task or simply residing within the warehouse. More relaxed time with her never seemed to actually come about, as even when they were back inside the forgotten building, she kept up that somewhat cold demeanour of hers.

Was it a demeanour though? Or was it really just how she was? Cassia did believe that she wasn't as uncaring as she made out she was - the fact that she'd helped those two people on the verge of being potentially robbed, or worse, standing in testament to that.

She'd actually brought up with her, taking the opportunity to ask about it after the girl in red had returned from her next voyage to the old street with Uliana and Taya, ending up alone in the storeroom together as they'd sorted the day's haul.

"Monet...?" She'd begun as the older girl handed her things from the bags they'd carried - a few bottles of Honey that had been obtained in exchange for a high number of those plastic bottles she'd found at the junkyard.

"Yes?"

"Those people, the man and the woman that were in trouble..."

"What about them?"

"Why did you help them?"

Monet didn't immediately reply, though Cassia couldn't tell if that was because she was thinking or because she was focused on the task at hand, or for some other reason unknown to her.

"The people who were harassing them... I know their type."

"Their type...?"

Monet continued to hand Cassia things as they spoke, the younger girl in turn continuing to sort each item, following the patterns already established on the shelves that were actually usable.

"They didn't look very organised, and one of them wasn't as enthusiastic as the other two."

That was right - Monet had been able to actually see the scene that had occurred, unlike her and Uliana.

"The further into Lower Merveille you go, the rougher things get. That's the general consensus, anyway." Monet explained, handing Cassia the last bottle of Honey before she stood up straight, her arms folded, fractions of her red dress visible in the weakened torchlight.

"If you don't travel in a group, the odds of encountering the less courteous individuals down here increases, and I'm not talking about people like those three we encountered. They were useless."

Something that Monet had stressed before returned to Cassia's mind now - always move in threes. What she'd said now, however, brought a new sense of discomfort. She couldn't ask for details though, because the older girl wasn't finished.

"Our corner is normally quiet, and I want it to stay that way for as long as possible. They can take their fights elsewhere."

She surveyed everything within the storeroom, making sure that everything was in its proper place, the lack of any complaints from her indicating that Cassia had done a suitable job. With that, she turned to leave, the younger girl quickly following, happy to leave the small, dark room behind her for another day.

Cassia had accompanied her and Uliana to the old street on the following excursion - another outing that yielded nothing in regards to her letter sending ambitions - and whilst she'd helped to transport various things, she still had yet to actually do any bartering herself.

It was something she was dreading in particular, given that it was guaranteed to involve strangers, the likelihood of them being less than kind certainly possible. That and she highly doubted that she would be any good at it.