S a l e t é I I

XVII - Veines - Sept

Sitting with Sleeves up on the second floor, over on the far side of the building near one of the corners with only a small candle serving to provide their little gathering with some ever so delicate illumination, was quite an experience. Cassia was still surprised at just how content she could become in an old shell of a place such as their factory, and yet she also felt as if she was beginning to truly grasp some of the dynamics responsible for those feelings. Aged exteriors, worn interiors and the often great darkness of the underground were one thing, but the children, their spirits and the laughter they shared were on another level, outshining those less desirable qualities with the utmost ease.

That was the impression she got, looking at the little candle flame. Even the smallest light could ward off thick darkness. It wasn't the most uncommon thought, and it felt cliché to a degree, but that didn't make it any less true. Besides, she liked the gentle, poetic touch that the idea carried.

Sleeves appeared and sounded rather pleased to have Klavdiya and Cassia to herself over in that corner, to the point that Cassia suspected she'd fully intended for their current gathering to come to be. She'd told them about some of the recent happenings, both in and around the factory itself, and out during their own series of excursions, whilst the Jouets had told her about their endeavours as well. 

Her first story had been in regards to Chief and Spears, who'd come across what they'd identified as some sort of shotgun in a dumpster amongst the alleys of the housing district, a thought that had alarmed Cassia at first - only the weapon was in poor condition, with a damaged frame, the need for a clean-up and no actual ammunition. Such degradation was probably why it had ended up in a dumpster in the first place.

Spears... Who was Spears, anyway? Cassia had heard of a few of his exploits now, but she had yet to actually see him in person.

Sleeves had also told them about the various squabbles that had been occurring, some of which she'd been involved in herself, inevitable side effects of living in the same building as multiple other children.

"Sunshine normally stops everyone from getting moody with each other, but she's been kind of unwell lately." She'd been saying as she recounted some of these events, keen to fill Cassia in on certain details. 

"Unwell? How come?" Klavdiya asked, a look of slight concern coming over her now. Cassia, of course, had questions, the main one being who's Sunshine, but she simply listened for now.

"I don't know. She's been sort of light headed, she says. Like, she felt dizzy and stuff, and sometimes she feels sick. Sweets thinks she ate something bad."

Sleeves sounded a little downcast as she explained the situation, though not overly so, leading Cassia to believe that this supposed illness wasn't of a serious nature.

"She's been resting upstairs for a while now. She keeps on saying that she doesn't want to, but Chief makes her."

Their corner of the factory was largely quiet, perhaps one of the quietest areas in the building. Even then, silence didn't settle entirely. Monet and Chief could still be heard talking below, if one listened closely enough, whilst the sounds of other children continued in various places above them, muffled by walls and doors. More voices were audible, interspersed with the occasional bout of laughter, all things that added dashes of colour to their setting.

As Sleeves was carrying on with her stories, this time about more excursions, another question came to Cassia's mind, only this time she actually asked it.

"Do you go out? Does Chief take you with him?"

"No, not really. I'm not allowed." The girl replied, shaking her head.