S a l e t é I I

XVII - Veines - Quatorze

With everything that she could do for the time being in regards to her letters now seen to, Cassia was essentially free to spend the rest of her day as she pleased. There might not have been a wide variety of activities to choose from, and she might have ended up feeling more than a tad cooped up, but the same thought that she'd carried with her for a while now continued to offer her some relief.

Things could have been worse. The occasional stretch of boredom was preferable to being out on the streets of Lower Merveille, of that she was quite sure.

As much as she enjoyed spending time with the other girls downstairs in their usual place, it was nice to take a moment to herself every now and then, and to do so she would head to the "bedroom" upstairs, across the walkway from Monet's room. Whilst there might not have actually been any full-on beds inside, the assorted mattresses and covers were the closest things that they had, aside from the small one tucked away in the very back of Monet's own hideaway.

It wasn't the most comfortable of setups, but an effort had been made, and Cassia appreciated the quietness more than anything. It wasn't entirely silent, as muffled voices could sometimes be heard beyond the walls of the room, usually as Klavdiya and Uliana continued to talk and joke downstairs, and that left her with that vibe that she rather liked - the feeling of being alone without actually being alone.

Whenever she took the time to relax a little in the upstairs room, Cassia was often drawn to her book, its pages able to bring out quite a range of feelings. Those old notes from early on, left by Roslindis, continued to stir both happiness and sadness within her, as did the scribbles occasionally left by Adeline at various points, and she still couldn't make complete sense of those emotions. Some of her own attempts at writing little poems were scattered within, some unfinished, some scribbled out, some intact, and they made her think back to sunny afternoons in the garden, the view of the flowers and a vast city keeping her company.

Deering House really was a world away.

The scribbles within her book weren't the only ones, however. The walls of the room were covered in many more of many different sizes, all of them done in crayon, almost certainly by Taya alone. She'd witnessed them many times now, across the warehouse as a whole, and every now and then she would take a closer look, recognising certain characters or places. 

One drawing featured what looked like several people at stalls, whilst others depicted the girls from the warehouse, all easily recognisable due to certain features like a blindfold, or a red dress, or a missing leg. It all formed the decorative element that she was well used to by now. Used to it or not, it was surprisingly easy to end up investigating them. 

It was still easy to be drawn to other features too, however, namely her own. During those quiet times when she was by herself, she would occasionally be drawn to the sight of her hand, or to her fingers, or her arms, the lines present still conjuring up an unsettling air within her mind, though it was much tamer than it had been following her initial reaction. 

She couldn't imagine a time where it wouldn't be strange, but she had at least come to begin accepting that she was different, even if she didn't fully comprehend how different. Whilst there were probably things that she didn't understand - plenty of things - she knew the basics, and she knew what she was, even if the truth was... Unusual.

It was later that day, during one of her inspections of her hands and fingers, that the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs to the walkway outside distracted her. She didn't have to wonder as to who was coming for long, as Uliana soon opened the door, offering Cassia a little smile as she quietly made her entrance.

"Hi Cassia. Can I come in?"

"Sure, it's your place, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I thought you might want some alone time, or something."