S a l e t é I I

XVIII - Pieds - Deux

The legwork involved in their excursions, or at least the majority of it, had become a familiar element to Cassia's days. 

Trips to and from the old street were largely uneventful, especially when they were navigating the alleys surrounding the forgotten warehouse complexes, with no activity aside from their own unfolding there at all. The roads where the now empty stores were situated were sometimes a bit livelier, with individuals, pairs or the occasional group coming and going, or inspecting their surroundings, but this area too was on the quieter side. She was thankful for it, as it allowed her time to think about whatever might have been on her mind at the time, or usually about what was immediately ahead.

She had to adjust to the alleyways themselves whenever they first headed out, as being cooped up in the warehouse for the majority of each day rendered her unable to get used to the atmosphere that surrounded them. The air was often stuffy with an aura of rust, the walls of the old buildings appeared bruised by age, and the paths felt that little bit narrower as she first stepped out. Despite it all, everything was ultimately the same each time she traversed those routes, to the point that she'd become aware of certain fixtures that might have actually held potential weight as way points. 

Three cans, together by the third turn they had to take, a broken sign by the fifth, up against the wall...

Were they really the only ones to cross those alleys nowadays? Were there really no others who saw the area as beneficial, or worth checking out at the very least? Maybe the area seen all the notable activity it was going to get already, and maybe the other warehouses had already been scoured through. They surely would have been amongst the first sites of interest to a population in need of anything useful.

The lack of activity enabled her to make those journeys with a less burdened mind, even if the absent, immediate fears she might have had were merely replaced by other burdens of the lingering variety instead, visions of lines upon limbs, or of a lost palm, or memories of spoken threats aimed at others.

At the end of the day, they were just thoughts, and she managed to take some solace in the belief that they couldn't hurt her in a real, direct sense. Such ideas and reminiscences were usually kept at bay by the presence of her companions, as Uliana or Klavdiya would almost always have something to talk about during the walk.

Monet's presence was always resolute too, even if it was largely silent.

The three of them stopped at the top of the slope as they arrived that day, in the usual spot between two of the hollow buildings just before the edge, their chosen vantage point for surveying whatever might have been unfolding below. Regardless of what might have been on offer each day, and regardless of the almost always great variations in stock, notable crowds were always in attendance, bringing with them a semblance of life and noise that defied the darkened environment that existed all around them.

Were the couriers in attendance today? It would have been difficult to pick out individuals from their elevated position, given the groups that were forming... Come to think of it, what did these people even look like? They were essentially delivery men, right? So, they must have had a lot of bags and such... Maybe Monet knew.

The girl in red wasted little time on observations, leading the way down as soon as she had taken in the day's general layout from above. This time, given that Klavdiya was the one accompanying them, they moved to take the winding road rather than the slope itself, the expected act of consideration.

As they made their way down, Cassia took one last moment to judge the situation for herself. Right, what did she have in her bag? She still had the car part that Uliana had given her, but she was going to try and save that for her own endeavours. She'd been given a couple of tins of food, none of which had looked particularly appetising, which allowed Monet to carry more of her own things.