S a l e t é I I

XVIII - Pieds - Six

The fresh anticipation that had been spurred on by the news she'd heard that day did not help with the passage of time after they had returned to the warehouse. Cassia was once again left feeling fidgety, an urge to start getting somewhere with her letter sending scheme almost becoming overpowering. If it hadn't been for the other girls and the company that they provided, she was almost certain that she would have ended up going mad.

She'd been a little worried about attending the old street for two days in a row, though only because she didn't want the others to end up going stir crazy due to having to spend more time in the warehouse. When she voiced these concerns, she was relieved to have them dealt with swiftly.

"Taya wouldn't mind staying here for longer." Uliana had said, and it was a remark that Klavdiya agreed with.

"Yeah, she'll just see it as more time to play. I bet you she won't even notice, she's usually too caught up in her own world anyway."

Indeed, the girl in question was currently sat on one of the old containers again whilst they were seated below, where she was amusing herself with her crayons as she hummed a tune. The tune itself was something that she often recounted, which led Cassia to believe that it must have held some sort of significance to her, though what that significance amounted to was anyone's guess. 

Cassia had been put on the spot again once Klavdiya had announced the results of her first attempts at bartering, leading to both Uliana and Zisel applauding her efforts.

"I knew you'd be able to do it! No problem!" Uliana had exclaimed after hearing the news, beaming with pride, such a reaction immediately filling Cassia to the brim with shyness.

"You've really earned your stripes now." Zisel said, not quite as bombastic as her companion, though her own expression was rife with a gentler, reassuring warmth.

"It wasn't that hard, once I got past the whole being shy thing..." Cassia replied as she shuffled in her seat, which only led to Uliana speaking up again.

"That would help you out though! A bunch of people would probably find you all cute and everything, if you acted all shy."

"Then they'd be more willing to give you things, if you're lucky." Klavdiya added, the notion they'd put forth once again reminding Cassia of what Monet had said about manipulation.

She still believed that it wasn't manipulative if she was merely being herself, and if being herself would help the group, then she was ready to go. The thought of partaking in more bartering on future trips she was involved in from now on was a little bit imposing, though luckily the idea of getting things that would assist the others was just enough to keep those feelings quashed.

They'd gotten through what remained of the day in the usual, tried and tested fashion, making up games, playing ones they'd thought up before and by chatting away around the flames. Whilst they didn't exactly have much in the way of creature comforts, Cassia was able to enjoy what they did have, especially once she had Polina back at her side, the little one's presence adding a much-appreciated dash of softness.

When the time for the next outing finally came, the sound of Monet's footsteps coming from the walkway above signalling that the hour was at hand at last, Cassia almost jumped out of her seat, a new surge of hope charging her up practically right away. Klavdiya was given the task of guard duty, whilst Uliana was chosen to accompany them to the trading hub, and Cassia saw to her final preparations as the girl in red arranged their things, ensuring that Polina was safe with Zisel.

"Good luck today, Cassie. Stay safe." The girl had said after receiving the doll, her wishes granting Cassia an extra dose of willpower.

When all was said and done, Monet led the way out into the alleyways, and - once the makeshift door was closed behind them, rattling into place until the natural quietness of the way forward returned - Cassia steeled her resolve. A myriad of thoughts washed over her all at once, coming in various flavours of nervousness, expectation and that hope she'd come to know so closely; was this it? The real, feasible start of her return home? What if the couriers weren't there? What if they'd missed them? What if they didn't want to take her job? What if something went wrong? How long would it take if they did say yes?

The apprehension was close to boiling over now that the moment of truth was approaching.

Uliana clearly noticed the frazzled nature of her thoughts, given her less than settled expression, and she offered a friendly face in a bid to quell her.

"This is it, Cassie! We'll be coming back two letters short today, no questions asked."

"I hope so..." Cassia replied, managing a genuine smile in return, her appreciation for her companion's continuing optimism renewed. Uliana didn't look impressed by the uncertainty in her tone, however.

"It's happening, don't worry. I won't take no for an answer."

"What do you plan to do? Annoy the couriers into submission?" Monet asked as she heard her resolution, the thought bringing Cassia a little extra relief, especially as Uliana remained entirely unmoved.

"If that's what it takes! I'll give them a different kind of stamp if they even think of turning us down."

She gave the ground a few stomps with her foot, just to get that point across, prompting Monet to look back with a concerned glint in her eyes. Such a reaction was enough to get a chuckle out of Cassia, and Uliana found it rather amusing herself.

Their journey through the alleys was, as expected, a largely silent one. The only real sounds that ever disturbed that silence in any meaningful way were there footsteps, or the disturbances they caused as they made their way ahead - kicking the occasional bit of junk, stirring up the dust or things in their bags moving slightly from time to time. The sounds of the other districts were still audible from the alleyways surrounding the warehouses, but the enclosed nature of the various paths between the high walls meant that they were subdued and distant, as if they were even further away than they already were.

The distant noises... Metal being worked... Construction underway... It was the promise of something more, just beyond their abandoned sector.

The old shopping sector was hosting a little activity itself that day, a group of three friends hanging around near one of the more untarnished structures, sharing cigarettes and the occasional laugh. They seemed cheerful enough - two young men and a lady of a similar age - and Cassia was glad that other people within Lower Merveille were able to find joy in things, just like she was with the group she'd fallen in with.

Monet led them to the edge of the slope at the far end of the sector, their vantage point for surveying all that awaited them below and more, the housing district visible to an extent, the factory looming only a short distance away too. Cassia would often look to the windows of the old industrial giant, trying to catch glimpses of the children who she knew were within, never having any luck. Even the lights that they established within were arranged in a specific way, so that they wouldn't be visible to outsiders.

Her gaze today wasn't drawn to the aged building, however - instead, she looked to the street below, searching for anything and everything that might have been new, and for anything that might have even begun to resemble some sort of postal service of any kind. Uliana joined in with these efforts, her own eyes scouring the layout before them, the voices of those already amassing along the road easily reaching them now that they were close.

After a quarter of a minute or so, Monet pointed to an area near the top of the street.

"That looks like your place, Cassia."

Cassia immediately followed Monet's gesture, spotting a group of particularly mismatched stalls in close proximity to one another near the entrance to the housing district, where a notable amount of people were coming and going. It was an arrangement of a considerable size - such stands didn't usually appear so close together - which must have meant that they were working in unison, the individuals operating them perhaps being part of the same operation. She couldn't make out many details from where they now were, but Uliana quickly stirred after making her own observations.

"Come on then! Time's wasting!"

She skipped ahead, slowing only slightly as she began to head down the slope, being only mildly careful with her footing. Cassia quickly looked to Monet for some form of direction, all of her prior emotions and thoughts flooding back in at once, the nod that she received from the girl in red just enough to bring some function back to her legs.

Cassia set about following Uliana down to the road below, as Monet herself followed in turn.