S a l e t é I I

XVIII - Pieds - Quinze

The journey to the old street went fine, even if Taya's presence brought a change or two with it. 

She'd needed a little boost to get over the fence before the garages, which Monet provided, the youngster even enjoying the help. 

Moving on from there, upon reaching the rundown store fronts, Taya sometimes skipped ahead when she caught sight of something that interested her - whether it was one of the discarded things strewn around the murky paths or one of the buildings themselves - such instances spurred on by her newly established focus. She appeared to be looking for anything of value. 

Her attentiveness to the mission at hand was both good to see and, again, endearing, but she was often a little off with her initiative, often choosing things that weren't exactly desirable, her attention typically falling upon what was simply junk. She at least discarded these things quickly, soon identifying trash when she found it, and Cassia could imagine some of the thoughts that she might have been having as she sifted through the various things that she found.

An empty can? Probably useless. An empty bottle? Hmm... Too dirty. What about all of the left-over boxes and packets? No, they were definitely rubbish.

She dropped things without any further care after deciding that they were worthless, before swiftly moving on to the next discovery. She prioritised following Monet, however, always moving to keep up whenever the older girl got slightly ahead. She spoke to herself quietly during such instances, Cassia able to hear her thanks to the quiet nature of their aged surroundings.

"Always move in threes..."

Upon arriving at their vantage point atop the slope, they stopped to take in the scene below. Taya was a little restless again now that they were close to their destination, shuffling as Monet made her observations, whilst Cassia made a few of her own.

"It looks kind of busy today..."

"I was thinking the same." The girl in red replied, contemplation present in her voice. Whether or not she viewed this as a good thing wasn't something that Cassia could figure out, but she would surely comment further when she was ready.

The old street itself was a hub of activity almost every time they'd visited it together, which was only natural, considering the presence of the many stalls and stands stretching from one end to the other on any given day. Today, however, the groups in attendance were larger - actual crowds were forming in a few places, particularly near the top end of the road that eventually split into the paths that would lead into the housing district. On typical days lots of people were present, only they kept to their own circles or units, leaving a decent amount of space between them.

"Maybe something happened?" Cassia suggested, looking Monet's way now, the older girl remaining fixed on the stretch below.

"Possibly. We won't know unless we go down."

"Do you think we should?"

"It looks okay. We won't split up right away."

Cassia began to follow as Monet started leading the way down the slope, with Taya following her in turn - albeit slowly. The younger girl was travelling at more than just a slower pace, however, as she appeared to be making the utmost effort to take her time, her gaze upon each of the rocky outcrops that marked the slope itself, worry clearly present in those eyes. Cassia noticed these things as she took the time to look back, making sure that Taya was indeed coming with them.

When the girl almost stumbled at one point, a small patch of ground beneath her feet coming loose, Cassia extended a hand her way.

"Come on."