S a l e t é I I

XIX - Épaules - Quatre

Cassia didn't have long to think about Uliana, Klavdiya and the possible exchanges they might have shared whilst she'd been away, or about how she was going to approach them and ask about such things, as - a little surprisingly - Monet actually re-emerged from her room after she'd returned the key to its hiding place. Looking up at the walkway, she watched as the teenager made her way across, stopping only once she was near Uliana.

"Uliana."

"Hmm?"

"Come with me for a second."

It was hard to tell if Monet simply wanted to talk, or if she was going to reprimand her, although the latter option seemed more likely in this case after what Klavdiya had told them about their earlier spat. Whilst Cassia felt somewhat nervous for the girl's sake - being on the receiving end of scolding from Monet couldn't have been anywhere remotely near pleasant - it at least left her with the others in the meantime, both of whom were comfortable by the freshly stoked fire as Taya resumed her play somewhere nearby.

Cassia took up a seat near Zisel, the girl happily returning Polina to her afterwards, the feeling of familiarity that the doll held granting her a small flicker of additional joy.

"So? What was it like out there? Anything cool happen?" Klavdiya asked, sounding like her usual self again for the most part. She used her stick to poke in some of the old wood they'd been using to fuel the flames as she spoke, making sure that everything was decent and neat.

"There was this one thing that was kind of weird." Cassia began, hoping to stoke their shared curiosity, and her words appeared to have the desired effect almost immediately, as if they'd both been anticipating her return in case she brought some sort of tale.

"Weird, you say?" Zisel asked, her tone fair even with that inquisitive streak mixed in.

"Yeah..."

Cassia set about explaining what she'd seen upon arriving at the top of the slope, making her observations with Monet from above. She told them about the gathering of people near the end of the road, and about how they'd apparently been waiting for some sort of appearance or news regarding a rumour of sorts that Monet had picked up on as being involved. Both girls listened intently, Klavdiya in particular looking as if she was attempting to piece things together in a speculative fashion.

"Monet said something about someone called Brisbois? Or someone with that last name?" Cassia was saying, the snaps emanating from the fire the only sound to compliment her words until now, not counting the occasional chatter from Taya as she entertained herself. 

"Brisbois? You mean the Brisbois family?" Zisel asked.

Cassia would have guessed that she would have been the best member of the group to ask about things like the past, as - aside from Monet - she'd always felt like she was  the most knowledgeable one amongst them. 

Something about her quieter nature suggested that she was a good listener, and subsequently the the kind to pick up on things.

"I think so, yeah." Cassia replied, a slightly embarrassed, if knowing, smile on her face for a second or two. Klavdiya also appeared to be on the confused side, although there was a slight intensity to her expression now, as if she'd heard that name before and was now wracking her brain trying to remember precisely where from.

"People were still talking about them a while ago. They were one of the groups in charge of things down here, years and years in the past." Zisel explained, doing so with a clear, informative tone.

"That's what Monet said to me earlier. Something about a father and his son?"

"Ohh, I know what you're on about now, yeah. It's almost kind of like an urban legend, sort of thing." Klavdiya said, quickly speaking up. The intrigue that she now held for the subject at hand had dispelled whatever troubled thoughts she had towards Uliana, it seemed, even if Cassia suspected that they would return soon enough.