S a l e t é I I

XIX - Épaules - Cinq

Following her debate session with Klavdiya and Zisel down by the ground floor fire, which had gone on for what felt like a good while, Cassia had gone upstairs in search of Uliana, Polina in hand. The doll's presence continued to grant her a lingering sense of comfort, especially now that she was faced with what might have ended up being a less straightforward conversation.

The girl she sought had left Monet's room whilst she'd still been with the others, their meeting lasting for what must have been just over ten minutes or so. That would have been Cassia's guess, anyway. After returning to the walkway, Uliana had made her way all the way across instead of heading back to where she'd been sat earlier, going into to bedroom on the far side, and it was here that she'd remained until now. 

Cassia didn't know whether to knock before going in, just in case she didn't want to be disturbed, and she really had no idea how she might have been feeling at all, especially following her time with Monet.

After taking a moment to think it over, Cassia knocked twice in a gentle pair of motions before she opened the door, and she soon spotted Uliana as she stayed in the doorway, the girl resting on one of the mattresses within. She didn't appear upset, a small smile coming to her as she saw that Cassia was the one entering, although she didn't look particularly upbeat either.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, of course."

Cassia closed the door behind her before she crossed the room to sit nearby her friend, the darkness immediately taking hold. The room they'd filled with comfortable things wasn't the darkest in the building - that title would have probably gone to the storeroom - but the only light that filtered in through some high windows was meagre, considering that Lower Merveille's lighting on a whole left a lot to be desired. It was enough for her to be able to see the contents of the room itself after her eyes had adjusted, but another fire would have been appreciated here, and not just for light. 

The blankets, with the glow of flames for company? It might have actually been quite soothing.

"Are you going to come and hang out with us soon? We were just talking about a bunch of things, you'd probably find it all pretty interesting." Cassia said as she tried to relax, making the most of the fixtures on offer.

Whilst the blankets were hardly of any kind of astonishing quality, they were sufficient and free of things like holes. She wouldn't have been surprised if Zisel had mended them a few times in the past as well. 

"Yeah, in a bit. I was just thinking." Uliana replied, her tone softer than usual. It was odd to hear her so calm, though not unfamiliar, as it was the same shift that Cassia had heard from her when her predicament had first begun to unfold, again tapping into that more mature side that she knew the girl possessed.

"What about...? I mean, do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just the same stuff as before. Klavdiya spoke to me after you and the others went out, and... "

She fell short, but Cassia gave her the time she needed to find the proper words.

"She kind of had a big go at me."

"She did?"

"Yeah, about all the times I did risky stuff. Going to the junkyard by myself, the trip up top, all that. I get why she doesn't like me doing it, but..."

Again, she fell short, this time frustration forming in her expression as she failed to explain herself concisely.

"Before I was here, with Monet and everyone, I was on my own for a while." She began, that annoyance slipping away as she began to talk.