S a l e t é I I

XIX - Épaules - Six

Uliana looked somewhat nervous again as she approached fire downstairs, hesitating for a couple of seconds instead of making her way over right away, Cassia's presence going some way in reassuring her. Whilst she stayed at Uliana's side until she was ready to approach them, she refrained from doing or saying anything else, as she was quite sure that the girl would figure out how to say what she wanted to without any help. She'd explained herself well only moments earlier and she would thus be able to do it again, even if Cassia could understand some of the pressure that she was probably feeling.

She watched from afar as she made her presence known.

"Cassia? You're back?" Zisel asked as she heard her footsteps.

"It's me."

"Oh, Uliana! Come and sit, we've got a lot to tell you! Unless Cassia already mentioned it?"

Zisel, like Cassia herself, sounded rather eager to hear what the girl's views on the rumours and stories might have been, and Klavdiya gave Uliana a genuinely friendly smile as she joined them, even if there was a hint of awkwardness about her demeanour, as if she was unsure of what to say now that she'd come down.

Just as Uliana began to talk to them, her voice quieter like it had been upstairs, Cassia felt something entirely unexpected - a tugging sensation on the end of her skirt. It almost made her jump, and upon looking down she spotted Taya, who'd been the one to get her attention. The girl didn't say anything upon actually getting her to look her way, which suggested she hadn't really planned that far ahead, and that she'd merely taken the opportunity to be with her whilst she was by herself.

"Taya? What's the matter?"

Taya swayed from side to side ever so gently as she watched Cassia, still not saying anything.

"Is something wrong?"

"Do you know how to play?"

Taya's question was certainly on the odd side, but it opened a few different avenues of thought.

"What do you mean? Is there a game you want to play?" Cassia asked, doing her best to sound fair and kind, her expression softening slightly to match such attempts.

"You never play with your dolly."

Cassia was still holding Polina against her chest with folded arms, and it was then and then that she realised Taya's statement was essentially correct. She enjoyed having her small companion close, and she was determined to keep her in the best condition possible, and, well... That meant not doing too much with her. She wouldn't be able to tend to her, or mend her, or anything of that sort if she ended up dishevelled or damaged.

Instead of addressing the matter directly, Cassia decided to take to opportunity to simply talk with the younger girl.

"Do you like dolls?"

Taya nodded more than a few times, her expression remaining largely unchanged.

"I thought so. Don't you have any of your own right now?"

Taya shook her head.

"I used to have dollies, but they're far away now."

"Far away? How come?"

"All the way away. Up and up and up."

Cassia couldn't tell for sure what she was referring to exactly. Up and up? Did she mean up in Merveille? Or...?

"I see. That's a little sad." Cassia said, to which Taya gave only a single, more reserved nod.

"Do you want to see mine?"