S a l e t é I I

XIX - Épaules - Neuf

Whilst their little acting stunt had paid off, it had also eaten up most of what they'd carried with them that day, leading both Cassia and Uliana to conclude that it was about time they found Monet again. It had taken them a while to find the stall they'd used the gimmick on, but both girls felt as if they had used their time well, in the end. 

"We make a good team! If we could get a bunch of bottles that quick every day, we'd be set for life." Uliana had proudly declared as they began their search for the older girl, who was never too difficult to find. 

Even with the fading, the colour of her dress often remained noticeable from a decent distance.

"I don't know, I think we got lucky. That lady fell for it more than he did. If it wasn't for her..."

"We'd have still gotten something even if she hadn't come along when she had."

Uliana was certainly confident. Maybe she followed that old school of thought? Picture what you want, really envision it, then aim for it. Or maybe she was reading too deeply into things, and the girl simply had a drive of her own.

When they spotted Monet making her way up the street, the teenager having started from the bottom as she normally did before working her way along, she appeared to still be vigilant, eyeing each stall as she continued forward, clearly not yet done with her own routine. Cassia didn't get her attention right away, as even then she remained cautious of interrupting her when she was focused. Uliana, however, pressed right on without tribulation.

The older girl inevitably noticed them as a result, an air of suspicion soon rising.

"Are you two alright? Did something happen?" She asked, drawing to a halt so that they could speak.

Cassia still found her captivating, such a feeling stemming from the combination of her dress itself, its colour and her voice. Even with all the noise and people around them, the calling out and the various discussions taking place, it was easy to dwell upon the girl in red.

"Something happened alright, we just nabbed three bottles." Uliana began to explain, her tone calm but carrying a slight smugness as Cassia joined them, catching up.

"We had a proper plan and everything, you should've seen it!"

Uliana was enthusiastic, riding off of that success, whereas Cassia was simply glad she'd been able to assist both her and the others in the bigger picture, leading her to offer their leader a more pleasant smile. Monet took the opportunity to herd them over to the side of the road, ensuring that they wouldn't be in the way of any of the others frequenting the place.

"Yes, it does usually help to have a plan. Good work."

Uliana was about to jump right into explaining their scheme in detail, judging by that obvious excitement all over her face, when a voice suddenly cut through the air above all of the others present around them, outdoing both the general chatter one would expect of the street and the calls of those in charge of stands. 

Cassia was immediately taken off guard, simply because it was something different, whilst the two girls with her reacted in their own ways - Uliana quickly turning to try and get a look at what was going on, Monet lifting her head in the same direction.

"Residents! Hello! May we have your attention for just a moment, please!"

It was an energetic voice, almost merry in terms of tone, which only made it more glaring against the air of the underground. It belonged to a man, and he'd gotten the attention of the majority of people up near the end of the road with his shout out, some further down amongst the stalls soon continuing on with what they'd been doing beforehand, apparently uninterested, or perhaps too busy.