S a l e t é I I

XXI - Estomac - Un

Cassia had never really experienced physical weakness before. In her time at Deering House, she'd never fallen sick, or even felt remotely ill at any time. With her new understanding of her state of being, she could at least deduce why.

Her new, limited understanding.

There had been many times where she'd felt partial to a glass of her favourite drink, such harmless thirst rising whenever she knew one such glass was on its way, such as when it had been in the process of being poured, though she'd never been thirsty to the point of genuine discomfort. She still had yet to reach a stage where she needed to address a lack of that distinct, cherry flavoured fizz, but she had grown accustomed to that slightly heavier feeling in her body - namely her limbs - that had come about as a result of her decreased intake.

Now that feeling had grown further, following her first twenty-four-hour period after going without a full bottle. The sensation wasn't painful in any way, merely somewhat sluggish, each step taking that little bit more effort, each time she sat down granting her that little bit more relief. Getting up again took an extra push from within as well.

It wasn't a situation that left her hopeless by any means, and she was still able to do everything she needed to do without any real sort of struggle. The drag was nonetheless growing more noticeable as time went by, to the point where she was keen to see it addressed before it had a chance to become any worse.

Cassie didn't allow any immediate worries any sort of prolonged chance to linger in her head, and Zisel remained her rather upbeat, considerate self, but she noticed slight shifts in the behaviour of the other girls. Taya was more restless than usual, moving from place to place more often, whilst she spent more time watching the others. Uliana and Klavdiya were somewhat more prone to bickering, the former girl complaining to a greater extent when she was bored, the latter swifter in her dismissals of what she deemed to be her needless moaning.

Monet didn't change at all.

Cassia had thought about the note she had witnessed on the inside cover of her book a few times over the course of the day, and or night, its wording continuing to leave her with small doses of the same emotions it had stirred in the moment she'd stumbled across it. She hadn't brought it up with any of the other girls, not even Zisel - she felt as if it absolutely wasn't her place to do so, and that she'd been foolish for prying in the first place - and yet she just couldn't shake the matter from her mind entirely. It would always return, just for a minute or two, whenever most of her other countless thoughts had drifted away for a few seconds.

When the time came for the next outing - the main feature of which would be the return trip to the factory to see if Chief had been able to trade their scrap for anything of use, a visit to the old street also on the cards - they had to address the matter of their four remaining bottles, something that Monet saw to both quickly and decisively.

"Uliana, Klavdiya. Half each." She began, handing one bottle to them. Any annoyances, teasing or joking that might have remained between them all but vanished as they were granted the bottle of pinkish red, Uliana opening it before allowing Klavdiya to drink first, her friend visibly appreciating the gesture.

"Cassia, Zisel. The same, please."

Cassie accepted their bottle and decided to perform a similar gesture for her companion, opening it up before she placed it into her hands, ensuring that she had a suitable hold on it before letting go.

"You first."

"Thank you."

Zisel's gratitude was fair and quiet, brimming with an appreciation of her own, matched only by her smile.