S a l e t é I I

XXI - Estomac - Quinze

"I was wondering when you'd turn up."

Hearing Chief's upbeat voice again granted Cassia some swift relief, and she was even able to smile lightly. Something about the boy left her with the feeling that things would be okay somehow, even if she didn't quite know why. 

The factory felt a lot less dreary because of such a vibe.

Captain had descended after him, paying no more heed to the three girls, instead walking straight by as he returned to his post by the door.

"How have things been then? Any change in your luck?" Chief asked as he came to stand beside Monet, the sight of the two together coming across as natural in Cassia's eyes. 

She was still pretty even with some wear and tear, he was still charming despite his own time with the daily grind, and her admiration could extend to both of them for similar reasons at times.

"There's been a bit of an unexpected turn." Monet began, both Cassie and Uliana opting to stay quiet, listening closely as the two teenagers began to talk business, Chief's more serious tone just as reassuring as his gentler one.

"We visited the old street today, as we usually do, and it would seem that the recent changes are having effects sooner than I anticipated."

"What kind of effects, exactly?"

"We could only find a solitary bottle of Honey. One, on the entire street."

"Just one? Are you sure?"

He'd sounded just as surprised as Cassia had felt when she'd heard the news for herself.

"We double checked. It might have been the case for just that time of day, but I've never seen a drop in numbers like it before." Monet continued.

"No, neither have I. Something's up."

He appeared increasingly thoughtful, his disfigured hand at his side as he rubbed at his chin with the other, his gaze slightly distant for a second or two.

"I was afraid you'd say something like this."

"Why is that?" Monet asked, showing no indications that she was unsettled by such a statement, Cassia experiencing a twinge of concern as she heard it. Uliana still looked hopeful, though doubts of her own had begun to seep into that optimism.

"We ran all of the junk you brought over the other day down to the scrappers, me and Spears. Did some asking around whilst we were there, as we all know."

Cassie wasn't expecting to hear any particularly good news at this point, judging by his earlier remark, and he wasn't looking any less stern.

"It's the same over in their area."

"There's less Honey, you mean?"

"Yeah. Some things are winding up rarer than others, it seems."

"That's... Concerning. They're close to the Sabre depot, are they not?"

"They're pretty much down the street from the place."

Monet was visibly perturbed now, her gaze intense as she threw herself into her own trails of thought. Cassia didn't really know what to do or say, or even if she should have been looking to do or say something at all just yet. 

Uliana voiced her worries in regards to the revelation.

"Does that mean you couldn't get us anything for our stuff...?"

"Never said that."

A smirk returned to Chief's face now, the sight of the boy lightening up again helping to ease Cassia's tension once more, even Monet's interest piqued.