S a l e t é I I

XXII - Cerveau - Deux

To pass the time after the gang as a whole had been brought up to speed, Cassia made sure to stick with the other girls, all of whom stayed within the main room. Even Monet lingered, the teenager not retreating to the solitude of her upstairs hideaway as soon as their gathering had concluded. Instead, she had remained with Taya, the younger girl unwilling to let her leave so soon, taking a hold of her sleeve so that she could lead her away, the pair ending up somewhere near the back of the hall again.

Klavdiya had continued to relax, moving her supporting chair closer so that she could prop what remained of her damaged leg upon it next. She might not have expressed any discomfort, but Cassie had still paid attention to her, just in case. Thankfully, her fatigue seemed natural, and she figured that she would have been just as keen to rest in such a way if she had been the one in her shoe.

She'd been happy to sit with Polina for a while, the little lady keeping up her habit of staying remarkably tidy - all things considered - and she made sure to give her a small tending to, wiping her face, patting down her dress and sorting her hair, although the latter had been maintained nicely by her auntie. Zisel herself was looking much more tranquil now, the sight of her sat with a grin on her face as she listened to the usual culprits coming up with their next plan exactly the sort of thing that made every search and every struggle worthwhile.

When Cassia headed over to give Polina back to her, she was sure to give her a hug as she stood behind her, the girl holding her arms as she did.

"Cassie? What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm always okay, silly."

She might have been dismissive of her concerns, but the way she reached up to hold her as she gave her that hug said much more.

Whilst Uliana and Klavdiya might have been back on form when it came to their little squabbling matches, and they might have been back to trying to wind each other up with the usual comments, their minds were still very much upon tomorrow's activity. It didn't take long for the speculation to kick up, Uliana being the one to ask the first question as she sat back down, having just given Klavdiya's shoulders a rough kneading that she'd insisted was a "massage".

"What do you think they're even doing up at this place then?" She asked as she crossed her arms, Klavdiya still reeling.

"Making things?" Zisel replied, such an answer not doing much for her friend.

"Yeah, but what kind of things?"

"They did say that everything would go to Lower Merveille, didn't they? What would you make for this place?" Cassia asked in turn, recalling the gathering that had taken place at the junkyard.

That meeting hadn't struck her as especially rehearsed. When Brisbois himself had stepped out to give his so-called speech, it hadn't felt scripted, or thought out. Instead, it had felt as if he'd come out and simply explained himself in an informal manner. 

Hey, this is who I am, this is what I'm gonna do, fancy helping out?

"Lights." Klavdiya replied as Uliana smirked, the scheme one that Cassia could have gotten behind.

"Yeah, maybe they're gonna make a giant lamp that they can hang from the ceiling. One, epic light for the whole underground." Uliana reasoned, Klavdiya giving her a bewildered, if somewhat amused glance as she heard such a suggestion.

Zisel's idea was a touch more serious.

"Maybe they'll make things for people's homes? Or things to actually make them a bit nicer?"