S a l e t é I I

XI - Yeux - Six

"I must give you a warning before we go any further."

Monet stopped short of entering the doorway that she had been leading Cassie towards, where she turned to face her again. That particular corner of the warehouse was quite dark, as it was away from the flames - the light from which was mostly blocked by a pair of containers, one atop the other. Cassie's eyes had thankfully adjusted to the darkness considerably by now, allowing her to make out quite a few details.

Dust and cobwebs were present around here too, although this time a broom was propped up against one of the walls. A split was present in its handle, and the usable end looked rather frayed, but it would have still done its job. Its presence seemed to indicate that those under the warehouse roof took steps to maintain its interior, and she became aware of how any grit, dirt or stones were almost always off to the side, and not in the areas they were walking through directly.

For now, Cassie's attention was fixed on Monet, the prospect of a warning of any kind serving to unsettle her in quite a cold manner.

"Taya is... Unpredictable. She will sometimes do or say things that might come across as strange, or rude, but it isn't her fault. She suffered an injury of sorts, quite a while ago, and her... Eccentricity, shall we say, is the result of it."

"An injury...?"

Monet had spoken directly again, the calm confidence of her tone not even fading when she paused to think of how best to explain the matter, whilst Cassie's had - once again - become rather subdued.

Klavdiya's injury was already mighty enough, wasn't it? And now this Taya person had one too? One that made her act strangely?

"Yes. But just be aware, she often doesn't mean to cause offence. Be patient with her."

Cassie was perhaps more apprehensive now than she had been at all that day, her natural shyness mixing with the nature of her situation rather horribly. Forward was the only way, as there was precisely nothing that she could do about such a feeling.

Having Monet close by was... Okay.

If she had been alone, she most likely would have hidden away from practically everyone. Monet essentially forced her - in a calm enough kind of way - to address and meet the others in the area. The direct approach was a good one, it seemed, even if she needed a hefty dose of encouragement to actually follow it.

Monet opened the door now, the hinges squeaking slightly, allowing Cassie to see the contents of this next, smaller room.

A little fire was present in here too, in a smaller drum that seemed more recent than the others, and it revealed the contents of the space decently enough.

A fairly long sofa, large enough to seat three adults, or perhaps four children, was present, although - as Cassie would have suspected - it was considerably worn; the seats peeled in places, and one of the arms had been uncovered, whilst the back was missing a few clumps. A cover of sorts in the form of a blanket had been placed over it, perhaps in an effort to protect it from further harm, only it was currently strewn over only one side, as if individuals sitting on it over the course of the day had shifted it.

Another table was up against one of the walls, several small cases and boxes of things stacked upon one side of it, a chair nearby for someone to sit at. This one featured a few drawers, painting it as more of a desk, though the handle was missing on one of them.

The walls here featured yet more of the childish scribbling she'd come to see as oddly familiar already, in a deeply surreal kind of way. Dashes of colour were highlighted by the glow of the fire, serving to add the potential signs of both youth and life.