The market stalls are a little more sparse at the moment with only a few shoppers wandering the streets. Lunch time is not shopping time it seems. Vessa is wandering the streets looking rather like she is killing time and doing so by observing the passers by and the activity of the stalls as she walks slowly along.
She'll find a few more human faces around, district must be picking up. For starters there's a short brownhaired woman with startling green eyes talking to a bulkier man, bouncer type, both standing right about where Fat Jake died yesterday, talking softly, both keeping an eye on a third human, Franceza, who's just bought some piece of fruit from some stall, now sampling it with a rather distrusting eye on the seller herself.
Vessa Harden wanders a bit closer to the three though not with any obvious purpose. Her ears perk a bit and she pauses close to where Franceza is standing and even leans against the fruit seller's stall, much to said seller's displeasure. For all anyone can tell she is just taking a break from wandering around and is still watching the crowd but she stands close enough to note that there is something interesting going on.
The green eyed woman for example, glancing down to the already fading stains of Jake's blood, rubbing a boot over a dried drop, her face crunching up in loathing for a moment. Just a moment. Then she looks back up, scans for Franceza's where abouts and meets eyes with Vessa. Immediately she lifts a PDA from a pocket, starts a programm, and flips through files. Flip-flip-flip-flip. At the end, she relaxes a little and glances back, nodding without commitment. Just one human to another in a foreign 'verse, on a foreign planet. Franceza meanwhile is equally elaxing, maybe taking comfort from the presence of another human female. "'s Not all bad once you get used to the birdface," her husky alto tells Vessa.
Vessa Harden looks rather surprised at being noticed and nods back to the woman before replying quietly to Franceza, "Birdface?" she asks a bit confused before continuing, "By the way, what happened over there? Looks like someone got done over right good." she doesn't gesture or nod in the direction assuming it would be rather obvious as to what she is asking about, "Oh and my name is Vessa by the way." she adds in the same low voice.
Franceza nods to the owner of the market stall, the beak alone speaking volumes. Currently it's looking rather annoyed, yes, he overheard Fran's remark. The spacer doesn't notice or ignores and raises a brow to Vessa instead, "What happened where." She glances back to where her companions are standing, "There? No kidding. Heh." Her eyes drop to the bloody stains as well, "No clue, doubt Tracy and Charlie do either, just like them though, sticking their nose in." The woman sounds a bit endeared, "Always making sure things is safe."
Vessa Harden looks over to the irritated stall owner with a shrug and a half smile of apology for being irritating but she doesn't move. Nodding at the words she looks back, "Are they with the cops or something then?" she asks curiously.
"Oh fuck no," Franceza barks a laugh, "We just got here a few days ago," she starts to explain, a sleeve taking care of a bit of fruit juice dribbling down her chin, "You? You live here then."
Vessa Harden laughs at Franceza's amusement and shrugs, "I am security on the Devil May Care and an axillary for the Red Eclipse mercs though I take odd jobs for fun. I pretty much live in the Tavern in Eiru as part of my employment on the DMC so I suppose I could say I live here. Not been around long though, I rifted in a couple of months ago.
Three little words can change a lot. For example Franceza's regard of Vessa, the woman practically pouncing the other, hands -one dirty one clean- landing on shoulders, bringing her happy surprised face an inch away, "You know Diri? Is he here? Know where he is? Where is he!" Her excitement is doing exactly the opposite with Tracy and Charlie, the latter stepping closer, a looming mountain of muscle appearing behind the spacer, his warning voice soft but steady, "Fran..."
Vessa Harden tenses as the other woman pounces and tries very hard not to attack her in surprise, "Uh I haven't seen him since the last mission." her eyes flick to the upcoming muscle and her voice is somewhat tense.
[Skill System] Raisa tests her Stealth + Sneaking at a modifier of 0. The result is 8.
Out of the shadows slides a solitary figure and then it emerges as Raisa. She comes up behind Tracy and gives her a hard poke in the back. "Give me a reason to hit you. Please," she half purrs, voice husky. "But if you play nicely and answer my questions, I won't have to break each bone in your body."
"Fanculo..." Franceza mutters, highly disappointed, the longing naked on her face. Her hands drop from Vessa's shoulders, a little sullen when she hears her name spoken from behind, both of them not realising Tracy's being threatened. "We've been looking everywhere," she explains, running a tired hand through her hair, even as Charlie wraps fingers around her arm, gently pulling her away, murmuring to Vessa, "Forgive her, she's been through a lot, just got rifted..." Like that explains the world. Tracy meanwhile staggers forward, turns in outrage and Raisa can see the hatred flaming up brightly in those green eyes, "You..." she hisses, a hand dropping to the gun at her side. "Sealed your fate now little bitch."
Vessa Harden is in the process of nodding to Charlie with a bit of a tense smile, "Hey no worries." she says quietly when Tracy begins reaching for a sidearm. Raising her voice she says, "Whoa hold it." and moves forward placing a firm but easily removed hand on the one reaching for the weapon and says quietly, "Do you really want to start something in public?" she looks between Tracy and Raisa, "Obviously I don't know what is between you two but making a scene will only bring you trouble."
"Yep, reason enough for me," Raisa muses to herself, taking half step forward. Cold eyes dart toward Vessa, "Stay out of this," she snaps. "This is between me and her." A smile appears but it is dead, so very empty and lacking on emotion. "Come and get me, you stupid cow," she taunts, skipping back a few paces and watching.
Tensing when Vessa's hand falls on hers, Tracy takes a few small steps back herself, grinning at Raisa without an ounce of mirth, taunting ever so sweetly, "Seen anyone familiar lately?" Just at that moment one familiar face pops up in Raisa's vision, Franceza practically throwing herself in front of Tracy, arms wide, glaring an unmistakable warning, "Back. Off." Charlie? Checking a gun, going about it as if it's routine.
Vessa Harden takes her hand off of Tracy's arm she puts both hands up and steps back with a frown. "Hey, people want to tear each other up that is their business, I just figured you had enough going on that you didn't want more attention," she indicates the gawkers who are beginning to surround the group. "Unless you want to end up in the papers again, of course."
Raisa? By either guts or insanity, she doesn't even flinch as Franceza appears in front of her, instead growling out a warning. "If you insist on protecting this bitch, then you're as corrupted and insane as she is," she snaps. "And Diri or not, you get into my face again and you're going to get hit."
"What's your /problem/! Fanculo, we can't go anywhere or we run into you punching around!" Franceza's anger isn't faked, she doesn't move an inch, keeping herself between Raisa and Tracy like a bodyguard would. "Leave us the fuck alone!" Tracy has dropped her hand from her gun now, again steps back, nodding her sympathy to Vessa and answers her, "You're right, this is hardly helping the position of humans in this 'verse." Oh, and she's good at playing the righteous party. But her main reason for relaxing is the big bulk of muscle known as Charlie being done with checking the gun, ready to point and shoot at a moment's notice.
Vessa Harden frowns and gets ready to move if fighting starts but doesn't make a motion yet she looks around and notices that the crowd has grown, fights or at least potential ones always being fun entertainment. "Look, can we try not to bring firearms into this, last thing any of us needs is a stray shot hitting a civvie."
"They're hurting Dirionis," Raisa says to Franceza, and only her. Her green eyes focus in on the other woman, honest and imploring. "They're hurting him. These people that you call friend are doing things to cause him pain. If you love him, how can you let them do that?" She takes in a deep breath. "You don't know me, but Franceza, please. Believe me that I just want to protect him from further hurt and harm."
Tracy lifts her hands a little, showing Vessa that she already had given up on shooting the person who attacked her, briefly checking Charlie's action readiness as he waits behind the female. From their position it's difficult if not impossible to see Franceza's expression, conflicts battling it out on that tell-all face. Raisa's touched a soft spot sure enough, the care and love for Dirionis burning bright in thos brown eyes, but a near mechanical barrier slamming in place when it comes back to protecting the woman who's taken care of her. "They're not," she implores in the end, "You've got it all wrong! They're helping me get back to him, why can't you see that. What is so incredibly threatening about that that it makes you wanna go all fist fight on us!"
Vessa Harden gives a nod to Tracy to indicate she noticed the lack of a weapon she keeps her eyes on Charile's gun and the situation but simply stands and watches not wishing to add any fuel to what seems to be a rather personal fire.
"What have they done to help you?" Raisa asks, shaking her head. "His base of operations is on Comorro. Have they taken you to Red Eclipse to ask for him?" Her eyes narrow in Tracy's direction for a moment. "Or have they talked a good game but not done anything?" She takes in a slow breath. "They're torturing him, just like they were torturing me. I don't know what sick game they're playing at, but you don't want to be a part of it. The woman Diri loved would never let herself be a part of it."
Charlie looks back at Vessa, shrugs, clearly doesn't give a damn either way. Tracy sets him into motion though, with just a single nod and the bulk of a man positions himself right behind (and over) Franceza, resting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing soothingly, basso murmuring, "Don't you listen to her none Fran, bitch clearly ain't right in the head." The spacer nods, but her glare contains more than just loathing for Raisa, confusion and compassion taking equal parts. "He ain't there," she tells the other firmly, "Now bugger off." She does, turning her back on the woman, walking back to the green eyed woman who smiles ruefully to Vessa. "Stressful days..."
Vessa Harden shrugs a bit and nods, "So it sounds like. I am sorry for butting in, I have no wish to stick my nose in it but I would prefer not to bring any negative attention to REM, in the news or otherwise. That and I would prefer not to see innocent people hurt just because they lacked the sense to walk on by."
[Skill System] Raisa tests her Persuasion skill at a modifier of 0. The result is 11. [Skill System] Franceza tests her Resolve skill at a modifier of +2. The result is 9.
Vessa Harden raises an eyebrow but doesn't move, she continues to watch and listen. She is still tensed and ready in case something happens however, she keeps her mouth shut.
"I swear to you, on everything that I am, I will do everything in my power to bring you and Dirionis together," Raisa says quietly. "I'll send out messages for him tonight. Before too long, the two of you should be back together and happier than ever." She holds out a hand toward Franceza. "We... he has been staying on Eiru, at the Bull and Hawk Tavern whenever he's not working on Comorro. We'll find him."
Eyes darting back to Raisa at those words, the longing on Franceza's face is unmistakable, near painfully so, "You will?" Now that the Lunite's no longer threatening Tracy, her dislike of her seems to have dissipated mostly. "I trust you," she murmurs to her before she places her hand Raisa's. Another look back at Tracy. The woman certainly doesn't look happy, narrowed eyes calculating, weighing. In the end a downright nasty smirk tilts her lips and she nods. Fran's free to go.
Vessa Harden relaxes at the seeming agreement between all parties to no longer threaten violence. With a sigh she takes off her hat and runs a hand through her hair shaking her head to herself before shrugging and replacing the hat. "He cannot be that hard to find, run into him quite often usually."
"Come on, sweetie, we'll get you set up with your own room and then we'll find him," Raisa encourages quietly. "I think he went off on another mission, Vessa. Something small enough that he didn't extra help." She shakes her head and pats Fran's shoulder. "We'll find him for you." Tracy just gets a warning look over her shoulder before she starts to guide the other woman away.
Tracy quietly watches as Fran and Raisa walk away, then takes her PDA out again, starts a programm and with no small amount of glee watches the bleep move along with the women. Kills the programm, tucks PDA away. A nod to Vessa, "Let the games continue." She turns and starts to walk in the opposite direction.
Vessa Harden nods agreeably at Raisa then shrugs, "Makes sense." she says as Raisa and Franz begin to walk off. She watches what Tracy does nods curiously then watches as she too begins to walk off and sighs, "Yep, another day in paradise I suppose." checking the time she curses softly as she realizes she still has hours before she needs to be on the landing pad, "I wonder what else will happen between now and then." before she continues to browse as she had been before it all started.
Raisa's normally impassive face is struggling to remain such but she manages to hang in there as she leads Franceza along, back toward the Spaceport.