Rebuilders & Raiders Part II: Beskar Boogaloo (D10, LE)

[Raven Cadera]

Having done her part for the Resistance in the state she was in, too injured to fight alongside the others, Raven figured she would make herself busy after she had had much of the day to rest and recover some after, and returned to the Raider's camp. Her arm still hurt like hell, even after Dredgen had looked at it, but it would probably take another day or two to feel better again.

Hopefully the day had given Reibelle some time to cool off too.

By now a familiar face to the Raiders, Raven still politely inquired of the Valkyrie's whereabouts as she moved through the camp rather than just assuming she could move there as she pleased. No need to test the other group's hospitality needlessly.

[Meiyokashi]

Rezzie was back on her feet despite a few heavy hits the other day, walking Raven through the camp with her hands on her hips like a gunslinger. As they walk she glances over a shoulder, "So... everyone by you okay?" she asks, a little trepidation to her voice.

All around them the warriors of the raider camp were beginning to back up their things. In a day or so's time they would be heading off on their way. With the spoils from the raided transport in tow they had plenty to sell and plenty creds to keep them all flying for a while. High spirits seemed to stretch throughout the camp.

[Raven Cadera]

"Everyone's fine," Raven assured her, keeping her helmet at her side as they walked. "Banged up and sore, but that's how you know you're still alive, right? Some rest, and we'll be back in shape."

That the Raiders seemed to be packing up was interesting. "... Going out on a prolonged raid, or are you leaving Bellionas for good?"

[Rezzie]

"Nah, we're outta here," she says, taking a quick glance around. "Don't usually stay this long but with the whole split thing happening.. kinda like a whole buncha people I knew are just gone now," her voice loses a little of her natural north, a sadness in that.

However, it doesn't last long as- since her helmet is off- two imposing red iris-less eyes look back to her, sizing her up, "You're Varina's friend, right? She said you were but... I'm not sure yet."

[Raven Cadera]

Well that... certainly made things easier. She technically wouldn't have to enter into an awkward conversation with Reibelle about the cache in her own home now. But, it seemed prudent to do it anyway. Once Rezzie was ready to let her see Reibelle. Raven offered a hand to the Chiss' shoulder, leaving enough time in her own movement for Rezzie to shrug away from it if she wanted. "For your loss, I'm sorry." While it was only words, Raven meant it. She had wanted to settle it between just her and Carid early on, but he had led her on this chase. And... she wasn't blameless herself, with Ketsu and her folks. Though Ketsu probably would have remained a danger to the Enclave if left alive.

At the question of Varina, a look of genuine surprise cross her face, but one that is more pleasantly surprised. "I-- I try to be," she said honestly. "I try to be like family to her, considering her own... family, friend, whatever she finds she needs, really. I know I'm not perfect, but I try." It wasn't like Varina had good role models to look to anyway in her life.

Raven stopped for a moment, sighing--- only to be reminded of not taking deep breaths like that as she winced slightly. "If she's said I'm her fiend, I'm honored to hear that. Considering how prickly she is at saying anything nice most of the time about someone, I'd trust her word on it." At least she could do a brief chuckle.

[Rezzie]

"Wonder if she's so prickly cause the folk calling themselves friends also say things like," she pauses in her step and glances to Raven, "'Quit whinging and control yourself, child,' kriff was harsh- and on display," she says, continuing to walk. Like an old-west gunslinger seen nowhere, never, which probably meant she could coin the walk if no one else had. "Don't think I've ever had a friend say that to me.." she continues, looking up toward the sky.

[Raven Cadera]

Raven gave Rezzie an unimpressed look. "Good friends will tell you when you're acting the fool, and yes, call you out on it in the moment. Considering that it was the first meeting between our groups after what had happened, in front of your most respected member, while we were surrounded by all of you possibly with intention to attack, and she was the one to initiate an unprovoked attack that could have turned everything hostile...? Yes, I did what I did. It was fortunate it went well."

Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I appricate that the two of you get along, that you care for her... but how well do you know her? Or what relationship she and I have?" She didn't want to say directly that Rezzie seemed to care more for Varina than the other way around.

[Rezzie]

"I just saw a girl sitting in the dirt alone, without any friends giving her so much a glance," she shrugs and saunters a bit more before turning and facing Raven. "And I dunno? Not a whole lot. Doesn't seem the.. expressing things type," she shrugs.

"Which is fine, think she needed a friend then- someone who might get to understand her bigger picture, I was there," Rezzie measures her a second, lowering her arms a little as she glances away.

"Stupid..." she mumbles to herself, looking back, "holding back on something? Wanna say something, say it," her shoulders raise a bit as she props them up from her passive hold on her blasters.

[Raven Cadera]

"You're right." Raven agreed. "She probably needed a friend then, someone who was better for the task than me at the time too. As I said, I try my best to do what's right... in the moment, I had to choose and the role I was in required me to teach her that what she did was not ok."

Taking a breather Raven touched her helmet idly. A gesture to remind herself of all she had gone through to get here, and that she still wasn't up to the expectations everyone had. You would've handled this much better than me, Robin. "And that's where I'm at. I'm her friend, but she's also someone who needs a parent... and she looks to me for both. And I can't always be both at the same time. So... I do appricate you being there for her. I do. Because when she wants me to be the parent she wishes she had, I can't also be her friend."

Not that Varina would admit that.

"I'm sorry. To you and her. That I'm not better and that I haven't been at my best. It's... not an excuse, I genuinly mean it." While the words were directed at Rezzie, Raven meant it for more than just her. And this. "I... do hope you'll continue to be the friend she needs. But, I didn't come here to fight or argue with you. If there are more of my failings you wish to bring up, go ahead."

[Rezzie]

Hands hooked on her blasters the red irisless eyes gauge Raven, it's a slightly unsettling feeling as she can't quite tell exactly what Rezzie's looking at or for like she normally might but this time Rezzie didn't seem keen on giving a facial expression to mask it, to allow Raven to feel a little more at ease. Instead she just thinks, calculates, and measures. For a moment.. it seems almost reminiscent of the way everyone views Chiss, how their nature is just different from other people.

But.. it wasn't, and the context enough would prove that either now or in hindsight, but for now, "You're.. real screwed up in the head, aren't ya?" she says, her tone's neutral. "Have to choose between being her friend and her parent? That sounds kriffed beyond belief and.. worst bit, I'm not really sure who it's worse for. If she's looking for a parent in you? That's kriffed. If you're just giving it to her? That's kriffed," she grimaces a little with the thought.

"And- real talk?" she smirks, like she hasn't been already. "You're.. not supposed to be everything for everyone, you know that right? Kriff you're.. what? Couple years older? Humans always age so.. weird," she shrugs, shaking her head. Back on topic, "You're not her mom and I say that for her and you," she says, and steps forward sticking her finger in Raven's chest. "Ya got that?" she says, with what must feel like a sudden smile.

"Anyway.. yea, I'm gonna keep being her friend if she wants. She.. seems to not mind me around too much? She's.." she shrugs, not sure what she was gonna say exactly.

[Raven Cadera]

Raven stands still, trying to gauge Rezzie in return though those red orbs don't really betray much of what is going on. Then... she listens, as Rezzie speaks, even up until Rezzie pokes her chestplate. At which she looks away for a moment, silent.

A brief, pained, chuckle breaks her silence after a while, and she shakes her head as she brings the armored hand up to brush the black hair from her face.

"I suppose I needed to hear that. Th---" she paused and rubbed her forehead. "You're right. I'm only a couple of years older than her... I think. I've just... led a very different life than her. Part of me probably envies her a bit even that she still has parents, though estranged, and that she's still afforded the opportunity to be a kid, a teen. And all that entails." While she didn't spell it out, it was obvious she was someone who had to grow up too early, someone who had never had the chance to get caught up in the things Varina did - or be a sullen teenager.

"Thank you. Sometimes, I suppose you need an outside voice to clear the head. I can't promise I'll turn a new leaf right away, change overnight, but... I'll keep it in mind, going forward. I just... I just want what's best for her. For all of my people." She sighed, knowing fully well she couldn't give that to them.

She had lost everything once. She knew loneliness too well and never again wanted to be all alone in the galaxy now that she had a family of sorts. And in her eagerness of having it all again, Raven understood she might not have done the right thing to convey how important they all were to her. That while her actions were with good intentions, it didn't make them right.

Swallowing the thoughts for now, the young woman patted Rezzie on the shoulder. "She hasn't told you to go away, so already you're on the road there to be friends with her. Just be patient with her."

[Rezzie]

"I am- have been.. plan to be," she says, putting her hands back on her blasters as she steps back a step. Not one to overstay a welcome. Still, "Look.. a lot of us had that, right? Just.. different versions of that I guess? Maybe's its some kriffed thing in the way we were put together that made us all wind up here, eh?" she says with a brief smile, a shrug and the warmth was replaced with that passive cockiness to her.

"Moms.." she hesitates and shifts, like she walked herself into a wall, "anyway, my dads a prick. So.. I'm here, and not back home.. well, what he'd want me to call home. Mom's family was cooler anyway I mean have you seen these jetpacks?" she said with a gleeful smile as she turns around, the jetpack worn underneath a thermal cloak. "Anyway.. point. You don't gotta change tomorrow or.. whatever just, ya know.. figure it out or something, yea? Maybe get someone who'll call you on your crap? Raiders always had that for me and.." she steps back in a showman manner, arms out, "I turned out fine," a smile, a chuckle.

[Raven Cadera]

"I'll be sure to remind my partner to be more direct at calling me out," she said with some humor, thought sincerely spoken. "I will figure something out. Somehow."

Rezzie's enthusiasm over the jetpack amused her even if it wasn't one she shared.

"... As much as I appricate this talk, is the Valkyrie around? There was one last thing I wanted to talk about, before our groups say goodbye."

[Rezzie]

"Oh, yea- course," she gives a nod over her shoulder, and then saunters off much as she had before, "this way."

[Reibelle Ordo]

Rezzie eventually leads her back toward a small training area they'd set up and not taken down yet. A training droid set in front of her Reibelle was in half-armor as she wailed on the poor thing. Though it tried to put up a fight it wasn't quite making any ground with Reibelle. Thing looked like it was set up for intermediate boxers, probably taken from some Imperial ship along the way.

[Raven Cadera]

Who was she to get between a Mandalorian woman and the outlet of her frustrations? Not someone with a death wish, that's who.

Raven took up a spot nearby, letting Reibelle see her, but not moving to interrupt her. She had waited a while for this conversation, it could wait a bit more. And hopefully not find herself on the recieving end of the Valkyrie's workout.

[Reibelle Ordo]

Reibelle beat the bot senseless to the point of nearly breaking a bit off of it, but she finishes after some minutes following Raven's arrival. The Valkyrie giving a rather stunning display of martial skill. A woman trained and born to fight. That she would be a woman who felt wasted as a mother could be understood, in only the most basic sense of the word. As understanding something does not mean to accept it. Still, the woman was her own, and she was here. Each breath sucking in hefty amounts of air, each one a focused endeavor to normalize herself quicker.

Walking over toward Raven she started undoing a few bandages around her knuckles, "Thought you'd be gone after your.. deal with Carid," she said, glancing to her and giving a suspicious look.

[Raven Cadera]

She straightened slightly, not quite able to hide her admiration of Reibelle's skill.

"Soon," Raven spoke, her own calm and almost friendly tone a contrast to Reibelle's suspicious one. "Got one last personal thing to do here first. And I do first want to thank you, for your help. Our groups might not have... grown closer, after what happened but still... thank you. I hope it means we can fight the Empire together again some time in the future."

While it might not have been something Reibelle cared about, Raven at least wanted to convey that honestly. Valkyrie and her people hadn't been obligated to help her and the others, but they had. And it meant something.

"As for my personal reason for being here... I've been holding off on this until things were settled. A secret cache of Mandalorian supplies is supposed to be here in this crater somewhere, hidden away years ago by a traitor to clan Cadera who was partially responsible for the murders of my family, and accepting those goods as payment for his treachery. I wish to know if that is something the Raiders have found here... if not, I will have to look myself."

"I hadn't expected to see you guys packing up to leave, but it didn't sit right with me to just wait until afterwards and hope for the best."

[Reibelle Ordo]

"Would have caused you to waste your time too.." she comments, sizing Raven up for a moment and then pointing with her head. Walking she lead Raven elsewhere by nature of the conversation not being quite over as she walks away. As they walk, "Sorry but.. your cache of Beskar you're hoping for? Wasn't this one but we did find something. Not a whole lot that was useful, and none of it to us but," she stops, waves her forward to have her catch up.

"Better if I just show you," she says, and then continues walking toward her ship. Rezzie, having made the handoff, is now plainly out of view and off onto her own thing.

[Raven Cadera]

So the search wasn't quite over yet. She had been prepared for that, but it was still a bit bitter to her.

Following Reibelle's lead, she swallowed the bitterness and focused ahead. "Guess I was getting my hopes up..."