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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 12, 2013 15:19:05 GMT -5
Taking another sip from her soup bowl, she smiled.
"I'm so sorry," she popped herself on the forehead. "I didn't introduce myself. Victoria, but everyone calls me Angel. Well, almost everyone. There were some thugs recently that had a few names that weren't so appealing for me. But I just like to help people. I've been in similar situations, where I can't find help, and I don't like to see others in that sort of predicament."
She took the last sip from her bowl, and a long swig from her glass.
"So, ready to hit the ports? Or do you want to know anything else before we go?"
She smiled. Her question was not in a condescending tone. She was more than willing to answer any questions that Juliet could want to ask.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 12, 2013 17:51:08 GMT -5
Juliet shook her head. The woman -- Victoria, she reminded herself -- seemed sincere enough, even though Juliet hadn't been aware that people were so nice out in the real world. "I'm ready to go."
When they stepped out of the restaurant, Juliet was prepared to take the lead and head straight for the ports before remembering that she was still something of a stranger here. She looked shyly up at Victoria and asked, "Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?"
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 14, 2013 7:04:38 GMT -5
Angel smiled at her question and quickly pointed in the direction of the ports. She followed the girl after.
"So what else can you tell me about Preston?" she asked. There had to be more, something they could go on to find him.
"Nothing strange or out of the ordinary before he left?"
She saw no way that he could have just disappeared without a trace. Not that it hadn't happened before, but really how likely could it be.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 14, 2013 19:47:12 GMT -5
What was more to tell? Was she supposed to talk about how his smile made her feel so strange inside that she could hardly keep from smiling back, or how she had even agreed to have kids as long as they were his? "He's ordinary," she said. "Probably one of the most ordinary men I've ever met. Not sure how well he could blend in anywhere fancy, but somewhere else on the Rim, he might be able to just vanish."
Juliet thought back to the time just before Preston had vanished. She had been a little distracted, she admitted, but she didn't think there had been anything odd. "He did seem a bit distracted," she said finally. "I thought it was because we had only recently gotten married. You don't think he was involved in anything clandestine?" She was about to say that her husband wasn't the type before remembering that he hadn't been the type to run off, either.
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 15, 2013 7:10:05 GMT -5
"No," she answered quickly, trying to put Juliet at ease. "No, I doubt he was into anything of the sort. I was just asking, trying to get something to go on is all."
As they reached the ports, Angel started looking around. She wasn't the most familiar with the ports herself, but she could tell by the looks of most if they were the captain.
"We should split up maybe, cover more ground. Ask the captains if they know anything. Offer coin, or our help with their crew if need be. What do you think?"
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 15, 2013 21:42:50 GMT -5
Juliet nodded. "It would certainly help us move faster." She turned to Victoria and managed a smile. "Thanks for all your help."
She started down the first row of ships, holding her head high and defying anyone to think she was frightened. While some of the captains or crew might be as eager to help as Victoria had been, it was easiest to assume that when they looked at her they would see a lost little girl, which she certainly was not.
The first ship she came to had a man standing out front. She strode up to him and said, "Excuse me, sir? I was wondering if you could help me."
As he looked down at her, Juliet realized that this could be a long day.
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 16, 2013 9:25:28 GMT -5
She smiled back and headed in another direction, as they had agreed splitting up would help them cover more ground. She went down the second row of ships, looking for someone who might have the appearance of being willing to help.
Angel knew a bit about ship captains, and the fact that a lot of them wouldn't just part with information without a price. She checked her coin and shook her head. There wasn't much left, but she would spend it if it would help Juliet find her husband. She walked right up to the first ship and tapped a man on the shoulder.
"Could use a little help. I'm looking for someone, may be off world, maybe you might know something?"
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 16, 2013 13:37:05 GMT -5
The man looked Juliet over slowly. "That so?" he said finally. "What do you need?"
"I'm trying to find my husband," she said. "Ranch hand by the name of Preston MacPherson. You wouldn't happen to know anything about him?"
The man considered for a while. "Don't think I have. You might want to ask Johnson over there." He nodded at a lean, scarred man dressed in a ragged coat. "They say he knows just about everything about nearly everyone."
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 16, 2013 14:47:42 GMT -5
Angel was having no luck. She had asked four who looked like captains already, and she was getting nowhere. She happened to look back and see Juliet as she was talking to one of them and started walking towards her, hoping that she was getting something to go on.
She smiled as she got closer to her and overheard the last few words of the man's statement.
She gave a 'did I miss something?' look to Juliet.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 17, 2013 18:30:04 GMT -5
Just as Juliet was about to go speak with Johnson, Victoria came back with a questioning look on her face. "I think I've found a lead," Juliet said as the man returned to his ship. "He says that man over there, Johnson, knows just about everyone that passes through here. I thought I'd ask about Preston."
She started to walk to Johnson but paused after taking a few steps and glanced over her shoulder, curious about whether Victoria would follow or consider her job finished. Whatever the other woman's decision, Juliet knew she would have to follow through with her questioning.
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 18, 2013 7:20:45 GMT -5
She followed Juliet to Johnson and saw her look over her shoulder.
"I'm still here," she smirked as she said. "As long as you need my help."
She had no intention of leaving the girl to herself out there, or letting her go on any ship alone with people she didn't know.
Angel had a few coins left, she hoped it would be enough to buy passage if needed, and she could always work as a gunhand if need be as well.
"Let's see what he knows."
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 18, 2013 17:56:41 GMT -5
Juliet couldn't explain why she was glad to see Victoria following her. After a few moments' consideration, she decided it was because the woman was genuinely concerned about her but wasn't trying to just get her back home. It was strange to be watched over and still allowed to make her own decisions, but she liked the sensation.
Johnson didn't look up even when Juliet was standing right next to him. "Are you Johnson?" she asked.
"Who's asking?" the man muttered.
"I was told you could help me find someone." She pulled some money from her pocket and showed it to him. "His name's Preston MacPherson, and he left Whitefall a few days ago. Have you heard of him?"
"MacPherson," the man said, eyeing the money in her hand. "The name sounds familiar. I believe a man by that name got on a ship headed for Haven. He seemed in a hurry to get off the planet."
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 19, 2013 7:15:54 GMT -5
In a hurry? Was he in some kind of trouble? Maybe he didn't want Juliet caught up in that, but he could've said something to her, at least an 'I'll be back.'
There had to be more, but she stood there and waited. It wasn't her place to add in to the conversation at the moment. She would let Juliet handle the questions, unless she saw where the girl needed someone to intervene.
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Post by Juliet Harwood on Mar 19, 2013 10:58:07 GMT -5
"Haven..." Juliet had heard of the planet, of course. Preston had loved telling her about the rest of the 'Verse, and he could talk for hours about nearly every planet and moon that had been settled. If he wanted to hide, Haven was the place to go. "Do you know if there's a ship headed there now?"
Johnson shrugged. "Ask around. Between you and me, though, I'd start with the Sally Ride. She makes runs out to Haven every few weeks, and she's leaving port today." Johnson nodded to his left. "Ought to be about two berths down that way."
Juliet dropped a few coins into Johnson's hand, thanked him, and hurried off.
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Post by Victoria Angel Paulsen on Mar 19, 2013 16:31:12 GMT -5
She followed Juliet, more than willing to continue to help out until the girl told her she was ok. Besides, the captain of the Sally Ride would probably want coin for passage, and Angel would help out however she could.
So she followed until they got to the ship and slipped a purse of coins into Juliet's hand when the captain wasn't looking. She gave a nod and a slight head motion, signaling to offer payment to the captain for passage to Haven.
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