Resourceful Encounter [Rita/Kegare]

Rita didn't appear to have her eyes waver as Keagre had her full attention at the moment. Rita just gnawed on the information being spoken to her in regards to the brothel. Given her own body type, there were certainly offers along the way to get into that kind of sex work. However, despite it flattering her own ego and vanity, Rita never had an interest in that life herself. Still, they didn't call it the oldest business in the world for nothing. There was money to be in it and she can tell the other woman did her best to manage with what she had.

"Sounds like you were a shark that devoured others when they had their guard down. You'd fit well enough in the cooperate and investment world as it's all the same."

Even as Keagre's smile widened, Rita cracked her own smirk at her as at the end of the day it didn't matter what type of market it was, there had to be winners and there were going to be losers. And those who could devour their completion, make them work with them, or otherwise knock out anything that is a threat to their bottom-line will live to see another day. Even when it came to the investment world, selling some hype dream to someone only to dump on them is how riches were made sometimes.

It was a cut-throat world, but that didn't mean humanity existed outside of this war for money and life. It is why Rita just kept her hand on top of Keagre's because having that physical touch grounded her when it was time to turn off that cut-throat persona it takes to make it in this world and revert to something more humane in her eyes.

"This world is a cold one, but even still, help is needed to make it. It's hard to go through life alone and it sounds like you just need someone there to give you guidance, have some muscle, and to keep you grounded."

Rita glanced back down at her hand as she pondered all these mushy sentiments about humanity. It was odd coming from someone like herself, but then again no one really grew up wanting to be cold. Most people start as a warm loving children, and perhaps that sense of self never truly fades away. The jaded experiences of adulthood just drown it out until the right circumstances push it forward. So, the woman pushed forward with that sense of self:

"I don't give a shit about risk as even if I get backstabbed, I'll just move forward. I come from the slums myself, and I know there is power in networking from all the gangs that stuck together. So perhaps we can work together on that since it's hard to find trustworthy people in this world. You seem stuck in growth, while I'm stuck in an emotional way. Which means we both have something to gain from the other I suppose."

Rita seemed a bit confused at first when she heard the laugh. If anything, the woman was sincere in her offer so she wasn't sure what the deal with Keagre was at that time. So, she moved her hand away as it seemed like she was intent on beginning to gather her things up to leave. Certainly felt like a total mood switch as far as Rita was concerned. So it led her to question if it was something she said internally for a bit before looking up at the other woman beginning to stand and pay for their drinks.

An eagerness to get back to her business world, eh? Rita closed her eyes for a moment and pondered if she was super ready to get back to it after deciding to want to take this evening off to find something to tether her to this world. So, she simply shook her head to disagree with that sentiment.

"Can't really say I'm in a rush to get back to it. Though, I will say it sucks to say you go. Will we at least be in contact so the night isn't a wash?"

There was a slight tone of disappointment, but Rita still cracked a smile as she left her a contact card that could easily get Keagre in contact with her in the future if she should need any help...or just to talk.

"Perhaps I should be blunter than before: I was hoping we could be friends or something."

After receiving Kegare's card, Rita slid the contact card down her own chest before looking back up at the other woman and listening to what she had to say a bit more clearly this time around. Since even she'd admit she was pretty high on her own supply for a moment there. So, her eyes narrowed in a bit as to her it appeared that her life has been moving so fast lately it was hard for her to really fathom not figuring a way to move forward. Ever since she lived in the slums, her only compass was to really just keep moving forward because her own circumstances were so awful she wanted to fly as far away from that hell as possible. So she slowly took note of her sense of disconnect.

"I think I get what you are driving at. I'll admit, I'm a pretty headstrong 'gal because that was the only alternative I could see other than dying in the slums I came from. Ya get so wrapped up in the game you lose sight of shit at times if you somehow manage to get good at playing the game."

There was a pause before Rita continued as she seemed to be thinking about how she was going to say the next words that came out of her mouth.

"More or less, there are some people that have events or circumstances around them that pretty much fuck over their life and trap them in a cycle they can't get out of when their luck, resources, or strength wears out. So even if I come out on top, I'm pretty sure my victory and the decisions that led up to it may have indirectly or directly caused someone to sleep with the sharks or take food from another person's mouth and caused a whole string of fucked actions in the world."

There was a bit of uncertainty felt in her tone of voice. Not out of a sense of insincerity, but from a place of contemplating the mortality of certain actions. The woman wasn't sweating or shaking in her boots, yet it wasn't something she particularly liked to think about too much. As above all else, Rita wasn't blind to the fact that all actions have a reflection in this world, but her mind wanted to numb her to that. So while it may come off as insincere, to Rita felt it was just a protective mechanism to make sure she could live to see another day perhaps.

So, if things have progressed so deeply in this conversation, there was no sense in holding on to that protective lens. May as well speak her truth:

"It's not something I like to think about too much because it will hinder my decisions, but I am aware of the cost of actions. It's unavoidable that people end up being on the losing side of deals, trades, encounters, or whatever else have you. So I guess I try to filter that out and use the blood on my hands to be charitable or show goodwill to people. I figure that's why I have lofty philanthropic goals so my own soul can feel some sense of equivalent exchange came from the negative outcomes my victories have produced in the world as I do not feel people have been as fortunate as myself and some part of my humanity feels it's just right."

After speaking those words out, Rita stood up and held Kegare's hand for a moment. It was as if she was just trying to feel something as this certainly felt uncomfortable to her to drudge through her own lens of the world and the mortality which coats her lens. So, after a few moments of processing things, she continued after looking Kegare dead in her eye:

"I guess what I'm trying to say is I know this world fails people. I've come from that failure myself and have done things that make me question if I even have a soul to make sure I could succeed, but I don't want to lose my humanity either and can remember that hopelessness I felt trying to escape when I was deemed unsavable or worthless. That's why I wanted to help as it's uncomfortable to say....but you had that look to you."

Rita face seemed a bit flush at this point, so she started to slightly look down at her feet, but quickly changed her direction to affirm herself this was her truth even if she wasn't used to speaking it so often. The bravado, grander than life traits of herself had eased so she could slow down and take the time to think about the ramifications of everything and try to connect to someone. That's all she sought from this she thought.

"Life is more complicated than I'd care to admit and neither of us thought we'd live like this, so I'd like to think this encounter was meant to happen as it's been a while since I had to confront that..."