Chapter 16: After

"How's he doing?" Revy asked as Dutch emerged from the apartment. Wolf was in pretty bad shape when they brought him back. After he had been shot, Revy was the first one to reach him. She had shown more emotion than she normally would, something she regretted now. But nobody had noticed, apparently.

"Better," Dutch told her. "He's awake. I told him to drink a lot of water. The doctor Chang sent did a good job fixing him up." That was good news. Too many people had died during that business today. It would have been too much for Wolf to die too.

"He's a tough bastard," Revy said, leaning her arms on the railing. Dutch grunted.

"That he is. But Kane was a tough bastard too. The more shit this city sees, the less sure I am that we'll survive it." They were both silent for a while. "I'm heading out. Got a meeting with Chang and Balalaika. I figure they might want to know what happened here today." Considering many of their people had been killed, that was an understatement. Balalaika in particular would be undeniably upset at the death of her comrades. Their sacrifices would not be overlooked. They meant far more to her than any other individual in the city meant to their boss. Dutch descended the stairs, entered the car and left. From what they had heard, the Black Marchers had almost been completely eradicated. Those that hadn't been killed or executed had fled the country entirely. Their organisation had essentially been wiped out earlier today. Kane's death only made it all the more official. They weren't coming back. Even if another lunatic hell-bent on war tried to resurrect the mercenary group again, they would be unsuccessful. The Black Marchers were dead, for good this time. It gave Revy intense pleasure to know that every last one of them had been beaten, in one way or another. They had trifled with the wrong enemies. Roanapur rarely saw alliances forged like those that had been done during this war. It was rare to see something like that. But it also spoke to the willingness of the city's people to defend against a foreign threat. It would serve as a message to future aggressors who might try and take the city that they would fail. Wolf stumbled out of the apartment, bandages covering almost every inch of his torso. He had been badly hurt today.

"You look like shit," Revy told him. He laughed.

"Thanks. That's what I was going for." He coughed then, his hoarse voice still not entirely recovered. "That was one shitty day."

"You said it. Yellowflag tonight?"

"I could use a fucking drink," the assassin admitted. Both of them were silent as an eerie tension swept in over them. They both had a lot on their minds, more than they were willing to share.

"You never did ask me about that day in the military base," Revy came out with. That statement confused Wolf. "Sif's hideout in the forest." That made more sense. Wolf could feel himself becoming more uncomfortable by the second.

"I was there," he reminded her. "I don't need to ask about it."

"Still, you're probably the only fucking person not to ask," she continued as she placed her hand down on the railing next to his. "Rock, Dutch…hell, even Benny was prying at one point. But you…you just let it be. I don't know how I feel about that."

"I didn't need to ask," Wolf told her, turning to face her. She did the same. "I knew. From the look on your face, the hysteria of your voice…I knew all I needed to know. There was no reason to ask." Their faces were mere inches apart. Revy could feel his breath as he spoke. She thought about turning away, about leaving him there on the balcony. But something inside her kept her there, her eyes fixed on his. This unfamiliar feeling inside her that she had for so long suppressed regarding another had shifted its attention to the Wolf this last while. Judging from his behaviour, his actions, he was in a similar position.

"So…what now? You got yourself shot to shit. And you heard Kane out there. Storm's coming. You better be fucking ready when it does." It almost seemed for a moment as though Wolf might lean in and kiss her. He was incredibly close to her, now, and his eyes were not fully open. She closed her own in anticipation of what was to come, whether she would submit to him or punch him uncertain. But nothing happened.

"You should let your barrier down more often," he told her, taking her by surprise. "There's more to you than meets the eye." He hesitated for a few seconds, as though debating internally about what he wanted to do. Ultimately, he turned around and left, entering the apartment once more. And so the moment was over. Revy turned back around and leaned her head on her hands.

"Fuck…"

"Kane is dead, that's all that matters," Chang claimed, taking a seat across from the already-seated Balalaika. Dutch remained standing. He had come here with the hope of convincing the city's leaders that Roanapur was not entirely safe yet. Kane's last words had been haunting, and they were by no means wrong. All that mattered now was whether the Triad and Hotel Moscow were prepared to listen.

"For now, we must focus on the city, Dutch," Balalaika told him. "Roanapur is still recovering from this chaos. When the time comes, we will be ready to deal with whatever comes our way." That was all he could ask for, he supposed.

"If anything comes our way," Chang weighed in. He was likely more in denial than anything, holding out hope that Roanapur would not see any more heartache than it already had this year. Dutch nodded before leaving without another word. He hopped back into the car and massaged his temples, letting out a sigh as he did.

"Did they listen?" Rock asked, who had come along out of curiosity about whether the city's leaders were ready to continue fighting. Sometime, someone would attempt to cause more trouble than even Kane. When that time came, Rock prayed they would be ready.

"Balalaika came the closest," Dutch told him. "Chang is still convinced the worst is over. I just hope he changes his mind before the end."

"He will," Rock claimed. "He has to unless he wants to watch the city burn worse than ever. What do we do now?" Dutch sat up in his chair and started the engine.

"Simple. We go on like normal. It's back to the grind starting tomorrow, Rock."

Wolf entered the boathouse to find Roberta. She was sitting against the wall, looking out at the sea and the stars reflecting off the water.

"You did it," she told him as she came to her feet. "You beat him."

"Just about," Wolf joked. "That could have gone a lot worse."

"We…almost lost you," Roberta told him as she strode over to him unsteadily. "But Kane is dead now. He will threaten us no more." That was the highlight of the year, as far as Wolf was concerned. While killing his former mentor, Sif, had indeed been a major turning point in his life, the novelty of taking her out had worn off. Now, Kane's death was all that concerned him. It gave him no small amount of pleasure to know the Black Marchers had finally been driven into extinction.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly. "For killing him. There's no telling what would have happened if you hadn't." Roberta smiled as she placed an affectionate hand on his arm.

"Of course." Wolf returned her smile before turning to leave only to feel her hand grasping him tightly. He turned to look at her, the expression on her face uncertain but longing.

"I…I don't want to be alone tonight." That was a bit unexpected, but welcome, in Wolf's opinion. He immediately went to her and kissed her full on the lips, placing his hands on her hips. He would remember this night, the calm before the storm. Soon, he may not have the luxury of finding comfort in others. He would treasure what time he had.