Anyone think I forgot about this one? Nope. Just have a job.
As always, don't own BlazBlue.
The life of the most wanted criminal in all of history wasn't always a glamorous one as shocking as that may be to believe. You always had to look over your shoulder, sneak through less than favorable areas most of the time, and openly moving around in public for any reason was basically begging to get jumped. The fighting itself wasn't a problem, naturally, but it was a pain to have to clean other people's blood off your clothes constantly. At least he was gifted a red coat by his master. However, more than any of that, Ragna missed having a regular damn bed to sleep in. He had grown fond of camping to an extent, just as Jubei assured him he would, but there was absolutely no beating the simple comfort of a bed. So many people took for granted how they didn't have to find shelter every night from the elements, or worry about what creatures might try to disturb them, or have to use a piece of cardboard as a blanket.
Definitely not Ragna's proudest moment there.
For all these reasons and more, the world class criminal just didn't feel like bunkering down in an alleyway for yet another night in a row. Which is why he found himself craning his neck to stare up at the most ridiculous and overblown hotel he had ever seen in his life. The tower had to be over one hundred stories tall and if the inside was as half as nice as the outside, it was surely the place to be. A technically homeless guy such as himself could never dream of even setting foot in the lobby for more than a few minutes. Hell, Ragna didn't think anyone aside from the obnoxiously rich like Kagura could afford a single snack from the minibar, let alone an actual room.
Luckily, Ragna had certain…methods he figured could swing him a room.
He strolled right up the steps with confidence, a young man holding the door greeted Ragna with a curt bow. The man seemed tense, perhaps recognizing who was waltzing pass him, but at least suspicious by a less than well off looking individual. Still, Ragna paid him no mind and continued through the lobby unabated. The place really was top notch, the criminal would have to admit. Whoever built the place clearly spared no expense—as evident by such features as the big ass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Though even the more standard fixtures such as the front desk were more gussied up than the entirety of some other hotels he had crashed in.
The douche at the front desk looked like he had a thousand platinum dollars in his uniform, too.
Eat your heart out, Valkenhayn.
"Good evening, sir, and welcome to the Grand. How may I help you?" The man at the desk greeted Ragna as he walked up. While the words he spoke were polite enough, there was a clear inflection in his tone that said he didn't think Ragna belonged there.
And boy was he in for a surprise.
"You got a room here with my name on it." Ragna said, leaning one arm on the desk, acting like he owned the place.
"Mm, I see… Well, sir, I will need you to provide a proper photo ID so I may locate your room in our system then." The man probably believed himself to be calling Ragna's bluff. Probably planned on calling the NOL the first chance he got.
"Sure thing." The criminal spoke casually as he dug a hand in his back pocket. "I think this should do it."
In a flash, Ragna produced a piece of paper and slapped in on the counter for the man to see. The picture was as completely off the mark as it ever was, but the message itself was still loud and clear. It didn't take long for the truth to dawn on the hotel attendant either. As soon as he looked at the wanted poster all of the color drained from his face and he broke out in a cold sweat. His breath hitched in his throat as he slowly turned his teary eyes up to look at Ragna who gave him a sharp grin in response.
"Y-You…y-you're…"
"So? My room…?" Ragna leaned in as he let a threatening edge sink into his voice.
"Y-Yes! Of course! My…my sincerest of apologies for the delay, uh, sir! I need but a moment to get your key for you!" The man stumbled back, his shaky legs barely supporting him, as he reached for the container holding the keycards for rooms.
"Pretty sure I had a penthouse reserved. Just sayin'." Hey, if he was getting a free room for the night then he might as well get the best room in the house, right? Go big or go home, as they say.
"Right! That went without saying, sir!" The hotel staff member yelped, dropping one keycard he already grabbed in favor of another. "Only the best room in the house for you, sir!"
The man practically tripped over himself as he held the card out a full arm's length away for Ragna to take, who then took a second to regard the man. The guy seemed like he was on the verge of passing out. Either that, or pissing himself. Based on the first impression, he was probably just another high society jerk, but Ragna figured he could at least set the guy at ease somewhat. Let him know his life was in no immediate danger.
"Look, pal, trust me when I say I don't want any trouble here either. All I want is a place to sleep for the night. As long as you don't go and do anything stupid then no one will even know I was here. Am I being clear enough for ya?" Ragna was speaking calmly now.
"I…I… Yes, I understand, sir… Thank you, sir." The man said, but he didn't look any better.
"There, that so hard?" Ragna snagged the card before stepping back from the counter, making the man flinch. "Trust me, so long as you keep this to yourself I will be out of your hair before you know it."
"A-Alright…thank you very, very much…"
With that, Ragna turned and walked away. At this point he figured he could just quietly hold up in his room for the rest of the night. He was already getting a free stay in one of the nicest hotels in the entire world. He didn't want to cause any more trouble than he already had to. It would be simply to play the model hotel guest, he mentally told himself.
Yet, on the other hand…
"You know," Ragna came to a stop without turning back, earning a yelp from the hotel attendant. "I could just kill for a good steak right about now…"
"A-Ah! S-Say no more, sir! I will see to it that you get the finest steak we have to offer!" The man stuttered out, already fumbling with his phone.
"Perfect." Ragna waved as he continued on his way. "You're the best, Jeeves."
With that, the criminal made a B-line to the elevator and called it down with the press of a button. Stepping inside once it showed, he gave his card a quick glance and pushed the button for floor one hundred and fifty—the top floor. Now this was one tall ass tower, Ragna thought to himself. Would be a hell of a view once he got to the top, too. Part of him, the little devil on his shoulder, was saying he could probably get away with staying for a couple nights and just enjoy himself. He knew better though. Aside from not being the smartest tactical decision to hang around in one place too long, he did have some semblance of a conscience instilled in him during his childhood. At least when he reflected on these less than savory actions of his he could just imagine Jubei shaking his head in disappointment. Likely give him a hard swat to the back of the head while he was at it. So as long as he wasn't a total dirt bag, he would stick to limiting this sort of behavior.
At least for the most part.
The ding of the elevator interrupted Ragna's pondering of his moral ambiguity and he continued on his way forward without a second thought. Giving his keycard another glance, Ragna made his way down the hall more than ready to drop into an honest to goodness bed for a change. Just as he spotted his door, Ragna also noticed a young man in a bellhop uniform frantically pushing a full cart from the other end of the hall. There was just no way, the criminal thought to himself.
"Hey, is that for me?" Ragna called out, which prompted the bellhop to look up and visibly jump when he saw who was addressing him.
"Uh, y-yes! Yes, sir! Definitely you!" He stammered as he backed up a bit with his palms as if to say he didn't want any trouble.
"Goddamn, you guys don't screw around. Here, lemme just…" Ragna said as he went digging into his pocket for a few bucks. Yeah, so he wasn't totally broke. He always liked to hold on to a little bit of money for special occasions, and considering the staff actually managed to meet him at his room he figured that much earned the boy a small tip. That was, until he sensed a presence in his room. A very familiar one, too. "On second thought, go ahead and clear out, kid. And make sure everyone knows to steer clear of my room tonight. Got that?"
"Y-You got it, sir! Enjoy your stay!" The bellhop nodded rapidly as he turned tail and hauled it back the way they came.
Alone for a second, Ragna grumbled as he grabbed the cart and readied his card. He really shouldn't be surprised about this latest turn of events, he told himself. He just wasn't allowed a single peaceful night, was he? Yet there was no sense in beating around the bush, so he swiped his card to unlock the door and walked inside to greet his very unscheduled visitor.
"Quite the room you have found for yourself, Ragna."
"Rachel…what are you doing here?" Ragna sighed at the older woman's antics while pulling off his gloves, his cart of food already forgotten as he pushed it off to the side. It was so like her to pop up out of thin air like this. Although, the black nightgown that was loosely draped across her body wasn't something she would usually leave the castle with. Hell, she would barely leave her own room with in such an outfit.
"I hardly need a reason to come see you, but I'm sure if you really pushed yourself you could figure it out all on your own." The vampire teased as she fanned out her long, silken hair. The signature 'rabbit ears' that normally held her hair in place were nowhere to be seen—something she only did when relaxing in the evening or when she had other more…adult activities on the mind.
Ragna pondered her words a second as he removed his sword from his hip and kicked off his shoes, "Yeah, alright, I'll give ya that one." There really was only one reason she would pop up in his ill-gotten hotel room wearing such a lacey number and lay about with on hand propping up her head and the other on her hip for maximum seductiveness. He was no genius, but it certainly didn't take one to figure out what the heiress of the Alucard house had running through her head.
"Now that we have the obvious out of the way, I too have a question for you, boy." Her tone shifted from one of pure playfulness to one with a minor tinge of annoyance, but Ragna paid it no mind in particular as he crossed the room. He had a feeling where things were heading, however his attention was already being pulled elsewhere. The place really was nice as all hell, the man thought to himself. Features like a massive wall mounted tv, fully stocked bar, and furnished sitting area redefined what Ragna thought of hotel rooms. Though there was plenty of junk by his standards too. The oversized dresser against the wall stood out to him.
Who brought that many clothes with them on vacation?
But he put those thoughts aside for the time being.
"Shoot." Was the criminals lax reply, more preoccupied with shirking off his heavy coat and letting it drop to the floor so he could start unbuttoning his shirt.
"Even as nice as this room may be, why would you choose to spend a night in a hotel? If it's a bed you want then you know the gates of my castle are always open to you." Rachel questioned, peering back over her shoulder to regard Ragna with genuine intrigue in her voice.
"Yeah, your castle is great and everything, but it ain't exactly easy to sleep over there. Having a moon twenty-four seven really screws with my internal clock, you know? Besides…" Ragna tossed his shirt to the side as he leaned his forearm against the massive window that made up one whole wall of his penthouse suite. He could see the entire city laid out before him sparkling like a starry sky. "I'm almost positive you mess around with the clocks to trick me into hanging around longer." Ragna cast an accusing glance the vampire's way with his reflection.
"…You can prove nothing." Rachel pouted, turning her nose up at the mere suggestion. Ragna to chuckle at her behavior. He could catch her red handed and she still wouldn't give up an inch.
Always the sly, little minx.
"But the main reason I came here was because I need some actual sleep for a change, Rach. I mean, let's face it, the last thing I'm usually doing at your castle is sleep."
Rachel rolled to her back and lazily kicked her legs in the air. "Oh, woe is you. Your absolutely gorgeous lover sometimes keeps you up a tad late in her king-sized bed within her massive estate as her butler prepares meals around the clock. You poor, poor man. The world weeps for you, Ragna."
"Such a little shit…" Ragna groaned as he rubbed his weary eyes. She could go from total ice queen to the most spoiled princess so fast it would give a regular person whiplash. She was so lucky that he didn't know how to say no to her needs. And more importantly had the stamina to back it up. Still, nothing was stopping him from taking things at his own pace. He gave a quick stretch before turning to lean his back against the window with his arms crossed, and eyes still glued to the cityscape. "Would it kill ya to relax for a night? Take in this nice view?"
Rachel blinked, rolling on her stomach to face Ragna's way. The city was alright, she supposed, but it wasn't the sight she was happy to be drinking in. It was the image of Ragna leaning against the window that caught her fancy. His eyes were half lidded and his mouth was just ever so slightly open as he breathed, which caused a steady rise and fall of his chest. It made him look so calm, so serene in her eyes. It was rare but it made Rachel happy to see him like this. She knew better than anyone how tightly wound he always is, and his gripes aside, she also knew the only time he really let his guard down was when he was at her castle. Though, to his point, she also did enjoy the way the city illuminated his body from where she was sitting. Seeing his shirtless form was also stirring up her hunger for him even more. Oh yes, she was hardly throwing in the towel now. He was sure to get all the precious sleep he wanted and then some after she was done with him, she reasoned.
"Yes, the view is lovely…" Rachel conceded, her voice trailing off as she propped herself up on one hand. "Though it would be even nicer if you would step closer and allow me a better look."
Ragna glanced out of the corner of his eye at the vampire giving him the look from her spot on the bed and had to suppress a grin. Yeah, he knew what he was doing. Rachel wasn't the only one who was able to play the tease. Sure, he didn't have the finesse and nuisance his older lover had, but it didn't take much from him to tease her back he eventually came to realize. Just hanging around shirtless like he did the trick to put Rachel in that mood easily enough. Not that he had to do even that much considering that was Rachel's intent from the start. He figured she was starting to get frustrated by this point, too.
Well, good, Ragna decided. If she wanted to disturb his sleep for yet another night then he deserved to play with her for a bit.
Pushing off from the window, Ragna made his way toward the bed with a slight saunter in his movements. Rachel's smile widened with each step he took and she shifted her body so she was once again laying properly on the bed with one hand propping up the side of her head. The vampire used her free hand to pat the empty side of the bed once Ragna came to a stop—inviting him to finally join her. His eyes lingered on her body, her lacy lingerie and ample curves already breaking down his resolve to abstain for just minutes longer as he knew would happen. The criminal kept his eyes off Rachel for that very reason. He was never able to control himself whenever she wore anything the slightest bit revealing even after all this time. Not like it was his fault, though.
She looked damn good, and she knew it.
But he still had a little bit of spite left in him.
Making a big show of yawning, Ragna turned his back to Rachel mid-stretch, instantly putting a frown on the older woman's face. He didn't see it, but he knew. Moving comically slow as if he were an old man, Ragna began undoing the buttons on his pants. Plenty funny to Ragna, but Rachel was not amused. The woman tapped her fingers against the bed, not in the slightest bit entertained that her lover was doing his best impression of a feeble old geezer. Still, when the pants dropped, Rachel had to fight down a small grin.
Ragna wasn't the only one in the relationship that appreciated a fine derrière.
Just as he was bending down to tug the pants off his feet, Ragna felt a quick pinch to his rear that made him bolt upright with the smallest yelp. Shooting a look over his shoulder, he was met with a cat like grin and a wink from his woman. Well that figures, the criminal thought to himself. Even when he was the one being a tease for a change, she still had to one up him. There was no chance he would be budging the queen from her throne, he supposed and once he kicked his pants away and finally flopped onto the bed.
If there was one thing that could not be denied, it was that the bed lived up to the hype promised by the rest of the hotel's atmosphere. It was comfy, that was for damn sure. Though it admittedly did not quite stack up against Rachel's personal bed, but he was hardly picky. It beat a patch of grass or the pavement of an alleyway and that's what really mattered. Shifting and snuggling in place, Ragna stretched his arms one last time before settling them behind his head with a satisfied groan and let his eyes drift shut.
Which simply wouldn't do, Rachel thought.
Deciding it was time to put an end to Ragna's little game, the vampire crawled the short distance between them to drape herself across his exposed chest.
"Ragna~" Rachel purred. "What's wrong?" She punctuated her question with a kiss to his cheek followed by another and another as she moved down to his neck.
"I already told ya, baby, I'm tired." But Ragna's voice was the furthest thing from stern as he couldn't so much as keep the grin off his face. Though he did manage to keep his eyes closed.
"Oh? Too tired to even pay any attention to me?" Rachel whispering into Ragna's ear sent a shiver down his spine, and he certainly couldn't hide that. The criminal peaked an eye open to regard the vampire. She was tucked against him, one leg wrapped around one of his own as she lazily massaged his chest and gave him the textbook definition of bedroom eyes.
Now how could any man say no to that?
Ragna woke the next morning to a particularly annoying banging against the door of his hotel room. It just had to be a dream, he reasoned as he fought to keep his eyes screwed shut. All the staff knew damn well who was staying in the room, so there was no way anyone would dare wake him up. Not unless they had a death wish, of course. It would die down before long and he could spend all the time he wanted in dream land.
"Ragna…oh, Ragna~" An angelic voice sang to him. Yes, very dreamlike indeed. However, the sharp pinch to his cheek was not in the slightest bit dreamlike. "Up and at 'em as they say, you lazy oaf. Be quick to see who it is making that awful racket so I may return to my slumber."
The criminal's eyes finally snapped open, immediately displeased with the amount of sunlight pouring into the room, and faced the woman next to him. Rachel was clinging to his side just as she was when he knocked out for the night, clearly a bit peeved to be woken up, but aside from slightly tussled hair she looked the same as always. That was nothing new, though. She always woke up looking fully rested. One of the perks of being a vampire, he supposed.
Lucky little shit.
"Mornin' to you too…" Ragna groaned. At least someone got to enjoy their rest.
"How you could even sleep through all that knocking is beyond me." Rachel said as she detached herself from her young lover, clearly indicating it was time for him to get up and solve the problem.
And seeing as it was too early to argue he did just that.
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Ragna gave his neck a quick crack before stretching out the rest of his limbs. He had to hand it to his little vampire, she sure knew how to wear him the hell out. When they were finished with each other he felt like he could sleep for days. Well, if he could actually go undisturbed for a change. For now, he had issues to address, or more specifically find out what nut job would dare disturb him. Rising to his feet, Ragna made his way around the bed while gazing out of the corner of his eye at the cityscape. Not as impressive during the day, the criminal decided, but the sunrise wasn't too shabby either.
But there was no dwelling on the sights as some pain in the ass kept up the steady racket at the door.
"This is probably your fault, you know." Ragna yawned as stepped forward.
Hearing him speak made Rachel perk up a bit. "Is that so? What ever gave you that idea?" She questioned, rising on her elbow.
"Well, seeing as a certain someone couldn't keep a lid on it last night I'm guessing it's a noise complaint." Ragna knew best that despite being rather soft spoken normally, his vampire sure had a set of lungs on her. Probably woke up half the damn hotel.
"I believe most men would take that as a compliment." Rachel grinned without an ounce of shame in her voice.
Ragna rolled his eyes as he reached out for the door knob. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya already! What the hell do you w—WHOA!"
The criminal's angry tirade was cut short as a large man in a blue uniform tackled him at the waist and knocked them both into the hotel room right by the foot of the bed. More men, all soldiers of the NOL, were quick to flood the room and assist in pinning Ragna to the ground. They wasted no time to grab his arms and legs as others stood by with weapons drawn just in case. One man in particular stepped forward with a sword pointed at the writhing pile of soldiers trying to restrain the struggling Ragna.
"SS-Class criminal Ragna the Bloodedge! You are wanted for multiple counts of murder, trespassing, property damage, theft and other various heinous acts! For these actions were hereby place you under—"
"Really? You devise a plan to capture the most dangerous man in the world who has already claimed hundreds of your men and you believe you can subdue him with a tackle?" Rachel, who had crawled to the edge of the bed still wrapped in a blanket, addressed the apparent commanding officer of the operation. "It's no wonder you haven't been able to capture Ragna after all this time."
The officer had to do a double take. "A… A woman? Hey, we have a civ—"
The Librarian was cut off once more when a roar of effort from Ragna was instantly followed by one of the soldiers pinning him being kicked into the air and getting embedded in the ceiling from the shoulders up. With a limb free, Ragna was able to thrash around enough to knock the rest of his attackers away and send them retreating back the way they came. Weapons were at the ready as the criminal dragged himself to his feet, though they all looked less than confident.
Ragna, on the other hand, looked livid.
"Oh, you are gonna get it!" He stomped forward and when the commanding officer attempted to take a swing with his sword, he easily batted it aside with the flick of his wrist and in the same motion grabbed a handful of the officer's hair. With a quick twist of his hips, and with no effort at all Ragna yanked the soldier off his feet and spun around, throwing him across the room and clear through the window.
"Dear me, and we are rather high up, aren't we?" The Alucard heiress said aloud to no one in particular.
The show of force shook up the remaining troops, and when Ragna turned back to them some even screamed and fled the room entirely. Take on down and they always fall in line, the criminal had discovered some time ago.
"Where ya going, guys!? You bastards call that room service!?" Completely enraged now, Ragna dug his fingers into that obnoxiously large dresser and lifting clear over his head. "At least take the laundry, assholes!" The remaining soldiers were clever enough to see what was coming and cleared out of the room before Ragna hurled the dresser in their direction. The resulting impact smashed the wall and barricaded the NOL officers out of the room.
Ragna stood there breathing heavy, half temped to throw himself through the wall and chase them down one by one.
"You know…" Rachel suddenly speaking up snapped Ragna out of his blind fury. "Surprise attack or not, I am a tad surprised they kept you down as long as they did. Losing our touch, are we?"
Ragna clicked his teeth at that. "Yeah, right. It had nothing to do with the fact I was up the majority of the damn night. That, and…I can barely feel my legs, okay?"
"See? I'm taking that as a compliment." The vampire's grin could not be smugger.
"Would just zip it already!?" The criminal barked as he started searching the room. "And you're gonna wanna get your shit and clear out. There is no way they sent a group that small after me. More are gonna be up here any minute. Where are my pants!?"
"I believe they landed somewhere behind the bar." Rachel responded as she too finally got out of bed, peeling the blanket away from her body and straightening out her hair.
Ragna was quick to jump behind the counter of the bar and drop out of sight. "Found 'em!" He called out a second later as he stood back in to view. With his pants back on, he moved to step away from the bar but instead he paused. Without so much as blinking, Ragna snagged a random bottle of liquor before smashing it against the rest of the shelf, effectively destroying the entire stock.
"And what ever possessed you to do that?" Rachel raised an eyebrow in question.
"Time to cost this damn hotel some money." Vengeance was a dish best served immediately, that was his motto. He punched the tv as he moved to collect his belt and sword while he was at it. "If I ever see that douche at the desk again I'm gonna knock his teeth in. The bellhop too. Might as well get the doorman while I'm at it. Screw it, complimentary ass kicking's all around!"
"Do you really think you have time to brutalize the staff with the NOL likely surrounding this building as we speak?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Guy can dream, can't he? But speaking of, you better hurry up. I ain't in the mood for a slaughterhouse so I'm gonna hightail it out of here." The criminal said, strapping his sword into place at his waist.
"Very well. I will only need but a moment to freshen up."
"Good…" It took a moment for Ragna to register what the vampire said as she waltzed toward the bathroom. "Wait, what?"
Rachel paused, leaning against the doorframe to face Ragna. "Don't tell me you expect me to participate in your daring escape in such a state as this?" She said, gesturing to her body.
"Why are you staying at all!? Just teleport!"
"But what would be the fun in that, Ragna?" The Alucard heiress fully turned to regard the man as she crossed her arms. "You see, while I have watched you 'work' plenty of times, I have never seen it firsthand. I think it would be rather thrilling, and as such I will be joining you for today."
The criminal mashed the heels of his palms into his eyes.
"You can't make sense for one damn day, can you… Fine! Whatever, but let's go already! I'm not waiting for you!"
"Oh? So, you just have your way with me and then leave me at the mercy of your pursuers? Is that really all I'm worth to you? Such cruelty! I thought there was something special between you and I, Ragna!" Rachel cried out the fakest cry possible as she wiped away tears that didn't exist.
"I…! You…!" Yet somehow it still worked to guilt Ragna just enough. "They are gonna be here any minute you know!"
"Well then, be a man and hold them at bay for a moment. As I already said, I must freshen up." Still fully intending to do as she pleased, Rachel flipped her hair and turned her back on Ragna once more.
"Why you little…!" Ragna growled. First, she took over his night (though he wasn't complaining too much) and now she was expecting to do the same to his morning? While he is under attack? She had better think again, Ragna decided. In one fell swoop, the criminal rushed across the room, scooped up his coat, wrapped it around Rachel and threw her over his shoulder like she was a bag of flour. The vampire landed on her stomach facing the opposite way from Ragna. Once she had her bearings she pushed up against Ragna's back, struggling against his arm that kept her pinned, as she attempted to face him.
"What on Earth do you think you're doing!?"
"I'm doing things my way!" No more explanation was needed as Ragna lifted his foot up and slammed in back into the ground, causing the pair to fall right through the floor. Before the dust even settled, Ragna strode forward and ripped the door to this new hotel room off its hinges. Peeking his head out, he made sure the coast was clear. They surely heard the sound of him smashing through an entire floor, but with a bunch of nervous soldiers running up to the floor above him, Ragna figured he would at least get a head start in his escape. Seeing no Librarians around, the criminal tightened his grip on his little passenger and took off down the hall.
"And what exactly is your play, boy?" Rachel questioned at a normal speaking voice.
"If I could just sneak pass the bulk of them, I should be able to plow through the rest no problem. After I hit the streets they will never catch me." Ragna explained in a whisper as he peered around another corner. "And would you keep it down!?"
"What's the magic word~?" The vampire sang, still making no attempt to lower her voice. She was actually louder if anything.
"Bitch!"
"How rude!" Rachel gave Ragna's shoulder a slap that of course did nothing to him. However, when she heard soldiers nearby a new means of retribution came to mind. She cleared her throat. "Help me! Oh, help me! The nasty, terrible Ragna the Bloodedge is making off with me! Won't someone help me?!" She knew her 'damsel in distress' performance was flawless.
And it made Ragna go wide eyed. "What do you think you're—"
"Hey, I think I heard someone call for help this way!" A voice likely belonging to an NOL operative was heard from down the hall.
The criminal spat a curse as he flattened his free shoulder against the nearest door. "Rabbit, would you shut your damn—"
"If only a daring, brave soldier of the NOL would and vanquish the evil Ragna the Bloodedge I would be every so grateful! If only~"
"I heard it too! It came from this way!" The sound of footsteps rapidly drew closer.
"You are the WORST!" Ragna burst from his spot against the wall and sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him just as the NOL showed up at the opposite end of the hall.
"Here, here! He's down this way, gentleman!" Rachel called out now giggling up a storm. Well, Ragna didn't think it was nearly as funny. He just about had enough of it, too. "Quick! Save me! Save me-EEEEK!" The vampire shrieked when Ragna's hand suddenly and sharply made contact with her rear.
"I told you to shut up already!" Luckily the chase was coming to an end as Ragna spied his way out—namely the elevator. Wasting no time, the criminal dug the fingers of his free hand into the elevator door and tore in it open. After making sure the elevator itself wasn't below him, Ragna hopped right in without a second thought. As the fleeing pair quickly neared the bottom with the wind rushing pass them, Ragna drove his right hand into the side of the elevator shaft to slow their descent and spare his legs some soreness. The landing was rough, but nothing he couldn't handle. Ramming his fingers into the sliding doors of the elevator just like he did before, the criminal yanked the door aside and ran out into the light of the lobby ready to drink in some sweet fresh air.
"FREEZE!"
But, as his luck would have it, he was of course greeted with a room packed to the gills with nothing but NOL soldiers. The world sure had one nasty sense of humor.
Too bad for the Librarians that Ragna could be just as nasty.
More than ready to put an end to the morning's silly antics and take out his frustrations on something, Ragna snatched the sword from his hip and swung it out above his head.
"You want it? You got it! Slaughterhouse it is!" His bellow was enough to visibly shake the soldiers standing in his way.
"Now, now, no need to make a mess. Now that I've had my fun we can return home." And with a simple wave of Rachel's hand, Ragna found himself standing square in the middle of Alucard heiress' room. He was frozen in place, so utterly incapable of processing what just happened, that he offered up no resistance as Rachel wiggled out of his grasp and hopped down from his shoulder. She went about shrugging off the heavy coat and straightening out her hair while Ragna could do nothing more than lower his sword and blink.
He caught up eventually, though.
"What was that!?"
Rachel peered back at Ragna, feigning ignorance. "What was what…?"
"Why didn't you just teleport us from the start!?" Ragna yelled, finally finding the strength to step forward.
"I told you already, didn't I? I wanted to see you work. Besides that, you never asked me to teleport both of us." Rachel said matter of factly as she passed by Ragna, patting his cheek. The man himself could only stand there opening and closing his mouth like a fish, completely unable to comprehend his lady's latest act of lunacy. She carried on business as usual though. "Now I am going to do what I intended to do from the start and freshen up. You are welcome to join me if you like, boy. You need to make it up to my poor backside, you know~"
"Screw that…I'm getting the other side! Come here!"
Ragna gave chase to his little rabbit, who could only giggle as she was scooped up once more and swept into her bathroom.
"Lord Kagura, we have a status update from the Grand regarding the Ragna the Bloodedge situation." The officer announced as he entered the room.
Kagura ran his hand through his hair. He really was going to have to give Ragna an earful the next time they hung out. The Black Knight had to wonder if the guy even understood half the work that was created every time he through a hissy fit. And, really, bumming a night in a hotel room? He couldn't even pick a run-down place that wouldn't ask twice if he wanted a place for the night? Hell, if he was going to make a habit of this, Kagura would be willing to just let Ragna crash at his place every once and a while.
But for now, he had a job to act interested in.
"Let's hear it, soldier."
"Aye, sir. We attempted to apprehend Ragna the Bloodedge in his room, but the attack failed and resulted in the death of two men. He managed to evade us and when he made it down to the lobby he must've used some sort of teleportation Ars because the report stated that he seemed to have vanished."
Kagura doubted that. He knew that even with the Azure Grimoire, Ragna could only manage the most basic of stuff. Regardless, the whole ordeal could've been worse from the sound of it. At least Ragna refrained from going on a rampage for a change.
"Understood. I appreciate the info, soldier. I'll be heading down to the Grand to check things out myself shortly." Kagura said as he rose from his seat. Honestly, he just wanted an excuse to get some fresh air.
"There was one last interesting detail to the report, sir. Unlike every other time Ragna the Bloodedge was sighted, he wasn't alone. He had a woman with him."
"…Go on." Now that he certainly wasn't expecting to hear. Ragna with a chick? There had to be an explanation.
"Yes, sir. When we confronted him in the hotel room, there was a woman on the bed. She made no significant movements and she was believed to be a civilian. Considering the situation, she was assumed to be a hostage of sorts, and it seemed to be confirmed when she was supposedly heard called for help. However, after reviewing security footage from the hotel's cameras, we believe she may have been an accomplice in some capacity. Here is a still that was taken." The officer handed Kagura a piece of paper.
There was going to be some stupid explanation, Kagura told himself as he took the photo. If anything, it was just going to be that cat girl, Tao, that Ragna mentioned follows him around from time to time. Yet when he laid his eyes on the picture, his jaw dropped and he fell right back in his seat. He couldn't believe it.
It had to be a prank.
He must have forgotten that he was drunk.
There was no other way he could explain why he was looking at a picture of Ragna running down a hall shirtless with none other than Rachel Alucard draped across his shoulder, wrapped tightly in his own coat as she looked like she had the time of her life. He knew the woman had a soft spot for Ragna but he already made it THIS far!? Has Ragna just been keeping secrets from him? Really, really good ones?
There was only one thing he knew for sure.
"Ragna, you lucky bastard…"
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