Bullet XXVII

After Rock returned to the apartment, in addition to casually commenting on the shooting Revy caused at Bao's bar, he dropped that little bombshell that they were taking off to Japan for a season.

Hansel didn't care about leaving Roanapur, in fact, he was a little happy to finally be able to move around a bit, as he wasn't used to spending so much time in one place. His sister didn't seem to care either. And although Rock had complained that he didn't like the idea of traveling, the way he was organizing everything, he did seem a little excited.

"So..." -Said Hansel, watching casually as Rock searched for clothes suitable for the cold temperatures for him and his sister, since Rock had practically dragged them to the noisy city market to shop. "Will we be traveling to a foreign country, in the middle of an armed conflict between Yakuzas and Russian soldiers?"

"Yeah, that would sum up the current situation nicely.". -Rock said, not stopping his work of selecting clothes.

Even though he had already bought a good amount for the three of them, and didn't seem to intend to stop any time soon.

Hansel smiled. He was looking forward to meeting that guy with the sword who almost killed the grumpy bitch, the one Gretel talked so much about the other day. He regretted his decision to have agreed to stay at Yellow Flag that day, as his sister told him a lot of interesting things that happened at the strip club. "Cool."

Rock turned to look at him, disapprovingly, almost as if guessing his thoughts. "And none of us will meddle with that."

Hansel's smile fell a little. "Not so cool."

"I'm serious, Hansel. If those gangsters want to kill each other, that's their business, not ours."

His sister, who was looking disinterestedly at the clothes on display in a booth, snorted. "Says the guy who meddled in those gangsters' business in the first place."

"That was something different." -Rock hastened to retort. "Things have changed, the fact that Balalaika is taking a good portion of her men to Japan indicates that she has no intention of involving us in her little war game...probably, so it's best not to change her mind."

"Oh, so that means you can get in trouble, but we can't?"

"Exactly."

Gretel rolled her eyes. "What's this, Boss, do-what-I-say, don't-do-what-I-do?"

"Your answers have been too sarcastic lately, young lady."

"And whose fault do you think that is?"

"In any case." -Hansel interjected, to avoid an discussion. If those two started with their replies and sarcastic remarks, they would never finish. "It will be nice to visit an interesting city for a change. I've heard a lot of crazy things about Roanapur, but so far I haven't seen anything worthwhile."

"What about what happened at the strip club the other day?" -said Gretel.

"That doesn't count, because I wasn't there."

"What about the missile thing at the church?" -She got a little smack on her head from Rock, which made her roll her eyes again. "Oh, right, I forgot there was no missile."

Hansel shrugged his shoulders. "Chasing a priest to take off his arms and legs with a sharp axe is not something interesting, it's just a game."

The clothing stall salesman, who had so far pretended not to hear the conversation, as he was more interested in calculating how much money he would swindle Rock out of, slowly turned his head toward the boy. "What a disturbing way to play."

"That's what makes it fun.". -Hansel grinned mischievously at him. "You want to play too?"

The man said nothing, just backed up a step.

Rock gave the salesman a hard look, finally getting him to retreat back inside his concession stand. Then Rock returned to his original task of selecting clothes.

"Japan isn't that interesting either." -He said. "In fact, it is the complete opposite of Roanapur; a quiet and pleasant place. Of course, that's if you ignore all that mafia shit under the carpet. There are no crazy and absurd situations there, just peace and quiet."

"I see..." -That put Hansel off a bit, who let out a sigh. It looked like he wouldn't be seeing much action again. "Sounds like a boring place."

To his surprise, and his sister's, Rock also let out a sigh. " Yeah... Japan is pretty boring."

It was a really simple job, so much so, that Revy considered it almost an insult to his combat or destruction skills, or both.

The job was to sail to the coast of Indonesia and then dive into the ocean to find a submarine sunk 50 years ago, or to be more specific, a painting that was inside it, and then deliver it to a Nazi-loving geek.

They were in the right area, or so Benny had assured them, but since the Black Lagoon's radar couldn't identify exactly what was on the seabed, Revy had to take it upon himself to go down and investigate if it was that damn submarine, since Dutch and Benny didn't know how to dive.

Five times.

She had to put on that suit, the oxygen tank and that uncomfortable mask five times in a row. She liked diving, and it was perhaps the only entertaining thing about this job, but even that was starting to get tedious after she had done it several times. Especially if it was for nothing.

That the radar had mistaken a Coke can for a submarine was only funny the first two times.

So, after that new failure, they were taking a little break.

And Revy couldn't think of a better way to kill time than to conduct a mandatory diving course for Benny. Dutch had been spared because he was basically the boss, and was much harder to intimidate and subdue, so Revy could only take it out on her other partner.

However, the result was disconcerting for her and Dutch.

Benny was equipped from head to toe with scuba gear, but the problem was that, for some reason, he was unable to dive properly and was now floating face up, drifting carefree. Fortunately, Benny had tied a rope to one of his feet moments before entering the water.

Although originally, Revy had given him that rope to signal, by means of two tugs, when he should return to the surface. But now she had fallen into the role of being the anchor for her partner.

Revy looked at the rope in her hand, tempted to let go and let Benny get lost in the ocean.

But in the end she decided against it, remembering that she didn't know how to use the boat's radar, so she just tied the rope over the side of the boat and let Benny play in the water for a bit, hoping that a shark would notice and attack him.

That would be fun.

"He looks like a piece of wood.". -commented Dutch next to her.

"No." -Said Revy, deadpan. "Even wood sinks, he doesn't."

"Well, now we know that Benny-boy has a secret ability."

"An ability as useless as its owner. Tsk, this is total decadence, Dutch."

He gave her a sidelong glance, or so she thought, because with those dark glasses, you never knew if Dutch was looking at you or not. "What's the matter, are you bored?"

"You're not?"

"Nope. A quiet, relaxing job doesn't hurt once in a while, Rev'."

"Well, this is some boring shit to me." -She replied. "Right now I feel like I'm wasting my time, when I could be doing something much more interesting."

"Something like what?"

"I don't know, man, anything. Maybe you find it relaxing to bask in the sun and watch Benny play shark bait, but not me. We're supposed to be on a job, damn it, not on a fucking beach, where are the bullets and explosions?"

However, Revy knew she was being unfair to her boss and Benny, her boredom and bad mood was not their fault.

Normally, after a period of inactivity, she would be happy to return to work. But after experiencing that last shitstorm she was involved in, a delightful fight to the death with a psycho who deflected bullets with a fucking sword, it was very hard to rouse her enthusiasm for normal jobs like this, even if money was on the line.

She'd rather be in Roanapur, getting into all kinds of fun and exciting trouble, than stuck on a boat watching Benny float around.

Revy regretted that Rock and his brats hadn't been able to participate in this job, the three of them sure would have livened things up a lot.

Dutch, although relaxed and sometimes even joking, was not a talkative person. Especially when they were in the middle of a job. Benny was better in comparison to his boss, but he didn't have that ability to drop witty remarks that amused her.

And neither of them were brave enough, or stupid enough, to mess with her and piss her off a little. Only Rock was the only one who did it deliberately... although Eda did from time to time.

Rock was possibly the least serious person she had ever met, except when he had to be, to the point of making her laugh, and she couldn't remember when was the last time someone had willingly made her laugh, without the need to make that person suffer first, either physically or psychologically.

Thinking about him only made her mood sour even more. But fortunately, her boss spoke again and was able to distract her.

"Okay, I'll make a note to pick a more exciting job next time.". -said Dutch, but without sounding annoyed. Actually, he was smiling with amusement. "But when we get in trouble, and someone or something wants to kill us, I don't want to hear a single complaint from you."

"Nah, I'll thank you when the time comes.". -Revy gave a sharp tug on the rope to get his partner's attention. "Oi, Benny! Break's fucking over, get your skinny ass over here!"

"How am I supposed to do that!?". -Responded Benny from a distance, his voice carrying a slight tone of panic.

"Well, by swimming, idiot!"

"I just forgot how to do it!"

"You're useless!"

After they had settled into the hotel that Balalaika had reserved for them, Rock asked her permission to walk the streets and show the twins a bit of Tokyo. She agreed to his request, as the real work would begin in the evening.

After a few laps around the surrounding area, the short walk led the trio to a fair, where the children showed interest in exploring it and ended up entering.

Although the fair was large and beautiful, there was almost no one in the place except for the few vendors, so it was fairly quiet. Rock assumed that this was normal, since it was not a holiday or vacation. If that were the case, the fair would surely be crowded.

While they browsed around a bit, Rock decided to sit on a bench at a small stall selling toys, anime character masks and other knick-knacks, smoking a cigarette as he waited patiently for Hansel and Gretel to return from their exploration.

"Still, Japan sure is small, isn't it?" -Rock said, turning to the person sitting next to him. "Although I know this is your territory, so to speak, I didn't expect to find you precisely here, Matzusaki-san."

As expected, Ginji didn't say a word to him. He was as still as a statue as he stared at the ground with a scowl on his face, in an apparent rude effort to ignore Rock's existence.

"I wasn't expecting this side of you either, though.". -Continued Rock pressing. "You sell children's toys during the day, cut off heads at night?"

"You got a problem with that, Gaijin?" -Said Ginji, taking the bait.

It was hard to determine whether or not he was actually pissed off, as he kept a deadpan mask on at all times and his voice didn't show any alteration either. However, that alone made Rock want to mess with him a little. "No, no, no. Frankly, I think it's kind of cute of you."

"I'll kill you."

Okay, maybe Ginji was a little pissed off. But Rock was aware that, if he really wanted to kill him, he would have done it by now. So Rock continued his game without worrying about the threat to his life. "But you'll stain your toys with my blood."

"I can clean them." -Ginji replied. "And there are different ways to kill someone without the need to spill their blood.".

"Maybe, but think about this; if you kill me, my immortal ghost will stay here to annoy you every day."

"...Damn."

Rock smiled at his small victory. Messing with Ginji was almost as much fun, and dangerous, as messing with Revy.

At the thought of her, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Revy, along with the rest of the Black Lagoon crew, had left Roanapur for a job, so she couldn't join him this time, which made him feel a little sad. But then again, Rock thought that was for the best, too.

Putting Ginji and Revy together was a bad idea, given their history of starting sudden fights to the death. But if that combination was coupled with Chaka, for whom Revy seemed to have a deep dislike, then it was nothing more than inviting disaster.

"You know, I won't be in Japan for long, Matzusaki-san. Can we be friends in the meantime?"

"No."

"Instant rejection, huh..."

"Don't you have something else better to do?" - Ginji asked. Apparently, he had given up on the idea of avoiding a talk. "Other than annoying me while I'm working?"

Rock saw nothing wrong with responding, as the information wasn't exactly a secret. "Well, we arrived in Japan a few hours ago. Miss Balalaika and her men are still unpacking and preparing their equipment, and since the meeting between your boss and her will be tonight, I have nothing better to do until then, so I decided to go for a walk."

"Your Russian comrades seem anxious to get to work."

Rock nodded grimly.

As they had agreed earlier, tonight Bando would give Hotel Moscow a list of targets to eliminate. Balalaika would accept them and put his men to work. Which meant that, within a few days, much blood would be spilled in the quiet, pleasant streets of Japan.

Maybe sooner, considering how enthusiastic Balalaika was about starting wars.

"If you're thinking of backing out now...". -Rock said, carefully. "You knew what the deal was, and you had time to discuss it with your boss."

He did not want to think about that possibility, that the Washimine would cancel the agreement and break the alliance due to a sudden change of heart, but that did not mean that danger was not there. If they thought that by being in Japan they would be saved from Balalaika's fury, they were terribly mistaken.

Fortunately, Ginji cleared up their doubt quickly. "It's not that. I'm just still not entirely comfortable with the idea of getting help from those Russians."

"Oh...yeah, I think I get it." -Rock grimaced. "I, too, am not amused when my country becomes a battlefield."

"Battlefield?" -Ginji snorted. "That's where you're wrong, Gaijin. If the reputation of your Russian comrades is true, then this will be a massacre."

Rock couldn't find a retort for that, as he was correct.

In Japan there were no criminal organizations like the Triad or the Visconti, forces powerful enough to curb to some extent the aggressive moves of the Hotel Moscow, there were only Yakuzas attached to the rules and restrictions of the country, who performed discreet jobs so as not to draw attention to themselves.

But those rules and restrictions didn't apply to the Russians, just like discretion, since they didn't give a shit.

With no rivals to oppose them, this gang of bloodthirsty militants would have a free hand to cause all sorts of mayhem. Once fully installed in this new territory, Hotel Moscow would be like a cancer for Japan, starting from the bowels of Tokyo and then spreading to the rest of the country.

'And it was me who brought them here, I let that cancer in.' -thought Rock bitterly, losing his previous good mood. He again let out a sigh, only this one was longer and more tired.

"Tell me something." -Said Ginji, finally turning to look at him. "What kind of person is Levy Tsu Hando?"

Rock blinked a couple of times at the sudden question. "Why...?"

"Curiosity."

"I see. ". -Rock frowned in a serious expression. "That's a bit complicated to answer..."

Revy was someone complicated, unstable, volatile, who reacted aggressively very easily, so he constantly had to be careful not to push all the wrong buttons on her, although that didn't stop him from messing with her to some extent. Rock also didn't forget that she was an international criminal, and a homicidal psychopath.

But Revy could also be surprisingly friendly, and even kind, in her own gruff way.

She was someone bad, yes, but not absolutely evil.

"Revy is perhaps the most dangerous woman of all time, but, deep down, she is a good person.". -Said Rock finally. "However, I can't help but think that she's also a little Tsundere."

"Tsundere..."

"Yeah, I mean, she's more tsu-tsun, than dere-dere, get it?"

"Not really.". - Ginji returned his gaze to the ground. "But I guess it doesn't matter. Anyway, like I said before, I'm working, so buy a toy or get the hell out."

Rock again agreed with him, but couldn't help rolling his eyes at the blunt way he said it.

Technically, even though the fair was nearly empty, Ginji was working and he was bothering him. Besides, the kids were out of sight, and while he was confident they wouldn't get into trouble, there was nothing wrong with being a little careful around them.

With that in mind, Rock turned his gaze to the toys Ginji was selling. He wasn't really sure which one the twins would prefer, if they even liked toys in the first place, so he thought he'd pick a few at random.

Then Rock noticed one that particularly caught his eye and pointed to it with his finger. "Ah, I want that one."

"I'm sorry to sound a little rude for saying this, but..." -said Gretel, expressionless, as she saw the bag full of toys Rock had left hanging on his seat. "Aren't you a little old for that, Boss?"

She, her brother and Rock were in the cafeteria of the hotel where they were staying, as it was lunchtime. But because the hotel managers were not used to receiving so many people at times other than vacations or holidays, the employees were having a bit of difficulty getting organized and serving so many guests at the same time.

It didn't help that almost all of those guests were quiet and very serious Russians.

It was also a bit amusing to watch the nervous waiters running around carrying trays of all kinds of food.

"Bullshit.". -answered Rock, after swallowing a mouthful of his food. He was eating leisurely, unlike Hansel, who was devouring his food eagerly. "No one is old enough not to play with a Rubik's cube."

Gretel noticed one particular toy sticking out of the bag. "However, I see you also have a gun."

"Oh, yes, it's a Cutlass."

"I thought you didn't like guns."

"I don't like them, I bought it on impulse because it reminded me of the guns Revy uses." -Rock looked at her. "But it's a gift for her, so I can't give it to you. Next time I'll buy you one."

"I think you've already bought too many toys." -Replied Gretel. "Besides, I like other models of guns."

"I'll buy you a Cutlass, and you're going to like it." -insisted Rock firmly, pointing his finger at her.

Gretel couldn't help but roll her eyes, something she was doing more and more frequently, given the amount of bullshit Rock was capable of spouting. And that was worrying her, because Rock was acting too relaxed for her liking, given the nature of the work that Hotel Moscow, and by extension they, were doing in Japan.

The small wound he had on one of his cheeks from a gunshot wound he received a few days ago was a reminder of what could happen if Rock went too far with his witty remarks. Not everyone was like Revy, who was able to put up with Rock's bullshit without feeling like shooting him. Or maybe she did feel like doing it, but she restrained herself.

And it was probably the second option.

So, because Revy wasn't present, Gretel had to give Rock his dose of seriousness.

"Do you think we're on vacation or something?" -She said. "Because if you don't remember, these Ruskie's are here to take out a Yakuza group."

"I know." -Said Rock.

Gretel knew she should be serious about this, but she couldn't resist at the thought of messing with him a little. "And by take out, I mean kill them, tear them apart, butcher them."

"I know that too."

"Cut them into small pieces and then grind them up to make stuffing for-"

"You don't need to be so specific!" -" Rock exclaimed, covering his ears, getting her to chuckle.

After a moment, he uncovered his ears. His expression was now more serious. "I'm perfectly aware of why we're here, Gretel. That walk and toy shopping was just for you two to have a little fun, before everything got more serious."

"And I appreciate that, Boss, but I'd rather you understand the gravity of the situation and not act carelessly."

"No need to be worried though, I already told Revy I wouldn't get in trouble with the Russians and the Yakuzas."

"Does that mean you won't get into any more trouble while we're in Japan?"

"Girl, we both know that's not going to happen.". -Rock replied, causing Gretel to roll her eyes at him. "Just kidding, but if it makes you feel any better, I promise I won't look to get myself killed. Besides... -He pointed his thumb at the toy gun, smiling. "I got to take a toy to a bitter gunwoman."

Dutch and Benny watched with growing concern a huge ship that had suddenly appeared not far from them.

That set off Dutch's alarm bells, as the site where the Lagoon company was located was not marked on any shipping route, so that was most likely the competition looking for that painting. Which was a pain in the ass, because the Black Lagoon's radar had finally picked up what appeared to be the submarine they were looking for.

But the situation became even more complicated after that ship began to sound some trumpets in a low tone and in a marked military rhythm.

Upon closer inspection, through binoculars, Benny was able to identify a symbol on a flag hanging on the side of the ship. "I can't believe it…" -He said, lowering the binoculars, with an expression of disbelief. "That's the swastika?"

Dutch looked at him. "You're telling me there are some fucking Nazis on that boat?"

"Looks like it."

"Dude, are you kidding me?"

"I'm afraid not."

At that moment, Revy emerged from inside the Black Lagoon, her hair loose and disheveled, along with dark circles under her eyes. It looked like she had just gotten out of bed. "Who's the motherfucker making such a fuss so early in the morning?"

Dutch and Benny exchanged glances. It was high noon, but neither of them dared to correct her.

"No idea." -Said Dutch finally, returning his attention to the ship that was most likely an enemy. "Looks like they're Nazis."

"What, are you kidding me?"

"That's what I said, but it looks like it's true..."

"How in the world did they get so close?" -Revy turned to his other partner, frowning. "Isn't it your job to keep an eye on radar and stuff like that?"

"Not exactly, I'm a mechanic and a hacker.". -Benny replied. "I'm the one who does maintenance on the Black Lagoon, and gets information on most of our jobs. Besides, I didn't check the radar because I got distracted playing Metal Slug."

"Asshole, don't sound so proud of the shit you pulled!"

Dutch lowered the binoculars and turned to them. "That doesn't matter. Benny, raise the Thai navy flag and try to communicate with them, maybe they're just some fanatics paying tribute or something, so we could scare them away."

Benny nodded and walked over to a small radio on a table. After successfully establishing a connection between the two ships, he turned on the communicator. "Attention, this is the White Heather.". -said a voice with a thick German accent. "Identify yourselves, degenerates."

"Degenerates?" -said Revy, raising an eyebrow, then grabbing the microphone before the other two could. "Listen, you Nazi shitheads, we may be a group of ex-cons and tiger hunters, but none of us are degenerates."

"Hold on a second." -Said Benny, pointing to himself. "I've never been to prison, nor have I ever hunted tigers."

Revy again raised the microphone. "Correction, White Heather, we do have a degenerate here."

"Hey!"

Dutch took the microphone from his employee, earning a complaint from her, and cleared his throat. "This is Thai Navy PT 337-"

But he was interrupted when something fell a few feet away from the Black Lagoon, kicking up a tremendous amount of water that drenched all three of them.

"Oi, what the fuck was that?" -Revy growled, brushing a wet lock of hair away from his face. "Are they shooting at us?"

"They do." -Dutch answered, deadpan, again observing the enemy ship with his binoculars. Thanks to that, he could appreciate how from the other ship some men were loading some RPG'S and firing towards them. There was another explosion dangerously close to the Black Lagoon. "With missiles."

Benny quickly headed for the stairs leading up to the cabin. "We'd better get moving before they sink us."

Dutch nodded silently and then slowly turned his head toward his other employee. He didn't want to believe it, but maybe, maybe, all those accusations she had about stirring up trouble and making things even more complicated were...true.

This was the perfect example; it had been 50 years since that submarine had sunk, and those Nazis hadn't tried to retrieve that painting in all that time. But Revy had complained about the lack of action the other day...and now a Nazi ship suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was firing missiles at them.

Fucking Nazis…firing missiles at them.

"What?" -She said noticing his stare.

It was so random and absurd, Dutch couldn't come up with another explanation. "This is your fault."

"What stupid things are you saying?" -Revy walked up to him menacingly and then began tapping his forehead with her finger. "You're the one who took this shitty job having to do with Nazis in the first place, so this is actually all your fault!"

"No, of course not!" -replied Dutch, a little annoyed. "You were whining the other day about wanting more action, and now we've got fucking Nazis shooting missiles at us. Every way you look at it, it's your fault."

"That was a coincidence!"

Dutch lost his patience and stood up, pointing his finger accusingly at her. "Bullshit, every time you open your mouth you create a mess! It happened the same at Rowan's club, and then at Bao's bar!"

"Why do I always have to be the one responsible for everything!?". -Revy exclaimed. "Isn't that strange!? I want to talk to the screenwriter who wrote this shit immediately!"

"Is it that you have a disease that compels you to cause trouble, or are you just an idiot!?"

"You bastard, are you looking for a fight!?"

After their meeting with Bando, and with a list of places and people for Hotel Moscow to attack, Balalaika and her men returned to their lodgings to prepare their operation. But then, Boris approached her with his phone in hand. "One call, Kapitana." -he said.

"I don't have time for that." -Balalaika replied, dismissing the phone with a small wave of her hand. "Tell him to call later, when I'm less busy."

All of her contacts, the important enough ones at least, had received notice that she would be unavailable while conducting business in Japan, and Boris had not said it was anything about her territory in Roanapur, so Balalaika thought it was not urgent.

"In fact, when I got the call I was about to answer that.". -said Boris, again offering the phone. "But after knowing who it was about... well, I guess I should answer it, Kapitana."

There was a brief pause between them. Though annoyed by the interruption, Balalaika knew her sergeant would not insist if it wasn't about something, or someone in this case, important. So she sighed and accepted the phone. "Who is it? You'd better hope it's important."

" Oh my, is that how you greet an old friend?"

Balalaika opened her eyes a little wider for a moment due to surprise, but then quickly calmed down. "Miss Hekmatyar..."

"Please call me Koko, will you, Bals?"

"No, and don't call me that."

"As bitter as ever, I see."

"What do you want? I thought you got a notice that I wouldn't be available for a while."

"I know, I know. But I'm just calling to ask you a question. No, two questions."

Well, at least that brat was getting straight to the point. "What is it?"

Up until now, Koko had been using a cheerful and carefree tone, but this quickly changed to a serious one. "I understand that the Lagoon Company operates in Roanapur, however, they are not here at the moment, do you know where they are?" -She said. "Because I came to pay them a visit, and they are not in town."

Balalaika had heard that little story, everyone had heard it, about how a group of mercenaries had confronted Koko and sunk her freighter, since the movements of someone as important and well known as her were watched by many people. Including her father, Floyd Hekmatyar.

Being humiliated in such a way was surely a severe blow to the little arms dealer's reputation, so it didn't seem strange to Balalaika that Koko would seek revenge to restore her image.

But Balalaika had not imagined that the Lagoon Company had been responsible for that.

'What idiots.' -Balalaika thought. Although she respected and owed Dutch a few favors, she did not plan to intervene or help him in this case. Not out of fear, but for the fact that taking on that brat would be wasting a lot of resources and would be bad for both of their businesses.

"I'm afraid not." -Balalaika finally replied. "Supposedly they left town due to a job, but I have no idea where they are or when they'll be back."

"That sucks, but never mind, I guess I can wait for them for a few more days."

"Your other question? Like I said, I'm busy."

"All right, all right. I'm also looking for a Chinese scumbag named Chang to teach him a lesson for meddling in my business. I was able to track his movements here, but I have no idea where he might be sheltering. And since I want to surprise him, I can't go around asking around town, although I really doubt anyone will tell me, so... do you know where I can find that fucker?"

"Hehehe~"

"W-what's with that laugh!? It's not even evil, but cheerful! Stop it, you're scary!"

'Oops, a little slip.' -Balalaika cleared her throat and tried to return to her usual serious expression, but she couldn't contain a small, cruel smile from appearing on her face. She would by no means pass up the opportunity to fuck Chang's life up. "In fact, I know exactly where you can find him."