Roanapur Nights

A Rosario+Vampire and Black Lagoon Crossover

Chapter 8

The darkness that filled the night was not something that filled Balalaika with fear. She hadn't been afraid of much since her time in Afghanistan. The burns she'd received thanks to the humble attempts at the hands of her captors had given her a new perspective when it came to pain and life. The moment she had been able to annihilate them she had done so with the prejudice that they so viciously deserved. Darkness didn't scare her, nor the rats that filled the street in that darkness. The only thing that Darkness held for her was surprise.

Standing on her balcony she was greeted with a surprise. It was no mask and costume that faced her. It wasn't a mortal mind so twisted that it completely broke, but instead she saw something that shouldn't exist. She took a long drag from her cigarette, and she looked at the being that seemed surprised that she wasn't afraid. It began to move when a red light appeared between its eyes.

"So," she said simply as she looked at it, "We need to have a discussion, da?"

The creature, something resembling a mixture of human and a falcon, swallowed as she stood there, "We are going to discuss your presence here, and we are going to decide what to do after that."

More surprises happened when it finally blinked, "I'm guessing this isn't the Huang Family Building."

A predatory grin crossed her face, "Da, you have ventured into Hotel Moscow little bird, now, step inside. Failure to do so will be met with experimental brain surgery. Something I believe you would not want."

The bird woman nodded, and followed her back into the room. The sound of the door opened, and Balalaika watched as four of her most trusted men stepped into the room with her. They stood ready, and she moved toward a couch. She pointed to the seat ahead of her, and the bird girl obeyed as she moved. Her blond hair was short, a pixie cut, and her facial features were some that she knew. The girl worked for the Huang Family. She was newer, someone hired a scant few months ago.

"Your name," she said as she settled into her chair, "We will start with that."

"I am Liu Ai, sorry, Ai Liu, I sometimes forget that you don't use family names first."

Balalaika nodded, "Very well Ai, why should I treat this as a momentary lapse in judgment?" she asked after taking a short drag from her cigarette, "Because approaching Hotel Moscow without invitation for either business or pleasure is a quick way to disappear."

Balalaika watched as Ai swallowed hard, "I swear, I was meaning to go to the Huang Family Corner," she blurted out, "I was just running an errand for Ling Ling."

Balalaika studied her, "What errand?"

She looked at her, "I was paying a visit to the Rip-Off Church. Ling Ling was requesting a short shipment of weapons, nothing more than the standard arming that is changed out occasionally," she said, her voice sounding on the edge of panic, "Please, I honestly didn't mean to land here."

She lifted her hand and the sound of several weapons switching from ready to relaxed filled the room. She nodded, "Very well," she stated as she looked at her, "I will consider it a simple mistake. As such, I will also spare your life, but understand that you now owe Hotel Moscow a debt. We will call upon you to collect that debt. It will be something trivial, but it will be completed, or we will rethink our stance on allowing you to live. Do we understand one another?"

Ai nodded as if her very life depended upon it. Balalaika studied her a moment more, "So, Harpy, I had believed you to be nothing more than fiction. Something dreamed up by ancient greeks drunk on their wine," she remarked as she looked at her, "Oddly, you are not as Dante described in Divine Comedy."

"Could we please keep this between us, as in all of us?" Ai asked, and Balalaika noticed that she seemed to be sweating bullets, "Please, it will mean trouble from a lot of beings if it gets found out that I was seen."

Balalaika smiled at her, "We know how to keep secrets, and yours is safe with us little bird," she said as she stood, "Now, flutter home."

Ai nodded and she walked toward the balcony again. Balalaika watched as she took off into the air once more, and she felt the presence of her right hand as he neared her, "Captain, what should we do about her?"

She spread her hands out as she touched the rail of the balcony, "For now, nothing," she replied as she looked at the lovely night around her, "Our little bird owes us a debt, and she has delivered a great deal of information with her. Creatures of legend apparently exist."

There was silence for a moment, "Does she exist? Does Baba Yaga exist?"

She let out a bark of laughter, "I have little doubt that she does," she replied as she looked over the horizon, "And perhaps we should extend an invitation to her."

She could practically feel the stiffness of her men, and she understood it. Baba Yaga was often described as a witch that allowed her own humor to drive her. She could help those stranded, or she could decide to skin them and cook them in a stew which she would serve to her sisters. Stories ranged about her, but the most prominent was that she was a powerful being that was not messed with by other powerful beings.

"Captain, would that be wise?"

Balalaika smiled as she looked at the night, "Perhaps not Sergant, but then most things that are worth anything tend to lend themselves to logic or wisdom," she replied as she studied the night, "Besides, we must consider that she would likely align with those of liked minds."

She looked at the city before her, "If she exists, and accepts our invitation, we may finally have everything we long for Sergeant," she said, her fingers moving her cigarette back to her mouth, "The destruction of those who would dare abuse our hospitality, and the ensurance that those we hold dear are kept off limits."

"And our war?" he asked, "What of it Captain?"

She smiled at the night, "We get to have our war Sergeant," she purred at the night, "We get to enjoy our war one last time."

It was the one thing that kept her men going, it was what had kept her going, and she knew that eventually it would happen for them. Roanapur was not a city that was content to exist in even a suggested peace. The massive criminal elements that made up the power structure of the city only existed through an understanding of how things worked. If there was a thought that something could be done to eliminate one of the players it would be done.

Rock had actually come exceptionally close to giving her the war she wanted. She knew that Chang wouldn't admit how close he came, and he wouldn't because Rock had done more than make them switch revenue streams. The loss of black tar heroin had caused a ripple that echoed down to Chang from his employers. It was a ripple that nearly cost the representative of the Triads his position and his life. He'd had to act fast to ensure that all sources of income remained stable, and at the same time he had to squash the idea that Rock could do the same again.

That had just been a plan from the father of her goddaughter, and it had been using nothing more than a stranded American Special Forces Team. She had stepped in because she wanted to ensure that they completed their mission. She desired it because it could potentially spark a war, and it had come so desperately close. The only thing that kept her from completely wanting the war now was Roxanne. Her goddaughter was someone she wished to see grow into a strong woman.

"Sergeant," she said as she turned toward her office, "See if you can arrange a meeting between myself and either Ling Ling or Fang Fang Huang. I believe that it is time we have a true meeting together." She saw him nod, and she moved toward her desk. He would ensure that the meeting would happen, and she would ensure their revenue continued until that time. She looked at the computer before her.

Without missing a beat she logged back into it, ensuring that it was being covered by multiple VPNs she began the editing process of the films that had been purchased. It was tedious work, and work that she didn't exactly enjoy, but work she was exceptionally good at thanks to her keen attention to detail.

"Now," she said as she opened up the first video, "Let us see what the depraved minds have sold to us."

She watched as the film started, a police officer breaking into a warehouse, and the film itself seemed to be from their chest camera. Which meant this was either the United States, Great Britain, or Japan. The voice had an accent that she knew well enough. She'd heard the blowhard Tex speak. This was Florida, so the United States.

"This is the Tallahassee Police Department! Come out with your hands up!" the woman's voice was commanding, powerful, and unprepared for what she was likely to face, "I said come out with your hands…"

She never finished the words, but instead there was a blur that knocked her over. She could see it now, a dark form, wearing a mask, but the way it bulged told her more than she expected, "Get off!" she shouted before the camera was suddenly and violently moved, "NO! GET OFF!" she screamed her voice on the edge of panic.

The camera suddenly was ripped away, and pointed down. She was pretty, blond, shoulder length hair, and both arms were being held down. Her face was full of pure fear, "GET OFF!" she screamed again before something hit her.

It was so quick, so violent, that she had barely even processed that it happened. The blond's head violently moved with the strike, and she could see blood splatter beside her.

"Shut the fuck up," a snarling voice said, "Fuckin' cop, you ain't pigs, we're pigs."

She watched as the cops clothes were ripped from her, and she was screaming trying to get loose. Finally the rubber mask that had been worn came off and the police woman screamed in pure terror. Her eyes were large as she took in what she was seeing, "Yeah, scream for me, scream louder!"

She bucked violently and Balalaika cleared the image, enhanced it, and saw another creature of legend. An orc, one with a head like a massive wild boar. She watched as the police woman cried and screamed that it hurt, begged to be let go, and then finally her arms were let go of. She curled into a ball, "Take her, she'll make a decent sell to the Triads," the snarling voice said before the camera followed her, "So, to you degenerates watching a home, another one down."

She finished enhancing the video, the sound, and she copied it to an all region DVD. It would be sold, like all of the others, and she clicked on the next file. As she worked on the files sent to her, Rock was looking at the potential new apartment with Revy.

The apartment itself was nestled inside of the Huang Family Corner. Specifically, it was joined to the office that Ling Ling had shown them. Rock studied the living space, and he looked at Revy who was moving through the rooms, looking everything over, and taking time to really ensure that everything was secure. He understood her paranoia, and in truth her actions had done more good than bad. After all her parenting had *saved their daughter.

"What do you think?" he asked as he moved toward her, "It's certainly bigger than our current place."

She stood, and he continued to her until he was directly behind her. Then in an act of absolute trust she let herself fall against him. He caught her, knowing that this was her way of saying that she trusted him with everything. He saw the smile that crossed her face, and it was one that he'd seen more and more. It wasn't a vicious smile of a beast that got a taste of blood, but a happier smile.

"Well, there's no hidden cameras or microphones that I can see, but that doesn't mean that they aren't there," she said as she leaned against him, "and as for the size, yeah we could fit two or three of our apartments into this thing."

She seemed to completely relax against him, and he held her easily enough. Even before his vampiric blood fully manifested inside of him he had gotten stronger. Now her weight was next to nothing. He could lift her with one hand, and it wouldn't be a strain, and yet his body seemed to know how to treat her. It was almost as if it were some subconscious order inside of him that kept him from reacting too roughly.

"So, do you want to take her up on her offer?" he asked as he looked it over, "It's the same distance from work, and it would be safer for Roxy."

She nodded, "Yeah, she'd be protected here, there's no doubt about that."

She seemed to consider things for a moment, "If we do move here, can we ask to keep our stuff?" she asked as she leaned against him, "I mean, I'm cool with the new cabinets, but we worked hard for our shit. I don't want to just leave it back there."

He nodded as he continued to hold her, "I agree," he said, "Besides, our bed is broken in the way we like it."

She laughed a good belly laugh while he held her, "Yeah, broke in," she said before she turned her head to look up at him, "Rocky baby, our bed has been broken in about six different times. We've fucked so hard in it that the bed has pretty much just been made to hold together with bailing wire and bubble gum."

He smiled down at her, "True, but then it's got some decent memories to it, doesn't it?"

She grinned, "Oh, absolutely, we've done stuff on that bed that makes it something that can't be passed on. It'd have to be destroyed and sent on to the other side, with honors."

He nodded, "Yeah, I feel the same. It wouldn't be right to just let someone else take it," he said before he looked around again, "Still, if we do this it's a chance to have a better place, or at least a safer one."

She finally moved to stand up, and when she did she turned around to face him, "So, want to talk about what's really eating you?"

He shrugged, "I'm fine with working for them, and I'm okay with living here, but I want to make sure that it doesn't impact us," he said as he looked at her, "Revy, you and Roxy are everything to me. I don't want this decision to screw that up."

She moved toward him, her smile the same little seductive smile she wore when she wanted him, and she kissed him lightly before her hand moved down and gently groped the very thing she had come to claim over and over again, "Rocky baby, we aren't going anywhere. You belong to me, and I belong to you. You've got me, and you're not getting rid of me. Shortstack is part of that package deal."

He smiled at her, "You know how to make me feel better, don't you?"

She kissed him again, softly, and then pulled back, "I might not be Betty Fucking Crocker, but I'm practically Jenna Jamerson and Madam Leota all rolled into one," she said with a smile, "Cause that's one fortunate that isn't going to change."

He smiled at her, and then he took a moment to really study the apartment itself. He walked toward the cabinets and opened them. When Revy cooked it was usually a trip down to Tao's shop, and she would return with a family pack of beef burritos, a couple of beers, and a juice for Roxy. When Rock cooked he'd use ingredients to fix something from home.

What was in the cabinets wasn't just ingredients. It was practically Gordon Ramsey's fevered wet dream. Everything in the cabinets was top of the line, organic, and shelf stable. Noodles from Faella Bucatini lined the shelf, sauce from Rao's Homemade, dried tomatoes, dried basil, and a dozen other herbs that were organic and imported from a specialty shop he remembered in Tokyo. The herbs had been incredibly expensive, each one running for about ten thousand yen a piece.

Looking at it all he stood in awe at the show of extravagance and wealth, and that was just in the cabinets. He closed them, and then breathed out, "We need to tell them that we're fine with getting our own ingredients."

Revy moved near him, "Okay, you looked like you were about to have either an orgasm or heart attack," she said as she looked at him, "So what's the deal?"

He opened the cabinets, "Revy, there's at least ten grand worth of food in these cabinets, and that's normal retail prices, that's not Roanapur prices when they're selling to an organization that expects to be ripped off a little."

She took a moment and looked at it all, "Ten grand?"

He nodded, "Yeah, and that's just the food. She didn't say that we'd be charged, but I don't want to take the chance."

She began pulling it out of the cabinets, and then he watched as she found a box hidden away under the island and began stacking it into the box, "Get everything," she said as she began stacking it without damaging it, "And make sure to put it in here. We're going to take her offer, give her this food back, and bring our stuff. If we find it here again then it's a gift and we're not being charged, if not then she knows that we understand the rules here."