Spirited Nights (Open)

[Zuka]

As this little meeting was winding up to its end, Zuka was left with a lot of questions as well as a lot to think about. It would be interesting to see if Viper did as this Ghost said he would, while giving her the area might be in his best interest the Dolls and the Triple Threats were rivals, thorns in each others side, nowhere near the level that the Kais and the Dolls were but Zuka made a point to upset Viper whenever she could and he returned the favor. It would be interesting to see how this all played out.

The Ghost was right, most of the Triads didn’t see her as a threat but, that wasn’t a bad thing. Looking ‘unambitious’ allowed her to move quietly and collect and build her little empire without too much of a problem and she could move and take from the others without much notice. It worked for her and it worked for what she and her girls did. There would be a time when it would have to change but until that needed to happen The Dolls would continue to quietly build and work under the radar like they did. Would make their victory that much more sweeter when it came time.

" No offense but it's just how it is, so if he gifts it to you it's the zero-sum move, no gain but no loss."

”None taken” She answered, still trying to find the source but he sounded like he was on the move again, at least she thought. It was too hard to pinpoint in this old building.

This night had turned out to be much more interesting than anticipated but it left her with a few questions. Whoever this man was had a grudge against the Triads..which really, who in this city didn’t? But it brought a lot of things to mind, it also made her wonder why he was telling her all of this if he knew what side of the tracks she fell on. Obviously he had done his homework and even if he didn’t see her as big of a threat like the others she was still in their game..so why bother with the warning?

“Now you have two options Miss Ou-Yong. Continue to remain unambitious and just let the territory go and let the people go back to their lives, maybe if your feeling generous, open up another one of your floating casinos and give people a chance to earn a yuan. Or you can try and pick up where those three left and in which case I'll be forced to turn my attentions on you."

"The choice is yours, just remember.... I'll be watching."

The sudden surprise of a voice in her ear made her quickly turn to find its source but, he was gone just as quick as he had appeared. Her eyes followed a path back up into the darkness of the ceiling and they scanned the area but she knew that was a fruitless endeavor as she was sure he was long gone by now.

Interesting night indeed.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out Zuka looked around her, their little rooftop run had taken them quite a ways from the theater and she actually had no idea where she was without being on the street. She supposed it was a good thing that The Ghost had left her with so many questions because it gave her something to do on her long walk back.

[Kenji]

One Week Later

"Here's fine." Kenji said to the cab driver as the Saitomobile pulled to the side and  Kenji slipped a few yuans his way as he got out.

 As he stepped out he winced a little. Most of the healers by his office were connected to the Red Monsoons, and given the magnitude of the caper he pulled off, he wanted to be as far on the perimeter as possible of this, so he had to just suck it up and ice down his injuries. A couple days bed rest had dealt with the major bumps and bruises but he was still tender.

As he cab rolled away Kenji slowly turned and made his way toward the neighborhood in question. It seemed a little different then when he had been here last. Quieter perhaps.

Of course Kenji knew the real reason why it was quiet.

Siku, Ratna, and Akai had all been arrested  for possession of contraband and quickly booked. A few days later the Triple Threats had  came and emptied out the building that they had been using as their headquarters, the very same one they had chased Kenji out of. After the building had been emptied the Triple Threat presence vanished from the neighborhood. Shortly after that Siku,Ratna, and Akai disappeared from lockup. Officially the police were baffled by the criminals apparent escape.

Unofficially, the police knew that they would probably find their bodies in a couple months.

Kenji loathed the Triads for a good many reasons, but if there was one good thing about them, it was that they were rather swift when it came to their internal matters.

So just like that the Triple Threats were out of the neighborhood. This would be the point in the movers where the crowd would cheer and clap. Unfortunately life wasn't like a mover, the closest thing he had gotten to praise was when he had met the old man that hired him two days ago and told him that the job was done.

He had also returned the old mans money,after all he wasn't in the business of bankrupting the common people. And besides he had explained the to the old man, he hadn't done much of anything.

It had all been The Ghost's doing.

The old man had lit up and still thanked him and told him to thank the Ghost as well. However Kenji shut down his enthusiasm as fast as he could. He reminded the old man that if anyone found out what he had done the Triads would come for him and his family, then for Kenji himself and then the Ghost. Kenji negelected to tell the old man that he and The Ghost were the same perosn, but he got the message across and the old man merely nodded and showed himself out.

So that was it, no cheers and music swelling. Just a trio of missing bodies and silence.

..and well one other thing.

Kenji reached his destination the former crews headquarters where this had all began and walked in the abandoned garage, he looked around to make sure there were no gangsters still lurking, and then he bent down the smooth floor, and then moved his hands up and with a slight sound a part of the stone floor came up with ease. He then reached in and pulled out a bag.

***

One week and several hours earlier.....

Kenji hauled the bag filled with the safe''s contents downstairs stealthily. When he got the garage with a gesture he popped open the trunk of the car and got to loading the contraband into the car. Once that was done, debated putting in the the other bag, when he thought better of it and made a small rectangle with his fingers and then pulled the stone up as slowly and softly as he could and then dropped the bag inside and then put the stone block back, and smoothed it back out.

Then he got back to work....

***

Like Kenji had said he was not in the business of bankrupting the common people. However he had no problem stealing from the Triads. He then reset the stone and then opened the bag. Inside was the fruits of the Tripe Threat crews ill gotten gains. All told around 200,000 yuans, a tidy profit, and more than four times what the people of the neighborhood were paying him. With a small smirk he then strapped the bag to his back and made his way out of the building. He whistled as he walked along  the streets

No, life wasn't like the movers
No cheers
No applause
No swelling music
But plenty of cash......and for Kenji that was enough.

FIN