It had been a while since Retsu had been to a place like this. In her youth she'd wandered places like this often, scouring for scrap metal that resembled the right shape or electronics she could repurpose for her own uses. Eventually after she'd saved up enough to get her own place she got others to do it for her, sourcing materials through middlemen and black market contacts alike while focusing fully on her craft. 

Unfortunately she didn't exactly have access to 'her own place' at present and was stuck shuffling between anonymously hired warehouses and relying on Facade for anything more complex. Which was nice and all but she'd learned better by now than to let her every creation be tracked. The moment someone thinks they know everything about you they stop taking you seriously and Retsu wasn't planning to lose any of her advantages. So she'd returned to her roots to 'finance' her private projects the hard way. Of course she'd keep the majority of them hidden, only revealing one or two pieces of her secret arsenal to hint at the rest. Whatever ideas about her capabilities people would cook up after that were likely to be much scarier than the real deal anyway.

Her scavenging was interrupted by a commotion a bit further down the scrapyard. She shrugged. It had nothing to do with her but she might as well check it out, it wasn't like she didn't have some time to kill anyway. Hells, it might even provide an opportunity for some stress relief.

Shouldering her explosives-and-scrap-materials-filled duffel bag and adjusting her coat for easy access to the pistol holder beneath it she sauntered over just in time to see Chuck barreling towards the crane. She let out a snort when she spotted what was going on at the top. How'd they even manage to take their fight up there?

"Oy, fookheads. Y'r ruining the scrapyard ambience, take y'r dumb fookin' argument elsewhere." She shouted up without drawing any of her weapons, the high collar of her coat hiding her manic smile. If they took offense to her words and decided to take the fight to her then, well, they might have the physical high ground but she'll have the moral one. She wondered how many bullets she could put in them before they managed to climb down from the crane. In the end she supposed the exact amount didn't matter, it was the fall that'd get them anyway if they tried to come after her.

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Tags: CHUCK MCCOY

Nodding along with Rui's rambling, Retsu pretended to pay utmost attention to her words whenever the horned menace happened to look her way, catching snippets of what she was saying in-between listening to the intel blaring out of the speakers on her phone courtesy of Loki. Her eye twitched. It was a challenge, that was for sure. Especially with Sho's barrage of questions arriving at the same time.

“Well, ta the first three questions the answer's ‘Just me.’ and fook if ah know about the last one.” She answered the man while pulling the assault rifle off her back and checking that it wouldn't jam on the first shot. ‘The obvious’ differed quite a lot from person to person after all. Retsu had no clue what her second in command meant when he told their subordinates to ‘stop standing in the fire’ whenever he finished bailing them out of jail but given how chided they tended to look afterwards clearly Hans's words made perfect sense to them. "Check f'r yerself if y’r so fookin’ curious!”

The words were barely out of her mouth when her front door was kicked in and she sent out a hail of gunfire, downing the first to enter and clipping the hero behind him in the shoulder while everyone else scrambled to drink cover. Switching out he magazine she shouted into her phone the moment it connected.

“Time ta pay up, Shrimpface! Do or die, y’r kids go boom if ah go out!”

The group of ‘willing’ ‘employees’ she'd acquired when she took out a rivaling crime family were all located rather close to her own HQ. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer after all. Of course she didn't actually have bombs inside of their new head honcho’s house that'd go off if her heart stopped. There was no way in hell she'd subject herself to the intrusive surgery of getting a sensor implanted to make that happen after all. If she went down though she obviously wouldn't be able to put in the code required to reset the 24 hours before they detonated nor stop the bounties on any survivors from being sent out, so even if she was just bluffing the results would be the same. But she digressed. Her anger was reaching its boiling point and she had more productive things to focus it on than the fates of people she didn't give a rat's ass about.

Opening her mouth to reply to Rui when the rest of Facade's sentence cut her off and answered the question. That... was a surprisingly generous amount. Her eye narrowed. What the hells was he trying to pull? She could understand being interested in keeping the healer on ones own side but even so Retsu couldn't help but wonder whether there was more to it and more importantly, whether not paying attention to it would come back to bite her. She let out a strained breath that was almost a hiss while her hand squeezed the handle of her rifle so hard her knuckles turned white. She didn't have the time to think about potential opportunism, if she didn't come up with a proper plan soon-

That train of thought too was cut off as Sho returned and started telling her what to do. Her face went blank at his words. For a brief moment she froze in place, one eye looking at his hand with an emotion she couldn't quite parse. Then, as she raised her gaze to look him in the eye, the emotion solidified and she discovered what it was.

'Ah, it's hatred.'

She was no stranger to anger but hate? Hate was rare for her. She despised a great many things, yes, but the times where she cared enough for something to morph into hate were few and far in-between. When she answered him it was tonelessly. Not through gritted teeth as before, merely distant and surprisingly even.

"Out of here?" She repeated after him. "Just like that? Nah. Nah, ah don't think so. Those fookers came here, into my house, expecting me to give ground just like that? They're going to pay. Ah ain't going just running from mah home. Not..." Not again. "...until ah've made them pay. What kinda coward would run from their own home without a fight? When ah leave, it'll be on my terms."

The straw had hit the camel's back, breaking something that could no longer be fixed. With an almost robotic motion Retsu set the switch on her gun to three round bursts. When the pigs out front finally regained their wits and launched their next attempt at an assault they burst in through the open door with far more caution, the first of the trio to enter holding his riot shield firmly in front of him and the second firing a stun round into Mummy in an attempt to get her off him while the final member of their team checked the other corner. Retsu didn't give a damn about their professionalism nor about the other two agents breaking the windows and sticking the barrels of their rifle through to aim at her and Gyrfalcon. She cared even less about the remaining ones dragging the downed chief and injured Pro away.

Turning sideways to reduce her profile she held her rifle with one hand and fired a burst at the first officer's head, the bullets going through his shield and impacting his helmet with a frightening level of accuracy while she stepped back through the door behind the counter and into her private workshop.

---

"Squad leader Muramoto and Deadlock are down, over!" Officer Haruka shouted into her radio while laying the latter down behind their squad car. Casting a look over the hood she caught the sound of another burst of gunfire and nearly rushed straight back into the fray. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she considered what to do, duty warring with care for her comrades. She couldn't leave the injured Pro by himself yet one more pair of hands might make the difference between life and death for her team. A cough caught her attention as Deadlock gave her a strained smile, his face pale and one eye shut while he kept pressure on his wound.

"Hey. It's just a flesh wound that I've got. I'll be right as rain in a moment, just need to sit tight until the arrival of-"

"Over there, get the fucker!"

The pair looked up at the sound spotting the veritable deluge of villains spilling out through what seemed to be every avenue of approach. Haruka swore while she began to drag Deadlock away with one hand holding his collar, the other threateningly pointing her gun at the approaching goons. Frantically the officer looked around to find any place where they wouldn't immediately be surrounded. There! An alley from which no goon had arrived yet. Unfortunately she didn't think they'd be able to make it there before the first villain reached them. She'd try anyway, what other choice did she have? Opening fire with her rifle she let loose with her stun rounds, desperately praying the alley would be clear.

---

Around the corner of the alley where a certain pair sat things were not remaining peaceful either. From the other end four more villains rushed in, their pace slowing but not stopping when they spotted Ghouligan and Gadget.

"Which side are y'all on?" A lizard-headed villain in biker's gear asked while pointing his sword at the two, ready to attack at a moment's notice should they give away that they weren't part of the reinforcements.

---

With near robotic moments Retsu grabbed a flash bang and tossed it through a side door in her workshop before closing the door once more. She could hear the group of cops on the other side scramble for cover, probably behind her couch or maybe they'd even overturn her table to hunker behind, the thought of either filling her with another gush of loathing. They were in her house. The place she lived, the place she unwinded, the one that was just hers. She was gonna kill all of them no matter what it took. Listening to Loki's words through the phone she almost scoffed.

Ghouligan.

She'd heard the name. Far more than she'd have liked recently, if she was to be honest. Several of her associates' families received some hefty life insurance payouts due to him. Retsu supposed she shouldn't be surprised he was coming for her next. 

...would she share their fate?

The question didn't last for even a second before she came to a conclusion. If they came to blows, would she lose? After all the shit she's dealt with recently? An entire crime family, a string of heists and robberies throughout the city, enemy after enemy and scheme after scheme coming after her and being left dead in her wake. After all of this, would she still lose to some jumped up do-gooder?

'Nah, I'd win.'

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Tags: Rui Matsui Shō Matsui Jaida Connor Ghouligan facade

---

TL;DR:

-Retsu replies to Sho before opening fire on the cops
-Calls up an old 'friend' to send in a second waves of goons soon-ish
-Paranoia sets in and combined with the overwhelming amount of things going on tips her over the edge
-Cold anger sets in, declines Sho's offer and heads deeper into the building while firing some parting rounds at the next group of cops to enter
-Police get hit by the ambush, one officer tries to drag the Pro Hero towards the alley Antoine and Jaida are in
-Several of the villains Aiden called in arrive through the alley the vigilantes are in and confront them
-Retsu tosses a flash bang at the cops invading her house from the other side. Proceeds to not at all overestimate herself (/s) when it comes to her chances of taking on Ghouligan.

Retsu blinked in disbelief, did she truly not...? No, that was a dumb thought. It was Rui, Retsu chided herself, expecting common sense was a mistake.

"He's, ya know... The, ah dunno y'r naming sense," Retsu continued while pulling out her ENKI phone. "Phone bestie or somethin'? Fooker who made dese?"

The moments those words left her mouth she had to stop herself from physically recoiling. She couldn't believe she was being dragged into deciphering Rui's bestieology of all things. Somehow that was still more fun than the next part of the conversation.

"A while back, don' worry 'bout it. Jus' make sure ta bring a chopper if ya go on another, dat seems to be the winning move." Retsu, as it happened, very much was not the one who arrived on a helicopter during her first ship raid. " 'onestly, speed seems to be pretty fookin' important ta stay aloive, lahk, not ta long ago dere was this big fook off rock tha..." She trailed off while looking over Rui's shoulder. Narrowing her eye as she stared at the very familiar vehicle and uniformed pair that got out of it she leaned a bit closer to Rui. "Ruister, 's dere any reason 'n particular dis restaurant ain't packed?"

She hoped she was wrong but by now she doubted it. This place was fairly close to the nearest police station and casting a glance at the 'reserved' signs sitting atop the majority of the empty tables Retsu had a hunch as to which group was having a party here soon. Which reminded her of what she was saying earlier. Staying on the move seemed pretty crucial to staying alive and as they were now the pair were sitting ducks.

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Tags: Rui Matsui

Many would say Retsu was too proud to admit her shortcomings but if you'd ask her she'd say that was lies, slander and ask you who the hells had the audacity to say that. It just so happened that the majority of problems she ran into were ones that could be resolved with a bit of percussive maintenance or a few grenades. Retsu was fully aware of her weaknesses. For as great as her offensive power was she couldn't kill what she couldn't hit. 

Yes, recent events had bestowed her with a healthy dose of wariness. Because rare as such things were they seemingly kept popping out of the woodwork just to screw with her day. One after the other as if someone had slapped a piece of paper that said 'kick me' onto her back. But she digressed.

Yes, Retsu was well aware that something had to bleed for her to be able to kill it. Which made people that were able to become intangible like Gyrfalcon or that were able to fuck her over from vast distances like Facade the worst opponents for her specific set of skills.

Under certain circumstances.

This was not one of them. Adjusting the high collar of her coat to hide her smile she let out a snort. Unless Facade had some kind of bullshit quirk chances were that at this range she could put him in the ground. To insult her in that situation, well, that took balls. Especially considering the fact that given his skills he's likely capable of finding out what happened to the last person that made her eye the butt of their joke. Even she herself would be hard pressed to justify the extent of her retaliation. It marked both the first and the last time she used mustard gas and the less said about it the better. Her respect for the man increased just a little for going through with that joke in spite of the facts. Moreso given that it wasn't like she wasn't exactly unarmed either, she very much came loaded for bear.

Beneath her long coat she was wearing a harness full of straps -each of which held a grenade- in addition to a handgun holder just beneath her shoulder. Additionally she carried her trusty duffel bag with her -the very same one she'd threatened Facade with last time- albeit this time it contained naught but her assault rifle leaving plenty of room for ill-begotten gains.

"Makes two a' us ah guess," She chuckled. "Kent lie though, 'ere for the cash as much as de fun. Wouldna mind some fancy parts fer mah new projects either."

Taking a look at the warehouse around her she had to refrain from curling up her nose at the surroundings. Both the animate and inanimate ones.

"Come ta think of it, what kinda place didya get for dat workshop we 'ad planned?"

With the upcoming influx of components Retsu would likely have everything she needed to truly give her arsenal some extra kick. A manic grin made its way unto her features. Oh, she had ideas alright.

Ideas that ran into some difficulties when the company they were raiding turned out to specialize in medical technology of all things but she'd deal. She always did. When they finally reached their location Retsu hung back just enough to be behind the others, her eye briefly flicking towards Rei as he set off after the 'boss' before ignoring it. It was hardly her problem after all. Seeing the circus duo make their way into the place they were actually supposed to be she muttered to herself.

"Dun' seem like dere's any lethal traps." 

That was good enough for her. Now that the meat shields had tested it out it was time for her to go in as well and grab her haul before shit inevitably went wrong. It always fookin' did.

"Come on, let's snag some shite 'fore dey get fookin' glitter a' all things all o'er it." Retsu pointedly said with a raised voice. "Takes fookin' ages ta get that shite outta electronics."

Snagging anything that seemed even remotely useful and tossing it into her bag she moved through the area with professionalism and speed, checking every corner before she went around it, scanning both the floor and the ceiling -too many people forgot to look up- for dangerous traps and most importantly staying on the move while she continued looting.

Whatever mess came their way, Retsu had no intention of being a sitting duck when it arrived.

---

TL;DR: 
-Retsu laughs at Facade's jab and asks if there was any news in regards to their workshop plans
-Brief explanation of the outfit and gear she's rocking
-Lets Callisto and Yoshimitsu go in first in case there's traps
-Throws a (vocal) jab at Yoshimitsu
-Gets to looting, checking everywhere she goes for danger first and staying on the move the entire time

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Tags: Matsu  Callisto Tengoku  King of Hearts  facade  Rei Ijuin

"Ready 'r naht 'ere I am." Retsu continued as she took a step deeper into the store, flashbang held above her head while she used her other hand to smash a display case and snag some of the expensive jewelry inside. No one had fired on her yet anyway, why would they start now? She might as well use her time productively instead of worrying about it. Even so she remained on the move so she didn't catch a bullet to the brain after all. Retsu doubted even Rui could fix that.

   Taking a look around she gave the people in her immediate vicinity a quick once-over and went for the exact same solution that had saved her so much hassle today. Delegating. Pointing at Sho over her shoulder with her thumb her eye flicked from one member of the white-haired duo to the other while she spoke.

"He ain't wi' me. Y'all 'ave fun, don' bother me 'less ya wanna get blown ta fook up."

Turning away and smashing another display with a level of confidence she didn't quite feel she proceeded to ignore the interlopers in favor of snagging just a few more goodies on her way to the emergency exit. She was almost clear now. Surely nothing else would get wrong at this stage. Her eye twitched. Just once she'd have liked that thought to not pop into her head before she was in the clear. Her subconsciousness's best attempts to jinx her escape went onto the giant pile of things she was gonna ignore for now as she continued her smash and grab.

"Ah'm out, cops 'n capes'll probably be 'ere in a few." She shouted back at Rui while pressing her last detonator to set off another cascade of explosions throughout the mall. It was as good of a signal that she was leaving as any. If any of her subordinates stuck around, well, at that point it was just Darwinism at work. "Moment ah close the car door it's leavin', come along or don't, up ta ya."

She shrugged. The chance that Rui got captured while Subaru was right next to her was very slim and if she had to be honest she didn't care all that much either way. As she opened the emergency exit door and made her way through the corridor to the employee elevator Retsu slipped the pin back into her flashbang, carelessly dropped it into her duffel bag and zipped the thing shut. Already her focus was on the next goal. Babel was only going to last twenty-four hours and Retsu was determined to make the most of it. She'd either get rich or die trying, there was no in-between.

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Tags: Shō Matsui  Rui Matsui  Kushiki Kioko  ctrl

Retsu couldn't help but feel like this whole thing smelled, and it wasn't just the moldy inside of this warehouse. A hint of teeth was bared as she glared at her general surroundings. It didn't matter. She'd just about had it with always being one step behind, whatever got thrown at her today she'd eat it and spit it back out.

Her gut feeling wasn't the only thing tipping her off either. It'd been quite a while since she'd taken any jobs through anything but the ENKI system but a lucrative offer had finally made its way to her ears through the grapevine. Yet who does she see when she gets there? The big man himself. Almost as if he were mocking her, once more one step ahead. Her glare deepened as she continued to scowl at everything around her.

She straightened up right after and took a slow breath, exhaling through gritted teeth as her gaze turned more observant instead of hateful. It was a deadly mistake in a line of work like hers and yet she'd nevertheless been dropping her guard subconsciously due to the people around. Her eye twitched. Seriously, what the hells was up with that? One of them looked like he had to attend a masquerade after this, another like they just came from a carnival -and was that glitter they were dragging in? Now that's real evil- not to mention the last one... was he blind? The cane sure hinted at it.

Taking out her phone she absent-mindedly typed out a note that said 'glitter bomb' while acknowledging Azazel's words with a nod. It was hardly the first time she had to get in and out quick she thought with a vague hint of a smile creeping up her face at the memory of Operation Babel. She'd been in more or less Azazel's position during parts of it and both gotten a lot of money and a few less competitors for her position out of it.

As for being a distraction, oddly enough it actually calmed Retsu down. Betrayal you know is coming is much easier to deal with than the one that catches you off guard. Almost unbidden her hand scratched at her back just beneath her ribs. As far as she was concerned he was the distraction for her escape once she's done turning the place upside down. Agreeing with Ijuin's statement with a hum she added a question of her own while ignoring the ones shouting from the back.

"And wat's the expected resist'nce?"

Her gaze briefly flicks to the more heavily lit area of the warehouse while she awaits Azazel's reply. If Retsu wasn't mistaken the circus pair seemed to know each other, adding another point towards the theory that this whole thing was some kind of conspiracy. She didn't know quite what the goal was yet but hell would freeze over before she rolled over and let it happen. 

Pushing off the wall she'd been leaning against she casually sauntered over to Facade. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, after all. Sure, she hadn't forgotten his assistance during her house's 'remodeling' but Retsu knew there was no such thing as free cake.

"Yo. What brings you 'round 'ere? Something fancy in that facility that's caught y'r eye?"

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Tags: facade King of Hearts Callisto Tengoku Rei Ijuin Matsu