Well shit, another fighting game story? Yes, indeed! Another old story that I actually revamped into what you will be reading now. Lemme tell you, it was quite different at first.
To be honest, I was nervous as hell for posting this, even if I am happy about how it turned out. The reason is that there's absolutely zero Andy/Mai in this outside of Mai's musings.
Yes, I broke up a canon pairing. Consider that your first warning.
Secondly, reader discretion is advised. It won't be a pleasant story at points since we got some violent, angsty and traumatic moments because I'm writing this, and I like pain. Plus a lot of crime and graphic violence. Consider this your other warning.
But as always, thank you for reading.
"Mai Shiranui?" a police officer called and woke Mai from a light and restless sleep. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, stretching her body from the lousy comfort of her mattress. For a moment, she blinked, disoriented as she tried to figure out who had been kind enough to get her out. Mai had been here for one exact night and that was one night too many.
She could attest to the fact that she was innocent; she just happened to be out drinking her woes away, and a bar brawl occurred between other patrons, all snappily dressed in suits. Probably businessmen drinking after work. Then gunfire and before anyone knew it, the police were here, throwing everyone present at the bar into jail regardless if they were involved in the brawl or not.
The whole situation was so bizarre, Mai would have laughed if she wasn't so deeply enveloped by the constant agony that burned away all her joy. She made a note of going home as soon as she possibly could and sleeping for the rest of the day. Sleep her life away and dream of the man she loved so dearly. The officer opened the door, allowing Mai to step into freedom.
"Bail has been paid so you're free to go. You got friends in high places."
"What?" she turned to him, nearly dropping the purse, he handed to her.
"The money was sent from Howard Connection," The officer led her outside on the street, not elaborating further. Mai had hoped he would for she was beginning to brim with questions. Like why would Geese Howard of all people pay for her release? How did he know she ended up there in the first place?
A bitter taste sprung in her mouth, the more she thought about it and her body ached from the barebones accommodations of the previous night. But above all else, Mai was curious and partly disturbed by this development. From where she stood, she could see the looming structure that was Geese Tower standing like a beacon of darkness over the entirety of the city. More like a blight rather.
Catching the nearest bus to the South Town Bridge, it didn't take long before Mai stood in the lobby of the tower, aiming directly for the receptionist, who looked at her, unimpressed.
"What business do you have here, miss?" she asked, pushing her glasses to the bridge of her nose. She appeared to be middle-aged, snappily dressed, and highly impersonal.
"I'd like to see Geese Howard," Mai answered. She was aware that she wasn't looking her best. Suppose a night in jail just did that to beautiful people. And people in general. She could really do with brushing her teeth too but Mai didn't come here to be Geese's eye candy.
The receptionist narrowed her eyes. They were enlarged under the lenses of her glasses. "Do you have a scheduled meeting with him?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do," Mai answered.
She didn't and she'd be screwed if the receptionist called her bluff. Which she of course just had to do by reaching for the telephone tucked on the desk. She pressed a single button and held the handset to her ear. Mai couldn't help but feel like she had stepped back into the past century. Geese was kind of old, so he probably relied on old technology. It was sort of amusing.
"Sorry to interrupt the meeting, Mr. Kane. A young woman has asked to see Mr. Howard. She says she has a meeting with him," the receptionist said into the handset, then sat in silence, nodding along to whatever was being told. Watching her caused anxiety to bubble in the pits of Mai's stomach as the possibility of a refusal was growing ever stronger.
After five eternities, the receptionist nodded a final time before hanging up with a "Yes, of course. I will tell her."
She stood up, pointing her icy stare at Mai and away from her desk. Mai expected a "no, now kindly fuck off, you dreary cow" to be fired her way in the most corporate manner possible, only to be genuinely stunned when the receptionist walked to a nearby elevator and gestured for Mai to follow inside.
Inside, a man in a suit stood, wearing sunglasses indoors. Well, suppose that was a yes. Mai swallowed and stepped inside, resting against the wall as the man pressed a singular button on the elevator and it began to ascend. The elevator ride was as uncomfortable as they came. Someone releasing a deadly fart would just be the cherry on top. Considering how tall Geese Tower was, it felt appropriate for time to just decide it'd drag itself instead of actually passing in a satisfying manner. Was there no end to this ride?
When they had ascended quite a bit through the tower, there was finally a change. The elevator stopped, then opened and the man in the shades left first. A group of men in suits stood ready to enter but stepped back for the pair to exit fully.
One of them stared at Mai, following her as she walked by. She didn't need to see look at his face to determine what his mood was, but she didn't want to think about it either, following Mr. Sunglasses down the hallway.
Being here, alone, unguarded with nothing but a purse to fight with, in Geese Tower did wonders to burn fear into Mai's nerves. She could defend herself and she would if it came down to it but even, she would be lying if she didn't acknowledge the absolute terror that began to tighten in her gut.
Mr. Shades took Mai further down the extravagant yet somehow minimalistic hallway until they stopped outside a door that he knocked on and opened. He entered first with Mai following behind, clutching her purse in her hands.
Geese's office was surprisingly dull for a man who liked to flaunt his wealth. It had a few bits of originality peppered in there like the marble columns with the designer lamps. And the presence of a globe. Beyond that, it was just stereotypically office-like.
A few paintings littered the walls, situated above potted plants. There was a polished wood desk, sitting on top of a fancy rug, polished floors, comfy chairs, and a massive window that provided a view over South Town's bay. At any time, Geese could just turn around in his massive chair and stare at the ocean – when he pulled the drapes.
It was like a metaphor for the corruption that littered the city. Mai almost wished he had. Instead, he simply sat in his chair with his body leaned forward over the desk and his fingers interlaced, staring at her. Not even when addressing the man in shades, did he avert his eyes.
"Thank you, Hopper."
"Of course, sir," Hopper bowed and spun around on his heel to leave the room. His dress shoes clicked harshly against the floor, all the way to the door and then he was gone. Mai didn't particularly like that guy, but his absence was felt for it was some sort of mental coat of protection against Geese.
When it was just him and Mai, she felt exposed and edgy in his presence. Scrutinized by the look he gave her. Cringing at the silence, she nearly jumped in place when he opened his mouth to greet her, "So, it's you, Miss Mai."
No, it's Santa Claus…was what Mai would love to have spat out if she was cheeky or asking for an office deathmatch, "You paid my bail, why?"
"Wouldn't a simple ''thank you'' be in order?"
"Thanks," Mai deadpanned. "Now tell me what I need to know."
Geese let out a silent but deep breath through his nose. The slight slumping of his body gave it away. Didn't stop him from looking tense and closed off.
"My question is why were you there? I think such information is warranted to tell me considering you're free because of me."
Mai flinched at the sudden counter and felt an annoying sense of panic rush in her stomach. She pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek and came up with the vaguest of answers. "I…felt like going out."
"And? What happened?"
Was he stupid or just messing with her? He had to know what happened! People didn't end up in jail without good reason – for the most part. Or was he expecting something from her in exchange for her freedom? Mai internally retched as she answered.
"A brawl happened, people got shot, and law enforcement arrested everyone present. Some snazzy guys disagreeing over something, I don't know what."
"Well, those snazzy guys were my employers, enjoying a drink after making a lucrative deal for Howard Connection," Geese answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world and she was daft for not knowing already.
"Why would they be discussing business matters in a bar?"
"They weren't. But why is someone like you suddenly feeling the urge to drink at some low-profile bar? My men chose that location of their own volition because it offers privacy but why you? What of that friend of yours who owns her own establishment?"
Geese spoke calmly yet his words bore such sickening directness, it shut Mai up and she scowled. Just as she had come to expect from the man, he reveled in the reactions he brought out of her, leaning back in his chair with a smug grin. She didn't intend to tell him anything, not that she could, feeling the fighting spirit knocked out of her.
"I don't care what you do with your time or where you go either way. However, I take it you didn't have anything to do with the conflict," Geese concluded after a long pause, finally removing that stupid grin from his face.
"No, I didn't," Mai answered curtly after a long pause. She only come there to get blasted so she could drown her grief. Getting arrested and kicked into jail was not part of the agenda.
"I see. That's all I needed to know. You can go now," Geese turned around in his chair, staring out the window and the calmly rippling water. Mai was unsure of what she had expected when she came to this place, but even she had to admit that things had ended wholly uneventfully.
Anticlimactic even.
Mai wouldn't say she was disappointed (she wasn't, fuck Geese) but even he had to admit that this was rather a waste of time and money, just to ask questions. What, was he too prissy to visit a jailhouse? He could have saved himself some money and just asked her there. Oh well, it was his coin, not hers.
"…That's it?" Mai raised a brow, "You're not gonna ask for something else?"
Silence filled the office for a moment, and it made the snort from Geese all the more echoing. "What else would I want, Miss Mai?"
Did he want her to spell it out for him? If she had the liberty to do so, she'd probably backhand him for trying to make her humiliate herself. Mai had to calm down with a few sharp breaths through her nose; being outwardly was not fitting for a proper Japanese lady as her grandmother had told her. Geese turned around when he was met without an answer, and he wasn't smiling anymore. Heck, he didn't even look pleased.
"…Right. I do suppose I felt a little bad for the bird that flew too close to a nest it didn't belong to. If you really want to repay me monetarily, you can start by working here."
Geese Howard? Feeling bad for someone else? That was almost comical. But then again, it wasn't as if he was unaware of Andy's fate or how Mai loved him so. Were her woes really that obvious? Maybe so as she hadn't made much of an effort to hide them, going out drinking and looking like a general mess half the time.
"If I do that, I will never live that down," Mai mumbled. It occurred to her that her first impulse wasn't to refuse. She was just so floored by the sudden kindness from Geese. He hadn't threatened or intimidated her, so it was a genuine offer and not coercion.
"Have you seen how tall this tower is? If needed, I can provide accommodations, so you don't have to lie and flap your little wings to get here, little bird," he snorted, and she flushed. Little bird was not a nickname she ever wanted in life, damn him!
"Fine. Don't get any funny ideas," Mai forced out every word in a gritted agreement. At least it could make her resume look good if anything and there was no contract as of yet, meaning no legal commitments.
Maybe it was just one of those back-alley deals that Geese seemed to be so good at. It wasn't on paper anyway so Mai could just worm herself out of it whenever.
"I'm offering you a chance to get that favor off your mind, nothing else. Go home and pack what you need."
He didn't need to say that twice. She spun on her heel and marched towards the door, her holy angel of mercy.
"I'll expect to see you in my office tomorrow, Miss Mai," Geese said as she flung the door open and closed it without a response.
Out in the hallway, she was alone, and she finally felt like she could breathe. Now alone, she had a moment's reprieve to think over what she had just agreed to. Just do some serving or whatnot for a week, or month or however long and be done with it. The bail wasn't that expensive anyway and Mai did have savings thanks to Andy's will – though that money would never go to Geese Howard. She'd rather die than do that.
Mai could only stand here and hope this decision of hers would not make her wish for death. But with the favor done, she could at least get it out of her system.