"So, she really just agreed to work here. Her of all people," Billy grimaced over the news he had just received.
His fingers curled around his staff, and he ran his hand across its length too fast for it to not be an attempt at an obscene gesture. He didn't even look aware of it. In deep thought, Geese sat, twirling his pen between his fingers. In reality, he hated that sort of thing, yet he had picked up that habit himself.
"Yes, she did. The death of that other Bogard boy struck her hard. I guess she feels like she might as well do it since she doesn't want to be indebted to me however," he concluded.
Geese wasn't happy when he heard of Andy's passing. Despite everything, he did occasionally keep tabs on the Bogard boys for his own amusement. He didn't expect one of them to outright die. Geese was, above all else, disappointed and that meant a lot as he usually didn't find himself having much of a reaction to the death of his adversaries. A strange sound came from Billy in response. Even to him, this recent development sounded absolutely bizarre, but he wasn't advising to end it thankfully. Therefore, a musing reticence filled the room before Hein cleared it, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Do you have any plans for her employment, sir?" he asked, and to be honest, Geese didn't really have much of a specific position in mind when he gave Mai that job offer. If anything, this arrangement was just a glorified internship.
"A little bit of everything – within the realms of legality of course. I don't consider her much of a threat since her issues have nothing to do with us. It would however be quite a useful asset to have a Shiranui ninja in our ranks if she got pulled out of her rut," Geese leaned back into his chair, resting his head on his elbow. The pen continued to be twirled between his fingers.
After all, Geese didn't have anything to do with Andy's demise. He may have killed a Bogard years past but not that Bogard.
In all honesty, the job offer wasn't part of the plan when he received news of what had happened to Mai yesterday. He just wanted answers from her in case she had been involved somehow. At the time, it seemed like too many coincidences for it not to be deliberate. Now, it really was just a big accident.
The world truly worked in mysterious ways.
Geese had seen it coming that she'd be heartbroken. He predicted that she'd be depressed. He hadn't accounted for her looking quite so rough, being so out of shape to the point where she went to some sketchy bar, usually favored by the mafia. Either Terry and all their mutuals weren't around to support her or she didn't let them support her, isolating herself and pulling her deeper into the drought. Geese wasn't a therapist, but he would be lying if there wasn't a part of him that felt a little bad for her and hoped to pull her back onto her feet.
And he could do that because he didn't have grief with her.
"In that case, I will make sure to get her properly accommodated," Hein announced and bowed before he prepared to make his leave. He paused at the devious chuckle that came from Billy. With the way his glasses were angled, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
Billy snickered, putting his staff over his shoulders. "Assuming she's not gonna kick you in the ballocks."
Hein scoffed a bit at the vulgar warning but remained quiet. It was sort of routine for the two of them at this point; Billy would haze the good butler and Hein would barely react to it aside from a bemused stare or a thickly veiled frown, depending on the time of day. Diligent as they were, Geese felt like he was witnessing his two children have a go at each other.
"If we show her that we're not a gang of psychopaths who drink the blood of infants, it might do the trick in endearing her," he said before Billy could make any more references to Mai's feisty behavior. Suppose it was a fair warning all things considered.
"Geese, with all due respect, she's the type of lass who'd run for the hills if she smelled even a hint of illicit activities. I trust your judgment but we both know she's a fickle little thing," Billy scowled, and not without good reason.
Exactly that was why he wanted Mai's tenure here to strictly deal with legal work. Once she had grown closer to Howard Connection and came to understand its employees better, if that day came, Geese could drip-feed Mai some theft and weapons trafficking.
"If she found herself in some dingy bar to drink her woes, there's a high chance that she's extremely lonely. She needs people, even devils like us," Geese voiced his own assumptions, putting the pen down when he got too annoyed with himself for getting that terrible habit.
Billy raised a brow. "What about all her friends?"
"Billy, do you know the apologue for the boiling frog? If it's thrown into the hot water, it'll jump out but if it's put into tepid water that slowly heats up, it won't perceive any change and stay there until it's boiled to death," Geese pushed himself from his desk to stand up and folded his arms over his chest before continuing.
Usually, it was used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of sinister threats that arose gradually rather than suddenly. That said, it was not Geese's intention to harm Mai. Endearment was the proper goal here.
"Now, we won't kill her. We want her on our side – willingly and we'll treat her nicely but genuinely, so she won't call bullshit. We'll feed her a little illegality, bit by bit until she's accustomed to it," he said, just as Hein finally excused himself to prepare for this plan of theirs. In the meantime, he should work on some damage control in case Mai's friends woke up and decided to check up on her.
Not that Geese ever particularly cared for what they thought of him or her employment, but it could cause trouble down the line if they decided to meddle.
The very next day, after an early morning meeting with the mayor of South Town about some charity gala event hosted, Geese caught wind of Mai's arrival at the tower. He would have to ask Hein about the details and if the good butler's ballocks still remained. Mai had been put in one of the lounge rooms when Geese went to greet her. He found her fast asleep in one of the leather chairs, firmly curled up in its seat.
She looked a little better this morning, perhaps because she was allowed to sleep in an actual bed as opposed to a jail cell. Her eyes moved under their lids like she was dreaming, and her rest didn't appear to be all that peaceful from the looks of things. Quietly, Geese sat down in one of the other chairs present and simply observed. He could always wake her up. He probably would further into their working relationship when one had become accustomed to the other.
But now, touching her even slightly was out of the question otherwise he could imagine she'd try to claw his eyes out.
So, Geese would sit, wait, and watch. Not bad. Mai was still as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as she had always been, but her struggles affected her appearance. She'd gotten thinner, with rings under her eyes and her usually sulky hair being a tad messier than normal.
How long had it been since Andy died anyway? Six months, Geese remembered. What had he died of? No one knew except the three people who were closest to him; that being his brother, his annoying, loudmouth Muay Thai friend, and his girlfriend. And there was no way Geese would be privy to this. He could have someone investigate it but the thought of it rubbed him the wrong way.
Perhaps it was fueled by the underlying reason why he had decided to get acquainted with Mai. It wasn't only her strengths or asset but if he told her that, she'd laugh in his face. And Geese wasn't too keen on divulging his sentimental side. So, he decided then that he wouldn't, opening a folder that had been pressed under his arm. Inside was a contract that would add some legitimacy to this business relationship.
Geese looked over it like he had done earlier when Ripper brought it to his office the night before. It just contained the usual garble about worker obligations, employment conditions, and details about salaries. It wasn't all that interesting, as opposed to the soft sounds that came from Mai, causing Geese to lift his head and hear more incoherent ramble spill from her lips. That was until an "I'm sorry" dropped, which gave Geese a pretty good insight into her state of mind.
Yet she was not in any rush of waking up and facing the day and Geese slowly felt his patience shrink as time passed. Indeed, he had just decided not to disturb her but he had places to be and business to attend. Certainly, little Miss Mai did too. He stood up and put the folder on the chair, heading towards the door and opening it. Right by the opening, Billy stood, jittering in place.
"Bring me a glass of water," Geese ordered, and Billy peered into the room. It took a few moments for him to realize what Geese intended and he turned around with an evil grin on his face. A minute or so later, he finally returned with the water, entering the lounge room to watch the magic unfold.
Geese positioned himself in front of the still Mai and tightened his grip around the glass. Briefly, a thought of hesitation caused him to draw out the tension unintentionally.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned or something like that.
A second passed before Geese jerked the glass forward, splashing water all over Mai. As if she had been possessed, she jumped from the chair with her hair and arms flailing all over the place. Her shriek was promptly drowned out by the burst of laughter that erupted from Billy.
"Good morning, Miss Mai. I'm sorry for doing that but quite honestly, you'd be asleep for the rest of the morning if I didn't do something," Geese greeted her and found her reaction amusing. Cute too in the same way that a small Shih Tzu barking at something was cute. She was glaring at him now as if she tried to murder him with her eyes alone. Her stare carried enough scorn to set a building on fire. Suppose he deserved that.
So did Billy who had to wipe his eyes with his sleeves, indifferent to how Mai's brows scrunched up in feminine fury.
"Sorry, toots," he shrugged. "That was fucking funny. We're not always that bad though."
"Right, whatever…" Mai soured and stretched, grimacing at how the water dripped off from her, soaking her red blouse.
She shook a little, dripping more bits of water onto the burgundy rug. Geese turned around to get the folder and handed it to Mai. He had extra copies if her wetness soaked it, but he figured she'd like to get an idea of the conditions expected from her. In silence, she read, her eyes scanning over every word.
"Eight weeks of employment?" she asked without looking up.
Geese handed the glass to Billy, explaining the process behind such a condition. Somewhat at least. In the realm of business relations, there was a general rule of three months before major decisions could be made but Geese didn't have twelve weeks and Mai wouldn't agree to such a thing either.
"I consider it an adequate compensation for the money owed."
This time, Mai looked up from the paper, narrowing her eyes. "Bail wasn't that expensive. I could pay it and get this over with."
"All right then," Billy scoffed. "Why don't you?"
"I…never mind. But if you're up to no good, I'm allowed to leave when I want!" she closed the folder with more force than necessary and handed it over to Geese. Drops of water had landed on the brown paper surface.
"That's fair," he said and opened it again. From an inner pocket in his jacket, he pulled out a pen, and signed the first page of the document, gesturing Mai to come closer so she could sign her soul over to him for the next two months – assuming she didn't catch wind of some illegal weapon dealings.
It was amusing that she added that she was ready to leave if she caught wind of it – as if she wasn't aware that Geese made a good chunk of money from illegal activity. She probably knew; hell, Terry or Andy had most likely informed her. Either she was lying to herself and found herself attracted to the danger in hopes of some thrill in her life or she just wanted a superficial reason to get up in the morning, crime be damned.
Suppose Geese could understand that.
Twenty years was a long time, but the feeling never left him. He just became good at ignoring it until he forgot about it. Stubbornness and ambition kept him going and Mai could use some of that zest. He wasn't going to be her therapist, just a motivator, and hopefully, she'd join his empire. Geese must have zoned out into his own thoughts for a moment as he hardly registered Mai snatching the pen and signing the contract. He blinked, noting her stare at him with a puzzled look.
"Welcome aboard, Miss Mai. Your first task will be that of a server. Spend the day training so you can get ready for tonight," he closed the folder and stood up, heading for the door with Billy following close behind.
"So, am I gonna hold those fancy trays?" Mai asked once they emerged into the hallway. She wasn't all too impressed but not outright looking like she dreaded the experience.
"Yes," Geese confirmed, gauging her reaction intently. "Do you know how?"
"Not the fancy way," Of course, she didn't. Geese didn't expect her to.
He sighed. "Right. I have meetings to attend so Billy will take you through the casino."
The reactions from Billy and Mai were instant and identical; distaste and contempt. Billy hid it better because doing what Geese ordered was his job. Didn't stop him from grimacing. Probably wouldn't stop him from doing some covert razzing to "initiate" Mai.
"Play nice or I'll ground you," Geese warned him and he stiffened. It was merely meant as a playful, facetious threat, and then again maybe not because of the plans that were in store for Mai. It required an effort for everyone to make this arrangement work.
I like butler Hein more than (spoiler) secret agent Hein so for the purpose of this story, he's just Geese's butler and nothing else.
Thought I'd get that outta the way in case anyone asked.