As the weeks passed by, Mai began to settle into a routine from the looks of things. Geese was busy with other things, but he occasionally saw her flutter about or get into petty spats with Billy. Suppose two hotheads working in close proximity just ended like that. At least Hein was there to be the mediator.

When the three of them weren't mulling over some inane topic that brought arguments out of them, Geese grew accustomed to the sight of Mai being awake earlier than usual. He could imagine, she didn't have much of a rhythm before she began working here.

The details of which, Geese never found out, but it wasn't his place to find out either. Yet the selfish idea that Geese was the first thing on Mai's mind upon awakening brought a sense of progress. At least the dark rings under her eyes vanished as well. She looked better on the outside. On the inside, maybe not but that would come along. Hopefully.

Oh well, for now, that stupid charity event lingered on Geese's mind instead. He disliked those things, but they worked wonders on his reputation and PR. Not to mention it kept the mayor off his back. While Geese hated the events themselves, orphaned children getting food and whatnot struck a personal chord for him and it would just be in bad taste to refuse so he didn't. He went year after year, usually with Billy.

This time, it would be different for he had Mai with him which in turn gave Billy reason to decline. God knew how she'd react to such an event. She didn't appear particularly thrilled at the news when Geese brought it up to her. Ah, but of course, this was to be one of her tasks and it had a purpose so she couldn't refuse to go.

However, if Geese could be indulgent for a moment, he wouldn't mind taking in her beauty, enhanced with whatever dress she'd be wearing. He ought not to let his mind linger, clearing the images of an elegant Mai from his mind as the door to his office opened.

There were to be no meetings today before noon. One could assume investors just enjoyed arriving fashionably late. Anyway, it gave Geese an opportunity to relay information to his employees this morning. Into the office poured three familiar faces. Essentially a triad of close relations and that said a lot.

"As you know, the charity event is in a week's time," he said and was met with silence accompanied by approving nods.

"Mai. Today, I've arranged for a dressmaker to find you something to wear," Geese shifted his gaze to her, watching her eyes light up at the news. She didn't smile, quite far from it but the excitement in her eyes was apparent.

"Can I dictate the design?" she asked in a light, silvery tone.

"No. You'll be given the choice between a burlap sack and a barrel," Geese answered nonchalantly, watching her open her mouth and frown in absolute horror. Before she could verbally protest, he waved her off, amused by her reaction.

"I'm kidding of course. Moving on; Hein and Billy. I expect you two to run things here while we're gone – as you'd like to do?"

After he stopped snickering at the jest, Billy's shoulders slumped in relief. If there was one person who hated charity galas more than Geese, it was Billy. He found them unusually boring and claustrophobic and Geese didn't blame him. Thus it was an agreement between the two of them that Ripper and Hopper would take security duty tonight.

Hein kept his emotions under wraps as usual but the quick nod was a sign that he at least understood his task. Without further questioning and explaining, everyone was thankfully fully aware of their role in that eventful evening. Even Miss Mai, the little sad bird.

Geese leaned back in his chair, "That will be all."

And thus, the meeting was adjourned but Mai still lingered with that heavy frown on her face. Wanting to get some fresh air before the meeting with the investors, he stood up and opened one of the drawers of the desk. He pulled out a box of Cuban cigars, snatching one and putting it in his inner pocket. He'd smoke it later but first, he had to soothe a little bird still fluttering about.

"Since you're still angry about my joke, how about you air out your frustrations at the top of the tower?" he asked.

Mai stared at him for a bit but didn't respond verbally. Her frown eased as she followed him out of the office and to the elevator. They were already rather close, so it was a fairly short ride. It occurred to Geese that this marked the first time she had actually been on his personal floor as they had otherwise met in the office or lounge room.

"You say you were joking but were you?" Mai broke the silence, frowning again.

"I was. No need to worry, Miss Mai."

She hummed in deep thought, "Hmm."

And then silence as they passed by traditional Japanese architecture, rare statues, and American flags. There were still a few hours until the investor's meeting and Mai's appointment, so they had time to kill, and he had time to extend his generosity to her.

Little Miss Mai wasn't so easily charmed and proved to be a stubborn nut to crack, no doubt influenced by the memory of Andy. It would be quite cruel to force her to let go and so Geese would have to play the long game and earn her goodwill. The fact that she agreed to follow him to the top of the tower and that she had stopped frowning, staring curiously at her surroundings were good signs. Baby steps, baby steps, he had to remind himself.

Maybe when the ice had been broken and she wasn't so wary of him, he could put one of his emotional barriers down and draw her in with solidarity. With all this thinking, Geese quickly realized that they now stood outside, looking over the city. Today was rather misty and it completely obscured the entirety of South Town. Geese Tower stood above the fog but there really wasn't much to view here aside from the top of smaller buildings emerging from a formless mass of gray.

"Ugh, imagine falling from here," Mai groaned as she stepped closer to the railing, grabbing onto it like it was her lifeline. A deep sigh escaped her.

Admittingly that had been a recurring nightmare for Geese when he was younger. He wasn't necessarily afraid of heights (or he wouldn't have built a massive tower) but the thought of it still made him wince when no one was looking.

"Yes. It would hurt," that was an understatement which Mai called Geese out on immediately. For one, she wasn't throwing bitterness his way.

"It would hurt? I'm pretty sure the pain is the least of your worries if you fall from here. The biggest one would be your body ending up as red porridge on the pavement. I wonder what you'd be thinking of while you fall. Maybe it'll be peace coming to terms with the inevitable," she said that so ponderously, a chill ran down Geese's spine. Before he realized it, he had walked up next to her, his hands no longer buried in his pockets.

"Don't tell me you…" he needed to be careful with how he proceeded with this once it occurred to him what he was implying.

Silence passed as Mai ever so slowly turned to look at him, puzzled. "Are you asking if I…?"

Immediately, it must have dawned upon her what Geese meant and her lips thinned. Her grip around the railing tightened to the point where her knuckles became white. Her eyes darkened, then glinted with tears.

"No, I haven't. I'm fine!" she furiously wiped her face, letting a sob escape her in a manner that suggested that she was very much not fine. So, she had been thinking of it after all.

Geese watched on as she turned around and headed towards the staircase which would take her to the floor below. "It's fine to admit, you're not and I don't blame you."

He could relate but it wasn't time to play that card yet. She'd call bullshit if he did anyway.

"Ah, why do you care?" Mai asked. Well, back to the usual snark but it was very much warranted.

"I have a heart, Mai. You can always ask Billy about it."

She was quiet, wiping her eyes again before descending the staircase. Geese didn't follow her, letting her leave to sort herself out. At least she wouldn't jump off a building, so he felt slightly okay with leaving her alone but not quite at ease. He took his phone and sorted through his contacts. Normally he liked to call but for quick messages, a text was much better.

"Billy, tell Hein to keep an eye out on Mai today," the message read before he sent it.

For the charity event, Geese had settled for a simple but stylish suit. As for Mai, she had procured an elegant red dress that effortlessly fitted her. For once, her hair was down, cascading down her back. She looked stunning, to say the least, yet Geese was disciplined enough to not stare.

"You look quite wonderful," he said just as Hopper opened the door for him and he entered.

Moments later, Mai sat next to him albeit pressed up against the door because he was a little too close for comfort. He had come to realize that she didn't move away from him out of fear, just contempt. Fear was much easier to tame than disdain.

"Thank you. It's been a while since I've felt beautiful," she answered softly without looking at him.

Tread wisely, Geese. Mai was like a deer; easy to offend and then she'd run in another direction instead of feeding from the hand offering her acorns. Or whatever those cretins ate.

"This…isn't a date, is it?" she preempted him with a question, he hadn't seen coming. Mai shook a little, almost as if she was anxious about what he'd answer.

"It's a charity event, Miss Mai. We're there to look good, eat good and act good. Consider it a chance for you to make some connections as well."

This seemed to ease Mai a bit although she only responded with a musing hum, turning around to stare out of the window in silence. No conversation emerged between them through the entire ride to that stupid charity dinner. Mai seemed to have zoned out entirely, staring blankly at the city lights that passed them by.

The ride felt longer than normal for the simple fact that the silence was booming despite the ambient hum of the engine and the conversation between Ripper and Hopper, occupying the driver's and passenger's seats respectively.

After an hour, the car finally pulled up to the private parking lot and rolled to a still before Ripper and Hopper exited the car and opened the doors to the backseat for Geese and Mai. Unsurprisingly, she gave Hopper a strange look, frowning when he had no reaction to it.

Just to make the guests feel safe, all non-invited acquaintances had to remain in the lobby. Suppose no one felt all too happy with a pair of bodyguards walking around. Out of optics and nothing else, Geese offered his arm to Mai on their way to through their lobby.

"You said this wasn't a date!" Mai stared at his arm like it could shoot spikes and drip acid. As far as Geese knew, she didn't mind getting spoiled and treated like a lady, because the late Bogard boy so rarely showed open affection to her. Intel from previous encounters suggested she was easily flattered.

Just not from Geese of all people.

"Pardon me for being a gentleman," he retracted his arm with a sigh, still within reaching distance of her. Right before they were led into the main hall, he caught a silent scoff coming from her. Her discomfort was quickly and quietly replaced with awe and wonderment.

A sea of people were already present though the event had yet to begin and Geese felt his mood sour a bit. He looked at his watch, preparing to keep an eye on the hours before midnight, which was usually when he left. A waiter arrived with champagne at the reception and Geese snatched two glasses, about to pass one over when he found Mai half across the hall, fluttering about, occasionally caught in conversations with other attendees, complimenting their attire or something to that effect.

She didn't stick out much amongst the sea of dresses and suits but Geese honed in on her like a missile, spotting her in the midst of a deep conversation with a woman. Another young attendee, a few years older than Mai although her experiences made her appear much older. She carried herself with grace and wisdom born from a lifetime of tragedy. Her recently departed husband was tragic news to all within South Town's upper echelon.

"Oh, how fantastique as my dear departed husband would say," The woman exclaimed

"Ah!" Mai jittered. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. It was a long time ago."

The two of them continued their deep discussion about the passing of time and the struggles of grief. The woman must have quickly but subtly picked up on Mai's current woes, eventually putting a hand on her shoulder that caused her to flinch. But she was polite, absorbing every story told to her about this woman's life story.

As soon as Geese was within touching distance, the mayor had taken the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming! If you would take your seats, please."

Before long, every attendant was seated, and the event carried on like these things tended to. Coincidentally, the woman from earlier sat right next to Mai and they continued their conversation, changing topics and involving the mayor at some point. Geese zoned out for most of it; he'd let Mai have her fun. Silence befell the hall as several people stepped up to the podium with their long-winded and forced speeches.

Afterward, the podium was removed outright, and a band arrived to perform live music. Simple, light, classy jazz. Almost stereotypical for such an event. Finally, an hour after midnight, it was finally time to leave. There was no sign of the party ever stopping but with dinner and donations completed, Geese found no reason to stay any longer.

Not to mention Mai was beginning to sack in her posture, blinking rapidly to stave off exhaustion. Quietly and elegantly, Geese made his exit with Mai following behind him. Once in the reception, they spotted Ripper and Hopper in the middle of a light-hearted conversation about soccer games.

Never had Geese been happier to see his bodyguards. He almost smiled when they lead the way outside, all the way to the parking lot and the car.

"Wow, I'm tired and stuffed," Mai groaned and leaned back into the seat once they were inside, kicking off her heels in the meantime and pulling her legs under her. She covered her face, though it did little to suppress the big yawn that came from her.

"It is a tiresome event."

"…Fun though I must say."

"You looked like you had the time of your life."

Silence passed as Mai turned to look at him, more bemused than annoyed with his comment. Her eyes looked almost black from the ambient light of the car's interior.

"I'm not being sarcastic, just so you know before you hurl a snarky comment at me," Geese assured her, refitting his tie and loosening it a bit.

"What, does it hurt your feelings? Can't handle banter?" she raised a brow. She had asked that in such a childlike, curious way that it almost made him laugh.

"Pfft no. Nothing you'd say would even dent me. But I'd advise you not to test that for you'd be wasting your time. Besides, I've only been nice to you."

No. Geese was not someone wounded by words. He, like everyone else, could feel their sting but they were never deep enough to cause any considerable harm. Better yet, Mai had no ammunition to use, unlike Geese who could easily fire a snide remark at Andy's expense if he was cruel enough.

Mai may not have been aware of it yet but they were in the midst of a covert game of chess; a battle of the heart if one had to be corny. She was about to contest this when the car pulled to a sudden stop in the middle of the street, surrounded by the headlights of other vehicles.

"Traffic jam up ahead, sir," Hopper announced. Of course. This was a Friday after all.

"Take a different route," Geese sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He felt an iota of relief hit him when the car took the chance to pull down a smaller sideroad, away from the main street. From the looks of things, the traffic jam stretched for miles so they'd have to do a massive detour to avoid it and get to the tower. This meant driving through the seedy roads of South Town. Here was darker and quieter with the lampposts' pale light and neon glare from some low-rated motels.

Curious, Geese looked over at Mai, watching her resting against the car door, eyes half-closed, still curled where she sat. He was about to tell her to sleep when Hopper slammed the brakes, and the car came to a screeching halt.

"A police officer is standing in the middle of the road and he's not letting us pass," Hopper explained before Geese could ask what had caused the sudden stop. Instead, it brought up a second, much-warranted question.

"…What in the fuck does he want?"

Hopper and Ripper looked at each other before exiting the vehicle. They made sure to lock the doors after themselves. A strange feeling emerged in Geese's pit, and he thought it would be wise to prepare, just in case something would happen. It wouldn't be the first time, he ended up in a bad situation due to maggots trying to feast on him.

He popped open the tunnel console and took a handgun located in there. There was no need to check its ammunition as that had already been done earlier today. It was just habit at this point; Geese would check the weapons within the vehicles before he'd ride in them. Mai, on the other hand, gasped loudly at the sight.

"That's a…"

"Just in case. You never know with the occasional weirdo," he assured her, watching her eyes grow large with shock.

Outside Ripper and Hopper were in full discussion with the man to find out what he wanted and get him out of the way. From the looks of it, he was wearing a police uniform although it looked more like a cheap Halloween costume. On the off chance that he really was a cop, it would be wise to play along though his behavior was highly suspicious.

He showed his badge to Ripper before casually strolling over to the car, staring through its windows until he stopped by the backseat with the two bodyguards looming over him. Because of the tinted glass, he didn't get much to ogle at. Geese rolled down the window a few inches.

"Good evening, officer. Mind telling me what the problem is?"

"Ah, good evening to you! Just doing a checkup" the officer exclaimed. It sounded almost forced and immediately Geese felt his defenses work in high gear.

Not helping was the pale light of the streetlights reflecting something metallic in the officer's hands. It took mere seconds to realize what it was and before he could shoot at the window, he was thrown to the pavement and taken a few feet away from the car by Ripper, with his arms getting twisted in the meantime. The car's windows had been proofed against handguns and whatnot, so Geese was in no immediate danger.

"What's happening?" Mai asked, gasping at the screaming and commands that came out of the officer's mouth. Foreign curses and orders. The situation became crystal clear then; this was an ambush.

Immediately gunshots echoed out through the streets, not close by but certainly not far away either. Ripper and Hopper ran back to the car, entering and slamming the doors shut. Well, that was one way to end a night of charity. A hand landed on Geese's forearm, clenching it in a bid for answers. He turned his head, staring directly into the eyes of a panicked Mai.

"We're getting ambushed by gangbangers, I think."

That was the most honest answer he could give though that hardly did anything to ease the fear in her eyes.

"What? What the hell?!" her voice was shrill, and her breathing quickened.

"Keep your head down and try to relax," Geese told her, tightening his grip around the gun.

That was easier said than done especially if this was one's first time getting involved in incidents like these. As if compelled by his humanity, he put his hand over hers in an effort to calm her down. She didn't move or flinch, just curling into herself and shrinking in her seat.

This was not exactly the way Geese had imagined he'd break the ice with Mai, but he wasn't complaining. She didn't crawl away from him like he was contagious with the bubonic plague for once. Probably because he was her one means of survival. Best to not reject the hand that tried to keep you alive.

Instantly the car drove off, way above the speed limit although no one was in the mood to care. In this part of town, there was little traffic at this hour which was both a blessing and a curse. More gunshots echoed through the street and Mai's grip tightened. Looking in the rear-view mirror, Geese spotted an unmarked vehicle following them as they reached an empty stretch of desert road that led directly out of South Town. They'd have to take a turn and then directly make way for the tower from another road.

During the ride, Mai instantly inched closer to him, latching onto him like he was a life preserver, and she was drowning in the middle of the ocean. Her entire body was trembling and she shrieked when the sound of bullets rang through the quiet night. Immediately, Mai dove for cover, wrapping her arms around Geese's torso and sending them both tumbling against the car door.

It took some maneuvering to hide Mai out of view in the backseat window just as a rifle bullet hit the glass, shattering it in a thousand little pieces and raining them over all over the backseat.

The car swerved a bit but continued driving. One of these days, Geese had to find out if there was actually some kind of bulletproof glass that could withstand the power of those godforsaken .30-60 rifles. His eardrums were ringing, drowning out the roaring of the engine, air rushing through the backseat, more bullets raining, and Mai's hysteric crying.

This wasn't out of the ordinary; it took a second for survival mode to kick in and he wiped himself clean of glass. With Mai wrapped around him like jungle vines, it was harder to move but move he did; using his free arm to lift himself against the car door and aiming his gun to fire at the assholes ruining his night.

It was pitch black and the car chasing them had shut off its headlights. The only source of visibility came from the shrinking glow of South Town's lights so Geese could only make an estimated guess at the vehicle's actual position judging from the sound of its engine. A bullet scratched the side of the car, causing Mai to tighten her hug to the point where she almost impaired his ability to breathe.

But the sudden flash from the barrel had been useful in aiming and Geese fired back, hearing glass shatter directly after. He must have pieced the windshield and killed the shooter as something hit the road and clattered against the asphalt at high speed.

Ripper popped the glovebox open, took out a pair of handguns, and opened the sunroof to fire a couple of shots. One seemed to have hit the driver and they lost control of the car, causing its wheel to screech and the vehicle to drive off the road, landing in a ditch in the middle of the desert. Hopper pulled over and everyone was given a moment to catch their breath and let the shock pass.

"Sir! Are you hurt?" Ripper turned around to look at the backseat. His eyes landed on the sea of glass for a moment.

"I'm fine. Hopper, call the tower and make them send a new car. Ripper, check who the assholes were."

"Yes, sir!" the bodyguards answered simultaneously, stepping out of the car to follow their orders. Good, with that out of the way, there was the issue of a possibly shell-shocked woman still clinging on to Geese like a spider monkey.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to pull her off him ever so gently like she was made out of glass. Her skin was icy to the touch. "Mai. Look at me."

Her breath hitched in her chest, and she was still shaking. She fixed her eyes downwards with tears streaking down her cheeks, wrought with shock.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, watching as she slowly lifted her head. Her gaze didn't meet his, just floating something on his chest.

"N-no…" she answered in a meek whisper. She didn't appear hurt either. On the outside anyway.

Gingerly, Geese pushed himself away from the car door before popping it open, stepping out on the grass, and dusting himself free of glass. A single piece caused a few cuts to his fingers but that was miles above getting a bullet in the head. Mai remained where she was, still shaking. She was barefoot so stepping anywhere was out of the question. He still had to lure her closer to the door and he almost did when a gunshot rang through the empty highway, making her cower again.

Was this just karma trying to fuck with him for doing some goodwill? How ironic.

Geese drew a deep breath of the evening air, walking over to the car and touching Mai's shoulders. By his touch, she sucked in a shaking breath as her hands grabbed him by the lapel of her collar and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Slowly, Geese managed to maneuver Mai enough to lift her into his arms, carrying her away from the car bridal style.

Ripper came back from inspecting the attackers and headed directly for the car, snatching Mai's purse amidst the mountain of glass. It would seem that the driver wasn't entirely dead, so they'd have to be put down. Good riddance.

"So?" Geese raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of Ripper's musing frown.

"Gangbangers. I hit him in the neck, and he took himself out before I got any answers. Said you could go fuck yourself. Sincerely, J."

"J? Who the hell is J?"

"I don't know, sir. I'll look into it when I get the chance."

Somewhere on his extensive list of enemies, Geese probably had one or two maggots who called themselves J. Bitter crooks who were upset that he took their business away, was the first thing that popped into his mind. A J outright associated with some gangs? That was new.

Or maybe not.

Either way, it was something that had to be investigated. A few minutes later, a third car came speeding down the desert road, slowing down and pulling over and the two bodyguards immediately formed a wall in front of Geese and Mai.

"Geese! You okay?" Billy's frantic voice called from the driver's seat as the window rolled down and the bodyguards dispersed.

"We're fine," Geese said, thankful that Billy hopped out of the vehicle to open the door to the backseat once he spotted Mai being carried.

"Oh cock, now I have to go to these bullshit charity events after all," the young man grinned, a little uneasy over what had occurred even if he was used to it at this point.

Geese shrugged. "It would appear so. You missed out on some good champagne."

Mai wasn't too keen on letting go when he put her on the seat, staring at him like a puppy being left alone at home for five minutes. It would do her some good to be taken back to the tower and get some rest. Geese had to gently pry her fingers off his shirt and pat her on the head to assure her that another pair of gang members wouldn't cruise by and shoot at them.

"Take the car to get some repairs and make someone clean this mess up. I don't want the actual police or the news sniffing to this like the bloodhounds that they are," Geese commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Ripper and Hopper nodded, immediately going to work with phone calls and picking up evidence.

Finally, inside the car, Geese let out a deep soundless sigh. He felt the sudden itch for a Cuban cigar. Not an outright addiction, just something to ease himself a bit after a night that was more eventful than it had any right to be. He felt something brush up against his thigh and looked down to see Mai lying down with her head resting by his leg. She had stopped shaking and it would appear that she had fallen asleep when he brushed some of her hair away from her face.

He had the slightest of feelings that there was a lot of explaining to do and that he was treading in some deep waters, which could honestly make Mai run for the hills.