Geese was more than elated when he left the hunting lodge. He had established himself amongst some of his fellow guests and buttered up a few investors alongside a lucrative collaborative effort with another company, so he was pleased. But above all, he was exhausted. It would feel good to be back in the tower and maybe get some other work done.
Progress with the gang war had been made albeit minuscule but it was better than nothing; hopefully, things would change once he got back. It would seem that events had proceeded as initially predicted; gang wars and infighting with attempts at stability. Someone was holding them together at the seams while White was merely observing.
News aside, it was turning into a ripe shit show with areas of South Town being hit. Things weren't completely out of control yet, but they would be if this stupid war didn't end soon.
When the plane closed in on South Town Airport, Geese almost wished he could magically force the machine to teleport so he could get out of here and back to the tower as quickly as possible. As an investor in the airport, Geese had pulled some strings in order to skip the usual chaos of the public terminals as well as get permission to enter with a private jet in an enclosed area of the airport.
He was not in the mood to sit with others, even if it was business class. He was thankful to be off the plane, and even more grateful for the black car that was parked a few meters away.
"Welcome back. Mai insisted on joining," Billy waved and wasted no time taking care of the luggage. From the backseat, the tinted window rolled down and locks of brown hair peeked through the gap. Then a pair of brown eyes stared directly at Geese.
"Hey. Welcome back. It's cold so I don't have much to say. I got news for you though so hop in before hell freezes over," she said and rolled the window back up again. It was one hell of a greeting, but Geese couldn't focus on that over the rush of warmth in his gut at the sound of her voice in his ears. He could and would control himself as he had done for years.
He could manage just fine with being away and not think of her when he was gone but now, when he was getting hit with crashing waves of attraction, it was a little difficult to keep himself composed. Damn, it had been many years since he had been sweet on someone. Within minutes, the luggage had been put in the trunk and the car sped off.
Inside the cabin of the car, it was warm and welcoming, if not a little distracting with the sweet scent of Mai's perfume, scented with vanilla, and cherry blossoms. It fitted her quite well.
"So, the news?" Geese asked as the car sped off towards the city. He shouldn't let his gaze linger on Mai like that, but he was unable to stop himself, his tightening at how she leaned back in the seat of the car, pressing a finger against her soft, shapely lips.
It would seem that ever since he left for Canada, Mai's grace had taken a comfortable spot in a tiny part of his mind; unfortunately, that part was ruled by emotions. Curse those late-night phone calls and the sweetness of her voice. Curse him for being a slave to his desires.
"I went to Big's party thing yesterday and he's buddies with Jack Turner. You know, the big guy with the dance troupe, whose napkin you spat on?" Mai pulled the white ribbon from her ponytail, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders. It had grown quite long in the past six months, unwieldy too with the way she tried to fit it within the white ribbon.
"They both really wanted me to work for Big instead. Big then threw some shade at you while trying to flirt with me. Oh and he snapped a picture of me without asking…"
"He's a womanizer and a sleazebag. Naturally, he'd flock to you like a wasp to a jar of jam. Expect him to buzz around you until the end of time. That is unless one of us tells him to fuck off," Geese shrugged, noting how Mai's shoulders slumped in relief.
"Or when I beat his ass," he quipped. "Pick your shield," Billy interjected from the front passenger's seat, rattling his staff.
Mai blinked before composing herself with a nervous giggle. "…Right. Let's not get sued."
By all means, Big was more than welcome to try. Geese had hired the best attorneys money could buy and he could always bribe a few judges alongside a couple of jury members. A lawsuit would only be a waste of time. But tomfoolery aside, Geese sat with the burning question of why he had even come to the tower in general.
Big and Geese detested each other but they did manage to live in brittlely, peaceful coexistence with the latter having the power to just snuff out Big whenever he wanted. Geese only kept him around on the off chance that he'd be of use again. And Big was aware of this.
Maybe a little too aware.
Could it possibly be that he was involved in the coalition? Geese wouldn't put it past him; the man was as opportunistic as they came, and it wouldn't be the first time he had tried to take down the kingpin of South Town. Maybe he had come to Geese in hopes of making a truce and playing both sides but met with Mai instead.
Maybe that was why he wanted that meeting to be in person. So far, intel didn't suggest or deny that Big was involved, but if Jack Turner was, surely Big was as well; just as slimy as ever and annoyingly good at covering his tracks.
Momentarily, Geese turned to Mai while she sat on her phone, typing away, scrolling, and doing what else women did on their mobile devices. For a second, he considered asking her to spy on Big for him but they were still in the testing period of their relationship despite the steps of progress that had been made.
It had already been one hell of a risk to ask her to go and see Big at the Blue Moon Factory. Geese had been pleasantly surprised when she agreed but another dicey move like that could make her suspicious at best and outright run for the hills at worst.
"Say, I shouldn't ask you this but…what do you think of the name Maria?" Mai suddenly asked, blindsiding Geese completely.
"It's a very nice name," he answered after a brief pause, curious about where she was going to this. Another pause passed between them while Moira and Billy were having small talk in the front seats.
"S-so who is she?" Mai asked, lowering her voice a bit. For the first time since asking that, she looked at him and she probably wished she hadn't with the blank way he stared at her. He wasn't aware of it himself until he saw how her jaw clenched.
Somewhere deep down within Geese's mind, there were the memories of a woman named Maria. He hadn't thought of her in a while as it was reserved for when he was at his weakest. He hadn't felt weak in a long time. The women in his life were bit of a sore spot for him; he hadn't even discussed it with Billy in detail.
It was an unwritten rule between them to not linger on Geese's relations with women. It made him worry about what Big had said to Mai during their meeting – then again, Big should realistically not know anything about Geese's mother.
Mai began shifting in her seat, looking away to find refuge in her lap. "I-I warned you. I looked through the papers and-and I saw an envelope addressed to her."
Oh. She had fucking gone and done it after all. For a split second, Geese felt rage bubbling in his stomach over getting his personal business snooped through like that but then again she had warned him. And here he was, thinking she was messing about.
Turned out she was a curious one after all. Would explain the way she tended to touch and finger his belongings whenever she was in the estate. She didn't seem aware of it herself most of the time and Geese couldn't stay furious at her because of that.
It was a wonderful thing that he had learned how to hide his emotions. On a more neutral note, there was nothing incriminating in the office; that was reserved for the study. Now was only the task of talking about a rather touchy subject. And the issue of two people sitting in the front, still engaged in their casual conversation about the best way to remove oil stains from fabric.
Thankfully and purely coincidentally, this car happened to be a newer model with a divider which allowed some privacy. Made of glass, it could be tightened to the point where the backseat essentially became soundproof, and the glass shifted to opaque. A perfect little bubble to talk about private matters such as dead parents.
"…My mother," Geese answered and left it at that. Even for someone like him, the heart was like a jar filled with fragile little feelings under a lot of pressure. Putting a lid on it and sealing it with glue and the power of discipline was the best option. But just polishing the sides and discussing what was happening inside once in a while did no harm.
"O-oh! I see…" Mai nodded, still looking like she wanted the seat to swallow her whole like someone's dropped penny. Thankfully, she didn't press the matter any further. Seems like she was astute enough to feel the chill of the cabin despite the heaters being on. Geese figured it had satiated her enough and thoroughly euthanized the topic at hand so he reached his hand over to the button that would unseal the glass.
Before he could press it, however, Mai's silvery voice stopped him. "…I'm sorry."
"What for? Everyone has a mother."
"Yes but…you looked odd when I brought it up. Not to the point of murdering me but still different like you were going through the entire emotional spectrum."
Damn, this woman really had a sharp eye, hadn't she? Geese was quite impressed that she managed to pick up on that. Now, it would certainly be a waste if she did not employ those talents to serve him.
"Well, pardon me for being blindsided over the fact that you ran through my papers like a police dog sniffing out drugs. I thought you were kidding me when you said you would," he shrugged, not ready to press that button yet. The conversation would still be going but thankfully, the scales of verbal balance had been tipped somewhat.
Geese thought to reward Mai a little and ease her curiosity. It was always a good sign when the person, whom you were trying to court into working for you, was comfortable enough to be naturally curious about your life.
"About the envelope though, it'll just remain as that. My mother was a good person but died before her time. I have a feeling she might have liked you – and related to you if she was still alive," he sat back into his seat, drawing a deep breath through his nose.
Maria had been a good woman who tried to work with what she had. As an impoverished single mother, the recourses were sparse, but she never stopped watching over Geese and working as hard as she could to provide for them both until her body gave out.
Yet, she did it all with a smile. Maria was too kind for her own good, always speaking of how amazing Rudolph was as if she could sense the burning hatred from her son. She never mentioned the bastard by name probably for that reason.
Your father is a good man, she'd say. Forgive him, she'd plead. Yet Geese couldn't. The hatred in his heart had been too strong. On her deathbed, it became painfully clear that they were on their own; something she must have realized herself as she lay dying in squaller, sick and malnourished. She had cried, then smiled as she took Geese by the hand.
You're a good boy, she'd whisper before she passed. Geese had many memories of his mother, good as well as bad ones. Her death was the most vivid of them all, despite it being buried deep within his mind. Even now, thinking of it caused a heaviness to settle over his body – cold, tense, almost claustrophobic.
For all he had accomplished, he had always lamented his failure to avenge Maria. He was not a man to regret things and he hated to admit that he was just human with strengths and weaknesses but the fact of the matter was, he was fucking human. At least, there was power to numb the pain. His accomplishments obfuscated his regrets.
The look of curiosity had completely subsided from Mai and something else had taken its place. In her eyes wasn't pity. It was understanding, like a kindred spirit relating to his experiences. It occurred to Geese that he didn't know much of Mai's past either; he never had a reason to investigate it. Suppose it was just more ethical to let her share it herself – assuming they had come to that point.
"And your dad?" she asked.
"Never knew him."
True that Geese never knew Rudolph as a person. Perhaps for the better as nothing the man would say could possibly quell his anger. No words could justify why that bastard had left Geese and his mother to rot while he went to play nobleman in Germany.
Abandoning his family…And then something deep within began to take form, something in the shape of ironic hypocrisy. Something Geese hadn't thought about before now. Or maybe he had but shoved it down the jar of emotions before he could properly feel it. His chest tightened again, and it took the sudden comment from Mai to stop it.
"Well, I never knew my parents either. My grandparents raised me. Ah, it sucking sucked when they died yet I thought that would prepare me for what was to come but here we are. Spent six months in mourning, feeling like I wanted to die. I'm trying to convince myself that I should live my life but…" she drummed her fingers against the screen of her phone, and sought refuge in the glass divider, tapping it and leaving fingerprints, drawing circles on it with the carefreeness of a child. Then she stopped as her body began to tremble. Try as she might, the tears poured freely down her cheeks.
She tried to smile but all it ended up was a mournful grimace. "You never get used to the feeling of terrible things, do you?"
"…You do not," Geese answered truthfully.
He would be the first one to concur with the fact that one could never quite brace themselves for the impact. No matter how many times it happened, it was a shitty feeling. He had promised himself not to touch that role of a therapist but that was all moot anyway when he reached his hand to gingerly touch Mai's shoulder.
He could feel her physically jitter, but she didn't reject him as he slid towards her neck, eventually coming to a rest against her cheek. Slowly, Geese brushed a few tears away, though it was rather pointless for she couldn't stop crying now.
Momentarily Mai looked at him before she closed her eyes and nuzzled against his palm, putting her hand over his. Her skin was soft like feathers and the strands of dark hair which brushed against the back of his hand. She looked so fragile but not broken; he knew her to be stronger. He'd like the best for her.
Ugh, he could kiss her, the lovely creature that she was. He shouldn't, he really shouldn't. And he didn't. Geese would admire her from afar and let some pressure off for the yearning to not be so strong all the time. If the day when she was to become his as more than just an underling never came, so be it.
For now, however, Geese would like to just bask in everything about her.
Fun fact: That part about the car with the screen divider is actually from a real car. I came across it when researching for this chapter; the Rolls-Royce Phantom.