Absolute power corrupted absolutely if one couldn't temper it with ambition. Such had been Geese's modus operandi for decades. That was how he managed to keep himself grounded and wise while he acquired the keys to his kingdom.
For someone like Mai, this newly found power was probably overwhelming, hence why Geese was now in the process of carrying her out of the dungeon and inside a car.
He put her in the backseat and sat next to her, making sure to check her pulse and temperature. Her vitals seemed fine, and she wasn't pale, but her eyes were a little cloudy when she opened them.
"What happened?" she asked, looking around.
"You passed out," Geese answered, looking over her a second time to make sure she wasn't secretly dying.
"Oh," Mai rubbed her eyes. "I do feel a little lightheaded. I-I can't really describe it; all the feelings that came flooding."
A cold breeze from the open car door caused Geese to shudder and he probably should have closed it but the concern for Mai's wellbeing towered over any other concerns. And now, the assessment of her mildly troubled expression.
"It's the rush of power. To anyone not used to it, the feeling can be overwhelming. It takes ambition and a cool head to temper it," Geese explained, pleased at the look of understanding on Mai's face.
"Understandable," she nodded, uncertainty now marring her features. She rubbed her forehead for a moment before looking at him again. "What if I don't know what I want to do with him?"
"We'll keep him alive until you find out. Although I don't suppose you don't mind me roughing him up a little. I'm frankly a little pissed by his behavior and I do not take kindly to what he said to you."
A meek smile spread over her face. "I'd imagine you would have manhandled him regardless of what I'd say since he stepped on your pride."
"Ouch," Geese grinned, folding his arms over his chest. "Brutally honest, are we?"
"Hehe, I know you, Geese," she chuckled. The mild smile on her face faded slowly as she pulled her legs under her. "I know what you're capable of too. Cruelty and kindness in equal measure."
"Cruel or kind to those who deserve it."
"And he doesn't deserve to be let go, does he?"
Geese shook his head. "He has absolutely nothing to go back to. But he's tenacious. He'd rebuild and find a way to be a pain in our asses. And he might hurt you again."
Something akin to quiet panic gathered in Mai's eyes. She turned her head and stared into the dark of the night, hugging her knees tighter.
"If I ask this of you, it gives me a one-way ticket to hell, doesn't it?"
"I'll go with you then. It would make purgatory a little less lonely," he inched closer to her, snaking an arm around her waist to pull her towards him. Even if the world ended tomorrow and they found themselves in the depths of hell, he'd hold onto her like this and be moderately all right.
"Geese," she called softly, pressing her hands against his chest. "I need you to kill him. He could escape and then we'd have another series of terrible car rides. He'd harm other women. If he did those things to me, he could do it to others – even murder them."
"Wouldn't surprise me if he already has."
Quickly, she pulled away, staring at him with utter confusion and horror. Geese had initially not looked into the musings among South Town's underbelly, just taking in the women who were fortunate enough to survive and escape. They worked well in the casino as the bunny girls. What had occurred to them and whether or not Big was involved was never disclosed but Geese didn't need it.
The bruises and crying faces were enough. Perhaps he was always aware that Big treated poor, unfortunate women like stress balls with sex toy functionalities. It just never occurred to him that it would happen to a woman under Geese's employ.
"There's a lot of talk in the seeder parts of the world. Lots of rumors, hush money can't silence," he explained, brushing some stray hairs away from Mai's face.
"Geese Howard; I, Mai Shiranui, order you to handle him however you please," she said with an expression that tried to portray strength. He could see the certainty in her eyes but there was still some nervousness over this entire situation.
"Yes, ma'am. Things might get gruesome since I'm thinking of siccing an unrestrained Hein on him. It might get a little grisly when he can bask in his ferocity," Geese rested a palm against her cheek, brushing against her skin as worry returned to her pretty face.
Moments later, Geese stood in the dungeon again, with Mai remaining by the foot of the staircase. Big still lay bound, staring at her with indignation intermixed with worry and desperation. He couldn't quite let go of his hatred enough for him to properly act like a man dependent on her. His pride made him embarrassingly dumb. Well, it didn't matter anyway; his days were numbered now when a kill order had been issued. Indirectly but valid.
"Hello again, Big. Guess what, dark times are upon thee," a wide smile twisted over Geese's face. Comfortable and merry, he shoved his hands into his pockets. He wasn't about to get his hands dirty tonight.
"W-what?" Big's eyes widened in shock and horror.
"The grace of Miss Mai has run out. Meaning I now control your life. I did tell you that you'd be six feet under if I had such power, did I not? Now that hypothetical has become a reality. Isn't that lovely?"
Big for a moment remembered that once upon a time, he was on par with Geese, and he bristled in a futile attempt to betray his fear. "I'm not scared of you!"
"Good for you except I'm not the one you should be afraid of."
Big narrowed his eyes, staring daggers at Mai briefly before he tried a different tactic, perhaps not willing to admit to himself that it would all be in vain. "C-come on now, Geese. That broad is poisoning your mind! You know me, you know what I can do. We should work together! I'll be sure to expose the bitch or maybe we can use her to get Wolf-"
Geese didn't let him finish, feeling his temper snap as he stepped forward and punched Big right in the face, sending the man crumpling to the floor with a pathetic groan. So much for keeping his hands clean.
"Have a kick too, why don't you?" Geese didn't give Big any time to recover before he kicked him in the ribs, which sent him rolling across the floor, whimpering in pain. Geese wasn't a sadist but seeing his adversary in such pain after all the chaos he had caused, was immensely satisfying. The schadenfreude was strong tonight.
"You never learned to keep your fat fucking mouth shut. Your obnoxious attitude always annoyed me beyond words. I'm elated that Mai gave up on you. That means I can finally get you out of my hair and out of hers," Geese stepped back, feeling the fury dissipate in a much-needed trickle. He was still fuming but he would not waste his time and energy on Big's physical deterioration. He had other plans in mind for the night.
The only one who was to feel his fists would be Wolfgang. Plans still needed to be made for that, however.
"S-so you're doing this for the honor of your whore?" Big's lips twisted into a jeering smile. A trail of blood ran from his broken nose, and he moved his jaw before spitting out a tooth.
"I'm doing this because I'm sick and tired of your nonsense. And I don't need to risk the chance of you starting another circus. You fucked yourself over when you tried to oppose me. Now you can have your regrets in hell," Geese said, pouring all the frozen fury in his voice through every word he spoke. Voices from the floor above caused him to look at the staircase as footsteps casually descended into the dungeon.
Soon, Hein had arrived, bowing before as he pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. Something dark rested in his gaze as he stared upon his prey to be.
"About time, Hein. I was about to lose my dinner over this loser and his shit attitude," Geese stepped away, taking a brief look at a shaken Mai.
The good butler straightened his gloves. "My apologies, sir."
"Apology accepted. Have your fun with him."
"With pleasure, sir."
Geese stood right next to Mai who continued to tremble as the scene unfolded. For a moment, she looked like she was about to cry out to stop this entire process or beg Hein to stop before he had even begun. She had gone a shade paler than normal, or maybe it was due to the cold. Geese wrapped his fingers around her wrist to keep her grounded and it seemed to ease the stress of anticipation a little as she stopped shaking.
More underlings poured into the dungeon and it sort of created a barrier although it was clear to see what was happening. They shuffled about to give Hein the space he needed or rather, to make sure they weren't caught in the red energy that began to spread from where the butler stood.
"Wh-what are you doing?!" Big shrieked as the red glow surrounded him. He tried to wriggle away but found himself stuck, screaming for mercy against the powers of gravity that kept him trapped.
Such a thing was routine and so Geese thought nothing of it, but for Mai, it must have been equally horrifying and morbidly curiosity-arousing. She'd probably never witnessed such a punishment and she was unable to look away as Big twisted violently with despair and desperation.
"I am merely taking out some pent-up frustration. I do so hope you will continue to corporate with this exercise," Hein told him, calm and controlled as usual. It just so happened that it contrasted horribly against what was about to happen.
The gravitokinesis very slowly forced Big's limbs out of their retrains by snapping their bones until he lay with his arms and legs spread out on the floor. It was a good thing that the dungeon was located in the middle of nowhere as inhuman, feral screams and curse words flew from Big's mouth, only increasing in volume as more of his limbs were bent and broken. Mai somehow turned paler, and her legs buckled under her body.
It took a quick move from Geese to keep her standing, wrapping a strong arm around her waist. And yet, she never looked away. She didn't push Geese away either; she simply leaned into his embrace. When Big had no more non-vital bones to break, Hein shifted to the man's neck, indifferent to the feral screams that probably would have burst someone's eardrums.
His head turned, far beyond what was natural while body fluids poured from his eyes, his mouth, and his nose. Even his lower regions as evident by the dark damp patch that grew wider on his pants. His voice became strained, and each word ended as a gurgled mess of supposed meaning.
With a loud crack, his neck twisted to an unnatural angle, and he went silent. The red glow vanished from underneath him as his body was released. He lay completely still and for a moment, the realization was allowed to set in.
Mr. Big was no more.
Or at least, Geese thought so initially. Miraculously, the resilient bastard was still alive, his eyes moving around, and his face twisted in mild unrest. But he couldn't move, and it became rather clear what had occurred to him. Left in a vegetative state; paralyzed from the neck down. Geese shot a curious gaze at Hein, who simply stood with his hands folded behind his back.
This wasn't much of a surprise when the butler was involved. Geese was pragmatic in his killings, but Hein was an outright sadist. He no doubt intended for this to happen. A fate worse than death for someone like Big who liked to live independently. Now, he'd be forever reliant on those around him and one of those people just happened to be his worst enemy.
He could never escape this place.
Looking at the butler again, Geese could have sworn that he saw a faint grin spread over his face. True glee at the chance to cause such damage to another person. It was hard to admit but sometimes, his way of thinking was modestly frightening. Ignoring the faint shiver that ran down Geese's back, he looked at his arm and found Mai's hand firmly clasped around his wrists.
Sometime during the snap, she must have subtly sought out his support. He didn't try to pry her fingers away and stepped forward to the motionless Big still laying on the floor.
To think that this would be the fate that befell the former kingpin of South Town was almost pitiful. Almost. He wouldn't be missed, and the world would be a little more bearable if he didn't exist anymore. Well, with the state that he was in, calling this existing would be generous.
Ending him now would be considered a mercy-killing and Geese wasn't feeling particularly merciful even if he wanted the man six feet under.
However, he was also not a complete monster and so he used his occupied hand to hold the jacket while his free hand reached for the gun. Next to him, Mai silently gasped but didn't tug at his arm to make him stop.
Big's wide eyes followed the barrel of the firearm, twitching in fear. Tears began to gather in their corners as the safety of the gun clicked off. For a moment, Geese turned to look at Mai as she was still holding onto him. She stared back at him, her brow furrowed. She had long since accepted him, but a lot of people didn't truly come to terms with a lot of things before they were met with first-hand experience.
Things changed when they saw the world for what it was, and Geese stood with the worry that Mai might be one of those people. When she nodded, it confirmed that she wasn't. She let go of his arm, stepped back, and covered her ears. It took less than half ten seconds from Geese taking aim to a bullet being fired into Big's forehead. His eyes widened and then slid to half-mast, all signs of life leaving their empty gaze. Faint vapor poured from the barrel of the gun and the hole in Big's forehead. Blood pooled from underneath his skull, gathering around his scalp.
One half of the mutts had been put down.
Geese put his gun back in his jacket and headed for the staircase with Mai following behind. He had no interest in staying to watch them get rid of the body. Considering Big had soiled himself, the fresh, cool air of the night was like a blessing. Above them, the moon cast its pale light through the trees that surrounded the area as Geese headed for the car and entered, very much ready to be taken back to the tower.
Moments later, Mai sat next to him and leaned against the door before the car drove off into the night.
Our friends continue to be murderous bastards.