A golden mood settled over South Town and more so, the tower. With Wolfgang taken care of, Mai felt like she could breathe again. She had anticipated the Earl's capture for a while, surprised yet satisfied when it had finally occurred. Mai was shocked by her fighting spirit awakening during that fateful encounter at the train station. Maybe it was because she was already in a combative mood and wished to take it out on something or someone. Her temper dulled her anxiety enough to engage in combat and wind up victorious.

Suffice it to say, Mai was dang proud of herself. She was happy to end things on a peaceful note with Terry. Pleased to even see him back in South Town again. Rock would be happy…wherever he was. Overjoyed that he and Geese didn't try to aim fangs at each other's throats. Terry had asked Mai to keep tabs on her fiancé and make sure that South Town became a safe place.

According to Geese, the city had never quite been safe. It was a cesspool of criminal activity that started long before he was born. Due to its size and location, South Town made the perfect breeding ground for any career criminal or hardened overlord. The violence seemed to rise and fall in waves, depending on the underworld's happenings. For Geese, his rule had been relatively peaceful (coalition notwithstanding) and Mai came to understand that as he'd speak of his rise to power.

It was due to this understanding that she didn't make a promise to Terry. With all she had witnessed and experienced, there was no way she could do that. Terry was her friend, but he would also become her adversary if he tried to harm Geese. The duty of every good wife was to stand side by side with her husband through thick and thin. Support and care for him. Love him unconditionally and bask in the bond she shared with him.

Have a little fun with him for leisure by setting up a game of billiards. It would be this action that Mai currently occupied herself with, standing in the hobby room and setting up the pool table while she waited for Geese. She had begun tracing the length of the cue stick when the door finally opened and Geese stepped in, pleased to see her already present.

He had been busy with assimilating Wolfgang's assets as the man had no wife or child, thus making Geese next of kin. Brothers meant more than cousins in that regard. Mai hadn't asked what would become of the servants or the castle itself. In all honesty, she hoped the former would be let loose and the latter burned to the ground. If she was asked to go there for the honeymoon, then she'd rather freeze to death in a cabin on the highest mountain.

"I hope you have devised some strategies for your own sake, lest I defeat you," Geese announced smugly as he closed the door, catching the cue stick that was tossed his way.

Mai proudly gestured at the pool table, "I reckon that I'll achieve victory!"

"Confident, are we? Well, this might be amusing," he chuckled, positioning the white ball against the triangle of its more colorful counterparts. He leaned forwards and slid the cue stick into a gap between his fingers.

With his brow furrowed, he stabbed the ball, and it went flying into the triangle, sending colored orbs rolling everywhere with some ending in the table's pockets. The deep concentration on his face was fascinating to watch. Mai reckoned that he had the same expression when dealing with Big or shooting gangbangers.

"I think with the unruly one behind bars, wouldn't it be nice to plan our wedding? I was thinking of something traditional and Western. You know, with churches and bells! And stained glass! I know you're a Japanophile and all but…" she trailed off, trying to get a good aim at the white billiard ball.

As a young child, Mai had vivid imaginations of what her dream wedding would look like. A bright sunny day, a cloudless sky, flowers, good food, and great company. And a breathtaking wedding dress that would be sure to bring a tear to the groom's eyes. A true fairytale wedding. Even as an adult, there was a part of her that held onto that dream – or at least some aspect of it.

The remaining balls were spread over the pool table as she made her shot, with some landing in the pockets. It tied her with Geese in points and she hadn't even practiced.

"If that's what you want, that's how it'll be. Makes you happy. Makes it easier for the wedding planners too. Win-win," Geese said as he managed to strike one ball out of a particularly tricky spot.

It made Mai wonder how his wedding had been and if he ever had dreams about what such a perfect event would be like. It probably wasn't the best of times if he had to jump through hoops to even marry that woman.

"They don't get to pick my dress, do they?"

In response, he chuckled. "Knowing you, you'd kick them to the surface of the sun if they didn't let you."

"Good!" Mai exclaimed, making her final shot and thus bringing the game of pool to an end with her as the victor. Upon reality dawning upon her, she nearly dropped the cue stick. "Oh! I beat you!"

"Well, fuck me," Geese sighed. "I ain't ever going to live that down."

Self-assured, she poked him with the cue stick, pleased to wipe that smug, lovable smirk off his face. "Nuh-uh, you won't!"

For each attack she made, he managed to deflect them all until she inched to the left and poked him right in the stomach. It was enough victory for Mai as it brought on a sudden, dark thought. If the cue stick had been a bladed weapon, it would have killed Geese. How would she feel about that? Heartbroken of course. How would she feel about killing in general? She didn't know anymore. She didn't know what it was like to take a life. But she knew someone who did.

"Geese, what's it like to kill a person?" she asked. Posing scary questions to get scary answers.

He was quiet for a moment while he grabbed the cue stick and snatched it out of Mai's hand, putting it back onto the rack alongside his own. Still standing with his back turned to her, he finally answered.

"…Depends on why. For revenge or a grudge, it's dangerously satisfying that could evolve in any number of ways. For me, I had to force myself to temper it. If I happen to take the life of some random dog, trying to kill me, then I'll feel absolutely nothing. Survival mode kicks in and my mind goes empty."

Maybe survival mode had been what compelled Mai to fight Wolfgang and not just her spicy mood getting the better of her. She didn't fight him with the intent to kill him. She knew he would die someday but not by her hands…not until now. It took a certain type of person to withstand the slippery slope toward madness. Mai could only wonder if she was that person.

"If I'm the one to kill Wolfgang, how can I avoid evolving into…something I don't want to be?" she asked, her voice shuddering a bit.

"By remembering that there's a reason behind it. Killing for the sake of killing or satisfying some sadistic glee is a waste. There's always a purpose behind taking someone's life. Wolfgang is our enemy. He's a threat to us both. He hurt you. He has to go one way or another. His retribution is death," Geese put his hands on her shoulders. A tinge of anxious anticipation surged through her, but she calmed down quickly, knowing that no matter what, this saga would end in victory.

"Then…I want to be the one who kills Wolfgang," she heard the words leave her mouth, tilting her head upwards to look at Geese. His piercing blue eyes stared directly at her, mulling over her decision before he moved his hands to rest against her cheeks.

"All right. That can be arranged," he nodded, a grim smile forming on his lips. "It's going to be thrilling, watching you exact revenge."


Born out of some sick sense of hospitality, Wolfgang had been taken out of the Tower's dungeon and would be placed in an undisclosed location, which just happened to be the same run-down shed Big had been murdered in. It was a deliberate choice as a blizzard would soon hit South Town within a few days. Mai wanted to exact revenge now, sooner than later, and huddle up under a blanket inside while the weather worsened outside.

She hadn't stuck around to find out what happened to Big's corpse (nor had she asked) but she was fully prepared for what would become of Wolfgang's, her gut tightening with anticipation as she adjusted to the few bumps on the road.

In the dead of this frigid winter night, several black cars and a van rolled past the dead, barren trees, with headlights that only illuminated the endless darkness and specks of snow, eventually coming to a stop. Leaving the comfort of the heaters, Mai left the vehicle, not bothering to wait for the driver to open the door for her.

From the back of the van, Wolfgang was shoved out and landed shoulder-first onto the snow.

He looked…mummified.

A fortnight it had been since his capture and whatever had happened, reduced the Lord of Black in flesh and faculty. He wore the same clothes since the last encounter but the legs of his pants were saturated with coagulated blood clotting the fabric. Bellow the knees, bones had been shattered, bending the limbs in all kinds of wrong directions. His face was an equal horror; split, swollen, bloody lips, chipped teeth, no mustache.

Eyes distant and hollow.

He hadn't been given the courtesy of a coat so his skin was pale as the snowfall with a faint blue hue. It revealed the mosaic of wounds painted across his torso. Ripper and Hopper grabbed him by the cuffs holding his arms behind his back and dragged him across the snow, leaving a distorted trail behind. Mai knew the Earl to be stronger than both men combined but given that he had been roughed up since Geese's confrontation with him, he wasn't at full strength which made him significantly easier to handle.

If he tried something, however, Billy stood ready to whack him over the skull with his staff – not that it would be necessary given the state of the man. Whatever he was before – a proud, sadistic monster taken human form, that man was no longer present. Beaten to death by the very same horrors, he subjected others to.

Something dark and evil turned delicious in the pits of Mai's heart, quivering in delight at the Earl's suffering. Allowed its sweet taste to coat the bitterness of defeat. Wolfgang Krauser was a dead man walking, metaphorically and almost literally. It wasn't a promise any longer. It was a fact that it crept into her mind, curled around her heart, and made her demonically happy.

She turned around to look at Geese, to see if his expression betrayed any sort of explanation. His eyes shifted sideways to her and he smirked just a notch. "I may have been a bit naughty and handed him over to some associates for the weekend. Including Hein."

Near the shed, there happened to be a field, into which Wolfgang was dragged. Quietly, Mai followed along, looking around to see nothing but trees and faintly visible white plains. They truly were isolated on this death march. Geese happened to flank her while Ripper grabbed a fistful of Wolfgang's now greasy hair, yanking his head to face the bright light that made him squint.

Watching his reactions shouldn't feel so good but the reality of the tables being turned, fueled something dark and twisted within Mai, filling her with satisfying schadenfreude. She had felt something similar when she stood here with Big but back then, the power being randomly dropped in her lap made her pass out. It was just too much to handle.

But now, when confronted with the rush of supremacy, gleefully embraced it like a lover. She wanted this. She was prepared for it. She knew that there was a purpose behind the taking of a life.

"Mein Liebling…" Wolfgang uttered when his vision adjusted to the bright light.

Mai stepped closer, although not close enough for him to touch her if he tried. "Why did you send that painting?"

"Because you are his greatest weakness. If I couldn't have you, I needed to hurt the one who got you first. Let him see what my love was capable of," he didn't smile or sounded particularly enthused. Just wooden and tired. Still, he bore the same icy, snobbish attitude as the day where she met him – just beaten down and croaky. A little less eligible with the busted lip.

"I don't belong to you, Wolfgang. I'm not a toy to be owned by anyone," Mai said, calm and steady, reminding herself that he couldn't hurt her.

Among the occasional gust, an empty laughter came from Wolfgang. "Heh, you say that after feeling my love firsthand. Tell me; did my fingers feel good inside of you? Do you dream of my manhood ravaging you instead? Did you want me to be the one to take your virginity?"

Images, which Mai had thought to be buried, began to flood her mind. Her stomach tightened. Her breath quickened. Her heart raced. She began to tremble. For a moment her vision blurred, and the blood rushed in her ears. And through all the noise, she heard Wolfgang's voice, loud and clear. "You filthy, shameless harlot. I know you liked it. I would have made a lady out of you."

"Watch what you're saying, Wolfgang. You'll be but a forgotten, bad memory by the end of the week," Geese's voice spoke through the rushing and Mai's nerves ceased their screaming. She blinked herself to reality and was about to look at him when Wolfgang's usually reserved expression twisted into silent, rage.

"Schwanzlutscher, you are! My love has edged into her heart and body. I will get out of here, and then I will kill you. I'll take your precious South Town and her with it. I have left my mark on her and even if I die, I'll be with her. Me, her one and true love. The branding is proof of my affection! Proof that she is mine!"

"…You're a dead man walking. Your legacy remains in obscurity," Geese sneered as he snapped his fingers. Hopper arrived with a tank, unscrewing its lid and handing it to him. "Do you know what this is? Gasoline. And you know how it reacts to fire, yes?"

"What…?" Wolfgang's eyes widened, frantically following the tank as Geese splashed its content all over him with a twisted smile on his face.

"It's a purification but I don't pray that the gods will have mercy on you," Mai said, putting her hands into the pockets of her coat. Her fingers brushed against the smoothness of her fan, bringing her some semblance of peace.

"If that's not the definition of sadistic, I don't know what is!" Wolfgang spat, his anger paling upon the frosty response he received from Mai.

"I don't care what you think. It doesn't matter anyway," she said, feeling immense satisfaction over dismissing this man.

"Geese! You coward! You piece of shit! Why don't you face me in combat instead like she did?!" Wolfgang turned to his brother.

Geese didn't give an answer before he poured the last gasoline over Wolfgang's face and handed the empty tank to Hopper. "Because I'm done with you."

The wind stopped blowing for a moment, just in time for Wolfgang to spit the gasoline and force a smug chuckle. "Since when did you become a bitch? I bet you let her peg you too. You're no man; you are a maggot. Petty and weak, much like women are."

"…Your horrid behavior never ceases to amaze me, Wolfgang. You're a disgusting waste of life and I'll look forward to the moment when she burns your rancid body," Geese stepped away from his brother, and folded his arms over his chest.

With the stage set, it was Mai's turn to bring the crescendo and end the night. Get her revenge and rid the world of an enemy.

She stepped forward, pulling her fan from her pocket and aiming it directly at Wolfgang's forehead. The rush of sensations from the power gifted to her came flooding like a tidal wave. Mai took a deep breath to ease herself into it. It would be okay. She was going to be okay. She knew how to handle this power. She knew it was for the benefit of others as well as herself. Wolfgang was an enemy and enemies needed to be taken care of.

As the demon queen of South Town, she would be the one to pull the trigger.

On the way out here, Geese had given her a quick tutorial on how to handle the adrenaline. He likened it to five cups of coffee in one shot glass. "Don't panic," he had said, and she trusted him.

Wolfgang tilted his head upwards, staring directly into her eyes. Part of his face was obscured by the fold of the fan but he could still look at her. And smile. The most horrific smile, she had seen on a man. It didn't help that Wolfgang was a man who rarely did show any emotion. Suppose such a thing was too demeaning for a member of the nobility.

"I suppose I was wrong about you, Mai. You're not some brainless tartlet. You're a sly but vicious-" Mai didn't let him finish his verbal abuse of her before she did a flick of Kachō Sen to summon an ember that immediately went to lick up the gasoline and chase more.

The Lord of Black was silent, blinking tears away and looking bewildered at the ring of fire surrounding him – then licking at his flesh. It took but a heartbeat for his eyes to stretch wide. His mouth moved agape, sucking in a deep breath, then began to writhe in pain at the fires that sank teeth into his body.

The inhale turned into screaming then.

Feral, inhuman howls of pure agony. His arm flailed around him, covered by embers that slowly began to eat away at his skin, turning it darker and darker as it tore into each layer. White became pink, pink became red, and red became blood. His screams grew louder, higher pitched, desperate for release.

Notches of Mai's humanity still lingered it seemed.

The sound of a man slowly dying as he tried to cling onto the last vestiges of life and relief was but a living nightmare. The pain he found himself in was like a sneaking wind that tried to convince Mai to end the process, run and seek help. Snatch one of the fire retardant blankets from the car that they took with them in case someone else caught on fire. That basic, primal part of one's mind called compassion.

And it was this same part that kept Mai standing, knowing that the man she watched burning alive had none for her. He'd harm her again with his malice if she dared to show him mercy. He deserved it not from her. Her heart darkened, settling on a throne of necessary evils and watching the source of her nightmares get what he deserved.

Watching the fire turn flesh to charcoal, Mai reflected on the blood that was now on her hands. She had killed a man in cold blood. Such a fact needed time to set in and become attuned to her emotions, tempering the adrenaline. Geese wasn't kidding when he said that the mind shut off.

For Mai, the thoughts didn't move and take shape before and after the flame had been ignited. And now, as she looked at the faint shape of a main amidst an inferno, listening to his death rattles, she felt nothing but a sense of relief that surrounded her body. It spoke of the type of person she was becoming. A testament to the woman, she had become.

There would be no prayers for Wolfgang.

A distinct smell filled the air; an aroma similar to beef in a frying pan and fatty pork on a grill, neatly covering the smell of gasoline. The scent hardly reminded Mai of a cookout as a metallic, coppery stench neared her nostrils, accompanied by musky burnt liver and coal. At a point, the smell became too much and she turned around and began walking away, the bile reacting in her stomach.

She headed for the parked cars and leaned against the hood of the van, staring upwards into the sky. The wind was already beginning to pick up and snow stuck to her hair and her clothes. She swung her arms around herself, the chill of the night getting to her. Above, there were no stars or a moon. Only total blackness and the wild dance of snow could be seen.

A few minutes later, footsteps crunched against the snow and Mai saw Geese immediately head towards her. Behind him, some people in black were carrying the burnt remains of Wolfgang's corpse, rolled up in a tarp. Before she could crane her neck to get a better look, Geese inched closer to her, distracting her with his body heat.

"It's been a long night. Better hurry back before we're caught up in this storm," he said, his breath vaporizing in the air. It had an undertone of tobacco from the cigar, he smoked before leaving. There was an underlying scent of gasoline coming from him, Mai managed to notice before he moved from her side and headed towards one of the other cars, opening the door as if to invite Mai inside.

As the wind got colder, she happily obliged.


Around midnight, the entourage finally returned to the tower, tired and reeking of petroleum and death. It was a quick affair with getting ready to catch some sleep, just as the blizzard hit the city. With how structurally sound, the tower was, there would be no fear of it blowing over or being damaged in any way. Not even the howling winds could be heard unless one opened a window.

Finally, in the master bedroom, Mai sat on the bed, staring out the window, at how the city lights were almost hidden in a mist of white and she sat with the feeling of being shut off from the world entirely. She had a thick duvet wrapped around her body, just to heat her frozen body.

The nightgown she was wearing, only reached her thigh and she should have bought a thicker, longer one. Behind her, the door opened and was pushed closed. There was some shuffling before the bed dipped a bit and two hands landed on her shoulders.

"I hope you don't intend to do any shopping tomorrow. You might have to be on all fours, crawling through tunnels with the amount of snow there'll be," Geese mused, pulling her close until he could bury his face in her hair. She ought to remind him that it was still damp after her shower, but the way his hands slid underneath the duvet made her forget all about it.

She leaned against him, not opposed to the duvet being unwrapped around her. "Can I expect you to come and save me?"

"I'd wager you'd melt the streets before I could get to you."

She hummed as her body was eased into laying down on the mattress and the duvet covering them both. Gingerly, she scooted closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder, just to savor the being that was him and his hand sliding over her hips.

With the natural light that peered through the curtains, Mai could see his face clearly. She could see the tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her; contrasting so heavily against the icy cruelty towards his adversaries. It was admirable how in tune with his emotions, he was.

"Something's on your mind," Geese said and she blinked, taking a deep breath to gather the words. The feeling of losing one's humanity was a hard one to describe.

"I feel odd about…what happened. It's relieving but…I don't know; it's odd that I don't feel anything about it."

Geese mulled on her words for a bit before he cupped her face. "You'll get used to it. You're stronger than you think you are. He was an enemy, not some innocent bystander. You did nothing wrong."

In the eyes of the law, Mai did. But by the rules of power, she didn't. She realized that now. Power granted results, granted the ability to take fate into one's own hands. That included vengeance and gathering recourses. The law could only stop so much, after all.

"Yeah, you're right," she nodded.

"Of course, I'm right," he chuckled and she was about to protest his smugness when she found herself silenced by the trail of kisses from the crook of her neck and down her shoulder, forcing a soft moan out of her. It was a good thing they had been showering just earlier as Mai could no longer sense the smell of burnt flesh. She closed her eyes and tried not to think of the stench or Wolfgang's body eaten by flames. Geese sliding the skirt of her nightgown up to her stomach was a nice distraction.

Maybe averting her attention was his plan all along.

In that case, Mai wanted to repay the favor. She stopped him from turning her onto her back and straddled him, with the duvet still over her shoulders. Geese didn't protest, quietly shifting about until his back rested against the headboard of the bed. He shuddered when her hands landed on his chest and slid all the way down to his crotch.

For someone who loved Japan so much, he wasn't wearing a yukata or a fundoshi. Mai thought nothing of it, working her way through the one layer of pants and a pair of boxers. As she lay eyes on the flaccid cock, her cheeks flushed. They always did this whenever she wanted to do something like this even if she had proficient experience.

She took a deep breath before shifting to a better position and sliding the length of his manhood inside her mouth, inside which it hardened quickly. Mai could hear him haul a deep breath through his nose as the muscles in his thighs tightened. She was doing something right, she concluded as she moved her gaze upwards to watch his strained expression and the red blush that spread across his cheeks.

"Mai…" he groaned, inhaling sharply through his nose again as she responded by teasing the length of his shaft and tip, dimly aware of the sheets being clawed underneath him and the way his chest sank and rose when she bopped her head up and down.

Suddenly, something hot and slimy hit the roof of her mouth, just as a deep grunt came from him and a hand clasped around the back of her neck. His grip weakened and Mai pulled away, straightening her nightgown as she slipped out of bed and eventually out of the bedroom. The hallway was empty so she could comfortably sprint to the kitchen and wash her mouth. And in her aloneness, she could head back to the bedroom without anyone spotting, opening the door, and entering.

As soon as she stepped back into the bed, Geese grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her closer until she straddled him, feeling his hands roam every inch of her body. Mai couldn't help but hum in delight when Geese slid his hands to her hips and thereafter the edge of the nightgown, pulling the skirt over her rear and eventually entirely off her body. She planted both hands on the headboard for stability, blindsided by the fervent kiss pressed against her lips.

"You vixen. I'll have to pay that back," his voice was barely louder than a whisper and its hot breath tickled her skin, sending shivers down her spine at that playful threat.

"Do your worst," she turned a little, inviting whatever he could throw at her. He chuckled, brushing some of her hair away from her face.

"That's a dangerous taunt, Mrs. Mai," he drawled in a way that reminded her of sexy vampires tempting lovestruck women. The emphasis on Mrs. sent shivers down her spine.

She didn't answer him then, sliding off his lap to open the drawer to the nearest nightstand and retrieve a condom, shifting a bit so Geese could prepare. They had begun stocking up considering what took place in these sheets on a recurring basis. Mai didn't mind this, settling in his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck as she felt him slide into her, filling her to the hilt.

A soft moan escaped Mai and her body began to throb with yearning. Her body felt like melting from the heat, from the feeling of moving on top of him like this. Slowly, she slid her hands to Geese's chest, desperately gasping his name in faint, whispers. He responded by grabbing her hips in a tight, bruising grip, pressing his face into the crook of her shoulders.

This was different. It was gentle and slow, filling Mai with pleasure in a way she hadn't experienced yet. She was surprised by the two arms wrapping around her and the deep grunts coming into her ear.

"Geese…" she whispered in between breathless moans, putting a hand on the back of his neck. He kissed her naked shoulder, brushing some of her hair away. She was certain, she felt a breathless amalgamation of Mai but she couldn't concentrate on that as she moved more vigorously, completely lost in a sea of rapture.

"Come for me, dear," he ordered, and she gladly did, arching her back, her toes curling. Involuntarily, Mai closed her eyes, bliss burning through every part of her body and with a loud yelp, she climaxed in a way that only he could make her. The feeling was enough to overwhelm her and for a moment, she thought she had passed out as Geese lay her on her back, thrusting into her until he stilled, groaning sharply into her shoulder.

He remained inside of her while they gathered their bearings. At some point, Mai must have wrapped her legs around his hips as Geese had to gently untangle them when he pulled out of her. Mai fluttered her eyes open, thinking she must have been looking like one hell of a satisfied succubus, laying there with a tired smile, sweat beading across her body and her hair spread over the pillow like a spiderweb. Geese remained hovered over her, still panting. His hair was an absolute mess, and a deep blush was spread over his face, neck, and chest.

"That ought to teach you a lesson," she heard him grin and her smile widened as the bed shifted. Sluggish in her movements, Mai crawled under the covers.

"What if I want you to do it again – in the morning because I'm really tired?"

"We got early rises tomorrow," he answered, coming under the sheets with her. He propped his head on his elbow while a hand traced lines across Mai's body, grazing her stomach but avoiding the scar. For a moment, a passing thought about children floated to her mind and she reminded herself to ask Geese about having a kid one day. Mai had always wanted children, remembering the time she had tried to entice Andy to the idea, using a fake baby. That had only traumatized him, she concluded.

Mai was lost in her own thoughts for a moment, hardly noticing Geese scooping her up in his arms and letting her rest on his chest. It was warm and rhythmic, the way his body rose and sank with his breathing, his beating heart, the heat of his body against hers. Slowly she let a hand course the line of his scar.

"What do you think of having children someday?" she asked, closing her eyes as a rush of exhaustion came sneaking up on her.

There was a deep but silent sigh from Geese before he answered. "I don't know. I suppose…I wouldn't mind someday."

"Soon?"

"I'm not getting any younger, Mai, and being pragmatic for a moment, I do need an heir," he said, nuzzling her hair.

Mai wasn't sure how to feel about this answer. They had defeated Big and Wolfgang after taking down an entire coalition but who was to say there wouldn't be another? And then in the middle of all this danger, there would be a child. What if something happened to said child? Had these concerns been why Geese was so distant to Rock and Marie? Marred by the constant fear of something happening to them?

Yet then again, with the work that they had done, did Mai and Geese not deserve happiness? With the tragedy in their lives, they should build from that and bring some joy, should they not? Or was Mai just being selfish as opposed to Geese's pragmatism? Did he want a chance to redo his past failings as a father?

She traced the line of the scar. "What about being sentimental?"

"…I suppose it would be a chance to fix the past," he said after a long pause, stroking her head and carding his hand through her hair.

She could believe him when he said this. More so than he wanted to verbally admit, he wanted to be a good father but failed the first time. Mai had a feeling about this ever since she began to know more about her husband-to-be. In the tower where nothing could hurt them, he had the best recourses to try again and earn that happiness.

This time, Mai wouldn't let him fail.

"I'd like a child too. Having a family and filling it with love and joy. That sounds like a happy ever after, doesn't it?" Mai's heart fluttered at her own words, tugging at the tender strings that carried delicate emotions and her own life-long dreams.

She rested her cheek against Geese's chest, humming at the arms wrapping around her back as he sighed deeply.

"…Yes it does," he said at last.


And with that, Mai has been fully assimilated into Geese's syndicate. Next time; the end.

But first! Translations.
Schwanzlutscher – cocksucker.

Mein Liebling - essentially "my favorite" but when used to address a person, as in this story, it means "my darling / dear."