With the flick of a switch, startling pale light illuminated the room. It was fairly small and consisted of a surprisingly new looking couch and a coffee table with a few zydrate guns on it. One side of the room merged into a kitchen fully equipped with a fridge and a microwave. Star could see a hall way leading to what seemed to be two bedrooms and a bathroom. It was weird for her being in a place like that for it felt so much like it was an legitimate home compared to the abandoned shops she had been occupying for the past four years. The place smelled distinctly of laundry detergent with a slight hint of mildew.
"Yeah we're safe, kid," Graverobber said distractedly, making sure all six of the locks on the door were secured. His gaze drifted towards the scar hidden behind her long hair. Curiosity told him told him to ask about it but political correctness discouraged it. But hey, since when was Graverobber ever politically correct?
"How'd you escaped?" He asked, walking towards the kitchen. A puzzled look swept across Star's face. "I mean, how'd you get away with only a scar?"
Everyone always wanted to know about the scar. Some found it intriguing, others repulsing but they still were fascinated with the fact that a scar was all she got. Star settled into the couch and watched Graverobber as he popped some food in the microwave.
"I was low on cash and I mean real low. A friend of mine was a Gentern for a while and said it was pretty good pay for not much work. She said the way to get it easy was through Pavi. So first day and I'm supposed to give people Zydrate before their surgery and I find out that most Genterns are just Zydrate addicts who are smart enough to get free Z from work." Graverobber chortled knowingly.
"So second day and I'm doing organ inventory and along comes Pavi with with two Genterns on each arm. He seemed harmless enough but still, that face sent chills through me. I smiled shyly at him and the weirdest thing happened. He just walked up to me with awe on his face and ran the back of his hand across my cheek. I swear to you he is fucking crazy but a girls got to make some money," Starr said with a wink. "That was just the beginning. I became one of those girls constantly swarming him but I got payed for it. He would always compliment me on my skin and I just ate it up. I grew oblivious to the fact that this man was wearing someone else's face. The sickening part is that I actually enjoyed spending time around him.
"And then one day he asked to see me in private. I wasn't really shocked because I had heard rumors that he liked to get it on in the surgery chairs. So I sat in that chair, wearing my insanely short uniform, and just expected him to kiss me a bit then move on to the next girl. But oh no no. He kept repeating how beautiful my face was and I didn't realise what was going on until he pulled out the knife." She paused, not sure if she should go on or not but she got an encouraging nod from Graverobber. "Before I could react at all he quickly pushed my hair back and cut the side of my face. I thought of a plan that could work and if not well, I would at least go down trying. I got up and pushed him against a wall and started kissing him to catch him off guard."
Graverobber interrupted her with a wide grin, "Care to demonstrate?"
Star just rolled her eyes. "Funny. So he thought it would only be fair to let me have a little fun before he ripped my face off so he sat in the chair and we kissed. When he was least expecting it, I took a loaded Zydrate gun and got him in the neck. And that's it. I just bolted from the scene with my face bleeding and my mind telling me that I just saved my ass with a kiss."
Graverobber was silent for a minute, soaking the story in. "Well I guess you aren't going any where for a while," He spoke, exiting the kitchen with two paper plates with pizza. Sitting next to her on the couch seemed normal. She seemed like she fit there, not like she was some stranger he had met the previous night.
"What do you mean by that?" Star asked through a mouth full of cheese and dough.
"With a history like that with one of the Largos and then our little encounter with them tonight, security around town will be buzzing. But its cool because you can stay here." Graverobber could sense that she was skeptical about staying the night. "Don't worry, kid. I'll mind my manners."
She just ignored that last statement. "So how did you get into the world of Z?"
"That's a story for another night. The sun's about rise so we should probably catch some sleep. Night, kid."
And just liked that, he was off to his bedroom, leaving Star on the couch with a mind still filled with questions.