The Zaddict, Mally, slept for most of the day. Occasionally she would gurgle or vomit and Shilo would go in and get her cleaned up again. Each time Graverobber wondered how she could stay so calm and nurturing. Honestly, Graverobber was sick of Mally's sickness after the first two hours of her pathetic whining. The vomiting he could handle, hell, he'd rather clean up the bile than listen to her mousy whimpering all damn day.
By morning, she was keeping food down and fully awake.
Shilo dressed her in a long, black T-shirt dressed that she confessed was much too big on her anyway. It was strange to see the girl clean and awake, her light eyes no longer clouded over in a drug induced daze. She had shoulder-length purple hair and eyebrows tinted to match. She was awfully thin. Like, really awful. Disgusting even.
It was more noticeable now, Shilo's dress hung on her like a coat on a hook. Her collarbones were hard, her cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass; Graverobber imagined she hardly ate any food. Surely just enough to keep her alive. One day of purging wouldn't cause her to have this skeletal of a frame.
Graverobber imagined all the Z-laced slags stumbling through the streets must look just like this. Without their makeup, their neon clothes, their implants; they were all just walking corpses like Mally. And Shilo saw something in them worth saving? The more Graverobber looked at this whisper of a human sitting in front of him, the more he lost what little hope he had for people in this world.
Mally sat in the middle of the couch, her face sunken with illness and also fear. Shilo sat on the coffee table in front of her with a look that Graverobber could only describe as complete disappointment. Gone was the gentle, caring, Nurse Shilo. This was No Nonsense Shilo, someone Graverobber hoped to never upset.
She does look super hot right now though. He couldn't help but think.
Mally avoided Shilo's set gaze, shifting from side to side like she could sink into the couch and never come out.
"Start talking." Shilo commanded. "You've never been that far gone before. And that…" Shilo gestured to the stitches snaking up from the neckline of Mally's dress. "...that's never happened before. You owe me an explanation."
Mally shut her eyes hard, she finally looked at Shilo and Graverobber could see tears.
She took a breath and ran a hand through her short, purple hair.
"I got home from work and, she was gone." Mally said.
"Rae?" Shilo affirmed. Mally nodded.
"She's never been gone this long before. Two days, maybe, but never a week. And never without a note." Mally sniffed. Shilo handed her a rag and she blew her nose into it. Graverobber cringed.
"I went out to find her. I've been clean for weeks, Nat, I promise but…" Mally put her head in her hands.
Shilo softened a little.
"Mal, where is Rae?" She asked gently. Mally inhaled deeply and straightened herself.
"She got taken. To GeneClean. I can't get to her and they're not gonna let her out she...she won't make it Nat! She's needs me."
"So you're brilliant plan was to get high? No, don't cry, look at me." Shilo stood up and talked down at her. "If you wanted to get her out of there, I could have helped you. But no, you had to shoot up first then nearly get yourself killed! What were you thinking!"
Graverobber was frozen by Shilo's paternal tone. She was really angry, which meant that she cared. This wasn't just her pure heart doing good for humanity. This girl, and whoever Rae was, Shilo cared about them. Why didn't he know that?
Shilo made it seem like she hated everyone. "You're the only one I don't hate...I love you" Wasn't that what she had said?
"Who cut you?" Shilo asked, though it sounded more like an accusation.
"A GeneCop." Mally said flatly. Shilo narrowed her eyes down at her.
"You wouldn't really be that stupid." She said. Mally hiccuped back another sob. Shilo backed away, she cast an exasperated look at Graverobber. As if to say "Can you believe this shit?" Graverobber only shrugged, replying with something like "What did you expect?"
Shilo paced back and forth.
"So, you're genius plan was to get loaded with enough Z to fill a truck, piss off a GeneCop, and get yourself thrown in the GeneClean. Am I leaving anything out?"
Mally opened her mouth but quickly shut it, instead she gave Shilo a curt nod.
"Excellent. Well done. Really." Shilo grumbled.
Graverobber wondered if she knew how strong she looked. How intense. How sexy.
Later, he thought.
Shilo sighed and brought her hands to her hips.
"Okay. Just leave it to me alright? Focus on work. Don't go looking for anymore trouble."
"Nat, I'm…"
"I know. It's okay."
Mally stood then and caught Shilo in tight hug, Shilo hugged her back then walked her to the door. Graverobber watched them go, noticing Shilo's almost robotic movements. He got the feeling that this sort of thing may have happened a little more often than Shilo would have liked.
He wondered what Shilo meant when she told Mally to leave things to her.
He would probably be worried, if he wasn't still so turned on.