The dark days had finally passed, and Luna was able to get back on her feet again - but there was still those wounds, that could never be healed. Luna thought that the love she had with him knew no boundaries then to find out that it was all just an unrequited love. Yearning for something so bad, just to get your feelings spit back in your face. It hurt, it really did but she was no bitch either. This was just the beginning - the time would come when she will come back to him and fight for the depths of love. 

As of now, the transformation process that she was going through would strengthen her. Hoping that he wouldn't see her as the same hopeless, naive and innocent girl he met six years ago. During that time, she was still trying to look for work but not one letter did she receive back. Broken promises burdened her life and put her at the lowest of the lowest. 

It was great timing that she met her first love in that period of time too. Just great. 

Handling business and a heavy heart? Uh oh. 

She had forgotten that emotions can cloud your judgement, make you weak, and just destroy you completely until you're nothing but a sawdust particle. Literally. 

Burnett didn't believe in love. He'd get with a lady for a couple nights and then move on. He did fall in love once when he was young but that was years ago. Burnett met a woman and they were happy for while until they both knew it wasn't going to work. It was already a rocky relationship she didn't know what he did at night and he kept her in the dark about his activities. Eventually she moved east to New York for a job she said she was chasing her dreams but really she wanted to get as far away from Burnett as possible.

What he loved the most now was money. Burnett was looking for a way to get in with Carlos Strozzi and setup a meeting. It was getting very difficult as the past couple of days he had been through nearly every brothel, bar, gambling den, and every other shady place you could think of in Los Angeles trying to get a line on Strozzi. Everyone from Skid Row to Hollywood just dodged the question when he asked about Strozzi like he was the devil and they were afraid that if they did say yes Strozzi would swoop in and snatch their soul away from them.

Burnett looked at his very expensive gold watch. Another day gone by and nothing. He sits down on a bench lights a cigarette and thinks of what he's doing wrong.

One particular Friday evening, Luna walked herself to The Lounge, a really fancy restaurant - that's where the big dogs were. She decided to dress up elegantly too, to match the theme. Everyone was fitted by some expensive designer, but she managed to purchase a used gown that pretty much made her blend in with everyone else. 

She walks into The Lounge, her eyes darting left to right. Luna had overheard a conversation two days ago at the same place, saying that someone very important was coming to town. At the time, she knew of the dangers and chose to not come but it stayed on her mind for the next few days. Luna hasn't had the best of luck, but hopefully tonight would spark something magical. 

Burnett put out his cigarette and looked at his watch. He still hadn't gone to The Lounge he had been everywhere in town except The Lounge he sighed and got up. It was right in front of his face the entire time but he didn't see it. He didn't like The Lounge he hated the food, the drinks were expensive, and the security guard always got bit too touchy when he patted him down but if it could lead him one step closer to Strozzi The Lounge would become his most favorite place in the world.

Burnett was always dressed the part so getting into The Lounge was no issue. He had to keep up appearances as a drug dealer he wore expensive clothes and drove the fastest cars. Even if he wasn't a big dog the drug business paid well. There were risks of course a deal could go wrong and you'd end up dead or a longtime supplier decides you're not worth it anymore and tries to cut ties permanently.

As he walked towards the bar he looked around The Lounge and saw a couple of people he recognized from the papers. Sitting down and telling a couple of jokes was councilman Jeffrey Lindsay many people were saying that he was preparing a potential run for mayor and if he did run he'd win. Sitting at his table with him were Paul Embree the Chief of Police, and Sam Willis the best lawyer money could buy in Los Angeles. Ever since Willis helped get all of Bobby Mckenzies charges dropped last summer and avoid the chair after killing seven men he's been in huge demand.

Burnett walked passed them and saw a woman sitting at a bar he never saw before. She looked good so Burnett runs his fingers through his hair and tries to approach her.

"So you come here often? My name's Burnett."

Luna looked up in a surprising manner, pretending to act like she totally wasn't eyeing him when he entered The Lounge. She had looked him up and down, admiring the suit he was fitted in. After a moment of silence, she replies back to him. 

"Good evening. No, not really. Nice to meet you Burnett, my name is Luna."

She held out her hand, patiently waiting for a handshake. 

Could this be the start of something new?  

Burnett shook Luna's hand. He liked the way he she smelled. He had noticed her watching him when he entered The Lounge. Maybe she was the kind of woman who liked to seduce strangers and then when they least expect it rob them or kill them. Who the hell was this woman?

"So Luna. Buy you a drink?"

Luna thought about his offer. She was here to have a good time plus deal with business matters, so why not start the night off with a bit of fun first? Luna nodded and walked ahead of him. She didn’t need to be treated like a dog on a collar, but also being treated with respect was weird for her since her teen years involved getting beat down by her father. Luckily in the end, she managed to escape his traps and find a nice little rented apartment for herself while she was still trying to look for jobs.

Burnett got hammered. He thought he'd just have one drink but he kept on buying more. He started rambling about random things like the economy, green shoes, and cheese. Until the words finally came out of his mouth.

"How about dehh Carlos Strozzi guy eh??? He's a fuggin ghost. A spooky ghost."

Burnett starts making ghost sounds and the bartender gives him a look if he kept this up any longer they might kick him out.

Luna didn’t expect to say this long at The Lounge, but she did - and it was Burnett’s fault. He was way too fun, and Luna couldn’t get enough of him. Of course, she knew her boundaries and was smart enough to know that she shouldn’t mix up friendliness with any romantic feelings. The night went on, with her offering him a drink and dancing to the swing jazz music.

Luna decided to take a break from their escapade, and head to the bathroom for a quick touch up. She looked like had just survived a windstorm. Her lipstick was scattered over her chin, and the strong curls finally let loose from the clips. Luna took a deep sigh and muttered to herself “fuck it”. She took all the curls from her hair out, and wiped off the lipstick smudges from her chin. The only person she wanted to impress wasn’t here yet, and so she walked back out of the bathroom with her half-done hairdo and crazy makeup face.

She came back to Burnett making ghost noises at the bartender, and she mentally slapped herself in the face. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all? He could get kicked out, along with her! Luna noticed that several men in suits, probably security, were starting to keep a strong eye on him. She grabbed Burnett by the elbow and pulled him in close to her.

“What.Are.You.Doing?!?!” Luna whispered angrily.

Her mouth was pretty much right next to his ear, and by how close they were - she could smell his liquor breath. She probably smelt the same too though. Luna continued on what she was saying.

“Look, don’t mess this up for me.”

Luna remembered what Burnett had said before and decided to question it.

“But who is this Carlos Strozzi you speak of?”

Burnett was drunk but he managed to catch on and started whispering to Luna.

"Carlos Strozzi big shot dealer who moves around a lot of stuff. You know him or how I can get in touch with him? I wanna meet."

He looked around The Loungen and saw the security guards staring at him. He didin't want to drag Luna into this mess so he calmed down a bit. He took out his wallet and asked the Bartender for his bill

"How much monies do I owe yah barkeep captain sailor man?"

Luna couldn’t help but giggle at Burnett’s sudden mood. She remembered she had a box of breath minds in her purse, so she reached her hands inside and felt for a metal container. Luna popped the lid open, two candies fell out onto the palm of her hand. Coincidentally, there was only two left. One for Burnett and the last one for herself.

She wanted to play along with his silly games so she sat in the stool close to him and propped one leg above her other one, in a ladylike manner. Luna took a moment to admire him. Sure, maybe she didn’t really see herself with him but there was no denying that he was indeed attractive looking and could probably get any girl he wanted. Anyways, his love life was none of her business so she thought it would be best if she just left it alone and never spoke about it. She started to feel insecure around him. Luna was not that cute, or pretty or even decent looking. All she did for the night was put on a dark red lipstick and a dress that showed more cleavage than usual. What could she really offer him that was something different.

She let her chin rest in the palm of her hand, thinking about what were the kinds of girls that Burnett encountered. Luna shrugged it off. She was just another needy gold digger that needed some validation, but it’s not like she was ashamed to admit it. Maybe they could look for Carlos Strozzi together.

Luna patiently waited for Burnett to pay off the bill, but she suddenly held out a candy mint for him and cracked a smirk.

“Our breaths reek.”

Burnett took the mint he knew his mouth smelled like shit after all the alcohol he'd been drinking. He put the mint in his mouth and it gave him a cool and refreshing feeling. He looked at his watch it was getting late and he was in no condition to drive. He looked at Luna maybe they could split a cab.

"Need a lift home?"

"Need a lift home?" Luna closed her eyes for a brief moment to get her thoughts together, before opening them again and looking back at him with a calmer expression. 

"I'd like that." 

She got off the stool she was sitting on and tucked her arm inside Burnett's. She suddenly realized that she didn't do what she came here for but it didn't matter anyway. She probably would have been too buzzed to utter a word. It was late at night, and all she wanted at that moment was just to collapse onto her bed. 

They left the Lounge and Burnett hailed a cab. The cab was a blue Model T with the words LA Taxi Co on one of it's doors and the driver was a short bald fat man who smelled like tobacco. Burnett opened the door for Luna.

"Ey cabbieman take dis lady home."

Then Burnett stumbled into the cab almost passing out.

"That's gonna cost you extra."

Burnett stumbled on top of her, and she lightly pushed him out of the way as she was trying to click her seatbelt on. She looked at Burnett and giggled. "Awww is it past your bedtime" she playfully asked. Luna leaned her head back on the headrest and started to reflect on her night. She definitely didn't regret meeting Burnett, but perhaps she had met him at the wrong time. It seems that whenever she jumped into an opportunity for a job, something or someone had to walk into her life that would either make her fall apart or reveal things she never knew she had in her.