harley westward

No black magic can control me and no curse can let you own me

"Between you and me..." She leaned just slightly as if telling him a secret. "He's always angry, prickly like a cactus who shoots better death glare than even me. I wouldn't take it personally. I don't think he is going to make it as my assistant though..." Darcy as her assistant seemed like an amusing notion, one she was wholly satisfied in picturing in her mind near perfectly. How she could barely keep that touch of sarcasm from her voice before leaning back into her chair, far too amused with herself even without the faintest clue of the seemingly chill vampire across from her.

Idly, the woman tucked some stray raven hair behind her ear as the conversation shifted to Blue Moon with its reputation of being a notorious vampire-run bar. Darcy had to know that any manager worth a damn thing would have known this. After all, if they lost their client, they lost their income. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. Hell, all it took was a quick google search just to see. How quick her lies could be unravelled. Darcy knew he sent her on some fool's mission. That vampire that held her on that shortened leash really expected her to squeeze water from rocks with this particular task.

It was almost too easy to shift Arlo's view of that establishment. He was gullible, it was emblazoned upon his forehead, like the kind of guy who still saw all the good in the world, well mostly. She almost felt bad to use her crafty mind for evil. Recognition was a sudden quick flash behind his blue eyes that hardly held that hunger-driven iciness of most vampires. For once her kitten senses hardly screamed danger. She knew he would have heard about the bar fights, most people had since that loud incident at Haunt.

"Yeah, that's the one..." Harley was cautious not to go further. Careful not to hang herself in her own words.

If the pair had anything left to say on the matter, it was interrupted by an overly high pitched fan-girl squeal which unfortunately came from their server. Such a sound even grated against her own eardrums, ringing relentlessly within her skull. Oh, give her a break. Harley was sure to find irritation on Arlo's pleasant face only to find a polite grin. Did he enjoy the assault? How.... quick he was to flash his pearly whites at the delighted woman in an all too genuine smile. The sight of fangs glinting within the atmosphere lighting, a reminder well and truly what he was. Harley's forever wariness for vampires was nothing bound to change within ten minutes of meeting him, she was sure. The waitress excitedly spun around to return inside the building, not even bothering to take any kind of order or... accomplishing anything close to her job. In fact, neither of them seemed convinced the woman was going to even come back. Uhhh.. that was weird.

Arlo however, hardly let any of that dampen his mood. If anything, he seemed even more pleasant. He all but rambled on that he was going to wave at the waitress to get her attention. Harley was just about to advise him against that, her hand lifted as if to do just that, her lips parted to speak... That would only excite the fan-girl more. He had to know this, didn't he? But he already committed to the act of waving. He was helpless. She dropped her hand and closed her lips. Of course, as anticipated it only delighted the woman further, who all but beamed and waved back. She smiled so wide she had no eyes left. Fucking hell, did anyone have any.... Dignity? Don't answer that, her own seemed to be in the precious balance as of late. Harley watched Arlo like he had gained tentacles and no less than two horns when she realized he had ensnared himself in an awkward social encounter he was unable to escape. It made absolutely no sense, why Risque would want to obtain this vampire. She had enough trained monkeys kissing her ass. There were no dark waves of malice rolling off him, it hardly fit a hellish vampire's usual mo.... If anything... that social flailing only made the man more endearing, as painful as it was to watch. Especially as his hand hovered in the air as if he wasn't sure what to do with it before declaring he was going to stop, only prolonging the inevitable. "Now you've done it. You've damned us both... " Harley uttered, her brand of sarcasm hardly hidden in the least, yet she could not hide that equal amusement either as much as she hated that it persisted.

She could hardly help that amused snort that escaped her at the mention of being molested. That term 'we' caused a lone dark brow to raise. "I hate to break it to you Arlo.. your molestation by waitress risk is higher than mine... I hope you're fast." What would Darcy do if their mark got carted off by some overzealous waitresses? There was no plan that could prepare them for that. To make matters worse Arlo looked at Harley with those guilty puppy dog eyes. He had to stop. Stop being human... stop being someone she couldn't justify serving up to the dark overlord who expected results.

Talk business. Yeah.. that seemed safe. Appeal to him with the magic of music. Only it worked too well. It worked on herself.
Arlo seemed to watch her with knowing eyes, ignoring the question she had intended for him and not an open window to herself. The question seemed to surprise her, she paused frozen in place. The raven-haired woman... caught off, guard. This wasn't about her... Hell... it was rare she even... spoke about this part of herself, to begin with. Of all people to catch the sharp-minded woman unaware, she hardly expected it to be Arlo. Especially, with such a simple question that clearly poked at an old wound she thought was safe behind her mountainous walls. It was a good thing that hesitation was short-lived.

"Guitar and vocals. But that was a long time ago. I picked up the guitar... like most people do when they need an outlet for their angst in high school. That's when I taught myself how to play. The rest is history." There. That was an answer. Not too much. Nor too little to draw more attention to it than she had to. She saved every last penny she had to buy that guitar from a pawn shop for a hundred bucks. It was some old beat up Ibanez who had seen its fair share of playtime, she had to replace all the strings and even learn to string it herself. Harley was far from the girl her parents wanted her to be, wasn't that the running joke? She remembered that band after that... once upon a time when she had her shit together. She had her tattoo shop, a band, real roots. She had survived Nathaniel and the death of her parents... and thought herself to be free. Fuck, she lived. For a moment. She made damn sure of it, to live a little harder than anyone else when there were people she loved that didn't have the chance. It was the least she could do. There were still nights where she still picked up her guitar, sliding around her apartment, in nothing but her undergarments and some socks... playing a few songs for general basil, Felix the clock and... Ace. Her most adoring fans. That... was definitely a detail she would definitely leave out of this particular conversation. She seemed to snap herself out of her own... thoughts, slammed those familiar walls back into place, sarcasm was a far better power to use in most scenarios. It never let her down before. She sat up straighter than she had to, her vibrant gemstone eyes swept out into the street in an all to casual gesture.

Where was Darcy hiding anyways? He said he was close. How close? If she were.... A helicopter vampire spying in the sinister shadows, where would she be?

Arlo then mentioned something about a request, those words saw to her gaze to shift upwards and meet his own, wondering if this was when he finally showed his true colours. As though she wasn't sure if she bought into this good guy act. Then... He spoke about his girlfriend, not even in a casual way but the kind of way that lights up your eyes and you get that stupid grin. The kind of look her friends got when they spoke of their one and only. It was pitiful really... well ok.. Sort of. It was kind of cute, even her metal-clad heart had to admit it. The man seemed happy to explain about his love, that anyone with strange motives would be concealing. In an instant, his phone was back in his hand and there came the pictures. Noooooooo! She didn't need to get sucked up in his fairytale life. Seeing his cute relationship or the pretty girl's... face that clearly loved him so dearly. She didn't want to see... the face she could imagine crying in inconsolable sadness when Arlo didn't show up anymore. She didn't need to be reminded by the fact that this man before her was an actual fucking person whose life she was going to destroy. She hated herself just a little when she smiled, playing the part of the well prepared and convincing Cadence. "Of course! There is a nice fully stocked backstage area too." She spoke leaning in to see the adorable panda on the screen, just to torture herself, regretting it instantly. Who fucking made a panda cry? Monsters.. That's what she was to become. Then another picture of the red-haired woman in human form and Arlo, all smiles, the one photograph that would set her heart to stone after she did what she had to do. They were as cute as she imagined they would be. She could hardly help the pang of guilt that already sliced right through her chest. Fucking Darcy. Fucking Risque.. Nathaniel... Ryker.. The life ruiners that had no reason to blow up people's lives for the only reason that they could. There wasn't a legitimate reason was there? Could there ever be one? That look of love within the couples face upon that screen was fucking bow right on that guilt box as he uttered those words of pure adoration. It was bad enough she had to like this guy sitting across for.. and even worse, still, when she gained that flicker of respect for him too.

She could hardly help the way she softened before she steeled herself. Even though she could remember the faces of the victims.. Even though they were stored away somewhere in her mind. "I think I am going to be sick, too much sugary sweetness for a girl like me..." She waved her hands in front of her as if to ward off the faces that would stain her mind. She didn't need to know their future wedding plans. He probably wrote her songs too... cute little ballads to serenade her with. How was she going to go through with this? Was being the villain in this story supposed to be so conflicting? Ugh. How the hell did Tetradore do it? He had no problem in swiping her from her nest more than once. No problem in... cutting her up and doing every last demand Risque asked from him. He had no problem hand-delivering her to the vampire's den without so much as a... blink of his uncaring eye. Just as he would have no problem watching her die.

Harley looked away toward her own menu, pointing out that it was a vampire friendly menu. As if to point out that fact to herself that he was a vampire... and still potentially lying through his teeth. Until... he almost seemed nervous. Every time the man opened his mouth he made this harder. That was until he explained. What?

Wow, she had this Arlo pegged all wrong. It wasn't every day when she was wrong about someone, of course, it had to be the one time she wished she was right. She placed an elbow on the table. She could not hide the rush of surprise from her features at all. A vampire that ate other vampires. Well, that was a first. Was that why they wanted him? Her dark brows stitched together at the realization that he was basically a vampire with no actual bite. She blinked...several times before finally allowing the words to escape her. "This explains a lot actually." Harley admitted, not elaborating. "So does that make you considered dangerous to them? Like the vampire boogeyman or something?" Harley questioned, perhaps far too curious of this new little development. Oh, Darcy didn't dislike this guy because he was a musician. He disliked him because.... He could eat him. Of course. It all made sense now, all those obvious pieces clicked into place. A figurative lightbulb moment if you will. Perhaps the world needed more Cruises... crusniks.. She thought over the name within her mind, that curiosity lit a fuse inside of her that hardly had a place at this place here and now. She could hardly help that amused grin that spread across her lips then.

His all too innocent comment of pasta and pizza had her shaking her head, her long raven locks that matched the hue of her inner beast softly skimmed across her bare arms. " So what would you get at a place like this, when you were human? Like something that you almost miss being human for? You aren't too old for Americanized Italian, are you?" She questioned, she was easy, she could probably eat anything off this menu and be perfectly content.

Harley turned within her chair, enough with those slacking slackers. Second time is the charm... "Guard the table.. I've got this." She uttered near cheeky as she drew to her feet, the bold woman sliced through the crowd to where she saw a waiter or two, her tattoo peeked out from behind the fabric of her shirt. It rested between her shoulder blades. She leaned up against the wall arms folded as she literally stared down another server that stood there. 'May I help you?' The girl with bright wide eyes questioned, feeling those eyes upon her, her blonde hair pulled into a tight high-ponytail that bobbed overzealously when she moved.

"Oh... you know... maybe some service. It's like watching paint dry..."

The girl seemed surprised, apologetic even as she nodded her head content to follow Harley back to the table.. Harley lead the way bouncy, preppy waitress in tow. This is how you got things done... You get up and do it yourself.

"Look what I found." Harley declared with pride towards Arlo. "A rare elusive waitress, eager to bring us food." That lighthearted sarcasm easily drew to her lips. At least this one didn't seem to recognize Arlo. She uttered the memorized specials.

"I'll have one of those mozza things from the apps section and..... Whatever he's going to have."Harley seemed quite content to reminisce with him. Darcy would kill her for not moving this along.. But forgive her for choosing to hang out with the vampire less likely to drain her when he got the munchies.