He was hesitant, truly, to face that gypsy woman within the farmer's market and demand his money back for an object that he sincerely doubted held any legitimate magic to it. The warlock simply didn't have the fight left within him to deal with what would surely become a scene and yet, Harley might be the only one capable of pulling his money back from her clammy fingers. He eyed the feisty young woman with a look of consideration before a soft sigh fell from his lips, his head bobbing in a show of defeat. "All right, maybe tomorrow, could you please help me return this...thing?" He inquired, glancing at the object with a look of hopelessness whilst purposefully adding in that magic word. Frankly, he wasn't sure what he was going to do with the thing if it remained within his care - probably toss it out when he found the willpower to do so. Sterling was wholly oblivious to the thoughts that afflicted his companion, much less her struggles in the time the pair were apart - at least, not until that near vulnerable sound so subtly rang in the depths of her voice as she inquired whether or not he intended to leave in the near future. A small frown crossed his lips, followed by a soft sigh. After all, Sterling would have to start job hunting again now that he'd quit his last gig and with Henry having near abandoned him, he was, once again, left to his own devices. "No...I don't think so..." He commented, his words trailing off. He had a few months of rent still before he was forced to do something. A small shrug crossed his shoulders as he added with a weak simper on his features, "Besides, where else would I go?" Where indeed...

He pushed those thoughts from the forefront of his mind as he invited them in, his hand gingerly held out to the girl's shadow. He allowed the canine a moment to sniff him before he made any motions to pet the familiar hound, that sudden wagging of that tail brought a small simper to his features as his hand shifted to pet the dog's head. "Hey there, old boy." He commented softly, his own thoughts already shifting to what sort of treats he might have hidden away for Ace. After all, no one went hungry in his home, even if it was an animal. Sterling's gaze shifted upwards as Harley grinned, reaching down to scratch her canine behind the ears. "Heh, yeah, I suppose he does." He responded, a glimpse of affection crossing those bright blue eyes. He slowly led the way deeper into that apartment, a small frown crossing his features as he grabbed the furniture he passed, the man entirely self conscious of the way his gait was affected by those wounds that afflicted his body. He glanced over his shoulder at that idle inquiry, the man shrugging ever so slightly as he commented that, though the music was awful, at least it was some noise in the silence of his world. He hardly realized, really, how much those near innocent responses revealed of his own internal woes. Rather, his own interest was set upon answering those questions of what exactly had afflicted his flat.

His affinity was, quite frankly, going out of control. Though, it wasn't as if he'd terribly tried to curb that plant life that ran rampant through his apartment either. They had almost been welcoming, in a way, with the way they grew over the windows to cast him into a sort of gloom that fit his mood whilst not casting him into such darkness to the point that it prompted his still lingering fears of darkness since his kidnapping all those years ago. Still, a small frown crossed his lips as he considered the best way to answer that question, the man prompting her to remember exactly what he was rather than simply startling her with his fire as he had Henry. To her merit, Harley seemed to take it all in stride rather well. A soft chuckle left his lips, that small smile fluttered across his features as he shook his head. "You'll have no human sacrifices or cannibalism from me, I promise." He commented, attempting to reassure her as he leaned heavily against that kitchen island, attempting to shift his weight in such a fashion that it wasn't all upon that still protesting leg.

Her insistence that he was still the boy she remembered caused his head to bob firmly, the man near refusing to fall sway to any sort of maliciousness. It simply wasn't within his nature. He hardly had the stomach for it, except, maybe farm animals but...that was solely with the intention to eat them rather than pure cruelty. That question of his fire, however, caused yet another small smile to cross his lips at the memories of those hours they'd spent in junkyards - just fooling around whilst looking for any sort of parts they could use to restore her car. Quite on cue, the fireplace within the living room burst into warm, excited flames, remaining in the hearth and yet, entirely content to warm the otherwise chilled room. "Yeah, I've still got that." He commented after a moment as he eyed them. It was silly, really, how he welcomed her understanding. Of late, Henry had found his gifts unnerving, the man still in denial of everything that existed within that world that surrounded them despite Sterling's best attempts to educate him. He supposed it hardly mattered now though.

Instead, Sterling's attention shifted at that question of what he was capable of, the man eying that smile with a hint of suspicion before a small shrug crossed his shoulders. "I....don't know...." He commented, watching the way her gaze darted around his apartment. He knew that look. That was the look that always crossed her features before she dragged him into some cockamany idea. He could only hope this one occurred within the walls of his apartment. "I mean, I guess I'm willing to try but...let's keep it low key tonight, all right Harley?" It was futile, he was sure, but he was trying.

STERLING TENEMBRAGE