We're all rotten, buried and forgotten,

Living it up underground

"Twooo weeks before they forget, I bet." She uttered considerably determined, lifting a finger for emphasis as though she were declaring something important. She laughed at herself, and at the memory of the man at the bar. "Bartenders change just as quickly as I change my underwear." Harley swayed once more but it was Isolt who steadied her this time. Her violet eyes peer at her friend with fondness before they climbed the steps of her apartment. How had she survived without her was beyond her. She missed nights like this, missed the trouble starting, the banter, and free flow conversation. Harley had a knack at getting the dynamic duo into troubling situations time and time again. She was simply a magnet for trouble. Not once did Isolt turn away.

But even a drunken eyed Harley noticed that Isolt was far more sober than her. Now that was weird, she drank just as much as her. But he attention span was severely lacking from the very alcohol they devouring like it was water. "It's your Irish blood, it finally happened. It accepted alcohol in your blood stream.." She gaped. She used to make good-natured fun at Isolt's tolerance and was always the one to keep that steady eye on her, Harley could drink most men under the table.

As they neared the door Harley noticed something wasn't quite right. Her door was tampered with, broken as the nob was barely attached to the door. It was slightly agape as if someone had broken in and couldn't be bothered to close it. As if they didn't give two shits if they were caught redhanded. She was hit with a sobering mental bullet. Ace. Her recently turned puppy again, Ace. Her friend Sterling and she played mad magical scientist and were able to reverse time in her cherished dog. That large beast had been shrunken as if the clock had turned back in time. If you looked into his eyes, he was the same old pup. Just as youthful when she first got him. Of course, it was risky. They almost got eaten in the process of it, but it worked. For that reason alone, it was worth it. She slurred her findings as if she couldn't see it herself. The chilled panic iced her veins.

The idea of losing him to old age was too much to bear. She had already lost so much, too much and through the drunken haze, it was no different. Harley couldn't stand to lose Ace. Not now.. She could care less about those other possessions, even if they were few and far between. It was Ace that stood forefront in her mind. Isolt tried to stop Harley from plunging into the dangerous depths of her apartment and she ignored the heed.

"PUPPY ACE!>" She called out once more, obnoxiously louder than she had before, seeing her apartment in complete disarray. Everything was obliterated save for her magical iridescent plant, that seemed untouched. Go figure. She nearly face planted into a pile of broken wood from a shattered chair. Who the fuck would do this? "Fuck." She exclaimed with feeling, it was a complete wonder how she managed to stay standing.

"What in the shit?" She exclaimed as her eyes took in the scene. It was like a tornado went off in her apartment. It was Isolt's voice that sliced through the chaos. How could she stay here while her friend went off into her apartment? Like hell, she would just let her companion to face the hells alone. Didn't she remember they always went off into the hell's mouth together? Tonight would not be any different.

She blindly followed after her, even if she moved too fast for her now.

The raven-haired woman nearly stumbled into Isolt who now stopped abruptly at the entrance of Harley's bedroom. That singular word that Isolt uttered was hardly recognizable, it sounded like a grated angry sound. Who was it?? Lemme see, Harley thought. The raven-haired spitfire scrambled out beside her friend to peer into the room and look at her assailant dead in the eye with a gaze that could murder. "Puppy Ace?" She questioned, worry like lead in her mouth. The room was pitch black. She flipped on the switch a little uncoordinated at the wall to Isolt's right her before hearing the words.

There was a brief look of surprise on Ryker's face, the vampire standing in Harley's bedroom. "You... have changed." He directed at Isolt, the words uttered like he was toying with her.

Harley knew that voice. Recognized it as dreadful as it sound. If she could live without hearing that voice again she would be a happy little human. There wasn't a chance at mixing it up. Anger filled her, devoured her. It was her strength and her downfall as it consumed her entirely. The fucker found her... It hadn't even been that long and she had just started getting her shit together again. There was a haunted look that entered her bright purple eyes, even if only for a second, it was a shadow of fear.

In an instant, she put herself before Isolt suddenly, standing as straight and defiant as possible. Well, as much as a petite person could. Words that wanted nothing more than to spew from her lips were choked back. The light hit his face in a way that showed the menace in his eyes and that cursed twisted smile that found his hateful lips. A small, pitiful whimpering sound could be heard coming from Ace. He was held by the scruff, suspended in the air, unable to squirm free. The dread she felt was like a pit of despair in her gut.

"You mother fucker." She tried desperately to think clearly, but it was all smoke and she was hardly steady on her feet. Harley stumbled forward, her hands drew in to tight knotted fists, her eyes are like amethyst flame. "Put him down, shitnut. I'm gonna kill you." Like Harley could kill anything right now, a human could practically poke her and she'd fall over. She did her absolute best to keep Isolt behind her, she wasn't going to let Ryker harm her, he was her monster.

Ryker peered at them with smug nastiness in his eye, the familiarity made her sick and brought bile to her tongue. She knew he remembered vividly what she had done to his men, how and what she did to escape that basement lair he locked her within like a prison cell. Why? He was sick and perverse and for what? All because he couldn't let her go? Second of all, it made no sense why he was so hard in the pants for her in the first place, she was vile, bitter and angry. He couldn't tame her no matter how hard he tried.

"You think you can run and hide from me?" He responded darkly, void of emotion, not making a gesture to move at all. His grip tightened on Ace and the puppy cried out, the agony made her cringe and worst of all, it made her desperate. In a blind, venomous rage she shot out for him, without taking heed one needed when dealing with a vampire. All she cared about was trying to get Ace out of his hand, uncaring it left her vulnerable to him. In reality.. When was a human ever a match for a vampire?

He threw Ace aside like he was nothing but a sack of potatoes, the poor black blob went skittering across the floor. Harley yelled out in rage. "NO" before she threw herself at him, her fingers like claws, looking to gouge out his eyes. She wanted to hurt him in any possible way she possibly could. All she could hope was that puppy Ace was alive and Isolt would run.. would get away far from here. She had a life to look forward and Harley, well, Harley made her bed. This was her burden to endure.

Harlequin Ray Westward