Matteo

It's tough to be a god

There was something delightful in that roll of her eyes. In that veritable tease. In those playful words the fell with sinful ease from his own lips to insinuate that perhaps, had she been bold enough tonight, she might very well have coaxed more from him then those endless games and flirtatious fancies they had both fallen so expertly into playing. It had become a continual war between them. Playful though it was. A fallout of flirtation. The very kind he never tired from playing and Hrley so often surprised him with by rising to that very occasion. She was an apt player. Better than any woman he had known in a long while and yet he should have expected as much with a nature like her own. Harley was as stubborn as she was defined as she was bold and determined. Such strength in a woman was....rare nowadays. After all, history so had a habit of bringing about truly gruesome ends to those women whom had, over the centuries, rebelled agianst their oppressors. Harley something of a modern day rebel with every cause and yet, if that future he had seen was true- her efforts would not be in vain. Her hand waved dismissively at his teasing tones as she turned for that shower. Harley pausing only long enough to reach for that jacket he offered and to insist her answer only afforded that game all the more tension. Ah, but how right she was! Matteo so unable to deny that increased sense of intrigue he found for the raven-haired woman whom seemed forever to dance precariously upon the edge of both falling for his flirtatious games and denying him them in turn. A truly rare being she was.

Such thoughts, for now, deviated to the very depths of his mind as Harley eyed him near critically with that insistence she would return to haunt him for eternity were she to meet her very death this night. The Frenchman finding himself near incapable of preventing that simper that found his lips all the same. Matteo so eternally seeming to chuckle at some fleeting amusement he alone was privy to and yet- perhaps somewhere within the vast depths of that future that pooled before his very eyes he saw something of amusement all the same. Harley, he was sure, would not struggle to befriend those ghosts already haunting his halls. She had the nature for it he was assured. His companion scoffing at the idea he seemed to think her haunting a mere joke. Her voice infused with a challenge before she declared she would befriend those ghosts if only to discover his secrets. That very notion prompting a front of sorts to the man's lips in a clear contemplation before his shoulders so lifted into a simple shrug.

"I should have to have you exorcised then."

How simply he offered those very words and yet that amusement teased at the edge of his lips all the same as harley pilfered another of his gifted chocolates only to take herself off and into the shower with those parting words insisting he make himself at home in more ways than one. Matteo, for once, caught abruptly off guard by the boldness of her very sentaminet, that genuine surprise marking his features as he stared after her. Ah, but she had spine! That ready laugh fell warmly from his lips then. The ancient Fae taking a genuine amusement in Harleys words tonight before that manner of business, he supposed, so needed to be taken care of. That name of that stallion had so barely passed his lips in those accented tones before Darius appeared before him. The sleek, blak war horse eyeing his Master with no small measure of disdain at having been made to wait and as Matteo saw to those saddle bags and supplies for the evening. Harley, it seemed, was not a woman inclined to stress over her appearance. The raven-haired woman striding from the depths of her bedroom some twenty minutes later, her figure remarkably clean and so adorned in a shirt that perhaps displayed just how very much Darcy had failed to break her spirit. Matteo glanced smoothly over his shoulder at her approach. Harley, it seemed, having failed to anticipate those horse standing within her apartment. That very look upon her features coaxing another soft chuckle from within the Frenchmans own throat. Harley's eyes seeming to widen. Ah, but how oddly peopel so seemed to react to horses these days!

Harley stepped forward then, shifting slowly to stand at his side before declaring her request to make himself at home had apparently been misunderstood. Matteo, perhaps, willing to admit their mode of transport for this evening was unusual for the era and yet he so found the back of a horse far more comfortable then those cars any day. Harley, it seemed, so hardly took long to discover that very creature was far more than a simple horse. Her very instincts as a Were readily identifying another of her species. That very look exchanged between the pair hardly missed and yet Matteo said nothing of it for now. The Frenchman, instead, merely warning of that stallions poor temperament at times. Darius not above delivering those firm, swift nips to those whom displeased him. Matteo having been on the receiving end of far more than one. After all, with Dariusso refusing to speak it was a battle, on occasion, to attempt t discover what that horse desired at all! Impossible creature! Harley's warning did little to effect the Barb stallion. Darius merely glancing away to return to chewing that bit between his teeth. Harley still inclined to that disbelief as she argued for that less conspicuous car. Matteo merely allowing his arms to fold across his chest as he leant back agianst the animals shoulder with a casual ease that so seemed to pertain to near all he did. Matteo so rarely flustered in any sense.

"He is black, Mon Cherie. Black blends very well with the darkness I think. As for your car, I am sure it is very nice, but my horse is faster. Next time we will take your car and you can compare them."

That very hint of a challenge so danced within those accented lyrics. That very lift of the man's eyes so giving away that notion he so surely knew something she did not. Matteo offering little more outside of that playful look as he turned back Darius then. Harley, in turn, puzzling the creatures silence.

"He is capable of that speech, he merely chooses not to offer it. At least not to myself or Alexander or any of my staff. If you, Mon Cher, think you can get him to speak to you then I encourage it entirely."

Surely, by now, there must be something Darius desired to say! How the animal remained both silent and a horse for so very long he hardly knew. Matteo long since having come to suspect the horse might no longer know how to shift back and yet for now, he supposed, that equine form suited them well. His own affinity so readily saw him disappear from that floor only to reappear on the horses back. The Frenchman relaxed easily upon that saddle. Matteo more than comfortable upon the back of that horse, a position he knew all too well before his hand was held toward Harley with every intention of swinging her into the saddle behind him. The raven-haired woman commenting readily that such a position seemed to suit him. Her words coaxing the small, warm simper to his lips again.

"Ah, but I have been riding horses for a very long time. I should hope, after so long, that they look reasonably good upon me. I should be ashamed if they didn't."

That very hesitation seemed to mar the younger woman's features still, Matteo assured he could hardly blame her for that very thing. The Frenchman so seeking to encourage her all the same with that very promise that this would hardly be the oddest moment of her life and that to embrace those very oddities was surely wiser then allowing them to pass by. These very words it seemed, or more so, that promise for revenge, was enough to coax the woman to take his hand. Matteo effortlessly pulling her upward and into that position behind him. He afforded his companion those few moments to settle herself, her hands finding his waist, before his heels found Darius' side- the horse sent into a near instant canter that seemed to aim the trio entirely at the kitchen wall. Harley's grip became near vice-like in that moment! The womans shouts hardly lost upon him. Her sudden terror saw his name shortened in a fashion it had not been in years. Not since his Mother had uttered itso lovingly and Risque had offered it was...such delight. The very utterance of that 'Teo' so catching him off guard. Matteo near faltering for the barest of moments in surprise and yet Darius remained true to his very course, that teleportation seeing them disappear from that apartment only to land upon that back road within the west. The darkness of the evening and the sound of Darius' hooves all that surrounded them now. Harley's grip somehow seeming to have increased all the more until he was rather certain she desired to crack a rib! Teo. How very, very long it had been. Yet how very much he preferred that name from her lips rather then Risque's own. Her last utterance of that name having been to sentence him to that very death she surely believed he had met at the hands of her Maker and Coven. So many years...and Harley had so finally replaced that final mention with a newer one. Matteo ,for now, dismissing thoughts of that nickname.

"That, Mon Cherie, was teleporting. It is Darius' talent. I cannot teleport you myself, at least, not without destroying you. My teleportation, you see, is a weapon, not a means of transport as Darius' is. I also think that you may have the best grip of any being I have ever ridden with. My ribs are inclined to agree."

There was no true harshness within those very words. Matteo chuckling softly at her very fear as he slowed that stallion further in an effort to allow Harley to regain her balance and indeed her composure. The young woman so very...warm at his back in a fashion he could hardly deny he found pleasant. That closeness wholly appealing. Her arms so finally seemed to loosen only to settle at his hips with that lingering fear of falling. Ah, but how horse riding had become a lacking skill in modern people! They continued further down that road then, that unusual trio, Matteo insisting upon his species once proud reputation for showmanship that had been all but pillaged by the vampire race. Harley's insistence he did not like to lose met with that soft sound of amusement.

"I do not- but I am patient. If I must wait a thousand years for my revenge then I will, but I will have it, one way or the other- in the end."

It was their very arrival upon the outskirts of Syn itself that seemed to prompt Harley to stiffen, Matteo turning within that saddle as much as he was able to meet the violet gaze of the woman behind him. Her fear almost palpable to even himself and yet he hardly found himself surprised as her hands gripped his hips more firmly once more. A pang of...guilt so tugging at his very core for bringing the woman here tonight. Perhaps....he asked too much of her. Matteo uttering those very reasons why he was here tonight. Harley, as always, surprising him with that very question. His wording so designed to give little away seeming to prompt that curiosity in his companion as she asked after that mysterious damaged being once more and whether or not that damage had been done by Risque herself.

"Yes. It was."

There was nothing to be gained by keeping that truth from her in the very least. Harley asking suddenly how many he cared for beneath that neon sign of Syn that had plagued him, in turn, for every one of Aiden's years within it. Matteo momentarily silent in his contemplation of that very thing. Two was surely that answer and yet...how readily a third name tugged at him in a fashion...far different from the others. That sigh softly exhaled. That very response hardly above a whisper, as if uttering it to loud might make that very betrayal all the more real.

"Three."

Harley, in the very least, seemed near frozen behind him. Too much to question that number any further. The Frenchman casting his gaze from his companion to Syn and back again before those words found him once more. For all her strength, for all her courage and fire he was asking of her something far more tonight. To return near instantly to the very hell she had come from. That it might yet prove to much for her was understandable. That if, tonight, she could not bring herself to return he would hardly blame her and yet that choice was her own. Harley, for once, seeming drawn to silence. The sound of Darius' hooves all that echoed for several moments before she seemed to gather her resolve. 2000 years and someone so young as she had still managed to surprise him with her conviction. Hmm. She truly was...unique. Her choice to accompany him made.

"For now, Mon Cherie, you need only hold on. When we reach the parking lot I will explain what it is I need from you. Ready?"

That touch of his heels sent Darius forward once more, the war horse abruptly disappearing only to reappear at the front of Syn itself and within the shadows to the side of the building. Matteo halted the animal there before swinging down from that saddle and extending his hand to help Harley down in turn to stand beside him. His hands reaching then into those saddle bags to hand Harley a pair of gloves and a spray can. Matteo's own black gloves appearing upon his hands a moment later. That secondary spray can appearing within his left.

"Put those one and spray that over the entirety of your body, use that entire can to assure you are covered if need be. It is Scent Control, it is what game hunters use to remove their scent before they hunt. It works remarkably well agianst vampires too. This way they will not be able to identify you for who you are. The gloves will prevent your leaving your scent on anything you touch. This- is also very important, listen well, you must not take this hood off, you understand? Not at all. They cannot be allowed to see your face."

Matteo so leaned forward then, his gloved hands reaching gently around Harley to lift that hood upon the back of her jacket upward and over her head. The Frenchamn gently tucking that raven black hair inside in turn. His gaze met her own easily once more, his head nodded downward just so.

"I think, perhaps, you should zip the jacket up to hide the shirt for now too, no? Amusing thought it is."

He stepped smoothly back from her then, his own Blue Moon emblazoned jacket summoned into place, that hood lifted over his own head then as he waited for Harley to finish readying herself. His silver gaze lingering upon that front door and the people spilling in and out of that bustling club. It as a busy night, exceptionally busy, just as he had forseen it would be. This the single and only night in which that very revenge was possible. Each and every one of those needed factors so perfectly aligned for one evening only. His eyes returned to Harley then, the woman appearing ready as Matteo so simply stepped from the shadows with that gesture for her to follow- the pair walking directly toward that unguarded front door. Matteo's words uttered softly to harley alone then.

"Do you know what Blue Moon is, Mon Cher? It is rival bar, one that has declared war on Risque. It has angered her beyond belief. They are anticipating attack from Blue Moon at any moment and we are about to throw a match to that very fire. They will see the enemy they expect to see, they will believe the easiest lie because it is in their nature to do so. Keep your head down at all times, there are security cameras in most rooms here- that too will work to our advantage, we need our jackets to be seen after all. Risque is preparing for war. For war one needs three things. Money, Resources and Men. Tonight, we are going to take some of those very things from her in the name of Blue Moon. Her own paranoia will do the rest. This- is for you. Stay close.'

His hands reached into his back pocket then, that tiny USB device pressed into Harley's own hand as they approached those front doors. Matteo so hardly hesitating as his hand pressed upon them, omitting them both into that crowded, noisy club, the music from that bass near shaking the floor beneath them. Every part of that place a near assault to the senses. The Frenchman shifted near instantly to the side, Harley gently guided with him. That very position so obscuring them from the view of the Cowboy Vampire whom lingered on that platform above with drink in hand. Matteo nodded across that room and toward the DJ and his table then before his arms smoothly wrapped around Harley, drawing her to him, her chest warm against this own as if in a lovers embrace- that very act so bringing his lips nearer her ear as he lent forward.

"I need you to take that USB and plug it into the DJ's computer. The one controlling the music. It has a virus on it. It will take about one minute to...what is the word? Upload? Yes. Upload. You will have your chance in the next five minutes. This DJ's shift is over. He will leave that computer for exactly 3 minutes when he goes to fetch his replacement. You must be very quick. Darcy will see you but I desire him too. As soon as you are done, take the USB and go through that door directly behind the DJ table. Walk along that corridor and you will come out near Risques office, it is a back path to the hallway outside it- meet me inside her office. Do not worry, if I have done my job she will not be in there. Remember, keep your head down. Ready?"

That DJ, near on cue, had left his station, Matteo gesturing for Harley to make her way through that crowd and do that very task asked of her. The Frenchman himself so beginning to move in the opposite direction, his own head kept downward as he moved with ease amongst those dancing bodies to stand near beneath that platform Darcy was on. The Southern Vampire very much within his view as he simply waited- his gaze turned again to Harley as she reached that platform and computer. Darcy, as he had well anticipated, had already seen that Blue Moon jacket in the crowd, the vampire rising quickly to head for those stairs that led downward. Matteo rapidly engaged his own teleportation to appear in that very place Darcy had once been on that platform above. The vampires phone snatched easily from the table where he had left it. How quickly Matteo's fingers taped at that screen, those security cameras bright readily upward. Matteo so quickly turning each and every camera off save those two in the back parking lot. Darcy's phone alone in command of the very cameras the vampire had installed at Risques behest in response to that stolen lamp. Ah, but how the thought prompted a simper to his lips to consider.

That phone was once more placed upon the table. Matteo abruptly teleporting again. The near ancient Fae, this time, appearing within that very hall outside Risques office and amongst that line of beings so waiting for some audience with her. Matteo, stepping distinctly into that most shadowed part. A warlock beside him affording him a curious glance and yet he said nothing. The beings in that line far to anxious of that meeting ahead to worry themselves over an oddity amongst them. The sudden cut to that music so assured him harley, in the least, had been successful. Risques pre-approved music suddenly and abruptly replaced...with near every song he was quite assured the vampire woman detested. The very first, that striking rendition of Mika's 'Grace Kelly'. The music no sooner having exploded into the club before the cries of outrage from its patrons began to rise. Darcy sure to be thoroughly distracted for pursuing Harley in turn. Matteo, for his own part, simply waited. Those seconds ticking onward before that office door all but burst open, Risque striding outward in that clear discontent over that music that had filled her own office in turn with its overly delightful lyrics. That favoured leopard at her heels. Matteo's own head remained firmly downward, his eyes upon her shoes alone. Heels. Higher then he remembered them being and yet how unsurprised he was with that choice, this the closest he had been to her in so many, many years. How tempting it was to look upward- to see her face, to see how it had changed and whether or not he might recognise her now and yet how little he dared to ruin so many years of work. To allow her to see him after all that time. Those emotions were shoved further and further downward as she dismissed each being in that line before turning to storm up the hallway and into that club with Darcy's name upon her lips.

The others in that line so hardly had to be told twice as they scattered. Matteo teleporting once more from those shadows to land within the depths of that now empty office, that door having locked behind her as she moved. Matteo turned easily, his gloved hand flicking that lock to open it from the inside before pushing that door slightly ajar to wait for Harley. That plan, so far, very much going as it should. The Frenchman turned briefly, but once more, to eye that office in its entirety. Those words uttered quietly to the vampire woman no longer present to hear them.

"Your taste in colour schemes has not changed."