stuff us in boxes that's where you want us

cardboard is boring, we brought our matches - look how it burns

Harley snuggled into the warmth of her own inviting bed sheets, dreaming a dream that saw to her clutching her blankets tighter. The previous dreamscape had been a nightmare waking her up in the heat of the night, not bothering to look at the clock before closing her eyes for sleep to take her once more. It didn't take long to drift into another dream, this one was was far more bizarre. It made absolutely no sense to the woman and yet dreams rarely did beyond the subconscious mind. She dreamt she was in feline form, in the middle of the desert. There was absolutely nothing around her save for the nighttime sky and that sprawling barren landscape that it was eerie, and peculiar, even to her. She was lost, chasing some random mysterious rabbit, deeper and deeper into nowhere, navigating around the cacti and brittle plants that were only obstacles in her jagged path. The ground was parched, cracked where a stream had run dry.. that surface full of tiny little stones that felt unkind to her paws, that were destined for the forest floor. She seemed to follow and track that little cottontail rabbit, unsure if she wanted to hunt the creature or simply inquisitively find out where it was going. She followed its scent, tugging her onward as if compelled by some other forces at work, refusing to give up that path.. Not even when that rattle snake seemed to lunge at her with very little warning, causing her to flinch. Where the fuck did he come from? Or better off, why? Its purpose seemed very much... unknown.. It was then in the middle of that dream, finally seconds away from finding out where that trail had truly led and the scent of danger lingered in the fresh desert scent that she heard a shuddering THUD. It was not in her dream, she was sure of it. But how was she to be sure. It was soon followed by the nails skittering across the floor, her canine beast undoubtedly scuffing those wooden floors all the more as he looked for traction...soon after the sound of ruined floors was accompanied soon after by a slew of barks, whines and angry growls.

An overzealously protective Ace was up and clearly he wasn't happy. Harley, assured that it was something far more mundane occurring outside her apartment door. With that, she rolled over onto her side, content to ignore it. How easy it was to will herself to be lost to the plush pillows of her welcoming bed, even though there was no sign of the warm rays of sunshine, peering into her window. Those hastily closed blinds should have allowed that morning light in by now.. What time was it even? Surely, it had to be morning.

Harley whined when he damn dog would not shut up.... "Ace! Not now.. it was just the neighbours.." she chastised blindly, which was a far more a frustrated plea than anything else, her heavy eyelids still firmly shut as if refusing to face the world just yet. She was apparently destined not to find where that trail led or what danger lingered.

Fortunately, after that eruption of clamour from her canine companion.... It soon stopped, being met with perfect blissful silence once more. See.. nothing that goes bump in the night was out to get her.. all was fine.. perfectly and welcomingly fine. Finally.. She pulled those covers even closer, clinging to them as she attempted to adhere to sleep. Quiet, and peace... this is how she liked to sleep. She sighed in contentment at the peace and quiet she would not be afforded to the sleepy were panther for long.

It was not long at all when she once more heard that unfamiliar thudding sound once more. Ace excitedly giving into a bad case of the zoomies. Her dog was like a bat out of hell. Something was surely amiss.. Surely it had to be the neighbours being inconsiderate assholes again, whilst somewhere in the back of her mind she feared the worst.. "Stupid neighbours.." She mumbled near incoherently, refusing to investigate the sound, her dog as if ignoring it would simply cease it from happening. Yet that nagging sensation still plucked at her.. Harley's mouth parted in a wide mouthed yawn, relishing in the feel of fresh, inviting oxygen that flooded her lungs. And that commotion once more sounded off like a veritable explosion. It was far closer and instantly it felt like her body was jolted awake... awake and waiting. Ace refused to relent, that monstrous solid black fully grown Shepherd booming bark exploded once more.

Why? The one day, she could actually sleep in, of course, this would happen now. For a moment, she remained wide eyed in the dark, noticing that it wasn't morning like she had once thought it was. At least not in the usual sense. Oh shit... her mind could not help its reeling. It was dark enough.. Vampires, her mind nervously thought. She swallowed that hard lump in her throat, searching for her phone as if searching for a reason of what was happening, there was nothing. Not a single message lit up her phone of someone stopping by. The sharp thudding sound caused the woman's heart to leap up suddenly within her chest, her cheeks paling. God fucking dammit.

In a moment, Harley took her sheets, clinging them to her form. What in the fuck was in her house? She warily looked about her room in search for kind of impromptu weapon, her gun forgotten somewhere in a drawer of her kitchen. She had forgotten to put it underneath her pillow from that last ordeal, not that it would do much to a vampire except piss them off. Useless...

In all her hesitating... and internal crisis... it was then in that very moment that she noticed a dark silhouette catch her eye. It lingered in her door, large and distinctly not human.. She fumbled quickly for the lamp... a habit despite her now honed vision.

That beautiful golden light illuminated a horse. A beautiful, bold black, massive horse. What the hell? Maybe she wasn't awake..... maybe this was some stupid dream within a dream bullshit. Definitely not going to put a fast one on her.. no way. But that stallion gleamed like he had been groomed to an inch of his life. She knew that impressive horse. But most of all. She knew whom that horse belonged to the moment she saw that big black beautiful face. She drew her knees to her body after sitting upwards, her feminine features lit up in complete and clear surprise. Was he trying to give a girl a heart attack??

"Darius?" She questioned out loud utterly perplexed as that expression upon her face. It was like she truly didn't believe her own eyes. Is this what the rabbit of her dream wanted her to see? Surely that was just a dream and this was reality.. That equine greeting flooded her room as he flung his head up in the air with great enthusiasm. What did that even mean? It sure as hell looked funny, the woman could hardly help that sound of amusement as Ace seemed to take the equine gesture as a cue to play. The large black floofy dog going absolutely batshit bonkers once more, ecstatic for that chance to get that horse to frolic with him! What the hell did she wake up to? However, Ace's playfulness only seemed to earn him that stone cold look from that stallion a gesture of warning. That disapproving look alone seemed to be enough to silence him all together as though Ace sensed that tension. At least her dog was far from dumb... Harley nearly rolled her eyes at the sight... well most of the time. Yet, Harley could not quite seem to fathom the fact that.... There was a horse in her bedroom. Not just any horse... magical horse owned by a French fairy.

Surely that meant the fairy was soon to follow, was it not? She waited for about as long as she thought to hear that familiar French accent uttering some anecdote... only to be met with expectation and dead air. That accent did not ring through her apartment as it had before, nor did she see that face with that indefinite look of amusement that seemed to mask his features. How that seemed to displease her equine companion! Who she had only met a grand total of once. He suddenly and loudly that stomp of Darius' hoof demanded her attention... those ears pinned back flat against his head, this time directed at her. The obsidian black war horse was pissed... for what?

The nerve!! And yet.. it hardly seemed to stifle her curiosity all at once.

"Where is Matteo?... is everything al-" right... the words hardly left her lips when suddenly that horse launched his neck forward with exposed teeth snapping at the edge of her sheets. In an instant, he all but yanked them off her now exposed form. The girl sleeping in a pair of booty shorts and tank top most nights, tonight was no different. "Hey! What the hell was that for?" She yelled at the cheeky equine. "You could have just said hello good looking... I would have been way more receptive." That chiding sarcasm seemed far more awake than even her even though adrenaline seemed to be a quick cure of that. It was far too early.... To be little miss sunshine. Then again.. when was she? That no bullshit demenour was one she wore well. That faint welcoming light hit that severed, dangling lead rope attached to his halter which only prompted the woman's brow to raise, that smile threatening to tug upon her lips.

She didn't need a rocket scientist for it to suddenly hit her. Darius came upon his own accord. It seemed like she wasn't the only one with a penchant for rule breaking. "Staged a jailbreak I see.. Good job." she could hardly help that smirk that tugged upon her lips as she slid out of bed, padding barefoot to that ebony stallion. Hey... she would take random magical horses in her house over vampires any damn day of the week. She stopped in front of the imposing beast, her fingers reaching up to toy with the frayed rope with a chuckle, her life was certainly a ridiculous one. She followed it toward the clip under his chin, her thumb pressing down upon that latch, removing it before letting it fall to the floor haphazard thud. "There... do you want the thing on your face gone too?" She questioned deviously to the stallion, indicating toward his halter. If Darius longed for a moment of freedom, she would certainly never deny it from him, just as she would not deny it of herself if the opportunity arose. If only she could do the same. The raven-haired woman's thoughts drifted just so as she marveled at the creature in her room... Ace decided he wanted to join in on the action began sniffing suspicious at the stallion's deadly hooves. Maybe he wasn't as smart as she had thought.

The stallion abruptly shifted causing Harley backing up a step quickly, Ace dumbly following him intently as if fixated on the smell of his hooves. "Woah there.. I have vulnerable feet." It was very apparent she was not hallucinating... Because it didn't seem all that bad if she was. Was this her life now? Fairies, vampires and magical horses? She shook her head, her raven tousled locks shifting along her back as she did.

The tackless warhorse offered his bare back to her then, that intention that he wanted her on was met with a look of disbelief. "I am not even dressed.." That was only partially true, there were woman who paraded around in less. She couldn't help but reach out for that sleek shiny fur of his neck, wondering if he was as soft as it looked.

That hand hesitating before she allowed her flat palm touched that thick, well-muscled neck, allowing her hand to draw downward to his shoulder. He certainly was soft. "You really are a pretty boy.." She murmured. Ace completely stopped... what he was doing as if.. stunned. Were those words not reserved for himself alone?! Harley caught that look upon Ace's face as though the dog had been betrayed, the dog sneezing before blatantly jumping onto the bed. The dog content to break the rules, sitting right atop her pillow. Jealous much? Well.. her home had descended, so what if there was a dog on her bed too.. Fuck it.

"Give me a moment.. and you better feel special.. I don't get up this early for anyone.." She sighed escaping her all the same, this was certainly one way to start the day.

Yup.. there was definitely a horse in her bedroom, while certainly no one would ever believe her in a million years.. There was a part of her that welcomed this kind of crazy. In fact... what was so crazy about speaking to the mute horse in your bedroom? Nah... nothing crazy about it at all. But when the magical horse comes knocking.. there was one thing that Harley would not do.. and that was ignore its call.
She stepped easily away rummaging through her drawers to grab some casual clothes, a pair of jeans, a shirt... socks seemed important too. She grabbed them quickly before slipping into the confines of her bathroom.. "One minute" she raised a singular finger. Once emerging once more.. a little less flustered than before.

She smoothly leapt upon her bed walking to the end of it, her gaze peering at the horse as if determining the best way to get on. "Okay... so how are we going to this.." She questioned, a little doubtful and yet willing to meet that very challenge.

Harley Westward