stuff us in boxes that's where you want us

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

Fiducia happily took flight shortly after Sterling's approval of the motel, that surprisingly matched the pictures. It looked like the facilities had a recent paint job, the parking lot freshly paved and even possessed fancy, fully-bloomed flowers planted in pots that smelled sweetly to the were-woman. If only... the inside of those rooms matched the exterior work. If one might be so lucky. Fiducia seemed overjoyed swooping overhead, thrilled to finally stretch her large wings while the duo below brought a semblance of relief to their poor aching muscles. The raven-haired woman felt almost envious of the free flighted bird, which her inner feline watched with an almost innate curiosity as if she almost wanted to swat at the air.

That sunlit sky was far safer than the monsters that walked the earth below, Harley, not so certain if she wasn't one of them herself. It wasn't long before those thoughts were tossed off a cliff and fell haphazardly into the depths below. She wasn't about to allow those acidic thoughts to ruin this small blip of true freedom. This trip was supposed to help her friend who was deeply hurting by the unforgivable actions of his ex. What she would give to kick Henry's ass up and down some boulevard right about now. Sterling deserved more than that. How resolutely the woman believed that.

The pair made their way to the office but not without the mischievous were who mischievously pilfered those mints while the less than pleased woman at the front desk wasn't looking. She had seen more fucking personality in a beached fish than the lacklustre woman before her, she was sure. Her vibrant gaze flicked over the woman's name tag before they finalized everything needed for that room. How oblivious Harley was.... To just what room she had ordered for them. She should have questioned it what the "last room" available meant. Yet Harley wasn't picky in the least, so long as the sheets were clean and they didn't bring home bedbugs. A visible shudder overtook her feminine form at the thought of allll the things that could show up under a black light as they left the office. Gross.

That idle conversation resumed as she peeled off the wrapper of one of the mints she had shoved in her pocket. Ooo Spearmint. This place was fancy. Or so Harley was content to believe as she allowed the smooth surface of her tongue to toy with sweet hard candy within her now minty fresh mouth. Harley toyed with room key within her fingers while they walked, content enough to tease her warlock. At least, somethings never changed. She missed the look of clear abhorrence upon his features at the mention of the lady at the desk, but the tone in his voice was enough to push that point home. "Good thinking.. Besides we only just got here..." She snorted in response, an iconic trouble-making grin toyed upon her very lips as she cast him a glance while the spoke of his type. Not that her type was much better. Harley content to play wing-woman if it served to cheer him up and yet she was certain that some quality one on one time with the entertaining raven-haired spitfire... was certainly more than enough to keep his hands full. He added that he perhaps needed a new type and she nodded her head in approval.

"You and me both. Plus... blondes are not more fun. My ex was kind of like that, your type that is..... Maybe a little.... Uhh... too much of that bad boy type...." Well that... put it lightly. "Forget blondes... in fact, forget your problems... its time to open your horizons. The world is at your fingertips" She flippantly gestured outward with an idle hand as if for dramatic effect, in clear jest. Fuck she sounded like a damn fortune cookie.

Sterling the eternal worrywart mentioned about payment "Sure.. don't worry about that now.. First... we live. Its been far too long since either of us.... Just... did nothing but whatever we wanted without worrying about something or someone else." The pair climbed those two sets of steps until they made it to the top floor, that room was conveniently the first one after those stairs. In no time.. The door was unlocked and the door swept open in an all too dramatic fashion as she fought the urge to say tadaaa...

It felt like they went in some time machine. Yeah.. sure the carpet was new... but.... Everything else screamed honeymoon suite on crack.. Oh fuck. She could not deny the amused horror that drew upon her features, unsure what to digest first because... it was a nightmare feast for your eyes. So much red.... And fake flowers... even a heartshaped... jacuzzi in the centre that she would not step foot within sober. Sterling was speechless.. And if Harley wasn't so damn amused by the ridiculousness of it.. She would have been to. Eventually, that stunned question left her companions lips as Harley meandered inside with a chuckle that broke free from her throat.

How old was this place? Sterling had questioned or something to that effect. "I feel like.. Its before you or I were born.... I thought... maybe... this one would have been a little more dated. Considering... it didn't have the option where you could buy by the hour.." Harley appeared almost sheepish then, laughter coating her very words. Yet... it could be way worse. At the very least it would have been memorable.

The raven-haired woman dropped her bag on one of the chairs, not quite trusting the floor. "Its like.... We went back in time... This is probably why they give you the free booze... so you learn to fall for its... 'eccentric' charm." Eccentric.. Yeah, that was putting it nicely.

She offered the room one last perusal "Lets think of this.... As an.... Experience." Yes, that's it. She could not help the laughter that slipped from her lush lips once more as Sterling already went for the alcohol. That action alone said..... they were surely going to need it.

"Come on... open that twist top thing so we can drink.... And explore. I want to feel sand between my toes.... In less than an hour. I wonder if we can get them to deliver us food on the beach.." She mused out loud.


She could not help but wonder what that cheap bottle of complimentary booze even tasted like. Yeah.. exactly like one would expect. But it had something going for it. It was booze and it was free (to some extent). The pair freshened up while taking turns with that bottle, not even bothering to reach for the complimentary disposal cups.


Harley broke the quiet then, while the pair rummaged through their things. "Fuck it.. Forget this stuffy sex dungeon... let's go." The woman declared impatiently before she grabbed her stunned companion by the arm, to drag him all the way out of the door.

If the google gods were correct.. Which they almost always were. It was a 15-minute walk to the sandy oasis that beckoned them. Not too bad. The pair walked, taking turns discreetly sharing that bottle of cheap... whatever it was... champagne? Which of course earned them a few looks from passersby.

Harley didn't seem worried in the slightest, far more focused on that fact that this was not how champagne was supposed to taste like. It was right up there with wine in a box, she was sure. It served its purpose.

That idle chitchat filled the space as the beach eventually came into view, the giant Ferris wheel overseeing the crashing waves of the ocean. People dotted the sandy stretch and yet it wasn't overcrowded as she thought it would.

"Now... this is a beach." She could scarcely help that sigh that escaped her then, both from the relief of being so far from Sacro.... And relief from all the burdens that warred with her soul.

Harley Westward