stuff us in boxes that's where you want us

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

The woman burst through the door of her apartment, content to be home, only to be blasted with the delicious aroma of food to all but make the woman pause. It gave Ace enough of an opportunity to nearly knock her to her ass from his exuberant greeting. Her fingers instinctually found his utmost favourite spot behind the ear that nearly caused her companion to close his eyes with perfect contentment. "It hasn't even been that long." A tease fell easily from the woman's lips that couldn't help a flicker of a smile before she dropped her bags haphazardly to the ground with a thud.

A scent that the woman thought belonged to her neighbours home was actually from her own kitchen. It was enough to forget she had an intruder inside her apartment. With the soft sound of clanging, drew her in, stepping into view within that one bedroom of her apartment, following the scent like breadcrumbs. The sight of Matteo, who had already made himself at home within her apartment. Unable to fight that look of confusion as she saw a glimpse of the fae hovering over a bubbling pot on the stove that contained probably something sinfully delicious.

Matteo was quick to beat her to speak with a warm grin and his familiar accented voice floated through her apartment. She could not help but return that infectious grin with one of her own before being replaced with a pitched brow at the mention of being late. Ace told him so much. Was that so? She didn't know it to be possible to be late to something you didn't know was occurring. Let alone late to your own home. He quickly assured her that he had accounted for this because he had known. "Wouldn't that mean I am right on time?" She drew further into her small, familiar home that felt far more lively than she left it. Ace happily wagged his tail as he moved by her side. She slipped her jacket from her slender shoulders to absentmindedly hang it before being lured further in.

"Mmm. That smells.. so good." She'd easily been distracted, enough to not even bother to question what was in the pot or whatever else he was brewing.. It didn't matter... not if he was going to share whatever that was. "If you meant to get me into a good mood before asking for something.. it's really working." She added, although the French fae seemed to ignore those words completely, as his silver gaze purposefully rove over her body in a complete languid fashion that she could practically feel before his silver, unreadable eyes met her own. Is that what she was wearing tonight? The insult to her work clothes caused her to straighten. Hey! She could do better? She looked down at her outfit, which consisted of her usual comfy skinny jeans and a printed shirt that hung off her shoulder. What was wrong with her outfit? Arms folded across her chest, her purple eyes rolled. Was he looking to get a rise? "You didn't have to look." She prodded with her usual teasing sarcasm, her eye glinting with challenge. What was she missing here? He flicked off the stove hurriedly, content to ignore her as if he was on a singular mission. Hm.

A faint knock was heard at her front door behind her. Matteo seemed far more focused on the clock before mentioning that a 'he' was early.

The French fae quickly amended that she looked good in what she was wearing which only earned him a huff. What game was he playing? Who was here? A frown began to tug at her features. Knowing Matteo, it could be anyone. She had no choice but to unfold her arms to grab the pot handle that was thrust in her direction informing her of some exotic sounding name of a Romanian dish. More than that, the look on his face was one she didn't trust. Oh, what did that Frenchman do?

"Teo.. She began in warning, trying to question what the hell was happening but he already vanished without an indication to well, anything. Who was at her door? Another knock sounded, enough to tell her that whoever was on the other side wasn't leaving. Ace seemed delighted, wagging his tail like a helicopter blade, completely unaware of Harley's internal struggle. The fairy left her to drown. "Well.. Fuck nuggets." She looked at the pot which she was now considering as some kind of peace offering or a weapon. Either way, she took a step toward the door with a defeated sigh. Why couldn't she be the one who could teleport?

If this was the price to pay for his food, it was maybe worth it to open the dumb door. She had barely stepped foot inside her apartment before whatever this ambush was. Well... time to get this over with. She didn't even bother to look through the little peephole as she swung the front door open with her free hand, knowing the fae at least probably wasn't setting her up to die if he had undergone the effort of dinner.

Although, nothing could prepare her for who stood on her doorstep, unable to hid that unmasked genuine look of surprise that stole the grumpy expression she wore prior. A very alive and healthy, tall warlock stood there. A face that she thought she would never see again. How could she forget him? Yet for the life of her she could not understand how he was here, at her door. Well... that was unanticipated. That feeling was apparently one-sided because Sly's blue eyes focused on her with an expectant intensity. One that she soon challenged with a similar look of her own. Alright, surely someone had to know what was happening because it sure as hell wasn't her.

Her skeptical violet eyes all but took in the good-looking man, who would not be at all spared until she found out why. Like hey I was in the area.. somehow found out where you lived.... And.. How did he manage to do that? That did not scream stalker vibes at all.. no way. No, not at all. It almost became like some kind of weird stare off as she tried to come up with some logical explanation for him and found absolutely none. It was Sly, even under her confused, iron scrutiny who spoke first in an effort to explain. Early? Shower? What?

Harley had dealt with a lot of random shit in her life, unsuspecting visitors was basically becoming the norm. Yet even then she couldn't help but notice that his accent seemed stronger than in her memory. Even to that moment, she could not place where it was from but it added a rich smooth quality to his voice. There was way more to unpack here besides his voice. Like was he really there to check out her shower. That was a new one, even for her. She blinked slowly as if considering she had missed something, a joke or some kind of lie. Even though he seemed genuine, that bullshit meter not even uttering a single warning bell. Did it abandon her too?

"My shower really isn't that spectacular. I promise you." That sarcasm easily found her as if she was looking for what he wasn't saying.

Harley shouldn't have pitied the poor unsuspecting warlock who rubbed at the back of his neck in an almost nervous gesture, that caused his shaggy blond locks to shift atop his head. All before he mentioned something about a note he found in his pocket that he procured just to show her that caused her gaze to flick to the movement. Oh no Matteo didn't, her fingers tightened around the pot handle. The petite woman finally connecting those dots that she hadn't known were even there. Realization lit her features. While to Sly it might have appeared like recognition.... It was a lightbulb moment that she had been pranked by that devious fae.

What crazy person put a note in a half-dead unconscious man's pocket? So classy. Also kind of dark considering... Yet who in their right mind would answer that note? He admitted that it was weird, but he had moved past it before the warlock offered her a clear view of that note that she leaned into to capture a glance. There was no second guessing who wrote that note and it wasn't her. 'Fix my shower' seemed like it was drenched in innuendo that was so painfully obvious to her. Written like that... Was this supposed to be a booty call? Did Sly come here thinking he was going to get some from the seemingly batshit crazy chick who hit on an unconscious man?

Harley doubted that she could save much face at this point and yet.. he was still here. "I...hm. What a weird stress response to have..." She uttered softly, as if coming to a far more sane realization that somehow explained everything. There was no point trying to deny it, there would be no other way to explain it or Matteo without breaking that promise. Might as well just embrace it at this point. Dive head first into crazy land, or had she already been getting comfortable there? She drew in a breath as he began to mention his toolkit, her gaze lowered to it. Oh, Sly... Did he not actually know what that note was supposed to be? Probably best that he was.. oblivious. Amusement flickered across her face then. It was endearing that he showed up at all with his toolkit in tow. Seemingly, unassuming. How was she going to explain that her shower was just fine? That the note was clearly a ruse of some kind. He couldn't be that innocent could he? Just as she was going to get the painful part over with and tell him that the letter was not quite so literal. A massive bang resonated from inside her apartment and successfully interrupted whatever she might have said.

Well, fuck. The loud noise caused a deep, resonating bark from Ace as if to compete with the sound even though his tail wagged, almost like he thought this was some new game to play. Sly's wide-eyed horrified expression was priceless, confirming his innocence, while a groan tore from her throat. Those wide blue eyes went back to her own in order to ask if that was the sound her shower usually made. No. That was the sound French fairies made when they were.... causing mischief. Yeah, mischief, that's one way to call it. Although she was unsure if he was the cause of it breaking or if he had simply foreseen it happening.

Harley didn't need to see it, to know that was the sound of her shower dying a horrible, painful death. Of course, her shower would blow up the moment she was about to come clean, pun intended. Yet, maybe she was actually going slightly crazy because.... She actually found it all to be kind of funny. The whole situation, including the timing, Sly's very appearance at her door with his extensive toolkit... to 'fix' something. She really shouldn't have found any amusement in her apartments.... Destruction and yet... here she was.

Her brows stitched together, determining how to answer that question the warlock asked. "Well.. that would be the noise that my shower makes... now. It never sounded like that before." She added honestly and yet it seemed that there wasn't an ounce of shock to spare. She had met her quota for the day, it would be difficult to prompt it from her now. The bar was set absurdly high. "Probably shouldn't keep grenades in the medicine cabinet." she added with her usual sarcasm. Maybe it wasn't best to make those kind of jokes that he just might believe considering their last meeting.

With a step backwards to no longer body block him, she invited the warlock inside. "Well, it looks like once again.. you and I are in this together." She added as he stepped inside into the warm glow from her apartment before she closed the door behind him. With that, she skirted by the warlock, her gaze flit to him as she passed. "Under better circumstances, I imagine." she added. She had to admit that he was probably the best looking handyman she had ever seen. All that she had encountered were typically older, world-weary men with tucked in shirts over their beer bellies. She ducked into the kitchen, placing the pot onto the still warm stove so it didn't get cold. She was going to enjoy that meal.. one way or another.

However, Sly was already blocked by another, being thoroughly investigated and accosted by her big all black German Shepherd who seemed all too interested in him and his bag of tools. "Don't worry too much about that big boy, that's Ace. My roommate and the gatekeeper to my secrets." She informed him, those introductions held a hint of affection as she stepped out of the kitchen a moment later, eager to see if Matteo actually used explosives in her home. It sure as hell sounded like it. Was he trying to get her evicted? Because it was probably working. Well.. nothing she could do about it now. She gestured to the big bag of tools. "It's a good thing you came prepared. Do you typically make these kinds of house calls?" She questioned, curious. He was a repairman and yet she hadn't seen him repair anything. She drew to his side once more to rescue him far more successfully from Ace and lead him to her ensuite bathroom that was hiding behind a closed door that she reached to open the door.

Harley Westward