stuff us in boxes that's where you want us

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

If it were anyone else, she was certain she would have been far more skeptical following them into the dark, empty park. At least she would hope she had that much sense. But then again, hadn't that always been the way? Hop on the magical teleporting horse. Follow the future telling fairy into the heart of Syn into unspeakable danger. Perhaps all the other things that had wound up with the woman in any manner in death-defying trouble. Trouble was a language she seemed to speak fluently in. Harley did thrive in the chaos, after all. Despite the odds, she was still alive despite her choices. Her gut had taken her this far. It was a fucking bumpy road, sure. But she was still standing despite it. The raven-haired woman strode side by side with confidence into the darkness of night.... There she went again, dancing to alarm bells instead of listening to them. Fortunately, Sly didn't seem like the kind of person to get her killed. Then again they never did. It was always the attractive ones. But they had survived at least one near-death experience together. Whether it was out of his own self-preservation or not... he seemed to have her back when it mattered. That was a hell of a lot more than most.

Besides, she was not afraid of the dark.. it was just a shame that she had to share her like of darkness with creatures she could do without. She wasn't going to let them take another thing she loved. Although, it wouldn't be surprising if the words on her gravestone was... 'Probably shouldn't have done that.' At least no one could ever say she was ruled by fear. She shook her head, ridding herself of the thought.

Once within the pleasant darkness of the park, she noticed that they were alone. Not even a single homeless person or junkie seemed to exist in that space. In this city, that was an absolute rarity. Harley shared that very observation with her date. Sly's teasing words brought a slight smirk to her lips. You could never go too far in that city without them. He told her not to jinx them or something of that notion.

"Can't have that." Harley lowered her voice almost as if they could hear if she was too loud while simultaneously lifting her hand as if to zip her mouth shut. As if that would actually prevent them from coming forward. Fortunately, it wasn't the homeless that concerned her. That she could handle with ease. They actually were not hard to deal with if you knew how. It was a skillset. A single woman living in the West either thrived or was sent packing pretty quickly after all. It was then, that the pair found that perfectly empty bench, illuminated slightly by a sparse, lone lamp that was hardly enough to hamper the fire show that was about to transpire. Sly wasted no time as he seemed to take a moment to prepare himself before offering her a choice. Although there was one with a caveat. Why was she always gravitating towards the things with warning labels? Maybe that shouldn't have been all that surprising given her track record. Maybe that was part of the problem. A problem she certainly wasn't going to fix now. Maybe that proverbial ship had long since sailed.

Harley shifted, sitting comfortably upon that bench, truly unsure what to truly expect from the blond warlock that she could perfectly assess from where she sat. How she took advantage of that with not a single ounce of shame, especially when he tested a ball of alluring flame that danced within his palm and the light seemed to light up and dance across his features. After all, she was not dead... and what else was she supposed to look at, sitting there while he stood right before her?

After she had made her choice, he merely reminded her that he warned her. How she couldn't help but eye the smirk that appeared. "Can't say I haven't heard that one before." She quipped with that iconic sarcasm. Did he really think he could scare or deter her with cryptic words of warning? He certainly didn't know the kind of woman he was dealing with then.

But one other thing she couldn't help but notice about him... was the easy confidence he exuded. It really worked for him. Just before she could focus on something else, the fire within his palm was gone. All that was left was the overhead light... and that seemed useless once her eyes adjusted to the fire. It was like he vanished within the shadows. Certainly, a play of the light. There was no sign of Mihai either... If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought the guy decided to ghost her. She tried to track his movements in the dark but her eyes struggled to adjust in time from the flames she had been staring at, what she would give to lend the sight and senses of her animal at that very moment. Perhaps that would be cheating. Although she would prefer resourceful.

It didn't seem that she needed aid from her inner feline when Sly's accented voice broke the silence and yet he was still nowhere to be seen. That familiar disembodied accented voice as he began his tale. She had to give it to him, he was good at this dramatic effect thing. The next thing she saw was a flicker of flame upon the ground, that caused the woman to follow it with her eyes. She couldn't help but lean in slightly, only minutely. Watching it as it suddenly snaked across the ground to encircle them within a ring of fire. Was he really standing there that whole time?

She felt the heat from the flame that ensnared them. Sly's voice once more drew her in as the dancing flames did. He spoke of his country and how it was full of magic... where nothing was as it seemed. She caught sight of Mihai, in the adorable form of a rabbit hopping around, her attentive gaze following the movement before a giant fiery eagle swooped down from the sky only to snatch the rabbit. Her eyes widened as all that remained from that scene of predator and prey exploded into glowing ash. Did he really have to go and kill Mihai? Pretend or not. The eagle had disappeared only for the fire rabbit to appear once again. Okay, maybe he didn't murder him. She tipped her head slightly in consideration, wondering where he was going with this. Alright, nothing was as it seems... he made his point.

Mihai disappeared suddenly, leaving only Harley and Sly within that ring. She tracked the warlock as he seemed to meander upon the outskirts of his flaming ring. She had to admit, he seemed like a wholly different man. He began to speak once more. Vampires originated in Romania, he explained before inquiring if she knew what happens when a vampire dies.. Of course, she did.

Yet for the story's sake.. she let him do his thing. Determined not to ruin it. She nodded her head and yet that hardly seemed to matter when. She hadn't anticipated the man, if you could call it that, stepping out, emerging from the flames. A man made of fire or so it seemed. But seeing something on two legs seemed far more alarming than firebirds and rabbits. That did not seem as alarming as this. She could hardly help the way she tensed as the predatory fire man began to stride with purpose directly for her. He moved in such a realistic fashion that it reminded her of the types of vampires that she truly despised. She noticed the man's snarling features within the flames and how it bared its fangs. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a vampire. The instinct the bare her teeth right back was strong.

Harley willed herself to remain exactly where she was, remembering this was all an act... a show... and yet there was something too real about it... too close to home. Enough to set a certain prickly inducing edge to the environment that caused her eyes to narrow upon the vampire. She could feel the heat radiating from him.. before he suddenly lunged, reaching out. She couldn't help the innate reaction to act, to flinch... before he suddenly stumbled and burst into ash.... Revealing Sly who had seemingly slayed the creature of her nightmares in one simple move... Okay.. her heart was racing a bit and yet she locked on the warlock, unable to look away. Blinking away the surprise of it, she couldn't help how she had ended up so far on the edge of her seat. Sly looking like some kind of blond-haired savior. Well hello there. She was certainly no damsel, but at that moment, she might of not have minded.

Ashes rained down upon the pair as Sly stepped closer to stand before her. She looked up at the raining ash as Sly grasped her hand, turning her palm up to catch some in her palm. She couldn't help but be aware of that simple touch, to be all but mesmerized as those ashes fell and collected into her palm, hot but unburning. She looked to embers and then back to Sly. Their eyes locked, fire dancing from the glow of the particles reflecting in their eyes. Was it just the flames getting closer or was it just getting hotter?

The warlock seemed to linger there, his voice ensnaring her. They become ash. He said matter-of-fact. The heat didn't seem to be messing with him at all. His words threatened to send a delightful shiver down her spine. She held her hand there within his before he leaned in into her...

Oh, she might have to admit her heartbeat stuttered for a whole other reason, the smile remaining on his lips the whole time when suddenly he pulled her hand to them, blowing the ash from her hand. It caused everything to scatter in a chaos of particles, only to dissipate.

Just like that, he stepped backwards smoothly into the centre of the ring. Leaving her almost stunned. If he wanted her full attention, he got it. She wiped her palm onto her pants as if to ground herself once more. But Sly wasted no time before suddenly there were flaming wolves.. many of them, too many... began to appear from the flaming circle. The sudden change of pace gripped her within the moment. Eyeing the ones on the side, in act of misdirection before one leaped over her head and another crawled below her from behind. She raised her legs in surprise. They looked so real despite their fiery forms... and she couldn't tell if they were coming or going. Was any of them Mihai? She couldn't help how immersed she became with it... up until the leader of that pack strode toward her.. She fought the urge to reach out and touch it. Who the fuck was foolish enough to want to let her fingers come into contact with flame... This girl over here apparently. Apparently, she trusted Sly enough not to burn her. She lowered her feet to the ground once more once she realized there were no more wolves appearing.. The circle... with all the feral energy from the wolves and flames felt too small for them all. She refused to let her guard down, unable to not become immersed in it all. It was impossible not to. Not when the giant wolf in front of her was within reach. He lowered his maw to the ground to lick at the ash. Damn. Sly's enticing voice entered once more and Harley was once more unsure of what was to happen next. But the alpha before her seemed to have something wrong with it. She could see it the way he shook his head after licking up the ashes... just before turning on his own pack. One by one, he brutally took them down. His form changed from a wolf into... monster. It grew larger and more deformed... man and beast merging into one. He looked like a werewolf in its most classic form as Sly confirmed that it was a hybrid... crafted from the hate of that dead vampire. That was a whole lot of no thanks from her.

The hybrid looked like a feral creature from hell. It was clear he was unhinged, fueled by that vampire's hate. Alright, it could leave the circle now. She much preferred the wolves. This one. No, this thing seemed unpredictable and menacing. It was much too real, looked like it had a mind of its own. His malformed pawprints left burning prints in his wake as if to leave proof of its existence. Ah fuck. Did Sly spawn something real accidentally? Did he have control? Even despite this, she couldn't help but notice how detailed this creature was for fire. But as much as she could admire it, she didn't like that believable look in its flaming eyes. Alright, it didn't need to come any closer, she could see just fine from here.

Sly's voice only added to the moment, telling the story about how this hybrid worked as a story to keep children in line, to not wander away. Hell, maybe if prickolies or whatever truly existed, she wouldn't have wandered so much herself. Suddenly, the beast stopped as if noticing Sly. It seemed to salivate more if anything. As if suddenly the only thing it desired was to annihilate anything in its path, including Sly. Harley could do nothing but watch before Mihai jumped in just as that beast began to make its move. How she knew the kitsune was Mihai, she didn't know how but she recognized him instantly. He jumped in front of his master. He was as big as Sly was. He wasted no time in protecting him, opening his vulpine jaws only to blast the hybrid in a powerful stream of flames. Harley could not help but grin as she watched the horrifying monster about to get its ass handed to him. Hell, she wasn't even aware it was on her face, smiling like an idiot.

She felt like he kept her on the edge of her seat. This was far from the cute and cuddly little fire puppet show she thought it would be. Oh no. It was a full-on production. Just like that, Mihai prevailed, blasting the beast with a blinding light that caused her to close her eyes... Only when she opened her eyes. The monster was gone, so was Mihai. No trace was left of the flames. She blinked as if the fluttering would help her to adjust to the sudden change of brightness. Only for Sly to suddenly appear beside her. She startled. He had her adrenaline going. There was no question about that. He claimed he might not have known much about cars but he told a good story. A sound of amusement escaped her.

She rose to her feet, looking her warlock companion in the eye.

"That is one way to put it.. Please tell me those things don't actually exist right? Dealing with vampires is more than enough.. thank you very much." She placed her hands on her hips, unsure how true the story was. What happens if she accidentally got some vampire ash in her mouth, would she turn into that thing? True or not, she made a mental note to avoid it anyway, just to be sure. Besides, she didn't want a mouthful of charred dead people anyway. Nasty.

"Seriously though, you had me going. I had no idea you had this level of... showmanship. It only makes me wonder what the hell you are doing fixing bathrooms and AC units." She admitted. People would pay big money for that, it was just that good. Hell it was impossible to look at him the same way. She was still taken aback by it.

"So Sly.. if you have been hiding all of this. You got anything else up your sleeve? Hmm?" Her lips quirked into a slightly challenging insatiable smirk, manicured brows raised to match as her challenging tone took on something equal parts teasing. Surely she didn't mean it but she could hardly help it or the fact the very show gave her goosebumps.

Harley Westward