stuff us in boxes that's where you want us

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

Romania had vampire royalty? Just when she thought that the vampires in Sacrosanct were bad enough. The were-panther could already imagine just how much worse vampire royalty would be in comparison. Like the species needed any more of a power trip. Sly then informed her that the hunter population lost all control centuries ago. A slight scoff from the woman came in the form of a warm huff of air in unsurprised cynicism. It sounded like her worst damn nightmare. Then again, this world had always been filled with monsters and not all of them wore fangs. "A vampire's paradise, no doubt." Her tone was dry, lips pulling into a grim line at the thought. Maybe it was a good thing that Sly was here, instead of there... At least until she remembered that he nearly died within Syn. Just an unlucky night, she dismissed it as, part of it her own damn fault for thinking she could manage something so volatile and unpredictable within Syn.. let alone with a vampire with a fang to grind with her.

That subject shifted topics before it focused on him. After all, that show... was awesome. It was more than just a dazzling display of glowing, flashy fire that could satisfy the simplest of minds with the prettiness of it. It was far more than that. It showed a glimpse of the warlock, she could see it. Could feel that he was into it too. That compliment was entirely worth it judging how his face lit up. That big grin was more genuine than anything in that city was, she was glad to have been the one to put it there. Yet the thing was with a smile like that, it was hard not to notice that he had a nice one. Those unique gemstone eyes rose back to his blue eyes once more as he claimed that it was impossible to make a living on pocket change. It was hard to make a living as a performer... How well she knew that. The thought drew an empathetic sigh, at the very least she could understand that.

Sly then rose to his feet from the bench, standing at his full height of much taller than her. Her boots added at least an inch and a half and he still seemed tall not that it was difficult to do. Although Mihai bound toward her too at that same moment, the flaming familiar stole the show as the now feline form began to rub against her legs affectionately. It felt warm, maybe almost hot even though it didn't burn her or her clothes or her skin beneath it. Her expression turned almost smug as pale violet eyes met Sly as she declared that she thought Mihai liked her. Oh yeah, she caught the full roll of Sly's eyes as claimed it was because he hoped she would feed him as he chuckled. Another scoff escaped Harley then. That wasn't it was it?

She lowered to crouch near the feline, offering her fingers as if to test that theory. Instantly, Mihai threw himself to with no reservations whatsoever. She couldn't even help that her lips began to curl upwards into a grin as the fire feline seemed to love the attention she gave. He twisted around her as if he couldn't get any closer, he sure as hell didn't look like he was begging for food. Harley looked at Mihai and his affectionate display, guess he really did.... 'warm' up to her. "All I got is candy little guy... Wait a second.... what do you feed a soul anyways?" She frowned at the thought, questioning as she did. Did souls even need to be fed food?

The petite raven-haired woman easily rose to her feet, finding Sly much closer than he had been before. She couldn't help but wonder why he did those shows when he seemed to gain so little... Although, she already knew it. Or at least a very good hunch as to why. She supposed she just wanted to hear him say it. What she did not expect was for him to claim that he did it for the girls. Say what? They all seemed to throw themselves at him after every show. She rolled her eyes with gusto before scoffing. Alright, there casanova. Although he didn't seem like the type... If it was a ploy to distract her... it sure as hell worked. What she hadn't suspected was for it to rub her like it did and then bury itself annoyingly under her skin. It was like he sensed her parting her lips before he closed that short distance between them, his hand boldly finding her hip just underneath the leather jacket, dipping his head to press his lips to hers in a kiss!

It did the one thing that many failed to do... it shut her up, at least if only temporarily. But much too soon the warlock then pulled away, not leaving that proximity. She almost wondered why he had to stop, at least until he opened his mouth to bring up her bathroom... that this was the part where he went back to women's houses to fix their bathrooms. Surprise flashed upon her features before a flash of something else struck behind her eyes like the spark of a severed livewire. She frowned, did he really just kiss her and mention her destroyed bathroom right after? Well, that was a new one. The spitfire placed a hand on his hard chest, not giving an inch.

Two could play at this game.

Only Harley took it up a notch. She steadily pushed him back a few steps so that his back met with the pole. That brazen lock of eyes held steadfast, her reckless tongue doing what it did best. She thought he would baulk by now. After all, being bossed and sassed around by her seemed to leave people unsure of what to do. Yet he did nothing of the sort.. He even dared to respond to the words she shot. He claimed he was multitasking. Something flared in her, unsure if she was going to tell him off or.. Nope. She did what any sensible woman would when frustrated as well as into the man and kissed him again. Her kiss was far bolder than his, one that consumed all thought. She felt his surprise but not his hesitation as he pulled her in closer to return what she had given. That's what she wanted. Take that multitasking. She wanted the kind of all-consuming kiss that demanded more. The kind spoke if two people were compatible or not. Her hand gripped the arm that pulled her in, wanting nothing more than to continue to rise and run her fingers through those dishevelled blond locks to see how soft they really were. Instead, she focused on what their mouths could do, feeling the press of their bodies as they gave into a heated kiss. She let herself linger in his taste, in his scent... in the way he kissed her back with more intensity than he had before. She hadn't expected it to be this good. That she wanted to snip the few remaining strings of control. Yet... she broke that kiss, despite the reluctance she felt to do so. It would seem that very kiss did exactly as she intended. Only a little too well. Yeah, she showed him alright. Kissing him how she wanted when a man kissed her. Forget all about the other girls... Or their bathrooms.. or hers for that matter. So she turned those tables back on him, breaking on that kiss much too soon even though she was already considering the next one.. Removing her hand from his chest to tap her finger on her lips even though she still felt his lips.

He seemed surprised as she brought up her bathroom suddenly... just as he did. After all... her bathroom needed him. That was no lie. But it would seem her kiss did its job. But now she was frustrated.

Harley all but pivoted and strode away on a hmph, trying to ground herself in that very moment. She shoved her hands into her pockets as she composed herself. Mihai however must have had quite the show as he was an excited blur of flame who bounded between them. She caught the frown on the warlock's face as she looked over her shoulder. She took that moment to tease him that it was counterproductive for the warlock to show his hand so early, bragging about the girls he got. Like she would be just some other woman. Sly chose to follow after her in that moment and yet surprisingly didn't keep his distance, not even the slightest which said a lot. His arm easily looped with hers like he had done it before, clearly unworried of her own reaction. The kinds of guys that had interest in her didn't really hold hands... and this seemed like the closest to hand-holding he could get with her hands in her pockets. It startled her more than his words, more than the actual kiss.

Her name was uttered, and she turned her head slightly, vivacious eyes shifted to meet him as he so easily fell into step beside her despite his height. The pair arm in arm walked down the sidewalk, as Sly declared that he was a magician, claiming that if he let her see his hand then it was because he let her. She heard the confidence in those words. He chuckled again as if amused by it. So he meant to get a rise? "What does that mean? You meant to rile me up before you surprise kissed me?" She inquired as if she was entirely baffled by him. The pair continued, a leisurely paced stroll down the sidewalk that led to her apartment, Mihai leading the charge as he already seemed to know the way. For once, she didn't feel like she had to look over her shoulder as the warlock kept his arm looped with hers the entire time. At least not until she needed her hand to unlock the door of her apartment.

The trio made their way inside the warm and inviting waiting apartment, everything was as it should. Not that she had long enough to check with Ace bounding forward to greet them, tongue lolling out comically as Harley greeted him with a good scratch behind the ears. However, he seemed to look for Sly's familiar in the next moment, tilting a head at the fire creature before running off to find his favourite toy and placing it at the familiar's paws. If that wasn't endearing she didn't know what else was. It would seem Ace liked Sly's soul too... He certainly acted a whole lot better than he had with the horse.

Sly then closed the door behind them, gesturing toward the bathroom as she shrugged off her jacket, hanging it on a hook by the door before leading the way, the warlock not far behind. She opened the door leading into her bathroom, flicking on the light switch as she walked inside. The warlock wasted no time to join his tools in the tub, brushing by her. He switched back into that role so easily. Guess the date was over. He reached for the grout followed by the first tile, placing it into the tacky grout. She perched on the countertop beside the sink, legs dangling, hands on either side of her, like she did the last time he was here. His blue eyes shifted to hers then, bringing up another date, this weekend,, that it was ok if she said no. That was when that mischievousness overtook his features... he purposefully set that second tile he was holding at a terrible angle. A tile that would have glared at her for as long as she lived in this apartment. He just as easily said that if she declined her bathroom would suffer the consequences. Cute.

"Hey now..You would not... Hasn't the bathroom been through enough trauma? Although, I can't say anyone ever threatened my bathroom tile to go on a date with me. Clearly, they are missing out on the real moves here." That iconic sarcasm was back even though she had to admit that part of her was amused by his boldness that most guys didn't have the confidence to pull off to make it seem more endearing than anything else.

Harley's petite form slipped herself off the countertop, landing lightly on her feet and drawing closer to the blond warlock. She pressed her hand to his to slowly straighten the very crooked tile.

There, that was better.

She glanced at the tile as if she were weighing her options before that gaze sliced to his. How this could have gone so many different ways. Yet... the idea of seeing him again, kissing him again... "I have one condition..." She let her hand fall back to her side, arching a brow slightly betraying her amusement. "I choose the place this time." It was a unique way of saying yes and showing interest enough to pick the location of that date all at once... But whether he would agree to those terms was a whole other matter. "... unless you're scared.."

Harley Westward