stuff us in boxes that's where you want us

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

Harley had no clue what she was going to walk in on. A mauling? Or perhaps something far more sinister. There were plenty of felines simply prowling around the shadows of Syn. But she didn't expect to hear voices.. Or seeing Ruben awake. Vampires usually were dead to the world at this time and yet here he was. Being his big creepy self. Maybe he was simply used to being in the basement so long that it fucked with his internal clock? Maybe he didn't need sleep? He certainly didn't seem like a day-walker. His skin was whiter than paper, in fact is almost looked translucent, taking a slightly light grey pallor of unfed death. He looked like the walking dead, which technically he was. Only some did a better job at hiding it. He looked like he came right out of Nosferatu or some shit. Harley was admittedly relieved to find the man who was supposed to be under her care in one piece even if it was right before the moment disaster struck. She moved with her usual casual confidence, even in the depths of own personal hell. Despite it all, she acted like she was the boss, in an attempt to control that situation from going sideways fast.... It looked like she was mere moments too late of that tall repairman from entering that room.... That room she knew all too well. The one lined with countless cages. It was admittedly a relief that he was almost as oblivious that he was. Regardless if he was aware that Harley had already saved his life.. she could practically hear the trumpets singing.. Have no fear, Harley is here. Well... at least the petite woman who could throw Darcy's name around like... someone waved around a crucifix in a cheesy old vampire movie. She saw that recognition upon Ruben's gaunt features, it was a wonder she could read any expression at all upon his hollow, sickly face.

At least the repairman had enough braincells to step away from that point of no return. Wise move. Harley seized that very moment to put herself between the pair, not that she was much a barrier physically.. She acted far bigger than she actually was, placing her hands on both her hips. Ruben could easily take her and yet... she knew from one of their other encounters, the man knew his place upon that chain of command. How she hoped to wield that to her advantage... even though she was pretty sure as far as Darcy was concerned, Harley was at the very bottom. Yet, she was still known to be associated with the cowboy. Which meant she had some standing.

She hated the way Ruben looked at her, his very eyes seemed like they possessed x-ray vision that went far beyond nudity. She could see that want in his eye. At least it was directed at her and not... well that poor unsuspecting dude who just probably wanted to do his job and leave. Not that she blamed him. She wanted the same damn thing. That and the safety of the sun. She wanted to freedom of the thick oppression that threatened to consume her whenever she was... in this place. Ruben seemed entranced as he invaded her personal space. Harley spoke, as if unphased... yet she flinched when the cold skeletal, knobby hand reached to caress her cheek. No.. Nope. Fuck no. Repulsed simply didn't cover it. She would have almost rather he struck her with that same hand, rather than that twisted illusion of a lover's cherishing caress. She nearly stepped into the repairman at her back if she didn't already resolve to stand her ground. As if she forged herself with immovable steel even though she would have rather had spiders crawling on her body rather than Ruben's touch. He was the embodiment of all kinds of creepy. He did little to hide it.

Harley once more was more than content to mention Darcy again, even though secretly she was apprehensive that she might summon the man by simply saying his name three times. Wait wasn't that beetle juice? Or Bloody Mary... Hm. That name at least, caused him to hesitate even though her words rose an octave before he actually touched her. Didn't he remember that she bit?
Although, normally while a stranger having access to her vulnerable back would be alarming. She was willing to bet her life that he was the safest thing in that very club. Not to mention, he seemed oblivious to the amount of danger he faced. Harley shifted her body so that she could eye them both. For entirely different reasons. After all, she intended to put space between the greater threat that was Ruben.. Why didn't he go to retreat to his little hidey hole that she had been hoping?

Harley introduced herself in a vague attempt to manage that already clusterfuck of a situation. Yet.... The vampire didn't take the hint he was no longer wanted.. and yet he still was uninclined to move. No.. he loomed, like a stick black shadow. Which was concerning.

Harley turned to face the tall man who was clearly alive, as he stated he just wanted to find the utility room. She found his aliveness, refreshing. "I can help you find it, I don't think anyone really knows where it is. This place, as you can tell is basically a maze. As for...'this' no one knows what that hell he is, besides the obvious." She rose a hand lazily gesturing behind her. That, being Ruben. She heard the offended muttering nonsense of Ruben, disregarding him entirely. Which was a mistake. She didn't hear his step toward her, until the sound of his heavy breathing alerted, he had moved directly behind her and he was close. Too close. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid. Her day had gone from mildly inconvenienced to shit, real fast. Harley never finished explaining her opinion of what she thought Ruben was.. Not when..... that very thing was breathing down her neck, inhaling the scent of her hair, probably luxuriating the new scent of her shampoo. She didn't want to turn around, to see what the hell he was doing behind her.... Asking the repairman what she truly dreaded to know. He was smelling her hair wasn't he? He didn't even touch her and she felt like she needed a scalding shower to wash him off of her. That exasperated sigh left her.

How did this become her life? The young man seemed to check and that look on his face gave her all the confirmation she needed. Yet what was more surprising was that the dirty blond piped up. Truly, she didn't think he had it in him. She swore he looked more like the self-preservation type. Not come to her defense as if he could protect her honour. Well, that was new. Having someone stand up for her... felt strange and admittedly a little offensive that he thought she needed it....Maybe he was just a social justice warrior or something. At least it wasn't in a weird demeaning way that men got. Oh, save the poor little short girl... she can't handle herself. Well news flash. Women have been dealing with creeps for far longer than was mentally healthy. If only she could hide the look of astonishment that found her features as she narrowed her gaze upon the repairment that might as well have grown a new limb of some kind. It was then when she heard the hiss, she stepped away rapidly, instinct kicking in... that innate urge to hiss back at Ruben like an irate feline was stronger than she would ever admit to. It felt like that cat wanted to take over. How eager she was to play with that man who had dared touch her fur as her feline had unfinished business with the vampire. While Harley was willing to forget, that inner panther inside of her was not.

She turned to eye Ruben with clear annoyance, giving him the kind of look she gave the people who chewed with their mouths open. Close it, seriously. No one needs to see what you were eating.

Regardless.. The Mr. Fix reacted like he hadn't intended to. As if he was about to ward off an assault from the spidery vampire who had just declared he was about to attack like some rabid dog. All those thoughts barely rose to the surface as it all... occurred far too fast. The repairman cried out, maybe it was fear... or maybe it was his battle cry.. He tried. His hands thrust forward in an instant. What caused Harley to jump was the sudden flash of flames that sprouted from his fingertips that immediately gave him away. Warlock. Harley felt the heat produced from his hands, this hall way was not big enough for a fight by fire and a vampire...

No, the irony was not lost. A fire wielding warlock was... here to fix a cooling system. If only she had the time to be more amused by that simple fact even despite the sudden tension that could be cut with a knife.

Fucking hell. Abruptly, Ruben faded to mist and disappeared entirely except for the random lingering tendrils of smoky precipitation soon following, sluggishly retreating to who the fuck knows where he went. Harley recoiled from that mist as if refusing to let it touch her at all. For a whole two seconds she might have looked like a typical girl who was afraid of a mouse.. Who knew what it could do? Especially if it touched her. Could it take her with him? "Fuck.. I didn't know 'it' did that. Like vampires clearly needed a power boost." That iconic sarcasm flashed within her words as the raven-haired woman eyed the space where Ruben once was. Of course, now, she would never look at fog the same way. How long could he remain in that form? Funny how vampires had a tendency just to ruin just about everything. At least it didn't seem like he was going to come back as the mist all but disappeared from the space in the hallway that felt like it was getting smaller by the moment.. or was that just her? Well.. with Ruben out of the way.. maybe they could actually get things done. How tension clung to her body as tried to focus on the matter at hand. It was just her luck that he looked like he was going to come apart at the seams, like he wanted to bolt.

She watched as he raked a hand through his locks, pushed himself off the wall to look at her. He looked upset, rightfully so. Yet was it really so bad? No one got hurt. Ruben was well.. Just Ruben. But she couldn't have him bolting... not before that AC was repaired. Everything that happened here, she was accountable for. It didn't matter if Ruben was the reason why the warlock lost his nerve and couldn't perform. It wasn't her fault that the warlock decided to get a little curious and go off on his own into the worst possible place he could ever feel the need to go all explorey... nor was it her fault that Ruben showed up probably to feed this poor guy to his collection of cats.

Harley let the poor man speak, allowing his nerves to fuel his words as if curious if he was going to make himself go all hyperventilating in a corner in fetal position. Harley crossed her leather-clad arms just below her chest, a frown formed upon her feminine features. That AC not getting fixed wasn't an option nor a luxury she could afford. It was then that she actually took in his features, surprised by the striking blue hue of his eyes even in the low light. He said he was done. How many times had she said just that and kept soldiering on? Harley suddenly leaned against the wall with a thud, arms still crossed, pressed her head against the wall as if she wouldn't try to stop him from leaving. Would she? She hardly knew herself.

Maybe he just needed to feel his feelings and then they could actually get the job done. Yet she could hardly help the way she scoffed at the mention of filing a harassment case... with who? Oh.. Did he mean Darcy? Well wasn't someone optimistic with the world today. "With Darcy? Oh yeah, because vampires care about my personal comfort. But.. Go ahead. You can go, Matches. I know it's a little embarrassing that you got scared and got your flame on." Was she going to try to force him? No. That made her just as bad as the people that forced her. Yet, if he left, it really didn't bode well for her. Which punishment would Darcy see fit this time? A flash of complete weariness escaped and fled just as quickly as she narrowed her eyes in silent resolve.

"But if you are going to bail... you found your way down here, you can find your way out. After all, I need all the time I can get to try and fix that thing before nightfall comes around.. and I have a lot of youtube videos to watch to make that happen." Of course, she probably had way more luck breaking the thing beyond repair. This was going to go spectacularly. But what if... Hmm..

"It's a pity though. You almost looked kind of tough for a second.." She added finally, as though she thought of something interesting. She remained leaned up against that wall, her unique purple eyes followed his every movement and subtle shift.

Perhaps she could change his mind. What did she have to lose at this point?

"Admittedly, I never saw a vampire run like that before. If you could use those flames, I doubt Ruben would come close. But I think you know by now, he finds my kind more preferable anyways." Gross, she hated even admitting it outloud.. her stomach felt uneasy with that thought, disgust and yet it was fact. Not a damn thing she could change about it. "Or, you can stick to your questionable survival instincts and find your way out of here without access. Just try to avoid the tiger upside..I saw him by the door when I came in." Oh yeah, that casual little.. tidbit. How did he even get in here in the first place? She levelled her stare with his, utterly confident no matter how it turned out. "But you already tried this on your own, it didn't work. That's because you didn't have the most important thing.. The moment you stepped foot in this club.." She doubted he knew where she was going with that... as she intended. She meant to ensnare his attention, to focus on anything other than that urgent need to escape. The feline woman smoothly pushed herself off that wall, determined even in the face of imminent failure, it was a gift, truly. She brushed right passed him, allowing her side to brush against his, unsure if it was her trying to appear bigger and badder.. Or if her feline was acting acting up again. Probaby the first. Regardless, she was unsure if that was even the way to go.. But damn she made it look convincing. The were-feline took several steps before she looked over her shoulder to finally answer herself. A guarded calm, confidence exuded from her that borderlined cocky. A woman with assured resolve.

"Me." So what was it going to be? Regardless the choice was his own and there was an hourglass with the sands of time staring at her in the face. That hourglass, that when it ran out, meant something far worse than what they faced at that current crossroads

She could do this, she deluded herself.... But damn the warlock was right.. she really didn't get paid enough for this shit..

Maybe it was about time she lose her phone.

Harley Westward