stuff us in boxes that's where you want us

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

Well she'd done it again, with the social graces she had all but mastered seemed to offend the repairman she hadn't quite meant to. Her words were like misfiring bullets that at that very moment might as well have been rose petals. Yet the frown upon his face and closed off stance said she'd somehow done it again. She wanted to use that silver tongue to keep him here. To want to fix that AC before scurrying away. She felt like much like the feline she was, looming over a cornered mouse, trying to convince she wasn't going to eat.

Maybe it was that comment about accidentally getting his flame on... yet the raven haired spitfire could not help herself... That frown unfortunately not enough to tame that tongue. "No need to get embarrassed, it happens all the time." She offered with her iconic brand of sarcasm and innuendo that most people seemed oblivious of and yet seemed to prompt endless amusement.. Which that smirk that formed upon her features shouted loud enough, if the sarcastic remark wasn't a dead giveaway. He seemed almost grumpy as he said she did.. Nothing. He wasn't wrong and yet.... "Maybe I was saving my special move until later. Now we will never know." She shrugged, tossed that comment idly, unflustered with her immediate counter. Maybe, that 'mysterious ways' move was a ineffective fist to the vampires nose like one was supposed to do for sharks, but she was certain that's what had to be done. Keep him talking, keep him here. She remained upon that wall, the repairman shifted so that he was the mirror image of her, only far more masculine and far taller and... blonder. They might have been... sides of two very different coins and yet somehow so very similar. Harley didn't seem to budge beneath the full weight of his stare down, nor did he flinch from her own. Was it stubbornness? Confidence? Or just plain defiance?

Her offer to help was on the condition that he fixed the AC... not show him to the exit and screwing herself. Surely he could see that he was hopeless without her help. Perhaps her offering him that out would see to the ridiculousness.. Really.. It was just one creepy vampire. She had been surviving them far longer than he.. She was certain.. But that encounter was.. Nothing.. So perhaps how about a little bit of reverse... psychology to sprinkle on that. Yet... she hardly stopped there as she wove her words to keep him from bolting.

He had that look like he might. She could see it, recognize it.. Maybe it was that predator that took up residence within her that felt it, noticed it in his body, the way he spoke even though he appeared outward confident. It was like he smelled of prey. Yet it did little to stir her inner animal. Her little inspiring speech seemed to prompt nothing more than a scoff as though hardly convinced by her own confident insistence that she would fix the AC herself, with the help of Youtube. He had little faith in her prowess of getting out of worse shit than even this. Harley could hardly fault that look of wariness that lingered within his blue eyes that were quite lovely even in the lowlight. Would it kill the vampires to use a brighter bulb? How certain she was, that her little speech had been enough to keep him there.. To work her verbal magic.... How confident she was... borderline cocky even as she brushed past him tossing that final word over her right leather-clad shoulder... it was true though. His odds were far better with her there, she was certain. Then again, she didn't have the best record.... But he didn't need to know that and she was far better equipped now. How certain she had him, as he lingered... didn't flee even though she was sure that lizard part of every sane person's brain was short-firing to get the fuck out. How she wished she could join him. She hated it down in the bowels of Syn that was so deceptive... like a funhouse of mirrors.. Without the fun. There was little that was fun at this forsaken place.

Matches' that name she had decided to dub him over repairman... seeing as he hadn't been exactly forthcoming about his name.. Finally replied. She couldn't hide that disappointment that her little peptalk failed when she was certain it was damn near perfect. A sigh escaped her, raising an idle hand gesturing down the hall. "Be my guest. See you around Mr.fixit.. Oh wait I can't call you that.."Was it petty to throw a final jab? Maybe. How certain he was that he would either get himself in deeper shit than before... or lost.

She paused to watch him leave, more like march in some confident way like he knew where to go... all before turning down the wrong way. Was it wrong she didn't try harder to tell him he was... wrong? She could have called after him a little louder, could have corrected him but he made his choice to abandon her. He'd be back... any minute. She was sure. Maybe she would wait around here for a bit, listen for screams... or something. So she waited... Pacing, pausing, studying the long hallway... considering those various doors that might have been a.... Maintenance room or something. Ruben seemed well and truly gone, at least. Not exactly wanting to try for round two but more than willing to if it came down to it. Maybe she could trick him in one of his beloved cages. The thought drew a smirk as she began plotting just that. Yet minutes ticked by and there was no sign of Matches. How certain.... He would have turned back by now. She frowned. Maybe he found another way.. Maybe Ruben found.. Him. Fuck.

IT would have been her own damn fault too.. Maybe she should look for him a little. Maybe... he found his way out. After all, he had been crafty enough to find his way in. He wasn't completely defenseless like some damsel, he had chased of Ruben with those impressive little flames of his. He was fine, she assured herself. The rest of the vampires were fast asleep. He was probably fine. Probably. She peeked down a couple of doors, finding them..... All wrong. Some confused by their contents.. Others... supplies or stacked boxes.

Why didn't they put signs up? Come on.

Harley seemed content within her own thoughts, playing a song within her head that caused her to nearly burst out singing some private concert into the hallway that possessed too many shadows. Might as well give herself a soundtrack. Hell she even danced a little. Dance to the beat of your own song? That was a saying right? Not that she minded.. How she could make herself comfortable in this dimly lit place she hardly knew. She was... just about at the turn when suddenly it was like getting hit by a fucking semi. Bodies collided in a full on collision that stole the wind from her lungs in a swift exhale from the impact. "Fuck." At least she was able to get out a word, that final letter uttered with a hard K.

Harley hardly knew who or what it was. Only that she was now falling with a man clearly much larger than she was. There was no hope to catch her self.. No hope..... Only to collapse as softly as possible with a car landing on you.... With this male... pinned on top of her petite form in quite the precarious spot that immediately think of a sex position.. That kind of hurt a little. She blinked a few times, her unfocused stare honing upon two lovely pairs of eyes.. and a vaguely familiar face she hadn't been able to study fully before.

The blond. The repairman. What was he supposed to repair again? Harley??! Like it was a question. Who else would that short fiery raven haired woman with gemstone eyes be? Maybe he had hit his head.... How? He was on top and she seemed to take most of the force of that fall. He was panting like he ran some marathon. His chest heaving and she could feel every bit of movement of him. Well.. This was... well this didn't happen every day. Was it normal to fall into spontaneous sexual positions? She looked spectacularly pissed, violet eyes a purple blaze. "Who else would I be Matches? Not exactly what a woman wants to hear when a man is on top of her." Sarcasm was back in complete force, acting like this was how she carried out all her conversations with complete strangers. Like this.. a man on top of her panting. Pretty sure that would make her a prostitute.

It was impossible to ignore that... he was clearly kind of hot even though that perturbed expression turned into one as he asked for her help, progress, and yet she did not miss how he called it hell. What did he see? Whatever it was... seemed to send him blindly running away. Was anyone following? This could be bad... Yet the man seemed to forget to move.. Great.

"Welcome to my world." Hell. That seemed accurate whenever she was here. She propped herself up onto her elbows, which only made her closer.. "Are you going to get off?" Oh that sounded worse out loud. Yet she seemed to hardly let that question linger.

"I think its time we do things my way. At least you can say you lasted longer on your own than I thought you would." Oh that did not... sound much better.. She needed him off her so she could thing.

She really needed a warning label.

Harley Westward