#harley 002

[rafaelcb]

WHO: Rafael & @mxharleyhua

WHERE: Creek Fest

WHEN: September, 2023

Rafael wasn't necessarily the type to get creative; most of the decorations around his home were from stores, or things that his mother brought over when she decided that he needed something new to look at… But there was nothing wrong with trying, was there? Carefully beginning to organize the flower stems into the vase at the DIY station in the center of the Fest, Rafael glanced to the person next to him, reaching for a sunflower and then hesitating, letting out a laugh, "mind if I grab this? Don't want to take it if you had your eye on it, be a flower thief."

[madibyrd]

[ @harleyhua ]

The treck up to the high ground settlement was steel and hard and still took longer than Madi anticipated, even though she’s made the treck a couple of times before. Not a lot of people actually came to live here, though, for the same extact reason, so the place was still full of resources and ripe for picking.

“Okay, okay, so... we’re looking for anything that could be used on the farm - equipment mostly, but if we accidentally stumble upon anything else useful, we’re taking it.” She had a big backpack on her back that was empty and she was panting heavily - practically climbing wasn’t something she was physically used to -, as she told the plan to Harley even though they already talked it over on the way up. “The more of us up here, the more we can actually find.”

After a pause she added, “But of course if you find anything for yourself, we are taking that with us too.” She was planning on taking any blankets or sweaters she could find. After it was clear that nobody was coming to reclaim their places and belongings, Madi had started getting some stuff for herself, too.

[owenryder]

WHO: Ryder & @mxharleyhua

WHERE: From Brush to Canvas

WHEN: November, 2023

For some reason, Ryder was in the holiday spirit that year. Whether it was the fact that he finally felt more settled into the town that he called home, or he was just feeling festive and happy, he wasn't sure, but when the note had been left on the desk to, 'drag out the decorations,' he hadn't hesitated to find the storage tubs in the back, and text Harley to ask if he wanted to come in and help decorate, get things set up in the gallery. It mostly consisted of abstract, modern-looking Christmas tree sculptures and fairy lights, but... it worked. As he popped the lid off of one of the boxes, he grinned, pulling out a strand of lights and looked up at his co-worker. "Hard to believe it's time to bust out the holiday stuff already, isn't it?"

[toni-graves]

@harleyhua Toni felt fevered in a way her body was not built for, chilled to the bone but hot to touch. She was certain she was ill at first. Now she knew she was ill. She had to scramble out of her hidey-hole, the chill of the small cave suddenly too much for her. 

She wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings but it didn’t take a detective to see everyone else was out of sorts. People talked hurriedly around her, a small rush of panic in the air. Toni stumbling into the light of day, blinking confusedly up at the sun and shuffling in the sand. Disoriented because the thrum she’d gotten used to, her bones were silent, still. The century old pitter-patter didn’t move up through her soles to her teeth and the world was silent and cold.

 It was her effort to alleviate the problem of the cold that the second, more worrying problem arose. The dying fire she shuffled closer too suddenly flared up and caught at the end of her ratty covering. Toni falling back and crying out. The flame just growing even as she tried to call up a wave of sand to smother it.

[patrickisley-blog]

the date

@inky-harley

It was funny just how nervous he was for something that was supposed to be casual. But it was a big combination of factors. He’d never once set foot in a tattoo parlor, for one, even just too look around, and his preference for floral button downs and white skinny jeans made him stick out like a sore thumb inside one. But more than that, he was nervous to see Harley again, even if she had been just as enthusiastic as he was to meet up at the tattoo parlor to show him some of her drawings before heading out to a nice dinner.

Dinner. He was going to have dinner with her. And it was almost certainly a date. The very thought made him nearly turn back around and go home, even though he was nearly at the tattoo shop.

The last time he had been on a date was when he was still in school. He’d tried to date a guy after the incident, which had been fine for a while, until it was suddenly completely and utterly not fine, thanks to the bastard being a lying, transphobic cheater. And before that… Ivy shuddered just thinking of that. So this was a big deal. A really, really big deal. But it felt worth it. Harley was different. She seemed to have the same sort of fears that he did. The same hesitance that he did. And maybe, just maybe, that meant that things would work out.

So he took a deep breath, and pushed through the front door of the tattoo place, looking around for Harley.