Closed Ink it up.

[Quiarinox]

35th of Winter 512 AV It wasn't often that Quiarinox found herself within Lazuli Ink, relaxing on the plush couch and nose deep in a book of tattoo options, but today she had finally decided to stop deciding on whether or not to get a tattoo and to just go ahead and get one. What she had to decide, however, was what kind of tattoo to get. She wore her human skin, the deep auburn hair done up out of her eyes and in her usual garb of a shirt and breeches. She already had a large tattoo across the back of her neck and a glistening lacun that would never disappear on her sternum. For most people, that would have been enough body modifications for a life time, but she liked tattoos and visual art. She wanted one of her own that she would remember getting, since the one upon her back was one she came to Mizahar with. The waiting so far had been tedious, but worth it. She knew the workers here wee busy with other clients in the back and that gave her time to think. What did she want to display on her body? She thought about stars, for a while, imagining a line of varying sizes of stars trailing down the length of her whole arm to stop off at her fingers, done in the glowing lapis ink she had always wanted to have on her. Stars would be highly symbolic, both of her own fondness for them as well as for her fondness of Lhavit... even though sometimes her fondness was tempered by a strong disbelief and dislike at some of the habits the city encouraged in its people. She thought about flowers, about thorny roses intertwined and clamping themselves around her wrists in some parody of painful shackles that bound her. That would too be symbolic of herself, of her plight here. She didn't want to be so symbolic that every time she looked at herself she thought of what it meant. She decided on some kind of blooming floral pattern one of the books portrayed where the petals were spread open wide and rested upon a bed full of thorns. It wasn't to be a shackle or anything, but a large design that traveled up her forearm. Maybe she could even have it done morbidly, where the thorns would actually look like they were digging into her skin deeply and drawing blood. That was sure to get attention and make waves. Perhaps her peers in Ravok would frown on her giving herself a defining blemish, one she could be remembered by. She was supposed to be fitting in, making herself just another face in the crowd, but with this big mark she would surely stick out, at least even more so than she usually did. She could imagine the sharp words Everil would have for her and almost crumbled under the effect. She would have left, but another person came from out of the back to leave, cradling his newly tattooed arm delicately as though it hurt, letting Quiarinox know that now was the time. Her green eyes were wide as the artist came from the back to see her.

[Johanne]

"Johanne," called a familiar voice from the doorway to the back room, where in the center lay a reclining chair. Johanne stood crouched over a young Shinya male, his rippling muscles running intimidatingly down his forearms, showing the effect of hours of training and dedication to a God Johanne could not understand, and a city Johanne felt she had no true part in. The shimmering doors of the Koten Temple glistened just below his elbow, tattooed permanently into his skin as a display of faith. Even in the early afternoon, the lapis tattoo glowed slightly in the vague shadows of the room.

Johanne looked up at Soraya, the Symenestra woman who stood waiting patiently at the door. "When you're done with this one, you have a new customer waiting on the couch. I'm headed off to sleep." Johanne raised a hand in friendly farewell. She'd become used to the spider-woman and her presence here, even if she was somewhat intimidated by the tales of her childhood. Soraya was all but Lhavitian, despite the distaste several locals held for the Widows.

Johanne turned her gaze once more to the tattoo before her. Not her best work. The tattoo glowed perfectly, meaning that she had applied the ink deeply enough that it would not run in the first layer of skin, but at the same time, she had not injected it into the muscle where it would be too faint (and too painful for the customer). But Johanne's hands had shaken on the lines of the Temple, making it look as though it leaned slightly to the right. Ah well.

"There you are, sir, your tattoo is all finished," she said softly, taking one last look at the tattoo before looking into the handsome Shinya's dark eyes. "Be careful with it. Don't train excessively for the next week. Wash it daily with this saltwater solution," she recited, passing over the bottle for aftercare. "It may sting, but trust me, it's worth it. And above all, scabs will form - do not pick at them! The scabs are just the ink settling in. It'll be better in the long run if you just let them play their natural course. Any questions?" The Shinya shook his head, staying quiet as he had done their whole encounter. Standing gingerly, he replaced his white blouse, holding his forearm close to his body to cradle it. Johanne respectfully stayed behind him as he walked towards the door. He had payed upon entering, so that was taken care of. "Thank you sir, have a lovely day."

She bowed as he exited, watching him leave the room. Johanne hurriedly turned to begin cleaning up the room for the customer that Soraya had said was waiting just outside. Usually she might sit, stretch, go for a walk. It was rare for them to have two customers in a row - even rarer for Johanne to be the only attendent at the shop. Taking the bloodied needles and scalpels from the tray beside the reclining chair to the sink, she replaced the towel on the chair and laid out a second set of clean instruments. She would clean the needles later. It would be rude to keep her customer waiting. Breathing deeply, she centred herself, before plastering on her fake, cheery smile she used when dealing with her customers. The shy, introspective Johanne was generally not someone people trusted to carve into for life. She rolled up her sleeves, exposing the deep scars and wounds on her arms to the world, before opening the door and moving to face her new customer.xx

A small, diminuitive girl sat on the couch, her skin pale, her cheeks freckled, and her hair curly and strawberry. "I'm so sorry about the wait," Johanne said apologetically, standing a respectful distance from the couch with her spindly hands clasped together. "I was just cleaning up. How may I help you?" Johanne waited in silence. For all her skills in customer service, she still could not overcome an absolute lack of skill in small talk.

[Quiarinox]

It took Quiarinox a few ticks to realise she was being addressed, having drifted off into the realm of wandering, blissful thought as she sat there, hands folded demurely on her lap and head cocked in thought. What she was thinking about even she couldn't adequately describe it. She was flitting between thoughts as a hummingbird would between flowers. Even so, once addressed the Ethaefal started before settling her nerves and thoughts and then turned to face the girl who addressed her. She recognised the voice and reacted with a narrowing of her green eyes into thin slits that didn't show the expression within them so easily as they could have normally. She rose to her feet, parting her hands so they dangled at her side, and bowed to the woman in deference. "I'm looking for a lapis tattoo," she said as she approached the woman. She couldn't help but notice the human was taller than her now, and she didn't respond internally to that with favour. She enjoyed her height advantage, but unlike a great deal of other human women this one was taller than average. Colourless, too, with brown eyes and hair. How did she not notice this before when they had first met that cold, dark night in the quiet Basilika? "Something flowery and intricate on my forearm here," the Ethaefal in a human skin touched a point just under her elbow on the fleshy underside of the limb with a ghosting finger. "How much do you think that will cost me?"[/left]

[Johanne]

Johanne could have no idea that the woman before her was the same Ethaefal who had terrified her so in the Basilika. Her hands clasped over her lap, her eyes unfocused and her face innocent, the woman seemed to be the complete opposite of the Ethaefal who had manipilated Johanne nights passed. Johanne stood there, oblivious of the changed form, her hands clapsed in front of her and her smile cheery while she waited to hear what the customer wanted.

She returned the bow given to her, something she was unused to. Yes, she received them in the street from friends, but generally not from her customers, who seemed to only see her as a means to an end: not as someone who was creating art that would stay within their skin forever.

"A lapis tattoo, a nice choice," Johanne said, nodding approvingly. She loved the way the tattoos seemed to glow. That was one thing she adored about Zintila: it was the way she made things shine so much more beautifully. "Do you know exactly what you would like the image to be? If not, we can peruse some images in our books, or I can sketch you something to approve of. It's generally best if the image means something to you though. That way, you won't get sick of it." It wasn't said that Johanne was concerned she would not be able to do the artwork required. She was a skilled artist, but she lacked in practice.

"It depends on the size," she said, answering the woman's second question. "Since you want it on your elbow, a small one would be 21 kina. If you'd like, I can do you a slightly bigger one that would reach down your forearm some for 45 kina. It costs more because of the materials in the ink." She waited to hear what the woman preferred, trying hard to be the perfect saleswoman, not letting her superiors down.

"I am Johanne, by the way. It's a pleasure to be working with you today." For that was what was special about tattooing: it was a collaboration, more than a service.

[Brandon Blackwing]

JOHANNE

XP Award:

• Socialization +2
• Observation +2

Lore:

• How to take care of a new tattoo
• The price of a small/large tattoo

Notes:
Quiarinox: your grade has been withheld due to retirement

Again there wasn’t much I could award you with, due to the unfortunate brevity of this thread.

Please edit or delete your request in the request thread.
Comments, questions or concerns regarding your grade? Why not send me a PM?

credit goes to Adelaide Sitai