RP:A Chat In A Parlor
Summary: Irenic and Meri have a quick chat in the parlor. A lot has happened since they have last chatted, most notable that his curse is lifted.
SoulsKin
There is a faded message painted across this shop's front door which reads, abandon all Hope. It may be just cryptic enough to pique your curiosity... Two glass display cases dominate the center of the room, filled with trinkets and jewels from around the world. In the back corner, beneath the stairs that lead to a second floor, there is a bookshelf with a comfy armchair next to it. A low work table lines the entirety of the western wall, a couple of chairs and a bench sitting in front of it. There is a curtained partition, for those that might wish to have their ink work or body modifications done in privacy. The work table is usually littered with bottles of ink in various colors and sketches of viable tattoo designs. Feel free to chat up the artists who might be working if you're interested in having some work done.
It was just another day in Rynvale, your average day at the tattoo parlor, about mid-afternoon at this point in time. The customers have been steady today, some actually having appointments scheduled, others just walking in hoping for either a tattoo on the fly or a consultation. At this particular moment, Meri is not with a customer. Instead she is up at the front desk, standing next to the apprentice who is explaining a few things to her. IE: this person is hoping to have this piece done and wants to come back on this day, and that person has no clue what they want but they still want to talk about the process. This was the entire point of hiring Jax, to have someone run the front desk during the times that the artists themselves were already with another client. He of course got some other perks out of it, like being trained on how to be a tattoo artist himself. Meri gives Jax the occasional nod as he goes over a laundry list of details with her.
Irenic made his way to SoulsKin in hopes of running into Meri because last time he saw her was at the peaceful protest which ended up not being peaceful as advertised. He wanted to make sure she had gotten away unscathed and even though he wouldn't admit it openly, he cares for Meri. I mean - he took an arrow to the leg for the woman. He ducks into the establishment, wingless, which is usual for Meri - so nevermind. Maybe it was the time of day that was different though as the sun was going to be setting within the hour and Irenic seemed unbothered by it. He could have lost his mind completely by now, who knows. He can see Meri is rather busy at the moment so he takes a set next to a woman who was awaiting her appointment and her eyes close as if lost in a beautiful memory, she was picking up on her favorite scent from the wingless Avian. She gives a judgmental look and probably asks him how he lost his wings to which he quietly replied so only she could hear, “by sticking my nose in other people's business.” He let the awkward silence rest between him and the stranger as she tried to decipher if he was toying with her or not, but his subtle grin sent her into a giggle.
Irenic’s lone silver eye drifts up to look at Meri as the chocolate hued one stays covered under an eyepatch as of late. He saw what she was doing with her powers right as everyone was fleeing and that's how he guessed it was her or at least hoped it wasn't. So it is confirmed that she was there with some other blond lady. It had been a minute since they saw each other because after his master lifted his curse by ripping the crest of Monstre from his chest, twisted it to her advantage, and then sewn on back onto him he slept for a few days. The shift no longer burdening him left him clear headed and normal… Mostly. “Hey Meri, it has,” he agrees in his normal and common speaking gruff timbre. “Yeah, I don't agree with the plight the witches are going through. I've seen this minority's thing played out way too often and I am friends with a witch, so.” He shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat and a shadow of a vampire bite could be seen when he adjust the collar of his shirt, “yeah. I saw a protester in trouble and took her to get an arrow of her neck.” If asked, yes the vampire had to feed from him, but it wasn't pleasant at all for either of them. “Just wanted to make sure to pay a visit to those who put up with me and helped me these past few months.” He gave a weak sort of grin.
Meri did not need to ask to be able to ascertain that a vampire has recently fed from him. If Pilar is a vampire? Meri is not aware of this fact, so she cannot pinpoint which vampire might have fed from him. She also does not inquire, it is not her business. Talk of witch-related things does not proceed either, the protest is done and over with Meri having no insights on any future endeavors. Yet. Also, since the shop is open with customers traveling in and out freely, it is neither the time and place to speak freely. That woman that Irenic was talking with moments before gaining Meri's attention could work for Josleen for all they know! There is just a nod of acceptance that those are his sentiments. An observation is made, "So you are clearly speaking common again. I guess that means you have made headway with your curse?"
Irenic picks up on the tight lipped topics in such a public place and his grin falters a bit, “if we cannot even speak our minds and opinions then that means the other side has already won.” A short and cold chuckle at this with the wave of a hand, “so be it.” He gave a subtle shrug, “someone helped me step around it. Cheated my way from it just like most of the things I do.” The stranger sitting next to Irenic kindly excuses herself and makes her way to the door, but not without making sure to the employees that she will be right back. Now Meri and Irenic can speak a little more freely, “Since the curse is lifted than I can spend more time on his island to search for those you suggested me to. Without worry of shifting and hiding.” He recalls a couple of awkward moments between them, “and I uh.. Just wanted to apologize for anything that's taken place as I wasn't myself through what was happening. Not that you even got to meet the real me.” It might be a little jarring that such a gruff tone sounds much less romantic and alluring without that Veretian language. His demeanor more solid, vigilant, calm, calculated and lucid.
Blue eyes trial after the departing woman with a lifted brow, this gesture does not faulter when Irenic begins to speak. "Hm," the blonde woman says thoughtfully. "Well, your curse was horrible." In a lot of respects that Meri could not even begin to understand, for she was not experiencing it first hand, but she has seen enough to at least form an opinion. That shift both looked and sounded painful. The turn that the conversation takes earns Irenic another slight lofting of an eyebrow. Meri finally circles out from behind the receptionists desk, only to lean lazily against the very same piece of furniture. Arms are folded across her chest and tattooed shoulders rise and fall in a slight shrug. "To be fair, I never actually said that they were from Rynvale. Neither of them are bound or limited to this island. Both often travel. Maybe you will find them here, maybe you will not." Though Lita being the owner of the shop does increase the chances that she will actually be found in Rynvale....slightly. Lita has the soul of a gypsy.
Irenic watches her careful with that silver eye, “I'll keep that in mind.” Okay so what he came to Rynvale to see her and a glance around her at the waiting customers. “I'll be seeing you around then?” He was starting to feel a little out of place and a lot in the way, a nervous habit of his hand running through the top of his hair.
The reaction that Irenic gives her only serves to perplex Meri. Once again the woman is lifting a brow, this time though she was outright frowning. This is not the first time she has felt his departures were abrupt, and just like every other time she is not going to force him to stay if he is not feeling comfortable. "You should know well enough by now that stay or go, I am not going to hinder you. You are welcome to do exactly as you please in that respect. But I will say that lately when we speak I feel like you are leaving more because I have done something that upsets you over anything else." Confirm, deny, stay, go, all of which was Irenic's choice and, as promised, Meri would not impede the man in his decisions. In fairness, it is not like Meri is trying to rush Irenic out or ignoring him and paying attention to the clients instead. If she truly wanted him to feel uncomfortable she could have taken that female client prior to her scheduled appointment and left Irenic sitting there?
Irenic blinks once as he's unsure where this is coming from, “I’m sorry?” He didn't even stand up yet and he's starting to think he'd been reading the situation wrong here. He's the one the budged in on her work day and is impeding on her job. They cannot openly talk of certain things here either so he's at a loss as to what he should be doing or should be saying at the moment. He makes no rush to stand up either and easily towers her, but not intimidatingly so. “There is not much anyone could say to ruffle me. Especially you, Meri.” They usually give each other a hard time, but he knew it was all in good fun. He was inching closer if she let him, “I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were okay after that protest. Make sure I hadn't caused you too much trouble with the changes and memory loss… Because I-” he paused, “consider you a friend.” He scratched the back of his head gently while glancing about at any prying eyes or ears. “Why don't you join me at the Broken Barrel later? Unless you want to take a more secluded area here to do some freestyle artwork,” another short chuckle given as he lifted the front of his black cotton shirt, “if you can find some free space. Otherwise - I think I'm just in the way of your work today.” He lets the shirt fall.
It is plausible that Meri could be the one misreading the situation, presuming that Irenic is offended rather than just feeling like he should let the artist to her work. Intimidation has never been a feeling that Meri has felt toward Irenic, not even by his height. The woman is stationary for a moment during the approach but his request does in fact cause the blonde woman to push away from the desk so that she can once more step behind the counter to flip through the pages of her appointment book. "I mean...You were just talking to a woman who is due back quite shortly?" It has never been Meri's style to turn away one customer in favor of another. "Honestly, Irenic, it is not that I mind freestyling or anything? As long as you have your own concept in mind. But it would be much better if we arranged a time? I don't want to rush with any of the pieces for any of my clients." Friend or stranger, Meri takes pride in her art. "So why don't you tell me what you are thinking and where? And then maybe we can figure out a time." Those blue eyes rise from her books but they do not flit back to Irenic, instead they dart toward the 'secluded' area of the parlor-- which was just curtained off area. "As far as causing me trouble?" Meri shrugs and dismisses that notion, for that is not something he has done.
Irenic let another chuckle out and reached across the counter to stop her flipping through appointment books, “belle femme-er, Meri” habit, “I was only teasing. I'll let you get back to your work and we can hang out at the Barrel later? If you would join me, I'd like it.” Possibly at that moment Meri’s assistant gives some serious side eye to Irenic for whatever reason. He glances over his shoulder as the door opens and the woman had come back as promised. It seems she picked up a snack for her and Meri. “Ah just in time! I've stopped bothering our lovely artiste. I'll let her work her amazing talents on ya.” He was uncharacteristically brandishing a charming smirk at the stranger which elicited a blush from her and it was as if he was a completely different person for just a hiccup of a second when he turned that grin on Meri with a wink. “So I will see you later. Yeah?” He backs his way toward the door, opens it and nearly clips the back of his head on the top of the parlor door before ducking out with the titer of a wave for Meri.
As Meri cannot quite get a solid read on the nature of this invitation, things will perhaps get slightly awkward once more. See, in one hand Irenic is saying things like 'I consider you a friend' but then in the opposite hand, the 'belle femme' but does leave her in wonder. "Alright, but strictly as friends." Meri is not going to go into an explanation as to why that statement is made but there are very limited reasons and frankly Meri is just not the gushy, mushy sort. Irenic is on his way out and Meri let's him move on with a bit of a salute before turning her sights on the woman that was asking Irenic nosy questions earlier. Conversation is struck up with her instantly and it is straight to work, with Meri leading her further into the parlor to one of the cushioned tattoo tables that is in plain view.