RP:Ladies And Their Nails

Summary: Meri takes Valrae up on her offer to come on by and get her nails done. Witches are pretty cool? At least Valrae is!

The Witch-Run Nail Salon in Larket

On most days, if one were to ask Meri what her plans were for the day her answer would definitely not be 'well I am going to go to the salon and get my nails done.' She was prone to mischief and trouble of various sorts and the words 'I broke a nail' were not something that she ever wanted to have fall past red lips. Today would be an exception to that rule. Into the salon Meri goes with her goes instantly darting around for the familiar face of another blonde. Meri is dressed as she usually is, for the most part, except she had a feeling that some of the dames in this place would be all dolled up and so she at least opted to try and locate a pair of black pants that were not stained with ink or did not have holes in the knee. The opinions of others usually do not weigh too much on Meri but on the flip side she is a woman and going to a place that is likely to contain other pretty woman who could very well be judging and gossiping about her while they get their own nails done. Is that not that happens at these girly places? Major gossip sessions? Booted feet carry her further into the establishment in search for a certain witch.

The salon is indeed filled with some of Larket's wealthiest socialites and ladies of means but they're seated alongside the working class and less well-to-do. Some are dressed in silks and velvet, others in sensible cotton or worn wool. The witches themselves are a little easy to pick out, in hippy-esk skirts and floral patterns, behind tables as they worked or sorted polish and swept floors. Two men, both equally large and stone-faced, stood sentinel at the entrance. There was music, soft and soothing, coming from the harpsichord, that sat prettily in a corner with various flowering plants, whose keys and presses were seemingly being played by the very air. Laughter and gossip and secrets were being traded. The air was filled with the scent of too many perfumes and the sharper, more chemical smell of polish. Meri was given a few curious, and maybe a few snobbish, glances from the usual salon crowd. She would be greeted with a smile and a cheery hello from the young witch who stood behind the antique desk that served as an informal welcome counter. "What can we do for you today?" She asks, just as Valrae strolls in from the back. Her tunic dress, a verdant green that complimented the darkness of her kohl-lined eyes, was covered with a polish-spotted apron. Her hair, a tumbling mass of unruly waist length curls, was pulled away from her face and into a high pony's tail. Gold hoops glittered on her ears and fingers. Crystals and various symbols hung from her neck. The witch doesn't notice Meri at first, she stops to whisper something in one of her co-workers ears and pass along the paper in her hands. She looks up, toward the doors, and sees her then. "Meri, you came!" Valrae says, coming to stand by the witch who welcomed her.

The two stone-faced men at the door are each given brief and casual inspection as Meri passes right by them to make her way toward the young witch that initially greets Meri. The blonde could speculate why they were here rather loosely and that reason must be Hudson but she does not understand -why- they were here. Not the time or the place, too many sets of eyes and ears around for Meri to even begin to question. Red lips part to make inquiries about Valrae but she does not even need to speak of the woman for her to appear. Mouth closes for a moment as lips turn up into a smile but soon Meri opens her mouth to speak, and this time words do come, "Val-girl. How is it going? Of course I came, I have never heard of enchanted nails before. It seems like business is booming for you here." There is a brief glance around is spared at the ladies both hard at work and those enjoying being pampered. Meri did not uncomfortable with the setting but she certainly was clueless as to what the next steps would be. Most women have an idea of what they want done before they even come here but Meri...She looked more like a woman at a hardware store trying to pick out the proper tool for some home repair project that she probably should not be tackling to begin with. Valrae will have to show her mercy and guide this novice through how this whole thing works. "Does your hair just stay curly like that on its own? Or are you one of those gals that has to spend hours on it?" The tone is not judgmental at all and it comes with the confession of, "Because I swear that I can never get mine to do anything. It wants to be straight, or straight, or stick straight."

Valrae's smile grows. She touches the other witch's elbow as a wordless 'I've got her' and steps around the counter to join Meri. "We stay busy," She agrees, leading Meri toward the wall of polish to their left. "We can do a lot more than any normal nail salon can without using anything that can leave your nails ruined afterward." Like any good nail joint, they had every variation of every color imaginable with oddly sexual names. (Tickle Me Pink, Cherry Pop, Underage, Drive Me Nude... ext.) "You just pick a color," The witch re-situates a few shades of purple that had been arranged incorrectly. "And what ever enchantments you want... We have all kinds but our popular one can prevent most breaks and keeps the polish from chipping. There is one for the dirt under the nails issue too. We have just about anything you can think of.." She laughs and rolls her eyes a little. When Meri chooses a color Valrae would lead her to a table. She touches the hair she'd thrown up that morning and her smile turns shy. "I do spend a good amount of time on it when I can but it's naturally curly... And I know a few vanity spells." She admits. When they're both situated and comfortable she places a crystal bowl between them. The witch fills it with the bottle of rose water that had sat on her table. "When I was younger it was more practical to keep it short," Because she had to pass as a boy to work in the docks of Cenril. "Now that I'm grown I like to honor the fact that I have more choices I guess. It's nice to feel pretty sometimes." As she talks she takes Meri's hands and gives them the manicure treatment. Inexplicably, but not really because magic, the rose water is warm. "I love your hair, though!" She laughs. "I wish I could keep mine straight without having to wrestle with it or pull out a spell. But you know what they say about grass that's always greener." She dries her hands with a puffy white towel. "So, now you just tell me what length and style you're looking for." She wiggles her own nails, they were shorter than what most people think of when they picture nail salon nails and painted a pearly, iridescent white and natural. "Like for me, I keep mine a shorter length because it's easier to work and be a normal human with. We'll do what works for you."

Meri's take away on this may be a bit off the mark. What Valrae says and what she actually hears are two different things. Nevermind that Valrae has said that she does actually have to spend time on her hair, what Meri hears is 'witches get spells to make ourselves look hot and therefore we do not have to spend nearly as much time in the morning making ourselves look presentable.' Were Meri more superficial there might have been a minor twinge of jealousy but she is not that sort of woman, it just gives Meri another reason to be impressed by witches. Colors are something Meri is rather fond of, but little attention is given to the name. Her color selection? Red of course, one of her preferred colors, if that was not obvious by the fact that her lips are painted red almost all of the time and the corsets that she tends to pick are also shades of red. Why not keep the theme going? The color that Valrae is presented with is called 'Red-dy and Willing' but Meri paid no attention to that. Hands are given freely over to Valrae, cooperating easily with the woman so that she can move Meri's appendages as she deems fit. Meri's hands could be dipped into water, pulled out, dried, flipped over, whatever Valrae saw fit to do, no resistance would come from the tattoo artist. "The grass is always greener until you get to the other side. You are right." A beat. "Uh. Anything I can think of?" And Meri could think of quite of few things. "So the whole no chipping and breaking thing seems nice but you know...are able to provide wards against day the elements? Like...let's say not that long ago I had an encounter with some lightning and that really freaking hurt...." That might be a stretch for some nail enchantment but it never hurt to ask. One thing that might strike Valrae as odd is that, for a human, Meri seems to be in halfway decent shape considering she had a loosely defined encounter with electricity. "Perhaps that is too big a request for nail art...What I would like is for shorter...and more functional. Just like yours, I think."

Valrae might not have argued too terribly much. It was a bit convenient to throw up a glamour spell on the days you were too hungover to fully master the art that is ye olde make up. She'd done it plenty of times in the week that followed her most recent break up and was eternally grateful for her blessings. Not that magic didn't take it's own brand of patience or skill. The witch nods approvingly of the color choice but has long been desensitized to the vaguely suggestive names of the nail polish. "Lightning?" The woman repeats, a golden brow arching in curiosity. She wouldn't push for an answer though, understanding that some stories took time and familiarity to tell. After Meri's hands are dry, Valrae takes up another bottle and squeezes it into her own hands. She would apply lotion that smelled pleasantly of honey and lavender to the other woman's hands. The pupils of her eyes suddenly grow to swallow the green of her irises as she massages Meri's hands. A tingling, relaxing sensation might fill Meri's body... And leave a little quickly. The witch blinks, her eyes returning to normalcy. "That should do it, as long as they don't take on the brunt of any significant magical force anyway." She smiles and uses the towel to dry her own hands. Meri's fingernails themselves would be perfectly cut, clean, and healthily thick. "It will be my turn to see you next." Val unscrews the nail polish and would begin painting with quick, practiced strokes. "And that means I'll have to tough up and decide on another tattoo." She laughs only a little nervously. "I feel like if I'm brave enough to do that, I'd need a good idea but I'm coming up with nothing."

Blue eyes widen when Valrae's pupils swallow the irises of the witches own green eyes, combined with the tingling sensation felt. The artist had a hunch that this was the witch heeding her request, confirmed by Valrae's explanation. The curiosity about enchantments against lightning was more to see just what Valrae was actually capable of, she was literally expecting the witch to turn her down and inform her that request was too lofty. Little did Meri know that Valrae was far more talented than that. Witches were so cool, officially. Why is there so much hate for witches around Larket? Valrae is still given free range with Meri's hands, fingers would be limp and easy to move. While the blonde that sits opposite of Meri paints her nails, the tattoo artist goes on to explain numerous things. Starting with the story that inspired her curiosity about a lightning enchantment. "The warriors guild has been running around fighting these giant oversized bugs. You ever seen a spider that is twenty-five feet high? Spits fire? Barbs the size of my hand?" She would motion but Valrae has her hands right now, let's not spoil the woman's work. "And lightning. It was like...the super freak mutated spider from hell...." Meri wrinkles up her nose and shifts the subject on to less creepy topics, things that do not have eight legs and suck blood. Things like tattoos. "Tattoos are a very personal thing, I don't ever recommend to any client that they rush their tattooing decisions. I have a few friends hooked on ink that have come in and gone 'just give me a new tattoo! Surprise me!' But I have known them for years, so it is easier to come up with something. Still, the shop doors are open any time you would like to pay us a visit. Even if you just want to escape Larket for a vacation and only end up admiring the work that Lita and I have done for others. But there is never any rush to make a decision on a tattoo. Tattoos are permanent and cover ups can be tricky...."

Valrae would have readily agreed with Meri. Being a witch was ridiculously cool and a giant part of her. It was confusing and painful to be persecuted because of it. The woman paused on Meri's ring finger, the tiny polish brush poised a breath away from her newly enchanted nail, to gape at her. "You're joking? Please tell me that's a joke." She choked after a moment. She glances down at Meri's hand as she uses them for a size reference and a chill crawls up her spine. As Meri wrinkles her nose Valrae makes her own disgusted face in utter agreement. "Yuck..." Valrae continues her painting after that, a bit thoughtfully. "I'd like to see that." She asserts finally, with a small laugh. The topic change was welcome. She nodded along to Meri's advice seriously. Balked a little at the thought of people being brave enough to get a tattoo without really knowing what or why they were getting it. "I mean, I know I'd eventually like an owl." She admits, finishing her painting and gesturing for Meri to check it out. "But I'm not sure about the style or where I'd want it on my body." She smiles and screws the top back on the polish. "Whatcha think?" Val asks. "If you want anything else, let me know. I've painted everything from tiny carrots to the heads of cats." She laughed and pushed the blonde curls of her pony's tail back behind her shoulder.

Meri would let that subject change some easily, oversized spiders were not a subject she was keen on lingering on for more than need be. She had made her point and that was enough. It is the nails that first gain her attention, smiling in admiration of Valrae's work and chuckling at the thought of actually wearing carrots or bees painted upon the tips of her fingers. That would be the day. "I think that they are quite lovely," Meri says without hesitation and with a warm smile. While the nails are given a few moments to dry, Meri will sit and chat just a bit more, "An owl. Well, to start you should start thinking about what type of owl. They do come in all shapes and sizes. And then I would consider the position you want the owl in and if you want any amount of background to it." Truth be told Meri could easily ramble on and on with thoughts and suggestions for Valrae to attempt to puzzle together an owl tattoo but the artist feels like she has given her enough for the time being. To her feet she goes, a teasing grin upon her lips. "You will just have to leave Larket for a brief period and come out to Rynvale. I believe that you were toying with the idea of visiting my shop anyway? I guess you have more incentive..." Not that Meri does not advertise that she is willing to travel for work, it just seemed like Valrae needed a little encouragement. A little reason or a nudge. "Thanks for the nails," she lifts said nails for Valrae's to view and gives them a playful little wiggle. "I do hope that I will be giving you a consultation in Rynvale soon." Meri would not stick around for Valrae to confirm or deny this potential appointment, out the door she would go.