RP:On The Books

Summary: Meri gets a tattoo from Lita.

SoulsKin

It was quite the lovely day in Rynvale. The sun was out and shinning brightly with only a few clouds specking the blue horizon. Such a nice day that it would almost be a shame to see it wasted away due to a day at work, but it seems that Lita has an appointment on the books today -- written in by none other than Meri's own hand writing. Depending on how much Lita has been walking those bare feet of hers around Rynvale, she may have heard through the grapevine (like from Simon or some SoulsKin employee they have to help run the front end when the artists are busy) that Meri is not a wandering basketcase of an amnesiac anymore. If she had not heard these rumors via casual conversations, she was about to find out first hand. Meri waits inside of SoulsKin, her rear planted in one of the seats put out for waiting customers. All in all, Meri looks healthy and is rocking her usual rough and tumble look that consists of black boots with black pants tucked into those boots, and a red/black corset. Judging by her attire she must be wanting this tattoo in an easily accessible place, for Meri knew better than to show up in a shop in boots and pants only to request an ankle tattoo. There is no sketched out tattoo design in hand, only concept in her mind which she has every faith that Lita will execute beautifully.

Lita could read well enough. Meri's name had been sorely missed from the pages of that appointment book and it was good to see it there again. Telling time, however, was an entirely different skill set and Lita did what she damn well pleased anyway. So it was no surprise that she was likely late to that appointment, that gorgeous dame already waiting on her. The shop's door had been propped open with a rock, the main room smelling like ocean breeze and the faint scents of jasmine. She spared a smile for the young man at the front counter who was frowning over some sketch he was doodling into the margin of their appointment book. She skirted Meri for half a beat, reached out and caught the man's wrist before he could scratch his sketch into a blur of color. "Just deep breath," she drew a breath, as if he might not understand the words and exhaled slowly as she relinquished her hold on his wrist. "Forget what you were drawing before. Now fix it." She'd make a decent cover-up artist out of that one yet. He had an eye for turning what-was into what-could-be and it was a skill that Lita had found could not always be taught but rather needed to be cultivated. He nodded, back to the drawing board and Lita shifted the whole of her attention on Meri. She paused before the girl a moment, dressed in the usual little black sundress, barefoot, raven curls in a loose braid over her right shoulder and she let dark eyes drink in this more familiar vision of the girl she knew and adored. "You look stunning." Was it still flattery if it was true? She canted her head, nodding for Meri to follow her towards the workbench towards the back of the shop. She'd heard the rumors- enough of them anyway. "Glad you found your way home, Meri-doll." The nickname was said with an affectionate smile and she didn't just mean that she'd found her way back to the shop but back to Rynvale in general and mostly, back to herself. She knew first hand that it was not an easy thing to do.

Finding her way back to herself was a struggle, that much was true, as Meri often found herself combatting if she even wanted to find herself again. It is never a positive sign when someone manages to lose themselves to that level, but that was an issue that Meri was not seeking to delve into. It did not bother her that Lita was late, she sort of had this feeling that would be the case -- after years of working with the woman we would hope that Meri has picked up on that much about Lita. The interaction between Lita and the artist at the front desk is met with a smile, and Meri is silent for the duration of this little training session. No need for her to interject with her own two cents, Lita had knack for these things. "And you look positively radiant yourself, Lita-Love," Meri didn't view it as flattery. More like honest observations from two women who have known each other for years now and who both seem to have been struck with souls that like to travel and wander, a call that can sometimes pull very hard on both women. The vagueness in Lita's sentiments that she was glad to have Meri home is met with an appreciative smile, suggesting that Meri picked up on the meaning. Meri wasn't just a client to Lita, she was also a friend, and so she was in no rush to get straight down to the business of the tattoo. Up to her feet Meri goes to embrace Lita in a quick one-armed hug, rare things to be given out by Meri but hey, it felt like one of those moments. "How have you been? Traveled anywhere interesting? Oh! Apparently we've got ourselves another mutual acquaintance. Hudson? Told me to tell you he said hello next time I saw you. So hello from Hudson." Evidently Meri was getting on just fine with meeting a few new faces in the land.

Lita wasn't entirely sure what to make of that one-armed hug and it took her a beat to realize she was supposed to reciprocate, even a bit awkwardly. She never knew what to say when people asked how she was. 'Good' and 'OK' felt like carbon copies of a truth she'd learned to repeat but didn't understand the meaning of. She was usually just better. Better than she was yesterday, better than people who hadn't gotten today and better than she thought she'd've been if you'd've asked her a few days ago now. Not as good as she'd likely be tomorrow or next week but still. Better. "Shop's still standing." She grinned. That was always a good thing. "Business elsewhere seems to be picking up. As for traveling, I've been in Frostmaw a lot lately. I love snow as much as the next person but how anyone actually lives there, day in and day out, is beyond me." She shook her head a little at the thought and canted her head slightly as she peered at Meri for mention of Hudson. "Huh." Interesting. "And yeah, I know the guy. He's trying to teach me about baseball." She rolled her eyes, though she may have been more amused by this prospect than she let on.

Meri herself issues a smirk at the tail end of Lita's explanation. Baseball. Yeah, she could see Hudson trying to teach some chick he thinks is a hottie about baseball. "Oh. Baseball. Good times." Meri's tone suggests no real fondness for the sport. "The shop is still standing. Some days I am surprised by that. Not because we are not both talented artists but gosh, we can most certainly be the worlds biggest flakes." This business elsewhere certainly catches Meri's attention, brow lifting a bit. She'll delve into that line of questioning a bit later, it might make good conversation while Lita was jabbing a needle into Meri. "Anyway, down to the nitty gritty, eh? I am looking for something on the inside of my left wrist. Going to go slightly cliche here with this one. I would like a swallow carrying a banner that has Daine's name written upon it. I can't recall if you met Daine or not before we both disappeared but he was a druid with a focus on earth magic and, not to offend his maculinity, but he had a bit of an affinity for flowers, so I am hoping you could incorporate a few very colorful flowers into it. No particular type, I am not picky. But forget-me-nots may be nice for this piece." Of course Lita had limited space to work with and had to work it into Meri's already existing sleeve. Left was a mermaid themed sleeve.

Lita managed a grin at Meri's mention of them being flakes. She couldn't argue with that much. As for that nitty gritty business, she liked those parts. She straddled the bench in front of that low worktable towards the back of the room and patted her hand against the seat in front of her for Meri to join her. "Alright then," she mused. She didn't know who Daine was. Didn't know the name anyhow. They might have met once. But names never had been a strong suit for her. She'd wait for Meri to join her and then she'd reach for a ball cap someone had left on the table, twirl the braid of her hair into a loose bun at the back of her head and settle that cap backwards on her head, keeping her hair firmly in place and out of the way. Easier for working on those smaller canvases and Lita had no desire to interrupt those other beautiful art pieces Meri sported. Without asking she'd reach for the girl's wrist, letting her thumb arc across the little bit of unblemished skin left on Meri's arm and she'd smile a little as she settled Meri's wrist on the worktable. She reached for a piece of characoal as Meri explained what she was looking for. In faint outlines she sketched across Meri's skin, the outline of a little swallow facing to the left with its left wing tucked against its body and its right wing outstretched, the feathers extending between two of Meri's other tattoos. The banner it carried between its beak circled its left wing, keeping that wing pinned to its side- and fell over its back. Inside the banner she'd freeform the letters Meri wanted. Spelling was important. "Something like that?" She leaned back a bit to look at the sketch on Meri's skin from a few feet away. "I wouldn't maybe go overboard with the color, something more subtle. Maybe a streak of a teal green or dark pink through the wings and body of the bird but then around it we could add some splashes of color and rough sketches of flowers in purple and blue, give this illusion of a field of wildflowers. Maybe extend it between some of the surrounding pieces to spread that illusion." Lita might have had a thing for that context. The illusion of story-behind-the-story. It was a thing not often explored in body art, as you were trying to execute someone else's vision. She might have stared a minute too long at Meri's wrist, mulling over the vision in her head, before she'd tilt her head sideways to regard the woman with dark etyes and a sheepish sort of grin. "What d'you think?"

Meri knew the drill, she was not a novice at this and the work that Lita is doing will probably not be the last piece that Meri seeks to have done. There is still prime real estate to art all over and Meri was definitely a tattoo junkie. The artist would be nothing but compliant for Lita, she'd sit where indicated, her wrist would be kept loose so that it could be easily manipulated by Lita. No fight, no struggle. "Cute look," she teases Lita who now sports that abandoned ball cap. "Looks better on you than it does Hudson, hands down." Probably the culprit who left the ball cap, Meri presumes. Lita demonstrates exactly why Meri does not even bother doing her own tattoos (outside of the fact that it is more of a challenge to tattoo one's own self). "You know? I think you are right. It'd be nice to have it contrast a bit with the sleeve as it is it's own separate piece with it's own separate meaning. And I like that the colors still tie into the theme. Teal for water, pink for the sunset." The field of wildflowers, that one definitely hit home for Meri on a very personal note. It was so obvious and yet Meri had not even considered it. "Do you know how many times I drew a field of wild flowers when I couldn't remember?" There has to be a sketchbook somewhere filled with pages of just that. A field of flowers. "You are brilliant and I absolutely love it." Consent that the artist is ready for Lita to get down to the really fun part, the actual tattooing. No question of price, Meri was not concerned about how much this would run her -- whatever it was she would pay up. Like she'd stiff her own boss lady. Meri circles back to a something Lita said earlier that has peeked her curiosity. "So you got a bit of a side business going on or something? I didn't know you had other things brewing. But you said things were picking up for that? So what manner of business are you running, Lita-Love?"

Lita loved having willing participants in that seat opposite her. It was kind of rare. Mostly people wanted to watch or put in their two cents every other second or ask what she was doing and why and blah blah blah blah blah. It was nice to have a little slack on those reigns and it was an easy enjoyment between the pair. Made it easier to let conversations get distracted while her fingers went about the usual routine of choosing an array of colors to be mixed and splattered across the artist's skin. The vials of color in question were small and glass and Lita wasn't always so careful with them- usually how she ended up with smears of various colors across her arms in a workday. She'd let Meri steer their conversation towards mention of the ball cap and she'd stick her tongue out playfully at mention of Hudson. Lita was pleading the fifth. She'd smear a few shades of blue and green across her forearm, mix a couple here and there and let Meri choose which shades she liked best. Same procedures for pinks and purples to be incorporated as well. The color work was quick and they could always be changed later but once she got on a roll with a piece it was hard to let go of. She'd push the chosen few to the side though and picking up a needle would dip the tip into a vial of black ink. No countdown, no asking if Meri was ready, she'd let the girl keep talking as she hunched over to press the needle to her wrist. The initial lines were simple and smooth, the thin outline of that sparrow coming to life in stark contrast against the girl's skin. The details were simple- the feathers in the wings and tail, the brokenness of that carried banner. Perhaps it had traveled a very long way. "Guess the shop is really more the side business," she mused in answer to Meri's questions of work. Old habits really did die hard. She'd tried to make the shop a legitimate thing and in its way it still was but it would always just be the front for bigger operations, no matter how many tattoos were given. She leaned away from Meri's wrist as she finished the black outlines of the tattoo design. She arched her shoulders back, stretching out the muscles as she changed needles for some colored work. "Let's just say, I have an acquaintance who wants something that he thinks I have." Not that Lita had given any impression otherwise. Letting 'em think what they wanted was the first rule. "I don't have it but I do need this person to owe me a favor." Specifically, some more sensitive information. "So I'm in the process of obtaining this thing he wants." She was going to steal it. With Hudson's help. Hopefully. "To facilitate an amicable trade, if you will." She offered the woman a wink and then turned her attention back to that tattoo again. First would be a smattering of teals and greens blended into the tips of the feathers on the sparrow's wings and tail. Lita let the color fade away, following the arc of the feathers, not wanting to color the bird but just give any admirers an image of what the colors should be. She followed the same pattern with the banner and a dark pink-to-blush combination, skipping over the parts of the banner that were supposed to look broken or torn. "I stayed out of that world for a while now," Lita admitted as she moved to change that needle a third time to add some purple and red wildflowers across the background of the tattoo. (She was saving the name for last). Meri was a smart girl- she'd figure out what Lita meant about 'that world'. "Mostly 'cause of a boy." That was mostly true. She'd wanted to make things work. She'd tried. But the ultimatums killed her in the end. She stopped feeling free. Either way, with or without said boy, her heart broke. "It didn't work." But even that pain she'd buried between whiskey and work this last week. She shrugged slightly. Her lips pursed into a thin smile and then she was leaning back over Meri's wrist to work on some of those flowers. Closer to the sparrow and the banner the purple shapes definitely looked like the forget-me-nots Meri had requested. Petals overlapped in varying shades of purple, lilac and indigo and as the flowers spread away from the sparrow they became less descernible in detail but still retained the smooth arcs of petals. Farther away, between some of those other surrounding tattoos, Lita would carefully place a few spots of color as well, giving further illusion that the sparrow was flying over a backdrop of wildflowers. Lita was quiet as she worked, though she'd listen if Meri talked, nodding occasionally to let the woman know she was at least listening. She'd continue to add some shades of yellow and gold amongst all the purple shades and then some green as well. Enough to be tasteful, not enough to leave Meri looking like she'd spilled paint across her arm.

There was absolutely no reason for Meri to feel the need to try and control Lita's work - the two artists have worked together long enough that Meri was comfortable. Perhaps if she was unfamiliar with the tattoo artist performing the work she might feel the need to try and micromanage. That is not to say that Meri did not sneak the occasionally peak, more to see how much longer she would be subjected to the needle than out of concern of the quality of work, but the bulk of the time that Meri was seated in front of LIta, baby blues were on Lita herself. The tongue that is stuck out at Meri is met with a smirk, Lita was entitled to her secrecy -- not that Meri would hold judgement either way. When that needle first touches Meri's skin there is a bit of a wince but as the blonde was no stranger to this pain, Lita is spared being subjected to another one of those clients that whimpers and whines as the tattoo work progresses. There'd be the occasional sharp inhale when Lita hits more tender spots on her wrist, the location of the tattoo itself meant that it was bound to be one of the more painful pieces done. "I mean I always had a hunch," Meri confesses, as Lita was right. Meri was smart enough to piece things together and she started piecing things together right around the time she was hired here, when Lita and Hanan were quite insistent she not ever go through a certain door. Which is something that Meri has always respected. This is one of those moments where Meri sneaks a look in, it also gives her a moment to consider her words and pick them with care. This was the first time Lita was really opening up to her about this whole other life she lead and yet she was clearly still guarded with information. Meri could not blame her for that. "Anyway, that sounds like...quite the situation you are in." No pressing for additional details, Meri knew better than that. Delicate matters and all. The words that spill forth past her red lips should not really comes as a surprise to Lita. Meri has always towed the line, she's never been 'good' and yet she's not wicked enough to want mass genocide, but this other world was not exactly something that Meri was a total stranger to. "A lot of faces come and go in these lands. It can be hard to tell who is a friend and who is not sometimes, hm? We've known each other a long time and you gave me a job here even when you didn't have to. That's not something I am ever going to forget, yeah?" Another slight pause, but this time Meri keeps her gaze held strong on Lita. "So if you ever find that you are in need of help with this other business of yours? Well just know that I am very good at keeping secrets." With this final point made, Meri steals a look at Lita's progress, right about the time that she is bringing those wildflowers to life with reds, purples, blues, greens and golds. The sight causes a smile to spring across Meri's red lips and that is really the only critique that Lita gets on her work. "As for the boy? Funny how they've got such a way of making us come undone. Happily ever afters are a rare thing."

Lita had long since come to terms with the fact that she was better at befriending males. She was brash and abrasive, tended to speak her mind with little care for how others might hear her words and she was more likely to take what she wanted than ask nicely for it. Apparently these were unladylike qualities that went against societal norms. But she'd been damn lucky to find a kindred spirits in a few women just as brazen as herself. Meri was one of them. Though she hadn't spent much time with the lass, their meetings having been faw and too far between. But she had liked the woman instantly. That love and appreciation of ink was not as common as some might think. She'd spare a few minutes' break after finishing those flowers, leaning back from Meri's wrist to stretch her shoulders and arms backwards. She reached for a clean cloth, dampened it and gently wiped any excess ink from Meri's wrist. "Let me grab a smoke and I'll finish the letters, yeah?" It wasn't quite a question. She was already reaching for a cigarette and a match, inhaling slowly and holding her breath, letting the smoke fill and sting her lungs until she'd tilt her head away to exhale a steady stream of silver. She should probably be smoking outside but she wasn't about to start drinking during tattoo sessions so next-best-vice it was. "It can definitely be hard to tell friends from foes but with the right people, it's not so hard." She spared a grin for the woman as she offered the cigarette. "Might hold you to that in the coming weeks." There might have been a hint of forebearance in those words. Whatever happened with any plans she might make, she could at least know that the shop was in good hands. Maybe that was why she'd been so reluctant to open up to Meri in the years they'd known each other. "I don't know if I believe in the happily ever afters anymore." Maybe she never did. But she'd been happy, despite not believing in them. If offered she'd take another drag of that cigarette before handing it back and letting Meri finish it as she picked up a needle again to work on the lettering of Daine's name within the banner of that tattoo design. "Guess I believe in the happy-right-now, at least. Which I guess is better than not believing at all." She shrugged gently, letting her fingers follow the curves of those letters almost of their own accord. Nothing too strict but nothing too fancy, understated but powerful in its simplicity, much like the rest of the piece.

Many of those thoughts that Lita were having were shared by Meri, many of those qualities deemed unladylike by other women were very much appreciated by the other artist. It wasn't just a shared appreciation for ink that drew Meri to Lita. The request for a cigarette is not denied because it gave Meri a chance to indulge in one right alongside Lita. Before Meri has a chance to fish out her own hand rolled cigarettes from that tarnished tin that Meri has carried for years now, Lita beats Meri to the punch with an offer to share. Also not denied. The cigarette is passed to Meri, Meri takes a hit from it and passes it back to Lita. This process would continue until Lita either quit passing the smoke or until it was killed, whichever occurred first. No fussing from Meri if Lita did decide to keep the tail end of her own cigarette to herself -- that was her right. Those few puffs would be enough to tide Meri over until the session was completed. "I like that line of thinking," Meri states. Happy-right-now. This is logic that Meri might have to steal from her fellow artist. Meri repeats, "Happy right now." A small beat, Meri's gaze dropping briefly in contemplation to the tattoo that was nearly completed, watching the name take permanent shape into her flesh. A slight frown and then a shift in subject. Of all people to be tattooing Meri right now, Meri was thankful it was Lita as the artist was doing a fabulous job of keeping Meri out of her own head. "Hold me to it. I have got your back. Say, you remember when you first hired me here? How you and Hanan had express instructions not to go through a certain door? And you also gave me a little history lesson about this place. Where you got it from. Who you got it from. Say I were to say that I met a heavily tattooed man by the name of Leo who claims to know you. How would you feel about that? He is not the one you need owing you a favor, is he?" There was probably a reason for Meri's inquiry, like perhaps she did not want to have to feel concerned about picking sides and she trusted Lita's opinion more than most of the people in these lands. Her reaction would be telling.

Lita knew more than she probably cared to about needing to be distracted and kept out of your own head, your own thoughts. There was seldom a darkness greater than the one she'd known people to create and she'd fallen victim to her own before. It was sweet release to let go, to drown, to be carried away. But it was nothing. No sorrow, no joy, no laughter, no love. There was only emptiness and that darkness which demanded to be fed... Lita refocused her attention at Meri's repetition of those words, 'happy right now' and a little smile tugged across her features again though she remained silent as she worked. "The memories are vague, I'll admit." She remembered pieces, voices, colors. Dates and times and names were usually useless to her but, "I think I was working on Jecket's piece about that time." It had been years ago now and her brow furrowed slightly at trying to recall the events surrounding the creation of that tattoo. "But it sounds like something that'd happen." That door had always been a topic of conversation, regulars wanting to know what secrets it might hide, always guessing, contemplating and gossipping about what might be beyond it. Lita just let 'em talk. And even after she'd kicked Cal from using the tunnels for a while and tried to take the shop in more legitimate directions, the rumors had continued. She'd since made up with the smuggler, since learned how to unlock that door again but- Meri was vying for her attention again. She flickered a glance sideways to the woman at mention of the name Hanan and it was more surprise than sadness that crossed her features for an instant before she resumed her work. How long had it been since she'd heard someone else say that name? She swallowed hard, refocused again. And Meri's talk of Leo made her smile broaden. "You know the pirate, then?" She wasn't so surprised. More and more people did these days and more than one had made way to her shop it seemed. "Naw, he's not the one I need owin' me a favor. Gentleman from Gualon who's some information regarding a shipment leaving port for Cenril in the next few weeks and the means to alter a cargo manifesto. Just in case." Lita liked to be prepared. She was quiet again for a few minutes as she finished the last letter in that name. She took the damp cloth to Meri's wrist again, inspecting the letters, making sure they wouldn't need to be retouched. "Looks good." she said softly, leaning away to allow the woman to inspect the work. She gathered up the needles with ink still on them, dropping them into a glass jar of cleaning solution as she reached for a smaller glass pot of green salve. She twisted the pot open and before Meri could argue she'd smear a generous bit across the girl's wrist. It smelled like aloe and jasmine. "You runnin' with the pirate these days, then?" The question carried more amusement than judgment. "I'd tell you to be careful but I know better than that."

Meri's wrist was limp so it was easy for Lita to twist and examine the limb to her liking, to make sure the tattoo was a quality, to apply to the salve. The scent of aloe and jasmine brings a smile to Meri's lips, though this was not the first time she has smelled this particular salve. With the tattoo complete, Meri moves out of the seat and starts the process of helping Lita clean up. That was one benefit to tattooing someone who works out of the shop they own, Meri knew her way around to know what needed to be done. Lita had the needles and so Meri would pick up a rag to start with a wipe down of the space Lita was working in and the chair Meri occupied. Speaking the name Hanan was an instant regret for Meri, she knew the sentiments of missing someone all too well and sometimes that feeling doesn't get better with time. Meri makes a mental note to skirt around that name a little better in the future. "Looks more than good, looks absolutely amazing. I more than love it." Which may or may not be saying much because Meri could probably never pick a favorite tattoo. She loved them all for their own reasons. There are quite a few things that Lita has just said that cause Meri to want to raise a brow at a few points. Like the memories were hazy, and mention of this fellow being in Gualon. No more questions come from Meri, as the blonde presumes she has pried enough into Lita's life for one sitting. Life for them was like a game of poker, everyone wanted to keep a straight face and their hands hidden, maybe even a card or two tucked up their sleeve just in case. "Mm," comes the slow answer Lita's final question. "All I can say is that I have met the man a time or two but it would not be quite fair for me to say that I am running with anyone. We'll see." Which was not Meri trying to dodge the question, it was an accurate and honest summary of her standing thus far. "What do they say though...never trust the tameness of a wolf, aye? I'll mind myself." Hopefully. Meri said that last sentence with confidence, like everything would be under control, but both women were likely no strangers to the fact that things could spin out of control. Quickly.

Lita didn't mind hearing that name, it had just surprised her. Most people didn't bring it up around her and she tended not to just because there wasn't much point in it these days, honestly. She was grateful for the help in tidying up though, that was for sure. She hadn't noticed the young man leaving the front desk either but as she glanced up over Meri's shoulder, the boy had tidied the books away but left the front door open for them. Lita managed a quiet smile as Meri spoke of how much she loved the tattoo. She was almost always proud of her work (no one's perfect) but she wasn't boastful. She'd rather a piece speak for itself apart from her personal input. Each piece told a story, carried a meaning, a memory, an emotion and they weren't her stories to share with the world so much as she got to be the vessel that helped bring them to life for someone else. In this way, she felt she got to be a part of the world's creation, in some small part. Each piece became her light in the darkness, her way back. She was still watching Meri in that quiet reverie when the woman spoke again, bringing their conversation back to the pirate. There were few people left in the world that Lita would stand alongside anymore. The pirate was one of them. Though she hadn't realized it until he'd come back to the island. She managed a smirk and a little laugh at Meri's quip about not trusting the tameness of a wolf. "He's one o' the good ones." There might have been a quiet protective edge to those words. "Well I'll say this, if you ever find yourself wantin' someone to run with, you know where I am." She managed a playful wink for the woman. "Next time we meet maybe you'll honor me with something pretty instead." Meaning the tattoo.

"With you? Whenever you need it, whenever you want it, more than happy to, any time." Really all that Lita needed to do to enlist Meri's aid was spill the details of whatever endeavor she needed help, now or down the line. As far as Meri was concerned, she owed Lita a lot but that was a point that she has already expressed. Who knows what Meri would be doing if she wasn't taken in to this parlor? "We'll have to chat about that over drinks sometime soon." The protective edge to Lita's voice doesn't go unnoticed. "He's a good one," Meri concedes with a smile, as if to make it clear that she really had no ill intent toward Leo, his current posse, or any of his plans. "He's a smart one. We don't know each other yet." Obviously they knew each other but they didn't -know- each other. It made sense to Meri. The subject of coinage was not something that either woman really discussed during this session but if anyone has an idea of how much a tattoo should run outside of the artist before her, it's Meri. Ample gold is provided to cover services rendered and tip, contained within a small leather satchel, and is casually dropped on the counter somewhere near Lita. Maybe Lita wasn't expecting payment but Meri also wasn't expecting a freebie either. "What I do know about him is that he mentioned he was itching to get some ink, or maybe some touch up work, but wants to stay loyal to his original artist." A suggestive grin is flashed toward Lita. That original artist was clearly not Meri, who else could it be? A start for the door, an indication Meri was heading out, barring any final thoughts from Lita, "I guess it's time to close up shop, eh?"