RP:Sunflowers and a Butterfly

From HollowWiki

Summary: Valen gets a tattoo, sunflowers and a butterfly.

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.


Thamalys swung the wooden door with his usual graceful elegance - that of a water buffalo in a china shop. As such, said doorway slammed into the wall with the loudest of the bangs, accompanied by a couple of solid blue eyes rolling and an almost painful sigh. “I swear, these sodding doors…” went the Blue, trying to evaluate the damage - very little but for the noise, luckily enough. For now, though, as the inside promised more havoc for sure, given the awful number of glassy, colourful and broadly speaking fragile things decorating the room. He exhaled loudly, before stepping in - or at least trying to, those huge silver-clad wings protesting loudly, clinking sounds merrily announcing his arrival. The Spellblade had no weapon with him, but for the ink covering his own skin, that is. The feathery company of Nebb was also missing, but on the other hand the Winged beast carried a bulky satchel filled with… well, hard to say, but it looked bloody heavy. Oddly contrasting with his waist-long ivory-white dreadlocks, he sported a wholly dark attire: pitch black leathery pants, a greyish shirt embroidered with crimson motifs reminding some flames and fires hanging loose upon his shoulders. Carefully, he hinted a step forward, his gaze finally nailing to everything and possibly everybody populating the store.


Meri was hard at work within the shop, not tattooing anyone but having a bit of a slow moment at the shop and so she was on hands and knees in front of an open cupboard that has had all of its contents yanked out and set on the floor. Why? Meri was cleaning it. At least she was trying to until the front door of the shop unexpectedly opened. If it had just been a gentle opening like any average joe would have been capable of doing Meri probably would not have been startled...but the door slams open, causing the blonde woman to jump while her head is inside that cupboard. Her head collides with the top of the cupboard, causing her loose a string of expeletive language. It gets worse before it will get better, several jars of ink rest on top of the counter whose cupboard she was trying to tidy up, one dangerously close to the edge. That jolt from Meri smacking her head on the counter is enough to send is careening over the edge and crashing to the ground. Ink gets everywhere and Meri just starts swearing more. Her head hurts and she has an even bigger mess to clean up. Thamalys? He might have gained a warmer hello from Meri but she does not lose her temper with him either. Just some light grumbling, "Pretty sure the door works just fine. What are you trying to do? Rip it off it's hinges? You break it you buy it, okay?"


Thamalys added some more imprecations to the already hefty mix, before actually hastening toward the inky mess laying ahead. “By the Wind, I am - so - sorry… I am paying for that… is it crimson, by the way? What a strange shade…” he begun while kneeling down, utter attention paying to the very rims of his wings, hopefully far away enough from anything ready to roll and shatter on the floor - a number of options being presently available in that sense, in fact. Swiftly opening his satchel, the Blue would have produced a rather battered rag - and, one whole bottle filled with a nut brown liquid, swaying lazily beyond the glass. Without a word, the Spellblade would have proceeded to uncork said bottle, pouring a generous amount of the gleaming liquid onto the rag and on the inky stain as well, immediately after starting to brush the floor as if that was a matter of life and death, a bit of tongue actually sticking out those grey thin lips, his wholly body focused on the simple task. Some further details would have probably not gone a missed, though: for one thing, the Winged Beast had not just - one - bottle, but in fact a full array of about a dozen in that satchel, all looking fairly similar, albeit subtle differences in the colours could have been appreciated by the keen eye. Then, the smell - no, wait, the most sophisticated aroma of smoked wood and malt, ripe barley and honey, a hint of nut as well, perhaps… - of the impromptu cleaning product was not to be mistaken for sure: a most strong liquor it was, much of it already wasted on the very floor…


Meri was in the process of picking up the numerous supplies she had taken out of the cupboard and trying to shove them back inside before ink seeps their direction given Meri and Thamalys even more to clean up. With that accomplished Meri pushes to her feet and grabs numerous clean rags, dropping them in front of the puddle of traveling ink to prevent its spread. The fact that Thamalys has several bottles in that satchel of his definitely goes unnoticed by Meri, who usually prides herself in being ridiculously nosy. She is just a little distracted with frantically cleaning up the mess. "No, Thamalys. You do not need to pay for the ink. I was joking." Mostly. If he had actually ripped the door off it's hinges she might have meant it then. The smell does not escape her attention, that was impossible not to notice, especially as she has fallen back into a crouch to help with cleaning up the last remainder of the ink. Dirty rags are deposited into a hamper full of rags needing to be washed once the job is complete. "It is crimson, yes. People want me to be able to tattoo ima variety of colors...." Meri says with a sight once she is done cleaning. "What was that stuff you were using to clean up? It smells good. I like it."


Thamalys was sort of polishing the flooring till it actually gleamed cleaner than its surroundings - he would have stopped at that point, and even more so as the words of the Fair Headed One reached him. “Well, that… stuff it’s actually a quite good selection of proper scotch whisky. Pure malted barley, in fact, carefully aged in oak barrels for… uh, that particular one… some good ten years, I believe…” he noted while actually bringing the soiled rag to his pointy nose, inhaling intently. “Yes, yes, definitely ten years… would you like a taste? I got plenty! In fact, that is meant to be for Valen… well, not the whole lot, I reckon… he told me he was to have a tattooed done today… is that correct? I thought I could help with that… he is a kind soul, no need for him to go through the pain… even I, after all these years of self-tattooing myself… I still did not get quite the full hang of it. It bloody hurts, let us face it… so, do you have some glasses?” He concluded, leaping to his feet slowly enough not to endanger any more of the glassy stuff around him.


Meri may need to take back her previous statement about not thinking that Thamalys was crazy, from that time they spoke on the beach about he situation in Larket. He was polishing her floor with whiskey? This. Avian! "Why are you using perfectly good whiskey on my floor! Alcohol abuse is strictly prohibited in this establishment! That is like the picture definition of abuse!" She points to the floor, there was no joking tone in Meri's voice his time, she felt pretty passionately about wasting good booze. "Normally I would say yes to having a drink but you are correct. I am supposed to be tattooing Valen very shortly and most clients prefer that their artist is in a sober state of mind. If I am not it increases the chances that I will mess up the tattoo?" Speaking do Valen's tattoo, Meri should probably go about setting up the preparations but Meri was not entirely certain what Valen had wanted yet. That made the prep work a challenge. Should we be getting ready for a colored tattoo or a black and white one. "Usually I like to have my clients in a relatively sober state too. Alcohol may be an effective pain killer but it can also thin the blood. Not that a person would bleed out or anything, I can turn a blind eye in Valen's case."


Thamalys did not flinch by the tiniest extent at the words of the Tattooed One. “I beg to differ, m’lady… alcoholic mixtures such as this rather fine beverage are in fact quite efficient solvents… why, look at your floor - spotless, is it not?”, he noted, a bony finger pointing toward the ground. “But I do agree with you, the Immortal deserves the best of your art… let us not spoil the grace of your hand with such a strong drink… and I, I shall wait for the Vampire to show up before - possibly - indulge myself into that…” he pondered, before lining up to a shelf near by a full line up of bottles, perching on the two of them like amber sentinels on a mighty still watch.


Meri chuckles lightly st Thamalys, if the boys wanted to have a little party in the tattoo parlor -- well as Meri said she would turn a blind eye in this instance. Others may not fair so lucky and she may have actually stuck to her guns on the issue of no boozing in the parlor. Needles are set onto a rolling cart, more clean rags, a jar of black ink, a fine-tipped brush, and a vial of temporary brown ink. At the very least Meri knew she would be needing all of these items, they were the staples in every job hat she did. "Well just don't get too torn up and wild up in here, otherwise I do not mind." Blue eyes drift toward the window, trying to note the position of the sun in the sky. "Where is Valen anyway...You men really need to learn to stop and ask for directions when you just lost. Just saying." Was that really the situation for Valen? Eh. Meri did not know, it was just some cheeky comment the woman was prone to making.


Valen would make his way through the doors with a nervous walk. Idly he would look around seeing Thamalys, and Meri eventually, and look down at the floor with a shuffle of his feet. "I'm sorry if I am late...I got kind of lost. It's been forevor since I was in Rynvale last." He was sporting just a simple ruffled shirt, along with tight and black leather pants. It was certainly not what he was used to wearing most of the time, but he figured a dress would make his tattoo request rather...well, impractical as far as the actual application of it. With a sigh he would look up at Meri, those piercing blue eyes showing much sign of nervousness and trepidation as he spoke "So...how does this usually happen? Do I tell you where I want it first? Because I know that, I just don't know -what- I should get...It's....ah..." HEre, a huge blush would come and he would have to turn away from embarrassment almost. "It's to be a gift for my husband..." Looking over at Thamalys, his smile would return to a almost unwavering feature, glad that his friend had said he would meet him. "Tham...What's the alcohol for?"


Thamalys witnessed the appearance of the Shadowmancer with a broad grin spreading quickly on those tattooed lineaments, seemingly carved out from a single block of white marble. Arms crossed, wide stance, he just limited himself to cant his head slightly toward the right, before getting to the matter at hand. “My friend, it is good to see you. I daresay everything is ready… here, let us start with a proper sip of this one… nothing to be worried about, ma’am, Avian and Vampires alike can easily get through this whole lot largely unscathed… right?” he offered in a tone that shown very little sympathy - but conversely some strong will indeed. The point was that the Blue’s mind reasoned chiefly by pure logic. As such, he just saw a simple task ahead: to reduce the amount of pain about to be inflicted to the Immortal by means of a solid dose of booze. Hence he went to recover from his satchel not some glasses, but - for the special occasion - a couple of awfully large mugs. Meant for beer, not really for strong liquors… nuances, nuances. “Why, this is - not - just alcohol! Mind you, I went to quite some length to recover these nectars… they will ease the pain and give you just the slightest hint of a headache tomorrow, on my word. You could even bring one back with you as a gift for York…” he went, while offering sad mug squarely filled already with the dangerously good smelling liquid.


Meri motions to the tattooing station that she and Thamalys are lingering by -- it is right where the avian has set up all of his bottles of booze. Valen's nervousness is met with a warm and easy going smile, he was not the first nervous client and he would not be the last. "Well ideally you will have some sort of idea what you want." Since it sounded like Meri would have to draw something up on the fly, she was bustling around to locate sketchbook and charcoal, returning with both in hand. This gives Thamalys and Valen ample chance to discuss what it is that the avian has brought for his friend. "So yes, lets start with telling me where you are wanting this tattoo to be at. Tell me if you want it to be in color or if you want it to be black ink only." Her sketchbook is opened to a blank page as she waits for Valen to explain what he is figured out this far, charcoal readied for some note taking. "Once I have a design ready I will walk you through the tattooing process step by step."


Valen would continue to smile at Thamalys with the utmost friendly affection, but would look at the bottles before saying in an obviously playful, but teasing tone "What...Not going to burn the floor this time, right?" As the Blue went about explaining, he had to admit he always felt so lucky that they had run into each other. Thamalys was always one he could count on and he hoped above all else that his winged friend felt the same in return. "A gift for York? He might like that actually....thank you! But...if ah...we could do without the headache that would greatly be appreciated...if not, I doubt it could ever be worse than a birthday party I had long ago with some of my home's rum..." A shudder ran through him. That had been a most unpleasant circumstance, but his parents had relentlessly teased him about it every birthday sense, and it was a good memory that he had of them. Upon Meri's return to the conversation, he would simply blush before about-facing, and lift up the back of his shirt with one hand above the waist line, and pull down the back of his pants just showing the first part of the crevace that ran between both lower cheeks, index finger indicating right above that line's beginning. "I was hoping for something to go here. Something small maybe, but meaningful. Originally I had thought of the phrase 'Property of York'...But...I'm not sure he would like that...Color would be nice though!" Finally he would turn around, blush still on his face after having admitted what he originally had wanted. "In lieu of that, however." Thumbing over his chin, a hand also running through his Crimson Red hair, the Vampiric Elf would ponder for just a few moments. "I...suppose a rainbow colored butterfly maybe? Wings looking like a kaleidoscope as far as the patterns on the wings themselves. Or....I don't know honestly Madame Meri. It...This will be my first one, and all I really want is for it to be special to my husband. I know he likes to play the piano, he enjoys cats..he..." Here, a blink would occur with a bright smile "He likes Sunflowers!"


Thamalys observed with interest the quite masterly manners of the Fair Headed - as the Blue himself was in need of some ink, but he was also the most cautious of buyers when it came to any addition to his own ivy-shaped motifs. In fact, but from trying to reduce the Immortal to the absolute numbness of the senses, he made his way to Rynvale in order to watch the Tattooed One in action as well. To the playful rebuke of the Vampire, he responded by lifting just one eyebrow - perfectly still otherwise, but for his long fingers already uncorking another bottle, that is. “Burn? Surely not! In fact, we have just finished to clean it up… wait, what?” he stuttered when the Shadowmaster revealed the selected location for his tattoo, the Avian widening this time his eyes to an impressive extent, even shaking his head slightly, in fact, as to reassure himself he was actually listening to real words - not to mention witnessing that sight. “Sunflowers, aye? Good thing a brought quite a few of these glassy friends…“ he muttered while pouring a rather generous dose of scotch into his own mug and swiftly proceeding to empty the latter, just to digest that particular bit of news.


Meri nodded. She did not start taking notes though, rather she started drawing. "If he likes sunflowers I rather feel that should be the focus. We can do one large sunflower for the center with a couple of smaller ones curving off to the sides." In the shape that most lower back tattoos seem to follow. "We can work a butterfly into the design, maybe it is resting on top of one of the smaller flowers with its wings opened?" More details could be incorporated easily, Meri could go on to suggest that they put musical notes surrounding the outside of the tattoo to further tie into things that York likes but Valen has also requested a tattoo that is on the smaller side. The more details that Meri tries to cram in, the larger the tattoo will end up being. Normally Meri would take the time to color in the concept so that Valen could have a better idea of the colors that Meri will be selecting but time is not something that they have much of. The shop will be needing to close soon! For the night that is. Valen is given a rough black and white sketch of what Meri is talking about, a sunflower tramp stamp with a butterfly on it. "For the wings I am thinking of going with reds, blues and purples so that is contrasts nicely with the yellows, oranges and greens if the sunflower. If this sounds good to you? I want you to lay down, belly down, on my tattooing table and shimmy those pants down just a bit. I mean you don't need to be mooning the world or anything by Tham and I are going to need to see some butt crack." Yes, Meri is a classy one.


Valen would have stuck his tongue out in another playful manner towards Thamalys, but at his reaction to the location of said tattoo, the Vampire could only hide his soft laugh/giggle behind the back of a hand, palm facing outward. "Oh com off it Thamalys...We went swimming in a bath-house together. It's nothing lewd, and it's going to be alright. The tatto is not for you, after all." Again, more playful banter before growing serious for a bit, pouring a glass for himself as he listened to Meri, although he would certainly sip...not down the contents. "I was wondering also, if at some point I might ask that you stop by the Academy or meet me somewhere soon....for a serious conversation. I am going to need your help." As he focused more on what Meri was saying, he felt like he had undersold the idea tremendously as her description was wonderful! It all sounded so perfect and with a soft nod and a, "You know, that actually sounds quite wonderful!" Blushing heavily now, he would down the rest of the drink, before going over to the tattoing table, arse up, and pull the tight fitting pants down about half-way down his rear. If Meri was not averse to some fan service, oh lord was she getting it now as the tightness of the pants was making the already perky and feminine rear just that more plump looking. Looking back at the Blue, he would offer a wink "You know it's a shame Thamalys....this -could- have been yours, and i'd have been getting this tattoo for you. But, things all worked out in the end so if anything...I should thank you for everything you have ever done for me...Consider this repayment for that." Blowing the male a kiss, he would try his best to relax and face his head forward. This was going to be interesting.


Thamalys followed the unraveling of the - by now- rather complex mixture of pictorial ingredients from charcoal to parchment, nodding slowly as the skilful hands of the Fair Headed brought ideas to proper design. He had in mind something much more complex for himself, but he appreciated already the smoothness of the strokes and lines he was presently witnessing. To the Vampire, he would offer a full refill, this time from a slightly darker quality of the liquor. “Down it goes, my friend. That… region of the body is well known for being quite a nasty one when it comes to tattoos-related pain… trust me, I can tell…” he would have added with not a single hint of embarrassment, eyes fixed in fact on the next victim of his thirst - he was moving up the ladder with the drinks indeed. Thus he would have let the artist to work her magic, from time to time only interjecting by means of a providential addition of scotch. However, the last comment of the Vampire did not go entirely unnoticed. “Cheeky Immortal…” he would have whispered, something similar to a rare smile surfacing across his face.


Meri is glad that the two men have one another to converse with while she works. "So...You are just going to lay still and we are going to dive right into the tattoo in three...two...one...." Right as she gets to one Valen would feel the needle pressing into his lower back. In other situations, to make a fist time client feel more comfortable, she would do up an outline of the tattoo using temporary ink for the final confirmation. On the upside, Meri could safely boast that she was a skilled artist who done up numerous tattoos for people in the past and has yet to make an error that could not be corrected. It would be the black ink that Meri would stick with for numerous minutes, nearing thirty minutes, working on the outline of the design. The men were left to their conversation and Meri to her work but there was one point that Thamalys did not address that she was beginning to think may have been meant for her, "You meant that you needed Thamalys to come to the academy, right? Not me?" Meri presumes yes, for what could she possibly be of help with at a place for mages? Black ink is traded out for colored ink next. Meri starts with the greens of the sunflowers first, green would be traded out for oranges for the center of the flowers and then oranges would be swapped out for yellows. Meri was not an artist that was of particular heavy hand but she also did not want to be so light in her work that the ink did not take. Pain is beauty? There would be times where Meri would pause to run a rag across Valen's back so that she does not get lost in the design cause of pools of extra ink. The butterfly would be the last thing that Meri tattoos, its kaleidoscope wings of blues, red and purples. "Done!" The artist declares, giving Valen one mirror and then holding up a second so he can see the finished product in the reflection. When he is done admiring the work, the tattoo is lightly bandaged and Meri goes on to explain. "The tattoo is going to run you two huindred gold. For humans, healing time is two weeks. You are not supposed to have any prolonged exposure to the elements during the healing time. That means no extended dips in the ocean and don't go tanning in the nude. If you heal faster than that? Great. You will need to moisturize twice a day, once in this morning and once in the evening. Flaking is a perfectly normal part of the healing process but do not pick at the tattoo and do not itch it either, do we understand? If we do then gents...It is getting late and I need to close up shop!"


Valen would have -gladly- accepted the refill, and downed it promptly. He was no longer nervous, but a bit frightened...he was not a fan of pain in the slightest. Ideally he would have wanted Tham to hold his hand, in order to help take the focus off, but he would never have asked for that aloud. "Geeze hun thank you so much for the reassurance I will be fine." Valen retorted, never losing that playfulness but by now it was him putting on a brave face. The smile from the Avian was a nice touch, and was glad he had seen it. 'He really should smile more often...He's very handsome when he does that.' would be his inner thoughts before waiting for the needle, or whatever the medium would be. "Well take a gander friend...There is certainly enough cheek there for all of Lythridel." Other than his hair, his waist and rear bumper was one of his -most- prized assets, along with his wit. In fact, his comment could have fit either of those qualities. As the needle started to press into him, tears would actually start to come to his eyes and he had to bite his lower lip. The drink was slowly starting to come to his aid but dammit this stuff hurt! Finally, as things progressed, he would answer Meri as best he could, once he at least felt he could trust his mouth to not scream. "Y-yes...Thamalys is who I meant." In his mind, he was not sure what he had been thinking. Yes pain was beauty, but this...this was enough to last him certainly for a bit. Once she was finished and announced as such, a sigh of relief would be given, and a genuinly happy grin at how it looked. His first tattoo, was a complete success. As he listened, all of these rules seemed to make sense and he of course would follow them to the letter. Being a Vampire though, after a feeding session later that day, he was sure it would easily cut down that time by half but would cross that when he got there. "Moisturize twice a day, morning and evening. Don't pick, and don't itch." With that, he would slowly get up off the table and eyes would go wide as he went to straight straight. That...was going to certainly be a chore for a bit, but he could push through it. "Thank you so much Miss Meri, here is the payment." Here he would hand over the gold requested, as well as an extra amount of one hundred as a tip. "You did fantastic work, and I certainly hope tos ee you again soon!" Moving over to the Avian with a wince "Tham...do...do you think you could at least help me outside?"


Thamalys was not even close to endanger the very end of the alcoholic lineup he set on that shelf, mostly as the tattoo was not one to require ages indeed. In all fairness, he sort of opted not too stare too intently to that Vampiric arse, occupying himself chiefly with the refilling of mugs. At the very end, slightly intoxicated by means of Avian standards - which is too say, perfectly sober, in fact, he would have picked the very last of those bottles, setting it apart from the remaining ones he shoved into his satchel. “This one is for you, ma’am. For the ink, or, if you will not let me, for having me here. And, if even that would not suffice, as a token of friendship - after all, chances are you will see me asking for more of your skills soon enough… till then, farewell!” he offered in one of his warmest tones. Shortly after, he would have surely enough offer some support to the aching Immortal. Mugs and bottles neatly packed, they were perfectly ready to triumphantly leave the premise, success achieved indeed. “Of course, of course…” he would have assured while hastening toward the Immortal, a whole arm for him to rest upon while ambling through the wooden door and out of the room indeed, but not before glancing back toward the Fair Headed, a small gesture of salutation offering. Into the busy streets of the shopping district already, the Blue would have also offered some ointment - a Healer he was after all - before climbing up into the skies, a well-deserved flight at dusk exactly what he needed to ponder further on tattoos and scotch.