RP:The Spade
Summary: Two women, a new tattoo, and a lot of talk.
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.
This message has been left pinned in response to Meri's public board posts in Cenril and Rynvale.
Doll, make it back to the island sometime, I've got a job for yah.
There's no name signed, just the flourished sketch of a black spade.
It had not taken Meri long to notice the note pinned to her own advertisement. Intrigued was an understatement, the spade was a signature that no one familiar had quite yet revealed to her and yet this note had an air of familiarity. 'Sometime' suggested that this mystery person was around the island enough that as long as Meri showed up 'sometime', they would take note of it and conversations would be had. There were not many out in Rynvale on a frequent basis that also called Meri doll. This mystery person was also familiar enough with Meri to know that the woman often haunts Cenril and Rynvale, good choices to try and get Meri's attention. The pinned notes are removed from both boards and it is too SoulsKin Meri goes. The woman is more than content to hang around both shop and island, at least for a few days, to get confirmation on who left this request. There was a list of names in her mind, it was not really a long one either. Plenty of work to be done while she waits for the notes sender to make their reveal: walk-ins, pieces for current clients, and the less fun nitty gritty details like cleaning and organizing. These things could not be forever ignored, as much as Meri wished they could be.
It likely wouldn't take long for Meri to learn that Lita carried the title of the Ace of Spades. Though it had been a long while now since she'd been that person, it was a moniker still remembered in Rynvale. She was down below the shop when she heard someone piddling about in the front room. More than likely it was the lad who'd been studying art at the shop on occasion. So with a sigh she made her way up the steps and through the back door (the one that most were under strict orders not to use). She was a little surprised to find Meri in the shop, tidying up, and it took her a moment to move from the doorway. Whatever was behind her was shrouded in darkness and she nudged the door closed again with a bare foot. Raven curls were pinned up into a messy bun, stray curls having fallen out of place during whatever foray had left a smear of dust across bare knees and the hem of her dress. She smiled at Meri though, revealing the split in her lower lip and she winced softly as she ran her tongue across it. "Good, you got my note." Not that Lita could see a note. Meri could have simply been here by happenstance. But it wasn't exactly a secret that she had run as the Ace. She brushed a hand across her dress though it didn't do much for the dirt there. "How are yah, doll?"
Meri is not too surprised when Lita's appears from the back door of the shop, not that she had known Lita was down there. It was just not the first time the other artist had made such an entrance. There is a bit more surprise when Lita makes mention of the note -- only one note that Meri has received of late without a clearly known signature was the one drawn with a Spade. "Only you would sign your name with art." Art was perhaps used a bit liberally in this case, some may argue that a quickly drawn Spade is not art but that is neither here nor there to Meri. No smile comes from Meri though, Lita'a split lip quickly stealing the woman's attention. Meri reaches out, as if considering grabbing Lita by the chin to hold her face still so she can get a better look. It is not taken quite to that extent though, Meri just instead tries to will Lita to hold still through subtle suggestion, placing the tip of her index finger beneath the woman's chin and applying slight pressure, rather than taking a more forceful approach. "I will be better once you tell me who the hell thinks it is a good idea to go putting their hands on you." It was not that Meri did not think Lita could not handle herself. She knew better than to doubt the abilities of her friend. Still, friends are often protective of one another.
Lita wrinkled her nose a little playfully at Meri's mention of her signing her name with art. She'd take that as a compliment. She hadn't expected the woman to reach out to her and her first instinct is to pull away suddenly, her left hand lifting a little as if she might swat Meri's hand away but she made herself be still as the other artist looked her over. Wasn't much to fret over really, could have been a lot worse. Lita let her smile soften as she lifted her left hand, slender fingers wrapping gently around Meri's wrist. Her thumb caressed a smooth arc just below the woman's palm, almost reassuring. "You should see the other guy." she managed in a conspiratorial whisper as she offered the woman a wink. "I'm glad you're here though. It's been a few years now since I had some new ink and I was hopin' you'd do me the honor, yeah?" Assuming Meri wouldn't stop her, she'd move around towards the worktable, rumaging through a sketchbook or two until finally finding the page she wanted. The page was littered with various sketches of infiniti symbols, flowers, ribbons, feathers and words. Clearly she was the most decisive person ever. Towards the bottom of the page was one that she'd circled. The infinity symbol itself was fairly simple line work but on the bottom right of the design was a flurry of feathers and beads and a few stars, fairly whimsical. On the top left of the design was the outline of a lotus flower. Lita had decided against any words on the piece, at least for now, and while the page was scattered with various color gradients, she'd decided against that too, leaving the piece in black and white. Which she knew was probably more boring than some of the things Meri had done for other clients but Lita's three other tattoos were in black and white also, no need to rock a boat you didn't have to. She was holding the book so Meri could see, studying the woman's face, almost nervously, awaiting an answer.
Meri's expression darkens considerably when Lita confirms that someone was giving her trouble. "If you ever want some back up," comes the blonde's gentle reminder. It is left at that, Lita is an independent woman capable of making her own decisions and who knew well her limits. Besides, reverse the roles and Meri would have no appreciation for someone telling her how to live and run her business. Lita is given full freedom to move about the shop as she so chooses with Meri's hand falling back to an idle position at her side. Meri herself does not remain stationary for she would tail after Lita once the other artist claims her sketchbook. Blue eyes briefly peruse the other work that is scattered upon the page but focus comes to rest on the design that is circled. There are very few pieces that Meri gets that she finds to be boring. The work may be simple and straight forward but often the simplest ones contained the most symbolism. A recent client made a request for nothing but runework, which broke down to nothing but simple line work for Meri and each rune only took her but a few minutes to complete and yet the tattoos for the client were rich with their own stories. The same hand that she used to capture Lita's chin is brought to life again, this time the tips of her fingers trail along Lita's work. Being so comfortable with Lita only earns her a rather direct question, "So what does this mean to you?" Feathers on one side, lotus on the other, there had to be a reason for these selections. "And where do you want it?" Lita would barely have time to answer before Meri is setting about gathering the required supplies for this session: black ink, the needles, clean rags, a bottle of water. All the items Meri would need are placed on a rolling cart that is wheeled over to the station nearest to where the two ladies already are. The artist would not express as much, but it was always nice to get a change of pace from her normal style. Colors were fun but Meri harbors nothing against being limited to black ink.
The last thing Lita wanted was to have Meri worrying over her. Not because she didn't appreciate the care. Rather, she didn't feel it was worth worrying over. A split lip and dirty knees was a far cry to the trouble she could have fallen into as of late. She wasn't surprised when the fellow artist got to work gathering surprise and she was grateful for the moment's distraction to find the right words to answer the woman's question. She wanted to be honest with Meri. She liked Meri, trusted her. Sharing was still a hard thing, especially when it came to her past. She furrowed her brow slightly, staring down at the sketch book page as she perched on the edge of the bench near the work table. "I came to Rynvale almost ten years ago now." Her voice was soft with the realization. Had it really been so long? "I came looking for my son and I never thought-" she paused a beat, settled the sketch book on the table. "I never thought I'd find friends or fall in love. After learning of James' death I realized I had this whole little family right here anyway." She bit hard at the corner of her lower lip. They were all gone now too though. She lifted a hand to tap her index finger over the lotus flower. "Lita means wildflower. I spent a lot of time with a tribe of gypsies before coming here and it kind of stuck. When I told Hanan, she laughed and said," Lita shifted a little in her seat, smiling softly as she mimicked the late Cap'n's voice, "'If you was a flower you'd be one o' them lotus things. Growin' right out o' the mud an' water, despite everythin' else. Pretty and tall and hella full o' yerself'." She shrugged bare shoulders a little. She didn't move to look at Meri, just kept talking. If she stopped now, she'd never finish. Her finger moved across the drawing to the flurry of feathers and she drew a little breath. "Most cultures use feathers as decorations in one form or another. They can mean any number of things but to me they've always been this symbol of change beyond your control, the loss of a past that is scary, sure but doesn't mean the future will be bad. I guess specifically here, they remind of the people I've loved and lost, who have shaped my heart in some way." A beat of silence as she tapped idly across the feathers and stars. "Will with his music and Alaine with her muffins and Deaglan, with all his darkness." She swallowed hard. She didn't feel like she was explaining the piece to Meri anymore but like she needed to say it out loud, to remind herself. After another moment, her finger idly traced the infinity symbol itself, two slow loops. "And then, Krice..." her voice broke on his name, despite her best efforts. That hurt was still new and raw and healing. "It had always been Krice, though. We were friends, even before Hanan and Deaglan and I think part of me even loved him then, though most of me was just afraid of that possibility. And I tried. We both tried." There were tears on her cheeks before she could stop them. Quiet, silver streams carving patterns in pale skin. "It just wasn't enough. Love wasn't enough." Her brow furrowed slightly and after a moment she tried for a smile, wiping the back of her free hand across her eyes. "I think it would have been easier if there had been someone to blame, you know?" She shrugged, gathering raven curls over her right shoulder. "I was thinking the back of my neck. Think that'll work?" As if she hadn't just spilled her guts across the shop floor in neon colors for Meri to see. Lita is clearly a master at conversational seques.
Meri was listening to the explanation, but at first she was listening while she was gathering the supplies and readying herself for a tattooing session. Lita goes on though, and while her words might in a round about way be connected to the tattoo that she is wanting, Meri felt compelled to stop her bustling about so that she could actually give Lita her fully attention. No lie, though Lita, this is something Meri regrets just a little bit because WHY ARE YOU LEAKING LITA!?! Seriously, woman, way to pull at Meri's heartstrings in a way that she has never been good at dealing with. What are you supposed to do when someone cries? Meri has come a long way in honing her abilities to interact and socialize with people, it is not something that comes as naturally to her as it may with others. Lita is presenting Meri with a slight challenge. Then just like that Lita was shifting the subject back to the tattoo, like she had not just hit Meri was this wave of emotion. "Sit," Meri commands gently, "Tie your hair all the way up for me." No objections to Lita's location of choice. With more novice clients, Meri might grab a brush and some temporary ink and go through the motions of painting the tattoo on the clients directly so that they can get the final word on the position and the size before it is made permanent. This is more for their comfort than Meri's, to build trust between client and artist. That step is skipped with Lita but with her permission, "We'll just go straight to the needle, yeah?" Assuming Meri gets a yes, both needle and ink would be taken up and the raven-haired woman would soon feel the sting of the needle on the back of her neck. Meri's reaction may at first seem like she was going to heartlessly dismiss and ignore everything that Lita has just poured out to her but no. Once needle meets skin, Meri will speak up again. Much like Lita, it is easier for the psion to find her own words when she did not have a set of eyes upon her, in this emotional instance. "Not to discredit the pain of others...But I think it is harder for people like us to lose those we care about, in whatever way they may decide to go." Be it in death, be it to incompatible life styles, or perhaps life just separated paths. "We spend so much time putting up walls, not wanting to let people get close, not wanting to trust...that when someone manages to scale our wall and weasel their way into our hearts...." There would be a pause in words and work long enough for Meri to shrug, but since Meri was working from behind Lita it would be a gesture that likely would go unseen. "One thing that I have learned about you over the years, Lita, is that you are resilient as a wildflower." As beautiful and delicate as wildflowers are, they are able to withstand the winter and grow back in the spring. A bit of a frown, "Krice was asking about you...Oh I forget how long ago. Two weeks or so? I was up in Frostmaw. It was shortly after the assault on the Frostmaw celebration. Did you two...have a fight?"
Lita wasn't often emotional and the fact that Meri wasn't fussing over her about it or asking her questions helped her remember to breathe. She knew she liked Meri for a reason. She shifted in her seat again, moving to sit where the artist instructed and she raked her fingers through her hair, tying her hair up in a loose bun, making sure all the strays were neatly tucked out of the woman's way. She reached her hands up and unclasped the silver chain from around her neck, the little infinity pendant Krice had gifted her folding into the palm of her hand. She nodded at Meri's suggestion of going straight to the needle. No complaints. She could of inked a stick figure giraffe on the back of her neck just now and Lita would have let her- hell, probably would have named it too. She let her eyes close, making herself be still as Meri worked that needle against her skin, that pain a familiar tingling burn that spread through her shoulders, down her arms and out to her fingertips. There was a comfort in that. In Meri's fingers against her skin, in trying to visualing the picture in her sketchbook coming to life against her skin. She wanted to apologize for breaking down a little on Meri there but instead she let the woman's words draw a little smile across her lips. "I believe the word she used when giving me the name was 'stubborn'. But I like resilient better." Sounded more sophisticated and what not. And then that smile faltered a bit as she mentioned Krice, Lita's fingers curling a bit tighter around that pendant in her palm. She drew a deep breath, reminded herself to relax. Did they have a fight? She almost laughed at that. "More, incompatible life styles." To steal a phrase from Meri's writer- thanks! "He deserves someone who will be there all the time, someone who can meet his friends and maybe settle down. I thought for a while that that was what I wanted. I was determined to be that person but the harder I tried to be someone he deserved, the less I felt like myself. The less I felt like myself, the more we fought, the more broken everything felt. In the end, I think, as broken and empty as this life feels most days, it's my life. With all its darkness and secrets and mystery. And maybe someday, somebody else who understands that world will want to live in that with me. But that's not who he is. And I couldn't ask that of him so I ended things instead." So maybe it was her fault, in the end. She opened her fingers, looked down at the little pendant in her hand. She wanted to ask if he was still wearing that ribbon she'd given him. But hearing Meri say no would break her heart all over again so she decided not to ask. If Meri didn't have a needle pressed to the back of her neck she might have shrugged. "What about you- Tell me about Daine." There's that subtle change in conversation thing again.
Luckily for Lita, Meri has far too much respect to prank the woman in such a fashion, let alone in such a state. She had just cried! Meri understood this was not the norm but also did not feel it was appropriate to push buttons right now. There is a soft chuckle when Lita talks of stubbornness versus resilient, ah memories. Meri works her needle along the back of Lita's neck, trying to work quickly so that the woman is not subject to the pain of a needle for an extended period of time. It would not be long before the infinity symbol is complete and then Meri would move to the details of the lotus flower, though her work slows as Lita shifts the subject back to Meri. One of the more sensitive subjects in the woman's life that not many think to ask her of. "Daine. Was a guy I met at the Kelay tavern years ago. One of those pretty, player, rich boys. Who was clearly slumming when he decided to get with me. Long story short toward the end there he wanted me to quit working and move in with him but I was digging my heels in because." Meri just did not want to quit any of her jobs? Every so often Meri references Lita's drawing to make sure she recalls the details accurately. "So we decided to revisit that idea after a vacation. Sailing, he picked. Except we met a mermaid who wrecked our boat and he ended up missing." And Meri returned without her memory. "So I thought, why not get that tattoo as a nice way to remember him since he probably freaking drowned at sea..." Meri pauses here, releasing a faint sigh as she recounts all of this for the first time in who knows how long. It is not the watered down, question dodging versions either. When her work resumes it is no longer the lotus she is working on, by the feel of things that must be done, because the needle has shifted to the area of the feathers. "Except wouldn't you know he finally decided to turn up again? Three years later? And he it seems like he just wants to pick up where we left off. Three years later. But I look at him and feel nothing but guilt because there was that time I was all dusted out and made out with that avain...Or that other time I kissed that chick. Or the fact that I even do dust at all. Not to mention the fact he was not keen on my drinking or smoking. I look at him and think about the number of lies I would have to tell him just so he would be okay...that or live life the way he wants to live life? I don't know that I would have even done that then? And it has been three years...I've met people, done some things, and to an extent accepted he was dead." One might think that Meri is done with the confession of her transgressions. As if a little drugs were not enough, but no, "And ever since that whole ordeal in Frostmaw I have been occasionally hearing this voice...So that is Daine. Another case of incompatible lifestyles...Another nice guy who deserves better. I am what I am. I feel like an ass." With only one color to work with and a straight forward design concept in a small space, Meri is very nearly done with Lita'a latest inkwork. Just a few finishing touches, a final cleaning, and then Lita is presented with a mirror so that she can angle it towards a second mirror.
Smuggler's Keep
A long winding staircase takes you down into the cellar of the store, which seems to be much further underground than it should otherwise be. In a world of shadows, lit only by the flickering flames of gas lanterns, the underbelly of the runner’s shady operation is revealed. Unopened crates and barrels line the damp earthen walls, and in various corners of the room rough hewn tables are set up, contraband in transit strewn across their surfaces. Some are destined for display and sale above stairs, others for re packaging and relocation to alternate destinations, be they private clients of the smuggler inland or the wider market offered by buyers in mainland Hollow. One might wonder how such large shipments are transported to and fro without alerting the authorities, but the presence of the opening to a rough hewn tunnel in the western wall of the room provides an answer. Should one care to traverse its depths, it would lead to the discovery that the tunnel spills out onto the now devastated Sandy Beach of the island’s southern shore.
Lita keeps quiet as Meri works, keeps still. The needle doesn't bother her anymore these days. She'd done the wrist tattoos herself, after all. The silver infinity pendant had settled against her palm and she was tracing it with her thumb as Meri worked and talked. Seems they had similar luck in love over the years. "What is it about these guys that come into our lives and steal our hearts and even when we think we're willing to change and give up everything for 'em, we just can't give up that freedom in the end. So we end up feelin' like the bad guys and yet we end up carryin' the memories in ink, like they're too heavy for our hearts to hold anymore." That's what this was, after all. An acceptance, a riddance, a quiet plea. A chance to remember without having to see it every day, without having to hurt over it every day. A hope to move on. She'd still wear the pendant though. She wasn't ready to give that up anymore than she was willing to take off the Cap'n's wedding ring. They weren't about the promises she'd made anymore, they were about the things that had brought her here. She grew quiet again, letting Meri finished and she took the mirror from the artist to admire the work, her smile spreading like wildfire across her features to touch her eyes. Sometimes there just weren't any words. She was quiet for a long minute, staring, before she'd stand and turn simultaneously, leaning towards the woman to press a grateful kiss against her cheek. "First tattoo I've gotten from someone else in more than a decade. Feel special." She set the mirror and her necklace on the worktable and waved a hand and the mess that would need to be cleaned up eventually. "Leave all that, I want to show you something." And without asking she'd reach for Meri's hand, tugging her across the room towards the shop's back door that was never supposed to be opened. She swung it open now, light from the shop's main room illuminating little more than the beginning of a staircase that wound downwards counter clockwise. "There's a railing, don't worry." Lita was talking as she closed the door behind Meri. The staircase wound downwards about twenty steps before opening up into a cavernous cellar lit with the soft glow of lanterns. Crates and barrels were organized in groups around the cellar, a few tables with seemingly random items strewn across them. A game of cards had been left scattered across one of the tables alongside an open bottle of rum and a trio of glasses. Lita shook her head at the mess. "Cal and the boys mostly took over the smuggling runs with Finn gone. I was mostly in and out." She kept the law out of her business and strangers away. She pointed towards the back of the cellar, where a few yards away the tunnel curved out of sight and continued onwards. "Tunnels open out onto the beach near this little cove." A low growl came from the eastern wall and Lita turned with a grin. "But this is really what I wanted to show you..." One of the crates was turned on its side, the lid propped at an angle to keep whatever was inside shielded from view. Lita tugged at the lid to lean it upright and leaned against it, peering inside the crate. Chio, her mutated hound, was curled up amidst a few old blankets and tucked there next to the mutt were two speckled dragon eggs that Lita and Hudson had 'liberated' from Frostmaw recently. "I had a buyer lined up south of Gualon's main city said he might be interested in a dragon egg or two out of Frostmaw. Deal fell through." She shrugged. "Cal wants to find a new buyer. Tried to snatch the eggs earlier today and Chio damn near took his hand off for it. I think he's grown a little attached."
A smile touches Meri's red lips when it is made clear to the blonde that the tattoo is appreciated, this seemed to be one of the more personal pieces that Meri has done and in the back of her mind she was always concerned how the final product would be received. Sure, she has done numerous tattoos and has quite a portfolio to show for it, but one never knows until they know. Lita could have hated it! Meri was about to start the process of cleaning up after her work, by now it was something she could probably do in her sleep having gone through the same routine over and over again. Today that routine would be delayed as Lita snags Meri by the hand and leads her to that door that has been entirely off limits -- of course Meri is not a dumb one and she has formulated her guesses over her years here. Today is the day that she gets to see how off base she has been with her assumptions. Down the stairs they go but Meri does not bother with using the railing, her steps are confident enough and by the time they reach the bottom her blue eyes have adjusted to the poorer quality of light down here. "Huh," Meri says as she studies the tunnels but her attention does not stay on them long. Red lips twitch upwards, unable to conceal her amusement when Lita mentions the name 'Cal'. "Funny thing. I know a guy who goes by the name of Cal on the mainland." That smirk does not linger on her lips for long, Lita advances towards the crate and Meri follows with that smirk fading into a more serious expression. While it may ultimately be the crate that Lita wants Meri to look into, the hound, the dragon eggs, and the story that accompanies them do not escape her attention. In fact that steal it before the crate even does, blue eyes rest on the mutated hound and the eggs he seems to guard. "Um, well if you do not get rid of them you are going to end up with two dragons, right? If they are viable eggs...and Chio is keeping them warm...." Two Frostmaw dragons running loose in the caves beneath the tattoo parlor. Hm. "What would you do with two dragons...." That is ultimately neither here nor there, for what Lita wants to show Meri is not the dragon eggs but the contents of the crate. The psion lets her gaze shift from Chio and his preciouses to the depths of the crate to see...
The two dragon eggs were exactly what Lita had wanted to show Meri. Maybe they weren't as impressive to the rest of the world. But she'd almost gotten herself killed getting them and more importantly, had almost gotten Hudson killed getting them! Lita shrugged bare shoulders at her fellow artist. "No idea if they're viable or not." Her nose wrinkled slightly at the way that phrase sounded. "And I have no idea what I'd do with 'em if they did hatch one day. Try to sell 'em maybe? I imagine a young impressionable dragon could go for a few or more shiny coins." Not that she was in it for the money. But it would be nice. Chip dipped his head from within the crate, fixed her with his one good eye and growled at her low from the back of his throat. Lita chuckled at him. "Yeah, yeah, you're all bark." she chided, though she knew first hand just how far from the truth that was, they'd come along way from that first meeting when the hound had almost killed her. She'd been a human back then... She shook her head a little to keep her mind from easing down memory lane. "You know Cal?" Lita turned to regard Meri again, furrowing her brow slightly. "From the mainland? Must be another bloke. This Cal- Calvin- don't call him that, 'less you wanna lose a limb or two. Anyway, blonde bastard, used to run with Finn back in the day. Spends most his time traveling with the caravans through Gualon, when he's not up this way runnin' goods." It felt good to be honest with someone about all of this. Maybe things with Krice would have worked if she had been honest with him. But there were shadows Lita and Meri danced through that people like Krice worked hard to avoid and this life involved a darkness she wouldn't wish on anyone who didn't choose it. There was a beat of silence and then Lita was nodding towards a table off to their right, where mortals and pestles of various sizes lingered. A few makeshift shelves have been dug into the earthen wall of the cellar and are lined with jars of powders in various pigments. "Also, if you ever need a color," she let the words trail away from her. "I've been teaching Jax to mix ink too, red and black mostly, can't really mess 'em up." Jax, the young kid who manned the front desk most days and helped keep the shop tidy when he wasn't working on his cover-up work. "I'm really glad you're a part of all this, doll." she grinned. "Probably should've showed you all this a long time ago." She shrugged again. That was as close to an apology as most ever got for being kept at arms' length in her life.
Meri had a bit of a blonde moment, not realizing that they were talking about then very thing that Lita was wanting to show her. It was the dragon eggs! With one hand, Meri motions to just about an inch or two above her height, "The Cal I know has an inch or so on me in height, black hair, blue eyes. Still a bastard though." That last portion is said with a bit of a smirk, as while it was accurate enough of a statement, Meri was not thin-skinned and did not really mind Cal's lack of charm. In what may not be the smartest decision in Meri's life (this could be said about her a lot), she tries to claim one of the eggs from the crate, but the words that 'Cal had almost lot a hand' still ring clearly in the woman's mind. Meri does not actually reach within the crate, one of the dragon eggs would smoothly levitate out of the crate and into her hands. Maybe Chio would be more tolerant of this approach, maybe he would try and chew her face off, eyes are on Chio with the expectation that he would not be pleased with the psion taking the egg in her own way. Careful steps are taken to distance herself from Chio, just in case. "What sort of price are you and your Cal hoping to fetch on these guys?" A beat. "I can see about putting a few feelers out to see if anyone is interested in taking these guys off of your hands..." Another pause as Meri starts considering the details. "In fact, I think that we should see if the Cal I know can't help us out with this. He travels around, dealing with merchants on the mainland. Enchantment. Cenril. So on. I will keep the details minimal, of course, but I think he could probably unload them for us no problem..." And if he could not well, then maybe he was not quite cut from the cloth that Meri thought he was, but she was confident she was correct. Having just been exposed to this little operation, Meri does not want to overstep bounds, so eyes go from Chio to Lita, waiting for yes or no. "As for not bringing me in sooner..." A shrug, Meri just always wrote it off to bad timing. There was Daine, Meri's year as an amnesiac and Lita's own gypsy soul. "We are here now. As for the kid? I will have Jax start mixing more, test him with the red and the blacks and if he does alright maybe I will give him a challenge or two." Within reason. Meri would not go from 'mix this ink' to 'do full color back piece on this guy - he wants. His entire back covered.' It would be baby steps for Jax.
Meri is way more cut out for the socialization bit of their business than Lita is. Even with Finn around, Lita had been much better suited for the shadows, behind-the-scenes operations and what not. She rather enjoyed pulling the curtain strings so to speak, keeping to shop just legit enough to keep the law appeased and at least knowing which palms to grease when too many questions started floatin' around. Lita was never the socialize-and-build-relationships type. That had been all Finn's game and she'd been fine with that. She watched as Meri beckoned one of the dragon eggs closer. Chio ventured out from the crate but he was mostly non-threatening, more curious about what Meri might do with it than protective. Lita kept a watchful eye on the hound, all the same. He bipassed Meri and butted his head against Lita's knee, at which point she bent a little to scratch behind his ear affectionately. He growled a little and turned his head to nip at her fingers playfully. "Feel free, we'll see what comes back. Not sayin' I'm sellin' but I'm not an unreasonable person." Another shrug. "Jax still isn't allowed down here. You're welcome to come and go as you need to, or to explore," she motioned a hand towards the far end of the tunnels. "Just try to do it if the shop's empty or if the front door's locked up. Cal's got six or eight regulars that run for him through here. There's only two of them allowed through the shop door and only because they keep track o' the numbers, wash gold through the shop's books. I'll introduce you if they're ever around but they keep to themselves mostly. They know who you are, they won't give you trouble." There's a cache of gold and silver tucked away in the tunnels for safe keeping but Lita figures there's been enough show-and-tell for the day. "We should head back." She glanced down at Chio, who was watching Meri with that egg again. "You staying here?" The hound ignored her, wriggling the stub of his tail. Lita shrugged at him. "Well, you know how to get home from here. I'm lockin' the shop." Chio kept ignoring her and Lita rolled her eyes playfully, reached out and pat Meri on the shoulder. "You'll have to introduce me to this Cal character you know sometime. Maybe after you've brought up the question of the dragon eggs."
The dragon's egg that Meri had delicately clutched within the grasp of her hand falls, it might seem as though it would go tumbling down straight to the ground and potentially crack. Dragon omlette for dinner anyone? The psion is not nearly so clumsy and careless. Rather than a crash course toward the earth, the egg glides fluidly back into the crate so that Meri can keep her distance from Chio and while the mutt can have his precious back. We should get back is met with a nod of agreement and Meri starts for that spiral staircase that leads back to the shop, giving pause so that she can watch Lita and Chio while they have their little discussion. The sight of this little disagreement between owner and mitt brings a smirk to Meri's lips. Once it was clear that Chio was just going to ignore Lita, Meri resumes her path up to the main level. The fact that Jax was not allowed down here was met with a nod. It was for the best, the kid was young enough that he perhaps still had hope for an honest life. Maybe he would not have to deal with some of the issues that Lita and Meri face, having to cut ties because of incompatible lifestyles. No argument from Meri, Jax did not need to be involved. "Be happy to introduce you. I will see if I can't get him to come out this way to Rynvale to say hello. After the matter of the eggs. Let's count this as a test for him...See if he cannot arrange a buyer and do so without trying to screw us over in the process..." This thought would be finished by the time the two women finished ascending the staircase, no more talk of those eggs from Meri once they passed the threshold of the door leading back into the parlor. "I will send word depending on his results."
Lita followed Meri towards the staircase once she realized Chio was just going to ignore her. The hound had been mostly mad at her these last few weeks. Lita was pretty sure he just missed Frostmaw and a certain warrior. Those two had had a weird bond. With a little resigned huff she followed the fellow artist back up into the shop, securing the door behind them with a nod. "Sounds like a plan." All the stuff about this Cal person, that was. A grin tugged across her features as Meri mentioned that this could be a test of sorts for him. "A test, huh?" She mulled over the idea for the minute it took to cross the parlor floor to help Meri clean up the mess they'd left on the worktable. She couldn't help picking up the mirror and admiring Meri's work etched into her skin. Her smile softened and broadened all at once, leaving her distracted for a moment before she'd continue helping Meri clean up. "Sounds like fun. Keep me posted."