RP:Those Chicks And Their Stars
Part of the The Day I Tried To Live Arc
Summary: Meri begins work on the tattoo design that she and Khitti have discussed. Part one of her mermaid half-sleeve. #inkedchicks #babeswithtattoos #ilikeyourstars #tattoolife
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.
Meri declares that it is shortly after sunset and the shop probably has about another hour or so of being open. It is a slower evening and Meri is without a client tonight, which makes sense as she more than likely would not start a full blown tattooing session at this hour for just anyone. Design talk? Plans for future tattoos? Those are still welcome conversations to attempt to engage in, it's not like the parlor would fully turn people away as the doors as still unlocked. It is quiet enough that Meri has also seen fit to send the apprentice, Jax, home for the night...Which means that the tattoo artist herself is at the front desk. With her nose in a book? And reading? What is this madness? That book would be put away when the door swings open though, any prospective clients will gain her favor first and foremost. Outside of that, there are really no changes to the parlor and the same doors, leading to either the upper or lower levels of the place are still locked.
Khitti was wandering along the shopping district road, headed in the direction of SoulsKin. She knew it was late, unfortunately, but she still hoped that -maybe- Meri might be up for doing something small. Sketching as she walked with a somewhat hurried pace, she almost walked right past the building itself, and even had to backtrack a few paces. Blinking at herself for getting so carried away, the vampiress shook her head, then pushed the door open to find the blonde with a book. “Erm, hi.” Khitti wasn’t good with females, as she’d been spending far too much time lately with Brand and Lionel--mainly the former over the latter. Okay, she’s just not good with people in general. Usually it’s just a lot of yelling and arguing, that’s so much more her forte. “I, uh, finished one of zhe sketches. Zhe other one is half done, but it’s a part of zhat half-sleeve I’d mentioned about possibly vanting before...after zhe Shadow Plane stuff is over vith.” There’s another awkward pause, “Are you busy?” Of course she’s not busy. “I know you’re probably going to close soon...I can come back another time.” And then she suddenly realizes her manners, “Also, how are you?” Yes, yes good. You can people. You can do this.
Meri thankfully was not good at being the stereotypical female, she might have her more girly moments but all in all. Besides, given where this parlor is located it would not due for Meri to be of thin skin. At least one of them has an understanding of the order you are supposed to go about conversing with people, so Meri flips the conversation around a touch. "Hey," she says toward Khitti, a cool smile soon forming across red lips. "It's going alright, just can't wait to get out of work." Even if she gets to spend all day drawing and inking, that last stretch before the doors locked up always make Meri twitchy. "How about you? Sounds like you're kind of excited about this tattoo you are wanting." The tattooed woman does not abandon her post behind the desk, instead she motions for Khitti to come closer to where she is. "Grab a chair, come on over, show me what you've got brewing so far." In the back of her mind, she was a little nervous to see the drawing. Some clients actually presented amazing talent when they present their own concepts, others should probably dedicate more time to practicing and probably should have let Meri do it from the start. Let the professional do it, folks! She is hoping Khitti will be on the more talented side of the spectrum -- that always makes things less awkward. These thoughts are masked with a smile.
Khitti offers an apologetic smile as Meri mentions her wanting to leave soon, “Yeah, I can understand zhat.” She may not have had a typical job like most people in Lithrydel, but she certainly knew the want of being in her own home--then again, the room at the Frostmaw tavern wasn’t spectacular, but it was -hers-...as long as she managed to pay the rent. “It’s not zhe greatest.” Well, to be fair, she wasn’t bad at it; she was by no means as artistic as a bard, but for someone that only occasionally drew things, it wasn’t horrid. There were two nautical stars, one on one page and the other on another. “I like zhe stars you’ve got, but, I just put my own twist on it, is all. The first was black and dark red, enveloped in fire that were in shades of orange, making the whole thing looking to be like a sort of fireball. The other was quite the opposite; this one was black and dark blue, but was wreathed in waters of varying shades of sea green, the waves crashing around each point of the star. “Zhe blue one is gonna be part of zhe mermaid one. Figured if you’ve got zhe time, you could do one, or both, of zhe stars. Probably not best to do a half-sleeve like zhat in all one sitting anyway? Zhinking more for you zhan me, zhat is, “ Khitti said, voicing her concern, but added soon after, “B-but, you know more about zhis zhan I do, of course. It’s all up to you.”
Meri soon forgets all chatter about her want to go home, her blue eyes quickly becoming engrossed in the art. Meri clarifies, "If I've got the time, like now?" Despite a want to go home, tattooed shoulders don't hesitate to roll in a carefree shrug, "Sure if you want. I mean you'd have to tell me exactly where you see these sitting on your sleeve..." because thus far the vision of this tattoo was Khitti's mind, and only three quarters of the way on paper. Meri had a couple of nautical stars. and Khitti's want for the watery star to feed into the mermaid. "But I mean it is not entirely up to me. There are a lot of factors to consider when determining if it should be one session or two. One of the biggest factors is actually your tolerance for pain, which uh..." I mean she has seen Khitti fight how many things? Not exactly Meri's top concern. "Yeah. I bet you are good there. Sometimes I do the outline first. Sometimes the sleeve is sectioned off into parts and pieces, like you are talking. Stars first then mermaid." Gold can be a factor too of course. Meri does not jump up and hop to the prep work of a potential tattoo, but she is not opposed either, clearly! She's just waiting for confirmation and clarification from Khitti. A compliment is tacked on at the end, "You've got some talent, I really like the concept you have got so far."
Khitti managed a slight grin at the compliment, “Zhanks. Vould help if I had time to practice at all. My sister vas always more inclined to drawing zhan I vas.” She shrugged, then peered down at her sketch, “Zhe stars vould be on my wrists. Zhe vater one on zhe left, to eventually cover up zhe scar vith zhe rest of zhe sleeve and zhe fire one on zhe right.” She wanted to keep the opposites opposite it seemed. “Zhe vater on zhe left one vould end up branching off, I zhink, up to vhere zhe mermaid vould be.” The vampiress motioned from where the star would sit on her wrist, to where she envisioned the mermaid to be, a bit further up on the larger portion of her forearm, where the scar sat. “And, I’d like zhe tail of zhe flames flowing up into my arm on zhis side, in case I decide to maybe make a sleeve zhere some day too.” Much like the person she’d chosen the star to represent *coughBrandcough*, things with that arm were still a bit uncertain. “Neither of zhem need to be very big, of course.” She paused, realizing, much like Meri had, about the subject of payment. “Do you need gold up front? Or after?”
Meri smoothly pushed up from where she is seated and moves into the heart of the shop, immediately working on gathering all the supplies she'd need. "Well, dollface. Make yourself comfortable in one of the cushioned chairs then. Sixty gold a wrist. Up front or after, doesn't really matter to me." Except that Meri wasn't exactly sitting still to receive it, she was gathering vials of ink and pouring them into much smaller vats, blues, reds, oranges, greens, and of course the staple of black. Needles, rags, a clear liquid. All of these items end of placed onto a rolling cart while Khitti is given the chance to make herself comfortable. "Do you want me to paint it on you first?" Some clients were more particular than others, so Meri would use a temporary ink to at least give them the idea of where -exactly- Meri was going to place the tattoo, in rough outline form. "Or....?" Some other clients had complete faith in the artist in front of them. It was a quick task to do, Meri did not mind either way, Khitti had full say on that. Both brush and that ink were also amongst the array of items set onto the cart that is rolled over to where Khitti is, positioned in front of her but slightly off to one side. The last piece of this puzzle that Meri brings over is a stool for herself, which she sets directly in front of Khitti for the purposes of this tattoo. Regardless of Khitti's, her right wrist is collected first. Guess that is where Meri will be starting, Khitti's answer will make a difference in what tool Meri selects -- brush or needle.
Khitti considered the choices she was given for a moment as she pushed up the sleeves to her button-up shirt, and settled into the chair. “Hm, “ she pondered, then finally shook her head. “No, I trust you. Needle's fine.” It’s not like she’d seen very many tattoo artists, but Meri’s work was damn fine--that was the whole reason why she’d come to the woman, of course. The payment would wait ‘til later, it seemed, as Meri was quite busy with getting the ink together, and then was soon grabbing her arm. “I’m sorry--” she paused for a moment, then finally continued “--if I’m a bit too awkward at times. People and me, ve uh, don’t usually get along.” Though, she was certain Meri could’ve ascertained that by now what with all the meetings and such that she’d been to with the guild. Did she even really need to apologize for it? Probably not, but it’s almost like she wanted Meri to be her friend or something. That was a thing people did, right?
Meri lifted a brow just slightly at the apology but she tries to not make too much of it, free hand moving to pick up her needle which is then dipped into the larger vat of black ink. "Don't know, you and I seem to get along just fine so far. But you've really got no need to be apologizing to me, chick." Meri brings the needle close to Khitti's skin but she does not quite begin yet. "So you've picked one of the more sensitive areas, yeah? But you're gonna take it like champ." Red lips twist up into a grin, Meri joking a little bit at Khitti's expense to try and lighten the mood back up. "Otherwise I'm going to tell of your warrior buds." Like Lionel and Brand, maybe the weird crab thing. "That you crieeeed, and whined, and screamed like a little girl." There is a wink, hopefully conveying that she did not actually mean that. Maybe there would be more bite to that if Khitti were not a chick? And without further adieu, needle would puncture skin. There was no going back now, Khitti, this tattoo was happening. Meri was not one to work in silence, but she also found that if she spent all of her time gabbing away that she would never complete the tattoo. Talking was so distracting. Listening not so much. So she would try and coax a bit of conversation out of Khitti. "Why a mermaid? I mean, to be perfectly honest you looked like you were going to blow chunks when we were out a sea so..." Hopefully Khitti would go on about the story while Meri worked so the room was not full of silence. It would be the outline on the right that Meri would start first, following and referencing Khitti's design as she works. Color does not come next though. The wrist is cleaned and then it is traded out for the left, where Meri will work on that outline next. It seemed that color would come last.
Khitti ’s own lips twisted into a bit of a sheepish grin. “Zhe pain’s fine. I, uh, practically got impaled by a tree at one point during zhe Frostmaw var and managed to survive it. Vell, a splinter, I guess. A very large one.” Well, she almost didn’t; Brand had to save her ass. It was the first time of many, in fact. “Being a vampire helps vith lessening it too.” The grin fades a little, as the needle punctured the skin. There was a bit of wince, but her mind was elsewhere, “Please don’t tell anyone...at least, not about zhis one. Zhe vater one’s fine, but...” She stared down where the fiery star was slowly making its home at on her wrist, letting her thought trail off before she went on to answer Meri’s questions. “Sea’s not so bad, I guess. I just haven’t been on it since I got to Lithrydel. Probably more nerves zhan anything to be honest. All zhis stuff vith Amarrah and zhe guild...and some other zhings...it’s just all been building up, I suppose.” The redhead took the movements of the needle in stride, leaning her head back to stare at the wall or the ceiling for now, “As for zhe mermaid, I like fairy tales. A lot of zhe more popular ones, zhey vere vritten in my homeland. Zhere’s one in particular about a mermaid zhat vants to come onto land and be human and vhatnot--it vas always my favorite. Seemed like zhe right idea to get rid of a bad memory vith a good one.”
Meri would work in silence while Khitti talked and when it came time for her to respond her thoughts were a little more disconnected, it took Meri a little more time to formulate the words while also concentrating on the details of the tattoo. There is a nod to indicate that she had heard Khitti's request, not to speak of the tattoos, and there is no question of why. "Good reason to get a tattoo." Comes the commentary from Meri finally, in relation to notion of replacing bad memory with a good one. The outline of the left wrist would be completed, simple work for an artist who has spent a lot of time tattooing people. Place the space was not significantly large. Here is where the colors come in. Needle is quickly rinsed and then Meri would begin again, trading back to the right wrist to give the left a brief break. It would be the oranges and the reds that Meri works with, filling in the details of the flame slowly but surely. Given the want to replace a bad memory with a good, Meri avoids asking Khitti if she has ever actually met a mermaid. That seemed mean. Time passes, silence falls over them. "I wish we had music in here. Brennia said she could send a guy to stand in the corner but that seems like mad awkward doesn't it? There has got to be a way to get music in here without an actual musician." Meri comments idly as she cleans the wrist she is working on. Khitti would have plenty of time to admire it while Meri starts the opposite wrist, this one using the cooler hues. Needles is obviously tended to so that the colors of the red do not taint the shades of blue. Another question, once more aimed toward Khitti. "Before you got to Lithrydel? Where were you from before them?" Perhaps Khitti has mentioned this in prior conversations but a lot of information was thrown at Meri!
Khitti tilts her head at the mention of music, then nods, “I actually know of an enchantress. She lives in Kelay. Last I saw her, she vas messing about vith enchanting instruments to make a sort of orchestra. Not zhat you’d need zhe whole band, but she could probably enchant an instrument or two for you. I recommend zhe violin. I play a bit myself and could probably teach her some songs to get enchanted onto it. Her name’s Rachelle Fournier, if you feel like contacting her.” As Meri released her left arm, Khitti lifted it for a moment to admire the blonde’s work, taking care not to flex the muscles too much as it was a little tender. “And, ah, zhe place I’m from is called Dhavislaav. It’s to zhe vest from here, vhich is vhy ve’re gonna be starting in Chartsend vhen ve leave for zhe Shadow plane.” She’d, of course, sent out the letter to everyone with the details that had been tweaked a little to suit their travelling needs. Thinking on the name Brennia, she circles back around to the topic of the bardic avian, “Isn’t Brennia zhe one zhat runs zhat college? I vonder if she knows a guy named Alex...I’ve not seen him in ages. I also vonder if they’d give lessons to people who aren’t exactly bards.” Khitti let out a ‘hm’, mulling it over, “I found out awhile back zhat I can use my magic vith an enchanted violin zhat vas my sister’s; vorks to pacify spirits. Maybe I’ll check it out vhen zhings have settled down a bit…” The last bit was more her just thinking out loud to herself, really.
Meri listens while working. It's obvious, she lifts a brow when there is mention of knowing an enchantress, a nod at the mention of where she could be found. "Pricey I bet, but worth looking into. I'll let you know if that is something I do, and if I will be needing you to teach her some songs." All depended on the cost really. By now Meri was putting the finishing touches on the tattoo and the conversation begins to flow a bit more freely form Meri. All there was to do was clean up, gingerly rub on a thin layer of salve, and apply a quick bandage to both wrists once Khitti has gotten a fill of her new eye candy. "She runs the college, yes. I am not familiar if she knows Alex or not...but I do know that if you were to try and find -that- freak of a bard..." This is said with a bit of a snort-chuckle, like 'freak' was not to be taken too harshly. "...You might consider looking around Gamorg. I believe he plays there quite a bit. And if you do see him? Tell him to get his arse into Rynvale proper. I know a woman who might be interested in having a bard play in a bar." Back to business though. "So, tattoo care, hm? You don't itch it, you don't pick it, you don't scratch it. None of these things." Some of that salve is handed over to Khitti. "Everyone heals at different rates." Race wise. "So I cannot tell you exactly how long it will take for you to heal? For humans it is about two weeks. Two weeks of no prolonged exposure to the elements. Meaning you can't decide you want to work on your tan for two weeks unless you want to have a bad tan line on your wrists, yeah? A bit of flaking is normal but it also can be a sign that it is drying out and you need to apply this crap." Which is the same salve that she rubbed onto Khitti's wrist prior to the bandage. "Probably twice a day to both. Morning and night."
Khitti blinks repeatedly at the fact that Meri knows about Alex, “Vhat? You know Alex?!” Well, this is a strange turn of events indeed. “I, uh, yeah...I’ll let him know, “ she’d continue once the shock had worn off. After all of this hell in Rynvale was done, she’d sure as hell be seeking him out; that idiot male had been gone for far too long. Listening to the instructions given, she’d nod, giving a small chuckle at the mention of ‘working on her tan’, “Heh, fair skin. I von’t be getting a tan any time soon, so no vorries zhere.” After the bandages were in place, and the salve taken, she dug out the sixty gold per wrist, and then another thirty for a tip. “Your vork’s amazing, by zhe vay. Zhank you, Meri.” After all that talking, she seemed to have warmed up to the psion nicely, even going so far as to offer a genuine smile to her, “I’ll be seeing you soon, I’m sure. Have a good night.” And then, just like that, she’d gather her sketchbook and be off, taking care to pull down her sleeves in order to hide her newly acquired ink from Brand when she got back to their room.