Ink

The small tattoo parlor was crowded with tattoo artists and customers, but as usual the mass of assembled Thunderbolts aroused enough awe and celebrity worship that they had quickly been moved to the front of the line. Most of them now sat or lay in various states of undress in the back room of the tattoo parlor, being prepared for their magical markings. Unfortunately it was a busy evening, so there were not quite enough artists and arcanists to go around, leaving a few of them to wait their turn in the lobby.

"Man, I'm so psyched about this!" Kallista nearly squeed as she removed her top without any compunctions and lay down on the metal table so that the artist could apply the stencils to her shoulder blade.

"You guys are gonna love it! I promise! I've heard really great things about this enchantment from some of the upper levels. And it really doesn't hurt much; not in a bad way, at least."

"I really don't want to ask about how something hurts in a good way, do I?" said Aleyn as he turned to take off his own shirt.

Tsesira, already stretched out on of of the tables getting her ink, grinned, showing all her sharpened teeth. "Fuck, man, if you don't know, you're missing out." She broadened her leer, glancing between Aleyn and Vedran, who' cheeks reddened slightly as he unbuttoned his waistcoat.

Kallista giggled at Tzesira's predatory leer towards Vedran.

"Woohoo!" she said with a laugh, "Take it off!"

She turned her head to Aleyn.

"Don't worry about it. It's only someone piercing your skin with a sharp needle thousands of times. It's no big deal. Besides, You've had it done before, right?"

"I haven't," Vedran answered pointedly, hoping he hadn't turned any redder at Kallista's catcalling. "But I imagine I've had worse. It can't be as bad as being set on fire, I imagine. And the results ought to be nicer." He smiled at the tattoo artist, then sighed when she indicated that rolling up his sleeve was not going to be sufficient and reached up to start untying his cravat.

"Yeah, I've had it done before... although it wasn't quite as elaborate as this," Aleyn agreed, smiling slightly at Vedran's embarrassment. He shrugged off his shirt and set it aside, indicating to the artist the spot on his shoulder where he wanted it placed. "Don't worry, Vedran, you'll do fine. Just stay really still, you don't want them to screw it up," he teased.

He smiled wryly, politely averting his eyes from kallista until she got settled on the table. "I am familiar with the concept, you know. I almost got in in Ahkas, but Merlyn talked me out of it. I think he was worried I would wind up with a 'property of' stamp."

Kallista giggled as the artist began applying the ink stencil to her pink skin.

"I didn't get my first one until we went to Thantopolis," she pointed her thumb over her shoulder at her lower back where a geometric dragon stood out in dark relief on her flesh.

"It's addicting, though. Don't be surprised if you end up wanting more."

"Just don't get tattoos in languages you don't read," Aleyn smirked. "You could wind up with something a lot more awkward than 'property of'."

Tzesira snickered at that. "Fuck, yeah, I knew a chick back home who would do that, either to customers who were dick, or just fucking idiots who didn't know any better. She's awesome - she did some of my scars. I need to figure out what to get for that fomorian fight..."

Alia, leaning against the door and waiting her turn, eyed Tzesira. "Yeah, I guess you didn't get to scavenge any body parts from that one... too bad."

"Eh." She didn't shrug, careful not to move as the artist began his work. "I got the fuckin' staff... I need to get that from Roscoe, and show Master Dzen."

Kallista grinned at the Shadar kai

"You should get a tat of the staff with a Raven perched on top of it. That would be badass. Maybe on your leg or something."

She flinched as the first needle tapped against her skin.

"You okay?" the blond artist asked.

"Oh, fine..." K said with a warm smile, "Sorry, you just caught me off guard. I'll be good."

"I promise..." she added with a wink.

Tzesira snickered "What, a nice long staff running up my inner thigh? Shit, though - I definitely want it as a fucking scar. Maybe over more blackwork, but I'll think about the design. That could be cool"

"You and your scars," Kallista sighed, "Don't you get enough of those at work? I'll stick with ink, thanks. I have enough scars to last a lifetime."

"I suppose when they're voluntary at least you get to pick where they go and what they'll look like," Aleyn said, settling down so the artist could start working on his back. "The work-related ones are less... aesthetically pleasing."

"Yeah, but they're more badass," Tzesira put in, eyes closed blissfully now that the artist had started his work. "You earn that shit. That's what gets you real respect."


Vedran nodded absently as the woman working on his arm placed the stencil, paying closer attention to Aleyn. "Respect, and compassion." He smiled fondly, but managed to keep still rather than reach out.

"I don't usually think of my scars as, uh, 'badass'," Aleyn replied, but smiled back at Vedran, wishing he could take his hand. Probably the tattoo artist would complain if he moved, though, not to mention the other reasons why it would be a bad idea. "But it's... oddly flattering, I suppose."

Kallista noticed the look that passed between Vedran and Aleyn and smiled softly, resting her head on her arms as the tattoo artist began tattooing the outline of the crossed shortswords that would make up the bulk of her tattoo.

"Well, T is right about one thing; at the very least we've earned them. I don't always like them, but sometimes they're all I have to remind me that the past was real."

"I usually manage to remember that pretty well on my own," Aleyn said, flexing his remaining fingers absently. "Better than I'd like to. But I know what you mean. I wouldn't give them away if I had the choice, they're part of who I am now."

"They're *so* badass," Tzesira mumbled, sounding like she was starting to fall asleep. "Even Hanrak didn't have to pluck out his *own* fuckin' eye..."

Aleyn blushed and looked away. For him the scars were more a reminder of his own failures than of anything particularly heroic he'd done, but he wasn't sure he felt up to explaining that right now. Instead he concentrated on not flinching as the artist started working on his shoulder.

Alia, still watching the others from the waiting area, perked up again to ask a question. "I still can't decide where to get mine done. Suggestions?"

"On your butt!" Kallista called helpfully.

"Nah, cleavage for fuckin' sure," Tzesira contributed helpfully.

"I don't want it to be hanging around my ankles in fifty years, thanks," Alia laughed. "Maybe on my thigh though..."