|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 9:26 pm
Pushing through the front door, Orah was surprised at how... bright and clean everything looked on the interior of Brush Strokes.
For being a tattoo parlor, she hadn't expected... this. While not grungy by any means, the last parlor she'd been to, and most that she had seen, seemed to favor the edgier look, going for distressed and dark more than light and airy. This could have been a hair or nail salon, easily.
The flower brought a sweetness to the air that almost managed to disguise the smell of disinfectant, and brought a freshness to everything she appreciated, as a former florist. Well-tended hardwood stretched from the door to the reception desk and beyond as she approached it, feeling a flutter of trepidation now that she was here. It wasn't just a pipe dream now, a 'someday' she was saving for a little with each paycheck. She had an envelope of cash safely tucked away in her purse and everything...
"Hi!" Orah said as she sidled up to the desk, both hands wrapped around the leather strap of the purse than hung across her body. "I'm Orah Gowan, I have an appointment at two thirty?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:07 pm
When Orah had entered the shop, it was an easy, quiet time of day. The shop was always one that focused on the daylight rather than night, making sure their hours were friendly for all but emphasizing they were far less on the grungier side of the business. The entire feel was supposed to be light, airy, and welcoming for all ages, a place that was meant to invoke trust and relaxation, rather than any sort of intimidation and a need to fit in.
Roderick was so very proud of that fact, gazing out over the paintings that hung in the lobby. Each one painted by him and his sister, placed between various examples of the water color tattooed they were so proud of. Maybe it was a bit more vain than he would have liked to be to have those thoughts, but they did always say when you love your work and your work environment, you never worked a day in your life. Here... Yes, Roddy could say he was happy.
Happy and zoning out in the warm sunlight that filtered in to the point where when the doorbell rang out it's sweet song, he jumpped a little. The surprised look was replaced with a sheepish grin and he got up from his bench to properly greet the young woman.
"Good afternoon! I hope you found the place without issue. You're right on time." Roddy's voice was just as cheerful as his smile as he flipped through his appointment book to confirm the name. "Ah, Yup, you're right on time, Miss Orah. Thank you for trusting me with this task."
Over the phone they had talked about what she wanted, and from there, Roddy saw a design form in his mind. Flowers, always flowers, some orchids, some cherry blossoms, some gladiolus and gardinia, all sketched out in his small portfolio then colored in various styles of his signature watercolor technique.
"Flowers have always been a favorite of mine, if you couldn't tell, and I may been a little too eager to work on this. Larger tattoos are more rare than you'd think." Excitedly he placed the book into Orah's hands.
"If nothing specific sticks out, or you like different elements from different ones, I'm happy to do more drawings for you, if you'd like."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 5:13 pm
Oh..
The man that came to greet her at the desk was surprising too. He wasn't, strictly speaking, 'clean cut', but his beard was neatly trimmed close to his face and his hair was tied up out of the way. It was a careful amount of 'messy' that worked... surprisingly well with the button down shirt and vest... sleeves rolled up over thick forearms...
Orah felt herself blushing already as she nodded.
"Yes! It wasn't hard to find. Um..." Oh dear... This was Roderick? The one doing her tattoo? Oh dear. Kekipi had been attractive, when he had done the tattoo on her chest, Roderick was... well. Very. Orah reached to tuck her hair back behind her ear where a few strands had escaped her ponytail. "Yeah, I mean... you shop has really good reviews online, and I really like the work I've seen so far."
She covered her nerves with her reach for the book he offered, burying her nose in it rather than following the clean lines of his shoulders under his vest. Color splashed across the page and black lines gave hints to form through it all in an ecstatic dance of art. He had chosen a few different flowers and she was surprised, and pleased, that he had managed to capture the nuances of each type well enough she actually recognized them in their bloby, vague form. The orchids, of course, drew her attention right away, how could they not? But the smooth stem of them didn't feel right for the jagged slash that ran across her ribs.
"I really like these!" She said as she looked them over, turning each page carefully. "You make it hard to choose... "
Dark eyes followed the black, sharp line of a sakura branch and Orah bit her lip as she considered it, playing gently with the edge of the paper page.
"Maybe you should take a look at the scar first, but... I think maybe the cherry blossoms?" She said as she tipped the book towards the artist, pointing out a branch he had rendered. "I think it fits, you know? Its really rough, like the branch, and cherry blossoms are all about beauty and fragility. My scar has been... a sore spot with me for a long time. I could have died, but I didn't, and its a reminder of how close I came, you know? I think its... good symbolism."
She offered the book back to him, meeting his eyes again as she straightened up. Being here, even, was symbolic. Taking something painful and coming through it to something beautiful. Turning a weakness into artwork, a bad moment into her past into something she was proud to show. She felt like this was the right place to do that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 6:48 pm
He wouldn't want to make himself seem vain, but Roddy found himself rather used to the blushing and flustered reactions he seemed to get every now and then from his customers. Anais said it was because even though he was tattooed and large and fuzzy, he came off more like a gentle fluffy dog than some big scary bear. Whether he agreed with that was debatable, but he did know he tried to be as gentle and unintimidating as possible. The dear girl's blush was met with his own shy smile before he turned his focus back on the sketches he did.
"Oh, have I? I apologize for that. Flowers are often what I love drawing and painting the most. So many different things can be represented with a single blossom, or a whole bouquet, branches or leaves, light and shadow. Endless possibilities with the same meaning, or the same flower used to show something else entirely." Roddy's eyes watched her fingers turn the page, hoping that atleast one of them worked well for her. Once she stopped, he smiled at her choice, nodding.
"My thoughts exactly. I think it will work excellently." As their gaze met, he nodded once again, before tucking the book away. Cherry blossoms were always fun to do, and he tried to make the ones he drew like snow flakes, different in every shape and twist than one another, but still uniform enough to make a single beautiful image. Yes... That would look excellent, he thought.
Walking around the counter, Roddy headed towards the back door, to where the work area was.
"So what we'll do next is draw it on as a sketch, have you approve it, then get to the actual inking. If you'd like to change to a swimsuit that you've brought, or anything else you feel comfortable with, please feel free to. Then take a seat and we'll begin."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:28 pm
Her smile in return was gentler, more inward focused as he took the book from her.
"My father is a florist, I've known flowers all my life. They had a lot of meaning for me and a lot of nostalgia all on their own. I used to do arrangements, before I started my nursing program." She said. When he moved, she fell in behind him, her grip on her bag a little looser now. At least, until he mentioned changing and she bit her lip, feeling the old trepidation.
The scars had been covered since she got them, for more multiple reasons. Having her family find out the extent of her scarring would have brought up uncomfortable questions, to start with. Where did they come from? Why didn't she tell them about it? But more than that... they were ugly. Thick and twisted, puckering the smooth skin because she had been too scared and too short sighted to get proper care for them. Going to the hospital would have meant questions, of course. And there was no really good explanation for the after effects of playing 'super hero' nearly every night.
Orah took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she took her bag off, finding a coat rack to hang it on. The sweater she wore was thick and fluffy, but buttoned down the front, covering her past her hips. She had come prepared today, knowing he'd need to reach her stomach.
"I don't need to change, but thanks. I just... wore stuff under my clothes." She said as she slowly undid the front of her sweater, sliding it down and off her shoulders. A sports bra and her leggings kept her decent while exposing her from ribs to hips. Despite that, she still hugged the sweater to her chest as she followed him to a chair, reluctant to let go of it just yet. Silly, probably, but years of habit were hard to break.
She just felt so... naked... The largest of her scars running from the side of her body, high on her ribs down diagonally to her stomach, where a flatter, newer scar spoke of a puncture of some kind. Both showed paler than her dusky skin, and beyond Alois and Laney... Roderick would be the first to really see either of them, beyond her doctors.
"Where do you want me to sit?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:17 pm
"That just makes this all the easier then." When his clients came prepared, he couldn't help but feel like his own uneasiness with them faded a bit. Roderick had his own set of anxieties when it came to people, in the sense that sometimes he was afraid he was too intimidating but Orah certainly seemed to get comfortable quicker than others. Good... Good, that would make everything move alot quicker. Not that he was in any particular rush.
"Right there will be just fine." He directed her to the comfy chair he had prepared for her and once she was settled in, he brought a mounted mirror over, placing it above her angled just right enough so that she could see what he was drawing. On a small table beside him was a myriad of markers, of which he took a thin one and uncapped it.
"Alright, I'm going to begin. Please look in the mirror and let me know if you'd like me to change anything." With that, he started, marker gently following the lines of the scar and sketching the branches gently onto her skin. As he progressed, he stopped every now and then, asking if it was alright to continue. When he moved onto the flowers he paused.
"So which colors are you looking to use? There are the traditional colors of the blossoms, but because this is your interpretation we can go with whatever colors you'd think represent you most."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 4:08 pm
Did Orah find Roderick attractive? Certainly. Did she find him intimidating, being tall and broad? When you faced down literal monsters and maniacs with weapons... things like human men who just happened to be larger than her were just not as scary any more. And he had a nice shirt with a tie. Hardly something to put her off.
More than anything at the moment, really, her focus was on how little she was wearing and how very exposed she felt. It took effort to push down the trepidation, but she was nothing if not stubborn when it came down to it. She wanted to do this. She was going to do it. But she was grateful to take the seat he indicated, feeling more grounded in a central spot rather than floating around while standing. Orah carefully folded her sweater on her lap as she let him putter about.
Interest in the mirror set up and the markers he produced were enough to draw her out of her unease, and as they started, she felt some of her worry fall away as he inked color onto her skin. Not wanting her arm in the way, she put her hand on her shoulder, tucking her arm against her chest. Awkward, but not terribly so...
"Ah, um... Purple, for sure. I guess maybe some pink, to keep them obviously cherry blossoms. Maybe a light blue to set off the rest?" The colors should look pretty good with her skin tone, or she hoped anyway. She'd have to trust his judgement on that. Her eyes watched his hand move through the reflection of the mirror and Orah tried to stay still for him, even as the slide of the marker tickled her enough she had to struggle not to squirm. The massive scar... changed as he drew along and around it, looking more like a gnarled branch than a scar. She felt more of her nerves falling away and more interest taking over.
"What about another flower here?" She said as she pointed to a bare spot. "I... really like how that looks." More than like, really, because she was starting to recognize excitement as it bubbled up inside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2018 8:54 am
Roderick's eyes remained intently on his work, focusing on how the lines looked as he drew them along the scar. There was a lingering focus on her breathing, seeing how her body shifted with each breath and worked around that, making the lines lay as naturally as possible no matter which way she turned. A tattoo that looked good from only one angle was unpleasant, so he tried to his best to give it a certain dimension by pulling away and looking at it from different directions. Slowly but surely the image began to bloom on Orah's skin, and he smiled, changing up colors as suggested and adding more where asked.
"I think it looks beautiful. The colors look stunning against your skin. Would you like me to take a picture of it with your phone, that way you can see it as I do? The mirror only helps so much. If you approve, we can start right now." Now that he was done with the markers, he pushed the cart away, going over instead to start picking out the right colors of ink to match what he had already drawn.
"I have to say, you do have a great eye for color. Do you wear those colors alot?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2018 4:35 pm
Orah blushed, the corners of her mouth curling.
"Ah... yeah, I do. Purple is my favorite, but I guess I know what works for me. I grew up with a florist for a father, so I have had some practice with color theory and pleasing silouettes, I guess." She said as he finished up his marker work. It looked good from this angle, but he had a good point, when he asked if she wanted a picture.
She nodded as she unlocked the camera on her phone and handed it to him, wrapping her arms around her chest to keep them out of the way. When she got a look at the picture, she nodded emphatically, holding it close between her hands.
It looked so good... and she couldn't wait to see it finished. The thought of the scars gone, hidden, and a beautiful image on her body instead... excitement had her heart beating fast.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 06, 2018 2:12 pm
Ah... She was blushing again.. Had he gone overboard with his compliments? He truly wasn't trying to, since that often made things awkward, but it did seem like she was in good spirits and was honestly impressed with what he had done so far. For now he wouldn't think too much about it. Thinking too deeply into people's responses often lead to things becoming unprofessional and he wasn't looking to somehow offend anyone.
Once handed the phone he snapped a nice photo of it, handing it back and then pulled the cart close. With her approval, he set to work, going at a steady, rushed pace and working generally in silence, allowing the soft, relaxing music to echo in the studio.
Every so often, he did cast his gaze back up towards the woman's face, trying to see if the pain was too much or if she needed a break. Given her scars, he could already tell she had gone through worse pain than this, but he wasn't about to assume anything out loud.
"If you need a break, please let me know. I can't let you move, but you can take a few moments to gather your thoughts before we continue."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 1:03 pm
In the years since her last tattoo, Orah had thought she remembered how much it had hurt, and prepared herself for this. She'd known it was going to be worse, because this had multiple colors and more area to cover. The reality was different than the expectation though, and she was surprised by just how much.
The first few passes had her gritting her teeth as she sucked in a breath, the pain ratcheting up as he continued to levels she had to force herself to remain still for. Orah forced herself to breath slowly, focusing on In and Out. In and Out. In and Out... as the needles moved over her skin. The buzz of the machine was an annoyance in the back of her head, but at least the vibrating pain drowned that out. It melded together and ran, dragging down her side like a knife...
Rod's voice pulled her out of the headspace she fell into and she forced her jaw to unclench to give him a reassuring smile. It was hard to say if this pain was worse or better than pain she'd had in the past, since this was now, and very present, and she only remembered the pain of before.
"I can go a bit more." Orah said, her voice tense. "I'll let you know when I need a break. Okay?"
It would be better, she thought, if she could just focus and settle in to endure... counting the minutes and tracing the path of the tattoo gun with her mind's eye.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 4:25 pm
She was a tough young person, he'd giver her that. He knew from experience that his needle so close to the rib cage would cause more pain than say if he did his work solely on her belly.
"Of course. Just let me know." He wasn't one to speak and make more small talk than he needed to when working so he went right back to it.
Another hour passed as he filled in and blended the colors, finally sitting up and pulling away to let Orah examine her new and fresh tattoo.
"Alright, how's it look? Any changes before we bandage you up?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 6:06 pm
Her flesh had settled into tingling numbness after a while, which was almost as annoying as the pain, because she could feel a sharp ache hiding behind it. Her skin felt raw all over, and she knew from glimpses that the skin around it was an angry red from the abuse. Getting a tattoo wasn't an easy or gentle process, but the end result...
Orah sat up stiffly, forcing her joints to relax and flex when Roderick told her he was done. She had to twist a little to get a good look at it, and it was upside down, but looked... like the sketch he'd made brought to blazing life in her skin. There was so much more of it than she had thought when it was just marker guides, the gentle details a marvel. She resisted the urge to touch it with her fingers, even as clean as they were.
The vibration gone, the numbness was already starting to fade to reveal the promised ache, but the bright colors and deep blacks gave her an almost euphoric feeling that swelled bright in her chest.
"Its perfect..." She said, unable to stop herself from smiling now that the endorphins were kicking in. She felt almost giddy suddenly, relieved they were done. "Thank you so much! Its just... perfect. Exactly what I wanted. Its even more beautiful than I imagined."
And even better, she hadn't been able to see her scars through them. They were there, she knew she'd be able to feel them if she touched it, but the colors disguised it well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 10:54 am
"That's what I love to hear. I think it came out perfectly as well, and it's just as gorgeous on you as I imagined it would be." While he was glad that she seemed very excited to have her new art finished, Roddy placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping her from getting up all the way.
"Almost ready to go, let me just bandage it up." Hindsight was twenty-twenty, he thought as he wished he told her not to move yet. Ah well, no harm done. And he was more than delighted to see just how happy she was with their work. Yet as lovely as it was, it needed to be hid away for now.
"Alright, so I want you to leave the bandage on for atleast four hours, okay?" He started, getting his wound dressings and medical tape before starting to add the ointment to the still shimmering work of art. "When you wash it, only use a very gentle soap and water. No towels, wash rags, or anything. Given the location of the tattoo, I would recommend staying at home for a while with your top as it is now so that it can air out for atleast half an hour before you cover it again. And always, always use a fragrance free anti-bacterial ointment. Give it a few days until it starts to peel away, then you can switch to your normal lotion. Moisturize atleast twice a day and no pickings. Though I'm sure you already know this, since you have art already."
Maybe it was a bit over the top to explain it all as he did, but better safe than sorry. Soon enough it was bandaged nice and snugly, and he pulled away from Orah, allowing her to stand up now.
"I'll give you a packet on the way out about care, and if you have any questions at all, you can reach out to me and I'll be happy to help, Understood?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 8:43 pm
She felt so light now, almost weightless. Like she was glowing, and it felt good. Her side still hurt, of course, an ache settling in now that the vibration and numbness were receding. Her scars were covered, she had beautiful art, and it was such a relief... she couldn't wait for the four hours to be up so she could show it off to Arian and Laney. Especially Laney.
Orah felt her face heat from thoughts of showing Laney in bed, without clothes. She felt pretty, for the first time in a long time.
She sat still as he covered the new tattoo, the tape tugging at her skin, and nodded along with his instructions. It had been long enough the refresher was a good one to have, a reminder that she should stop by the store on her way home and get ointment for it.
"I'll definitely call if I have any questions." Orah agreed as she slid off the chair, unable to keep herself from smiling. At the very least, she kept it to a small, gentle expression, rather than the beaming grin she wanted to make. He probably understood though, and had seen it before.
Orah shifted awkwardly, her hands curling in front of her, before she spoke again.
"I want to thank you, again, for doing this for me. It just means so much to me, I don't think I can really explain how much. I feel... like a new person almost, and I just appreciate it so much." She said in a rush, her face sincere and her eyes shining. She felt silly, but she meant every word of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
