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 Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 3:06 pm
It had been some time since Faustite received the tattoos made of Squiddy's ink, and since then, those marks had begun to fade. With the overwhelming whorl of activity surrounding training for his new role, Faustite had seldom given it much thought, particularly since most of the marks were visible when he was Eion. However, his most recent stint as a faux-human proved to him that the tattoos had lightened considerably since first acquiring them.
This had worried him dearly; he wanted nothing to do with losing his connection with the squid youma that Ganymede so callously erased from reality. Given that the person to ink him was no longer with the Negaverse, and many of the tattoo parlors in town boasted ludicrously long wait lists, he had used his connections to book a time slot with a particular Eternal Senshi in their employ.
The day of the appointment proved a stressful one, not only due to the increasing demands of his job. Eion had shown up looking exhausted, bruised, and walking with a slight limp. The receptionist was professional enough not to ask him too many questions about it, as Eion was ill in the mood to answer them. He simply accepted the lengthy forms that were probably releasing the parlor of all culpability before he returned to his seat.
Holding a pen hurt, but there was no Headache to help him with that. There was no Albite, either. No Haru, or Aelius, or Ren. Not even a Trey.
While he had known his boys to be busy, seldom had he ever hit a snag where they were all busy at the same time. Haru had a cover to perform, Ren had work, Trey was doing a show, and Aelius and Waru were wrapped up in trying not to throttle one another, at Faustite's orders. Never had he hated himself so thoroughly for trying to do right by someone, for he had deprived himself of one of the few safe people around whom he could be himself. Setting his jaw, he fought the pain enough to etch out a sloppy approximation of his name, date of birth, and medical conditions that he could remember. But some of the questions were confusing, while others were frustrating, and soon enough, he was handing in the forms with a few wet blotches on them.
Then it was back to sitting on the couch. And waiting. And staring at all the dark wood. And staring at the arches reminiscent of his office space. And wondering if he could justify what he was doing here, should anyone question his choices. And wondering whose hand he could squeeze when the pain grew unbearable.
Pulling his knees to his chest, Eion rested his chin on birch-patterned leggings and wondered if life would ever even out again.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 6:14 pm
Appointments were becoming more common for Kioshi and he took them all in stride, as most were thankfully easy enough to handle, he had a few clients who were difficult but he expectedit .This was a job where he had to deal with people - a lot. He had to hold his tongue and try to be as pleasent as possible, a real task for him, but he made it work. It was what he needed to do for clients; and money.
Today was an interesting one because of the appointment coming up, he'd been told the person was already here and filling out the paperwork, it was Faustite though he could only assume the other did not look like their usual fiery self as that would raise more than a few questions, and concerns. While the paperwork was filled out, as it took some time, he'd set up his room and wrapped everything and set up what he'd likely be needing for this.
He knew there was something about the ink, something special, but he wasn't sure what was so special with the ink. He was rather curious, since he used his own inks that he picked out and had bought for him, so this of course had his attention. He was just hoping this wasn't one of those odd people who wanted ashes mixed into ink or had ashes already mixed with ink. That s**t was too ******** strange for him, he'd had someone like that once, and he was not about to do that. He didn't care if it was a General King or not there wasn't anything that would get him to go using ashes from remains as an ink.
Once his area was set up he stepped out of his room and headed down the hall, a hand in his pocket as he walked, and then he was stepping out into the sitting room and glancing about. He didn't know what to expect but not who he saw, the only person in the room. "Eion?" Questioning, because he really was surprised. He wasn't sure what to expect though buyt this wasn't likely it. Grabbing the forms from Ashley he took a moment to flip through it all, checking for anything he needed to worry about. Glasses perched on his nose as he read, since he needed them to read and nothing else, it was unlikely the other knew he wore them at all.
"Looks good. It says it's a touch up?" Questioning as he approached and took a seat near to the other.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 6:52 pm
It was true that Eion did not resemble Faustite, and that fact was not limited to appearances. They shared the same slight build, the same underwhelming height, with a few departures insofar as skin color and eye color. But beyond that, Eion carried himself in a more guarded fashion and appeared plainly uncomfortable when out in public. He was loath to make eye contact, seldom smiled, and kept his hands either stuffed in his pockets or wrapped around himself.
Perhaps some of that was attributable to being cold. He was always found with at least one coat on, after all.
He looked up at the sound of his name, and his attention found the boy that would be Miyamoto in his off hours. It was always strange seeing a Negaverse senshi out of uniform, for their hair seldom, if ever, matched the length it reached when suffused with power. Seemed that Kioshi got contacts when powered up, too. Eion didn't know if that was safer during combat, but it must have been if Metallia decided that it should be so.
"Mm," he grunted affirmatively to Kioshi's statement. His attention shifted to the receptionist for a moment, then back to the senshi-turned-tattoo-artist. "Needs a special kind of ink. Can explain when I show it to you."
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 7:05 pm
Long hair was something he had when powered up, and he saw pictures of himself when younger and it had been long, his hair had been long till recently when he'd gone and cut most of it off. He wasn't going to go too short but he wasn't going as long as he'd once had it, that was impossible and in the way far too much. It hadn't been as long as when powered though, that was a tripping hazard he did not need in his life. He was bad enough when tired and walking around, prone to walking into things and tripping over his own damn feet, but if someone were to add in floor length hair he'd long be dead by now. He'd have fallen to his death down a flight of stairs ot something similar.
Now though his hair was nice and neatly kept, even if a bit long, he was good with where it was at. It also didn't cover his ears, which was good, since his long hair had done just that more often than not.
"So I heard, come on back and you can explain. If it's human ashes though I'm not doing it." And that was final, he would not do that. It just bothered him in certain ways. To be injecting human remains into someones skin...yeah no thanks. But he weas standing and holding out a hand to the other. "Come on, lets see what I'm touching up and what I'll be working with." And he was a whole lot better with people skills here, he had to be, here he had to act and needed to keep it going. It wasn't just an act for his clients but his co-workers though they saw a good bit of the real him as well. They did not see it all.
"And if you need anything let me know." Since he'd seen the wet spots on the paperwork.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 7:21 pm
Were he Faustite, he'd have rolled his eyes at the comment concerning human remains. Instead, Eion was quiet as he followed Kioshi as directed. He did not take the proffered hand; he already felt terribly cold with his hands buried in his pockets.
He waited to speak again until the door was shut and it seemed doubtless that they would not be overheard. He unzipped his outer coat, then the inner coat, then withdrew a feverish arm from the heated nest of clothing. Holding it out, the faded smoke pattern became evident.
"It's not cremains." His attention was on the delicate lines of smoke, wending out like a lit cigarette. "Used to have a squid youma. Produced ink. Thought, at the time, that I should try bottling it for my nib pens. Didn't really work like that."
He felt like his guts were wrapped in barbed wire that was pulled ever tighter the longer he spoke of it. Abandoning the rest of the story, he shifted tactics.
"When I had these done, the artist mixed the ink with some pigment. Don't know if it was enough pigment, though, or the right kind. Figured you might know better." Feeling cold again, he wound his arm through his coat for the time being. "There's not a lot left." Pausing, he reached into the pocket of his coat and withdrew a mini decanter with a crystal stopper. Inside appeared to be a clear fluid with a very slight incandescence. If opened, however, it smelled quite toxic — some cross between burning styrofoam and kerosene. The smell did not appear to bother Eion, however, nor did the prospect of lacing his skin with potential poison.
"Got more of them on my legs," he added at last. "What do you think?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 7:38 pm
His little room was done in dark colors with art hung about, asian art, kanji done to look like it was done by a calligraphy brush, and some water color designs. He had a lot of art hung up about the room, all of it his own, in order to show off what he could do and the skills he did posess. He was, as he'd said at that party, an artist and made his living doing art. It was what kept his lights on and food in him. By the door was a clock made of gears, and the lights in the room were old fashioned bulbs that gave off a warm orangeish glow.
"Good, I don't won't work with those. I had someone try that once." And he was not having it.
Looking over what was being offered to him, meant to be mixed with what he had, he stared for a moment. "How much on the legs? And both arms?" With this small amount to work with and a lot to do...it might be thin but it should work? "Did a tattoo artist do the work the first time? It looks good but for it to fade out like this I do wonder, unless it's the heat you produce whicch caused it somehow? Tattoos can fade from exposure to sunlight." And it might have done similar due to the others own heat and the fire. "That or they didn't go deep enough and it faded. Was there a lot of fall out?" Already taking a seat in his own chair as he moved to set the ink down and look up at his own inks.
"I can mix something and we can do this. I think we'll have enough but if this fades again I'm going to guess it's a you thing." And not a him thing because he was going to make sure it was deep enough to hold and lessen the fallout if he could help it. Kioshi was assuming this ink, and the youma it came from, meant a lot to the other so he wanted to keep the tattoos intact asmuch as possible for as long as possible. So he'd do his best on that.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2023 6:23 pm
Eion didn't understand the misgivings about using cremains, so he didn't comment on it. He was already well aware that his perceptions of life, the body, and the starseed were sufficiently different as to ostracize him if spoken aloud; better, then, to accept Kioshi's hard limits for what they were and move on.
"Other arm's white ink," he said quietly. "Hard to see." He was already pale, made worse by living a nocturnal schedule for the past several years since his youmafication. The white was, thus, intended for showing as a General, but the faint traces of it were yet visible to the scrutinizing eye.
For his legs, it was easier to show. He realized, belatedly, that he probably should have worn shorts for this. Nothing for that now, he supposed. Slipping his thumbs below the waistband, Eion pulled down his leggings to the ankles to the extent of the blackwork on his legs. Helpfully, he wore briefs for the occasion. The air was stagnant as it was chilly, however, so after Kioshi got his look, the leggings went back up.
"Was a tattoo artist," he confirmed as he settled back on the table. He folded his knees to his chest, as if that could keep the heat in better. "Wasn't exposure to sunlight. Not sure if there was a lot of fall out; everything that comes out of me is black. Wouldn't have known if any of that was fall out." The white was a different story; however, he couldn't recall paying careful attention, or trying to differentiate it from other activities.
He disliked hearing that he might've been the cause of his own lack of permanence, but there was nothing to do for it but nod. Swallowing against the tightness in his throat, he watched Kioshi go about his business.
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2023 7:04 pm
"Qhite can be hard, yes." And it could fade with ease, yet he used a good amount of white in his own work. It was one of the colors traditional Japanese used and so he used it well and often.
"Mmmm, fall out is fairly common it's just a matter of how much fall out there is. Among other things." Since there were various reasons for fall out and how much. He was figuring it could be the heat the other generated, perhaps, or just the artist the other had gone to previously. The ink could also be the cause given it was a mix of youma ink and real ink.
Shaking his head he stood slowly, stetching a bit, and went about grabbing the inks he'd need. He had them on a self about head height so they didn't get in the way, and brought them down so he could work on things. "You've had something to eat or drink recently? I don't need to have you become sick or pass out on me." Though the paperwork said one thing he did want to be sure of it. "If not I can grab you something." Or if he needed something while he was tattooing he could stop and grab the other something. He did try and take care of his clients, for several reasons, most of all he didn't think they'd return if they passed out on him.
"So we're mixing with white and with blacks." Wanting to be sure of it, that nothing was being added or anything, as he set to work on making his washes in each of their own little containers. he'd add in the special ink in a moment. "And, are we doing everything in one go? Arms and legs? It'll be a lot to heal and leave you sore." And he doubted the other would be pleased with that, most people wouldn't be. It was alot to take on.
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Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2023 6:55 am
While Kioshi spoke, Eion's attention wandered the various framed works on the wall. Many of them looked like a language he couldn't read. Still, they were something to look at besides Kioshi; there wasn't much point in trying to make eye contact while someone was working.
"Ate before I came in, but…" Eion slipped an old, silver pocket watch from his coat and unclasped its face plate. "I'll need to eat again." Not that Kioshi needed to hear him bitching about how exhausting it was to have to eat all the time. That any clever management of carbs or fats or proteins might stave off hunger for an hour or two at most, only for Faustite to go right back to ravenous.
"If I do pass out, just keep going." Seemed easier than having to wait and waste all that time.
When called on to clarify the colors, Eion nodded. One of his legs swept back and forth idly. "Can't maintain this form forever. Got two and a half hours of work time. Take whatever you can do in that period." As Kioshi said, he'd be terribly sore, but such were the constraints placed on him for being part youma. There was no magical means by which he could changed between human and part youma at will, so all things had to work around that obnoxiously short timer.
Three hours, then another appointment, then three hours, then another appointment, then three hours. It was a terribly headache, but one he had to endure.
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Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2023 11:13 am
"Alright, so I'm on a timer." Nodding his head as he looked to his own cell phone and picking it up he set a timer for himself. Once that was set aside he finished prepping his area and yanked on a pair of black gloves. "Alright, so arms first then and I'll see what we can do. We'll do legs on the next appointment." At least he knew this before mixing what he'd need for the legs as well, and wasting the others small ink supply. So he had just what he would need for the arms.
"Alright, let's get this going. You'll need to let me know who to call if you do pass out." Since he wasn't sure where the bring the other and he couldn't anyway, he couldn't just power up and teleport them both out of his job, that would cause a lot of issues which he was not about to deal with.
At least though he was sitting down and in place now and motioning for the other to place an arm where he needed so he could get to work though. The other would, since there was a time limit, have to just grit his teeth and bare it if it did start to get to him. That was something he normally wouldn't do, as he liked to avoid customers becoming sick or passing out, but here he was being told to go against that. So he would.
"Just try not to move, I don't want to scratch or add more than what's here." Since he was just touching up and not adding to it. That said he went to dip his machine into the ink and get started.
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Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2023 4:16 pm
Nodding in silence, Eion reluctantly slid an arm out of his coat and exposed it to the cold air of the workspace. Arms first, then.
The preface to this procedure felt strange in a manner that was alienating, for it wasn't his real skin that was being tattooed. It was fake skin, a magical amalgamation poured over his body to conceal it and make it more palatable to the human public. Youma didn't give a s**t what he looked like. Whether agents and Negaverse senshi did or didn't ultimately hadn't mattered, because he attained a rank high enough that they'd sooner choke on their own tongues than say anything. But some random ******** person on the sidewalk would take one look at his eyes or his stomach and lose their heads over it, and that — on the scale that could come of it — forced the need for this disguise.
Because that's all Eion was. He wasn't Elex, just like he wasn't Faustite. He was a fake history made to cover up a lived history. So how could it be that a tattoo applied to skin that didn't exist would still stain him — the fiery General beneath all of this — so indelibly? The notion was so a**-backwards as to seem preposterous, laughable. Like he was exercising futility by sitting on that cushy bench and waiting for Kioshi to get to work.
And it wasn't like Kioshi was clueless, either. He knew who Eion was. Maybe he didn't know how flimsy the notion of Eion was, but he understood that the person sitting in his workspace was normally on fire. Still, he agreed to this. He put up with the strangeness. Eion wasn't sure what he was feeling, but as much as he wanted for it, it didn't seem to be laughter.
"The fire department," he found himself saying after a brief consideration. "Lot of flammables in here." He wasn't sure what calling anyone would do; it seemed the workspace was more at risk than he was.
"Try my best. Not known for sitting still, though."
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2024 10:20 pm
The whole idea of this was a strange one, and akward as well for him, but he'd already shoved his feelings aside because he had a job to do. It didn't matter that this was his general king, someone who knew of his other life and now was pushing into his civilian life. It was fine, because it sort of had to be. "At some point I want to know how what I do here, and now, remains on the other self. It makes no sense in terms of science...but magic is another matter, and I do wonder if there isn't a magical reason for it which can be explained." A rule of some sort, as it were, because this made no sense otherwise.
He knew the form was different, he was certain if he poked the other in the gut that there would be no fire, this wasn't some illusion and the fire was there and he just didn't see it. it simply wasn't here right now, somewhere else for a lack of a better term. It was something he might ask Wolframite about, because the General was half youma and would hopefully have furether explanation, even if Eion answered him today. It was a curious thing to him, and he wouldn't mind an answer.
Putting needles to skin he started his work while eyeing the other. "If I were to call them I doubt they'd arrive in time to save much of anything. It would be rather pointless in calling them." He would be getting his own a** out of here, his coworkers could save their own asses, he was not about to get stuck in a burning building. "So let's try and avoid the fire, I'm not interested in job hunting again. I don't exactly enjoy being bottom of the pecking order in a shop." Because he was the newest one here and even thoujgh he wasn't some apprentice any longer it still meant he took mroe s**t than the others, but it wasn't as bad as it was when apprenticing.
"I'll keep tha tin mind, if you go to move let me know." He'd pause if he needed to, he didn't want to ******** this up. Needles moved, the machine buzzed, and he dipped into ink and worked. Blue eyes watching as he worked.Strickenized So sorry, I lost the tab for this and lost the link. Computer likes to do upgrades at night while I'm sleeping and I lose links. @.@
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