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Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 10 May 2015, 23:22
by Jesse Fforde
Jesse had no idea how he had not seen the weapon before. As soon as it settles on the counter, however, he is swift to collect it and stash it behind the counter, out of view. Although he might be on leave from Tytonidae, that does not mean he is on leave from keeping the Masquerade. For a few steady moments, his eyes are gleaming with that temper that always seem to linger just below the surface.
"We keep the Masquerade, here," he says in explanation, before returning to the subject at hand.
"So this is just a test, then? Something you like the look of, to see whether it'll work, before getting something proper done? For what it's worth, I've had **** done that hasn't disappeared. Or... death or loss of limb, it goes away. But otherwise, it sticks," he says. She seems pretty set on the fandom sigil and who is Jesse to argue? He's here to do what the customer wants him to do and if this is what she wants, then so be it. He shrugs his shoulders and wanders over to the machine that'll copy the smaller design onto the transferable paper.
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 12 May 2015, 17:52
by Deirdre (DELETED 5847)
The slight girl's main response to his statement about the Masquerade was a slight inclination of her head and the soft words, "I only carry it around because this city's full of crazy and I don't much fancy getting killed." Well, that was half of it. The other was that she was loathe to disappoint her sire again, not after last time. Walking around with an empty gun had been utterly stupid of her. So she had upgraded her hardware. "Its name is Ami, if you were curious."
She doubted he cared, but it was a sense of pride, having a weapon she was proud enough of to have it named. Sure, she hadn't been the craftsman behind it, but it was beautiful nonetheless, and deserving of the name. Ami. Like something more reverent. She doubted he would get that reference, either, if he hadn't understood who Danaerys Targaryen was. Though the Sailor Moon series had been around much, much longer.
"Yes, this is a test. See if it holds, all the technical details. I've noticed that even if two vampires share a path, they can be extremely different. Do you have ghosts hounding you all hours of the night as if you're some kind of messenger?" The question was off the wall, out of left field entirely, but it would make her point quite well, like there really was a point to be made. Uniqueness didn't end when the human life did.
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 19 May 2015, 13:09
by Jesse Fforde
Jesse is not curious. His own weapons are named only because the people who'd given them to him had named them; they are inanimate objects prone to degradation and breakage, so he does not use their names. But, this girl seems the type who's into fanfiction and had probably done the whole medieval fair thing, or some ****--at least, that's the conclusion Jesse has come to. Of course she would name her weapons. He doesn't respond to the statement.
"There's an art to carrying weapons and keeping them hidden. Break the Masquerade and you'll have so much crazy closing in on you from all sides that you'll only have to blink an eye and you'll be in the Realm. I'd suggest keeping it hidden," he says with the slightest smirk and a wink.
In regards to the tattoo, he shrugs his shoulders and nods. The girl has a point. All vampires are different, and this is her body. Jesse will just do what she wants to do; it's his job, afterall. He brings the smaller design back to the counter and shows it to the girl, sliding it across the counter toward her.
"About that size?"
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 27 Mar 2016, 12:33
by Kaspar
He wanted an new tattoo, something to commemorate this phase of his life. He collected the way some did postcards, a new stamp on his body, his passport through this life. He wasn't entirely convinced on how this was going to work, whether it might over time heal, push the ink from the skin and he figured he might be able to find some help. There was a rumour that this guy wasn't exactly human, that he was one of the great masses of undead that resided in this city. Surely he might know a bit more about tattooing undead skin.
He wanted something on his thigh, and the image that kept coming to mind was a dagger, the dagger that Eva had pulled out to suddenly slash at his arm, to prove to him that he wasn't human anymore. It was slightly more subtle than a pair of fangs, or some Twilight loving ****. A dagger, yeah that would do nicely.
The man breezed into the shop, it was nice and dark in here except for the lights that shone over where clients would sit, nice and bright for the artist to see his work come to life. He wanted that sting of needles, that sharp pain and the buzzing machine as it drilled colour into his skin. "Hey," He called out, leaning leather clad arms on top of the desk, pushing his thick framed reading glasses on top of his head. "I'm here to see a man about a tattoo."
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 27 Mar 2016, 13:55
by Jesse Fforde
The speakers overhead played a mixture of a dark, electronic music. Not too loud, but not too quiet. Currently, the artist was The Prodigy - the album The Fat of the Land. One of Jesse's favourite songs - recently, anyway. A song he could relate to, even though it was the same words, over and over. Twisted Firestarter. There was plenty Jesse had done in the past - alone or with company - that could classify him as twisted.
For years he'd spent his nights hunting, killing, maiming, practicing rituals, breaking and entering. So many different avenues, so many different ways to be useful. Training to kill, to become the best at killing, to be a part of a faction of killers. But now he had his own family, his own group of people. They knew how to kill, and how to break and enter, and how to do all the things that he had explored. Now, he could do what he wanted for his own gains, his own pleasures. So he had this. He had Serpentine. For once in his life he wasn't poor. The money was slowly moving in; he was gathering quite a little nest egg. He had one more place he wanted to buy. After that, a new goal would be sought. Until then, he would work his *** off. He was in the tattoo parlour, more often than not.
When the customer walked in, Jesse was working. Lounging there in his office chair staring at a design half-formed on the page, his fingers mottled with ink. He glanced up at the call, pushing the pen behind his ear as he stood and sauntered toward the front counter. He cleared his throat.
"I'm the man with the tattoos. What are you after?"
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 27 Mar 2016, 14:15
by Kaspar
Kaspar had his head turned away, looking around the place when the man came out, not bothering to look to or address him immediately. Eventually he did, and was pleasantly surprised. Cute, tattooed, pierced. He really enjoyed hanging out in tattoo shops, all that artwork. "I hope you're the man i'm looking for, I want to add more to my collection but have recently developed a certain condition that means I heal pretty quickly. I've not had the chance to get more ink since, and i'm trying to see if it were possible at all, or if it would just reject." Too subtle? Too obvious?
If the man was human he'd attempt to overpower him, bite him and leave him dazed enough that he might forget the encounter, if he was a vampire then Kas seriously hoped the guy would pick up on his meaning. "Kaspar, or Hel if you are into the local rock scene. Nice choice in music, man, I love some Prodigy. Tops." He pressed his hand across the counter, offering it to shake. "If you can help me i've got something particular in mind."
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 28 Mar 2016, 12:54
by Jesse Fforde
Jesse stared. Then narrowed his eyes. Then glanced over the customer's shoulder. The door was shut, and there was no one else inside. When he looked back, there was a hand in front of him, waiting to be taken. Jesse slipped his equally cool digits into the other grasp.
"Jesse. Or Jesse, if you prefer," he said, his voice its usual rasping husk. He only nodded in regards to the music choice, before smirking.
"What you're asking - you're a vampire and you're not sure whether the ink is going to stick. For reference, I've done a few on myself and they haven't gone anywhere. I've done some on some friends, and so far - haven't gone anywhere. I suppose it depends on your particular... brand. The only way you're going to find out is if you give it a go," he said. It was a customer. He wasn't about to turn anyone away.
"What have you got in mind...Hel? Is that like... Loki's Hel?" he asked. It was a particular mythos he liked best.
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 28 Mar 2016, 14:59
by Kaspar
Smirked at the guys response, "Then I guess it's Jesse." He shook the hand, a fingertip reaching to touch his wrist, a habit he'd picked up to check for a pulse. The cool hand was released, Kaspar steadying a contemplative look on the man as he explained. "My brand? Hell, I don't know man but i'm down to give it a shot if you are."
He shot Jesse a slow grin, "And if doesn't stick, i'll just have to come back for touch-ups. I'm ok with that, if you are." As for the other question, he mulled it over before answering. "Wilhelm... Kaspar Wilhelm Grube, Hel was a nickname that stuck years ago, I don't remember how it happened. I've been accused of reminding people of certain fallen angels, and other such hell related figures. Not yet had the comparison to the Norse gods. You interested in mythology, Jesse?"
He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone with the picture he'd snapped of the dagger, pulling it up and placing it on the counter for Jesse to get a look at. "I want something similar to this, on my thigh, feel free to shake it up a little but I want it clean, nice lines." His eyes flicked over the man, up and down, just the once, quickly taking him in.
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 30 Mar 2016, 08:14
by Jesse Fforde
Jesse smirked. Not a mythology buff, then. But he wondered what kind of story the guy could have had if someone was comparing him to Hel. He certainly did seem to have tabs on himself; but so did Jesse, at times. And he had met a hell of a lot of people in his time who’d had the exact same kind of confidence. It slipped right off Jesse’s shoulders, the confidence neither a challenge nor something to judge. He just nodded – yes, he was interested in mythology.
”Hel is the keeper of the Norse underworld. Loki’s daughter. Half dead half alive. I like to think she was the original zombie,” he said with a shrug. If he did his research he’d probably find there were references to zombie-like creatures or demi-gods before the Norse appropriated it, but he hadn’t had a reason to go searching. She was an interesting one to draw, anyway. Maybe that’s what he’d work on, after the customer was gone – an original Hel piece.
The picture was shown to him, and Jesse nodded again. He really wasn’t much of a talker, though he did far more of it now than he used to. Mute for over a decade, it had taken him a while to get into the swing of ordinary conversation. Even now, he didn’t say anything about the design. Just turned around so he could retrieve his sketch book, turned it to a clean page, and brought it to the counter. Staring at the picture, he started to re-draw it – quick, neat lines – right there in front of the customer. He worked best freestyle. And if Hel wanted something to be different, he could jump right in and point it out.
Re: One Hour Tattoo
Posted: 30 Mar 2016, 08:47
by Kaspar
Kaspar's eyes rolled, not with intention to be rude or just dismissive, more of a "well duh" look. "Yes, Jesse, I am aware of who Hel is, daughter of Loki and the underworld she resides over is of the same name. She played a role in the attempt to resurrect Baldr after her father, the trickster Loki, assisted in his murder. It's one of my favourite stories..." He watched as Jesse pulled out a sketch book, beginning to draw, Kaspar watching each detail form on the page though he was loathe to interrupt of make corrections. He chose artists based on their work, he wanted them to put their own spin on it, give him something unique, he was pretty open to interpretation.
"I was raised with knowledge of the Norse gods and the Christ god, so I always found that story struck a chord. Baldr and his mother Frigg shared dreams of his death, dreams were considered prophetic and so made every object in the realms swear not to harm him. Mistletoe, however, was viewed as too young or perhaps sweet to swear. Harmless. Loki, however, found a way to use this against them by creating a spear with mistletoe and handing it to the blind god Höðr, Baldr's brother." He paused for effect, not even sure the man was listening to him but it wasn't in Hel to half *** a story. "Everyone hurling objects that could do him no harm, and his own brother drove in the spear that killed him. Mistletoe killed Baldr, it is the beginning of events that lead to Ragnarok and at Christmas time people kiss beneath it. Sweet, innocent mistletoe. Kisses can be just as lethal as a spear though, can't they?"
Kaspar reached up to touch the back of his head, fingers splaying across the back of his skull casually. The man was cool, confident and he seemed uninterested in Kaspar's charms, so talking freely was of no concern. He enjoyed the topic and it was rare he found someone who had knowledge of the Norse gods. Nothing left to say, he stepped away from the counter, strolling around to look out the glass panels to the bar. People milled about below, and he wondered how many of them were human, or this was a haunt for vampires. "How long?" Kaspar asked, "I mean, how long have you been pulse deficient?" It was a rude question, he had no doubt someone would take offence to it, silly really.