Forums » General Roleplay » Trick or treat: Lilith's Oddities (Closed)

Stepping up to the tattoo parlor and poking her head in was easy enough. Slipping quietly inside was a little harder.. She'd noticed the sign on the door however, and wanted a Halloween tattoo, so she managed to force herself inside the building and stood awkwardly at the door, shuffling from one foot to the other until noticed. She was dressed as a black cat, ironically, complete with cat ears and painted on nose/whiskers. Kai was wearing a simple black sweater and matching leggings, black leather heels on her feet to give her a couple inches in height. "Still open, yes?" she asked softly if given attention, her sweet voice delicately accented but carrying forth rather precise English. If not, she'd apologize profusely and go right back out the door.

If yes, she would offer the woman the biggest smile and clap her hands a couple of times in excitement. "Would like small spooky ice cream cone with bats on my left forearm. Is this Halloween enough for discount, or no? If not, is okay. I like ice cream so am also willing to pay full price," she smiled sheepishly. "Oh! Right! Here is picture so you can see..." she then pulled up a pic on her phone to show the tattoo artist a reference of what she was even talking about. "Think you could do this?" she inquired with a warm smile.

"Hello?" Kitsunebi called, walking into the shop. The simple exterior led neatly into the sleek, spooky interior, and a wall of pumpkin-pie scent, combined with those of raspberries and marshmallows, whacked her in the face as she walked in. The door closed behind her with a faint jingle; there was pie in a neatly-covered area near the door; there was a nicely-dressed woman up ahead in the room, and she could hear the faint sounds of talking. Oops, she hopefully hadn't interrupted anyone! Oh, well.
She'd heard there was free pie, so that was good enough for her. And maybe they'd have a selection of clip-ons? She liked earrings when she could wear them. Hmm, but pie first. Oh, of course she'd have to say hello. That would be impolite, otherwise. And besides, the place was decorated, so she had to admire that too and offer her compliments!

The owner of the tattoo parlor seemed to be dressed up in a black, victorian gown with lace sleeves. At first glance, it looked like it was just another halloween costume but if one were to take a closer look, they'd see that it was of the exact same quality as the high end couture that the woman sold at her store.

This same woman was standing behind her counter, stroking the belly of a chubby raccoon that had displayed herself on top of it. The raccoon seemed to push it's body against her hand and ask for more pets, especially when the petting slowed down and Lilly looked up from her furry companion to see the girl that had wandered inside the parlor.

A wide welcoming smile appeared on her face and while she pulled her arm back, the pile of fur on the counter curled up in a ball before getting up on her paws and leaping off of the decorated piece of furniture. Ellie, the raccoon, then proceeded to find a spot in the corner, pushing items aside on the lowest end of a shelf so that she could sleep there in peace.

"Happy Samhain, my dear." She claimed elegantly, a manicured nail rising in the air before she beckoned the girl to come closer. "Of course we're still open. We'll be open all night, don't you worry." She added while she waited for the girl to make her way over to the counter.

The head of a snake rested on Lilly's shoulder, sneaking down over her upper arm before lifting it's head up right above her elbow. It took a curious peek to see the trick-or-treater in front of them and stuck out it's tongue, as if tasting the air and making sure it was a safe interaction for their owner to have.

A small chuckle left Lilly's lips as she turned around and placed the snake, which turned out to be a rather young ball python, back in it's tank and soon the girl had her full attention.

She listened closely as the girl explained her desires for a tattoo and waited to see the image that was pulled up on the phone before nodding, her own hands matching the excited clapping of the girl while her smile widened.

"Of course I can do that, and the discount would count. Nobody said that spooky had to be all blood and guts, right?" She laughed, the wholehearted laugh filling the parlor in charm. "And the left forearm... we can do that right now, no problem. Of course if you can, you can certainly have some warm apple cider or tea first. It is what you prefer." She added.

If the girl would choose to have some tea first then Lilly would make her way to the back of the parlor and get everything ready for the tattoo. That said, nothing would keep the young lady from tagging along and witnessing the entire set up herself if she chose that instead.

The sound of footsteps interrupted her further thought process and she looked up and past the customer to be able to see the one that had just entered.

"Happy Samhain to you too," She claimed to the other, giving her a polite smile just like she had the first. Looking them over briefly, she then proceeded to speak. "Feel free to help yourself to pie, candy, apple cider or tea. All is free of charge and for the taking. If you want a tattoo or a piercing then you'll have to wait for a moment as there is one client ahead of you. If you however would prefer to take a look around and relax in one of the chairs then you can go right ahead."

If she would indeed look around, she'd find all sorts of things in the shop. Jewelry for body piercings as well as necklaces and bracelets. Among that jewelry, two small stands with clip earrings in all shapes and sizes. There were ones with tiny skulls, with bats, with apple cores and other special, mostly dark themed ones. A few unique purses were on display as well with custom made shoes and clothing. Aside from that, a bunch of other oddities could be found that didn't have to do as much with fashion as they had with decoration.

"And back to you, of course!" Kai smiled brightly, not even about to try and pronounce that word back at the friendly woman. She was ecstatic that the discount would indeed be counted for the tattoo and nodded at the offer of free cider while she set up the booth. "Okay, sounds lovely," she grinned, moving to scoop up a cup of the apple cider and sipped at it carefully. "Yummm," she cooed, glancing to the other customer and giving her a smile as well. Kai finished up her cider around the time that Lilly was all set up and wandered her way into the area to join her. "This is gonna be so metal," she cackled sweetly, totally not 'metal' in the slightest, but she could dream, right? "My name is Kai," she introduced herself as she climbed up onto the seat when prompted, resting her arm however she was asked to. The tattoo process was so fascinating to her, and she'd spent a loooot of time admiring her first one in the mirror after she'd gotten it. People saying that it was addictive sure weren't joking.

(Sorry I'm so slow! I had a lot going on IRL. x3)

Kitsunebi smiled and thanked Lilly, and then wandered over to the earring rack. The whole place was beautiful; it was a lovely gothic mess of spiderweb lace and shining jewelry.
Wandering toward the clip on earrings, Kitsunebi picked out two that were bats in different colors, and one pair that was a shining set of purple-green-blue gems.
Walking toward the counter, she called to the owner, "Can I pick these up later this week?"
She fished money out of her purse, shuffled the earrings into a paper bag, their shimmer disappearing under brown paper, and set them on the counter with the money. She knew some stores would reserve items, but she wasn't sure about this one, so she left a tip. Just in case.
Taking an apple cider, she looked the cap off, took a drink, and then wandered to the door. "Happy All-Hallow's-Eve!" She called cheerfully.

Setting up the booth didn't take her long. Soon enough, all fresh supplies were displayed on a small side table as well as some ink. Her tattoo machine was prepared as well and she walked back to the front of the parlor, where she noticed that the latest costumer had chosen some clip on earrings to buy. She nodded and smiled as she asked if she could pick them up later. Customers had done that before and she had no problem with reserving items as long as it was only for as long as seven days.

"Sure, that's no problem. I'll put them behind the counter." She said. She frowned when she saw the money though and wanted to object, not needing any tips or down payments for the items she held. Wanting to object, she attempted to get the woman's attention before she headed out.

"Hey-," She started while the woman left the establishment, apple cider in hand. "There's really no need to pay for me to hold them..." She added, but the woman had already made it to the door and Lilly wasn't sure she'd still hear.

In case she didn't, she wrote the amount that the woman had tipped her on the bag before putting the cash in the register and the bag behind the counter. Whenever the woman would come to pick them up, she'd make sure to detract the amount from the total cost.

Her attention shifted to the one that came for the tattoo and she rolled up her sleeves a little, freeing her wrists and revealing the tattoos that covered them. Digging into a small box, she took out two black gloves and put them on so that she could get started on the tattoo.

"Everything is set up and ready when you are, dear." She spoke to the girl, before leading her to the back of the parlor and into one of the tattoo chambers.

The chamber was different from the rest of the parlor. While the walls were a dark grey with white stripes and the tattoo chair as well as the table and her own seat were a purple that matched the furniture in the front of the parlor, things here were less crowded and no oddities could be found. Instead, there were framed pieces of photography covering the walls, showing off the work she had done on the skins of previous customers. The packaging of the needles she'd taken out was still visible in an otherwise empty trash bin next to the table and she gestured for the girl to take a seat on the tattoo chair. Once the girl sat, she pulled the arm rest up so that the girl could put her arm on it for stability.

Lilly tried her best not to chuckle at her excited claims and her smile widened as she took a fresh wipe to clean and prepare the girl's skin before placing a stencil onto it.

"My name is Lilly." She said. Maybe that was a given due to the name of the parlor but often times, people thought that her legal name was indeed Lilith. "This mustn't be your first tattoo, Kai." She remarked, seeing how the girl was excited but didn't seem nervous or scared. That was good, those that already had a tattoo were usually easier and knew what they needed to know. Still, regardless of her answer, she went on to explain the necessities.

"If you need a break, tell me so. I have cold soda and dextrose, both are free as they're needed. You can talk to me during the process but I want to request you to try and sit still for the prettiest result." She told her.

After that, she turned on the tattoo machine and the soft buzzing of it filled the air that surrounded them. The needles found the girl's arm and got to work, slowly but surely shaping the ink they distributed into the spooky ice cream the girl had requested.

"You have good skin. Glides like a hot knife through butter." She remarked as she went on, wiping away excessive blood and ink in between the tattooing so that she kept a clear vision on what she was doing. Eventually, within a good twenty minutes, she finished the tattoo and allowed for her to take a look.

Kai smiled when she noticed the tattooed wrists. She'd love to be absolutely covered in pretty ink buuut with her career path, it was potentially for the best that she was able to cover them, for now. She nodded when Lilly told her everything was set up and ready for her, having easily followed her and hopped into said chair. "Your shop is simply gorgeous, by the way," Kai said as she soaked in the room, "And purple is a such a lovely color!" The excitement was real with the little bird and she could hardly sit still. That'd change shortly, due to the absolute need to be still as stone, but for now she'd be a wiggle worm of happiness.

Once her arm was on the armrest and being wiped, the wiggling eased off and she seemed more focused. The smile was still plastered on her face however, curious eyes full of awe as she watched the stencil placement. "Will do," she promised with an attentive nod, "No problem, I think I got all my excitement jitters out of the way now. Deep breaths and smooth sailing from here forward, scout's honor!" Kai sat perfectly still as Lilly got to work, chewing on her lip lightly with the sting of the needles, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. "Ooooo..." she breathed as she watched the shape starting to come together.

"Haaa, the last artist I visited said the same thing," she giggled, "Phrasing might have been slightly different, but same concept. Am actually rather proud of my skincare routine, leaves it baby soft!" Kai's eyes moved towards the portraits on the walls again and she studied them in quiet curiosity as she allowed Lilly to finish without distraction. "Oh woooooow!" she exclaimed with a hint of a squeal laced into that lilted little voice, "It's beautiful! Makes me wanna nom it right off my arm." She giggled playfully, "For real though, thank you so much. My second tattoo, so I know the basics in aftercare, but some of the little cream stuff would be great to add to purchase if you sale that also." She continued sitting still so that Lilly could cover it after she'd gotten a good look at it. "Leave covered for... how many hours again?" she mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully with her index finger of her other hand.

She'd eventually follow the other woman back to the front for payment and to checkout.

If she'd be asked which type of clients was her favorite then Lilly's answer would be clients just like Kai.

Sure, getting in veterans who already had most of their body covered and didn't even flinch, allowing her to tattoo for 6 hours straight without needing a break was nice and she loved the bigger, fully colored and shadowed pieces that they usually allowed her to do. The sad thing about them was that they were usually rather quiet and that while they appreciated her, their excitement about the process seemed to have worn off over the years.

The other type she got rather often was those that were new to the entire tattoo and piercing world. A few amongst them would already "have a tattoo", or so they'd claim even if the thing was the world love in the thinnest and smallest print possible. She didn't mind the new ones as much if they managed to behave, but most of them were so nervous that she could barely focus on doing her work. They usually failed to sit still too and she always had to fight the urge to tape them to her chair so that she could actually finish what would normally take twenty minutes in less than two hours.

The third type were people like Kai. Their joy, enthousiasm and excitement remaining along with their curiosity. The talking that automatically brought a smile to Lilly's face without being overdone. Yes, having clients like Kai was pleasant and she didn't mind them one bit, in fact for most of the process she'd happily chattered along with the woman. She'd told her about how the parlor was filled with things from all over the world, oddities she couldn't resist getting her hands on. How she started learning how to tattoo in Astrum and eventually opened her own shop here. It was easy to talk to her and she expressed gratitude for any compliments that were given to her.

She asked about the skin treatment, not just out of being nice but out of sheer curiosity. It was an important thing and while she personally didn't have much issues with her own skin, she had some clients with rougher skin that always wished to fight her needles. Any tips and tricks would be welcome for them for sure, and if those tips were given to her she'd thank Kai for the information.

Seeing that Kai was happy with the result made Lilly happy too, and she skillfully wrapped it up in foil.

"Two to three hours and if you stay out for longer then wait until you're home. Once removed, gently clean it with warm water to get rid of leftover ink and blood. You can use soap but make sure to not use anything exfoliating or perfumed. It's also important that you don't rub it and that you pat it dry with a paper towel rather than to dry it with a normal towel as usual." She said when the girl asked to clarify how long she needed to keep the foil on. She understood the confusion, especially if the last tattoo had been a while ago. For those that didn't have a lot of them, it was sometimes hard to keep track of.

She'd move the armrest away and hand Kai a bat-shaped lollipop and a small bottle of soda before making her way back to the front of the parlor, allowing her to follow as she knew she could clean up later.

"This comes with you for free. Only use it the first five days. After that, you can switch to a regular moisturizing lotion. No thick layers, just a little bit and let it sit. You should sleep without rewrapping it as it isn't as big, it needs air to heal. Wash the tattoo every morning and evening, apply lotion 3 times a day or once more if it feels incredibly dry. As always, don't pick the scabs." She said with a warm smile, taking out a small reusable bag with skulls on it before putting the lotion, her business card and an aftercare flyer into it and handing the bag to her. "No swimming, no sunbathing, no shaving over it in the near future. Come see me in about 6 weeks from now in case any touch ups are needed, free of charge. Then I'll also check to make sure it's properly healed to see if you can go swimming again." She added.

"Any more questions, feel free to call me anytime." She said while she wrote up a receipt.

"That'll be 25$ then, dear."

The little bird had no clue that she was in the type of favorite clients, but had she known she'd have been even more thrilled. She was always happy and excitable in general, especially when it came to things she enjoyed.

Kai was usually shy and far more reserved, but it was hard not to chatter along when she was bubbling over with excitement. She felt instantly welcomed as well, from the moment she walked through that front door and that played a massive part in making her so bubbly towards Lilly. She stood out too, so there was that. Like Lilly had different types of clients, Kai had met with multiple tattoo artists before finally choosing one to do her first piece of ink art. A lot of them were scary.. A few were dismissive. Kai gravitated towards the ones that shared her enthusiasm and seemed into their job. Lilly's love for her shop showed itself in the decor and even the snacks for the holiday. It was such a warm environment from the get-go. As Lilly was going into detail all about the parlor and the oddities, it even furthered that love for her little shop. She mirrored the enthusiasm with big smiles and curious questions about some that had caught her eye more than others. She loved listening to people talk about things they loved.

Kai had easily went into depth about her skincare routine, actually quite proud of the commitment to it. The regimen didn't seem to be that complex, and would be easy for others to implement as well if they had the desire to do so. It wasn't for the lazy hearts, however, since it took such commitment and more than one product. "But yeah, it's mostly all about determining your natural skin type and going from there," she finished the rambling with a bright smile, "Is easy peasy!"

"Right! Okay!" she nodded along in attention when Lilly was going over the aftercare. Simple enough, and she remembered some of that from the last time when she first got the one on her back. "Oooomigosh! Is so cute!" she squeaked at the bat-shaped lollipop. The smile remained plastered on her face the entire time she remained in the shop, another squeak leaving the small woman when she was given the skull bag a bit later. Lilly was quickly becoming her favorite tattoo artist by this point, and she bounced in place subtly as her excitement bubbled over and fizzed figuratively from her ears. "Sounds great! I'll be back in 6 weeks then," she promised, nodding at the next bit, "Okie sure! Did you have a business card for ease of access to your number? Or perhaps add it to my phone real quick?"

She dug for the money and handed it to her with another bright smile, "Thanks again for everything!" With that she would finally be on her way out the door, humming to herself happily.

As Lilly and Kai were standing by the register, Lilly felt almost sad that the tattoo had been so small and left them with so little time. That time had been filled with excited chattering and she'd enjoyed it but even though she was usually glad when the work day was over so that she could head back upstairs, this time she wouldn't have minded if it had lasted a little longer. She hoped the tattoo would heal well and was glad that Kai had no problem with returning six weeks later. Most customers did but some lived too far away, especially when it was a randomized last minute decision.

"I put one of my business cards in the back, but if you'd like another feel free to take one." She said as she gestured to a small pile next to the register. She was also willing to put her number in the girl's phone if she preferred that and whichever the girl would choose, she'd comply.

As Kai had paid for the tattoo, she put the money away in the register before offering her a warm smile. "Of course, anytime. I take walk-ins year round but do advise to make an appointment as it ensures that you won't have to wait in case there's a walk-in for a big piece ahead of you. The Halloween action is one I do every year as well and that lasts throughout the entire month of October." She added when the girl thanked her.

"Have a nice night and take care, I'll see you soon." She said as the girl headed out the door. Once the girl was gone she'd lock the door behind her and turn the sign to closed before turning the lights in the shop off before she took her pet snake out of it's day tank and decided to carry him upstairs with her as she headed to her apartment. Meanwhile Ellie, who seemingly made no move that displayed a wish of going outside, turned on the shelf she'd been sleeping on and proceeded to sleep further. Lilly knew that there was a high possibility of her waking up to some damaged goods and eaten snacks in the morning as Ellie was nocturnal, but it didn't bother her and she couldn't get herself to place the animal in the cold night outside so she left her be.