The Edge: Tattoos & Piercings

[Trish]

Continued from: Apartment Complex; The Parking Garage

Her little woobie-cat had decided to settle himself atop her head once she'd parked her car down the street from the tattoo parlor and made her entrance. It still be fairly early in the day, there were no customers yet, but there would be a fairly steady flow, come lunch. She had a few clients lined up for the day, so she'd be going home with some good tips.

"Mornin' boys," she greeted the rest of the staff and heard Seamus mew from his perch. The little feline was almost the shop mascot. He wasn't allowed in back, of course, for sanitary reasons, but he usually prowled around the waiting area to greet various patrons.

"Beee."

She heard Sonny before she saw him; the massive, Maori man crushed her in one of his imfamous bear hugs; Trish wheezed out, "Hiya, Sonny."

After a clap on the back that nearly sent her and Seamus tumbling, the big man let her little kitten leap on to his shoulder to play with his dangly fang earring. "You go ahead and get set up, eh?" he said in his warm accent. "Your first guy'll be in by noon."

"Aye aye, boss-man."

[Trish]

With the buzz of the needle and the idle chatter floating around the small parlor, Beatrice fell into her usual routine. Some customers already had sketches planned, which made her life so much simpler, but when asked to do an original piece, Trish always felt honored. Her work didn't always pay well, but she was happy for the most part. Besides, she'd be on the cover of Tattoo mag before long. Or, at least that's what Sonny kept telling her.

"All right, kiddo," she smiled at her current client, a young college-aged girl. Both excited and nervous, the petite redhead squeezed the hand of the man she had come in with -- her boyfriend. Matching tattoos...some found it tacky, but Trish thought it was kind of cute. "Just sit tight for me, okay? I'll be done in a jiff..."

[Trish]

"Okay, guys, now you're gonna remove the bandages in about an hour, wash with warm water and Dial soap, them put a little bit of the Aquaphor on. Do that three times a day until your tats are all healed."

The speech was second nature to her. Trish was pretty sure she could recite it in her sleep, but she did it with a smile every time. "No scented lotions or soaps for two weeks," she continued. "Careful of the sun, and don't pick at it. Y'got that?"

The couple nodded, then practically beamed at one another. Trish, for her part, definitely felt a little warm and fuzzy inside. They waved as they exited (leaving a hefty tip, she noted with a grin) and Trish decided it was shaping up to be a good day. But now she was hungry and sustenance was necessary.

"Sonny! Lunch break!"

"'Kay! Bring me back some Chinese."

"Yessir," Trish called back with a grin, snatching up her things. "Watch Woobie for me, huh?"

Continued in: Restaurants etc; Long Wong's