Once a good girl from Paisley, Rebecca was starting to see herself as a bold, empowered woman as of late. Her ViewTube channel was considered progressive and unafraid to talk about touchy subjects, she was leaving Cafas in constant fits of blushing by requesting a harness to help with her flying, and of course, she was enjoying some no-strings-attached fun with Gawain/Maya. Rebecca did not see herself as a bad girl, but she was also not allowing doubt or shame to stop her from identifying what she wanted and asserting herself until it was hers.

Life was surprisingly good, and that was not entirely accredited to her new stance on life. While sex, work, and heroing were all going well, Rebecca was still certain her home situation was the highlight of her life. Living with a best friend could take some adjustment as both women adjust to each other’s quirks, but Inviting Juliette to move in was Rebecca’s best choice of twenty-seventeen. The house was full of life, she had someone to consume Binge with, and cooking and cleaning duties were split evenly. Aesthetically, Juliette made the house prettier—not that Rebecca would even think to try anything, but there was no harm in appreciating beauty. She even brought Bijou, giving Rebecca a two-cat apartment without risking the title of Crazy Cat Lady.

It was a Wednesday where both girls had the day off, which was rare given their busy schedules. The Mansion was hosting a field trip and Rebecca and Juliette were not needed as chaperones, allowing them a lazy day at the apartment.

Lazy was great, but days off were so rare, Rebecca had the urge to do something with it. The girls needed a bonding experience every now and then, and she had just the idea. There was a tablet usually left on the coffee table, and recently, whenever Rebecca picked it up, there was evidence that someone was perusing tattoo ideas on PinBored. She doubted Gavin and Bijou had learned to use the tablet (yet,) so that left one possible suspect.

Rebecca was standing in her doorway on the phone, knowing Juliette could hear her from the living room. ”Er, yes, Ah was wondering if ye hae a spot open today fur tois and… oh, really? A walk-in special… aye soonds great, we’ll be there soon.”

Hanging up her phone, Rebecca walked down the hardwood hallway, her boots already on her feet and clacking on the ground. She entered the living room with a grin. ”Get yer coat; we’re gang tae get tattoos.”

It was a lazy day. Who didn’t love lazy days? It was so rare at Jules and Becca’s apartment for them both to have time off to spend a day together that it felt like a waste to plan anything. So, lazy they were being. Thankfully, the day had similar ideas, and it was sunny in the apartment. Juliette was curled up on the couch in the sun with Bijou draped over her foot. The apartment was nearly silent as she read through a novel.

Suddenly, a noise caught her attention. Becca was talking to someone in the next room. If she was remembering correctly, they didn’t have any other roommates and the cats hadn’t yet learned to talk, so that meant that she had either snuck a conquest in or she was talking on the phone. The phone was probably the safer bet.

Juliette did her best to tune out the noise. It wasn’t her place to snoop, even if it sounded like Becca was making plans on their lazy day. That was her prerogative if she wanted to waste the sunny afternoon on doing something. She only actually listened closely after Becca said something about a “walk-in”. Was she sick? Why on earth would she go to a walk-in clinic if she knew that Juliette could just take a look at her right there? Unless it was something more serious?

Juliette’s mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusion and she stood up to look at her friend. ”Becca? Are you alright? If you’re sick, you know-”

>>”Get yer coat; we’re gang tae get tattoos.”

”Wait… what?” Jules blinked at her roomie. Tattoos? Oh, that walk-in comment made a ton more sense now. But where had the tattoos come from? It wasn’t as if she was opposed to the idea… at all… but it was a weird thing to suggest in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon. It was best not to push it, though. They could discuss the rest on the way just in case she changed her mind. ”Uh, okay.”

With a rather confused expression, Juliette set her book down next to her cat and then strode across the apartment. She slipped on her boots and jacket, grabbed the tablet off of the table, and then looked at Becca. ”Alright, where are we going?”

It was understandable for Juliette to need a moment to process Rebecca’s command. Rebecca made it a point not to give her friend fair warning because if she was thinking about tattoos already, it was important to act impulsively. Why think when they could be doing?

Fortunately, Juliette did not put up a fight and grabbed her belongings before heading out the door with Rebecca. She was accepting the plan, but she was curious about where they were going, which was a concession Rebecca could make. ”Th’ parlor’s called More Than Ye Ink, an’ Ah did mah research, promise. Great reviews, totally safe practices, an’ th’ sample tattoos th’ artist has oan th’ site are tae die fur.” Rebecca handed over her phone with the browser on the website so Jules could do some scrolling of her own.

The elevator let them out on the parking garage and the girls made their way toward Juliette's new car. The parlor would have been a bit of a walk, and why get sweaty when someone was about to be working on their bodies, particularly when Rebecca knew her tattoo would be going on her inner hip.

The thought brought up another question. If Rebecca was right, Jules had been browsing around, but there was no confirmation she had a decision firmly in mind. ”Sae dae ye think ye know whit ye’d be getting ance we get there?”

Juliette didn’t really care all that much about where they were going to get tattoos done. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about what was going to be permanently put on her body, but she had enough trust built up with Rebecca to know that she wasn’t going to bring them somewhere that would a) be unsafe, or b) give terrible tattoos. If it was okayed by Becca, then it was likely okayed by Jules. That was mostly how things went. Save a few dating situations.

What she really wanted to know was where she would be driving to. Her new car was only a few weeks old and it had already been towed and had a very good spray down, but it was functioning well again after some recent turmoil. She took a second to scroll through the pictures on the website before finding the address.

They travelled down the elevator to the parking garage. Juliette stepped out onto the concrete and walked to her car, pressing the clicker to unlock the doors. As they slipped inside, Rebecca asked her what she planned on getting once they got to the parlour. ”Oh god, I haven’t thought about it yet! You sort of sprung this on me!” she laughed. ”Give me a sec.”

Before starting the car, she pulled her phone from her back pocket and pulled up her PinBored account. She’d definitely been thinking about getting something done, but it hadn’t been real until that moment. She browsed through her board for tattoos for a little while before finding one that caught her attention. There. That was it. ”Okay, got one,” she said simply, not showing Rebecca what it was.

Juliette then started the car and drove them out of the parking garage, the parlour in mind for their destination.

If it was Rebecca’s choice, they would likely be taking an Uber to the parlor. Rebecca had a car of her own that she used for long drives and drives to places with committed parking, but she had never been a fan of driving through New York. Uber would still put them in a car, but she did not have to actively think about driving. With Juliette driving, technically it was the same situation for her, but she questioned Juliette’s desire to drive nonetheless. As similar as they could be, they were clearly still different people.

Juliette claimed that she had not thought about her potential tattoo, but Rebecca scoffed. ”Psh, Ah’ve seen th’ tablet in th’ living room. Ye’ve totally been thinking ay thes,” she teased, admitting to where she got the idea for a tattoo adventure.

Before she started driving, Juliette pulled out her phone and picked out a tattoo for herself. Rebecca tried to catch a glimpse of the screen, but Juliette kept the selected tattoo out of sight. Pouting, the Scot folded her arms. ”Rude. S’nae loch Ah’m nae gonna see it,” she said grumpily as the car pulled out of the garage.

The drive went without incident, with Rebecca making guesses about Juliette’s final tattoo choice. She knew her roommate would not give her the answer, but guessing passed the time in New York traffic. When they parked, the excitement really started building up as Rebecca realized they were actually doing it. She was going to get a tattoo; a real, permanent tattoo.

They stepped into the parlor and Rebecca looked around for the artist they would be working with. ”Hello? We were hoping fur tois walk-ins?”

Ravi liked his job. He really did. He got to work with some of the most interesting people in New York City, and he heard some of the craziest things that from the people he worked on. Best of all, he got to use his artwork in a way that lasted for years and that made people happy. He was living out his dream.

Unfortunately, his dream wasn’t always quite so dream-like. Afternoon slumps were the worst. Each of his coworkers was busy working on something, and he was stuck manning the front desk, waiting for someone to walk in so he could actually do something other than reorganize the calendar in the shared folder. He was a good artist, wasn’t he? He was just as good as Randy or Margie, so why didn’t he have any clients? It was one of those questions that made him wonder if he really did have the chops to be there; something that came up on occasions when he had prolonged thinking time.

Thankfully, the front door opened and two pretty young women walked in. Finally.

>>”Hello? We were hoping fur tois walk-ins?”

”Perfect, come on in,” Ravi gave them a quick smile and extended his hand for them to shake. He was the perfect image of a young tattoo artist, with his loose clothing and visible tattoos. He always hoped that people would see his tattoos and be inspired. He had designed them himself, after all.

He led the two women through the little shop and over to a black, horizontal chair. Nearby, there was a set of tools and a workstation for drawing. It was all set up nice and close for him to grab when he was ready. ”I’m Ravi, and I’ll be your artist for today. Couple of questions to begin: are you guys first-timers? And are you both looking for tattoos? If so, who wants to start?”

Juliette had wanted to go to a tattoo studio for quite some time, but actually going there was an exciting event. It meant that it was all going to be real. The designs on the walls and pictures of people who had previously gotten tattoos in that same location were giving her a serious anticipation buzz. She could hardly wait for it to start, really. In the back of her head, there were a few feels of worry and doubt, but she pushed them all aside. She didn’t need to think about that. She had wanted it for so long, and there was no chance that she was going to let a few doubts ruin it for her at this point.

Rebecca had told the guy at the desk what they were there for, and he seemed to stand up almost excitedly. To be fair, he had looked a little bored before he saw them. As attractive as he was, though, he seemed a little bit young. If the tattoos that he had on him had been his own creations, though, then maybe he was just good for his age.

He led them through the parlour and to one of the stations that filled most of the space in there. Juliette remained standing while they got things sorted out, since they still didn’t know exactly what the process would be. They were definitely going to get tattoos, though.

”Good to meet you, Ravi,” she smiled politely, letting Becca introduce herself. As close as they were, she wasn’t going to speak for her roommate. ”I’m Juliette.”

She did, however, answer the first two questions. ”Yes and yes,” she nodded. It was happening. It was seriously happening. ”Do you want to go first, since it was your idea, Beck?”

The artist nodded while they deliberated who went first, gathering his drawing supplies for when they were ready. He had a notepad and a pen poise on top of it, waiting for him to start designing something. ”Sure. Whoever wants to go first, let me know what sort of design you’re thinking of.”

The two women were quickly greeted with a handshake by one of the parlor’s artists. Rebecca offered a smile and a handshake in return, taking a moment to look at the skin he had on display. As one might expect, he had multiple tattoos and was not shy about them. She was going on a limb and guessing he did not do the work himself, but she did wonder if he designed them himself.

He introduced himself as Ravi and led them to a chair. Ravi had a few questions before they started and Juliette handled them all accordingly. It was definitely their first time; Rebecca felt a buzz of anticipation through her because her impulsive decision was going to have a permanent impact on her life. If she were there alone, she might have had second-thoughts, but she was smart enough to bring Juliette along. There was no backing out now! ”Ah’m Rebecca. And… sure. Ah dragged us intae this, Ah’ll gae first,” she agreed, holding a hand up to signify herself as tribute.

Rebecca stepped forward toward the seat of no return. ”Ah was hopin’ tae gie mah four national flowers oan th' inside ay mah hip.” Already in the process of getting the four images she saved on her phone, she held the screen out to Ravi and flipped through them, narrating each one. ”Tudor rose, shamrock, daffodil, an' thistle. Mebbe interconnected wi' leaves ur vines ur... weel, Ah dunno,” she admitted. ”Ah hink aam deferrin' tae yer judgment oan 'at.”

Unsure of the next step, Rebecca stood and awaited further instruction from Ravi, who she assumed had experience working with people coming in for their first time. While she waited, she did have one thing she had been meaning to say. ”Yer art’s beautiful, bah th’ way. Oan yer arm.” It was a compliment she needed to make, whether he was the artist or just the canvas, because tattoos were the man’s life and he clearly had an eye for them.

With the redheaded girl, Rebecca, having resigned to going first, Ravi got himself ready to draw. As she detailed what she envisioned in her Scottish accent, he took notes as quickly as he could. Already, he was beginning to see the image come together. Four flowers, woven together to symbolize something. No doubt her affection for the various places that she called home.

”Do you mind?” he asked as he took the phone from her to get a better look at the four images. With each somewhat committed to memory, he sketched them on the page in an almost linear way, with each flower connected to one another.

>>”Yer art’s beautiful, bah th’ way. Oan yer arm.”

Ravi stopped drawing for a second to look up and grin. A customer with an eye. Even better. ”Thanks,” he said proudly. ”Not much point in drawing all the time if you don’t benefit from it, eh?” There were no regrets for him in terms of what he did or the tattoos he had. He was quite proud that he was able to get to that place so quickly, actually, and he was happy with how his tattoos had come out.

If only his parents could see him then...

A few minutes later, the final sketch was finished. With everything, it took him two sketches to get a copy that he was happy with, and about ten minutes overall. He flipped the page around to show Rebecca.

”What do you think? I’m happy to change anything if you’d like,” he told her. ”It’s your body, after all.”

He looked between the two girls for some sort of reaction. The brunette, Juliette, was nodding while looking at it. She seemed to like it, anyway. That was a good sign, even though the only opinion that really mattered was Rebecca’s.

Rebecca complied with Ravi’s request, handing over her phone so he could analyze the four flowers she wanted. It was interesting to explain her idea to Ravi and watch as something behind his eyes worked to piece together the picture of what he would be etching into her skin. Rebecca was never much of an artist, despite Nate’s attempts as her teacher once upon a time, but she was fascinated by people who were able to capture beauty on a canvas or paper or, in this case, a freckled body.

The compliments on Ravi’s ink were worth a grin. He had a point; if he had artistic talent, he should be showcasing it. What better way than to wear it. It was the ultimate way to take pride in his craft and Ravin seemed to have plenty of pride in what he did.

Waiting excitedly and anxiously, Rebecca nudged Juliette’s shoulder with her own and muttered, ”Ye know, there’s nae turning back noo. Yer nae gonna jist watch me an’ bail. Ah’m excited tae see what yer putting oan ye.” Rebecca had showed her hand, so now Juliette’s tattoo was the only mystery left.

Eventually, Ravi showed the sketch he was working on and Rebecca’s jaw hung open. ”Mah God, it’s gorgeous. Ah need it oan mah body, loch, noo.” The detail and the shading was exactly what Rebecca pictured; maybe even prettier than the image she had in her mind. Juliette was impressed, which was the perfect second opinion. ”Will ye be able tae dae it in ain session?” The request was not large, but if it was as detailed as Ravi drew it, Rebecca wondered if they were in for a return trip.

”Don’t worry, no backing out here.” Juliette gave Rebecca a quick grin to let her know that she was fully on board. She would be lying if she tried to claim that there were no butterflies in her stomach, or if she tried to say that she wasn’t having any second thoughts, but she had agreed to do this. Rebecca was already doing it. She had wanted this forever. It was happening!

The drawing that Ravi had done really was cool. He had managed to take the idea that Rebecca had and position it in a way that was truly creative and beautiful. She was sure that doing so was a skill that all tattoo artists needed to acquire, but it was still incredible to see.

She grinned down at her friend encouragingly. ”That’s going to look awesome on your hip.” And that was all the input she was going to give. Best friend was going to clam up.

Encouraging friends were always a good thing to bring. It was too often that Ravi had to deal with people telling their friends and loved ones not to go through with the tattoo that they had been dream of forever. That was just sad to him; tattoos were an expression of one’s self. It wasn’t for another person to say what someone should or should not have on them.

He grinned up at the two excited girls as he began to move the design over to some template paper. It was usually a quick job once he’d already finished the actual design; just moving it from one medium to another. That was where more of the work actually lay when tattooing someone.

”Can do,” Ravi saluted the girl with a grin. The template was officially finished, so he held it up for her to take a look at. He cocked an eyebrow quickly and then nodded to her to clear the space on her body for him to place it on.

While he disinfected her skin, he thought about the possibility of doing the tattoo in a single session. It was likely that he would be able to, but that would depend on her. ”We’ll reevaluate partway through. If you’re in a lot of pain, or we don’t have enough time left, then we can leave the rest for another time. If not, then we can do it all at once and you can probably just come back in later for a touch-up.”

It wasn’t a huge area of skin and while it was a detailed design, there were no faces involved. It would be far from the most difficult tattoo he’d ever done. ”You ready?” he asked as he peeled the template off. It had transferred well. While he waited for a response, he readied the tools for the actual process.

Becca was happy with the person she was, in part thanks to her friendship with Juliette. It was important to have a supportive friend around who was willing to give her advice when she needed it and have her back when she did not. Becca had found a lot of confidence over the years, particularly once she started on ViewTube, but it was easier to make big personal decisions when Jules was in her corner.

The tattoo Becca chose may have been an ode to her heritage and home, but the memory of getting it would be tied to her friendship. Neither of them was backing out and Jules was already complimenting the piece she was about to add to her body. The whole thing made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Ravi looked excited to help her out, too, which was infectious. It was like teaching; Becca loved literature and had the chance to share that love with new potential lit lovers. Ravi got to do the same thing, indoctrinating newcomers into the world of tattoos.

He gestured toward the spot Becca wanted him to work on and after a moment and an, ”Oh!” she realized what he was asking her to do. She knew she was getting her tattoo in a relatively private area, which meant she had to accept a lack of privacy when getting it done.

Unbuttoning her jeans, Becca slid them an inch or two down her thigh. After lifting the hem of her top and adjusting her hipster panties with her thumb, the inside of her hip was clear like a canvas for Ravi to work on. She took a seat so he could clean and prepare her skin and get to work.

They were going to try getting as much done in one session as possible and see where they ended up, which was fine by Becca. With the template transferred, everything felt very real and she was acutely aware of the stainless steel needles around the space. It was convenient that she had control over her power or she would be worried about messing things up. ”Ready,” she confirmed after one last deep breath.

The process would take some time and Becca was curious about the man who would be etching into her body for the foreseeable future. ”Sae hoo lang hae ye been in New York? Nae tae be hypocritical, ye just dinnae soond loch a New Yorker,” she joked, though to be fair, not everyone in New York had a strong New York accent.

Suddenly, another thought came to her mind with accompanying concern. ”Oh, is talking distracting? Ah’m kind ay a talker. Jules can confirm. Bit Ah can stay quiet.” She could try, at least.

With the okay issued from his client, Ravi set up his tattoo guns. It was a simple process that had become more of a system 1 thing that anything else, so he was able to listen to her question while he set it up. It was nice to know that he was that comfortable with his job and with his equipment.

>>”Sae hoo lang hae ye been in New York? Nae tae be hypocritical, ye just dinnae soond loch a New Yorker,”

Ravi chuckled. ”You’re right; I’m not a New Yorker. Good catch,” he affirmed. It wasn’t often that people said anything about his extraordinarily middle-of-the-line accent. ”I’m actually from Calgary… that’s, uh, in Canada. I’ve been here since I was eighteen, though,” he explained. He had to add that qualifier in just in case. With many people, they either had no idea what or where Calgary was, or they were tourists who had no idea where anything was. Usually, though, people had a general idea of where Canada was.

”How about you? You’re definitely not from New York, I imagine.” He poised his tool above her skin, ready to start. It was good that they were already talking, since she was going to need a bit of a distraction. ”Alright, get ready for this. The first bit is often the most shocking.”

WIth that, he set to work. He followed the stencil that had been laid out on her skin as closely as he possibly could, ensuring that they were capturing the image that she had initially wanted.

>>”Oh, is talking distracting? Ah’m kind ay a talker. Jules can confirm. Bit Ah can stay quiet.”

”Jules, can she stay quiet?”

”Mm. Debateable. The shower is next to my room.”

Ravi chuckled again. He liked these two. ”Well, then, I guess it’s a good thing that I can work through distractions.” His speech was slowed a little and his eyes were locked on the design, but he was still able to multitask. ”I might just get a little quiet during the tricky bits.”

It was totally possible Ravi was from New York. Becca knew a few New Yorkers who did not have the signature accent; Vanessa’s was slightly noticeable, but Agnes lacked a discernable accent. With how much of a melting pot, Becca figured the odds were still pretty good that Ravi might not be from the city. The longer she lived there, the more it felt like eighty percent of New Yorkers were not native.

Becca had a good idea of Canada and a vague idea of where Calgary was in the context of the country. It was bizarre moving from a tiny country on a tiny island and suddenly finding herself in the third largest country, neighbored to the second largest country. ”Ah’m jist a girl frae a wee city in Scootlund. Ah—eep!”

The vibrating needle hit her skin and Rebecca tensed up, trying not to move suddenly. It was a sensation akin to carving. It didn’t hurt, it just… ”Okay, ‘at’s weird…”

Ravi opened the door to let them continue talking, which sounded like a great distraction as she kept her eyes off the device etching into her skin. ”Okay. Talking. Distraction. Ah came tae th’ States jist shy ay nineteen. Came o’er fer skale. Hae Ah tauld ye ‘at afair, Jules? Ah was a late bloomer, Ah guess,” she said with a nervous laugh. Her powers manifested later than most, but she really felt like she had come into her own as a mutant since then. ”Actually, hoo auld waur ye when it happened?” She was not going to ask the details of Juliette’s manifestation, but she was curious at what point in life did her best friend start to shine.