Tattooing is what people call an easy job, something not stressful, or hard.  They would be wrong.  Yes it can be enjoyable and everything they call it, but it can also be very stressful and hard and not very easy either.   Depends on the client and what they want, how detailed it is and how much pain they can handle.   

Bars are really more her scene but the last time she went to a bar, there were not many people her age and its time to start being around them she believes.   Probably better business too. This time, Rayne was going to a club.  She isn't a dancer, but probably wont go out on the chance floor, but she was told recently by a client that this place had the best drinks as well as music, plus the people didn't hurt to look at either.  

Moving towards the bar and grabbing one of the stools, she orders her drink, turns on the stool and watches the people here.  The music wasn't bad, the lights a bit distracting and the music kind of loud to her, but it was still wasn't that bad.


(wrote this on pain meds, sorry if its bad)

Javier sat at the bar, pretending that he had planned to be there all along. He didn't. They planned for a night out with Booker, but Javier, being the person he was, arrived way early to the club, and pretended that he was alone, instead of awkwardly standing in the doorway. Hence, when Booker called to tell him that he had some kind of a work issue to deal with, Javier was already at the club, and had a drink, and was suddenly keenly aware that he was alone at the club and had a drink. He wasn't going to leave without finishing it. Besides, he reasoned with himself, a night out was supposed to be fun, even when one was alone. He could make an effort before he bailed. He had no doubt he would bail sooner rather than later.

A young woman walked up to the bar. Javier gave her a shy nod. She took the seat next to him, which was close enough that it would have been awkward not to acknowledge her. But he was also not sure how to start small talk without coming off as trying to hit on her. So, he smiled a friendly smile, and got ready to continue sitting awkwardly at the bar.

The guy sitting next to the seat she took gave her a nod and she replied back in kind.  It was too loud to start a real conversation randomly and she wanted to check out the scene first.  See the people, see whos here and who she might know.  Also she really wanted her drink too.  Not something fruity or sweet, no that wasn't very good on sharp senses and taste.   A nice glass of whiskey did wonders.  Smooth, strong, but not fruity.  Rayne never understood anything about those kinds of drinks. 


When the bartender pushes her drink towards her, Rayne gives him the money and nod before turning back to the crowd of dancing bodies, not seeing anyone she knows.  Oh well, its not like she didn't expect this, she came here to possibly meet new people. Taking a sip of her drink she turns her head to look at the guy beside her before speaking loud enough for him to hear.  "You don't look like you are enjoying being here."   Statement, not a question.  

Javier watched the crowd, for lack of a better thing to do, and sipped his drink. The woman who sat down next to him gave him a look, but then turned her attention to her own drink and her own observations. Javier was usually too nervous to strike up conversations with strangers, so he was grateful when being in close proximity with someone did not turn immediately awkward. Eventually, however, they both ran out of things to look at. She turned to him first.

>>"You don't look like you are enjoying being here."

Javier coughed a little, swallowing a sip of his drink too fast. He knew he had no pokerface, but the reminders were brutal sometimes.

"I was... supposed to be meeting someone." he admitted "You?"

Oops, Rayne didn't mean to make him almost choke on his drink.  Really she didn't want to this to be her first time out and about after a while of just working and all to end up with the first person she talks to choking.  This day wasn't starting off well at all.  


HIs words make her think before she speaks.  Usually she would just be upfront and say he was stood up, either with friends or the person he was in a relationship with, but if she says that, usually people say it comes off rude.  Truth is truth, Rayne doesn't know why people cant handle it and needs to be lied to or have the blows soften.  Oh well, not her problem right now.  "Sorry to hear that."  Taking a sip of her drink, Rayne shrugs lightly.  "Just out for a drink. Not meeting anyone." 

Javier had no ill feelings about Booker staying away. He had a good reason to, and as someone as hypersensitive as Javier was, he tended to check his feelings of jealousy fairly often. Booker was a great boyfriend who didn't cancel or flake ever, unless there was some true emergency, and that was something anyone could easily understand. The only thing that Javier was feeling bad about was braving the club scene on his own.

>>"Sorry to hear that. Just out for a drink. Not meeting anyone."

"I see." there was really no witty thing to respond to that, to Javier's dismay "It's actually my first time at this club. I heard it's a... friendly place." Mutant-friendly. Hopefully.

At his words of saying his bar was a friendly place to be, Rayne can't help but smile slightly at that.  Seems they heard the same thing from different people.  "I heard that as well. Among other things."  Takes a sip of her drink, eyes flicking around to everyone before back to the guy beside her.  "I heard about this place from a client of mine, who did you hear it from?"  Rayne doesn't really do much besides work and stay at home.  Just hasn't had anyone to really hang out with and besides, shes usually busy drawing out a clients extremely detailed tattoo they want.  That or she is studying up on her next form or practicing the ones she already has.   

>>"I heard that as well. Among other things. I heard about this place from a client of mine, who did you hear it from?"

Small talk was painful for someone with anxiety, but so far, it was at least not awkwardly halting. Javier took another sip from his drink as they carried on.

"From my boyfriend." he admitted. Thinking of Booker made him smile a little. He could still barely believe someone like him would date someone like Javier. "So... you have clients? What kind of work do you do?"

Please don't say escort

Rayne sees the smile coming on his face when he mentions his boyfriend and gives a slight nod.  She doesn't judge that, to each their own as she says, so shes just glad that hes happy.  Well shes glad that people are happy with their choices and not...not happy for some reason.  She hates not happy people.  Such a downer on things.  "Is this boyfriend the person you were supposed to meet here?" 


Finishing off the last of her drink, Rayne puts it back down and lifts her hand slightly for another one.  As she waits she looks back towards the guy beside her and cant help but give a little grin towards his way.  His hesitation on his last question gave her all she needed to know on what he was thinking.  "The thing that popped into your head when I said clients was escort wasn't it?"  

>>"Is this boyfriend the person you were supposed to meet here?"

She seemed like a smart woman, or she was just very good at guessing. Javier nodded. "He is... He had a good excuse, though." he added quickly, to avoid giving the impression that he had been stood up by someone as sweet as Booker. He did not deserve other people having the wrong idea about him.

>>"The thing that popped into your head when I said clients was escort wasn't it?"

Javier turned bright red at the question, and stammered.

"I... no, I just... that's not..." the guess was too accurate, and also incredibly embarrassing. Javier's first instinct... or rather, second, after running away, was to deny the accusation. But if he did, and she knew better, then he would be a liar too. "Did you read my mind?..."

Rayne nods back at his first nod.  She assumed it had to be the boyfriend seeing as he was talking about him anyways.  Although she never did assume he was stood up.  "I didn't think you were stood up, not the way you talk about him and smiled after thinking of him."  Gives him a small smile in return before taking the drink that was brought a second ago and taking a sip.  


Although when his face goes bright red that even she can see in this lighting she can't help but laugh some.  "I apologize for laughing, its not really at you, more the situation.  No, no I didn't read your mind.  I've been in that situation before hand though, with people thinking escort when I say clients."  They may an appointment so patient isn't really the right word and it isn't customer so client it was. 

>>"I didn't think you were stood up, not the way you talk about him and smiled after thinking of him."

Javier blushed some more. He never had a great pokerface, but it became even worse when he was talking about Booker. He knew that most people thought it was cute that he had a crush on his boyfriend, but sometimes it just made him feel awkward in front of strangers. Pull yourself together, Javier.

Of course it was hard to look calm and collected right after accusing someone of being a hooker.

>>"I apologize for laughing, its not really at you, more the situation. No, no I didn't read your mind. I've been in that situation before hand though, with people thinking escort when I say clients."

Javier cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't... make assumptions like that. So... what kind of clients, then?"

Honestly Rayne is just good at reading people.  Her job requires it.  Sometimes people come in saying they have a high pain tolerance but once into the tattooing they try not to show the pain.  Which is stupid really, because there is always a threshold that someone will pass before they end up passing out and Rayne needs to see this threshold before someone does pass out.   Giving that person a break is easier and quicker then waiting for them to wake up from passing out.   Plus she needs to know the truth about thing they talk about and other stuff.  Lies don't help her work.


Rayne shakes her head and takes a sip of her drink before answering him.  "Don't worry about it.  Honestly it doesn't bother me. And I'm a tattoo artist."  You cant call a person coming in for a tattoo anything else but a client really because they normally have to make an appointment and they cant be a shopper because they are getting something done to them.  

It was a very awkward faux pas to commit, assuming someone was a hooker. Javier would chew on that guilt for many days to come, even if she shrugged it off with a laugh.

>>"Don't worry about it. Honestly it doesn't bother me. And I'm a tattoo artist."

Genuine interest lit up Javier's face.

"Really? That's cool!" he blurted out. It really was. Artists of any kind were interesting people, and tattoos were something that fascinated Javier, even if only from afar. And it had nothing to do with hooking, which was a relief. "I mean... I'm a tailor. I'm just interested in... things that have to do with style, and art. What kind of tattoos do you do?"

Honestly Rayne hoped that he wouldn't worry about calling her a hooker.  She couldn't tell herself or anyone how many times people asked if that was her profession just because she said she had clients at some point in a conversation.  The first few times, yeah Rayne might have been insulted or embarrassed, but after a while it just didn't do anything with her and she found it amusing to say the least.  No one has ever guessed that she was a tattoo artist, even when her own tattoos were on display.  


Rayne grins at his own grin and his interest in her job.  "Yes really."  Tailor huh?  She could see it but really, she knew the basics about being a tailor and all that, but not much.  "Honestly I'll give my clients whatever kind of tattoo that they want if they set a schedule date.  If I am not familiar with the style they want it gives me time to practice it and time to draw their tattoo out right.  Walk ins are more tricky if I don't know the style, but usually the client knows what they want already."  She shrugs a bit at that.