Inky Cells

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October Knight

October Knight

Hi-def
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
Genres
Fantasy, Horror and Sci-fi. I'll try basically anything though. I also love strange and unusual RP genre concepts. Different is good!

Inky Cells
tattoo & piercing

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Hollywood, California. Home to stars, junkies, prostitutes and criminals. Starving artists as well as starving homeless. Behind the bright lights and star lined streets is a grimy underworld that the thousands of tourists that visit each year rarely see. Its a melting pot of personalities, race, fashion, trends, pop culture and style. Individuals expressing themselves in a variety of ways are around every corner. Diversity is a given and creativity is a must. Chad Cline knew the second he moved there that it was the perfect spot to open a Tattoo and Piercing shop.



As the golden California sun slowly rose, Chad is already up. His routine is consistent and as he finishes breakfast he knows that today is the day that will change the rest of his life. Today is the grand opening of his dream, "Inky Cells tattoo and piercing". The fact that it would change his life was not up for debate, because he had invested all his money into it, so either way, success of failure, it would change his life. He was naturally a little nervous.

He got to the shop a few minutes before nine. He went inside and fired up a pot of coffee and looked around. The shop wasn't huge, there was a front counter and small waiting area, and in the back it had three tattoo stations and three piercing stations. Behind the stations was the a small VIP lounge with a bar that had yet to be stocked.

Chad poured himself a cup of coffee and thought about his employees. Each of them had come highly recommended. There was Elizabeth Seagull, she was a free spirit type with lots of experience around the Tattoo and piercing scene. Although she had lost her last three jobs, each of her previous employers loved her work. Next was Danae Sharp, she was described to Chad as having a near zen like skill for tattooing. Last was Cassandra Evans, from what Chad heard she was an extremely dedicated young lady, a firecracker at times, but nonetheless an excellent artist. After Chad hired the artists and piercers he realized that he should probably get some security. This neighborhood was bad, vandals, drug addicts and the ongoing gang problem were all contributing factors, and he needed someone who would send out the message that Inky Cells was not to be fucked with, so he went with Ex Navy sailor Joel Pierce. Chad wanted his shop to be open and friendly to all types of people, but at the same time he wanted to have someone to turn to if ever there was need for some head cracking.

Everything was set. Chad awaited his crew with high expectations. Today was a big day, grand opening. He had a few appointments already lined up and there would no doubt be a few walk-ins as well.

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Lezzy drowsed in bed as a alarm went off on the side table near her bed. She groaned and rubbed at her eyes slowly, stretching out in her bed before reaching over and turning off the alarm. Her sheets lay mangled and twisted beneath hear as she moved to sit up, in nothing but a black tank top and some simple black cotton panties, her hair was frizzed up and going in every which direction as she slowly ran her fingers through the blue tresses, trying to get them to calm down and lay flat.

She then reached over to the side table again and clicked at a remote, signaling the music player on the other side of the room to start playing a thumpy beat as she dragged herself out of the bed, heading to the bathroom to relieve herself and then to comb out her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. She looked herself in the mirror and changed out the black-painted piercings for silver. She washed her face, then walked into her kitchen area and fixed herself a small bowel of cereal, as well as making the strongest pot of coffee that she could make. She drank it black as she scooped small spoonfuls of Lucky Charms into her mouth. Her eyes still glaring out at the world in a subspace between awake and slumber.

She looked out the window at the world, enjoying the view of everything getting covered in the California sun as she cleaned the bowl and poured herself another cup of coffee, taking the cup with her as she walked back into her room, going to the closet, placing her coffee on the table while she searched for something to wear.

Lezzy Seagull was not a morning person by any means and it peeved her to have to get up before noon. Although, it pleased her beyond belief to have a job again. She thought that after being fired from previous tattoo and piercing parlor, that she would have to look in a different field of work. Only to find that her old boss had put in a good word for her with this new guy. That had surprised her, but she didn't look too far into it as she hoped that she wouldn't get fired again.

She looked through her tops and bottoms, trying to find something that would be good for the opening of her new job's location. Nothing too attention-grabbing, but at the same time, with a little personality. She grabbed a black and blue corset top with a sheer, dark blue, cap-sleeved blouse to go under it. She added a black, pleated skirt to the mix and blue tights as well as black pumps with a bit of a heel. Then for accessories, Lezzy collected a blue beaded necklace, a blue rose to be pinned on her shirt, and packed arm warmers in a small purse if it happened t get too cold for her. She checked herself in the mirror, then decided it was almost time to go.

Only one picture hung in her small apartment, and she looked at it now, a sense of nostalgia sweeping through her to her very bones. It was of her with her family before she left for college. She had never really had a good relationship with any of them. Not her parents, or her two siblings, but it was a sense of comfort to her... She had no friends back there, even. For a moment she reminisced to herself over her life so far. Then turned away from the picture, turning off the music and downing the rest of the coffee. She poured the last of the pot into an anti-spill thermos then collected some of her back-up supplies for the parlor, as well as a first aid kit or two, figuring that it couldn't hurt, then got her things and walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind her.

Lezzy arrived at the shop, attempting to be in her best behavior, regardless of it being before noon and only on her third cup of coffee. She meekly said hello to Chad, then went about finding a place for the first aid kits she brought. she had only brought them because of a memory from tattoo/piercing parlor # 2 on a night that a drunk came in and it ended rather badly. She hoped like hell that nothing like that would happen, considering that this new boss, Chad, had thought of security. She then checked out her station and nearly cooed with pleasure of being back where she liked to be. She cleaned her station and made sure she had everything, then went back up to Chad.

"Hey boss." She started off, then realized she hadn't seen anyone else even near the parlor yet. That shocked her a little. "I'm the first of the lackeys here?" She asked, obviously doubting that fact. She had almost expected to be late. "Am I early or something?" She asked, sipping from the thermos, then checked what position her piercings were in, moving them slightly, a nervous tick. She yawned for a small moment, then downed the rest of the coffee in her thermos before belching with a deadpan look on her face and retreating back to her station, not even waiting for an answer from her new boss.

Clearly not a morning person.
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Cassie was already up by 7:30 to ensure she would be ready to leave the house by 8:00, she hated being late for anything important and today was no execption. She sang along to the radio as she fixed heself up in the bathroom, she was a morning person and always seemed to have bucketfuls of energy. Having decided on her outfit
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she grabbed a bag
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a filled it with her lunch, a large sketch pad and a variety of lead and coloured pencils. She liked to draw on her lunch break at her old job, if her new boss didn't like it she was going to use it at the park in the afternoon anyway and this way she wouldn't have to come all the way back to her apartment to get it. She missed her old shop as she had become really good friends with everyone who worked there but due to an act or arson it had gone bankrupt and was forced to close down, but her old boss had put in a good word for at this new shop. She didn't know anyone however she was an optimist and remained hopeful that she would become close friends with the new staff. She made it to the shop at 9:05, she went straight to her station and set her bag down. She gave the girl next to her a smile and a cheerie "morning" before returning to see Chad, "Good morning, you must be my new boss" she said politly before smiling and exteneding her hand out to him "Cassandra Evans, but i prefer Cassie." She said formally, she knew it was important to make a good first impression but she hoped he wasn't to uptight. ​

(Sorry for the short post my computer is chucking a hissy fit :( might add some more later)​
 
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Danae squirmed beneath the covers of her bed, attempting to evade the bright California sunshine that was streaming through her window and illuminating her bed. On her bedside table, the alarm clock was blaring its displeasure in the amount of time it was taking her to drag herself from the bed and Danae mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a curse word, a rarity for her. One slender, pale arm snuck from below the blankets and patted around on the table for the clock but failed to locate the demanding object and the intentionally aggravating sound continued on for several seconds longer until, at last, the covers were tossed aside. From beneath their heavy shroud slithered the portrait of a gentle white virgin, save the inky designs that were twisted around her legs and arms, she was even clothed in an airy nightgown of pure white.

Danae stumbled groggily into the closet where she scrounged for an outfit for the day, something more befitting of her job as a tattoo artist. When her search came up empty, she was too sleepy to thoroughly mind and instead settled for a white sundress of cotton, decorated with simple black line art flowers and tied at the waist with a black silk ribbon. Beneath, to give the skirt volume, was crinoline and she felt pretty wearing it, like a model of sorts for the extra flounce that the crinoline granted her skirts. Paired with sensible black ballet flats, she traipsed into the kitchen to prepare something for breakfast.

A quick scan of the clock told her that she did not have much time, which resulted in a scramble through the fridge to find something quickly edible. The morning was filled with the tension of beginning a new job, meeting new people, she hadn't even met her new boss in person yet. They had spoken over the phone, just before the move to California was finalized for Danae. As Danae paced in the kitchen, scarfing down a sandwich as fast as she could swallow, she considered doing something with her fine, white blond locks but one last glance at the time reiterated that she should be leaving exactly then.

Danae darted from the apartment, nearly forgetting to lock the door behind her in her haste, and only barely missed tumbling down the stairs when she stepped on a toy car left on a step. The walk she had timed should only take ten minutes from here running, but it seemed like much longer as she flew over the cracked and already smolderingly hot concrete of the sidewalks.

Tearfully, upon arrival, Danae spotted the other employees and was certain that she was late -- not a great starting spot for a young new hire. She almost tripped when she tried to compose herself and walk with some measure of dignity through the front door and her cheeks flushed scarlet.

"H-hello" she mumbled under her breath, looking at each person with wide, wondering eyes.
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The neighborhood is no worse than the ones I've seen in Kandahar and Sadr City.

Except there I never knew if a pile of trash was a bomb or not. At least here, a pile of trash is a pile of trash and for that I am thankful. I'm also thankful for this job. I know I've got eight grand in the bank but still, that will run out eventually. Best to supplement it somehow.

And so I got a job asking for an experienced security guard at a tattoo parlor. I went for the initial interview and was pretty much accepted right on the spot. I come up on the place and push the door open.

"Hey, heylo, peoples!" I announce as I close the door. "So how is everyone doing? Looking forward to poking holes in people, I hope."
 
Chad, with coffee cup in hand, welcomed each of his new employees. The first to arrive was Miss. Seagull, Who went by Lezzy. Chad was a little taken back when she bleached, but couldn't help but smile at her anyways.

"Quite Impressive." He said, trying his best to make her feel comfortable, although it appeared she was about as comfortable as she was going to get.

Next came Cassandra Evans.

"Welcome!" Said Chad, then in response "Cassie it is then, You'll find your station right over there." He said with a nod of his head in the direction of the tattoo area.

Danae came next. Chad saw that she was a little timid, so he gave her the biggest smile he could pointing her in the direction of her new, shiny tattoo station.

"If theres anything you need just let me know." Said Chad just as the Security, Joel, showed up.

"Welcome Joel." he said waving. Then laughing at his joke about poking holes in people. He didn't really have a place for Joel to call his own, so he figured he would be able to hang out around the shop wherever he felt comfortable.

Once they were all partially settled he decided to get their attention and let them know a little about himself as well as his vision for Inky Cells.

"If I can have everyones attention for just a moment, As you all know, my name is Chad and this is my, no OUR shop." He stopped for a moment thinking about what he wanted to say "First off I wanted to say that, although we are open for business today, our regular hours won't start until tomorrow. We will be open from 4pm to 2am. Since we are right off the Hollywood strip, those will most likely be our busiest hours. Also." said Chad turning to the girls " You three could take some time getting your stations ready, organizing them how you like as well as giving them any personal touches you want. Cassie and Danae, If you two have any art you want displayed feel free to put in up."

He decided that they could do that themselves more acquainted with the shop on their own time. The most important thing for now was to set up and get ready before the real work week started and they got busy. Just as Chad was wondering if they would get in walk in customers today he heard.....

**DING DING**

The bells that hung over the shops door jingled their welcoming tune, and three people walked in. They all appeared to be 'punk rock' types, two guys and a girl between them. The guy on the left had a blue mohawk and the guy on the left had a shaved head. The girl, sporting a weave of pink curls seemed to be wearing the pants of the bunch.

"They want to get inked and I need to get this piercing redone" Said pink hair as she lifted her shirt and pointed at her bellybutton.

"Sup." said mohawk, apparently deciding to talk for the first time.

Chad was going to have to get used to the 24/7 life style around here. It seemed that all types were out all all hours of the day, even bright and early in the morning.

"Alright, lets do it." Said Chad, pleased that he would be able to put the girls to work on their first day.

He pointed to Cassie and said to Mohawk " Why don't you go with Cassie, she'll take care of you. And you" Said Chad looking at the guy with the shaved head, who was also sporting an over sized lip ring and looking quite defiant "Can go with Danae."

That just left the pink haired girl, who Chad pointed in the direction of Lezzy. He hopped they were ready.

Chad would check on them later to see how they were doing, but for the moment he was confident enough in their skills to leave them be. He turned to Joel.

"Want some coffee?"
 
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Danae tilted her head, smiling a little at the man with the shaved head as he was directed toward her. This was most comfortable, one on one with someone who would never see her after today, unless he liked her. There was no fear of having to interact socially, he was here because he wanted to partake in her skill and this, at least, she had confidence in enough to look at him boldly and ask him what he had in mind.

The man with the shaved head gave the petite frame one look and appeared taken entirely aback. Not only was she a tiny female, she was no less wearing the sort of clothing one would expect for a semi-formal dance or perhaps a tea party. Danae didn't back down, only repeating her question to him of what he had in mind for his tattoo. She gestured for him to sit when he finally started talking, her eyes beginning to glaze a bit. A quick question to Chad confirmed that he had autoclaved the equipment this morning.

Within minutes, the smell of bleach hung in the air from the group retrieving the necessary supplies for their work. Danae had extracted from the man what he wanted done, though it had taken persistence as he'd hedged her question for reasons she couldn't begin to fathom. At last, she could sink into the realm of zero interaction and begin to work without much interruption. The hum of her needle soothed her and she found the materials readily available for her to escape into the methodical mixing of inks for her colors.

The only pauses in her work were the times that Danae stepped back from the man to view the outline in black of his tattoo as it progressed. Each time, he seemed satisfied so she continued on but it was evident when she was partway through her work that the project was too large for a single sitting. The skin was beginning to show signs of needing a break and, the worst, soon it would truly begin to hurt to further work the skin. When the outline was finished, a rather stereotypical tiger across his arm, she set down her tools with a bit of defeat. It was always so hard for her to allow a break partway through, since she could go longer. She could continue printing the ink into his flesh, but his flesh would have no more of it today. One last glance confirmed that though it was not colored, the beautiful black lines etched a magnificent tiger.

"I can't color it today, it would hurt" she said simply, a challenge in her eyes as she stepped back. "You're free to look at it before I bandage it" and she was back at her supplies, extracting the gauze to wrap around the newly created scar of art.
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Cassie smiled Chad seemed nice and down to earth a lot like her old boss, she turned her attention to the door as the guy Chad called Joel entered. She guessed he was security and was glad that Chad had thought of it, she had been in a few situations without security personnel and lets just say she didn't want to relive them. She knew she was staring at him but she couldn't help it he was just her type at least physically, tall, handsome, tough and muscly.

He caught her staring but she simply winked and grinned at him not embarrassed at all, before she was able to talk to him or any of the other staff members, the door opened and in trooped three customers. She was assigned Mohawk Man so she fixed him a smile and swiftly led him to her station, once he was out of the earshot of his friends and settled in the chair he asked her nervously "You do know what your doing right?"

She turned to face him and smiled sympathetically "first timer huh?" she asked while she prepped her equipment meticulously, he laughed a little
"yeah wouldn't know it by looking at me huh?"

Satisfied her equipment was ready she looked up at him and smiled reassuringly, "well relax i know what im doing, i promise." "So what did you want done today?" He fishes a small piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it to her "i uh don't want it changed from that, and I'd like it on my left shoulder."

Cassie looked down at the tattoo it was a medium sized black dragon not too detailed, it was pretty good but she'd have prefer more of a challenge and may more detail but he was firm about not changing it. She took her time taking intense care and concentrating hard, however she also maintained constant easy conversation with her customer keeping him calm and distracted.

Finally she laid down her needle cleaned and wrapped his brand new work of art properly, "all done" she smiled "but before you rush off, i need to tell you some things." She explained to him proper care instructions and wrote them down, before sending him off to the front counter with a note describing what he had done so he could pay while she cleaned and sanitized her station.
 
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Lezzy had not attempted to say "hi" to the other members of the staff yet, choosing to be silent and listen before speaking, though it wasn't too long before a crew was led in. One look at the girl in the middle who declared she needed to get a piercing "redone", and Lezzy knew her attitude was going to cause problems. She had brought her portfolio from home, and as a rule, she always showed it so that people knew her work was good. It was more than just belly button piercings, and some were downright creepy, like the corset piercing that was near the middle of the book. The woman didn't want any part of it, so Lezzy nodded finally and got the forms for the woman to sign. More or less waivers, stating that the costumer who signs that piece of paper is not drunk, and that the parlor couldn't be held accountable if the piercing was rejected, or got infected from improper care.

Pink Hair signed it hurriedly and paid, then finally sat at Lezzy's station, seeming to be in a rush. "Just get it done." She stated, gulping. Lezzy in response grabbed a marker, lifted her shirt and held there paused. Not because the woman had told her to, or because she was concentrating, but because this woman had scarring all over the rim of her belly button, top, bottom, both the sides, and a couple spaces in between. That signaled a couple different things, but they discoloration and the way they looked, it was obvious that she hadn't cared for her piercings all that well.But.... on the other hand... How many times had she gotten this piercing redone? She counted at least eight scars. That bothered her immensely, but she soldiered on, uncapped the marker and looked up at Pink Hair. She didn't want to do this, but was determined not to cause a fuss on the first day of her job. Pink Hair seemed a little faint actually, her skin getting pale and clammy. She again, urged Lezzy to get it over with. But there was still much to be done.

"Where do you want it exactly?" Lezzy asked, trying to be polite. Pink Hair snapped that she obviously wanted it to be on the upper rim, and she nodded and wiped the area clean with a disinfecting wipe before marking the area with a purple marker, asking the woman if that is what she wanted and gestured to the nearby mirror to let the woman have a gander and make sure that's where she wanted it. Pink Hair snapped that she knew that she wanted it there and to get it over with. Lezzy was starting to get angry, but ignored it and asked the woman how big she wanted it, and the woman snapped again to do whatever, so Lezzy got prepared to give her a 16G piercing.

"Would you like to lay down?" She asked Pink Hair and the woman seemed furious at the question, so Lezzy merely told her to hold her breath as she pierced her, then to let it out slowly as as she fitted the new piercing in. Two seconds after the woman had exhaled, she collapsed back onto the table, color drained from her face. Lezzy tried not to laugh and waited for her to come to, getting a peppermint from her bag and then handing it to the woman when she sat back up. "That should help with the lightheadedness. It'll take two years for that to completely heal, avoid water with chlorine in it, make sure to move it and keep it clean. Come back if you need any help with it." She calmly instructed as the woman glared at her. "I've done this a million times, I know how to take care of a stupid piercing." Lezzy raised a brow and sarcastically nodded. "Of course you do, that's why there's so many scars from other piercings there, that wouldn't be there if it had just healed up." The woman sputtered and started flinging accusatory words around, meanwhile Lezzy picked up another tool for piercing and glared at the woman. "Get out of the shop and have a nice day." She stated quietly while holding the tool in a threatening way. the woman got herself out of the parlor and promptly fell over and collapsed again.

"Not my problem." She muttered while she went through her tools and made sure that everything was in order and cleaned everything again. "I wished her a nice day, I did nothing wrong there." She started to laugh.
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Chad was pleased with how smooth everything was going, and a glance out the window told him it was panning out to be a beautiful day. What a relief it was for Chad, finally he had a shop to call his own. As the gentle buzz from the tattoo gun signified that there were happy customers in the building, Chad began to unload a few random boxes. He was sorting through miscellaneous odds and ends, nothing too significant, until he got to a box containing a blue and red neon sign, it wasn't big, but it said everything.

INKY CELLS

He walked out to the front of the store and almost broke down as he affixed it to the window. It was perfect. He took a step back to admire his work just as the three punk rockers were leaving. The smile on their faces spoke a thousand words, they would be back.

"Hey" Said pink hair, again showing that she was in charge of the bunch. "Mind if we put this flier up on your wall" It was a flyer for a band called "Tres elements", Chad chuckled at the word play, and upon further inspection saw that it was their band.

"Sure, I'll put it up for you guys. You all play locally?"

"Yea, we play where we can. Hard to find places actually willing to let us preform though." Said Shaved head.

"Right, I imagine there is no place harder to start a band than Southern California. So much competition" Chad sighed, knowing that was also true for tattoo parlors

"You said it Chief" Said Pink hair as they walked away.

Chad was standing, about to turn and go back inside when a thought hit him. What if he were to start opening the VIP area on the weekends for live performances? It seemed like a fantastic idea, in fact, he was going to ask his crew how they felt about it, not right away though, maybe in a couple weeks.

A couple weeks later.
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As the crew, as well as Chad, adjusted to the 4pm to 2 am hours, business had definitely picked up. It seemed that Chad had chose an outstanding spot, everyone from scene kids to old hippies came in to get their ink or piercings done. It was just after 9pm and the waiting room was packed. There were people standing outside the door as well, some smoked cigarettes and a couple were sipping booze out of flasks or paper bags. It was great, and as Chad told his fifth straight customer that it would be at least a thirty minute wait, he could have been more happy. BEhind him on the wall was an accumulating mass of flyers from different local bands "The After darks" a goth band from the hills "Totally incog" another up and coming indy band and finally "Tres Elements" the three punk rockers that had some in their first day. It was really starting to look like a tattoo shop in here, thought Chad, he had to laugh at that.

Everyone was busy. The place was totally packed with patrons. Each of the girls had had customer after customer for at least an hour straight.

Chad turned to the girls, just they were all finishing up.

"Anyone need a break before the next wave?"

Just then a particularly drunk customer stood on the other side of the counter, Chad could smell the booze on his breath a mile away.

"Can I help you?" Asked Chad

"Yea, man" Slurred the drunk man, who was actually not a man at all, but a young Collage kid with muscles too big for his body. "I want to get some Ink!, have one of them hot chicks you got working for you stick me, although I wish I was sticking them…" His red cheeks and red nose shined in the overhead florescent lights as he leaned closer to Chad with a cocky smile on his face, too close.

"Listen buddy." Said Chad , "You are drunk, for one and for two, you really shouldn't be talking about my staff like that." Chad's words had obviously enraged the man, he hit the counter hard enough to shake the glass underneath and said

"I am NOT leaving until I get a tattoo." Chad could see his friends outside, drunk as well, and looking in through the glass.

Why tonight? Thought Chad, of all the nights for a drunk and rebellious 20 something to get riled up in my shop it HAD to be tonight. And as customers kept filling in, Chad hoped Joel was near by and could take care of this without making too much of a scene.
 
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Danae trembled a little when the drunken man walked past her; she could smell the odor of alcohol still fresh on his breath, as well as some stale on his clothing, and it mixed together in a single scent that itself seemed to try and intimidate the women. As he was probably accustomed to and expecting, Danae shrank away from him with wide, fearful eyes. Gone was her aplomb from before, all that she was left with now was her hatefully meek fear that made her recoil from his words like a kicked dog.

Danae retreated, hoping to avoid his gaze, and hid as best she could behind Chad who seemed to be handing the situation at least better than she herself could have done. It was shameful to her to be timidly standing behind her boss and her fear only served to make her more ashamed in herself. Chad himself seemed to be searching for someone and, belatedly, Danae remembered that Joel was here as well and might have been a less ignominious choice for hiding places.
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Lezzy watched as the man came in, she had just finished giving an Industrial piercing to Pink Hair, and had worked with the bleeding before the man had come in. She was fine to leave it alone until the man had demanded to get an ink job from one of the girls, and when she saw the way that Danae trembled behind Chad, something was starting to itch inside her brain. A violent impulse to drag this guy out of the parlor and wring his neck for scaring that timid girl.

Where was Joel? Where the FUCK was the security that Chad had hired?

She quickly stood up from her station and walked over to where Danae was and guided her back to her station quietly, trying to find the next person in line to get inked. People that had been waiting there for quite some time. Luckily, the next guy had been a repeat customer who had been coming for some time to get a sleeve on his left arm finished. She tried to do this as quietly as possible and without the notice of the drunk. She then called out to see who was next to get pierced, and quietly led them back as Pink Hair had just gotten up and stood near the station, still looking a little woozy. Lezzy handed her a small box of "fun size" nerds. Sugar helped lightheadedness a tad, and Pink Hair needed all the help she could get. She was almost ready to do a Helix piercing when the drunk started protesting again. She looked around for Joel, but saw him nowhere nearby, and so, she excused herself quietly and got up, grabbing a first aid kit. Another defense precaution she had learned from other parlors. Obviously, it had been in a worse part of town. If anything happened, she wanted to be ready to make sure that it was taken care of.

"Hey, buddy, both of the girls are busy, just leave, come back when you're not plastered if you really wanna get inked." Lezzy growled, the kit gripped in her hand tightly. Seeing Danae like that had set her off. She felt a need to at least watch out for her fellow workers. She had no idea where Joel was, but they needed this guy out of here, he was crimping business.
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A couple of weeks had passed since Cassie's first day and she had relaxed, finally feeling comfortable at work again. She got along with everyone Chad was a great boss kind and laid back, Danae was a bit shy for her liking but she shared her love of art was nice. Cassie was getting along well with Lezzy and they were becoming great friends. (is that ok Murr?) She hadn't been able to speak to the elusive Joel much, usually just a quick hello in the mornings before she was smothered in customers. Cassie at the suggestion of Chad had decorated her station with her own sketch's, paintings and tattoo designs, and she was delighted when customers had asked to buy her art and wanted her tattoos. She had even been asked by some to do their portraits, she had just finished sterilizing her station for her next customer when she noticed the man. He was obviously drunk and judging by the way he was hitting the counter top agitated, she quickly scanned the room for Joel but she saw no sign of him. She noticed Lezzy walk over and say something to him it seemed to make him mad because his face turned into an ugly snarl, and she noticed his hand going towards his pocket. Cassie froze for a moment did he have a weapon? It looked the wrong shape to be a gun but it could easily be a knife, she had been in this situation before and if he had a weapon it wouldn't take long for things to turn ugly. She rose to her feet and swallowed her anger knowing that if she made a scene it would kill business. She quickly rushed over knowing she had to stall him, keep him calm until Joel showed up wherever he was she thought bitterly. Fixing a smile to her face she turned to the drunk and she was nearly knocked back by the stench of alcohol wafting off him. "Hi i can get you inked but you've got to cool off first k? Whats your name?"
 
'Oh, no' Thought Chad 'I'm gonna have to call the cops on this guy, he is totally out of control.'



He noticed the timid one, Danae, whom he liked very much, hiding behind him momentarily, and tried to shoot her a smile, but was so focused on keeping order that he wasn't sure if she caught it or not. In spite of the situation, he honestly just wanted his employees to enjoy their place of work, and in order for that to happen he was going to have to take control of this situation.

Chad wasn't a big man, but he could be intimidating when necessary. He placed his hands of the drunk mans shoulders and said

"Look, You need to calm down." He looked deep into his eyes, trying to see if there was any 'sober' left in him at all. It appeared that there was not. It seemed that Lezzy saw this and decided to help, she got in his face too, letting him know that he was going to have to chill. Chad wasn't sure how much was getting through to him, and judging by the look on his face , not much.

Just then, like a savior in this bad situation, Cassie came up to the drunk man and asked his name. This seemed to calm him down a bit

"Bout time" Spewed the drunk "I'm Eddie and I want my Girlfriends name, Christine tattooed right here!." He slapped his hand to his chest. Chad was relieved that he seemed to be cooling down a bit.

"Ok, thats great" Said Chad "Let us know if you need anything." He said this while looking right at the Drunk, letting him know that he was being watched.

"We won't need anything from you!" Said the Drunk as he walked off with Cassie.


"Excuse me." Said another customer, Diverting Chad's attention for the moment "I was wondering if, Danae was free, the one from the other day?" Chad noticed that it was the guy from the other day, the one with the shaved head. He was blushing a little, something told Chad he wanted more than a Tattoo from Danae.

Chad took a deep breath, for the moment relaxed. It seemed that everything had worked itself out, at least for the time being. For the moment, however, he wanted nothing more than for this night to be over. HE thought he might take his Employees out for drinks after this, they deserved it.
 
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Danae smiled shyly from her station, depictions of art that she was proudest of and pictures showcasing completed work decorated her little area that she now beckoned the shaved man toward. The tattoo was well taken care of, having healed nicely so far, and Danae told him as much when she pulled out the fiery colors she had planned on using to color the tattoo and set them on her drop cloth. Danae made sure that the man was seated in the chair while she experimented with how much red and yellow she wanted to create the perfect orange for the tattoo's main body.

Danae's careful work finished, she took her spray bottle of alcohol and prepped the skin. Gentle hands ensure that the skin was shaved before she began her work, oblivious to the focus being paid to her instead of the tattoo. The brilliantly orange shade of the tiger as it began to blossom from her needle caused a swell of pride inside her while she worked, a pleasure in knowing that she had created a perfect color for this, vibrant and magnetic. The tattoo forming beneath her fingers was endlessly awe-inspiring and she tried to absorb every minute of the process as she colored in the black outline.

The bright orange of the tiger took over an hour, yet with the final application of jade green to the eyes for a contrast, she was finished. The first tattoo she'd created at this parlor was finally complete. She took a step back, grinning widely as she examined her work. "I'll get the bandage" she told him, her eyes caught on the tattoo still. Feeling unusually excited with her giddy pleasure, she spoke more than was normal for her to do.

"It looks really good, I'm sure you'll love it, I like it..."
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Lezzy Stood down as she finally realized that the situation had calmed down and went back to her station and pierced the guy's ear, a helix, 18g. Then after sending that customer off, she did a couple of navel piercings and one nose piercing before she put a sign on her table that read "Food Break". Right after setting that down, she had a small package of peanut M&M's out and ate all of them, save for the green ones, in under two minutes and then stashed the remaining candies back in her bag and took down the sign. Did a lip piercing and then got a treat. Someone had come in, wanting a Corset Piercing.

Though, it was a bit of a hassle for her, due to the fact that the woman wanting this to be in the original spirit of the Corset Piercing, namely, piercings on both sides of the spine, in an inwards curve towards each other. She enjoyed her work as she prepped the person, walked them through what she was going to do, made sure that they filled out the proper paperwork, then made sure that this was the type of piercing the woman wanted, and finally marked out where the piercings would be, checked with the woman, and then started on it.

She used different needles in this process than in a ear or a navel piercing, but it did the job as she went down the woman's back, sliding the needles into her skin before going back and placing the rings where they belonged, then retrieved a couple different thin ribbons. The woman picked pink and Lezzy worked it in and finally finished, satisfied with her work
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After letting the woman rest there for a moment and finally sending her off, Lezzy took in a few more customers before checking up on Cassie. She had been really smart to fix herself into the situation. Who knows how much of a commotion that drunk would have caused if she hadn't spoken up? She was also giving Chad a look that clearly spoke that she was DONE with taking customers right now. After doing a piercing job like a Corset, that took a bit of a process and time, she usually needed a bit of a break due to the fact that she was liable to over focus while she was working, and in such a drawn-out amount of time, it was necessary to take breaks.

In the meantime, she talked with Cassie a bit and enjoyed her resting period for a moment before getting back into the action, tending to a few more customers.
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Cassie lead the drunk back to her station and after establishing what he wanted by mostly muttered answers, she got to work. She tried to keep a conversation going but gave up as he didn't seem interested, in fact it seemed all he was interested in was looking up and down before staring at her chest. She was getting really uncomfortable not to mention angry, luckily it was a simple design and she was finished quickly before she could lose her temper.

Once he was out the door she breathed a sigh of relief and immediately got stuck into the next customer, she gradually cooled off as she focused her attention to the job at hand and keeping up friendly conversation with her new client as she finished a spectacular dolphin that wrapped around her wrist.

After taking a few more customers she went on a much needed lunch break, snacking on a few carrot sticks she chatted with Lezzy for a while before getting back to work.

She was relieved that the situation with the drunk had not escalated as she had been in similar situations before, once she ended up taking a trip to the hospital and she didn't want to repeat that experience. However she was more than a little ticked off about the fact that Joel wasn't here when he was needed, but pushing that thought out of her mind she turned her attention to setting up for the next customer.
 
Jessica rolled to her side and came face to face with the floor, grumbling she stood up and sighed softly, looking at the clock on the wall she groaned, she'd been asleep for eighteen hours, it was getting late now.
Walking into her room she picked up some clean clothes; a black shirt and some faded grey jeans, putting them on she stumbled into the bathroom and braced her self for bed hair.
"ugh" rubbing her face she washed up and applied her make-up, making sure her eye liner was noticeable she walked out of the bath room and opened her curtains.
Once ready she grabbed a can of cola and left her flat, being careful not to fall down the steps she was out of the loud building in no time and inhaling the fresh air.
Deciding that she needed waking up after a night out she took a left turn and found herself in front of a new Tattoo and Piercing parlour, she rubbed her neck and bit her lip, should she get another piercing on her neck?
Jessica wasn't one for thinking things through anyway and walked on in looking up at the sound of a bell she smiled, it was nice being somewhere familiar.
She was about to go up to the counter when she spotted the sign in the window looking for a new design creator.
Smiling she walked over and picked up the sign, walking up to the desk she put the sign down.
"I'd like to apply for the job?"
 
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Danae watched the other two women with a tinge of jealousy - no one still liked her very much at all. She supposed that she didn't fit in well with the types who liked tattoo parlors, but she made up her mind to be grumpy with them for making her feel ostracized. Danae made a face and returned to pushing thumb tacks into the wall to hold up pictures of finished work and sketches of drawn tattoo art. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she did not even notice at first when another woman entered the parlor. Shaved Head had left already, after expressing how much he loved the tattoo, and Danae was feeling lonely. Joel seemed to never be around and Chad was so distant and aloof, plus the other two forming their own little alliance that left her out, her ordinarily sunny demeanor was taking a definite downward turn.

Danae couldn't help but sigh as she placed all her equipment in their neat bags and slipped away to the autoclave to sterilize her materials before more customers arrived. Danae dawdled, taking longer than usual because she had little desire to be out and around the others while they talked amongst themselves. Fleeting thoughts for Danae involved trying to make friends, yet to her sullen mindset it was not an option. With resignation, she gathered her things to return to her station in hopes that there would be a waiting customer so that she didn't have to wait around any.
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With the 'Angry Drunk' situation averted, thanks to Cassie, Chad had a moment to himself. He flopped down in his chair, still amazed and impressed with the way his staff were handling the customers. Everything seemed to be flowing nicely, and if Inky Cells was this busy after only a few weeks, Chad could only imagine what it would be like after a few months. He had an absent smile on his face now and was only broken from his thoughts when a girl with a intricate corset piercings walked past, shooting him a smile as she did so.

"Thanks for coming to Inky Cells." He said

"I'll be back for sure." she responded, wincing a little from the pain "You're piercer, Lezzy, does amazing work."

The place was starting to clear out a bit and it appeared that the rush was over. Cliff noticed as a Girl with long black hair came to the counter.

"Can I help you?" asked Chad

"I'd like to apply for the Job." She responded

Chad had almost forgotten about the help wanted sign he had plastered outside the front window.

"Oh, yea the job. For Tattoo designer, Right?" He looked the girl over, seeing that she definitely had style. Her hair looked as if it had been straightened one to many times, but it didn't look bad by any means.

"Ok, you're hired. I don't know how much there will be for you to do tonight, but you can start tomorrow. If you would like to stick around I'm taking the staff out for drinks when we close, it would be a good chance to meet the crew." Chad noticed a distraught looking Danae walking towards the autoclave station and got up to follow her, after all part of his job was making sure his crew was happy and content.

"So, my name is Chad I'm the owner." He said, walking away at the same time "Feel free to have a look around, Your station will be in the back there" He said pointing towards the Tattoo stations, where an Tattoo art design station sat unoccupied.

He approached Danae, not wanting to invade her personal issues too much, but at the same time feeling as if it was his job to see that everything was ok with her.

"Hey Danae. Just wanted to say that you're one of the best Tattoo artists I have ever seen. Your pieces are mind blowingly intricate." He paused not wanting to make her feel like he was intentionally trying to lightening her mood. Two failed marriages had taught him to tread lightly with females and their feelings "After work, I was going to take you all out to the bar next door, and I would love you to come" He smiled at her, trying to show that he was sincere about his words "Either way, just wanted to say your doing a great job, and I'm glad to have you on the team."

He was distracted again by some commotion out front. He excused himself, letting Danae get back to her work and walked to the front. Outside, the same Drunk that had caused a scene was talking loudly with his friends. However this time, he was smiling and showing off his fresh ink. Chad laughed and shot Cassie a thumbs up. He loved how everyone had their own strengths , together they really formed a great team that Chad was glad to have.


Time passes and the the shop empties. Chad closes up and invites the crew for Drinks next door.
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Just off the Hollywood strip are many night clubs and bars. Some are Dives others are hot spots for the local youth, but right next door to Inky Cells was a place called " X-cellence", It was a combination of both. It had a large dance floor (That was empty by the time they got there) and a stage for a live band as well. Big red chairs surrounded circular tables. It was a nice place for sure. And once again the thought of opening up the V.I.P. lounge in Inky Cells crossed Chad's mind. It would be a lot of extra work, but well worth the time invested. He would wait for the time being though, after all, the shop had just opened.

He found a table in the back and announced that:

"Drinks are on me."

He hoped that this would be a good chance for them all to get to know each other better.
 
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