#p: remmy mcallister

[divineluce]

Supply and Demand || Remmy & Luce

Location: White Crest Hospital

Time: July 7th, 2020

Tagging: @whatsin-yourhead & @divineluce

Description: While stopping by to drop off a card for Blanche, Luce runs into Remmy. There are no feelings in Ba Sing Se.

Warnings: NSFW (implied sex, kissing)

“Yep, adopted sister. I was in here a couple weeks ago, she’s in here now-- family, what can ya do?” Luce said as she barreled past the front desk and began to head down the hallway towards Blanche’s room. She’d been here less than twenty-four hours before, having joined part of the rescue crew in Blanche’s room. The small group had hunkered down in the corner of her room for hours, watching over her. Luce had been one of the first to leave. She had been weary, filthy, smelling of chemical smoke and black blood-- all she’d wanted was a shower and her bed. Now that was taken care of, she was determined to stay by Blanche’s side. Luce had told her, she’d warned her against coming along. But, she was stubborn and far too brave for her own good. That said, Luce couldn’t begrudge her that. She wanted to make sure her best friends were safe. Slipping inside Blanche’s room, Luce glanced at the hospital bed and saw that the other girl was fast asleep. Looking around, her eyes fell on Remmy, still sitting where they’d been when she’d left last night. “I was just coming by to see if she was awake. I can head out though, if you just want to spend time with her alone.” She said, prepared to walk back out the door.

It was times like these that Remmy missed being able to sleep the most. Sitting around watching someone they cared about suffer was painful. But every time they closed their eyes, a fear swallowed them. What if they opened their eyes and they were back in that cage? What if everything had just been a dream? And so they’d sat, awake at all hours, in the hospital room. They’d taken a few breaks to wash up, change their clothes, and eat, but mostly they’d stayed near the room or in it. They were just about to start answering old messages on their phone (and apparently needing to apologize to quite a few for the person who had imitated them online), when the door opened and Luce walked in. Remmy felt their muscles relax, not realizing they’d been on alert, but that’s just the way they always were now, wasn’t it? They’d felt like this since that stupid collar was first put on them. It was just what they were used to now. “Oh, n-no, that’s fine,” they said, shaking their head, “you can stay. She’s been asleep for a bit now.”

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Luce weighed her options. She didn’t particularly want to be stuck in a room with Blanche and Remmy right now. For one thing, she wasn’t sure how much of what had been said to her over messages last week had been them, how much had been the person impersonating them. For another, she knew how much Blanche meant to them. “I don’t want to bother you guys.” She said with a shrug before holding out the small envelope that she’d brought along with her. “It’s a card. Figured Blanche might like having something nice to look at when she woke up.” Luce said. It was the least she could do to pay back the young woman who had done so much to her family. The card was one of her own design, featuring a mountainside scene, rays of sun, and some wildflowers in the foreground. Luce glanced at Blanche’s form in the bed and shook her head. “I can come back, I don’t want to take up space. I’m sure Nell will want to be around when she wakes up.”

Luce didn’t react the way Remmy had hoped. She’d been out of it in the car and when they’d all been in the waiting room together, and then she’d gone home pretty quickly. Remmy hadn’t had a chance to explain to her that the messages hadn’t been them the past week or so, and now she was already trying to leave again. “Actually, I think I should probably take a little break, too,” they said, standing up, “I was thinking of taking a walk if you um...wanna join me?” they asked, looking at her with an expression that nearly begged her to say yes. They hadn’t seen her since that time in the kitchen and there was so much they wanted to say, wanted to do. They almost felt their arms itching to close around her.

Eyes widening slightly at their words, Luce shrugged. Sure. Sure, Remmy was their own person. If they were taking a break, sure. That was fine. But, the way they were looking at her… there was a desperation in their eyes. And after all they’d been through, after the pain that they’d suffered from-- her eyes flicked to the collar still around their neck-- she didn’t feel right saying no to them. “Yeah. Yeah, sounds good to me.” She said, before heading for the door, keeping herself a couple steps ahead of Remmy. Her heart was pounding but that was probably just a side effect of the phoenix tears, or maybe some lingering thing after her heart attack during the resurrection? Whatever it was, it was fucking annoying. Why was she reacting like this? Why was she acting like this? It was just Remmy. As they exited into the hallways, Luce stuck her hands into the pockets of her shorts, just following Remmy’s lead. “How are you holding up?”

Remmy couldn’t help but smile when Luce agreed. It was surprising how much they’d missed her. They didn’t mind it, but they hadn’t truly realized the ache until they saw her. They’d let themselves get numb inside the cages because there was no other way to get through it. They could still even feel the blood on their hands, sometimes, when their mind would slip and wander and they’d see the cage doors or the arena lights and their body would tense. But they weren’t there anymore. They were safe. And being around people made them feel safer. They looked over at Luce, and felt that ache increase a little more. Her question rang in their head, and they found that they had no desire to answer it. They were doing terrible and it was pretty obvious. So was Nell. They’d been kidnapped and starved and tortured and made to fight against their will-- they were doing horrible. But they didn’t want to talk about it, not even a little bit. Instead, they reached out and took Luce’s hand and tugged her back to them, doing something they’d wanted to since they’d seen Luce looking so pale in her kitchen-- kissing her. One hand wrapping around her neck to pull her closer, a bit rough and hasty in their desperation to feel her again.

When they had been hooking up, Luce could count the times when Remmy had been the one to initiate things on one hand. They’d always tried to make some kind of small talk, beat around the bush, while Luce had only been interested in one thing. So, when they ignored her question and took her by the hand, pulling her into a hard kiss? It caught her off guard. But, not in a bad way. Their hand against her neck felt cool, soothing, even as they pulled her into them with a roughness they seldom used. Luce let them pull her in tight, her hands immediately gripping them with equal fervor. Slightly out of breath, she pulled away for a moment before kissing them with renewed vigor. This was good. This was better than good, it was normal and safe and easy. Just what she wanted. Running a hand through their tangles of their hair, she gripped at them tightly, keeping their body pressed against hers.

Luce’s skin felt warm again, a direct contrast to Remmy’s cool touch. Last time they’d touched her she’d been cold, having just had a heart attack. Having just spent her entire pool of magic to bring back her sister. But they didn’t want to think about that right now. They didn’t want to think about anything. Their mind hadn’t shut off since the first time their face had hit the hard, cold floor of the cell and they were tired of thinking. They’d missed the physical contact of others. And not just in this way, though this was very nice. They craved it. Craved her. Hands finding her back and pulling her closer, kissing her harder, more desperate, as if they could let her know all the things they needed to say sorry for with it. As if they could let her know how much they’d missed her touch with just this one, simple action. As if in the quiet halls of the hospital, they wouldn’t need words. But after a long moment, Remmy pulled away, face flushed, warm with Luce’s body heat. “S-sorry,” they mumbled, “I just...wanted to do that for a while now.”

The feeling of their hands grasping at her, pulling her in even tighter reassured Luce, something she hadn’t even realized she was looking for. But, the fact that Remmy was here, holding her tightly, their lips familiar against her own, it filled her with a sense of relief. Because they were alive. They were safe. And because-- Remmy pulled away, leaving Luce staring at them with an unreadable expression. “Stop apologizing. I clearly didn’t mind.” Just as she was about to grip them once more, pull them in for another deep kiss, she registered their words. “For a while, hm? We’ll just have to fix that.” She said with a raised eyebrow. Luce cast a look around the hallway-- this part of the hospital was surprisingly empty right now. Whatever, she wasn’t going to question that. Grabbing hold of their wrist, Luce hurried down the hall, tugging Remmy along after her. Now where was that door..?

It was perhaps a small relief to hear Luce say that, but a relief all the same. Remmy wasn’t sure she would have missed them as much as they did her. After their last talk, it almost seemed as if Luce didn’t really think of them as much more than someone to fuck, but she’d come to the Ring for them. Well, and Nell, but their point stood. And she was here now, right? She hadn’t walked away. In fact, she was taking their hand and leading them off somewhere down the hall. Remmy glanced behind them, back to Blanche’s door, as if to make sure everything was okay, before looking back forward to Luce. “Where are we going?” they asked, blinking in slight confusion. They didn’t want to be walking around, even if that’s what they’d suggested just two minutes ago-- they wanted to be kissing her. Holding her, touching her. And forgetting about the week they’d spent laying on a damp, bloody floor.

Glancing at the little wall placards by the doors, Luce frowned as she continued down the hall. “There it is.” She said, more to herself than to Remmy and pulled open a door. She’d only known that this particular door would be open because of her own stay in the hospital-- over the sound of Nell muttering into her phone, she’d heard one of the cleaning staff complain about how one of the supply closet’s lock never worked properly. As she tested the doorknob, Luce grinned as it opened easily. Pulling Remmy in behind her, Luce wasted no time pressing them up against the door and capturing their lips in a rough, intense kiss.

“There what-- Oh.” Remmy blinked in surprise as Luce yanked open a supply closet door and pulled them in. Their mind, for a moment, fought between the fact that this was probably a bad idea and the fact that kissing Luce felt so good after everything they’d been through. Their back pressed against the door as she pressed into them and they kissed her back for a moment, before the buzzing in their arms overwhelmed them enough to pull slightly away. “What if someone needs to get in here?” they asked, but despite the concern in their words, their eyes, their hands moving along Luce’s body, told a different story. Already tugging at her shirt, finding her lips again, soft and gentle as they turned her around to press against the door. “Isn’t this like...a closet?”

“Then I’ll melt the doorknob.” Luce muttered as she kissed their neck, her fingers pulling at their hair once more as she kept them pinned against the door. Besides, with their zombie strength, Luce highly doubted anyone would be getting through there if Remmy didn’t want them to. She let them pull her shirt over her head and tossed it onto one of the shelves, let them maneuver her so it was her back against the wall. Door. Whatever, same thing. Glancing around at the darkened room around them, Luce nodded, a grin playing on her lips. “Yup. Look at us, back in the closet. But, this is,” She ran her hands up their back, dragging her fingertips against their skin, “Much better.”

“Is that really a--” Remmy said between kisses, “--good idea?” Did they care? Well, yes, sort of. Melting a doorknob was a bad solution to being walked in on while fucking in a closet, but did they care in this moment? Not really. Their skin almost burned with how much they wanted to be with Luce, with how much they’d missed the feel of her warm skin. Remmy was no fool, they understood what it meant, but right now wasn’t the time to process that feeling. Not when Luce was taking her shirt off and Remmy was already reaching down to pull their own off, warm fingers dragging along their skin. “Okay, yeah,” they said, nodding as they leaned into her bare skin, hands planted against the door, “this is definitely better.” Besides, no one was opening this door as long as Remmy could help it. As long as they didn’t think about the fact that they were once again in a small, enclosed space.

“Do you think I give a fuck if it’s a good idea or not?” Luce murmured, unclipping her bra with a quick motion. She wanted to feel Remmy against her, all of them, she didn’t really care what the consequences were. People fucked all the time in hospitals, that’s what shitty reruns of Grey’s Anatomy told her at least. As their shirt came off, Luce leaned forward once more, kissing them as hard and as desperately as before. She wanted to feel them. Wanted to know that they were here, with her, right now. And she wanted to keep them in this moment. She could still see that collar pressed around their neck and, now that she knew what it could do… it made her anxious. She couldn’t imagine how Remmy felt about it. But, that’s what this was all about. Forgetting about all the shit they’d been through. Biting their lip hard, Luce shot them a smug grin. “You wanna show me how much better?”

“Alright,” Remmy mumbled against her, “good point.” If there was one thing Remmy had come to learn about Luce was that she really didn’t care what other people thought. It was a quality Remmy had wished they’d had almost their entire life. Always monitoring themself to make sure they didn’t hurt or upset or anger anyone. They really admired it in Luce, too. There were, actually, a lot of things about her that they admired, but right now, they were going to focus on admiring her bare body instead. A smirk grew on their face and they hoped she could still see it in the dim light of the closet. “I do,” they said, “I really, really do.”

When they stepped out of the closet a while later, Remmy smoothed their hands down their shirt and tried their best to untangle their hair. They’d need another haircut soon, but they were kind of starting to like the longer length. After Jax had made them shave their head, there seemed to be a small sense of freedom in the length that came after. They turned to look back at Luce as she quietly closed the door. “Hungry?” they asked, raising a brow. “Or we could go for that walk I originally suggested.”

Fixing her lipstick, Luce rolled her eyes as she followed Remmy out of the closet and wiped off a small impression of her lips from their cheek. “You missed a spot.” She teased as she glanced around. No one was the wiser to what had happened, which was just how she wanted it. It was just a hook-up. A “congrats, you didn’t die, let’s celebrate that” fuck. Which wasn’t one that she’d had before but, honestly, she didn’t mind it. As she walked down the hallway, intending to head back out, Luce was startled by their question. “I’m good on a walk. I already got the heart rate going for today.” She declined the invitation with a shake of her head. Food on the other hand… But, she didn’t want them to get the wrong idea about things between them. “I’m good. Besides, I don’t want to keep you from Blanche any longer.”

Remmy frowned a little. While what had just happened had them buzzing, they were kind of hoping Luce wasn’t going to just ditch. Maybe she was just tired again. She’d been through quite a bit in the past few weeks, and even after having a heart attack she’d come to help rescue them. “Oh, yeah, okay…” But something else tugged at them, a thought they didn’t like having. They didn’t want to be alone. Sure, they’d been alone in the room before, but the thought of going back there alone now, made their hands shake a little. “Um, can-- can you stay with me?” they asked, feeling suddenly raw and vulnerable. “Just...just for a bit. Till Blanche wakes up? We don’t have to...do anything. I just don’t want…” they glanced around, then back to her, the empty hallway filling in around them, “to be, you know-- alone.”

Hearing the way Remmy’s tone changed, the way their hands seemed to tremble, Luce swallowed. She didn’t care. And they shouldn’t care either. This was just a hookup. Just a random fuck that happened more out of convenience than anything else. It didn’t matter. “I should go.” She shook her head, folded her arms across her chest as she spoke. The strange discomfort from before, which had vanished when she’d felt their body press against hers, had returned with renewed vigor. And all she could think to do was run away, to get out of here. And hopefully then the strange feeling that lingered in her chest would leave. “I’m sure Nell will be over here soon. She can keep you company while you wait for Blanche.”

Remmy had faced rejection before, but somehow this felt way worse. They felt like their heart was sinking into the pit of their stomach and they couldn’t help the quick glance of shock that went through them, before reigning it in and looking down. “O-oh, yeah, that’s-- that’s fair,” they muttered, taking a step back. They suddenly felt like their face was on fire and they wanted to melt into the wall or maybe even sink through the floor. “Right, okay. Um...that’s fine.” They backed away a little. “You should probably get some more rest, anyway. After everything.” What else was there to say? Remmy rubbed the back of their head. “And, um-- I know you probably just came to help Nell, but-- thanks. For coming. For-- helping us.”

As Remmy took back and the space grew between them, the feeling in her chest grew as well. Luce glanced down the hall-- she wasn’t having some weird heart thing again was she? If she was, at least being in the hospital would help. Would make it easy for her to get help. “Yeah. Rest.” She repeated with a nod of her head. She’d done… big fucking magic yesterday. Magic she didn’t even fully understand. Why had it appeared yesterday? Why then and not before, when she’d been practicing in her cabin, working so hard to hone her flames into something more? At their words, she resisted the urge to say that she’d gone in there for them too. They didn’t need to know. “I did what I needed to do to keep my family safe.” She said with a shrug before walking down the hallway. The entire time she walked away from them, the strange ache in her chest persisted. As Luce was about to head out the door, she paused, glancing down the hallway at Remmy. “There’s a carnival in town. Why don’t we celebrate you being free from that shitshow sometime? Text me.” She said before pushing open the door and slipping out into the lobby. Christ. Why had she said that? Why had she done that? She didn’t like carnivals, didn’t give a shit about the games or the stupid attractions. Remmy had just looked so… worn out. She was just trying to help them celebrate, maybe take them back to her cabin after. That was all. That’s all this was.

Something was changing inside of Remmy and they weren’t sure what to do about it. They couldn’t hide their disappointment as Luce admitted that she was just there for Nell. They weren’t sure why they were assuming she’d have done any different-- she’d made it pretty clear to them last time they’d met up that she only thought of them as someone to sleep with. And...they had told themself they were okay with that. And they’d tried really hard to be okay with that. But something had changed and Remmy couldn’t go back anymore. And when Luce turned back, they couldn’t help the leap that their heart did into their throat, stealing their words. A smile grew on their face, from ear to ear, as they watched her leave. Carnival. Yeah, they could do that. They could definitely do that. Besides, they’d all earned some time off, right? Some time to relax. And even though Luce had walked away, Remmy could still taste her on their lips and feel her in their grip. They turned to head back to Blanche’s room, a warm feeling swirling in their stomach. A feeling they hadn’t felt in a really long time, and after the month they’d had, damn was it nice.

[divineluce]

Milkshake It Up || Remmy & Luce

Location: Al’s Diner

Notes: Just a chill chat about zombies, magic, and if brain milkshakes are appetizing or not.

Tapping her fingers against the tabletop of her booth, Luce glanced around, bored. Al’s was a good place-- decent coffee, great food, and bacon to die for. But, she wasn’t really interested in the food right now. She was more interested in Remmy and whatever the fuck they were. She thumbed through her phone, checking her inbox to see if they’d said anything to her. Nothing. Oh well. If they didn’t show, they didn’t show. She’d just hound them for answers online again. The waitress came by again to check on her and Luce flashed a smile, “Just a black coffee for now.” She said politely, and was rewarded with a steaming mug a few minutes later. As she took a sip, Luce watched the door open, the bell jingling overhead as Remmy entered the diner. She waved a hand and waited for them to slide into the booth. “Busy day for you?” She asked conversationally.

Remmy had been on time for once, but as they’d come around the lot, they’d seen Luce sitting in the window and immediately froze. Was this a bad idea? Could they trust her with their species? Questions raced through their head. All they could think about was what Lydia had told them, and the way Alain had reacted once he’d found out. And so, instead of going in and showing up on time, Remmy paced around the parking lot for a good half an hour before they decided they should at least go inside and see if they could figure out what Luce’s intentions were. Because she seemed nice enough, and she had done good work on their tattoo, and Remmy was always the type of person to give someone a chance. They sidled into the booth and looked over at Luce, leg bouncing. “Oh, um-- I mean, not busy, busy, but-- you know how public transport is, you know? Sorry. I’m not usually-- um, late. What-- how are you-- Is your day-- Uh, how. How was your day?”

Raising her eyebrows at the way Remmy immediately started rambling, Luce smiled. “Relax. I’m not going to bite your head off for being late. Shit happens. And yeah, White Crest buses suck. I’ve had my fair share of clients who’ve called me up saying they’re late cuz of the bus system.” She said. Yet another reason she was glad to have a car of her own. Not only was it a necessity for getting to her cabin, it just made her life so much easier. There was nothing her 4x4 couldn’t handle, terrain wise at least. “My day’s been chill. Drew up a new piece for a client. Here, I can show you.” Luce said, pulling out her phone. She figured this might be a way to get them to just relax a bit more. They’d seemed to have liked her art and this particular tattoo was going to be more of the same. “What do you think?” She asked, holding her phone out to display the intricate geometric patterns that made up what would be a sick calf tattoo.

“Oh, yeah, no, I just--” Remmy started, but snapped their jaw shut instead, deciding it was better to just shut up than let themself ramble again. Because eventually it would come out that Luce made them nervous not just because of the late thing, or even the nosey thing. Remmy always got nervous around a pretty girl. “Yeah. Busses.” They cleared their throat and leaned over when Luce pulled out her phone to show them a new piece, eager to see what she’d come up with. “Oh, that’s neat! That’s really cool. Damn, you’re like, so talented,” they said, shaking their head. “I’m jealous.” The waitress came by then, asked if Remmy wanted anything, and they just ordered a shake. “How many clients do you have? Is it like, a lot?”

The way they leaned across the table and looked at the design she’d pulled up was reassuring. Even if they were basically just complimenting her, at least they weren’t being all nervous and weird again. And you know, Luce would take that. “It’s a pretty fun design to do. But, I wouldn’t call it strictly talent. It’s work ethic, persistence, practice. That sorta shit. If you wanna get into drawing or designing stuff, just dive into it.” She said. Luce watched Remmy over the rim of her coffee mug while they ordered their shake. Even though they were making conversation, she was still trying to figure out just what they were. Now that it was broad daylight, Luce could rule out the possibility of them being some kind of vampire for sure. And fae was right out. Werewolf… Ulfric would have mentioned if Remmy was a werewolf, right? Or maybe not. Pack ties and all that. “It changes. I’ve got a good number of regulars, probably about ten or twelve. But, it’s not like they’re in the shop every week. But, right now, I’m working on 3 different bookings this week.”

Remmy looked up from the phone over to Luce. “Oh, yeah, no-- I didn’t mean like, it wasn’t, or to like...discredit your hard work. I get that. I just meant like, it’s good! Really good.” They watched Luce a moment before lowering their eyes to the table. She’d admitted that she knew about the supernatural, but what exactly did that mean? Did Remmy have the right to ask her to tell them? “Is that a lot for a week?” they asked, glad to continue the easy conversation. Though their hands still wrung in their lap, at least their leg had stopped bouncing now, the nerves settling down. Luce hadn’t done anything yet, and being in public helped reassure Remmy that she wouldn’t try anything. At least, they hoped so. “Sorry, I don’t know a lot about how being a tattoo artist works. I don’t know...a lot about a lot of things, actually. But I’m learning, you know? Or, at least, trying to. It’s a lot though. All of…” they waved their hands around, indicating more to the general sense of things than just the place they were, “this.”

“I know. Just wanted to make sure that you know that it’s not all talent.” Luce said with a nod. Leaning back, Luce stretched her arms out on her side of the bench, the leather of her jacket squeaking against the vinyl material. “It’s about the usual. Of course, I fill my time with doing walk-ins. I also have to stay on top of my own supplies, so I’ll do inventory on my materials. The last thing I need is to run out of ink or needles. But, that’s work for you.” She said with a wave of her hand. “It’s all good. A lot of people don’t know and pretend that they do. It’s fun to knock them down a peg. But, it’s better when people just ask questions. No one walks into a shop knowing everything.” Leaning forward again, Luce grinned, “All of this?” There-- now they were getting to the heart of the matter. 

“No, yeah, no-- I know. I do. Promise,” Remmy said, nodding a little too eagerly, a little too eager to please. As per usual. They always wanted to make sure they didn’t upset people. They swallowed, watching Luce stretch out, nerves coming back, but for a different reason now. “That’s...sounds like a lot. It definitely must take a lot of time and dedication and like...effort. It’s...you know, amazing. I uh-- I totally already said that, but it-- it’s true. I think it’s amazing.” Remmy sighed and leaned back against the booth, hands still in their lap, even after the waitress put their milkshake down. “I never got that,” they said, reaching out slowly to grab the cool glass, “pretending like you know everything. Like, what’s the point? You won’t learn anything that way. I dunno.” They paused to take a long sip. The ice cream was cold against their lips, but not cold enough. Nothing was. “Oh, uh-- I mean. You know…” they glanced around, then leaned closer over the table to whisper, “supernatural stuff.”

Frowning at their promise, Luce reached for her cup of coffee again, holding it loosely in her hands. “It’s work. You get used to it until it becomes a routine. Except for the art. That never gets old.” She said with a satisfied smile. People liked to blow being a tattoo artist up, like it was an edgy, angsty job. And she liked to play into that stereotype too. But, at the end of the day, she just liked making art. Art that she got to see on people’s skin, something that would be with them till the day they died. Taking a sip from her mug, she shrugged. “People like to make themselves sound more important than they are. Or want people to like them because they sound smart. Or, they just don’t like learning. Either way,” She said, still cupping her coffee, “Chats about why people are stupid aren’t why we’re here right now.” As Remmy leaned forward, Luce let out a chuckle. “Supernatural stuff. Speaking of, I said I’d show you mine if you showed me yours. But, I get the vibe you’d prefer if I went first.”

Without a word, Luce glanced deliberately down at her coffee mug. As she did so, she allowed the magic to flow from her fingertips, heat burning and radiating outwards from her palms and into the ceramic of the mug. Calm and controlled, she maintained the flames that burned beneath her skin until the coffee in her hands was bubbling and steaming in the cup. 

Remmy followed Luce’s gaze down to her coffee mug, all other talk suddenly thrown to the wayside. Though they were good at compartmentalizing, double-tasking was something they’d always been bad at. Their eyes grew wider as Luce’s cup began to bubble and steam, as if it’d been put in a microwave and warmed up. “Woah! Magic!” Remmy breathed excitedly, reaching out, but stopping themself just short of the mug. They paused, looked up at Luce. A sudden relief flowing through them. She wasn’t a hunter! “You’re a witch. Like--” Wait, they couldn’t say that. Naming people was a bad thing, Lydia had said so. Especially with a witch hunter in town. But if Luce was a witch, did that negate it? They looked back down, hand still reached for the boiling cup. “Mine’s a little...harder to show? Um--” they met Luce’s eyes one more time, before grabbing the piping hot cup. The could feel it burning their palm, but it wasn’t really feeling. They just knew, somehow. When they pulled their hand away, the skin was raw and red, a little blistered. But in an instant, before both of their eyes, they skin healed back over and was normal within a few moments. “Uh-- I realize you probably already knew about the healing thing but...aside from me popping open a carton of brains, I don’t really know how else to say it. So...zombie.”

Amused, Luce pulled her hands away from the cup, letting the bubbles recede as the source of heat left. “You’re cute.” She said and let out a small snort. “I’m guessing you’ve met some of the others in town then? Yeah. I know about them. Probably better than you’d expect.” She said wryly, thinking about her sisters. As Remmy reached out for the mug, her eyebrows pinched together. Why were they reaching out like that, the mug was hot as fuck? A lifetime of working with the flame and knowing how to manipulate it so it never lashed out against her, that was what had protected her skin from burning. “What are you--” But, before she could finish that sentence, they had already grabbed the cup like it was nothing. Staring at them with startled eyes, Luce looked at their hands as they pulled back. Just like before, when she’d been tattooing them, their skin shifted and turned smooth, unblemished. Looking up at them, she tilted her head. “Zombie, huh? Well. That’s new.” She said with a grin, staring at their hand. “Mind if I touch?” She asked, gesturing at their unmarked palms. 

Remmy couldn’t help but blush. “Cute? N-no, I mean, I-- I just. Magic is cool, is all,” they murmured, looking back down at the table, at the cup, at their hand. They clenched and unclenched their fingers for a moment, nervous that Luce would be scared off. Or grossed out. Or something. As if she would inevitably leave. But she didn’t. “You-- touch? You want to--” they looked up, startled a moment, giving Luce the same look she’d given them just a moment before as they’d grabbed the cup. “Touch?” They shrugged, then nodded, slowly moving their hand out, resting it palm up on the table. “It’s cold-- I mean, um-- my hand. My skin. It’s always like...really cold.” Glanced up at Luce, wondering if she would still take it.

“It is.” Luce said, still watching Remmy with a bemused expression. They’d been stuttery like this when she’d first met them and when they’d first walked in. Seemed like it was just part of who they were. “Your thing is cool though. I’ve never met a zombie before.” She said, keeping her tone low, just in case anyone was listening. As she waited for them to respond, she glanced around the diner. While it may have looked like a casual glance, she was keeping an eye out to see if anyone was listening in on them. There was a witch hunter out and about, but more importantly-- Remmy had said they’d had bad experiences before. Being a zombie had no doubt attracted some of those irritating hunters. “Everyone’s cold to me.” She said before running her fingertips across their skin, gently at first and then poking their hand. But the skin was just as intact and whole as it had been before. “That’s fucking cool.”

“Cool?” Was Remmy’s immediate response, their tone a tad confused. That was a first. Well, Julie had said something similar, but Julie was...a special case. They looked at Luce slightly confused for a moment, watching her look around the diner, following her gaze. They didn’t know what she was looking for, but when her fingers grazed their palm, they did their best not to twitch too much. It was still so disorienting, watching someone touch them, knowing something was touching them, and not truly feeling it. “They are? Is it like-- cause of the magic stuff?” Remmy remembered Bea feeling warm as well, but that was different, probably. Their fingers curled slightly when Luce poked their hand and they gave a short chuckle. “Cool is...one word, I guess, yeah. You’re really not-- you really think it’s cool? It’s not, like-- weird?” 

“I said what I said.” Luce said with a firm nod. It was cool, at least, from an outside perspective. She knew that someone being a zombie meant that they were technically dead-- or had died, whatever. The particulars of it all were lost on her. But, the fact that this was part of it, not getting hurt, not sustaining wounds? That was pretty fucking cool. Running her hand over theirs one more time, Luce pulled away, curiosity sated for the moment. “Yeah, magic stuff. Fire, it’s kind of my thing. And one of the side effects of it is that I run a bit hot. Makes summer fun.” She said offhandedly. When Remmy continued to question them, Luce frowned. “If you’re going to get hung up on weird, then you picked the wrong town to hang out in. Between you, me, and the half a dozen other kinds of supernatural people that call White Crest home, we’re all fucking weird.” She said and took a sip from her coffee cup, the hot liquid burning in her throat. To anyone else, it would have been scalding, but it felt soothing to her. “So yeah, I think it’s cool.”

“I-- I’m not--” Remmy started, but stopped talking for a moment. They could almost still feel a whisper of Luce’s fingers on their palm as they pulled it away, sticking their hands back in their lap again. “I’m not like, hung up on it, I just-- it’s--” they weren’t entirely sure what it was. But it was something. “I wasn’t like, involved in any of this for my entire life. It was, like...sudden. So I’m trying, okay? I really am. I’m trying, but things like-- magic and zombies and vampire watermelon? I just...need a minute. And like-- how am I supposed to know how everyone else feels about it? I don’t know how I’d react if I wasn’t the way I am…” They shook their head. “Sorry. I’m not-- sorry. I didn’t mean to like, ramble. It’s just what I do when I’m nervous.” They took in a breath-- despite not needing to-- and let it out. “But, you know, I’ll take cool. And, um...I can try and answer any questions. If you want. About uh-- zombies.”

Listening to them struggle through their thoughts, Luce’s expression remained neutral as she continued to drink from her mug. Another newbie. Between Winston and Remmy, it seemed like there were just a whole bunch of folks who were new to the fun and whacky world of reality in White Crest. “Fair enough. I can’t speak for everyone, but, amongst people who aren’t hunters and don’t have some kind of personal vendetta… I don’t really care what you are.” Wrinkling her nose, she thought back to Bea’s terrible boyfriend, “Except if you were a vampire. Not a fan of those guys. Not enough to stake anyone, but they’re not my cup of tea.” She added. Shaking a head at their apology, Luce leaned back into her side of the booth languidly. “Don’t apologize, it’s fine. Sounds to me like you’ve been through a lot of shit. More than your fair share.” She said, pointedly tapping her own shoulder, mirroring the spot where Remmy’s new tattoo lay. A veteran, who’d lost their friends to war, and a new zombie? That sort of shit would fuck anyone up. “That’s up to you. What do you want to tell me about them?” She asked.

“Yeah, but like, how do I know?” Remmy said suddenly, a little taught. “Like...I definitely accidentally told a hunter what I was and he we were friends and then next thing I know, he’s totally okay with killing me because of what I am! Like, how am I supposed to know who’s a hunter and who doesn’t like zombies and who knows and how--” they stopped quickly, clenching their jaw. Their eyes dropped. They almost felt as if the spot on their shoulder was burning. “That’s...that’s different.” They turned as if to try and look at it, despite it being on their back and under their shirt. “That’s easy to...deal with.” The words didn’t feel right in their throat as they said them, but Remmy dismissed the thought, looking back up again. They reached out to fiddle with the straw in their shake. “I dunno. Just, like-- I’m not dangerous! At least, not if I eat. I don’t know if that was something you were...worried about. I can’t like, get hurt, either. And my bones do this weird, like uh-- bending thing? They don’t break. Oh, and my limbs regrow. That’s-- that’s definitely something I’m still getting used to.”

“Now, that part I can’t answer. Hunters don’t really care about spellcasters. We’re helpful, useful. People like you, who just kinda landed on one side of the supernatural spectrum, I can’t really say how they figure out who’s who. But, from my experience, they tend to be sad and mopey.” Luce said with a snort. She didn’t really know what all Hunters got up to and she didn’t really care too. She’d brushed elbows with a few at Excalibur and they all seemed the same to her. Self-righteous pricks or depressed people who couldn’t shake the guilt of what they’d done. She wasn’t sure which was worse, only that it was annoying. Hearing the way that Remmy paused, Luce stared at them. “Easy, hm? Sure. But, an easy burden still takes a toll on you.” She said before idly playing with the packets of sugar tucked neatly away in the little dish by the window. Watching them as they spoke, Luce pursed her lips. “And you can clearly eat normal stuff too. I’m guessing it doesn’t do much for the appetite, though.” Her eyebrows shot up at the mention of their limbs regrowing. “Really? That’s pretty sweet.”

“Yeah, someone else told me that, too,” Remmy grumbled. They didn’t like that answer. They wished there was an easier way to identify hunters. Why couldn’t they all just have big patches that said “I’m a hunter! Do Not Interact!” or something. Sighing, they slumped a little in the booth. “It happened. It’s over. I’m over it.” They didn’t wanna talk about it anymore, flicking their straw away before pulling the cup closer and taking a sip. “Yeah, but I can’t really taste anything. And no, doesn’t help at all. Still gotta eat brains every few days.” They raised their brows back, looking across the table at Luce. “It’s certainly come in handy, but like-- damn, lemme tell you about how confused I was when it first happened,” they chuckled, shaking their head. Somehow, the memory had become fond. It’s how they and Blanche and Cece had all bonded pretty quickly.

“Fair enough.” Luce said, raising her hands innocently. She wasn’t about to push them into talking about something they clearly weren’t interested in opening up about. Everyone dealt with their own shit in different ways. “Damn. That’s certainly a bummer.” She said, reaching across the table to dip her finger into Remmy’s milkshake. Licking the mixture of ice cream and whipped cream from her finger, she regarded them for a moment. They couldn’t taste anything? That must suck. “Ever blended brains into a milkshake?” She asked with a slightly morbid grin. “I can only imagine. The nice thing about magic is that it’s not something super jarring like that. One day you wake up, get spooked by something in the back of the closet, and then suddenly you’ve lit your mom’s favorite coat on fire. You freak out in the moment, but it’s nothing like losing a leg and seeing it come back or something.”

“Actually, my friend made me a brain smoothie once--” Remmy started, but stopped mid sentence as Luce dipped her fingers into their milkshake. They watched, entranced, as she licked it from her fingers. Frozen for a moment. Cheeks burning. “Uh…” they pushed it closer to her, a quiet gesture, before taking some whipped cream from the side of the cup with their finger and sticking it in their mouth. “I wouldn’t mind trying a brain milkshake, though,” they finally said, clearing their throat. “Maybe then people would stop stealing my shake.” A crooked grin. “Is that how you found out you could use magic? Is it, like, always like that? Can your whole family do it?” The rapid fire questions came out before Remmy could stop themself, but somehow, they didn’t care to stop themself anymore. “It was my arm, actually, the first time. Funny thing was I barely even felt it. So, I guess my adrenaline still works. My friend passed out, though. She even picked up the snipped arm.”

Of all the ways she thought her day might go, seeing a zombie blush hadn’t been high on her list. But, Luce grinned all the same. She stood by her statement from before, Remmy was cute. In a bashful, baby gay kind of way. Watching as they mirrored her gesture, her slight smile widened further. Funny. Very funny. “It might, it might.” She said breezily. The idea of brains blended up into a milkshake sounded absolutely disgusting, but she was more interested in fucking with Remmy. “Could be tasty though, who knows.” When their questions turned onto her, Luce laughed. “It’s not always like that, but it’s how I figured it out.” In a manner of speaking, of course. She’d grown up her whole life, knowing that fire ran through her veins. “Mmm, some of us can.” She said cryptically. Poor little Nellie. “A whole arm, huh? I’m not surprised she passed out. Though, why the fuck did she pick up your arm?”

Remmy watched Luce closely for a moment. Her growing smile made Remmy’s tension ease even more, and they couldn’t help but smile back, wider. “I’m totally calling your bluff on that,” they said, yoinking the milkshake back across the table and just out of her reach. They smirked, and took a sip from the straw before leaning back. “My friend cooked brains for me once and could barely stand the smell, there’s no way you’d ever enjoy them cold, and blended, all chunky up in a milkshake,” they said, purposefully describing them the grossest way possible. “Little bits of matter and shit all floating around. Like little boba bits. I bet they’d be chewy like that, too.” A chuckle, matching Luce’s laugh. “That’s fair. I guess it would all be different, considering there’s like, a ton of different types of magic. Right? That’s what my friend said, at least. She does uh-- like rocks and stuff. Makes things out of other things. Al-someting?” they shrugged. “I don’t know. Panic? We were running from giant lobsters, so. Maybe she thought they could reattach it if we still had the arm.”

Amused by their attempt at grossing her out, Luce let out a small chuckle. If they were trying to fuck her up, they were going to need to try harder than that. “Have you ever had Iskembe Corbasi? Or Kokorec?” She asked, slipping into the Turkish pronunciation with ease. “Tripe soup. Stuffed intestine. Mhmmm,” Luce said, reaching across the table to pull the milkshape back towards her and taking a sip from the straw, making direct eye contact as she did so. “Delicious.” Her grandmother always made those dishes and, while she didn’t like all of them, those were two of her favorites. They were weird by western standards, but she liked the taste of them. As the conversation shifted back to magic, Luce shrugged. “Yeah, there’s a lot of different types of magic. You’re talking about Alchemy. Transmutation. That sort of thing.” She said with a wave of her hand. 

“I, uh-- no? No, I haven’t heard of those. Are...are they good?” Remmy asked, raising their brows. Maybe they could actually taste those, since they were made with brains and stuff. “Hey--!” they started as Luce grabbed the milkshake back, but stopped, mouth slightly agape as she stared straight at them and took a sip. Remmy blinked, cheeks burning again, and looked away. “I’ll take your word for it,” they finally squeaked out, shaking their head with a grin. “Oh, yeah! Yeah. That’s cool. Can you do that? Or do you just do the fire stuff?”

“They are to me. But, not everyone has that sense of taste. Which is why, if you’re trying to stop me from drinking your milkshake just by crumbling a little brain into it, you’re going to have to try harder than that.” Luce teased, straw still poised between her teeth. With a wink, she took a final sip before pushing the nearly empty glass back across the table. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she glanced at the embarrassed person that sat across from her with an increasingly smug grin. It was fun to see them squirm. And they squirmed quite a bit. With a shake of her head, Luce replied, “I focus on fire. It’s what interests me most and it’s what I want to learn. I know the theory behind a handful of other forms of magic, but I’m not interested in them.”

Remmy was absolutely sure Luce was doing this all on purpose, but they were ultimately powerless to do anything to stop her. Clearing their throat again, then tried not to focus too much on the straw between her teeth or that look in her eyes. “I um...think they sound good. I ate some pretty weird stuff while posted in Afghanistan, but also, the, like-- you know, zombie thing.” When Luce pushed the shake back towards them, they stared down at the straw before using it to drink up the rest of the shake. “But, like, you can use more than one magic? It’s not like, one type only?”

“Makes sense. There are some similarities in food all across that area of the world.” Luce nodded, pleased with the way Remmy continued to avert their gaze. But, she figured she’d messed with them enough. She’d cut them a break for now. Though, if they ran into each other again, she wondered how things would go if she pushed their buttons just a little bit further. Just how red could she make a zombie blush? Or would they do something about it? Mysteries for another time. “If I wanted to, sure. But I don’t. And that’s part of magic. The more energy and time you put into a branch of magic, the better you get at it. And, the less of that energy that goes to it… the less powerful it becomes. At least, that’s how I view it. I’d rather be the best at one thing than a jack of all-trades kind of witch.” She said with a wave of her hand.

Remmy nodded, looking back across the table as they moved the now empty shake towards the end for the waitress to take. “Are they? What like, place are the dishes you mentioned from? I may or may not have failed geography,” they chuckled, rubbing the back of their head. Even though Luce was a bit pushy and a definite tease, they couldn’t but be drawn to her. And she was a good person. And she hadn’t been weird about Remmy’s zombieness or their tattoo stuff. That was a good mark in their book, though they supposed something like that wasn’t hard to get with them. Still, it mattered to them. “Oh, that’s neat! That totally makes sense. It’s like, focusing on one skill, in the same way.” They leaned back in the seat again, relaxed. “Thanks for being like...cool about all of this. I know I ask a lot of stupid questions sometimes.”

Waiting for the waitress to walk away, Luce nodded, “Mhm. A lot of dishes in the Middle East have similarities. Turkey is a couple countries away from Afghanistan, but there are parallels.” She said, recalling her family’s heritage. “And hey, nothing wrong with that. I’d be fucked if anyone ever asked me about like… South American countries. Or hell, if they wanted to know the capital of Michigan or something.” She said. It was nice, their easy understanding of her focus on elementalism. Though, she had a feeling that had a lot to do with the fact they were just an accepting person. They seemed the type who wouldn’t question things, unless there was cause. It was refreshing all the same. As beneficial as being in a coven was, she despised the way people looked down on her for never branching out into other forms of magic. They considered her flames childish. There was nothing childish about a roaring inferno, blazing in front of you, though. “Exactly. And hey, you don’t know anything about this. Questions are just questions at this point. If you made me repeat myself, then it would be a stupid question.” Luce joked.

“Yeah, I...honestly couldn’t even point out Afghanistan on a map if it wasn’t labeled,” Remmy said with a little scoff and a smirk. “Maps aren’t my thing. It all just looks the same to me. Now schematics? I can do.” Luce was becoming increasingly easier to talk to, despite their initial wariness of her. Maybe it had just been the sudden way in which she’d asked Remmy about their species, but the thought of that was already gone from Remmy’s mind. They smiled across the table at her. “Thanks. I uh-- sometimes feel kinda stupid cause I don’t know much about any of this. Hell, I didn’t even know much about what I was when I first found out. Someone else had to tell me. But, um-- promise I won’t make you repeat yourself. I um, think I can handle that,” they grinned.

“Sounds like you’ve got a knack for logical layouts and stuff, between this and the whole mechanical thing you told me when you were in the other day.” Luce pointed out. Pausing, she pulled out her phone and began to scroll through her list of ebooks that she had saved on her phone. Most were art books that she kept on hand, just to have around. But there was one that Remmy might be into. “I don’t know if you’d be into it, but there’s this cool book. Math Art: Truth, Beauty, and Equations. There are some cool explanations to math and nature and shit.” She said with a shrug. “Just a recommendation, if you’re into something like that.” The way they smiled at her was so earnest. They were sweet, in a really genuine way. Smiling in return, Luce caught the waitresses eye and held out a twenty, more than enough to cover their drinks with a large tip leftover. “Sounds like a plan to me. You’ve got my number, right? If you’ve got any questions about stuff, feel free to text me. Or, you know,” She said as she slid out of the booth, tossing her hair over her shoulders as she stood up, “If you’ve got something else on your mind.” Luce grinned before heading to the door.

“I guess, yeah. I just think they’re fun,” Remmy agreed with a shrug. They had always liked things like that. Leaning forward again as Luce pulled out her phone, Remmy glanced at the title she was showing them. “Oh, neat! That looks like a great book! I totally need to check that out. Math and Art, my two favorite things,” they said, grinning, “besides dogs, but that’s like a whole ‘one of these things isn’t like the other’.” A small chuckle at their own joke, before they leaned away again, still smiling. Luce was waving down the waitress now, and Remmy went to grab their wallet, but was left in the dust as Luce slipped her the twenty. “Oh, wait, I-- I could’ve paid for mine,” they said, looking back at her, “even if you did drink most of it.” Luce was standing now and Remmy watched her with big eyes. She’d said that, right? Remmy wasn’t reading into this too much, were they? “Right,” they said, “I’ve got your number. For stuff questions and...other stuff.” Kept their eyes on Luce as she left, watching her walk past the window and away. Remmy figured they should probably leave, too, but somehow, they knew they’d be too light-headed right now to stand up. So, instead, they just ordered another milkshake, enjoying it as much as someone who couldn’t taste could, and finding themself wishing Luce was still sitting across from them.

[divineluce]

Ink About It || Remmy & Luce

Location: Ink Inc.

Notes: Remmy comes in to ease a burden that’s being weighing on their mind. Luce both helps and attempts to hurt. 

Remmy had a secret. It was nestled on the back of their left shoulder, and it was a simple tattoo. It listed the names of their squadmates, in order of rank. And their dog tag numbers, with a circle around them. Simple, easy. If one of us dies, we all get the name crossed out. It was a little morbid, really, but they’d all been young and dumb. And doing this had felt like it brought them closer together. It was supposed to motivate them to all stay safe. To remind them that they had people to look out for, other than themselves. And to carry their memories on their back, always, even if they were gone. But Remmy had never gone back to get it finished. The thought of getting all their names crossed out felt...too heavy. They wanted a better way to remember them, to commemorate them. To move on from their loss. But they couldn’t figure out what they wanted to do with it, the list of names on their shoulder. Like a laundry list of all the things they’d done wrong. All the people they’d let down. It was time to change that. Breathing in-- a still comforting gesture, despite the lack of need-- they went up to the parlor doors and pushed them open. The little bell ran as they entered and they glanced up, before looking back inside. They hadn’t really planned on coming here so abruptly, but acting on impulse was something Remmy was trying to do more of. It was time to get out of such a regimented lifestyle, stuck in military time. There was someone at the front desk, a woman, looking a little bored and a little distracted. “Um, hi,” Remmy said as they scooted up to the counter, “I um...I don’t have an appointment or anything, but like, I was hoping to maybe talk to someone about uh, an alteration. To an existing tattoo. If that’s, if like--” they paused, “if that’s okay.”

Rolling a pencil across her fingers, Luce looked at the clock. Fucking hell, it’d already been 40 minutes. She was calling it. “We gotta no show. Again.” She said, poking her head out of her room. Leave it to Dario to schedule another flake for her, christ. Which meant she’d come in for nothing. At least she’d had time to work on a few designs of her own, but this was getting frustrating. She was trying to make money here, and fewer asses in the chair meant less money in her wallet, simply speaking. At least she was gonna be making money off her cabin. Her sweet, amazing, beautiful cabin… that her mom had forced her to move out off. Resting her head on her hand, she looked at her sketchbook for a second, contemplating the design she’d been working on for the new girl to the coven. What was her name? M- something. Melissa? Mallory? Morga--Morgan. Yeah, that’s the one. As she worked on the preliminary sketches, the little bell over the door rang out and she heard someone talking nervously with the receptionist. Popping her head out the door, Luce walked out to the main area of the shop. “We take walk-ins. And it’s your lucky day. I’m Luce,” She stuck out a hand, “What are you looking to get done?” She asked.

Remmy startled slightly when someone came out of the back room and over to the front desk. “Oh, hi! Hello, I--” they paused, taking in her sight. She was oddly familiar. Long, dark hair, that looked almost as dark as the night outside. Piercing eyes. Tattoos up each arm. A tank top that dipped a little lower down her sides than usual, and pants that were...form fitting. Remmy felt their throat close up. “Ye-eah. Yup. I’m lucky! I mean-- I’m Remmy. I mean, I’m here for a tattoo. Well not a tattoo, I already have one. I want it like-- uh, altered? I need it-- yup. Altered. That’s what I’m here for. Right now. Um...Oh!” They finally reached out to take her hand, noticing that it was warmer-- kinda like Bea’s-- before stepping back a little. “Are you the artist? Do you like, um-- I...don’t really know how this works. Sorry.”

Eyebrow raising as the person began to stumble through their words, Luce nodded. Another nervous nellie. Which, given her own sister’s fear of needles, not an entirely inaccurate saying either. As they continued to ramble on, Luce realized that they were saying something that sounded familiar-- the whole, altering thing. Talking about it like tattoos were a jacket or something. “I think we might have talked about this online, actually. Good to meet you in person. And, you lucked out, Remmy. Because I’ve got a solid 4 hours free.” She said with a slight grimace. Fucking cancellations. She was willing to bet it was probably some guy who got too drunk last night and missed his appointment while nursing a hangover in Al’s. “I’m not the artist. That would be Ulfric, he owns this place. I’m one of the artists who works here consistently. Me and Rory, a handful of others. Come on, let’s talk shop in my workspace.” She said, gesturing for them to follow her back to her private room in the shop. It was a neat and organized place, with a few shelves that had a couple candles, a polished citrine crystal, and some of her artwork hanging on the walls. A pinboard with a bunch of pre-made design stencils filled one wall, the prices written on the corner. “So,” Luce said as she slid into her chair, opening her laptop, “What am I working with and what are you thinking?” 

“Oh! Yeah!” Remmy said, trying to recall the conversation. Their thoughts had jumbled that night, after learning about Blanche’s house exorcism gone wrong. But that was in the past and everything was okay now. They could take this time to focus on them, and just them. And not the very attractive person who was now saying things. Things Remmy should probably listen to. Tuning back in, Remmy nodded. “Right, yeah! Let’s-- yeah.” They followed Luce back to her station, eyes wandering. Landing on some of the charcoal drawings hung up on the walls. “Did you do these?” they asked, leaning in a bit closer, but keeping a good distance. They knew not to touch other peoples’ art. They looked almost like some of the things Remmy doodled. Lots of shapes and straight lines. Remmy liked drawing buildings and objects. Things that a calculated mind could easily recreate. They turned back to face her, unsure of where to sit, shuffling around. “Uh, it’s-- I can sh--” they started, but stopped. Showing her meant taking their sweater off. It meant showing someone their tattoo for the first time since they’d gotten back. It was usually always covered. “It’s on my back. It’s um...some names, in a circle. And uh, dog tag chains.” 

“I did. Clean lines and geometric work are kind of my thing.” Luce said, tilting her head to the stencils on the wall, “But, I’m also good at a lot of other styles. American traditional, Japanese traditional, black work, you name it, I can do it. I draw the line at new school. I don’t do bubbly graffiti art.” She grimaced. She hated that oversaturated shit. Watching as they looked over the art on her walls, Luce leaned back in her chair, amused. Maybe they were an artist too. Starving artist, by the looks of their clothes. But, that was how it went sometimes. Watching the way they fidgeted, Luce pointed at one of the chairs by the door. “Have a seat. Please.” She added. Maybe the politeness would help their nerves. As they described their tattoo to her, Luce fought to keep her expression neutral. But still... Dog tags. Luce wasn’t a stranger to doing military tattoos and if someone wanted a tattoo with names and dog tags altered? That meant some big shit must have gone down. “Mhm. Okay. What are you thinking about doing with them?”

“Wow, they’re really good,” Remmy said with a genuine awe. They always wondered how people could make such great things, out of their own minds. Glancing back at Luce, they nodded quickly. “Right, yeah. Sit. Okay.” And fell into the chair quickly, stumbling only a little. They looked at her, then down at their shoes. They should’ve worn nicer shoes. And nicer pants. And...not a weird baggy sweater. Remmy smoothed their palms down their thighs before looking up at her again. “Uh, oh. I mean...I don’t really know. What I want to do with it. Just that...I want it to feel better. Um-- sorry, that doesn’t make sense. I mean, I want it to not be...what it is. What it represents? I want it to be...a good thing. Not--” a representation of death. Remmy bit their bottom lip. “I was kinda hoping someone else could help like, figure it out? I’m not all that creative, really. Better with the like, looking at something and drawing it side. Like buildings! And cars.” 

“Thanks.” Luce said with a wry smile. Not that she doubted that Remmy meant it-- if anything, she had a feeling they were very serious in how they felt about her works. But, there were still flaw with her art, still discrepancies here and there. Crooked lines, pieces that didn’t fully work as a whole. She kept the art mainly as a reminder that there was always room for improvement. Swivelling in her chair to face her client, Luce listened as they rambled their way through their thoughts. And the way that they petered off at the end of their sentence confirmed her suspicions. This tattoo, it carried weight. It carried baggage. And this person literally had a burden that no one else could understand, weighing down on their shoulders. “Okay. So, what I want to know is, do you want it covered up? Or do you want it changed in a way that it’s still visible and still a part of you. Because those are very, very different things. People like to say that art is just art, but there’s more to it.” Luce said, pausing for a moment. “I’m not a therapist, won’t claim to be one either. But this is some heavy shit, I’m guessing. And I want to make sure you’re making the right decision, for present and future you, with this.”

“The second one,” Remmy said quickly, “definitely the...second one. I don’t want it covered up. I--” like it? No. That wasn’t quite the right word. Remmy had always been bad at finding the right words. “--need it.” Want it, even. They subconsciously reached back, fingers pressing where the names were under their sweater. Their eyes fell back to their shoes. They really needed new shoes. “It’s-- it’s not that big of a deal, really. It was just, like, stupid kids making a stupid promise to each other. And I...want to honor the like...thought behind it. Maybe not like, what it represents, what it came to be but like...what we wanted them to mean. What it should mean.” They dropped their hand, plucked at a loose string. “Sorry. I um...I’m really bad at explaining things.”

Oh boy. Luce hadn’t been wrong about this tattoo having a lot of baggage behind it, if they were this uncomfortable talking about it. Watching the way they averted their eyes, the way they reached for a spot on their shoulder, Luce folded her arms across her chest contemplatively. On the one hand, this seemed like something that might be out of her depth. On the other hand… she loved a challenge. And they seemed like a good person, just a bit lost. Nothing like getting an old piece refreshed to help the soul. “It’s all good. And hey. It’s something that’s got a lot of meaning to you clearly. Both then and now. So. Honoring the people you served with. I can get behind that.” She said, mulling over some ideas. It would all depend on the placement of the tattoo, of course. “I’m gonna close the door, give us some privacy so you can show me what you’ve got. I kinda need to know what I’m working with.” Luce explained.

“Oh, good, cool,” Remmy said, smacking themself internally for how stupid they sounded. “Now? You need to-- yeah. Okay. Um-- yeah. Okay! I can...do that.” They watched her close the door and shuffled in the chair a little. They waited until Luce was sitting again before tugging their sweater off, thankful they’d decided to put their binder on today instead of just using the wrap. “It’s uh,” putting the sweater aside, they turned so that their left shoulder was facing Luce better. “Back here,” pointed at the spot, “kinda covered, I can...move it.” Under the fabric was a simple tattoo: four names, each surrounded by the outline of a dog tag. Like a list, almost. Calvin Lancer, Lieutenant. Jeremy Andrews, Second Lieutenant. Ken Johnson, Private. Darius Mulberry, Combat Medic. All in a row down their shoulder, an almost mechanical tattoo. They glanced up at Luce, wondering what she could have thought about it. If it was savable.

Giving them space, Luce settled back down in her chair and politely waited for them to show her the tattoo. The flash of the binder wasn’t too surprising, they seemed pretty androgynous. But, never hurt to be clear. “Real quick-- preferred pronouns? And, if I’m down to do this tattoo, are you cool with me being your artist? We’ve got male tattoo artists as well, just putting that option out there.” She said. The worst thing a tattoo artist could do, besides fuck up a tattoo, was make their client uncomfortable and she didn’t want to do that at all. As she took in the very basic, nondescript tattoo, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. The implication of getting this altered was very, very real to her. “I see. And you’re looking to get something to honor them.” She said mulling the tattoo over. She could think of something already. Maybe adding chains that linked them together? Or some kind of decorative outline? “I know you said you’re not good at creative stuff-- I call bullshit on that, by the way. What kind of things do you like, visually, to look at? That could give me a good idea of what to do, what options I have.”

“Preferred--” Remmy started, confused, then stopped. They still weren’t used to the question and although it came as a surprise, it felt nice, too. To be seen this way. They gave a little shrug. “Uh, just...they. Um, thanks. No! You-- you’re fine. I prefer women.” Paused. “I mean like, for this!” Paused again. “But not that I don’t-- it’s, uh--” snapped their jaw shut. They were rambling again. “Sorry! Sorry. I get uh-- a little nervous.” They should’ve brought Moose, but they weren’t sure he’d like it here, with all the small noises. They watched Luce examine the tattoo, glancing down at their feet again, hands wringing together. “Oh, um, I’m-- I’m really not. Creative. Or like, good at it. Being creative. I just like, you know, looking at nature. And airplanes. I don’t know why, they always look cool to me. Like...I can’t believe someone built this. Of course it’s like a lot of someone’s, but like, someone saw it in their head and designed it and made it real. And like, mechanical things, I guess? I like um, shapes, you know? Like you were saying, that you do. Um...geometric stuff?”

Listening to the way they rambled on, Luce resisted the urge to smirk at them-- if they weren’t a client, she definitely would. But, they were probably just nervous at the prospect of the tattoo alteration. It was a big step, it seemed. And she was going to be here to help them through it. “Noted. On all accounts.” She said with a reassuring smile. “And don’t worry, everyone gets nervous, even if they don’t admit it.” As they began to talk about what things they liked to look at, the things that interested them, Luce pulled out a physical binder of her portfolio and handed it to them. “Why don’t you take a look through this while I do a rough sketch of what I’m thinking? See if anything catches your eye.” Her brain was already churning with ideas for how she could make this tattoo something that wasn’t just a burden, but something… commemorative. A legacy to the bonds of-- hm. That was an idea. Booting up her tablet, she began to do a rough sketch of the dog tags that already existed, and then began to add her own details. Chains, snaking from each tag, coming together, intertwining and then. She glanced over at her client, pursing her lips. It was worth a shot. Luce added another dog tag connected to the four other tags by the winding chains.

Remmy took the binder gratefully and started flipping through it, awed by all the designs she had in there. “You did all of these? They’re...incredible…” Looked up for a moment. “Oh, well, like-- I think I kinda get um-- extra nervous. Especially like, around, well...um.” Cleared their throat. “My friend keeps telling me I need to stop apologizing so much, too…” they trailed off, biting their bottom lip, looking at Luce, then back down at the binder. “Harder to do than it sounds.” After all, Remmy had been apologizing for their existence almost their whole life. “Sorry, you probably don’t want to know that...Sorry. Dammit.” Gave a half chuckle. “See?” They flipped the page and something jumped out to them. It was familiar, it looked sort of like the design they’d seen it on some of the memorabilia their uncle had back home. “Oh, hey-- I kinda like this? It looks kinda like um...that knot thing...celtic knots?” they said, raising the binder to try and show Luce. 

“Yup, I did. I’ve been tattooing for 5 years officially, so I’ve got a nice little collection of pieces to show off,” Luce said, eyes still focused on her draft. Mm. That line looked weird. And those chains were off. Switching between reference pictures, she began to add more detail to it, just to give a clearer idea of what she was going for. “Apologize, don’t apologize, all that matters is you’re true to yourself.” She said with a shrug. “But, you’re good. Consider this an apology free zone.” Luce said with a grin. Swiveling around in her chair, Luce looked over at the picture they were holding up. Celtic knots. “Good choice. Those are symbolic of friendship, love, eternity, depending on the one. There’s the Sailor’s Knot, which is more indicative of friendship and the bonds forged tightly. And there’s also the Shield Knot, which is one of enduring protection.” She said, pointing to the two different designs. “Which speaks to you more?”

Huh. That was a weird thought. Remmy nodded. Deirdre had said something like that, too-- just be true to yourself. It was hard, though, to act on that advice when Remmy didn’t know what their true self was, besides dead. They pushed the thought away. “Thanks,” was all they said, a little quieter, before setting the binder down, and looking at the two Luce had pointed out. “I think...the shield one. I like the sound of that one.” Enduring protection. Maybe they had failed their squadmates, but that didn’t mean their memories couldn’t stay to protect Remmy. To remind them that they were never alone. Yeah, that was it, wasn’t it? That’s what they needed. That reminder. It’d been the reason they’d gotten the tattoos, after all, in the first place. “Definitely the second one,” they said more confidently, finally looking Luce in the eyes. It only lasted a second, but they were able to give her a nod, before dropping their eyes back to the binder. 

“For sure. And I meant it, you know. Like, my whole job revolves around being true to yourself. Tattoos are reflective of the people who have them, no matter what they are.” Luce said with a firm nod. Her job had allowed her to find her own voice, to speak her mind, and be honest with who she was. And it had been a very long and difficult lesson to learn, but ultimately rewarding. “The shield should work well with what I’m thinking. Give me a bit and I’ll show you the rough draft of what I’ve got. Obviously, it’ll take me more time to get the final design done, but it shouldn’t take too long.” She said. When they looked up and met her gaze, Luce was pleasantly surprised by the determination that she saw there. “You’ve got great eyes, by the way.” She said as she turned back to her design, erasing the original entanglement of chains and pulling up a reference for the shield knot. “Just an artistic observation, that’s all.”

“Oh, yeah, that-that makes sense. I mean...I just kinda figured I’d do it cause it was like, a group thing, we all promised we’d do it,” Remmy said, their mouth once again getting ahead of their brain.”We were kinda young and dumb at the time, though. I don’t think any of us put much thought into it…” They slowed, stopped talking again. “Oh, that’s fine! Yeah, um...take your time. I know I kinda like, sprung this on you. Sorry about that.” They scratched the back of their head, feeling their cheeks grow hot a moment. “I-- great eyes? Do you mean like, for the knot? Cause, like, technically I just liked it cause my Uncle had it around his place a lot. Like, as a symbol? On pictures and like, letterheads. And-- that’s...that’s not important. Sorry.” 

“Even if you didn’t, it’s still representative of who you were at the time. Young and dumb isn’t how I’d classify it though,” Luce said as she filled in the intricate loops and connecting lines of the celtic symbol. “You all cared about each other enough to go all in on something like this. That says a lot.” In the brief lull of conversation, Luce began to erase some of her guidelines and added some chain detailing to the shield knot. “Don’t apologize, you’re giving me something to do. It’s my job.” She nodded. Leaning back from the screen, she looked at the draft, frowned, and then began to erase some of her lines. She didn’t like how the chains fed in, if she fixed it here… Better. “I meant you have great eyes. Very nice color.” She said, “No, keep talking. It’s interesting, gives backstory to the piece.”

Remmy didn’t comment on Luce’s observation. She was probably right, but Remmy didn’t want to think about all that right now. They’d just gotten through a big episode of grieving them, crying on Morgan, crying with Skylar, yelling at Blanche...they just didn’t want to think about it anymore. Blinking, Remmy looked up, trying to refocus on the conversation. “Huh? Oh, uh-- I mean...yeah, okay. If you say so.” They picked at a spot on their jeans again, cheeks turning warm. “I, uh-- oh. I do? I mean...thanks? Thanks. I mean thanks. You have nice eyes, too.” Oh, that was weird to say. “I mean pretty eyes! I mean, they look nice! Like...they’re also a nice color. They match your hair, too, and it’s, you-- kinda remind me of someone but like, you have a really pretty face.” Remmy clenched their jaw shut. “Fuck. Sorry. I ramble. So much. A lot. I say stupid things cause like my mouth gets ahead of my brain and I don’t think things through, um-- sorry. Anyway...yeah. My Uncle. He was Irish. So was my mom, I guess. But, like, my Uncle was really into the whole, heritage thing. Showed me what clan we were from and all that. Had our uh...special what it is, like...flag? Or um, crest? On some stuff. And a stamp of it. For letters and letterheads. He gave it to me, but I think I lost it in the move....”

“I do say so, yeah.” Luce said, leaning back to stare at the image for a moment before going back in to get the lines just how she wanted them. She wanted the new dog tag to stand out… Hm. Selecting the image, she rotated it ninety degrees so it was horizontal rather than vertical. Nice. That was more what she wanted. “Thanks. I like to think I’ve got a nice face.” She said, choosing to ignore the comment about her reminding them of someone. They probably meant Bea. Or Nell. Or even her mother. Ugh, not what she wanted to think about right now. “Like I said, talking gives background and meaning, so ramble away.” Listening to them as they talked about their family, Luce added in a few more lines until she was satisfied with the draft. “That’s cool that you’ve got that kind of family background. Who knows, you might find the stamp sometime. Now. How’s this look, just as a rough idea?” She asked, taking her laptop off the desk and bringing it over for Remmy to look at. 

Remmy watched Luce with curious eyes as she scratched away on her tablet. They’d never seen anyone use them before, and they’d always wondered how they worked. “Oh, uh, okay. Usually people tell me to stop talking. It’s a bad habit sometimes.” Finally, Luce finished and came over with the laptop. Remmy’s eyes lingered on it, but it didn’t entirely register until they saw the new tag Luce had added. It had their name on it. Intertwined with the knot and the other tags. Remmy didn’t know what to say for a moment. “I-It…” they stuttered a moment, “Yeah. I mean-- yes. Or, it looks great. Perfect. It’s…” they grew quiet. “Perfect.” 

“Most people are also assholes.” Luce said bluntly. “You can speak your mind, there’s nothing wrong with it.” She’d spent most of her childhood keeping her thoughts to herself, overshadowed by Bea at first and then by Nell. It had been easier to fade into the background, considering that Bea was the family’s pride and joy and Nell the on-going problem child. But, her job had shifted that perspective, made her realize her thoughts had merit. When Remmy gave their approval, she nodded once. “I’d hope it’s not perfect, this is just the first a draft. Give me a bit and I’ll get the finished product done and we can get to work. Just a heads up. You’ll have to have your binder off for this and you won’t be able to wear it for the rest of today. If that puts you in a bad headspace, we don’t have to do this. You can come back whenever you’re ready.” She said with a nod. “Just want to let you know.”

Remmy shrugged. “Oh, no, I-I don’t think they’re assholes, really. I...I can be a lot sometimes. I get that. Some people just can’t, like, handle it. It’s fine. I don’t mind.” They shifted in their chair as Luce explained the rest of what needed to happen. “Yeah, no-- of course. Not like, perfect perfect. But perfect as in like...perfect design? It-- it’s great. I could never-- I would’ve never been able to come up with something like that. It’s amazing, that could do that, just from, you know...me talking?” They looked down at their lap, hands wringing tightly. If they left, they knew they would never come back. Remmy shook their head. “No, I-- I’m okay. I’ll be okay. I wanna do it today. Let’s-- can we do it today?”

“Suit yourself.” She shrugged as she settled back into her chair, laptop back in place on her work table. Luce stretched her hand out for a moment before going back in on her tablet, making a new layer and beginning the cleaned up version. “Hope you don’t mind if I throw on some music, helps me focus.” She said, as she opened up Spotify and let some blues inspired rock and roll play in the room. The image began to flow from her fingertips, the lines appearing in time to the ebbs and flows of the music. The pounding bassline gave her the solid, clean lines of the new dog tag, the intricate guitar solo forming the celtic shield knot. Piece by piece, note by note, the tattoo came together. Erasing the last couple stray lines, Luce hit the preview button and walked back over to Remmy, flexing her hand slightly. “Anything you wanna change? Speak now or never.”

Remmy gave a nod. “No, that-- that’s fine.” They stayed sitting for the most part, as Luce began drawing up the final draft. They were impressed she was able to get into the zone so quickly, and that she could just...make something like that, from her mind. After a bit, they stood and shuffled around the room a little, looking at all the drawings she had hung up around. The intricate lines, the attention to details in each of the pictures, it made Remmy wish they could do something like that. The only person they’d ever shown their stuff to was Nate. He’d said it was good, but Remmy figured he was just being nice. Their stuff was just observational, they could never do anything like this. When Luce finally finished and came back over, Remmy turned to look at what she’d come up with. “Oh, woah! No way! That’s amazing! I love it. It’s perfect. Like, for real this time. Perfect perfect.” They paused. “Really.”

A genuine smile spread across Luce’s face as she watched Remmy take in the design. The way their face lit up, she knew she’d nailed it, even before they’d answered. Fuck yes. Nothing beat that kind of reaction. This, this was what she loved about her job. The art, yes, but seeing people love something new about themselves? That was special. Of course, she’d never tell anyone that. “Excellent. I’ll need you to take off your shirt and binder so I can get the stencil on there and then we’ll be ready to go.” She said, as she began to print out a couple different sizes of her design, just to see what would work best. While her printer began to spit out the stencils, she pulled out fresh needles for her machine, wiping down the leather of her chair with solution, and grabbing the ink she needed from her large rolling toolkit of supplies. With her back to Remmy, she spoke over her shoulder. “You can either lie down or stay standing while I put the stencil on. Your call.”

“Oh, uh-- I-I’ll lay down…” Remmy answered quickly, swallowing the lump in their throat. They tugged their shirt off and set it down on the chair they’d been sitting in before, folding it up neatly, military style-- It was a habit they still hadn’t been able to break-- before reaching down to remove their binder. Hands shook only slightly as they folded it up as well and set it on top of their shirt. It was somehow both terrifying and reassuring knowing that their body still looked the same, even after dying. Blocking the thought from going any further, Remmy went over to the work chair and sat. They were really doing this. Drawing in a soothing breath, Remmy closed their eyes a moment. This would help. This would help them move on. All of them. Letting the breath go, Remmy turned around and laid down. “Ready,” they said, only a tinge of nerves in their voice.

Luce waited until Remmy gave her the all clear before turning around. It took a few tries to get the stencils lined up properly-- that was the trick of altering a pre-existing tattoo. She had to make sure that everything looked cohesive and coherent, so that it didn’t look like two tattoos smashed together, but one complete image. Making sure all the chains lined up, she stepped back, getting a good look at it from a bit away. She wanted the tattoo to still be legible even from a distance. The spacing looked good, everything read well. Excellent. “Alright.” She said as she pulled on a pair of gloves and set up her machine, “We’re gonna get going, just let me know if you feel light headed or need a break. You can talk to me or just zone out, whatever helps you out.” She said, switching the tattoo machine on before dipping the tip in the ink and setting to work. 

Remmy kept quiet as Luce lined up the stencil. They could feel the paper against their back, the slight touch of her hands, and wondered if she had cold hands like them. Or maybe warm hands, like Nell and Bea. It was a weird thing to wonder, but Remmy noticed they’d started wondering that more about everyone they met. Finally, the needle flicked on and Luce sat beside them. Last time, Remmy remembered it hurting a little bit, but even back then, they’d been pretty good at withstanding pain. It was an old feeling, to them. “Oh, yeah...will do. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” they gave a thumbs up and a small smile. “I’m good with pain.” Didn’t even feel her start working. Didn’t even flinch.

Focusing on her work, Luce began to make the outlines, her strokes long and precise. She took care to apply even pressure, shifting with the slight curve of their shoulder as the machine hummed in her hair. But, after the first few brushstrokes, she could tell something was off. How could she not? As she wiped away excess ink with a paper towel, Luce was startled to see the skin she’d just tattooed looking… whole. Complete. As though the ink she’d just put underneath it had been there for at least a month, if not longer. “What--” She started to say, but quickly changed the words, “What made you decide to get this altered? It looks like you’ve had it for a while.” Luce said, making conversation as her eyes remained laser focused on the bizarre image before her. With every swipe of her machine, the buzzing hum, and wipe away, the image remained the same. A healed tattoo. What the fuck? Whatever Remmy was, they weren’t human, they couldn’t be.

Remmy stayed silent as Luce began her work. The thought that anything weird would happen didn’t even cross their mind. They could feel like buzz deep in their chest, but not the pain of the needle. Only the pen, drawing lines across their skin, like their skin was canvas made specifically to pain upon. Remmy had always loved drawing all over their arms as a kid, even their legs, even in school. Sitting bored and alone, they’d turn any piece of showing skin into a continuous line of doodles. Mostly just straight lines and zigzags, swirls and shapes. Luce paused a moment and Remmy stiffened. Was something wrong? “Wha-- oh, um...I’ve had it a couple years but I…” they tried to relax, hands unclenching. “It just felt right? It felt like it was time, I guess. To let them...to let it go.” 

As Remmy talked, Luce continued to tattoo their shoulder, still frowning. What the fuck was this person? Their skin felt normal, at least, as far as she could tell. Were they a hunter? Hunters healed quick, she knew that much. Or some other kind of weird creature. She knew just from hanging around Ulfric that werewolves healed quicker than most, but this was like an instant thing. Weird. Definitely weird. But, it honestly made her job a little more interesting, a little faster too. “Mhm. Makes sense. Give yourself closure, but honor them.” She said, as she continued to add base outlines. The lines were coming quick and easy, the ink taking to the skin without problem. And it really didn’t seem as though the tattoo was bothering them-- usually people would flinch a little bit, even if they tried to stay still. “What do you do around town, Remmy?” She asked, making conversation. 

“Yeah,” Remmy repeated quietly, “closure.” They knew that altering a tattoo wasn’t going to magically make everything okay, but it was a step in the right direction, right? It had to be. They knew if they could just put this all behind them, everything would be okay. If they could just stop thinking about what had happened. If they could just remember. “Oh, um-- I’m an overnight security guard, mostly. I help my friend around his office, too, for a little extra cash,” they said, remembering they needed to message Nate soon, see how he was doing in all this eternal night stuff. Hoped he was staying safe. “He owns his own architecture firm. It’s pretty neat! He’s a little nervous, though, so I take care of his chores and stuff around town and the office.”

“Night shift security guard and odd jobs? You must drink a lot of coffee.” Luce commented as she finished the last few outlines, completing the new dog tag that would be connected with the others. The shoulder wasn’t a spot that usually bothered people, but when you were working over and over, people tended to at least feel it. And Remmy wasn’t even reacting. Weird. Maybe they just had dead nerves or something? She’d tattooed over scars before, tattooed people who’d been through shit. Maybe that’s what this was. But, why the fuck were the lines healing over so quick? “Nice. Must be nice working for an architect, what with you saying you like buildings.” She said as she added some basic shading. 

“Well, the overnight thing is only part time,” Remmy commented. “Plus, I don’t really sleep a lot anyway...gotta do something with my time, right?” They almost shrugged, but stopped themselves. Moving was probably a bad idea. “Oh, yeah! It’s great. I like looking at his stuff. He does a lot of environmental and green design, it’s really neat to see. I never really knew that was a thing till he showed me.” They smiled at the thought. They loved looking at Nate’s stuff and could only wish they could do something like that. “I dunno. I guess I just really like, like..geometric things? Like shapes and lines and tessellations stuff. They just...make sense in my head.” 

“Got insomnia or something?” Luce asked, leaning back to take a good look at her handiwork. It was coming along a lot faster than she thought it would. Damn. “Hm. That’s pretty cool. I’m no architect, but I can respect environmental design.” She didn’t know shit about what went into designing a house like that, but it was cool that there was someone in White Crest who did. The designs would probably be really interesting to look at. “Makes sense to you? What do you mean by that?” She asked. The conversation was interesting, but she was mostly asking because it would allow her to be a bit… more intense with her work. She wanted to try something out. Picking a spot that needed to be darker, Luce pressed down, applying just a bit more pressure than she normally would and watched Remmy for a reaction. No matter how macho they were, this would get some kind of response. Most clients acclimatized to the pain and pressure, so if there was a change… they’d notice. 

“Something like that…” Remmy mumbled. That’s what the doctor’s had first told them when they’d been in the hospital, but now they were questioning everything about that year and a half alone, recovering. Was anything they’d said true? “It’s super neat! You should check it out sometime. There’s lots of stuff on Google about it.” They turned their head a bit to see if they could see Luce before looking back forward. “Oh, um-- it’s kinda hard to explain? But like...I can like, look at something and know how it all like, works together? Usually mechanical things, or like...um...infrastructure? Or, what do you call the insides of buildings? Uh...foundations! Building foundations. Things with like geometric volumes and stuff. Like I can look at most puzzle boxes and just....know how they work. It’s...I dunno. It just makes sense in my head.” They paused, feeling the increased pressure, but not moving or saying anything, not wanting to mess her up. “How, um-- how’s it going?” they asked after a moment.

“That sucks. I’m in the same boat. Not all the time, but sleeping is,” Luce let out a sigh as she wiped away more ink. “An elusive bitch sometimes.” And moving in with her sisters hadn’t made that any better. At least back in her cabin, she could wander around her house as much as she wanted. She didn’t want to poke her head out of her room and risk running into Nell or Bea in the middle of a fight, so she was stuck in her room most nights. “Don’t move.” She warned, pulling her hand back from their back before resuming once they’d turned in place. Listening to them continue to talk, she squinted in confusion. Was this some kind of supernatural thing? Or were they just super logical? When they didn’t react to the change in pressure, her expression of confusion only deepend. What the fuck. But, when they spoke up, she eased up. “Just had to do some deeper shading. It’s all good. Should be done soon, by the way.” She said

“Oh, I-- I’m sorry. It’s not fun, that’s for sure,” Remmy said back, letting out a little sigh. They’re fingers plucked at a loose thread on the chair. Pausing to hold perfectly still when Luce asked them to, making sure they didn’t mess anything up. They turned their head to rest their cheek against the rest of the chair. Tried to imagine the lines Luce was tracing into their skin, closing their eyes to try and feel the pressure more. Little prickles, but no pain. It felt more like someone was dragging a pencil down their skin. “Oh, uh,” they opened their eyes again, blinking, “no worries! I’m good. But yeah, cool, great! I can’t wait to see it.”

“That’s just how it goes sometimes.” Luce said, eyes focused on the tattoo. The rest of the session went by without any problem, though she still couldn’t figure out why the fuck they were healing so quickly. What the fuck kind of supernatural creature were they? Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, Luce finished up the shading work, kept her hand steady and her pressure nice and light as she got the details just right. And, for good measure, she added the same kind of shading around the original tattoo. She touched up the lines of the dog tags, went over the lettering, and added some depth to the image so it worked with the rest of the tattoo. Shutting off the machine, she wiped off the last bit of ink before standing up. “Alright, we’re all done. Take a look in the mirror and let me know what you think.” Luce said, turning to give them some privacy.

The minutes ticked by slowly, it felt, but in no time at all, Luce was declaring it done. Remmy’s mind had drifted during the lull, thinking back to when they’d all first gotten the tattoos. Darius was originally the most nervous one, and he’d only agreed after Remmy had said they could get theirs together. They’d even held hands during the process, wincing and clenching hands tightly. They were pretty sure he’d bruised their hand but it didn’t matter. They’d done it together. A silent promise. Remmy blinked when Luce finally spoke up again. Shifting slightly, they waited for Luce to turn around before wiping the tears that had gathered behind their eyes and heading over to the mirror, turning to look at it. If it was possible, their breath woulda caught. The intricacy of the design was something to behold. And the way it had turned something so...mechanical into something worth looking at, Remmy could only stare. More tears coming, but they quickly wiped them away again. Now wasn’t the time. “It’s...it’s amazing. You do amazing work,” they finally said, heading back over to their shirt and slipping it on, leaving the binder off for now. They remembered the last time the guy said to not wear anything that would rub for a few days. “I...thank you. So much.”

Luce waited patiently for Remmy to look at the tattoo, taking the opportunity to throw away her gloves and clean up her machine. Silent seconds ticked by, until they spoke up, letting her know that she could turn around. “No worries. Thanks for giving me a cool project to work on.” She said with a nod. It was a better use of her time than just sitting around aimlessly until her next appointment. And she still had time to grab something to eat before she had to get back to work. Grabbing a card and sharpie from her desk, she walked over to shake their hand. “If you ever decide to get another, here’s my card. It’s got a link to my portfolio for you to check out whenever.” Luce wrote down her cell number on the back. “And my number.” Whoever this person was, they were an interesting one. Talking to them outside of work might mean she could figure out what the fuck they were. “Anyways, the gal up front will ring you up, should be about $275.” She said frankly. At the end of the day, job’s a job. And she was getting paid for this.

Remmy took the car gratefully, giving a soft smile. “Thanks! This is great. I’ll definitely check it out and like...let my friends know about you.” They pocketed the card, making sure to keep it safe, looking at Luce. “Um-- thank you, again. It’s-- this was helpful.” They turned to leave again before stopping to look back at Luce. “I, uh-- it was nice to meet you. Really. I hope people stop cancelling on you, cause like, you’re pretty awesome.” They gave a crooked smile before turning to finally head out. “Promise I’ll leave a good tip!” And maybe this had been an impulse, but at least it had been their own decision this time. And maybe it was going to fix everything, but now, at least, it didn’t weigh so heavy on their shoulder anymore.