[Jehan Chumomisto]

The next brightening Jehan went to see Anagaja first thing in the morning. She was awake and let him in asking him “eager this morning eh?” to which he nodded. Eager wasn’t the word for it, he was excited that he was learning how to create his own ink now, he wouldn’t have to worry about borrowing or buying some. He understood what he was told yester-brightening about taking pride in being able to create your own materials and that anyone with a steady hand could put a tattoo on a person. He wasn’t just anyone though, he was learning how it worked.

“We will start off the same way we did the brightening before, with you creating a new needle. We only need one, but I expect it to be of high quality young Jehan” he said to him plainly. He needed his head and got to work peeling layer off of layer of the chicken bone with his knife. He had been working on it so much he found he was getting faster and better at it. It was sharp at the end and the point was in the center. He carved a groove up the side that was meant to hold the ink. This time however he examined it before handing it to the old woman for inspection. “It looks much better, much better” she repeated herself.

“Thank you” Jehan replied with a smile of pride.

“But this is not the only needle that you much know how to create. Remember I told you that the finer ones were made for outlining, where the thicker once were made for shading?” she asked rhetorically as she continued “This brightening we are going to create a thicker needle made for shading, and I am going to get you to try shading in a tattoo that you will create. Now, you try one and let me see”

Jehan nodded “Okay” he said and then got to work. He found it much harder to carve the thicker needle, though it was easy to keep it centered he was having a hard time keeping the area around the point even. It took him some time, but finally he had a finished product. He looked it over before giving it over to the old lady and made some minor adjustments as well as remembering to put the groove in. It was thicker but it wasn’t ungodly thick, nor could it have been.

“It is well crafted manus young. You will make fine needles indeed if you continue to practise. Now, let us move on to shading?” she asked.

“If you wouldn’t mind…I would like to create another shading needle…I don’t like the way that one turned out. It seems rough on the sides…” Jehan said sheepishly to which the woman smiled and nodded. He is getting it she thought to herself as he got to work recreating the needle.