[InkStorm House of Tattoos & Piercings] Artful Curves [Azazel, Basic Tattoo]

[Zen]

Training: Apprentice Tattoo

Early Kalendryas, Winter, Era I, PF XV

The Tattoo parlour was warm and dimly lit, just the way its owner liked it. Braziers were scattered around the establishment, the flames warming the clients and tattooists alike, casting dancing shadows as they leapt and whirled about. A lone flutist sat cross-legged in the corner playing their craft, providing light entertainment while the clients endured candlemarks-long agony in pursuit of corporal beauty.

Business was slow this brightening; only two customers so far. Skava cursed the cold from keeping potential clients from coming. As the last customer exited, a portly hairy kemite who wanted a buxom bosom imprinted on his behind, Skava approached his new apprentice manning the reception.

"Well Azazel, since I have a bit of spare time, I can give you some instructions on tattooing. You ready?"

Not waiting for a response, he turned to his other apprentice who was just finished cleaning up from the last job.

"You! You can retire for the brightening. I don't think we'll get more people. Me and this newbie will take care of business."

[Azazel]

Azazel had been watching the shop for what seemed like forever as the shadows slowly danced off the walls, the shop was rather slow as he did his new job of point people to the right person for the job.

"I would love to learn about it." He said as he stood up walking towards Skava as the other person left the shop. Azazel wanted to learn but he would not be the one to ask himself just yet so this was perfect.

[Zen]

Skava seated himself on one of the plush cushions scattered on the floor, in his customary cross-legged fashion. Fixing the young elf with cool piercing eyes, he began his lecture.

"My art, it is the art of carving beauty into the flesh of our customers. One must take great care and attention, to create a masterpiece. That is our calling.

Each and every of our customer is unique, and so are their needs. Often, they come in with a specific design in mind; that's why it takes patience, experience and a careful eye to detail to get far in this business."

He unhooked his pipe hanging from his sash, and lit it with an expert swipe at the brazier. Smoke puffed out from the outlet.

"Some of our customers, they want tattoos for decorations, to accentuate their natural curves. Others use tattoos as marks of status and prestige. Sometimes, I even get Ikonomancers coming in to get runes inscribed on themselves.

Regardless of their reasons, our job is simple; to carve designs into our customer's flesh. To that end, we must learn with how to deal with customers and their inevitable discomforts."

He paused, leaving his pupil time to digest the information and opportunity to ask any questions that may have arisen in his mind.

[Azazel]

It was rare for Azazel to really have any questions at times so he just kept quiet as he listened to the man. Why would he asked questions when he did not really go in detail of what he should be doing other then it was a art form and people wanted it.

"No Sir, no questions so far." He said after a bit of the silence building up.

[Zen]

Skava picked up a silken pouch from the desk, and motioned Azazel to approach and opened the pouch. It was soft, yet at the same time unbending as if supported by a framework underneath. As the folds of silk were lifted to reveal the contents, they winked back at the two; a row of needles, so beautifully crafted, with minuscule runes etched along the lengths.

"These are needles, tools of the trade of the tattooist. They come in varying sizes, to fit our needs. See these little grooves at the end? They hold the ink which makes the tattoos."

He handed over a needle carefully for his apprentice to peruse.

"The ink we use are stored in these labelled jars, with different colours to choose from."

He pointed to the rows of jars, neatly labelled and stacked in front of the desk. The liquid within seemed to cast a faint sheen of rainbow against the burning brazier light.

"How good are you at drawing, Azazel?"

[Azazel]

Azazel slowly picked up each needle playing with it by holding it in his fingers, then moving them up and down and around each finger, thin yet they felt like they would not break by bending or letting them hit the ground. As he did this with all the needles he also looked at the jars reading the names in his head and making an note of the color they were in the jar.

"I am not the best, but I can do a bit more then small stick figures." He replied after putting the last needle down.

[Zen]

The Master Tattooist regarded his protege understandingly. Tattooing was an art, and all those that trained under him had undergone arduous month-long stints just learning how to draw - and draw well - before they were even allowed to trace their figures onto their clients' skins.

"Let's see what you can do. I don't expect you to be able to create magnificent pieces of art. But at the very least, you have to have an impeccable eye for detail and the patience to match it. For a beginner like you, I'd only expect you to practice tracing figures and images on hand. The more you practice, the better you get and the more complicated the pieces you'll be able to mimic."

He drew out a loose sheet of paper, crinkled at the edges and ripped from continuous handling. It crackled as he straightened it out with a swipe of his hand, placing it in front of his apprentice. On it, there was a simple figure - a rose, beautifully and precious in its detail to contour and design, yet seemingly so simplistically graceful.

"This is a common tattoo many clients request. Try tracing it out on a piece of paper first. Use your head, and your eyes to guide your hands. Patience and practice are key."

He handed Azazel a blank parchment and a single stick of charcoal.

OOCSorry for the delay, mate.

[Azazel]

Azazel took the parchment and charcoal in his hands and did not do anything but stare at the parchment for about half a candlemark. Patience is something he did have as his eyes took in the detail of the rose. It was like an fight where one had to take the time really see what was going on before he could really attack or defend. Where time did not matter as if one had forever yet only seconds.

Taking in the detail and drawing it were two different things, he knew he would not come close but that was not the point or at least that is what Azazel thought. The curves of the petals, the light flow of the steam to the unfolding of the top of the petals all done in great detail. No he knew he could not re do that but he would work until he could.

Another half a candlemark passed before he put the tip of the charcoal on the parchment then he slowly, ever so slowly pulled it down and around making the line curved before he did the same to the other side, almost an tear drop it looked like, rather large but then he made lines in the middle of that slowly showing an rose in his mind. What would be the green steam on the bottom was more of an black tail like line that was bent.

It was no where near what the rose was, but it did have the basic thought behind it. With work one could still make it a rose but work would come in time along with many other things. Patience. Patience was something Azazel had.

After awhile even if he was not happy with it he gave it back to the Master.

[Zen]

Skava barely spared it a flicker of a glance, before scrunching the apprentice's attempt in one fluid motion, and flinging it at a brazier. It caught on fire, burning happily and crisply into ashes. The tattooist barked a laughter, as if to mock his apprentice's drawing.

"Not good enough."

He drew a bundle of blank parchments, most with scribbles or other faint markings on them, which marked them as being used for previous purposes before.

"Here, take these and go out to find yourself a real rose. Don't come back until you can draw one better than this!"

The Master tattooist grinned. Well, that would take this apprentice out of his hair for a candlemark or two. Besides, he himself had gone through a similar experience, learning by himself that Nature was the best teacher, for it was only in nature could one experience the true form of art at its rawest, from all angles, and all possible lightings.

[Azazel]

Small designs here and there, one of a rose, one of a blade that looked more like club but he did not mind. His hands were graceful due to holding a blade and remembering all the sword stokes but this was a bit harder to him.

The weather was cold but he did not mind as much as he thought he would as he stayed there drawing, even if he was not going to be the best he would not be turned away from his lack of trying.

Another candlemark passed, the last one he spent on a rose, from shading in the petals, to making small details along the thorns, he wanted to put more then just a simple rose and wanted to be a person who spent time on small details of things so when a person saw it they saw something beyond words, he was far from that life.

It must be a slow brightening he thought as he handed the papers but to his teacher with a small smile, not one of ego but one of a greeting. "Sorry it took so long, how are they?"

[Zen]

Skava took a glance at his sketches. They were shoddy and crude - but just the thing for an apprentice tattoo to practice on. The simplistic curves and delicate rendering made them ever more amenable to being printed upon the skin of a client than the exquisite and elaborate ones more typical of the masterpieces he himself prided himself on.

"Could be better, but for you it's just the thing you need to practice on. Now, guess what your next task will be?"

A wide grin split his face. The thin-lipped upward curve could only be described as evil, and perhaps slightly mischievous.

"If you want to learn to tattoo so much, I'll let you. Why won't we start with yourself?"

He whipped out his tattoo-making pack, rattling out his row of instruments in front of Azazel. The sharp implements gleamed wickedly, invitingly at the boy. A jar of ink plonked beside them - a row of pink and green and yellow.

"That is, if you're willing to try... The ink will wash, don't worry."