[Righteous Hand Dojo] Life Written In Ink [Veleraen]

Lenara · August 19, 2008, 09:58 PM

Late Morning, 40th Brightening of Immanis, Winter Era XV PF

It had been cycles since Lenara had been freed from her slavery and yet she was still hesitant to call herself a citizen or act much like one either. It wasn't her fault of course, she had spent her entire life as a slave, it was hard to refocus her mind on a brand new life. It would have been impossible if Lena hadn't come across Veleraen in Laroo Park. It might sound corny to others, but Vel was the hero of her stories, he was everything she had heard about and more, he was actually real.

Lenara was a shy young giantess by nature, but she was coming out of her shell around Veleraen. He was half coaxing her, half dragging her out of her former slave shell, having her look him in the eyes when she wished to speak with him and in return, she was making him speak more. It was obvious that Veleraen wasn't big on talking yet he didn't seem to mind answering Lena's many questions and telling her stories of his adventures, some more grim then others. Each story she heard only made her respect the knight even more.

Wrapping a gray cloak around her broad shoulders, Lenara left the room she had "borrowed" from Veleraen, a simple white shirt on with a long black skirt on that kept her warm. She was used to patched clothes to wear that were too tight since they weren't really custom made for her. But now that she was free, she was able to wear what she wished and while she was no big advocate of fashion, she did like looking at the different clothes at times. Lena tied off her long raven hair in a ponytail rather then braiding it and tramped through the snow towards the barn, her footsteps sinking into the snow. The suns hid behind clouds that looked suspiciously like snow clouds, causing the air to be a bit chilly.

Lenara hoped to speak with Veleraen regarding an offer he had made when they had first met, she had seen how people either looked away when they saw her slave brand or gave her a nasty look and she was tired of it. She didn't want that mark to define just who she was, so she was doing what Vel had mentioned, she was getting a tattoo that would help tell her story.

Veleraen · August 20, 2008, 12:12 PM

Having gotten up early that morning, Veleraen had begun his early morning meditation in the dojo attached to the house. He had been teaching students for a month now at the dojo and in the mornings, he had established a routine that enabled him to meditate, stretch and prepare for the brightening's classes.

Lenara had gone out to look for Veleraen later that morning in the barn where he'd been sleeping for some time now. He however wasn't sleeping in that morning and as Lenara exited out the back door, Veleraen came in behind her on the opposite side of the room, sliding open the door to the dojo and entering the kitchen/living room area.

The titan saw Lenara slide out the door in her shirt and skirt and raised an eyebrow. "Are you looking for me Lenara?" He called out to her as she had just taken a step into the snow leading up to the barn. Veleraen approached and gave a soft smile.

"I was in the dojo. I'm sorry if I've led you on a bit of a goose chase. I usually find that people don't have much of a hard time finding me as they usually can see me a mile away." The Knight gave a bit of a chuckle and approached closer, putting his hands behind his back, clasping the palm of his left in his right. The Giant was wearing a martial arts Gi, pure white with a belt around it. It was one he'd received in his training in Zerdargia while practicing Zan Zu, something else he was able to teach at the dojo to his students.

The Knight's curiousity peaked as he couldn't help but ask her. "What are you up to this morning?"

Lenara · August 21, 2008, 11:34 PM

Lenara was a creature of habit and she sometimes made the mistake of believing others to be as well. As she made her way out the door, her feet touching the cold snow, she heard a voice behind her and turned, a smile touching her face almost immediately as she saw him. She couldn't help it, he was such a familiar kind face that he brought out a smile that touched her eyes, she even looked him in the eyes more often now. It appeared that she had been wrong that he would be sleeping, but at least that meant she didn't have to wake him up.

She nodded at his question and walked back inside the house with Veleraen, she hoped the offer still stood, though she would understand if it didn't. Being the nervous sort that she was, she began to twirl a piece of her raven black hair around a finger, something she did when she was nervous about something. She took notice of Vel's attire and figured that he had been training in the dojo, she would look there first next time rather then go out in the cold, not that she minded the cold of course. "I don't agree, I think you need to wear a bell so I know where to find you." She laughed at the image of Veleraen wearing a cowbell much like a cat would have a bell on it's collar.

"Oh nothing, just wanted to see you." It took her a moment for her to realize that might sound forward and she hurried to continue. "I wanted to ask you if the offer for a tattoo still stood." Lena wasn't feeling too confidant about this, mostly because she knew Vel might have more important things to do then give her a tattoo. "I understand if you're too busy, it's no rush."

Veleraen · August 22, 2008, 07:26 PM

Lenara's warm smile instantly took away any chill that resided inside the quaint home that they were standing inside. The winter's touch had no reign here as the young Giantess lit up the room every time she looked at him. It was a shame he could not act any further, the reigns of restraint and patience took hold once more as his inner voice called to him and pulled him back.

He had noticed she was looking at his eyes almost instantly now instead of dragging them along the floor before they resided upon his face. They looked much better observing his scarred face than the stains upon the floorboards.

The Knight continued to bask in her amiable presence and watched as she twirled a few strands of her ashen hair with a finger. Veleraen had noticed she tended to do it when she was nervous and it almost made him chuckle that she still had trouble asking him things after all this time.

However, Lenara's comment about Veleraen wearing a bell did strike an offbeat as the Knight's face contorted slightly, as he too tried to picture a glorious Knight of Aslan....wearing a cowbell. Somehow it didn't fit his persona too well.

"I don't do cowbells...I make enough noise as it is rumbling through the house." He gave Lenara a bit of a goofy look, a look she hadn't really seen before. The Knight seemed to relax around the Giantess now more often than naught and it was getting to become a bit of a habit. It was a sign that her influence was settling upon him and Lenara would most likely realize it sooner or later that there was something brewing, if not deep down.

Veleraen's interest peaked however as Lenara mentioned she wanted to see him. "See me? About what I wonder..." An eyebrow was raised as he tilted his head ever so slightly to the left. His hopes had been, if only, just slightly let down as she was inquiring about the offer he had given her many cycles ago, about giving her a tattoo.

"Oh no, no.." Veleraen interjected, his deep voice raising the point that she was well within her right to ask. Whenever Veleraen said something, he meant it, promise or not. "It is always on the table, of course. I will tell you what Lenara..." Veleraen looked back toward the dojo where he was scheduled for another lesson shortly. One of the clansmen's son's wanted to learn Zan Zu and he was teaching him that afternoon.

"I have a lesson to teach and once I am done for the brightening, I will come back and help you with your tattoo. This will give you time to think over what you want done and where you wish to put it. It is important you think on it, because it should be something meaningful, something you want. There is some parchment and some charcoal in one of the drawers in my room as well, if you want to try and sketch something or get some idea of what you want it to look like. I shall return when I am done."

Veleraen gave her a gentle smile and almost thought about leaning in and giving her a peck on the cheek as a parting gift but instantly wiped it out of his mind. He had been too chaste in his years to give in such frivolous actions...

The Giant quickly spun around and lumbered into the dojo, shutting the door for privacy.

Later that brightening...

After a few hard sessions trying to teach a noble's son who could not distinguish his left foot from his right foot, Veleraen stepped through the adjoining door between the dojo and his home and gave a relaxing sigh. The brightening's work was over and now he was able to continue on with Lenara's tattoo.

"Lenara? Have you decided on what you want?" He walked up to her in the kitchen, curious as to her ideas.

Lenara · August 22, 2008, 09:24 PM

Lenara was truly a naive young giantess who didn't really expect much from others nor did she expect others to be affected by her as Veleraen was. While she was getting better about herself, she still had a low self-esteem that kept her from giving herself any sort of credit. She had heard for eras that she was ugly and while she knew she was in fact ugly by human standards, that didn't mean that giants couldn't find her even a little bit pretty. Lenara didn't really care anyway, a compliment that came from Vel always caused her to blush and while she didn't refuse them, she didn't really believe them either.

However, Lena was taking small steps to taking control of her life, though a tattoo wasn't too big a step, it was a step nonetheless. Was it silly that Lenara didn't feel as awkward and shy around Veleraen? She had been with him a few cycles and she saw him every brightening, perhaps that was it. She couldn't imagine that it was because she was growing to like him and even if this entered her mind, she would have rejected it. How could a slave giantess get the attention of a knight of Aslan or Torek or whoever he was a knight of, she couldn't remember.

Vel's retort about the cowbell caused her to laugh, she noticed a goofy look on his face that she wasn't sure she had seen before. Perhaps they both were easing up around each other, relaxing and just enjoying each others company. Lenara was learning what she could, she didn't wish to tell him, but she wanted to be able to take care of herself before Veleraen decided he was done having her live with him. It was a pessimistic view of course and Vel hadn't given her a reason to think this, but it was better to be prepared, unlike she had been before.

She stopped twirling her hair as Vel looked at her curiously, she was afraid that she might have been too late in asking for a tattoo, it had been a few cycles since it had been offered and this was the first time she mentioned it since then. She waited with a nervous look, visibly relaxing when he spoke, telling her that the offer still stood. She smiled warmly, trying to hide the mixture of excitement and fear at getting a tattoo. He said how it wouldn't really hurt, since they had tough skin, she supposed that was true.

Lenara felt bad that she was keeping him from a lesson, she could have easily waited for him to be finished. She felt silly that she hadn't give the tattoo more thought. What did she want and where would she have it? Something meaningful....what was meaningful to her? The thought of sketching almost made her laugh, she had never sketched anything before and it was hard when she wasn't even sure what she wanted to draw. "Alright, I'll wait patiently for you." She never asked for much attention and didn't mind when other things came first, she understood that Veleraen had a life of his own. "Don't pummel him too much."

A few candlemarks later, Veleraen would find Lenara sitting at the table in the kitchen, a few pieces of parchment on the floor, as though tossed aside. She bent her head down over the parchment, drawing slowly with the charcoal. She most likely didn't even notice, but as she slowly drew, she was biting her lip and every so often, her tongue would poke out as she concentrated. Her drawing could only be described as a child in schola, an outline of a flower. She sighed in frustration and practically threw the charcoal on the parchment, jumping slightly as Vel spoke.

She hadn't heard him come inside, so intent she had been on her drawing. "Well yes, but I can't draw it." She tried to keep the frustration and slight whining from her voice, but it wasn't easy. "I would like a cherry blossom, they are so very pretty." She smiled as she looked up at Vel, brushing away a few strands of hair that had come loose from the hair tether. "As for where..." She paused a moment before turning her neck and brushing her hand over her slave brand. "Would it be possible to tattoo over this brand?"

"I'm tired of people looking at the brand rather then looking at me. If I am going to try and adjust to a life outside of slavery, I want other people to do that as well." She looked a bit abashed at her slight rant and she looked back down at the pathetic drawing on the table.

Veleraen · August 23, 2008, 12:41 AM

Secrets :

Veleraen returned a little sweaty but nevertheless intact and well. The nobleman's son was quite energetic and despite his lacking of talent, he surely didn't not have a lack of stamina.

As the Knight walked into the kitchen, he witnessed an entertaining sight. Lenara was busy, drawing away on the parchment with the charcoal with nothing less than full exposure of her tongue as it hung out of her mouth in pure concentration. To say he laughed was a bit of an overstatement, merely chuckling into his hand as he approached, making note of the funny but, kind of cute sight. Lenara did not cease to surprise him as every brightening was an adventure with the young Giantess around.

"That's fine, I can help you draw it. I'm not exactly the best artist either. Perhaps together we will survive." It was kind of an ironic statement to say the least as it applied to more than just their current problem.

"A cherry blossom you say? Hmmm..." It was a shame it wasn't spring or summer, as it would have been easier to picture what a cherry blossom would have looked like. It was winter however, and with cherry trees not blooming, made it hard for the Giant to envision what they looked like. Veleraen sat down beside Lenara at the table and looked at the piece of parchment, picking up the discarded piece of charcoal that was sitting there after having been rubbed furiously by frustrated hands.

Veleraen looked up as Lenara revealed to him where she wanted it. Over her slave marking. The Knight wasn't truly surprised, as he was anticipating her wanting it on her brand, not wanting to stand out as a former slave but as a new person with a colourful tattoo and a new lease on life. Nodding, Veleraen was confident he would not fail at the task. If he did, well, Lenara was going to have some issues to work out with having a horrid tattoo on her neck that she wasn't able to erase.

"Yes, well, I'm sure we can find some sort of drawing you'll like. Let's see here..." Veleraen took the parchment and started to draw a very rough sketch."Cherry blossom...Cherry blossom..." The Giant thought long and hard as he envisioned what one actually looked like. There were thousands of them in the spring and summer months in Zinn'sunn and Veleraen knew all too well, as he took frequent walks in the parks around the city that were littered with them when they were in bloom.

"Petals...yes, light pink...white shading..." Veleraen started on a clean section of the parchment and began to outline four larger petals, their edges rounding to a point at their middle and then breaking inwards ever so slightly. On top of the four petals, he started to sketch four smaller petals, with smaller petals in between those ones, to cover the gaps. It was hard at first, as his hands weren't accustomed to drawing such shapes. He had practiced drawing eyes, which were ovalish in nature, but different from flower petals. Instead of drawing them all crumpled up, he practiced first, drawing individual larger petals on the side, then drawing smaller petals separately, to get used to the style and shape of the petals. It was hard as a beginner, sketching was probably one of the roughest parts of designing a tattoo. One had to have a bit of drawing skill first.

Using the charcoal, Veleraen traced out several large petals, then smaller petals, trying to even make them look like they were curling up, but it was hard, as he wasn't used to bending the lines like they should have been. He then began to put them together on a separate piece of parchment. The curled petals were hard to draw and as the Giant attempted to do so, they just didn't seem....right. The inner petals were the ones that needed to be curled, in his mind, the outer ones could remain flat. Could he accomplish this on Lenara's skin? With ink? He scratched his chin and thought better of it.

"Like this?" Veleraen showed her the very rough sketch, it wasn't complete yet but it soon would be. "It will look something like this, except the middle will have the actual strands of pollen and the inner part of the flower. It won't be extremely detailed, as I can't accomplish that high a level of detail, but I can draw simple and elegant lines to imitate these in the middle and try to add in rounded tips so that it looks genuine." Veleraen used a finger to point to the middle of the flower and then began to trace out the middle part separately, trying to get the lines just how he wanted them. There wouldn't be too many, as he needed space to work with in the middle of the flower itself, perhaps 6 or 8 strands maximum to achieve the effect he was looking for.

The charcoal moved up and down on the paper as they were traced.

It actually took a fair amount of time to trace it all out, a good two candlemarks or so. He went over it with Lenara step by step and made sure she got everything she wanted and was happy with the design. As soon as she was satisfied and put her input into the mix and the final product was ready to go, Veleraen slapped his hands together.

"Are you ready Lenara? Before I do anything, I need to get this final sketch, put it onto a special, thinner piece of parchment and then turn it on its side and put some special ink on it so I can apply the outline to your neck." Veleraen drew back to his lessons and remembered what Skava had done for his tattooing lessons. He knew he needed a transferrable outline and even before he started to trace the outline with an actual needle and ink, he was going to practice for a good fifteen minutes on a piece of tanned hide he'd gotten from Skava to practice on. He had made it a habit to practice on the tanned hide every so often, but this tattoo was for real and he wasn't going to go in cold handed. He needed to get a feel again and make sure he was comfortable with what he was doing.

"After I'm done getting my equipment set up, I will need you to lay down so I can do the tattoo. It might be best if you lay down on the bed in the bedroom and I will drag a chair and we can do it there. This way you won't have to sit up while I do the tattoo. You with me so far?" Veleraen raised his eyebrows, his voice filled with a bit of excitement and fear as well. While he'd done some cheaper tattoos for some clan members in the city as part of his lessons with Skava, he was nervous about doing a tattoo for Lenara. He didn't want to screw it up; he wanted it perfect as she didn't deserve anything but the best after all. Veleraen wasn't a world renown tattoo artist, but she was his friend and companion and he wasn't about to give her a second hand tattoo.

Lenara · August 24, 2008, 04:14 PM

The most drawing Lenara had ever done was various scribbles in the sand with a stick when she had finished her work for the brightening, so it wasn't much surprise that her cherry blossom looked more like chicken scratch. She felt rather silly and yet she striven to make something that at least looked like a flower for Vel, mostly because she wanted to prove she could do it. Things had been slightly more awkward between the pair since the snowball war incident. Lenara still believed the incident to be her own fault, she had been careless with her heart and had foolishly believed she was worthy of a knight of his caliber. But now she knew better and she was able to relax around him again.

Veleraen's chuckle made her look up, she must have been concentrating hard if she hadn't heard him come inside. She wanted to hide her drawings from him, afraid that it would confirm what she feared, that she was good at nothing. She was relieved that vel would help her, since she was sure he would do a better job at drawing then she would, especially if he was a tattooist. They needed to be able to draw so they could do the outlining and such. "Perhaps together we will survive." Lenara wished Vel wouldn't make such statements, she knew that he only meant about the drawing and tattooing, but it meant more to her and she didn't want it to.

She nodded as he repeated just what she wanted, hoping that it wasn't too hard for him to do. She didn't know his skill level and she didn't know just how hard it was to do a tattoo on someone. When she mentioned where she wanted it, it didn't seem to surprise him, perhaps he had seen it coming.

Lenara didn't fear having an ugly tattoo on her neck for she had so much faith in Veleraen and his skills. She didn't like the thought of being pricked with a needle, but she understood that it was necessary and she wanted to show that even she could be brave. She watched as Vel thought long and hard, trying to envision a cherry blossom, he had no reference since there were no cherry blossoms in the winter time. Perhaps Lena should have waited for the spring to ask such a request. Lena looked on as Vel got to work doing the drawing, he was a lot better then she had been, his drawing actually resembled a flower.

A smile touched Lenara's lips as she looked on, enjoying just watching Veleraen draw her cherry blossom. She wondered how he knew how to draw so well, did it come with being a tattooist or had he done well before that? She was still a giantess with so many questions on her mind, but she did well to keep them hidden. She didn't ask as many questions as she used to when she first met Vel, she still asked for a story every so often, but she was learning slowly to depend on herself. Also she didn't wish to bother Vel with all her questions. Despite mostly being able to relax around Vel, it still confused her to be so close to him and yet have him feel so far away, just out of her reach.

She blinked a few times when Vel spoke, she had been so into her own thoughts that she hadn't altogether heard what he had said. She looked down at the parchment rather then meeting Vel's eyes, studying what he had drawn and nodding as he explained just where things would go and such. She didn't need a detailed cherry blossom because he wasn't able to do it, but a tattoo that covered up the brand and made it look like it was supposed to be there rather then forced onto her. All Lenara's life, she had been perfectly fine with slavery, it had been all she had known. But Vel's views on the subject was causing her to see if a bit differently, she wasn't broken nor was she sad about her past, but she had come to see that it hadn't been right.

Candlemarks went by and just as Vel had implied earlier, they were able to work together until they were both satisfied with the results. Lenara began to feel excited about getting the tattoo. "Yes, I'm ready when you are."

Would this hurt as much as her brand had? Would she need to be held down like she had been during her branding? Questions and doubts arose in her mind and eyes for a moment, she didn't want Vel to hurt her again, though this would be a different sort of hurt. She nodded her head softly as he instructed her on what he wanted her to do so he could tattoo her neck. Laying down in the bed was all that was required, she wouldn't be held down and while she doubted she would, she could stop it at any time. "Yeah, I'm with you." She seemed to realize her words and though he knew what she meant, she didn't want any meaning behind it other then agreement. "I understand." An excited smile spread on her lips that caused her eyes to light up, no more slave brand to mark her as a former slave, perhaps others would look on her differently without that horrid reminder on her neck. Maybe Vel would look at her differently as well....

"I'll go lay down in the bedroom until you're ready then." She got up from the table and walked back to the bedroom, not giving Vel much of a glance after that. She felt ungrateful because while she was excited that she was getting a tattoo, it was still hard to look Vel in the eyes at times, there was so much that she wanted to say but he had made quite clear that it wasn't a possibility, so why bother?

Veleraen · August 28, 2008, 09:32 PM

It was almost like drawing a physical representation of Lenara's personality. So bright and vibrant but secluded and so innocent, the petals themselves were as delicate as he thought she was. It made the tattoo even more special as his rough hands traced the outline with the charcoal. In the end Veleraen felt that the tattoo for Lenara was going to be a great first tattoo for her first story of her life. A new blossom for a new beginning, no better way to represent that with but a tattoo that would cover up the old and welcome in a new era for the Giantess.

Lenara mentioned that she was going to lay down on the bed and wait for Veleraen to come in and do the tattoo. He first had to trace the final draft of the blossom onto a special piece of parchment that was used with temporary ink. It stained the skin for a few brightenings but it would come off after a bath or two. The outline was only made so that it was applicable to the skin and gave the artist an outline to tattoo in and around. In Lenara's case, the blossom itself wasn't too big, only about four inches or so in diameter, just big enough to cover his slave brand.

Veleraen spent a good ten minutes tracing the cherry blossom, making Lenara wait a little longer than he had anticipated. As soon as the ink was on the sheet, he walked into the room with the rest of his tools all upon a wooden platter that he set down on the bed beside Lenara. Inks, tattooing needles, a paddle with a needle already in it, a taught tanned hide he practiced with and a sponge with a bowl of water.

Dragging a chair up to the bedside, Veleraen gave Lenara a smile of reassurance, still a little nervous at what he was about to do but nevertheless persevered. "Okay, I have to apply this parchment to your neck and then wet it with the sponge so that the ink sticks to your skin. It may feel a little damp and a bit cold, so you know what to expect." He gave her a glimmer of a smirk and then guiding her head with a gentle hand, Veleraen positioned her head a bit more to his liking, so that her neck was more exposed. "Stay right there." He reached over and got the piece of parchment with the ink trace out of the blossom and carefully placed it over Lenara's slave brand so that the blossom outlines covered the mark itself. The shading and outlining alone would be able to hide the mark from plain view unless a very close up inspection was performed of Lenara's neck.

Letting the imprint sit upon her neck, he took the sponge, wet it and then dampened the parchment and smoothed it out while he was at it. The ink started to apply to the skin and in a matter of minutes, the outline was upon her neck and Veleraen was taking the parchment off to reveal the outline on her neck. The blossom itself was a good sketch for a beginner, good enough to satisfy Lenara's needs and that's all Veleraen felt was necessary; that she be happy with it.

"Okay, now, since the tattoo is on your neck Lenara, you may feel the needle more than usual, but try not to be nervous. I will try my best to make sure you do not feel any pain. If it starts to hurt, I can stop and let you breathe it out, but I'd like to get this done this brightening all in one go." Veleraen reached over to grab the taught hide panel he used to practice with his tattooing needle and the paddle itself, a sharp, thin needle sticking out of it. "I'm just going to get my rhythm set on this hide and then I'll start the outline. Once I'm done the outline, I'll fill in the pollen strands as white, and then I'll do the pink petals last."

Veleraen slipped on a special pair of gloves that were smooth and used primarily to wipe away ink and blood that came up from the skin and tattoo itself. It made it a bit easier when tattooing, so he didn't have to work around distractions and obstacles in his artistic 'environment'.

Opening up the jar of black ink, Veleraen dabbed the paddle with its needle into the jar, the tip of the needle taking in the ink he needed. Holding up the taught tanned hide he used for practicing, Veleraen punctured it slowly and steadily to make sure he got the right rhythm and strength he needed for his session with Lenara. He was going to take it nice and slow with this one. As soon as he felt comfortable with his pace and his spacing of the ink itself, Veleraen turned to Lenara with a smile.

"Okay, I need you to hold still, you may feel some slight pinches or a sting here and there. If it gets too intense at all, tell me quickly and I will stop. Alright? Here we go." Veleraen bent over Lenara's figure and lined his paddle up with her tattoo outline, his needle ready to go. Taking a calming breath, Veleraen went to work. The first hit of the needle into her skin might have been a surprise and given her a jolt but after the next ten to twenty strokes of the paddle, Lenara could feel the needle coming in and going out at a somewhat rhythmic pace as Veleraen traced the outline, the needle coming in and out. He held his hands steady but he tried to relax himself as best he could. If he tensed and a cramp caught him at the wrong time, the needle could have slipped and who knows what would have happened next.

Veleraen took his time and made sure his needle spacing and that the ink was a solid line around the outlines of the petals. There were eight simple petals in all, four larger outer ones and four smaller inner ones. Their edges were simple and smooth with inward-pointed tips as they'd drawn before. The needle continued to trace a path around the edges, the Giant going back to the jar of ink now and then when he realized the ink was running low and after a good half a candlemark, the outline was finished and Veleraen bent upwards again and traced a finger to wipe away a small little line of blood that had swelled to the surface of her neck. So far, so good.

The Knight looked at Lenara with a bit of a concerned face, wondering if she was okay. "Was that alright? I'm going to continue with the pollen strands now...I have to switch inks." Veleraen reached over and dipped his needle in the jar of white ink and then returned his attention to Lenara's neck. The outline looked quite good from his perspective and when the pink petals were in place, the flower would be complete.

The needle exercised itself once more as it bit into her skin, sliding in and out once more. The pollen strands did not take too long, as they were coloured a solid white as he followed the outlining ink. The paddle bobbed up and down, his eyes flickering back and forth as the Giant paid great amounts of his attention to making sure the needle did not waiver from its course. Hands steady as if he were facing down a thousand orcs upon the battlefield, he would not fail her. It took another twenty minutes to finish the pollen strands and by then almost an entire candlemark had passed by.

Taking a breather, Veleraen popped up again and took a large sigh. "Now for the pink petals and their shading. This will take a bit longer because I have to go slower and space out the shading as I come in towards the middle of the flower itself." Veleraen dipped the needle into the jar of pink ink and took to work once more. The tattoo was coming along nicely now. All that needed to be done was the pink shading of the petals and everything would be complete. Veleraen only hoped Lenara would be able to push through this last bit.

The Knight started the needle in middle-edge area of the petals themselves. Somewhere where he didn't need a lighter shading just yet and somewhere where he wasn't in danger of hitting the outline border of the blossom. He worked his way outwards towards the edge, keeping his hand steady, the pink dye injecting itself into her skin evenly as he reached the edges of the petals. The edges took the most time because he didn't want to overlap any of the outline itself. Doing this alone took half a candlemark as his large hands plodded away at it. As soon as the outer edges of the petals were finished with the pink, he began to shade it lighter as it approached the inner third of the flower itself. This gave the tattoo a pleasant shading effect. He made sure to get the shading evenly, spacing his needle hits and making them lighter as well with a little less ink.

The shading took another good half a candlemark or so, and after Lenara knew it, her tattoo was finished. Veleraen rose from his position over her head and neck and leaned back in his chair and took a breather. Reaching down, he wiped away the stray ink and blood that were on the surface of her skin and with a gentle touch took it away.

"You're all done Lenara. I hope it didn't hurt too much. I think it's pretty good, here, take a look." Veleraen had also gotten a small mirror as well in his supply purchase from Skava. It was small but it did the job, allowing Lenara to gaze upon the cherry blossom on her neck, its gentle pink petals stretching outwards, the white strands within pure as her soul. The skin around and inside her tattoo was a bit red and it was to be expected. So much pricking of the skin, especially the neck caused a lot of blood to come to just behind the surface of the tough skin of the Giantess's neck and it was a little tender.

"Take a good look at it. I'm going to put a bandage on it and i'll have to wrap it so that it stays on. It needs to be on for about the next three to four brightenings so that the skin heals. The bandage will need to be taken off periodically so you can clean it as well." Veleraen gave a smile as he admired the flower, feeling rather proud of himself. It made her all the more beautiful now and instead of a slave brand, a blossom sat upon her neck. Perhaps he lingered upon her face and neck a little too long but he couldn't help it.