RP Log with sellsweed | Get Inked
Silas would be lying if he didn't admit that in the recent weeks, he had been doing a lot of thinking. That seemed to increase when he and Tyra managed to have the odd D&M conversation about random things to do with their relationship, and where they would like to see it going in the future. He knew marriage was a prominent subject at the moment, of course it was. One of Tyra's oldest pals had been about to get hitched, and would get hitched as soon as Karma stopped biting them in the ass. It was a subject Jason's friends would inevitably start mulling over in their minds. It was mulling over in Silas' mind too, only on a different level. He was nineteen, and had some pretty fucked up teenage years under his belt. He knew at that point, he wasn't ready for marriage. He figured he would be at some point, and would just wake up and realise when he was, but right then, at that exact moment, he wasn't ready for it.
But he was ready to do something to show Tyra he was in it for the long haul. He just wasn't sure what. Ironically, though, it was Jason who helped him find the perfect solution. In the aftermath of the Great Food Poisoning Hit of 2010, the snow outside melted down and Tim escaped to pick up a bed for the spare room. Silas had found Jason in the livingroom with Mac, sitting on the sofa while Mac was practically passed out with her head in his lap while Jason brushed his fingers through her hair and watched the snowboarding at the Olympics on TV. Silas hadn't been going to intrude on the scene, but Jason told him to come join them, and they ended up striking up a conversation while Mac slept on obliviously. Silas quizzed Jason about his try-out for the Olympics, and it turned to the topic of tattoos when Jason told him about Suzy and how things might have turned out differently if his ex hadn't fucked him over again. The tattoo on Jason's wrist was always prominent, but SIlas never thought to ask about it before. It meant peace, and the chick Jason met at the Para Olympic try-outs had done it for him during his stay in Austin at the time. Not only that, but she owned a tattoo parlour here and Jason still kept in contact with her now and again.
The seed was more than planted, and even though Silas' stomach was still a bit on the dodgy side, he wasn't barfing anymore and he wasn't stuck on the toilet with explosive diarrhoea. He just didnt' feel like eating and could handle the upset stomach. He needed to get out of the house for awhile, needing to get some of his weed to his dealers anyway. Inevitably, he found himself in the tattoo parlour, looking in awe at all the designs on the wall, probably appearing like a real dick with his mouth hanging open as he tilted his head back to see the designs higher up. He didn't know if this Suzy would even be here, but any tattooist would work, right? All assuming Silas didn't chicken the fuck out.
Suzy came up behind the blond guy, finally abandoning her post at her counter. It was a quiet day and she hadn't had many appointments so far. Mostly she'd been using the time to work on some new designs of her own. Occasionally though, her mind had wondered and she'd found herself thinking about Jason Street, and how he was going. He'd been a missed chance, and sometimes she couldn't help but consider what might have happened if she'd been strong enough to stick around even after being caught by Lyla.
Only Suzy hadn't wanted to be the other woman. And she'd figured Jason had needed time to sort things out with his fiancée. He'd just never looked Suzy up again, and she'd moved on. There had been a couple of online conversations, and he'd seemed in a better place than when she'd met him, and she was glad. Jason had been one person that had really needed to be happy.
She cleared her throat softly, and smiled. "Anything catch your eye?" Suzy adjusted her glasses as she tilted her head back to try and see which design in particular he was looking at. "Or you're just having a browse?"
Silas nearly crapped himself in fright. He had been so intent on trying to absorb all the designs at once that he almost forgot he was in a shop, with a person running it. He jumped, blinking as he looked at her and then laughed, scratching his fingers through the back of his hair. "It's all catching my eye," he had to admit sheepishly. "I'm just not really sure what I'm supposed to be looking for. I mean, I do sort of know, only the what is where I'm stuck. Maybe the idea of being jabbed with a needle is making my balls shrink a little too. But I have managed to talk myself into the fact that is the whole point?"
Suzy laughed, and raised her hand to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry, it's just... It's really not that scary. I mean, look at me? I've survived numerous times and I don't have any balls to shrink. You also don't have to get a tattoo. It's fine just to be interested. But thank you, I'm glad it's all catching your eye. So what are you here for if it's not just to be scared of a needle?"
Silas drew his eyes away from the designs again, biting down on the corner of his lip in thought. "Your tattoos really look awesome, did you do them yourself? Can you even tattoo yourself?" he asked curiously. He pressed his lips together and held his hand out. "Okay, see, it's like this. I do want one, I just don't know what, and I want one because I want to try and show my girlfriend that I'm ready to take this to the long-term sort of thing. We've been talking about marriage and weddings because her old school friend was supposed to get hitched this Valentine's Day, only it all went ass up and it didn't happen for the poor bastard. Which sucks, because he could really use a break. You know him. He told me about this place. But anyway, the thing is, I'm not ready for the whole tying the knot thing because I'm only nineteen and I wanna be in a better place in my life before I think about that, and I have mommy issues, which has nothing to do with any of it, but it has a lot to do with why I'm even here. So, I thought this might be a good way to show her," he finished, letting out a rush of breath and gesturing to the designs on the wall.
Suzy listened to every word, her eyes flicking over his face as she tried to take it in. She smiled a little before she shook her head. "No, I didn't do them myself, but I picked them. Even tweaked the designs a little so they were more me. Okay, so mommy issues and friends getting married aside - are you looking for the classic tattooing her name on your body somewhere, or do you want something that's meaningful to you both? Something that you won't need lasered off if things aren't quite so long haul. I'm also kind of curious who the friend is because I don't remember anyone getting married on Valentine's." She offered him his hand. "I'm Suzy, even though you already knew that."
Silas took her hand and shook it with a grin. "Silas," he introduced himself. That was a lot for him to think about and his forehead creased as he thought it over in his head. "Um... no, not her name. I feel like that might jinx us or something. There's a lot of that karma shit going down around this place and I don't wanna dip my toes into it. This is the first time in a long time things have actually been going okay for me and I don't want it all to stuff up. The only thing is, I'm not sure how to figure out something that is meaningful to us both because, well, we've only been dating since, like the beginning of November, give or take." He was hoping a design would have jumped out at him and made this easy, but he never expected there to be so many to choose from. He looked back at her with a smile. "Jason. You met him here at some wheelchair Olympics thing. He was supposed to get hitched on Valentine's Day. He went to school with Tyra. Tyra's my girlfriend."
Suzy's eyebrows went up as she gave a disbelieving laugh. "Jason was getting married? Oh my god! That's... wow, that's amazing. Wait, it's not Lyla, is it? Because that would just be so... um, bad. He's really getting married? Congratulations. You have to tell him congratulations for me. Wow..." She pushed her fingers through her hair, and looked at Silas. "Nice to meet you, Silas, even if it's weird. I don't mean bad weird, just having a moment. Okay, so even if you haven't been dating long, surely there's been some special moments? Or... I don't know, something you want to give her... Like some lyrics, or a Chinese character, or something. Or you could always start with the where."
Silas nodded and then winced just a little. "I'm sorry if that was just chucking that on you? He did mention you guys might've hit it off if the situation had been different. It's just... his chick is real special, and he's very happy. It's not Lyla. She's the bitch ex, right? It's not her. Her name inevitably has shit hitting fans whenever it comes up around our place. His fiancee is Mac. Or, um, Taylor. They call her Mac because her last name's MacKenzie. She was in Jason's year at school and she always had a crush on him, only he had his head up his football ass and never realised. But they hooked up, and she takes care of him. She's a cop. They split up but then got back together when Jason nearly drank himself into a hole of misery. They were supposed to get married, but we got snowed in and then everyone got food poisoning, so it didn't happen." He looked at her uncertainly. "Well, she thinks all our important moments have happened in the bathroom," he offered unhelpfully. "But I really don't think I want a toilet planted on my skin forever."
"Snowed in and food poisoning? That really is some karmic shit you got going around that place. Well, I'm happy for Jason and Mac. We knew each other a while ago, so it's fine. I'm not... There's no chucking. I'm just really happy he's found a special chick. He deserved it. It's about time he got his head out from his football ass," she added with a soft laugh. "I'm sorry the wedding didn't happen, though. They're not broken up, or anything though, right? Again, I mean. And no, I really don't think you need a toilet on your skin forever." Suzy turned as she stretched her back and moved back over to the counter to pick up one of the flip books with even more designs. "What do you think of when you think of her?"
"The way I understand, Mac's had a crush on him for years. They had some shit times, but they got back on track. They haven't broken up. They're mostly just laying low, licking their wounds. I think they lost their wedding planning steam, though, which kinda sucks. We're trying to figure out a way to do it for them, but it's not an easy task. No wonder some people have no desire to get married." Silas followed her over to the counter and leaned his elbows on it, eyes trailing over all the designs she had. It was astounding for him. "What made you choose to do this? You must've done some really meaningful stuff over the time. Jason talks about the one on his wrist like it saved his life. I just... um, I don't know. A fresh start? I seriously got away from some crap stuff back home. I'm not a Texan native, as you probably worked out. I'm originally from California, but then we moved to San Diego when our town burnt down. I met Tyra online and she just gave me a reason to break free and do what I'd been wanting to do for awhile. Things were great, so I decided to stick around, even if her family and friends sort of give me this strange stress pain behind my left eyeball."
"Then she has some great taste, and I'm kinda glad things didn't work out for us. It meant they got to be together. He deserves someone that thinks he's their whole world. That he rolls on water, and all that. I wished I could've given it to him, but really not meant to be. It's a shame they've lost their wedding planning steam, but at least they have you guys to help them. If you ever need a hand with the planning, I don't know what I can do, but I'll try." Suzy smiled as she shrugged her shoulder a little. "I don't know, I wanted to do something creative. I guess I just... ink just seemed the best outlet. I get to see my artwork on people for a long time to come. It's actually being appreciated, and it means something. I was just happy to give Jason something to make him realise he wasn't as lost as he thought. Okay, so... a fresh start. Maybe even a journey? A stress pain? Are they really that bad?"
Silas smiled at her and nodded. "For sure. We probably are going to need all the help we can get. Um... it does sound like he hasn't been in touch for awhile. I wouldn't take that personally, he's a great guy. It's just... the reason he and Mac broke up, around six months ago, I think, it was because she was in a car crash and lost their baby. She couldn't cope, thought she was just going to end up hurting him more, and she moved back to New York. So, it's been a pretty full on time for him. I think he'd like to catch up with you, though. We all live here now, in Austin. They needed to get out of their home town," he explained. "How do you put a journey into a tattoo? In saying that, I would've wondered how to put peace into one too, before I saw Jason's. And yes, they are that bad. They're very... unique."
Suzy was looking at a series of Chinese characters and smiled when she spotted the ones she was looking for. Her finger hit the page, and she looked at Silas. "That's how. They mean 'journey' in Chinese. It's not what I gave Jason but it's something. Or you could always go with..." she flipped the pages back near the beginning as she remembered something else, "... an Ouroboros. It's kind of like a symbol for forever, and cycles, and... everything, really." Suzy forgot the tattoos for a moment. "They lost their baby? I didn't even think... Shit, it could have been his only chance. Then Tyra must be something for you to be putting up with them."
Silas was looking at the designs she showed him and he hummed softly in thought. He looked up at her again, still completely curious about the whole tattoo thing. "Did you ever get weird at first about hurting people when you were doing it? Like... sticking people with a needle? Doesn't it give you goosebumps? Have you ever stuffed one up and someone really got the shits? Not that I think you'll stuff up, but I mean more like you did what they asked and then they got cold feet and decided they hated it? Or do you make us all sign wavers that it's not your fault if we get cold feet?" His eyes landed on the opposite page to the Chinese symbols where there seemed to be a series of maps and flags. He twisted his neck to try and get a better look, but soon just ended up on the same side of the counter as her, standing right beside her. "Maybe something to do with Texas?" he mused, taking a peek at the next page to see what was there. But he nodded. "Apparently he can, only, it's like a needle in a haystack shot. He doesn't... um... you know, have the whole..." he gestured with his hands, "explosive ending when he has sex. Or something along those lines."
Suzy blinked before she gave a shake of her head, and smirked. She was actually enjoying talking to Silas. It was the first decent conversation she'd had in a while. "No, funnily enough. I mean, I definitely shat myself the first time I inked someone, but the whole thing is you do it one dot at a time pretty much. You'll know if you're fucking it up pretty soon. Plus we can use markers on the skin to make sure we're following the same lines, and stuff. I figure most folks know that a tattoo will mean pain. I got one on my neck, and it definitely hurt like a bitch, but it was worth it. I'm proud of my ink, you know? I want people to see it. If someone gets cold feet, and they decide they don't like it, then they just have to go to a doctor and get it removed. It's just more money, and more pain. I sound harsh, but... I don't know. Most people I deal with know they want it. I haven't actually thought about getting anyone to sign a waiver, but now I'm kind of tempted. Do I really need one for you?" She glanced at the maps, and pulled her mouth to the side. "Well, you could always get the state tattooed somewhere. Or the flag... Once you're branded with Texas though, that really is a pretty big thing. Means you're one of us." Her eyebrows went up and she laughed. "Well, I didn't quite get to find that out, but thanks for the info."
Silas scratched his head. "The guy's probably sick of me. I've been interrogating him left and right. I never mean to sound like a dipstick, but I've never known anyone in a wheelchair before, and I was just curious. I did have a deaf girlfriend, though. It just intrigues me how they take it in their stride and get on. Different ways to most, but still don't let it drag them down. I thought the chair looked seriously awesome, only I stacked it and broke my arm. He did warn me," he had to add wryly. "The rehab centre were looking for people to give them a hand a couple of weeks back, and after getting to know Jason, I seriously thought about it. Only, they probably wouldn't need me interrogating them left and right. Best I can offer is sign language. Well, I like it here. It's been a lot better in three months than the last five years of my life collectively. The question is, would you want someone like me?" he asked with a smirk.
"Jason doesn't strike me as the type that would mind. Probably better quizzing him than his friend Herc. Not sure what kind of answers you'd get off him." Suzy tilted her head. "Why don't you help out at the rehab centre? You do actually seem to have a genuine interest in helping, even if it was born from curiosity. Better than me sitting at a sign up table for Para-Olympic try outs once every four years. I'm not sure your girlfriend would want me answering that," she teased before giving his arm a friendly nudge. "I think I can cope. If nothing else we'll probably be able to talk for another couple of hours. So do you know what you want now? And where?"
"I don't know, to be honest. I have foot in mouth syndrome sometimes. Or I would talk too much and distract them from their rehab? Nah, just kidding. I'm really not that bad. I guess I could do it, but I'm not sure. I'd worry I'd suck at it. Plus, I can be slightly accident prone. Not sure they would want someone helping out who stacked a wheelchair because he was doing burnouts in the hall..." Silas stood up and rubbed his elbow a little where it had been resting heavily on the glass. "Do you think you would have been okay dating Jason? Am I sticking my nose in too far? You can tell me to shut the hell up, I won't be offended. Just, I seriously know some girls who would have had issues with it. But I look at Mac, and it's not a problem. Never has been, and she knew him before he had the accident. But it sounds like you've had some experience with the Olympic thing. I guess it's just how you feel about the person. I'm sounding shallow, aren't I? I'm not a jerk. Like I said, I had a deaf girlfriend, she taught he sign language. But even that, it got awkward sometimes. She misunderstood me a lot at first." He looked down at himself. "Where? Fuck, I didn't think about that."
"You did mention the deaf girlfriend, and I think that's pretty cool. Also not shallow to say it's about the person. We'd put up with a lot for the right person. I think I would have done okay dating Jason, but it just wasn't meant to be. I've seen a couple guys since then, but they weren't really meant to be either. Also had both legs in tact and were still pretty much jerks. Not that I'm against jerks," she added with a smirk. "I'm not. I actually wouldn't mind a loveable jerk, you know? Plus if the sex was great... Not that I'm shallow either. Just... in need of a lay. But that's me yanking your nose in too far, so I'll shut up now. You really need to give the where some serious thought."
Silas waved his hand. "You don't need to shut up. Seriously. I'm the opposite. Have a really bad track record of sleeping with the wrong people. It probably seems strange that I would drive all the way to Texas to have sex, but I've always been impulsive and I really hit it off with Tyra. There's gotta be something to be said for kismet. Passed the puke test in about the first week, too. It all feels right. No girl has ever made me feel like she does. And if I thought it would accomplish anything, I guess I really would marry her. It just seems like something you should do because you're both on the same page with it, though. Because it's right. I probably have seriously fucked up values and sound like a complete dick right now. I guess I'm trying to justify in my head that getting a tattoo will actually mean something to her. It might not," he realised, now that he was thinking it over. "Have you ever gotten one for a guy? Or someone special?"
Suzy rest her hand on his shoulder before she turned around to fill a couple of mugs with a pot of coffee she kept behind the counter. No way she could get through the long days without it. "You said it yourself that you're only nineteen. Truthfully, I don't think anyone should get married if they don't feel ready. It doesn't matter how old you are, but nineteen really does seem young. Jason has like a couple years on you, I think. He'd be the same age as me. I just decided to start up a tattoo parlour after I left school. I was ambitious. I think what you're describing is really special, and you definitely have your head screwed on right. Past mistakes, or not. If a guy came home with a tattoo for me... I'd cream my panties. I really would. Does your girlfriend have tattoos? Because that would be a sure way to know for sure. And yeah, I have. I, um... there's one on the inside of my thigh. Thankfully it's something that I like, so I don't exactly hate myself every time I open my legs." She shot him a shy smile, and scratched her forehead before picking up one of the mugs and holding it out for him. "How's that TMI quota going?"
Silas raised his eyebrows and then laughed. "Actually, it's not TMI. I'm just wondering how other guys that hit the home run with you feel about it... even if the thought of a chick getting a tattoo on her thigh for me is making me kinda hot," he admitted with a smirk. "Jason's twenty one, so yeah. He's legally an adult, and I'm not. Seriously, though, the guy has friggen years of wisdom on me. When he gets that whole QB speech thing going, even if he'll say he hasn't been one for years. I haven't really been on the receiving end of it, but I have seen him give other people serve. Like his best mate. But the best mate well deserves it." He looked around the parlour with a smile. "You did real well. I have my own business too, so I know it's satisfying when you're ambitious. You're giving people something they want that they can't get themselves, and that's a big thing. Okay, give me something Texasy. If I'm a huge pussy, it doesn't go beyond these four walls."
"Considering it's not all that obvious that it was for a guy..." Suzy grinned. "They don't seem to mind. In fact, it's more become for me than for him. Maybe you should ask Tyra to get one for you? Assuming she doesn't have one already. I've heard about the QB thing, and I've seen hints of it. I still think he would have been something special on the field, but he's just as special in that chair. Tim, right? I think... I think he mentioned him to me a while ago." Suzy nodded as she took a sip of her coffee. "Thank you, I'm proud of it. And congratulations on your own business as well. What do you do? And check, I can do the Texas thing. Just let me know where and we can start. I promise your level of pussiness will stay just between us and the walls."
Silas pointed. "Right. I didn't answer that. She does have tattoos. I am sort of glad now that she doesn't have any for guys, though or she might wake up one night with me trying to draw over the top of it with Magic Marker. So, it's a good thing yours has become an intimate thing for yourself, or it might have been quite a downer on things. I'd rather be between a girl's legs for reasons other than trying to be a self-professed tattoo removalist. Tim, yeah. Our brand new house guest, which should make things interesting. We seem to have become like a commune for Dillon escapees. I'm feeling sort of out of the loop with them. But then, I'm not sure I want to be involved in a lot of it. There's some messy ex issues at the moment." He did balk just a little before he cleared his throat. "Sales. I'm in sales. Where... shit. Um... I don't know. Arm? Back? What hurts less?"
Suzy offered him a sympathetic look. "All pretty much hurts the same. I guess it's about where you want her to be able to see it. If you want to see it all the time, if you want other people to be able to see it and know it's hers. And if she does have tattoos, then I will put my vote in the her liking it thing." Suzy couldn't help but laugh a little. "Wow, didn't realise so many people would be desperate to get out. My sister doesn't live far from Dillon, like one town over? I can't deny it's a town I might be guilty of stopping in from time to time, but now I'm glad I didn't try and do anything crazy and move there, or something. And hey, you ever need to get away from the ex issues, you're welcome to come back here. I promise I won't even ink you. Any friend of Jason's is a friend of mine."
Silas bit down on his lower lip. "Okay, I just want to add a small disclaimer here that I've spent the last four days with my head in either the toilet or a bucket, so if I space out and decide hurling is a good idea, it has absolutely nothing to do with your tattooing skills," he had to tell her. "Right, so, um... I'll go arm, left arm? I mostly sleep on my right side. Just out of curiosity, do you get many clients wanting, say, weed tattoos?" he asked, wondering if she might have a good client flow base for him here. He couldn't help it, he was a businessman at heart. "You know, I might just take you up on that. I thought the house was a pretty decent size when I bought it, only now it can sometimes feel extremely small. Especially considering Tim is Tyra's ex, and Tyra's other ex's best mate is also there."
Suzy re-adjusted her glasses before she stared at him. "You weren't kidding about the ex issues... Talk about awkward. And hey, it's totally okay about the vomiting. I've had a lot worse in my time, trust me. I'll grab you a bucket just in case. Left arm it is. Just follow me, Silas." She pointed towards one of the chairs already set up and gave him a reassuring smile. He was in good hands. "Weed tattoos? Sure. And the odd Bob Marley. I'm still not sure any of the people asking for him even know who he is, though. The joys of inking people for life. I get to amuse myself with their mistakes. Not that you're making one!"
Silas followed her, but did shoot her a slightly nervous look at the mistake comment. At the end of the day, it was just skin, right? He let out a slow breath, bracing himself. It was just an arm, it wasn't like she was asking him to ink a swear word on his forehead like he did to his hair when he was younger. And he did like Texas. The time he had spent here had been prominent and even if things went awry with Tyra down the track, he was pretty sure he would never regret the time he did have with her. She was the reason he came to Texas, and gave him an escape from the mess his mom had got their family caught up in. Silas reached his tolerance quota with all that and did need something new. Tyra gave it to him. This was a good a choice. "Bob Marley? Seriously? That's definitely old school industry..." he found himself murmuring. His time in the weed business, good ol' Bob hadn't even been brought up in conversation. It was all modern business, which Silas liked. He just wasn't sure he wanted that to be his sole career anymore. He was getting itchy feet for a more normal life.
Suzy's eyebrows went up as she caught the comment. It wasn't like she'd pried when he had said he was in sales, but now the question about marijuana tattoos was starting to spark something. She let him sit himself down as she washed her hands and grabbed a pair of gloves before pulling up her stool to sit next to him. She honestly didn't think he was making a mistake about the whole thing, but the idiots who put on faces of celebrities, or other things because they were on a high whim did make mistakes. She gave his shoulder a pat before picking up a swab, and disinfectant to clean the skin as she pushed his sleeve up a bit further. "Tattoos will always come back to the classics," she answered him quietly. "Now, don't worry, I really do promise that I'll try and make this as painless as possible."
Silas let his hands rest on his stomach, figuring it was at least something to hold it in place if it decided to start doing it's acrobats again. He was biting his lip again, looking up at the ceiling and trying to think of as many non-painful things as he could think of. "What's the weirdest thing you've ever put on someone?" he asked. "I remember Jason and Sam telling me that Tim face-planted the lino when they got tattoos last year. I guess you get a lot of squeamish customers, even if people think they're fine."
"Well, sure. Sometimes it's more the shock of something than the actual needles, or even the blood. We run on adrenaline when we start getting nervous, and worked up, and it can just bottom out in some people." Suzy wet her lips as she tilted her head. "Actually, it's more just having to tattoo the weird parts that gets to me. I had to put a face on a guy's, ah... cock, once."
Silas was pretty sure he felt his face pale and he slapped one of his hands over it with with a horrified gasp. "Are you kidding me?! What the fuck kind of masochist would want a needle in their cock, let alone a needle over and over and over again?! That's important equipment! What if you sneeze and accidentally slipped? I think my balls just disappeared up inside my body," he whimpered.
Suzy looked at him. "No idea, but it's an experience I really want to be able to forget. But your arm is not your dick, so it's fine. Nothing is going to be worse than thinking about a needle near your important equipment, is it?" She held his arm steady as she started to draw an outline of Texas, her eyes flicking back and forth from the book.
Silas gritted his teeth. Whoever said tattoos don't hurt were fucking lying. Not that it was unbearable, but still, it wasn't friggen comfortable, either. He let out a slow breath to try and relax, letting his hand curl around the end of the arm rest. "Maybe a hot poker near it," he contemplated and then tried to chill out to set in for the long haul of his long-term, non-wedding ring commitment thing.
But he was ready to do something to show Tyra he was in it for the long haul. He just wasn't sure what. Ironically, though, it was Jason who helped him find the perfect solution. In the aftermath of the Great Food Poisoning Hit of 2010, the snow outside melted down and Tim escaped to pick up a bed for the spare room. Silas had found Jason in the livingroom with Mac, sitting on the sofa while Mac was practically passed out with her head in his lap while Jason brushed his fingers through her hair and watched the snowboarding at the Olympics on TV. Silas hadn't been going to intrude on the scene, but Jason told him to come join them, and they ended up striking up a conversation while Mac slept on obliviously. Silas quizzed Jason about his try-out for the Olympics, and it turned to the topic of tattoos when Jason told him about Suzy and how things might have turned out differently if his ex hadn't fucked him over again. The tattoo on Jason's wrist was always prominent, but SIlas never thought to ask about it before. It meant peace, and the chick Jason met at the Para Olympic try-outs had done it for him during his stay in Austin at the time. Not only that, but she owned a tattoo parlour here and Jason still kept in contact with her now and again.
The seed was more than planted, and even though Silas' stomach was still a bit on the dodgy side, he wasn't barfing anymore and he wasn't stuck on the toilet with explosive diarrhoea. He just didnt' feel like eating and could handle the upset stomach. He needed to get out of the house for awhile, needing to get some of his weed to his dealers anyway. Inevitably, he found himself in the tattoo parlour, looking in awe at all the designs on the wall, probably appearing like a real dick with his mouth hanging open as he tilted his head back to see the designs higher up. He didn't know if this Suzy would even be here, but any tattooist would work, right? All assuming Silas didn't chicken the fuck out.
Suzy came up behind the blond guy, finally abandoning her post at her counter. It was a quiet day and she hadn't had many appointments so far. Mostly she'd been using the time to work on some new designs of her own. Occasionally though, her mind had wondered and she'd found herself thinking about Jason Street, and how he was going. He'd been a missed chance, and sometimes she couldn't help but consider what might have happened if she'd been strong enough to stick around even after being caught by Lyla.
Only Suzy hadn't wanted to be the other woman. And she'd figured Jason had needed time to sort things out with his fiancée. He'd just never looked Suzy up again, and she'd moved on. There had been a couple of online conversations, and he'd seemed in a better place than when she'd met him, and she was glad. Jason had been one person that had really needed to be happy.
She cleared her throat softly, and smiled. "Anything catch your eye?" Suzy adjusted her glasses as she tilted her head back to try and see which design in particular he was looking at. "Or you're just having a browse?"
Silas nearly crapped himself in fright. He had been so intent on trying to absorb all the designs at once that he almost forgot he was in a shop, with a person running it. He jumped, blinking as he looked at her and then laughed, scratching his fingers through the back of his hair. "It's all catching my eye," he had to admit sheepishly. "I'm just not really sure what I'm supposed to be looking for. I mean, I do sort of know, only the what is where I'm stuck. Maybe the idea of being jabbed with a needle is making my balls shrink a little too. But I have managed to talk myself into the fact that is the whole point?"
Suzy laughed, and raised her hand to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry, it's just... It's really not that scary. I mean, look at me? I've survived numerous times and I don't have any balls to shrink. You also don't have to get a tattoo. It's fine just to be interested. But thank you, I'm glad it's all catching your eye. So what are you here for if it's not just to be scared of a needle?"
Silas drew his eyes away from the designs again, biting down on the corner of his lip in thought. "Your tattoos really look awesome, did you do them yourself? Can you even tattoo yourself?" he asked curiously. He pressed his lips together and held his hand out. "Okay, see, it's like this. I do want one, I just don't know what, and I want one because I want to try and show my girlfriend that I'm ready to take this to the long-term sort of thing. We've been talking about marriage and weddings because her old school friend was supposed to get hitched this Valentine's Day, only it all went ass up and it didn't happen for the poor bastard. Which sucks, because he could really use a break. You know him. He told me about this place. But anyway, the thing is, I'm not ready for the whole tying the knot thing because I'm only nineteen and I wanna be in a better place in my life before I think about that, and I have mommy issues, which has nothing to do with any of it, but it has a lot to do with why I'm even here. So, I thought this might be a good way to show her," he finished, letting out a rush of breath and gesturing to the designs on the wall.
Suzy listened to every word, her eyes flicking over his face as she tried to take it in. She smiled a little before she shook her head. "No, I didn't do them myself, but I picked them. Even tweaked the designs a little so they were more me. Okay, so mommy issues and friends getting married aside - are you looking for the classic tattooing her name on your body somewhere, or do you want something that's meaningful to you both? Something that you won't need lasered off if things aren't quite so long haul. I'm also kind of curious who the friend is because I don't remember anyone getting married on Valentine's." She offered him his hand. "I'm Suzy, even though you already knew that."
Silas took her hand and shook it with a grin. "Silas," he introduced himself. That was a lot for him to think about and his forehead creased as he thought it over in his head. "Um... no, not her name. I feel like that might jinx us or something. There's a lot of that karma shit going down around this place and I don't wanna dip my toes into it. This is the first time in a long time things have actually been going okay for me and I don't want it all to stuff up. The only thing is, I'm not sure how to figure out something that is meaningful to us both because, well, we've only been dating since, like the beginning of November, give or take." He was hoping a design would have jumped out at him and made this easy, but he never expected there to be so many to choose from. He looked back at her with a smile. "Jason. You met him here at some wheelchair Olympics thing. He was supposed to get hitched on Valentine's Day. He went to school with Tyra. Tyra's my girlfriend."
Suzy's eyebrows went up as she gave a disbelieving laugh. "Jason was getting married? Oh my god! That's... wow, that's amazing. Wait, it's not Lyla, is it? Because that would just be so... um, bad. He's really getting married? Congratulations. You have to tell him congratulations for me. Wow..." She pushed her fingers through her hair, and looked at Silas. "Nice to meet you, Silas, even if it's weird. I don't mean bad weird, just having a moment. Okay, so even if you haven't been dating long, surely there's been some special moments? Or... I don't know, something you want to give her... Like some lyrics, or a Chinese character, or something. Or you could always start with the where."
Silas nodded and then winced just a little. "I'm sorry if that was just chucking that on you? He did mention you guys might've hit it off if the situation had been different. It's just... his chick is real special, and he's very happy. It's not Lyla. She's the bitch ex, right? It's not her. Her name inevitably has shit hitting fans whenever it comes up around our place. His fiancee is Mac. Or, um, Taylor. They call her Mac because her last name's MacKenzie. She was in Jason's year at school and she always had a crush on him, only he had his head up his football ass and never realised. But they hooked up, and she takes care of him. She's a cop. They split up but then got back together when Jason nearly drank himself into a hole of misery. They were supposed to get married, but we got snowed in and then everyone got food poisoning, so it didn't happen." He looked at her uncertainly. "Well, she thinks all our important moments have happened in the bathroom," he offered unhelpfully. "But I really don't think I want a toilet planted on my skin forever."
"Snowed in and food poisoning? That really is some karmic shit you got going around that place. Well, I'm happy for Jason and Mac. We knew each other a while ago, so it's fine. I'm not... There's no chucking. I'm just really happy he's found a special chick. He deserved it. It's about time he got his head out from his football ass," she added with a soft laugh. "I'm sorry the wedding didn't happen, though. They're not broken up, or anything though, right? Again, I mean. And no, I really don't think you need a toilet on your skin forever." Suzy turned as she stretched her back and moved back over to the counter to pick up one of the flip books with even more designs. "What do you think of when you think of her?"
"The way I understand, Mac's had a crush on him for years. They had some shit times, but they got back on track. They haven't broken up. They're mostly just laying low, licking their wounds. I think they lost their wedding planning steam, though, which kinda sucks. We're trying to figure out a way to do it for them, but it's not an easy task. No wonder some people have no desire to get married." Silas followed her over to the counter and leaned his elbows on it, eyes trailing over all the designs she had. It was astounding for him. "What made you choose to do this? You must've done some really meaningful stuff over the time. Jason talks about the one on his wrist like it saved his life. I just... um, I don't know. A fresh start? I seriously got away from some crap stuff back home. I'm not a Texan native, as you probably worked out. I'm originally from California, but then we moved to San Diego when our town burnt down. I met Tyra online and she just gave me a reason to break free and do what I'd been wanting to do for awhile. Things were great, so I decided to stick around, even if her family and friends sort of give me this strange stress pain behind my left eyeball."
"Then she has some great taste, and I'm kinda glad things didn't work out for us. It meant they got to be together. He deserves someone that thinks he's their whole world. That he rolls on water, and all that. I wished I could've given it to him, but really not meant to be. It's a shame they've lost their wedding planning steam, but at least they have you guys to help them. If you ever need a hand with the planning, I don't know what I can do, but I'll try." Suzy smiled as she shrugged her shoulder a little. "I don't know, I wanted to do something creative. I guess I just... ink just seemed the best outlet. I get to see my artwork on people for a long time to come. It's actually being appreciated, and it means something. I was just happy to give Jason something to make him realise he wasn't as lost as he thought. Okay, so... a fresh start. Maybe even a journey? A stress pain? Are they really that bad?"
Silas smiled at her and nodded. "For sure. We probably are going to need all the help we can get. Um... it does sound like he hasn't been in touch for awhile. I wouldn't take that personally, he's a great guy. It's just... the reason he and Mac broke up, around six months ago, I think, it was because she was in a car crash and lost their baby. She couldn't cope, thought she was just going to end up hurting him more, and she moved back to New York. So, it's been a pretty full on time for him. I think he'd like to catch up with you, though. We all live here now, in Austin. They needed to get out of their home town," he explained. "How do you put a journey into a tattoo? In saying that, I would've wondered how to put peace into one too, before I saw Jason's. And yes, they are that bad. They're very... unique."
Suzy was looking at a series of Chinese characters and smiled when she spotted the ones she was looking for. Her finger hit the page, and she looked at Silas. "That's how. They mean 'journey' in Chinese. It's not what I gave Jason but it's something. Or you could always go with..." she flipped the pages back near the beginning as she remembered something else, "... an Ouroboros. It's kind of like a symbol for forever, and cycles, and... everything, really." Suzy forgot the tattoos for a moment. "They lost their baby? I didn't even think... Shit, it could have been his only chance. Then Tyra must be something for you to be putting up with them."
Silas was looking at the designs she showed him and he hummed softly in thought. He looked up at her again, still completely curious about the whole tattoo thing. "Did you ever get weird at first about hurting people when you were doing it? Like... sticking people with a needle? Doesn't it give you goosebumps? Have you ever stuffed one up and someone really got the shits? Not that I think you'll stuff up, but I mean more like you did what they asked and then they got cold feet and decided they hated it? Or do you make us all sign wavers that it's not your fault if we get cold feet?" His eyes landed on the opposite page to the Chinese symbols where there seemed to be a series of maps and flags. He twisted his neck to try and get a better look, but soon just ended up on the same side of the counter as her, standing right beside her. "Maybe something to do with Texas?" he mused, taking a peek at the next page to see what was there. But he nodded. "Apparently he can, only, it's like a needle in a haystack shot. He doesn't... um... you know, have the whole..." he gestured with his hands, "explosive ending when he has sex. Or something along those lines."
Suzy blinked before she gave a shake of her head, and smirked. She was actually enjoying talking to Silas. It was the first decent conversation she'd had in a while. "No, funnily enough. I mean, I definitely shat myself the first time I inked someone, but the whole thing is you do it one dot at a time pretty much. You'll know if you're fucking it up pretty soon. Plus we can use markers on the skin to make sure we're following the same lines, and stuff. I figure most folks know that a tattoo will mean pain. I got one on my neck, and it definitely hurt like a bitch, but it was worth it. I'm proud of my ink, you know? I want people to see it. If someone gets cold feet, and they decide they don't like it, then they just have to go to a doctor and get it removed. It's just more money, and more pain. I sound harsh, but... I don't know. Most people I deal with know they want it. I haven't actually thought about getting anyone to sign a waiver, but now I'm kind of tempted. Do I really need one for you?" She glanced at the maps, and pulled her mouth to the side. "Well, you could always get the state tattooed somewhere. Or the flag... Once you're branded with Texas though, that really is a pretty big thing. Means you're one of us." Her eyebrows went up and she laughed. "Well, I didn't quite get to find that out, but thanks for the info."
Silas scratched his head. "The guy's probably sick of me. I've been interrogating him left and right. I never mean to sound like a dipstick, but I've never known anyone in a wheelchair before, and I was just curious. I did have a deaf girlfriend, though. It just intrigues me how they take it in their stride and get on. Different ways to most, but still don't let it drag them down. I thought the chair looked seriously awesome, only I stacked it and broke my arm. He did warn me," he had to add wryly. "The rehab centre were looking for people to give them a hand a couple of weeks back, and after getting to know Jason, I seriously thought about it. Only, they probably wouldn't need me interrogating them left and right. Best I can offer is sign language. Well, I like it here. It's been a lot better in three months than the last five years of my life collectively. The question is, would you want someone like me?" he asked with a smirk.
"Jason doesn't strike me as the type that would mind. Probably better quizzing him than his friend Herc. Not sure what kind of answers you'd get off him." Suzy tilted her head. "Why don't you help out at the rehab centre? You do actually seem to have a genuine interest in helping, even if it was born from curiosity. Better than me sitting at a sign up table for Para-Olympic try outs once every four years. I'm not sure your girlfriend would want me answering that," she teased before giving his arm a friendly nudge. "I think I can cope. If nothing else we'll probably be able to talk for another couple of hours. So do you know what you want now? And where?"
"I don't know, to be honest. I have foot in mouth syndrome sometimes. Or I would talk too much and distract them from their rehab? Nah, just kidding. I'm really not that bad. I guess I could do it, but I'm not sure. I'd worry I'd suck at it. Plus, I can be slightly accident prone. Not sure they would want someone helping out who stacked a wheelchair because he was doing burnouts in the hall..." Silas stood up and rubbed his elbow a little where it had been resting heavily on the glass. "Do you think you would have been okay dating Jason? Am I sticking my nose in too far? You can tell me to shut the hell up, I won't be offended. Just, I seriously know some girls who would have had issues with it. But I look at Mac, and it's not a problem. Never has been, and she knew him before he had the accident. But it sounds like you've had some experience with the Olympic thing. I guess it's just how you feel about the person. I'm sounding shallow, aren't I? I'm not a jerk. Like I said, I had a deaf girlfriend, she taught he sign language. But even that, it got awkward sometimes. She misunderstood me a lot at first." He looked down at himself. "Where? Fuck, I didn't think about that."
"You did mention the deaf girlfriend, and I think that's pretty cool. Also not shallow to say it's about the person. We'd put up with a lot for the right person. I think I would have done okay dating Jason, but it just wasn't meant to be. I've seen a couple guys since then, but they weren't really meant to be either. Also had both legs in tact and were still pretty much jerks. Not that I'm against jerks," she added with a smirk. "I'm not. I actually wouldn't mind a loveable jerk, you know? Plus if the sex was great... Not that I'm shallow either. Just... in need of a lay. But that's me yanking your nose in too far, so I'll shut up now. You really need to give the where some serious thought."
Silas waved his hand. "You don't need to shut up. Seriously. I'm the opposite. Have a really bad track record of sleeping with the wrong people. It probably seems strange that I would drive all the way to Texas to have sex, but I've always been impulsive and I really hit it off with Tyra. There's gotta be something to be said for kismet. Passed the puke test in about the first week, too. It all feels right. No girl has ever made me feel like she does. And if I thought it would accomplish anything, I guess I really would marry her. It just seems like something you should do because you're both on the same page with it, though. Because it's right. I probably have seriously fucked up values and sound like a complete dick right now. I guess I'm trying to justify in my head that getting a tattoo will actually mean something to her. It might not," he realised, now that he was thinking it over. "Have you ever gotten one for a guy? Or someone special?"
Suzy rest her hand on his shoulder before she turned around to fill a couple of mugs with a pot of coffee she kept behind the counter. No way she could get through the long days without it. "You said it yourself that you're only nineteen. Truthfully, I don't think anyone should get married if they don't feel ready. It doesn't matter how old you are, but nineteen really does seem young. Jason has like a couple years on you, I think. He'd be the same age as me. I just decided to start up a tattoo parlour after I left school. I was ambitious. I think what you're describing is really special, and you definitely have your head screwed on right. Past mistakes, or not. If a guy came home with a tattoo for me... I'd cream my panties. I really would. Does your girlfriend have tattoos? Because that would be a sure way to know for sure. And yeah, I have. I, um... there's one on the inside of my thigh. Thankfully it's something that I like, so I don't exactly hate myself every time I open my legs." She shot him a shy smile, and scratched her forehead before picking up one of the mugs and holding it out for him. "How's that TMI quota going?"
Silas raised his eyebrows and then laughed. "Actually, it's not TMI. I'm just wondering how other guys that hit the home run with you feel about it... even if the thought of a chick getting a tattoo on her thigh for me is making me kinda hot," he admitted with a smirk. "Jason's twenty one, so yeah. He's legally an adult, and I'm not. Seriously, though, the guy has friggen years of wisdom on me. When he gets that whole QB speech thing going, even if he'll say he hasn't been one for years. I haven't really been on the receiving end of it, but I have seen him give other people serve. Like his best mate. But the best mate well deserves it." He looked around the parlour with a smile. "You did real well. I have my own business too, so I know it's satisfying when you're ambitious. You're giving people something they want that they can't get themselves, and that's a big thing. Okay, give me something Texasy. If I'm a huge pussy, it doesn't go beyond these four walls."
"Considering it's not all that obvious that it was for a guy..." Suzy grinned. "They don't seem to mind. In fact, it's more become for me than for him. Maybe you should ask Tyra to get one for you? Assuming she doesn't have one already. I've heard about the QB thing, and I've seen hints of it. I still think he would have been something special on the field, but he's just as special in that chair. Tim, right? I think... I think he mentioned him to me a while ago." Suzy nodded as she took a sip of her coffee. "Thank you, I'm proud of it. And congratulations on your own business as well. What do you do? And check, I can do the Texas thing. Just let me know where and we can start. I promise your level of pussiness will stay just between us and the walls."
Silas pointed. "Right. I didn't answer that. She does have tattoos. I am sort of glad now that she doesn't have any for guys, though or she might wake up one night with me trying to draw over the top of it with Magic Marker. So, it's a good thing yours has become an intimate thing for yourself, or it might have been quite a downer on things. I'd rather be between a girl's legs for reasons other than trying to be a self-professed tattoo removalist. Tim, yeah. Our brand new house guest, which should make things interesting. We seem to have become like a commune for Dillon escapees. I'm feeling sort of out of the loop with them. But then, I'm not sure I want to be involved in a lot of it. There's some messy ex issues at the moment." He did balk just a little before he cleared his throat. "Sales. I'm in sales. Where... shit. Um... I don't know. Arm? Back? What hurts less?"
Suzy offered him a sympathetic look. "All pretty much hurts the same. I guess it's about where you want her to be able to see it. If you want to see it all the time, if you want other people to be able to see it and know it's hers. And if she does have tattoos, then I will put my vote in the her liking it thing." Suzy couldn't help but laugh a little. "Wow, didn't realise so many people would be desperate to get out. My sister doesn't live far from Dillon, like one town over? I can't deny it's a town I might be guilty of stopping in from time to time, but now I'm glad I didn't try and do anything crazy and move there, or something. And hey, you ever need to get away from the ex issues, you're welcome to come back here. I promise I won't even ink you. Any friend of Jason's is a friend of mine."
Silas bit down on his lower lip. "Okay, I just want to add a small disclaimer here that I've spent the last four days with my head in either the toilet or a bucket, so if I space out and decide hurling is a good idea, it has absolutely nothing to do with your tattooing skills," he had to tell her. "Right, so, um... I'll go arm, left arm? I mostly sleep on my right side. Just out of curiosity, do you get many clients wanting, say, weed tattoos?" he asked, wondering if she might have a good client flow base for him here. He couldn't help it, he was a businessman at heart. "You know, I might just take you up on that. I thought the house was a pretty decent size when I bought it, only now it can sometimes feel extremely small. Especially considering Tim is Tyra's ex, and Tyra's other ex's best mate is also there."
Suzy re-adjusted her glasses before she stared at him. "You weren't kidding about the ex issues... Talk about awkward. And hey, it's totally okay about the vomiting. I've had a lot worse in my time, trust me. I'll grab you a bucket just in case. Left arm it is. Just follow me, Silas." She pointed towards one of the chairs already set up and gave him a reassuring smile. He was in good hands. "Weed tattoos? Sure. And the odd Bob Marley. I'm still not sure any of the people asking for him even know who he is, though. The joys of inking people for life. I get to amuse myself with their mistakes. Not that you're making one!"
Silas followed her, but did shoot her a slightly nervous look at the mistake comment. At the end of the day, it was just skin, right? He let out a slow breath, bracing himself. It was just an arm, it wasn't like she was asking him to ink a swear word on his forehead like he did to his hair when he was younger. And he did like Texas. The time he had spent here had been prominent and even if things went awry with Tyra down the track, he was pretty sure he would never regret the time he did have with her. She was the reason he came to Texas, and gave him an escape from the mess his mom had got their family caught up in. Silas reached his tolerance quota with all that and did need something new. Tyra gave it to him. This was a good a choice. "Bob Marley? Seriously? That's definitely old school industry..." he found himself murmuring. His time in the weed business, good ol' Bob hadn't even been brought up in conversation. It was all modern business, which Silas liked. He just wasn't sure he wanted that to be his sole career anymore. He was getting itchy feet for a more normal life.
Suzy's eyebrows went up as she caught the comment. It wasn't like she'd pried when he had said he was in sales, but now the question about marijuana tattoos was starting to spark something. She let him sit himself down as she washed her hands and grabbed a pair of gloves before pulling up her stool to sit next to him. She honestly didn't think he was making a mistake about the whole thing, but the idiots who put on faces of celebrities, or other things because they were on a high whim did make mistakes. She gave his shoulder a pat before picking up a swab, and disinfectant to clean the skin as she pushed his sleeve up a bit further. "Tattoos will always come back to the classics," she answered him quietly. "Now, don't worry, I really do promise that I'll try and make this as painless as possible."
Silas let his hands rest on his stomach, figuring it was at least something to hold it in place if it decided to start doing it's acrobats again. He was biting his lip again, looking up at the ceiling and trying to think of as many non-painful things as he could think of. "What's the weirdest thing you've ever put on someone?" he asked. "I remember Jason and Sam telling me that Tim face-planted the lino when they got tattoos last year. I guess you get a lot of squeamish customers, even if people think they're fine."
"Well, sure. Sometimes it's more the shock of something than the actual needles, or even the blood. We run on adrenaline when we start getting nervous, and worked up, and it can just bottom out in some people." Suzy wet her lips as she tilted her head. "Actually, it's more just having to tattoo the weird parts that gets to me. I had to put a face on a guy's, ah... cock, once."
Silas was pretty sure he felt his face pale and he slapped one of his hands over it with with a horrified gasp. "Are you kidding me?! What the fuck kind of masochist would want a needle in their cock, let alone a needle over and over and over again?! That's important equipment! What if you sneeze and accidentally slipped? I think my balls just disappeared up inside my body," he whimpered.
Suzy looked at him. "No idea, but it's an experience I really want to be able to forget. But your arm is not your dick, so it's fine. Nothing is going to be worse than thinking about a needle near your important equipment, is it?" She held his arm steady as she started to draw an outline of Texas, her eyes flicking back and forth from the book.
Silas gritted his teeth. Whoever said tattoos don't hurt were fucking lying. Not that it was unbearable, but still, it wasn't friggen comfortable, either. He let out a slow breath to try and relax, letting his hand curl around the end of the arm rest. "Maybe a hot poker near it," he contemplated and then tried to chill out to set in for the long haul of his long-term, non-wedding ring commitment thing.