RUNNING

“Okay..” she nodded lightly at his mention of showing her what he wanted touched up, and as he turned around Emiri leaned up on the stool she sat on, purely because of his height difference and to give her more access to see. In turn her brows came together softly, feeling a little confused as her eyes landed on the two circles - there was no judgement from her, it was more the tattoo not being one she expected. Her expressions soon softened, “Yeah of course,” she took a long sip from her cup, before moving away from the counter she was sat up at, “Won’t take long— and you said red?” She asked just to clarify despite actually hearing him right as she gestured for him to follow her. “Do they have a special meaning - the circles?” She put another question out there as she reached her station, happy enough to prompt some small talk while she reached for her tattoo gun.

A small breath of relief puffed past his lips as she agreed, and that itch in his chest already began to lessen. He was sure while he was overseas, no one woulda given him crap for the superstition when they knew the meaning behind the tattoo, but it all felt a bit silly now, with Hayden quite literally living across the hall from him. "Thank you so much, M'am, I really appreciate it. But red, yeah, as red as you can make it." he gave her a nod of thanks at her gesture to follow, and he took special care not to knock over any supplies or instruments as he did so, sidling between stations. "S'long story, really." But still he couldn't help the laugh that made it's way out as he thought of it. "Long story short, they're a matchin' tattoo I have with my twin sister. Our hometown is known for this cryptid that's some bigfoot lookin' motherfucker, and these are supposed to be his eyes. S'our way of sayin' we're always looking out for each other." He didn't even dare to bring up the inside joke that he was bigfoot's son which was a whole other layer to the tattoo. "So, do I win simplest tattoo-oddest story? If I don't, I really gotta know what you've tattooed that does."

After clearing her station and making sure it was instantly jump-in ready for whenever her next client would walk through the doors, Emiri found herself walking back into the main area with her freshly poured cup of coffee, blowing the rim of her mug lightly as she headed towards the counter at the front. Having already noticed the male looking over the designs spread across the walls, she kept to her own silence as she took a seat on the stool. Placing her coffee down she flicked through the diary before her, jotting in a phone booking she had previously answered. Soon she lifted her head into the direction of the male, her sole focus pinpointing on him as she smiled, “Yeah we do, find anything you like the look of?” She asked as she made an obvious gesture towards the designs around.

"Well, it's actually a touch up--" he began to explain, but he knew many artists didn't like to touch up another's work. "But it ain't nothin' complicated. S'might be the simplest tattoo you ever saw actually, I just---" He stopped himself, "Might be easier if I just show you." he turned around, hand gesturing to the two red--well, now more of a pink-- medium sized circles on the back of his neck. "I know I look like I might, but surprisin'ly, I did not get two pink dots tattooed on the back of my neck. Supposed to be red. --- Think you can give it a refresh if you got time?" He wasn't going to lie, ever since realizing how much they had faded, an odd itch had taken up in his chest, an anxiety that urged him to get it fixed. It might be some mumbo-jumbo, but they were important to him, and the idea of them not bein' right made him feel jumpy.

It was kinda funny, in a twisted way. After she came back from the war, trying to figure out how to fit back into society, Hayden realized something—she wasn’t scared of dying anymore. Not like it how it used to terrify her. And why would she be? She'd already been to hell and back. It was something that Hunter knew all too well. Hell, he’d spent more time fighting than she had, seen more than she did. But none of that changed how hollow she felt inside. Like she was just this empty shell of who she used to be, nothing left but a weapon with no purpose. The worst part? She had no clue how to be anything else. So, when he sat on her couch and turned the tv on, Hayden didn't crack a joke or try to comfort him with false hope. She just sat there, quiet, for as long as needed. Because she knew—better than anyone—that there was nothing anyone could do to erase the memories, no words to make the nightmares go away.

Despite his hate of twin cliches, it was fair to say Hayden and Hunter usually knew what the other was thinking. Being known so well was usually something that gave him a sense of warmth, never having to explain himself because he knew she understood. But he never hated it more than when they both came back from war. The fact that she understood him, and this time not because of whatever connection their stupid brains had, but because she understood, was something Hunter hated more than anything. But in his darkest moments, knowing he didn't have to explain anything to her, was a relief. Although he always felt guilty later for thinking it.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Lydia exclaimed as she frantically exited her car, a hand flying to her chest as if it would calm her racing heartbeat. The blonde typically tried to stay as far away from her brother's place of business as she could, knowing that it was supposed to be an upscale establishment yet know she'd feel wholly out of place if she even thought about stepping foot in there, but she'd had some leftovers she wanted to drop off to him before they went bad. She'd been attempting to leave, growing frustrated with the hoard of people weaving in and out and taking up space in the parking lot, when she finally turned a triumphant corner only to be met with the sight of some poor sucker dodging out of the way.

"Well that's a new one," he chuckled briefly, referring to her 'I didn't see you' comment. And as he dusted himself off and drew himself to his full height, he figured the reason why might be fairly obvious. Let's just say he was easy to pick out in a crowd. As he went to brush his hands off on his jeans, a sting spread across his palms, and looking down he found the reason why. Small bits of headlight glass from the crash he was cleaning up after had embedded themselves in his palm. Without much thought, he dutifully began picking them out, eyes trained on his hands as he continued to listen to her.

Sawyer slid out of the Ferrari, her heels tapping sharply against the concrete. The blonde gave the mechanic a slow, assessing look—Hunter, wasn’t it?—a ghost of recognition flickering in her gaze. She caught the way his eyes widened, glued to the car like a kid finding his first playboy. Amusement tugged at her lips, but she kept it in check. HIs greeting floated past her, and she was forced to stifle a laugh. "Relax," She drawled, closing the door with a casual flick of her wrist, as if she didn't have the equivalent of a small house's mortgage parked in his garage bay. "It’s just an oil change, not open-heart surgery.” Sawyer leaned against the car, crossing her arms, sizing him up with a smirk that said she wasn’t sure if she trusted him not to mess up, or if she just liked making him sweat. “I figure even you can manage that without blowing something up, right?”

He couldn't help but look at her like she had three heads. Just an oil change? If she was bringing this thing to any old mechanic for basic upkeep, he was nervous about what he'd find when he popped the hood. "S'close enough." he muttered, not realizing until it was out of his mouth just how loud it came out. "Look, lady, you need special oil, specific torque wrenches, precision filter placement, and it ain't like a regular car that'll deal with it if you get a drop or two of oil in it." he sighed, wiping his hands on the rag he kept tucked in the waist band of his jeans. "Now I know boss wouldn't want me passin' up a sale, but my conscious couldn't bear it if I didn't at least advise you to take it to Vegas or a dealership or somethin' first."