laiken de jager

“Are you flirting with me?” Ezra teased her. He was a very confident person and if the opportunity was there he wouldn’t miss a good flirt or even the opportunity to torment somebody. “I’ll keep it off for you then.” he winked, “Maybe our dads would get on well then because he honestly isn’t the best news breaker that’s for sure.” he laughed, “I’m not full of tats because I’m a wimp, alright? I might make the odd grunt but that’s about it. If anything you’re gonna get tired of being so close to my nipple for some long.” 

“just being nice,” laiken said with a small smile, rolling her eyes at the man’s confident persona. but, it wasn’t something she was against by all means. “they definitely would. i think both of my dads are as bad as each other; one of them breaks news in the most ridiculous ways, then the other will do absolutely everything they can to try and avoid telling the news straight altogether. they make a right pair.” the south african chuckled, reaching for the printed out references so she could begin to sketch. “hey, just because you’re covered doesn’t mean you can’t still be a wimp, i’ve seen it loads of times before.” laiken smirked as she kept her head down whilst drawing. “you say that as if i’ve never seen a man’s nipple before. it isn’t that traumatising for me, so don’t worry.”

Summer’s brain started running as Laiken kept talking, and all she could feel was her heart racing. Thoughts came back of her mother telling her that tattoos were unladylike and that it was unbecoming of a young girl to have marks all over her body, and as much as she wanted to do this right this second just to spite all her memories, she also just had so many doubts of her own. She snapped right back out of her mind palace as the blonde asked a question “Uh- Yeah” She said mindlessly, looking down at all the possibilities and pointing out a very simple one. It looked like the numbers done on a typewriter, but in a much more slender way. They looked nice “Uhm, yeah… Do you think we could do it on here” She asked, placing a hand over her ribcage, right over the side of her breast “I’ve always liked tattoos that were placed there, it’s like depending on what you wear, you can show it or not”

laiken could sense the nerves, giving summer a soft smile in the hopes she could reassure her some. “this is my favourite actually, you’ve got good taste,” she chuckled, reaching for a pair of scissors to cut out the design for the stencil. glancing up as the woman pointed to her chest, laiken gave a nod, “we can definitely do that; i think that’ll be cute and like you say, depending on the outfit is whether or not its shown which i think is super cute.” she reached for the transfer paper, slipping the design between the two pages before processing it through the machine. “do you want to hop on down to the end of the studio then? i’ll put a little curtain up for privacy if you want to just slip your shirt off and i’ll place the design on for you to take a look. we can take as long as we need until it’s perfect for you, yeah?”

Her eyes widened in fear when she brought up the big tattoo on her back “Oh no, I’m a huge chicken, that’s never gonna happen” She said with a big laugh and a shake of her head. She was very very sensitive to pain, unless it was an adrenaline-fueled situation, Summer was definitely not putting herself through that kind of pain. “Yeah, very delicate… I wouldn’t want it in a place where I see it all the time, just when I’m paying attention, you know?” She mentioned as she saw the artist begin to sketch, watching her hands draw soft patters “I… Have no idea what that means, but yes, I don’t want like, big chunky lines”

“hm, okay,” laiken gave a thought, “we could do your hip, or there’s the ankle, behind the ear, a few little places that are discreet enough. it’s completely up to you though, of course, so have a think whilst i get a few drawn up.” she said with a bright smile, before dipping her head down to sketch out the little numbers. “it just means it’ll be thin and delicate so hopefully, it’ll be what you’re after! do any of these take your fancy?” let me know which you prefer, where you want it, then i’ll get the stencil all set up so you can have a little preview before it’s permanent. and if you decide you don’t wanna go through it, that is absolutely fine okay? so don’t feel like you gotta go through with it-- i’d rather you walk out with nothing than something you don’t like.”

Ezra noticed her cheeks blush and he smiled. “Hey, I can put this back on if you want?” he teased. “I think he wants it filling in, so like, whatever you think works i guess..” he laughed, “Well I hope it’s protection because I’d rather not get the tattoo and then he lets me know my nan has died.. that wouldn’t be fun would it?” he joked some more.

“well, you’ll soon be taking it off again,” she said, “for the tattoo.” laiken quickly added, the blush not dissipating just yet. “i’ll put some shading in, make it pop so it’s a bold piece,” she then explained before giving a chuckle, “god, what an awful way to do something. it also sounds like how my dad would break the news about something, honestly.” laiken reached for her sketchpad before printing off some reference images for the drawing. “you know it’s gonna be a bitch there, right? don’t want you wimping out on me, big boy,” laiken teased.

She must’ve seen this a few times, people who came in undecided and figured out they wanted a change in their life but perhaps not a very permanent one, and not one that stung so much. Laughing a little at the way she seemed used to it, Summer found herself relaxing. She was very good at her job. “I’m not so sure… I want something little and not too visible, delicate, I don’t want like a huge bengal tiger on the back of my leg or something like that” She exaggerated with her hands and made it way more dramatic that it should have been “I really like the number thirteen, so maybe a little outline of that. Like very small and soft lines?”

“oh god, i think if you came here asking for a backpiece as your first tattoo, i’d think you were crazy,” laiken chuckled, “it’s always best to start off with something small and gradually work your way up once you’re used to the feeling.” as she mentioned the number thirteen, laiken gave a nod, “okay, so something dainty, i can do that.” grabbing a piece of paper, she drew out a few different styles, playing around wth the font from something cursive, to more in-line, to taking on that familiar traditional tattoo font. “i can use a single needle so it’ll be very fine and it’ll look real pretty, too.”

“ oh fantastic! i don’t want to chicken out, so it’s better just to get it over with, ” nina quipped nervously. “ so i know, i knoooow, it’s super generic and kinda basic, but i’d love a simple rose on my wrist, ” an important symbol to nina; it was her name, her real name. “ i’m a florist, i love the simplicity of a rose. — yes, this will be my first tattoo, and probably not my last. ”

“i’m never gonna be one to judge, i promise,” laiken said, giving nina a playful wink as she explained her idea. she thought it sounded sweet and as long as it meant something special to her, that’s what mattered the most. “i think roses are just beautiful and i love drawing them, so let me sketch you something up quick and tell me what you think?” laiken offered with a small smile before reaching for her pen to draw out a dainty outline. “once you have the first, within weeks you’ll be itching to have another, i promise you. once you start, it quickly grows into an obsession.” she chuckled as she drew. “but it’s good to know though. the wrist is an easy first spot, it will probably feel a little bit like a hot scratch but it shouldn’t be too bad. if at any time you need a break though, let me know and we can take as long as we need.” placing her pen down, she turned the drawing around to show the girl. “what do you think? i’ll scan it in and make it smaller to fit, but i think it’ll be real cute on you.”

The Greenwich had only been open for a few hours before Anthony heard the footsteps of someone entering, the unmistakable sound of the hardwood floors echoing around the room. Anthony turned from a piece he had been looking at to scan the stranger with his eyes, usually he didn’t interact with the patrons much. He was more of the behind-the-scenes kind of guy, curating the art unless he needed to fill in for a tour every now and then. However the blonde woman in front of him looked nice enough and Anthony would never turn down a chance to talk about an art piece.

He turned to look at the piece the woman was referring to, it actually was one his favorites. A piece he’d worked very hard to be featured at the gallery. “Yes, The Greenwich is quite inconspicuous unless you know what you’re looking for. Many people believe this place to be a club or bar I think.” Anthony chuckled, before motioning toward the art piece. “Ah yes, one of the newer works.” He scanned the piece as if he hadn’t studied it before. “You would definitely be correct about the chaos. The painter, Kim Evans, said she was going through one of the most tough times in her life when she painted this.” He stepped closer, “If you look close enough you can almost see the numerous times she took a break or came back to the painting.” Anthony pointed at a particular spot. “The strokes hard in some places and softer in others. Like maybe she felt better on these days, and worse on other days. Can you see that or is it just me?.” He asked honestly, his hand moving to rub at the hair on his chin.

the way he spoke had laiken absolutely captured by every word-- it was only then she realised that ah, he must be the curator. “so, did you put this all together then?” she asked, “because if so, then you definitely have some fine taste and i’m a big fan.” laiken grinned. as they poured over the artwork that laiken had pointed out, she nodded enthusiastically, “yes! that’s exactly it; it’s almost like a glimpse into her mind and i think that’s really powerful with art. i never really get the chance to express myself like that in my work, but it makes me want to take up painting again for that very reason.” the girl looked to the man with a warm smile, holding out a hand, “i’m laiken, by the way. i’m the new tattooist in the shop in town, and i think you’re about to be seeing a lot more of me now that i know this place is here.”

jon rose his freshly manicured brow as the woman snapped at him and jon had to laugh. “no, but facts are sweetheart, they put the body and looks up front to draw in attention. it isn’t so shitty of me to assume.” he said and shrugged his shoulders. maybe he was a little misogynistic because well, jon really didn’t think about what he said or did. and especially when it came to women. they were strong and powerful, but jonathan knox? oh he thought he was the most powerful person to walk the planet. “you got a portfolio or something? and i still kinda want that water.” he pushed, because why wouldn’t he. 

“that, or it’s the fact that i’m on my own here right now so i don’t have a choice but to sit here,” laiken fired back, rolling her eyes. it was so typical of a man to just assume, and when he asked for the portfolio part of her didn’t even want to hand it over because she had a bad feeling that he was going to pass judgement. “obviously,” she said, sarcasm on her tongue, pulling out the folder and handing it over across the desk. “and you have legs don’t you?” she asked, gesturing to the small fridge by the side of the desk, “help yourself.” laiken wasn’t about to start acting as a maid. perhaps if he’d been a little more polite, she wouldn’t have had a problem with it. “i specialise in blackwork, but i can also do colour portraits, american traditional, dotwork etcetera. the only things i don’t particularly enjoy is tribal and neo traditional, just not my thing.”

if jon couldn’t find a fix, the next best thing had to be some ink therapy. there was no better feeling when you were stressed out than a needle sticking your skin hundreds of times. and to be fair, jon figured, new city, new ink. what the hell he was gonna get, he had no clue. maybe it’d be something like a broken heart with his mom and dad’s name in it – you know, to signify that they broke his heart for trying to make him better himself. the actual nerve of them. he looked up this love hate tattoo on google just to see the reviews and it was the closest one within a few dozen miles. so the man dressed up to the nines as he usually did in his all black attire and made his way down to the shop. upon entering and being greeted by the receptionist, jon said, “yeah, i need to speak to one of the artists pronto. and a bottle of water if you got it.”

as the heavily tattooed man strolled in, laiken’s heart sunk because already she had a feeling that this was going to be a nightmare; anyone that had hardly any skin free was bound to be picky, but she gave her best customer service smile anyway. though, the moment those words left his lips, laiken’s features pulled into a scowl. “maybe you can walk out that door and walk back in again with a new attitude? because i’m one of the artists here,” she snapped, “but i guess your misogynistic ass just assumed because i’m blonde with tits that i can’t possibly be able to hold a tattoo machine with my weak little arms, hm?”

Tattoos were very far from Summer’s thing, so the fact that she stopped by Love Hate on her way to the bakery was… Again, so uncharacteristic. But something felt right about today and if anything, she could always walk away from the place with no tattoo and still feel happy. Plus, the chipper tone of the blonde woman from behind the counter made her quite happy and optimistic “Hey… Uhm, I… I’ve never had a tattoo but I’ve been meaning to like, look into it to just figure out and-uh-” She rambled nervously as she kneaded her own hands and walked towards her “I’m sorry, I just… Tattoos. I wanna get one. Help.”

as the blonde women stumbled over her words, laiken couldn’t help but to give a small chuckle; it wasn’t uncommon to see, especially if it was for a first tattoo. she remembered her first one - a small little shark on the inside of her wrist - and her dad had to practically pin her down in the chair to keep her from wriggling away. but the moment the needle hit her skin, she realised it wasn’t so bad-- the anticipation of the unknown was much, much worse. “i can definitely help you, babe,” laiken smiled, “do you have any ideas at all of what you’d like to get? i’d suggest starting off small, maybe a little outline of something, just to ease you into it.”

Ezra whips off his tshirt and gestures to his peck. “You think you could do me a raven just here?” he smiles. “Just above the nipple but below the Union Jack if possible. My dad back in England is getting the same one and wanted me to get it in the same place as him. I’m not sure why he picked this spot or a raven but I just agreed.”

as the man tore his shirt off, laiken could feel her cheeks reddening because it was definitely a bold move and she had to remind herself to keep her composure. “i’m sure i could do that for you; are you looking for black and grey, or just an outline?” she asked first, before chuckling at his little explanation, “i think that’s really sweet! maybe it’s something to be close to the heart, but the raven has a number of meanings from death to protection.”

nina had never really been into the art of tattooing; however, recently her interest had certainly peaked and she didn’t really see any harm in getting a small tattoo on her wrist. maybe a rose or something that reminded her of her previous self. she felt nervous, she’d never even gone into a tattoo shop and didn’t really know what to expect, but when a friendly smile greeted her, nina felt instantly at ease. “ hey there, ” she said, kinda quietly as she stepped inside. “ yeah, so i was thinking about getting a small tattoo. — are you available to do it or should i maybe come back later? ” 

“something small? that sounds perfect,” laiken gave a warm smile, “i can definitely squeeze you in now-- it’s looking like a bit of a slow morning, so you’ll be my first customer of the day.” she grinned. “what is it that you’re after and where are you wanting it?” laiken then asked, reaching for a pad of paper and a pencil. “also, i should ask, have you been tattooed or will this be your first one?”

kenneth’s brows raised as he learned of her tattooist occupation, unable to stop his mind going straight to thinking of how it could be an intriguing profession for one of the newer characters in his script that he was trying to flesh out. he let out a light laugh, “ oh i’m sure you must get all kinds of oddball walk-ins on a friday night, wow- ” kenneth paused, taking in the drawings spread across the page she had show him. “ these are seriously really good, perhaps i might end up being one of the oddball walk-ins myself. ” chuckling again as he looked back up at the other “ well if it isn’t to your tastes how about i buy you a proper drink instead? proper as in one that doesn’t involve coffee beans- unless of course espresso martinis are your drink of choice? ”

“oh you don’t even know the half of it,” the south african girl chuckled, shaking her head. “if they’re not drunk and slurring their words then they’re trying and failing to hit on me-- saturday mornings are always my favourite because you get actual genuine customers, although the majority do seem to bring in pictures from google images.” but either way, even if it wasn’t a design she was too fond of, laiken always found a way to give it a little personal touch (making sure the customer liked it too, of course). “i’ve never had an espresso martini, but i suppose i wouldn’t turn you down if you offered me a long island iced tea. those are an easy way to my heart, stranger.”

“Ooh, welp, now I know I would never last in the tattoo world. Kudos to you m’lady. I believe in you!” She smiled, “I feel honored to be the first one that’ll be booked. I’ll make sure to advertise you to all my little fans on insta. I’m gonna give you all the clients!” Catie enjoyed making new friends, especially since she was deprived of making any new ones for three whole years–or was able to go out with anyone. “You really want to know where I meet these people?” she stated, and then whispered, “craigslist.” Was Catie ever scared of getting murdered? Not really. “Seriously. You meet people selling these animals and then boom, you find out they’re a snake whisperer. It’s that simple Laiken. Pretty sure we’ll be able to find you a roommate one!”

“oh my gosh, would you actually? that’d be lekker!” laiken beamed, “i really need to work on my profile now that i’ve moved, somehow i don’t think many of my regulrs from gansbaai will be making the journey over to see me.” she chuckled, tapping her fingers idly against the countertop. “craigslist?” she questioned, “okay, you’re gonna have to remember i’m not from here! i’ve never heard of it but it sounds... sketchy?oh god, it’s sketchy isn’t it. catie!” she giggled, “that’s insane, but also now i’m intrigued and you bet that now i’m going to sit at home and scroll through this website and see what bizarre things are out there.”