What The Water Gave Me

Gabriel had just finished arranging the scones on the plate and set them on the table next to the coffee maker. He still had some that he was keeping warm in his oven, but Gabriel wasn’t entirely sure if he had actually made enough for how many people were going to come through his apartment.  But he still figured that it’d at least be fun to get to know some of his neighbors, since Gabriel hadn’t really had a chance to meet them yet. “Hey,” he smiled as someone walked into the room, “Feel free to pet the cats, but just a warning the orange one might try to run, so just keep an eye out.”

Sami had left his guilty pleasures playlist running and detailed instructions for all activities before he decided to wander through the building to look at what others had done. After all, it was still slow and he was curious. Walking by Gabriel’s room, an orange blur tried to dark past him into the exposed hallway, but was thwarted by Sami’s hands scooping him up. “Too late. He already tried a jailbreak.”

Kat stood frozen in the door frame, her hand stilled on the door. The warmth of the summer warmed her back as the cool shop air tickled her face. “Someone’s eager to get started today. Let me guess: the right side of the bed?” Her eyebrow rose suggestively, her actual question not so hidden in her silence. Then with a short laugh she finally let the door close behind her, bell jingling again as she walked toward her station.

Rolling his eyes, Sami didn’t even bother to look up at Kat. “That, is none of your business. No matter how hard you try to make it your business.” He reached into the top drawer of the desk and pulled out a piece of paper, pushing it towards Kat. “I already made a list of things that you need to clean today. And I was even nice and preheated the autoclave for you.”

Rose had been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo since the day she’d turned sixteen. She was now twenty and she still hadn’t done it but she was itching for something to do and she found herself pacing in front of the tattoo shop. She’d nearly gone inside three times before turning on her heel and walking about a block away. Then she’d turn around again and head back to the shop. She was getting loads of looks from passersby and it was what finally made Rose push her way into the shop. The soft tinkling of the bell almost made Rose bolt right back out- but she’s stopped by a grin.

“H-hi… I’m Rose and I’m not quite sure why I came in here…”

Sami’ gestured to the chair in front of him, pushing his own sketches to the side. His own personal projects could wait until later. “Are you thinking of getting a tattoo? Even if you’re not sure I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have.” She’d already made it through the front door. That was further than a lot of people made it. Now it was up to Sami to reassure her that a tattoo was not as terrifying as she’d made it out to be in her head.

“Hi, how can I help you?”

After about a month in Phoenix Circle, Jacqueline felt like she was finally adjusting to her new life. She no longer cried herself to sleep every night, her new job was coming along fine, and she’d been able to find a few new spots in her new neighborhood. Still, she was lonely; she’d lived at home up until this point. She missed her mother, missed the smell of her cooking in the kitchen ( though Azkebab seemed to do the trick when she was feeling particularly sad ). She missed Jaime, how he was before the engagement and before she realized how little he actually listened to her. She missed her Papa, his bright laughter and love of pastries. It was that love that now brought her door to door in her apartment complex, trying to make new friends since she desperately needed a community of some sort. Plate in hand, she tried not to jump back at the door flung open, revealing her neighbor.

“–I thought it might be a nice idea to give out cookies.” Now, though, it felt a little childish. “I’m Jacqueline. I’m new, and they’re snickerdoodle. Take one.”

“Oh, uh, hi. I’m Sami.” Sami blinked, processing her request before reaching out and taking a cookie as he was told. Taking a bite, his bewilderment grew into a large smile. “This is really good. What’s your secret?”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - required

The buzz of     tattoo needles, cigarette smoke, the burn of top shelf whiskey, laughter     echoing off rooftops at midnight, a clean desk, the scratch of pencil     against paper, deep howls, long walks in early spring

Headcanon #1: Sami started drawing when he was very young. He was     one of those people who always has to be doing something with his hands,     and drawing fit the bill. While reading and lectures struggled to hold his     attention, it was all too easy to disappear into his own world with a     drawing in front of him. The idea of making other people his canvases     didn’t hit him until Sami was getting his own tattoo on his seventeenth     birthday. There was just something exhilarating in the stakes and trust     necessary to permanently mark someone.

Headcanon #2: Sami got an O on his Charms NEWT and enchants his     own inks. The effect depends on what the customer wants. Some charms     merely add an extra twinkle to the design, so slight that one might think     it was a figment of their imagination. Others add action and animation to     the design, such as a roar and fire for a dragon or a coy flick of a     mermaid’s hair. Just as no two designs are the same, neither are any two     charms. An itemized list of the charms Sami’s perfected is available to     all customers, but should a customer want something new, he’ll never turn     down the challenge.

Headcanon #3: Sami has a dog. After growing up in a large family,     moving out on his own just filled him with a sense of loneliness and     quiet. So once he got settled in, he went to the pound and took home a     little hound puppy. He named the dog Mandrake after her howls the first     night in her new home and calls her his first-born child in all     seriousness. Mandrake sleeps in his room (according to Sami she sleeps on     her dog bed by the door, but in practice she suckers her way onto the bed     most nights) and almost has more clothes than Sami himself.