Summer 2010: Rachel

[tears~fall~like~glass]

rachel: Rachel grabbed a soda from the fridge and moved on to rummage through the pantry. She pulled out a box of macaroni and chewed on her lip, debating the chances of a fire. All she had to do was boil water, and she'd seen Josh make it before. It hadn't looked too hard, so maybe it'd be safe. Though... she'd also thought that about the stew that'd exploded, the pie that'd burned, and the pancakes that'd set her mother's house on fire...

Neena: Neena opened the kitchen door to see Rachel staring at a box of macaroni and cheese. Was she really going to eat that junk? "Rachel, you're not serious," she wakled over and plucked the box out of her friend's hand. "Were you really going to make this stuff?"

rachel: She blinked as the box disappeared from her hands and glanced at Neena. "Um..." she shook her head, opening her soda, "Uh...no, of course I wasn't..."

Neena: "Uh-huh. Sure. Come on, I'll show you how to make regular pasta. It's just as easy as mac and cheese, and it's way healthier." She rummaged in the cupboards and the pantry for the pasta and pan, and headed for the stove.

rachel: "Thanks." Rachel pulled herself onto and watched Neena gather the stuff, taking a sip of her drink. Ben hadn't told her what Neena had said yet, so she may as well ask, "Where's your ring?"

Neena: The pan fell to the floor with a clang. Neena hastily picked it up and set it on the stovetop. "Ring?" she asked with a nervous grin.

rachel: She raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Well, I'm assuming you said yes since Ben hasn't come crying to me or Josh..."

Neena: "You knew?" Neena added water to the pan. "When did Ben tell you?"

rachel: "Yeah, he told Josh and I right before he went to propose to you," Rachel shrugged, making sure to pay attention to the whole cooking thing. She wondered how long she could live off pasta until she got sick of it...

Neena: "Ah. Well, I ate my 'ring'," Neena laughed. "It was very yummy. Now we'll wait for the water to boil before adding the pasta. You just put some water, add the salt now," she added a dash. "And when the pasta goes in add the olive oil."

rachel: Pan, water, salt, pasta, olive oil. That sounded simple enough. "Fun. Anything planned yet?" This was kind of a reminder that she needed to pack for Germany for Alex and Meggan's wedding soon... "I'm sure Ben's excited. I'm slightly worried he's going to pop out of nowhere and hug me to death..."

Neena: "Well, considering I don't have the ring, no," she shook her head. "So far, all we have is that we're going out to California soon. Ben is crazy enough to want to tell my parents."

rachel: "Well, telling everyone here could be just as bad as telling your family. If I was mean, I could do that while you two are gone," Rachel smirked.

Neena: "Don't tell me that. You'd end up with poisoned pasta." Neena opened the pasta bag. "I gotta go out to Cali anyway, to talke to my uncle about the inheritance." "

rachel: "Well, I would've ended up with poisoned macaroni if I'd tried to cook, so meh. It'd be worth it. Plus, there'd still be Josh, and poison doesn't work on him."

Neena: "Darn. Ok, now we leave it on high, uncovered because otherwise it'd just boil over," she turned the panhandle in before heading back to the pantry. "Now for the sauce. You still won't tell anyone, will you, Rachel? I kinda wanted to wait 'til I had an actual ring."

rachel: She rolled her eyes and added sauce to her mental checklist of things she'd need when making pasta, "Pfft, of course I won't. I'll just have to make sure no one's around if I want to make fun of you two."

Neena: "Deal," Neena sighed in relief. "Make fun all you want. I'll even give you the proposal story if it'll keep you quiet. Then you can go make fun of Ben too," she grinned and took out another pan.

rachel: "Oh, no. I don't need to know that to keep me quiet, as I'm fairly sure it was pretty cheesy since Ben left the medlab singing."

Neena: "It wasn't! I swear. Well, except for the part where he proposed with a ring pop. I think I might have scared him a bit, though. It took me a bit to get my stomach out of my throat long enough to give an answer." She poured some sauce into the pan. "Now, with the sauce you set it lower. Just to get it simmering. See?"

rachel: "Yeah, I see. I'm not blind," Rachel poked her tongue out. "If it makes you feel any better, I was choking when Josh told me he loved me."

Neena: "Aww! Better than me. I yelled at Ben, asked him why he'd say that," she smirked at the memory. "Anyway, maybe Josh should go ring shopping with Ben, hm? Maybe we can make you a Cartier bride too!" Neena grinned wickedly.

rachel: "Yeah, right. It was in front of the whole restraunt, so it was kinda embarrassing." Rachel about snorted her soda at the ring comment. Coughing slightly, she eyed Neena, "You can't be serious."

Neena: "Why not?" Neena teased. "Come on, you guys are so cute together I get a cavity just being around you. And Josh totally loves you. I can see it now- he'd take you out somewhere with lots of people and drop down on a knee!" she laughed.

rachel: Rachel cringed, "That'd be terrible. I'd have to, like, crawl into a hole and die or something..."

Neena: "I'm just kidding. Josh knows you, he'd probably ask while you guys were alone so no one can see you cry," Neena grinned. Teasing Rachel was more fun than she thought. "I'll have make the suggestion to Ben to take Josh along with him for the shopping."

rachel: She shook her head, "Pfft, I highly doubt I'd cry. And I doubt he'd propose anyway, but if he did... it'd definitely be corny and most likely embarrassing."

Neena: "I'm pulling your leg, sweetie. About the crying part. Not about the proposing part. I wouldn't put it past him." she gave Rachel a wink before turning off the pasta. "So when the pasta's cooked for about ten minutes, you take it off the stove. Can you grab me the draining bowl please?"

rachel: "I don't think he would, as we've never talked about getting married. I've never even thought about it," Rachel rolled her eyes. "...The what?" she blinked, "You mean the weird bowl with holes in it that you really doesn't work for eating things out of?"

Neena: "Yes, that one," she laughed. "Well it was a shock to me. I swear, I felt like I was gonna pass out. I'm actually a little scared now he's gonna blow his bank on a really expensive ring."

rachel: "Wouldn't surprise me if he did," she said with a shrug as she found the bowl and passed it over, "Josh and I have just never talked about it. Plus, getting engaged would be a bitch to explain to our parents. I've never met his, and mine don't like him. Oh, and Josh's brother is a bastard, so it wouldn't go over well with him either. It'd cause drama, which I like to avoid since I get enough of it already."

Neena: "You can always elope," Neena pointed out, taking the bowl and setting it in the sink. "I actually thought about it a bit last night, and my family LOVES Ben. Of course, they love everything. Well, my parents do. My brother...he's a little wary of him. But my mom...shit, she'll blow a gasket."

rachel: "I think my mother would die a little inside, which would possibly be pretty amusing and worth it. My dad...wouldn't be happy, but he'd deal with it," she shrugged, "Judging from Josh's brother, I don't think they'd look past the fact I'm a mutant."

Neena: "Hm." Neena drained the pasta and gave it a little shake. "Eloping sounds like a good plan for the two of you. And if my mother starts mailing me every bridal magazine in the industry, we might just elope too." She looked over at Rachel. "Just remember they're family. Even if they don't support it, they'll get over it eventually. And if they don't, that's not real family then, right?"

rachel: "Well, I'm sure Bobby and Lorna could refer you to Elvis," she grinned. "And yeah, I don't care what my family thinks and haven't for a long time."

Neena: "I think I'll be good with planning a ceremony. I'm just hoping my mother won't try to take it and do it all herself. She tends to get overeager like that. I mean, I've always thought about planning my wedding and stuff. I just don't want my mother giving me grief."

rachel: "Never wanted to plan one, and I've never thought I'd have to. Though, I never really thought I'd live past 18 either, so..." Rachel shrugged, chewing on her lip. She wasn't quiet sure Neena knew about her suicidal issues...

rachel: "But yeah, I think you'll rock at planning one, too. I feel completely stupid saying this since it's what everyone would probably say, but I'm pretty sure it's just 'cause she cares or whatever."

Neena: Neena blinked at Rachel. "Wow, that's the nicest I've ever heard you sound," she joked. "But yeah. She'll be so excited. I really wanted to wait to tell them though. But he wanted to do it now. To tell you the truth, I'm a little more worried about the vineyard and convincing my uncle that this whole bribery shindig is stupid."

rachel: "Yeah, I'm capable of being nice. Treasure the moment, as it might not happen again anytime soon," Rachel gave a smirk and eyeroll. "Well, you can always abandon Ben to tell your parents while you talk to your uncle. I'm sure it'd be amusing to ask Ben how it went afterward."

Neena: "Oh, wouldn't it? They'd eat him alive. My mother would stuff him so full of tabouli he wouldn't know what'd hit him. Not to mention Kate would probably drag him to the nearest ring shop and make him get me the biggest rock there." Neena laughed as she added sauce to the pasta and served Rachel a plate. "Here. It's done. And don't worry, I'll treasure the moment always."

rachel: "Sounds like it," she grinned and took the plate with a thanks. Okay, so... pasta didn't seem too hard to make. Water, noodles, sauce. That didn't seem hard at all. She'd have to try it herself sometime. Well, not by herself. Supervision would probably be a good idea. "Good to know. But, If I can actually make this sometime, I'll have to be nice to you forever."

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Ben: "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaachellllllll!" He howled as he came bounding through the grounds to her. "Good news!!!" He collided with her, picking her up and twirling her around. "She said yes! Can you believe it, yes! She said it, she said YES!"

rachel: "Shit!" Rachel squirmed, trying to break free of the hug. It was starting to become slightly painful. Why did everyone with super strength decide to crush her ribcage whenever they hugged her? "Put me down! Now! I enjoy my ribs where they're supposed to be, and I kinda like breathing. Also, tell me something I don't know."

Ben: Ben tossed her into the air in a way that she would be able to land on her feet. Then he began to do somersaults and cartwheels around her. "I'm so happy!" He shouted, completely oblivious to anything Rachel had said. He ran to her, and with an evil grin on his face, rubbed his palms together. "Where's Josh at?! I need to tell him he's going to be the best man, when it happens."

rachel: She barely landed on her feet and scowled at the fact that she'd been thrown into the air. Heights still were not her thing. "I don't know where Josh is. I'm not his keeper."

Ben: His shoulders dropped a little with disappointment but as an idea sparked inside him he snickered and told her; "Give me an idea or I'll convince Neena that everyone of the girls in the wedding is to wear peach dresses." He pointed at her. "And you know I'm not doing this thing with you or Josh. Or Rogue." Rogue, God... he couldn't tell her. Not yet. Right?

rachel: "Pffft. Neena wouldn't do peach," she rolled her eyes. "And, I got the impression she didn't want anyone to know yet, so you might not want to scream she said yes at the top of your lungs when you find Josh."

rachel: "What am I supposed to be giving you an idea for anyway? Do I look like a wedding planner?"

Ben: "Ideas as to where he is..." Ben elaborated. "And yeah, good point. You think Rogue should know? I've just remembered... I dunno.... I think it's too early. I haven't even told my parents that I'm getting married." His eyes lit up again and he began to dance around Rachel. "Whoo hooo! I still can't believe it!"

rachel: Rachel bit down on her lip and resisted to stick her foot out to stop the dancing. Not that'd tripping him would actually work with his spider senses... "Rogue will find out eventually, anyway, as I'd most likely mention it at some point since she is one of my best friends and all."

rachel: "And, I have no idea where Josh is. I haven't seen him since I woke up this morning...afternoon...whatever," she shrugged.

Ben: "Well, what the hell." Ben said as he halted his dancing. "And yeah, try to hold back as long as possible on telling Rogue. Even if she tries to beat it out of you. I think I should probably get a 'proper' ring first." Ben sighed. "I was going to go buy one sometime this week, but I still can't go outside. As you know."

rachel: "Yeah, that's what Neena said." She managed to keep from commenting about the not leaving. He brought it upon himself. "Josh should be around. Probably should try my room or his room first, then the kitchen..."

Ben: "I tried all of those rooms." He slumped to the grass. "Rachel... do we grow up too fast here?" Ben asked, almost completely out of the blue. "I feel like this places forces us to grow up in ways most people would not have to..."

Ben: "Not that that's bad... just... I don't know what I'm saying. I think I just got a lot older in the last year than I have in the last three."

rachel: "...You went in my room?" Rachel shook her head and flopped down in a chair with a shrug, "Yeah, kinda. I've changed so much since my first year. It's kinda scary to look back and think about it." Not that she really wanted to think about that. "Though, most people don't have to worry about blowing things up or whatever and basically having the entire country against them."

Ben: "Can you imagine how weird we'll be in like ten years? Me with kids, you with kids? Or without, who knows. It'll be so different, and it won't seem weird or out of the norm to us, but I'm seeing it in my head now and I just... I'm not afraid, I'm just astounded it's getting there so fast."

rachel: She snorted, "Like I'll survive ten more years. I don't even think I can make it to the next day sometimes."

Benjamin: "Hey, don't talk like that. You seem to be doing just fine now. Working tattoo shops and all that jazz. By the way, when are you going to be able to tattoo my knuckles?"

rachel: "Seem to be. Doesn't mean I always am." Rachel shrugged again, "After I do Lizzie's tattoo."

Benjamin: "Well tell Lizzie to hurry the 'F' up, 'cuz I'm waiting." He looked back at the house and let his eyes soak in the view of the mansion in the summer sun. "I'm gonna miss it for... whatever many months. But I gotta go. Get things settled with Neena. Play music somewhere where no one knows me."

rachel: "It's not Lizzie. It's me. I have to practice, so you can get the hell over it and wait just like she is, " Rachel sighed. She really needed to work on a design for Liz's tattoo... "It's summer. Most people enjoy being out of shcool, so go have fun."

Benjamin: "Fun?" Ben asked. "I'm going to San Francisco to meet up with Neena's parents to dump the news that I'm marrying their daughter in a year. Or two. And then I'm laying low 'cuz I'm a retard who got upset at an airport and let two racists hassle me." He hung his head.

Benjamin: "San Francisco will be interesting. And when I'm with her it'll be great. But fun is a stretch."

rachel: "I'll be hopefully not fucking up Liz's tattoo, packing, and then going to Germany for Alex and Meggan's wedding. Plus, I don't think Josh is going to go with me, and I'll have to wear a dress and be cheery. At least you'll have Neena with you."

Benjamin: Ben slapped his forehead. "Aw, great-Buddha, the wedding!" he grumbled a bit and then couldn't help but smile. "Man, I can't wait to have some genuine German beer!" He waited for the sense to flare up and warn him of her smack.

rachel: Rachel glanced around for something to toss at him with her teke. Sadly, she figured a lawn chair was overdoing it. "Hm, I should bribe Josh with drinking. He might actually come then."

Benjamin: "You know Rachel, I can't help but see you and him being married some day. Even if I have to get him drunk enough to finally admit to himself he wants to ask you, I can't wait for the day it happens."

rachel: "Good to know. Why don't you take a number on that since everyone else seems to think so, too, "she rolled her eyes, "And, it shouldn't be too hard to get him drunk. Getting him talk isn't all that easy though."

Benjamin: "Oh, I'll get him to talk, don't you worry about that." Ben assured her. "I can't imagine you with anyone else. Ever. You two are made for eachother. Like Joker and Batman. Or Superman and Lex."

rachel: "Superman and Lex? ...Shouldn't it be Superman and Lois or whatever? Anyway... I just had this conversation with Neena, I don't need to have it with you as well," Rachel shook her head.

Benjamin: "Oh, did you?" Ben asked. "Well then you should be glad to know we're all on the same page then." He smiled as he looked at the garage as various students were packing and leaving, saying their good-byes. He saw Moon dangling from a noose and shook his head. "Man... this place is crazy. What would I do without it?"

rachel: "No, we're all not on the same page. At least Josh and I aren't on the same page as you two."

rachel: Rachel raised an eyebrow, "You'd most likely be dead or in prison by now without me."

Benjamin: "Well, we'll see how I do with four months without you." Ben said. "I gotta go get ready anyways. San Francisco's a-calling!" He smirked and pretended to be on the phone with the city. "Hey, Rae, I know you want to beat my left cheek in sometimes, but thanks for sticking around."

rachel: "Yeah, well... I didn't really have a choice in the matter of living. Don't get caught by airport security again. I'm not coming to help you again."

Benjamin: "Don't sweat it, Lizzie is gonna drop us off." Ben said smiling. "And by the way," Ben grabbed her again and ran in circles with her, hugging her tightly. "I'm getting married! I'm getting married! WHOO!"

rachel: "Yell a bit louder. I don't think they can hear you in China," she frowned at the spinning, "And, if you're not careful, I think I'm going to puke on you."

Benjamin: He ran into the house with her, dropping her to her feet. "See you when I see you!" He said happily. With that, he webbed his way up the stairs and to his room to finish throwing his things in his bags.

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Leaning forward to hover over the desk, Rachel let out a sigh and continued mouthing the words to the song that was blaring from her headphones. She was fairly sure she should be doing something more productive than drawing on a sheet of paper, but sniffing ink (all she'd had was a pen) was much more preferable than sterilizing objects. She sat back to inspect her work and frowned before hunching back over the drawing in an attempt to make it look better.

It wasn't working.

Disatissfied with her work, she tossed the pen down with a scowl and leaned back in her chair. She took a deep breath and blew it back out, focusing on the music for a moment instead of how bad the sketch looked. Well, it looked bad to her. It probably looked great to someone who couldn't draw to save their life. But, it needed to be awesome since she was actually going to tattoo it. Plus, she had to get Liz to approve of it, and then she had to practice. A lot.

She glared at the spot that was giving her trouble. Lizzie had better love it, as she really hated drawing wings. Maybe if she just made that li-- "Don't do that!"

Rachel spun around to face Travis, pulling her other earbud out as she completely lost her train of thought. She rubbed her ear, which he'd flicked to get her attention, "Have something for me to do?"

"Go home?" Travis suggested with a grin.

"Can I finish this first?" she nodded to the paper behind her.

"What is it?"

Rachel chewed on her lip, "A tattoo my friend wants me to do..."

"Do, as in draw or actually tattoo?" Travis eyed her for a moment, gaze flicking to the paper. What she had down didn't look that hard, but still...

She glanced at him, resisting the urge to use her telepathy to get an idea of how he'd react to her answer. "Well... both."

His eyebrows raised slightly, "Is he...she... it aware that you've never done a tattoo before...? Well, besides drawing designs and practicing on fake skin."

"She. Uh, you remember the girl that came in with me when I asked about an apprenticeship? Yeah, that's her."

"Oh. The one with the purple hair, right?" Okay... It was entirely too late to do the whole master-apprentice thing.

Rachel nodded. This wasn't going as badly as she'd thought it would. "Yep. That's Lizzie."

"So, you're sure she knows that it could turn out badly?"

She just nodded again, cringing slightly. That's what she was worried about. If it did, she might end up on the bad side of the pink mind knife of doom, and she kinda liked her mind not being disrupted by brightly-colored, sparkly things. "Hopefully, it won't."

"And, you know the whole procedure and everything, right? Make sure everything's sterile, wear gloves, open needles in front of them, once the tattoo's placed let them see it, ma-"

"I know, I know," Rachel groaned, "You only remind me everyday."

"Good to know you actually learn things," the grin returned to his face for a moment before he sobered again, "So, are you nervous?"

"Well... yeah..." She bit down on her lip and glanced back at the rough sketch. It needed some serious work, but she could get it done soon. "Weren't you nervous about doing your first tattoo?"

"Of course. I mean, getting the design just right, placing it exactly where they want it, just thinking about how if you screw up it'll ruin your reputation, and it'll be stuck on their body forever...."

"That's not funny, Travis!" Rachel scowled in return to his smirk and turned away from him, looking down at the paper. "She's my best friend, and this actually means something to her, and I don't want to be the one to screw it up."

"Okay, okay. It's not funny..." Holding up his hands in surrender, he glanced at her and burst into another fit of snickering. "Just... the look on your face..."

"You're a bastard." Okay, technically, you shouldn't call somebody who was teaching you a bastard, especially since she was supposed to give him respect. But, Rachel wasn't finding it amusing, and the shop wasn't open at the moment, so it wasn't like anyone would know.

He opened his mouth to say something and shut it again, nodding, "Yes, I suppose I am." Managing to wipe the amused look off his face, he sat forward in his char and rested his elbows on his knees. "Honestly, I think you'll be fine."

She blinked, trying to recall if he'd ever said that to her or not. "You really mean that?"

"Of course. I think you have a lot of talent, and you just need more practice to hone your skills or whatever," Travis said sincerely. "I think you'll be fine once you start tattooing and that you'll actually be able to go somewhere with it."

Okay, Rachel had not expected that at all. She bit down on her lip as she searched for a reply, but came up short. "Thanks." She sighed and started to gather her stuff, "So, you don't care if I do the tattoo here?"

"Well, no. I wouldn't want you to do it anywhere else. It wouldn't be sanitary, which could lead to an infection..." he went to go on and paused, "...But, you already know that. And, I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Thanks. Again."

"Your welcome. ...Now, will you go home?"

"Yeah. I'll go home, so I can't drive you insane with questions and complaints about my artwork."

"Good to know you care about my sanity," Travis grinned.

Starting off through the parlor, Rachel stopped and turned around halfway out the door, smirking back at him, "What's left of it, anyway."

[littlebamf]

I'm sure Lizzie will love her tattoo. And heck, if Rae screws it up she can afford to have it removed

[littlebamf]

Elizabeth: Lizzie checked her phone, slipping it into her bag as she pushed the door open to the tattoo parlour. She felt oddly nervous. It had been a while since she'd been in one of these places for actual work and when she had last got something done, well, she was hardly 'all there'.

rachel: Rachel chewed on her lip as she stared at the tattoo design, feeling slightly sick as she thought of all the ways she could possibly screw this up. Not that she would. Hopefully, it'd turn out okay. Glancing up as Lizzie came in, she took a deep breath and blew it out before trying to grin, "Hey."

Elizabeth: "Hey apprentice," Lizzie gave her a smirk and walked up to the desk, leaning over Rae's shoulder to take a peek. "So, is this my tattoo?" she took a swallow. As well as it being a while since she'd had any work, she'd never had anything so...meaningful.

rachel: "Yep. I've been slaving over it for the past few days. Look okay?" she raked a hand through her hair, glancing up at her.

Elizabeth: "It looks fine," smiling, Lizzie propped her elbow on the desk as she looked closer. "I can tell you've worked in it really hard. I really appreciate this."

rachel: "Cool, and it's no problem. I mean, you did pay for most of my apprenticeship..." Rachel shrugged. "So, where do you want it?"

Elizabeth: "Just on my hip, keep it small?" she asked, standing up, patting her left hip. "I need to be able to cover it for modelling jobs...And I would have helped you out with it anyway, even if I didn’t want a tattoo."

rachel: "Sure." She wasn't quite sure whether small was good or bad. Maybe small would be good. Wouldn't it be less noticeable if she messed up? "You can go sit over there or whatever while I go steal someone's stuff and wash my hands and everything."

Elizabeth: She raised an eyebrow. "Someone's stuff? I thought that was the point of me helping out, so you had stuff!" she laughed as she wandered over to the seat Rae had gestured towards and set her bag down. "Is this going to be the afternoon's entertainment? You tattooing me with my skirt round my ankles, the other artists leaning over you, offering advise..."

rachel: "Well, I have the needles and ink and that stuff. I just need a few pairs of gloves. Well, and to wash my hands..." Rachel gave another shrug, searching for a box of gloves. "It's better than what I normally do all afternoon. Oh, you don't have to have your skirt around your ankles. Just down far enough I can get the tattoo where you want it. And, I hope there won't be any hovering."

Elizabeth: "Yes, but it's tight waisted, it won't be comfortable shoved down for however many hours it needs to be!" she rolled her eyes. "And if you want no hovering I could always...y'know..." she winked, a flash of pink around her eyes.

rachel: "Well, I could always deal with the hovering myself, too," she glanced over her shoulder, poking her tongue out as she pulled her hair back before washing her hands. "And, it doesn't really matter to me. As long as you're comfortable for however many hours it'll take."

Elizabeth: "I know, but you know how I like screwing around...All I need is a lolly and I wouldn't even need my telepathy. Just the feeling of being incredibly thirsty and wanting still spring water..."

rachel: Rachel pulled the gloves on and made her way back over to where Liz was, "Yeah, I can't imagine screwing around being a good thing while I'm prodding you with needles though."

Lizzie: "Well I wouldn't be screwing you around. I'd just be making people wander away so they're not breathing on you..."

rachel: "True, though the sparkles might be a bit distracting," she smirked, grabbing the sheet with the design on it. "I have to place this, and then you have to go check it in the mirror and tell me whether it's fine where it is or not."

Elizabeth: "Well I'd hope you'd be looking at my tattoo in progress and not my face!" Standing up, Lizzie unzipped her skirt and tugged it down a little, wriggling it around to get a decent patch of skin. "I used to have a tattoo here actually..."

<rachel> "Really? What was it?" Rachel reached for the bar of soap and applied it to the spot along with some alcohol. She carefully placed the stencil and peeled the sheet off, eyeing the outline of the tattoo. "Mirror's over there," she nodded, "It look okay there?"

<Elizabeth> "Barbed wire. Fit of teenaged rebellion that didn't go with the family image, so," she extended her right index finger and made a slashing motion across her throat as she wandered over to the mirror, taking a look at the little bat.

<Elizabeth> "It's...cute," she gave a small swallow. "I like it."

<rachel> She gave a small grin and switched gloves, throwing the others away as she went for the machine, inks, and a new package of needles. "Cool. Glad you like it. Now, for the hard part..."

<Elizabeth> "Oh, you'll be fine. I have great faith in you my young apprentice," Lizzie came back over, a grin on her face. "You know what I'd do if you messed up, so I know you'll do it right."

<Elizabeth> "And anyway, not like I can't afford removal..." poking her tongue out at Rae, she looked around. "Right...Do I need to lie down or what?"

<rachel> "Well, unless you want to stand there for a few hours..." Rachel gave a shrug and smirk, making sure that Liz could see her opening the needles and assembling the tattoo machine, "I try not to think about what you'd do to me if I screwed up. Plus, getting them removed is painful."

<Elizabeth> "I know, had removals remember," she got herself comfortable as she could, propping her head on her hand. "And I wouldn't actually do much to you really. Just be disappointed."

<rachel> "Yeah, being disappointed with me would be enough to make me feel terrible. Well, more terrible than I already would feel." She grabbed a chair and made sure she had everything before sitting down and switching gloves again. "Just have to put antibiotic cream stuff on it, and then I can do the outline."

<Elizabeth> "Exactly. But you're not going to screw up. So, it's good. Take your time," she nodded, watching Rae carefully sort out her tools. "You're quite professional already."

<rachel> "I didn't think I was being professional, but thanks," Rachel grinned, checking over the machine. She inhaled deeply and brought the tip to Lizzie's skin, slowly letting the breath out. It'd turn out okay, and she just had to focus on the outline for now. "Ready?"

<Elizabeth> "Ready," she made a bit of a face, wishing that she'd brought someone for moral support, but Bobby and or Lorna hovering over them would be more likely to put Rae off.

<rachel> Glancing up at Lizzie one last time, Rachel hit the trigger to start the machine and started at the bottom right of the tattoo to avoid smearing the ink. "...This isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. So far, anyway."

<Elizabeth> Lizzie bit on her bottom lip. Oooh she'd forgotten about the scratchy feeling of this. It was weird, made her want to itch..."Oh you're a trooper. You'll be fine!"

<rachel> "I'm more worried about the shading and color, really. And, I'm slightly glad I'm not the one being tattooed...even though I wouldn't mind having one or two more..."

<rachel> She grinned a bit and wiped away some excess ink. This really wasn't as horrible as she'd thought it'd be but still nervewracking. "Have any plans for the summer?"

<Elizabeth> "Don't think about the shading, just worry about the outline!" Lizzie pointed out, wanting to fidget but not daring to breathe. "Plans? Well...No. Aside from work."

rachel: "Work sounds so exciting," Rachel rolled her eyes as she slowly made her way up and to the left.

Elizabeth: "Oh I get to go to London, Rome and maybe Osaka. So, it is. This is work as in modelling work by the way, not office bitch work."

rachel: "Ah, so it has potential to be somewhat exciting. Does Anton know you're getting a tattoo?"

Elizabeth: "Ah...I said I might be a while ago. But it's small so I can cover it for work. I don't generally bare a lot for my regular contracts anyway so it's not breaking anything..." she twisted her head to see how it was coming along.

rachel: "Awesome," Rachel wiped away some more ink and shifted slight to give Liz a better view of it so far. Just a little more of the outline left... "Don't have any plans except for Alex and Meggan's wedding. Have to go be all maid of honor like and everything, which I'm not really all that great at."

<Elizabeth> "Wow...It's going quicker than I expected..." she chewed her lip, watching the outline form on her reddened skin.

<Elizabeth> "As for the maid of honour, I did an alright job for Bobby and Lorna so if you need any help..."

<rachel> "Well, it is pretty small, and it's just going over the stencil. I like to think I'm capable of going over a line," she grinned. "And, I'm hoping all I'll have to do is show up, put the dress on, and get it over with."

<Elizabeth> "So...You haven't had to plan anything? Like, help with flowers, the party, cake, help with...well, stuff."

<Elizabeth> She looked at the tattoo again. "True...it is small. You...don't think I'm stupid getting this done, do you?"

<rachel> "Well, I have. Sorta. I mean, I looked at cakes and flowers and stuff," she shrugged, "No, I don't think it's stupid."

<Elizabeth> "I still really miss him..." Lizzie murmured, keeping her eyes on the tattoo. "Oh, so you've already done a little bit then. That's cool, so they shouldn't ask much more then," she looked up, grinning.

rachel: "Well, I imagine you would." Rachel finished the outline and wiped away more ink, setting the machine down to grab the soap again. She was starting to see why tattoos took so long, all the disinfecting and everything. "And, hopefully, I won't have to do much more. I've never even really been to a wedding."

Elizabeth: "No? I've been to a couple, not a huge amount or anything," she winced a bit. Typical, just as she was getting used to the tattooing, Rae would probably be done. "How are you getting there anyway?"

rachel: She flexed her hand in between switching gloves again, cringing slightly, before picking the machine back up to start on the shading. "Flying. I think I'd be a bit late if I decided to swim," she smirked.

Elizabeth: Lizzie rolled her eyes. "No shit. I mean, who's paying for it all? Can't imagine Alex has gotten enough together working at Megatokyo to pay for everyone going to Europe on top of everything else."

rachel: "Andreas is paying. The wedding's going to be at his castle."

Elizabeth: She rolled her eyes again. "This him making up for never socialising with anyone? His family are weird. I got dragged there one New Year when I was in Germany for a shoot. Wish I hadn't."

rachel: "I can deal with weird relatives as long as I'm not paying for anything," Rachel grinned for a second, lip slipping between her teeth as she focused on the shading a bit more.

Elizabeth: "Oh this is European weird..." she made a face as she remembered it. "At least you won't have to put up with my bad cooking in London this year. My twin's actually moved into my flat to look after it. I just don't know when I'll have the time to go back..."

rachel: "Pffft. Yeah because eating my own cooking is so much safer," she snorted. "Not going back? Because of work?"

Elizabeth: "Pretty much..." she shifted an inch to sratch her nose. God she'd already blabbed too much about it to start going on at Rae..."Just...Not the same anymore as well. Childish I know. But meh."

rachel: "Well, at least your brother's using it," Rachel shrugged.

Elizabeth: "Yeah, he's glad of it as well. He wanted his own place, so we might as well share one, save on bills and everything as we both wander now and then."

rachel: "How's your other brother?" Only a little bit more shading, more disinfecting, and then a little color...

Elizabeth: Making a face, Lizzie took a breath before replying. "Busy with his wife and kid and career and everything. He's fine, I just don't get to hear from him so much anymore."

rachel: "That kinda sucks." Rachel leaned back and inspected the shading as she reached for the ink cap with the red in it. "Shouldn't be much longer, by the way."

Elizabeth: "Mmmph - Well, he's got a family of his own, so he's busy. It's perfectly understandable as he can't spend the rest of his life running around after me."

rachel: "I suppose, but you're family too," she glanced over the tattoo again before starting on the red highlights.

Elizabeth: "I am but I'm not his child, nor have I....not going there as that would be too strange to say. He still calls me, we still talk, it's just a little different."

rachel: "Yeah, I rarely talk to my family anymore, but I'm fine with it," Rachel shrugged. Okay, her hand was really starting to cramp, and it was only slightly painful. Luckily, she was almost done.

Elizabeth: "How are you holding up there?" she asked, trying to angle her neck so she could see how far along it was now. She winced a bit at how red her skin was.

rachel: "Not too bad. Hand is starting to hurt, which I expected, but it looks a lot better than I thought it would."

Elizabeth: "You'll get used to it, I'm sure. And good to know you have so much confidence in yourself..."

rachel: "Oh yeah, just tons of self-confidence," Rachel rolled her eyes as she added a few finishing touches. "You wanna go look in the mirror while I get bandages and such? And, do I really have to go through the aftercare?"

Elizabeth: "Yes. You do. You're a professional now, darling," Lizzie got up, stiff from lying down and went over to the mirror, holding her skirt up on her other hip as to not bear herself.

Elizabeth: Turning a little, she blinked at the little bat, feeling a lump rising in her throat. "It's...I love it."

rachel: Rachel grinned, "Awesome. Glad to know I didn't disappoint you."

rachel: Sighing, she went through a mental checklist of all the aftercare... "After I put the bandage on, leave it for a few hours and carefully take it off. If it sticks while you're trying to remove it, run it under warm water. Once the bandage is off, clean it with unscented soap, using your hand. Wear loose fitting clothing, cover it with unscented lotion a few times a day, and don't pick at it when it starts peeling."

rachel: She chewed on her lip, "Oh, and don't soak it in water. Or sunlight, but I doubt the sun will be a problem... Anything else?"

Elizabeth: "Hmm," she picked up her bag and pulled out her wallet, handing over a hundred dollar bill. "Your payment. And don't you dare not take it."

rachel: She quickly disposed of anything she'd used in the biohazard bin and eyed the money, frowning at being told that she wasn't allowed to refuse it. "But..." she sighed again and took the money, "Fine."

Elizabeth: "It's probably bad luck if I don't pay you. And if the other guys found out you didn't get paid you'd probably get crap for it!"

rachel: "Most likely, but you've paid for pretty much the whole apprenticeship, so it's not like you have to pay me."

Elizabeth: "And it's not like I can't afford to pay you. Now you're a professional, so you won't need my help anymore. I'll still buy you coffee though, but now you get to buy every other time. Deal?"

rachel: "Okay, deal," Rachel grinned. "Anyway, I'm going finish cleaning up before I get lectured about health hazards and diseases."

Elizabeth: "Well have fun with that! If possible," she wrinkled her nose up at the idea. "I'll see you when you're finished then. And thanks again, Rae."

[Starfish]

Selene: Selene had hoarded way too much stuff already. Various pieces of clothing and all kinds of other things piled on her bed and on her table, and she still hadn't reached the deepest depths of her drawers. Muttering a wild assortment of curses in Spanish, Selene pulled even more stuff out and tossed it behind herself at random.

rachel: Rachel ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath before knocking on the the door, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she waited for an answer. So, she could just go get it done, but she didn't want to pay to have it done. Though... it was Selene, so paying could be worth it...

Selene: Selene cursed out loud as she accidentally knocked a stack of books off her desk. "Come in," she called at the door, kneeling down to pick up her books. "It's open."

rachel: She cringed at the sound of something crashing to the floor before opening the door and making her way into the room. Chewing on her lip,she wondered if it was bad that she actually had to look for Selene in the sea of black clothing, "Hey."

Selene: "Hello, Rachel," Selene replied, stacking the books back on the desk. She turned to look at the other girl. "Beware the clutter. I can't guarantee that no sharp or pointy objects are hidden among it." She made a face and stood up again. "I'm missing several hairpins."

rachel: Rachel eyed the floor, debating if it was safer to just stay on Lizzie's side of the room. "I'll keep an eye out for them," she grinned, "Speaking of sharp and pointy things, I was wondering if you'd be willing to do something for me..."

Selene: Selene raised an eyebrow in response. After a moment of contemplating Rachel's question, she replied, "If sharp and pointy things are involved, chances are I'm more than willing to help you." She made a waving gesture with her hand. "So, who or what is it that requires stabbing? And will we have to worry about disposing bodies?"

rachel: "Um... Well, I hope it won't involve getting rid of bodies because I don't really wanna die." Maybe it would've been better to pay for it... but it wouldn't turn out that badly, hopefully... "I was wondering if you could pierce my nose. Septum, specifically."

Selene: Selene's eyebrow moved back up again and she looked at Rachel with a mixture of wonder, curiosity and excitement. "Ooh, you would want me to pierce you," Selene asked, tapping the tips of her fingers together in front of her chest. "Consider me intrigued."

rachel: Rachel wasn't sure the look on Selene's face reassured her and nodded, "Yeah, I mean... I have a ring. Just need someone to poke a hole, and I figured you'd enjoy stabbing me..."

Selene: "I enjoy stabbing people in general," Selene admitted, followed by a chuckle. "It was a good idea coming to me with that. I think I'll certainly be able to help you. It'll be a great opportunity for me to practise this art."

rachel: "Awesome," she grinned again and glanced around the room, "So, can you do it now, or would another time work better for you...?"

Selene: Selene tapped an index finger against her lips. "Hm, I guess we could do this now." She let her gaze wander around the room. "Though perhaps not here. At least, not before I have cleaned up this mess. Besides, I need some equipment that I don't have at hand here."

Selene: She shrugged. "Well, I do have most of the things we'd need. Somewhere in here, that is. But I guess you'd want to have proper disinfection, yes?"

rachel: "Yeah, that'd be nice. I can't imagine an infection would be fun. Guess you'd want the ring to disinfect, too?" Rachel reached into her pocket, digging around for it.

Selene: "Ah yes, that would be good. I guess. I knew I had forgotten about something." Selene shrugged again, then took the ring from Rachel. "We'll have to head down to the medlab to find the proper equipment, though. Let's hope that Scott or McCoy aren't there right now."

rachel: "Well, if they are, at least we can tell them we were trying to be safe," she smirked.

Selene: "That's true," Selene agreed and returned Rachel's smirk. "Now, shall we go and get this done then?" She stepped over to the door and waited for Rachel to walk past her, then pulled it close and headed down the corridor. "Thank you for trusting me enough to let me do this. I'm very excited about it."

rachel: Rachel followed Selene down to the medlab and gave a shrug, "No problem. I kinda figured it'd be better than to attempt doing it myself.... not that I haven't already pierced myself..." Once they made it to the medlab, she poked her head in and looked around, "Doesn't look like McCoy or Scott is around."

Selene: "Excellent," Selene commented, then led Rachel down to one of the examination rooms. "Well, I have to admit that you've got the same amount of practical experience as I do then. Piercings are a great form of body art and I'm very interested to learn it, but the courses are very expensive. So I've got all of my knowledge from books and self-study."

Selene: Selene smirked at Rachel. "But I did practice a lot on myself already. Being able to heal your wounds quickly has more benefits than I initially thought."

rachel: "Yeah, I get what you mean about the expensive. My tattoo apprenticeship also costs ungodly amounts of money. But, at least you've bothered to study piercings," she smiled, "I never did, so I'm lucky I haven't gotten an infection or anything."

Selene: "Yes, you are. Fortunately, that's something I don't have to worry about, so I don't have any disinfectant up in my room." She gestured at the examination table. "Take a seat, please." Selene rummaged around the drawers and cupboards for a few minutes, gathering all the material she needed. Or thought that she might need.

rachel: Rachel pulled her hair back, using the hair tie that'd been wrapped around her wrist, and hopped onto the examination table, "So, are you nervous about this at all?"

Selene: "Why should I," Selene asked, looking over her shoulder while she washed her hands. "It's not me who's getting stabbed, after all." She placed the ring Rachel had given her in some antiseptic, then put a pair of gloves on. "I'll have to put antiseptic on your nose, too." She stepped next to the table. "That will smell strongly, so breathe through your mouth."

rachel: "True, but I was nervous as hell when I did my first tattoo. Guess piercings aren't as bad though since they aren't really permanent," she shrugged and took a breath, preparing herself for the smell.

Selene: "Well, as far as I know, there are ways to get rid of tattoos, as well. Though, I guess they are rather painful." Selene applied some of the antiseptic to Rachel's nose. "But that's the reason why I prefer piercings. I'm fickle and would get bored with a tattoo after a while. But the jewelry can be changed around.

Selene: She picked up the clamps. "So, do you want to remain seated, or do you want to lie down?"

rachel: "Yeah, getting them removed is also really expensive." Her nose wrinkled at the smell, and she focused on breathing through her mouth, eyeing the clamps, "Whichever is easier for you. Doesn't really matter to me."

Selene: "Very well. Stay this way then. Just tilt your head back." Selene fumbled with the ceiling light and switched it on, then had a close look at Rachel's nose. "All right. So I need to find the right spot on the septum, beneath the cartilage," she recited what she had read about this particular piercing. "Ah, there you are. This might pinch just a little..." Selene put the clamps in place.

rachel: Rachel nervously chewed on her lip, doing her best to sit still with her head tilted while Selene did whatever was involved with piercing. She held back the urge to flinch. Riiight, just pinch a little... "Guess this won't be much longer then?"

Selene: "No, we're almost done," Selene replied, making sure the clamps stayed in place. She reached for the bowl with the ring and then looked in the box with sterile surgery instruments for a suitable needle. "By the way, did you know that septum piercing are among the most painful ones you can get?" She held up a small, but very sharp looking needle. "It's because of the many nerve endings."

rachel: She raised an eyebrow, watching the needle, "You couldn't have told me that after you stabbed me?" Okay, so she wasn't too worried about the pain, but still... not something she really wanted to know at that moment.

Selene: "I just wanted to increase the anticipation," Selene told Rachel with a smirk, before putting the needle in place. "It'll be over soon. Unfortunately..." She stabbed the other girl's septum with one smooth motion and put the ring through the freshly punched hole. "Was it as bad as I thought it would be?"

rachel: Rachel took in a sharp breath at the piercing. That'd hurt more than she'd expected. "Well, it didn't feel all that great, but it wasn't that bad. Definitely been through things that are more painful..."

Selene: "Sounds exciting," Selene commented, carefully cleaning the piercing with some sterile fluid that stood nearby, before threading the ball on the ring, fixing it in place. "That's it." She put all of the tools out of the way. "I guess you already know about how to clean and take care for these things while they heal, yes?"

rachel: "Yeah, but it's been a while, so I wouldn't mind hearing how to take care of it," she grinned, pushing herself off the table.

Selene: "Well, clean thoroughly and often. Warm water with sea salt should work fine. I've read that it'll take several weeks to fully heal, and your nose will feel very sensitive in the beginning." Selene shrugged. "It's said that even light bumps can feel like a punch to the nose at first. So I'd advice against running headlong into walls."

rachel: Nodding, Rachel resisted the urge to touch the ring, "Thought that was pretty much it, and I don't tend to run straight into walls purposely, so I think I'm good on that. Thanks, by the way. Would've been a bit difficult to try and do this myself."

Selene: "Definitely. And you're welcome." Selene looked over the place and made sure it appeared more or less the way they found it. "It was a good opportunity for me practice on a life human other than myself. Should you ever need other parts of your body stabbed, feel free to ask me again."

rachel: "I'll keep that in mind," she grinned, "Think I'm going to get out of here before McCoy or Scott pops up though."

Selene: Selene frowned, then nodded in agreement. "I think that's a good idea." She stood up and switched off the ceiling light. "I doubt they'd fall for it if we told them that we were just trying to chase off homeless drug addicts who tried to steal the pill bottles."

rachel: "Probably not, and they'd most likely notice the ring in my nose that wasn't there before," Rachel smirked, heading for the door and holding it open for Selene. Surprisingly, that hadn't gone as badly as she'd thought it would, and they didn't get caught.

Selene: "You could try convincing them that you're just as surprised to find a ring through your nose as they are." Selene followed Rachel outside. "It might be unlikely, but should I ever decide to get a tattoo somewhere, you could return the favour."

rachel: "Could possibly think of something kinda convincing, but I doubt they'd believe me anyway," she shrugged, "Sure, I could do that. Just have to pick something out or tell me what you want, and I'll do it."

Selene: "Thank you." Selene shrugged. "I'll get back to you on that. If I ever could decide on a motif. To be honest, I doubt there's a big chance on that happening anytime soon."

rachel: "No problem." Rachel quickly checked a mirror on the way out of the medlab. The ring looked weird, but she'd get used to it. Eventually.