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(no subject)

Who: Sheogorath and you!
What: The grand opening of the strange new business in town
When: Late August onward
Where: The most asymmetrical building in town
Warning(s): Discussion of surgical procedure, sutures, needles

The building is quite a sight, one half more Queen Anne and the other Italianate. Hanging evenly between the two entrances is a sign, one side reading "St Arden-Sul Surgery" and the other reading "Butterfly's Fang Salon." There are two doors on the same face of the building, one solid, the other ornamented with windows in the shape of eyes and flower petals.

Should one enter the eastern door (the one on the left), they will find themselves in a clinic. The entrance is warm and inviting, and the patient beds look quite comfortable. There are flowers on the bedside table, and the lighting is warm. A colorful stained glass window takes up a large part of the eastern wall.

That feeling shifts completely at around the halfway point of the room, where the place becomes cold and austere. These 'beds' are barely more than surgical slabs, and the floor already seems bloodstained, despite there not having been any patients yet. In the corner, there's a bust of a person screaming in agony. Another window set into the wall looks dusty and grimy despite being new, letting only a little light trickle in.

Entering through the western door will lead one into a charming... and daunting... parlor. A few chairs are lined up against the wall, reclined for the comfort of the patrons. Again, the decor is colorful towards the front of the shop. There are bright, hand-drawn illustrations lining the walls and patterned tiles decorating the floor. The back of the parlor, on the other hand, is ornamented with chains and leather while the floor is rough, gray stone.

For the purpose of the grand opening, the patterned wooden divider that separates the two businesses has been partially pulled back, allowing the two sides to glimpse one another.

Sheogorath is drifting from one side to the other, greeting guests and offering them tea. He's dressed quite smartly, looking much more dapper gent than pure element of chaos. His eyes are what betray his unfettered excitement, their being a kaleidoscopic shimmer of purple and gold.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Whoa..." Max says with awe as he peeks his head into the western door. He's contemplated getting a tattoo before but he never got the courage or change to try it. He steels himself now and steps fully inside, only to be met with an offer for tea, which he gladly accepts.

"So... how does this work?"

"Well, let me ask you this first: have you ever gotten a tattoo before? Or are you more interested in the piercings? Actually, we have quite a wide array of services here. I could even change your eyes or make your hair grow in a different color!"

"I've never had anything done." His hand creeps to that place on the back of his neck where the brand of his master's crest still sits burned into his skin. These days, he wears his hair long to hide it better. "Well.. not on purpose, anyway."

The thought of changing his eyes draws an immediate cringe from him, but the hair color thing is tempting. But then again... he likes being tall, dark, and handsome.

"I think, um, I'd like to get a tattoo. I've been considering it for a while but I've been too scared to act on it."

“Well, hopefully you’ll find at least one side of the parlor to be comforting. Do you have a design in mind? Where are you thinking of having the tattoo placed? I have some samples in this book here, if you’d like some inspiration.”

He does so love to dispense inspiration.

Now that he mentions it... the other part Max can see through the parted wall is not really that comforting at all. He quickly decides he'd rather not have anything to do with that other side. But the leather and chains on this side are pretty cool.

"I know what I want, generally, and where, but I'm not the best at drawing so..." deep breath. Moment of truth. "I want a wolf over my heart. Is that something you can do?

"Of course I can do that. But I'd like to know more. Are you thinking a wolf's head? A running wolf? A leaping wolf? A sleeping one? Is the wolf calm? Preparing to lunge? Are its eyes dark with fear, or bright with the splendor of the stars and moons?"

"Oh. Hm." Can you tell he really hasn't gotten far in the planning? That's a lot of things he hasn't even considered yet.

"Well. I want to get it to represent my girlfriends. So, maybe two wolves? Just their heads, I guess, like howling? I don't want them to be scary, but they should look fierce." Like his loves.

He nods.

"And what about the border? Do you want the image to be contained in a circle? Do you want the boundaries to be sharp, or faded? If you'd like, I can play about with a few ideas and then present you with some possibilities, and we can work from there."

He stops to think again. These are great questions that he feels a little silly about not having an answer to, yet, but in his defense, he didn't think it would be possible to get any ink done so soon.

"Hm. No border, I think. My girls can't be contained. Oh, but one should be grey and the other black." That much he knows for sure.

"Could you? I've never had a tattoo done before so I appreciate your patience with me."

“I’d be delighted! Give me, say, two days to really gnaw on some ideas. Then we can meet in the early afternoon, and I can show you what I’ve come up with.”

"Yes, please! That sounds great." Max will go home and see if he can decide on any more details himself, too. He can try to be a little more helpful about it now that it's become a real thing instead of something he might do in the future.

"Meet back here?"

[ooc: thinking we can do a time skip to them meeting back up.]

"Of course! I'll be trying to be here more often than not, but if you find it hard to catch me, I'm sure you'll be able to reach my receptionist, at least!"

A couple days later, when Max arrives, there are already tea and biscuits ready. Sheogorath is sitting in the waiting area ready, legs crossed, with a sketchbook on his lap. He's got his hair pulled back into a little nub of a ponytail and his sleeves rolled up to just above the elbows.

Max's heart is already racing in his chest before he so much as steps through the door, so tea is a great call. He can't help it. He's nervous, yes, but also excited. As promised, he's been thinking it over at home and he at least knows exactly what colors to ask for to match his loves. The rest is still a little abstract for him.

"H-Hi. Should I sit here or...?"

“Yes, yes, please do! You strike me as a man that likes a hearty, mellow tea. Am I right on that?”

"Wow, you've got a good eye for taste," Max says as he perches on the edge of a seat. "Yes, I do. If I need something stronger, I usually go for coffee. Tea is my go-to for relaxing." And he could afford some of that now with how tightly wound he feels. He hasn't told either of his girlfriends about this, yet. He wants to make it a surprise.

"Sorry I'm so jittery right now. It's not you, I swear."

“It’s a little bit me, but I’m used to that by now,” he chuckles.

“I’ve been nervous jitters since mortals had skin to jitter in.”

He’s already pouring Max the tea, having had everything ready for him.

"Uh..." Max just does not know how to respond to that. He's not being literal, is he?

To cover for his lack of grace, Max decided to pick up the cup and take a sip.

"Mm, this is wonderful, thank you." When in doubt, talk about food. "So, did you have any good ideas for sketches come to you?"

"See for yourself!" he exclaims, flipping open a sketchbook to reveal the first two drafts of full-sized art.

"Wow," Max says, starstruck. It's even more impressive than he imagined. Without thinking, he puts his hand out to touch the page. He could have that over his heart? He almost still can't believe it.

"I like it a lot..."

"I thought you might. You strike me as the kind of man to wear his heart on his sleeve, so it's not that hard to figure out what you would wear on your heart, eh?" He gives his knee a gentle slap.

"You got me on that one," Max says without a hint of shame. "I like wearing my heart on my sleeve; it's easier for people to get to it that way." Sometimes that's for the worst instead of better, but it's a risk he's already decided he's willing to take.

"Honestly, I don't have any changes. This already looks even better than what I pictured in my head."

“Splendid! Splendid. Let’s have a little more tea to get those nerves steadied, and then are you able to sit for a session today? I’ve got plenty of time set aside.”

Sheo smiles at Max with the same sincerity that Max himself absolutely radiates.

"Yeah," Max answers, before sipping on his tea again. He's so excited, which is ironically making calming the jitters difficult.

"I can. I have my whole day blocked off. I, um, didn't know how long it might be. Let me just take some big breaths."

He does exactly that, closing his eyes and slowing his breathing down with intention until he can feel himself calming. That's already better, but he has some more tea, too, just for good measure.

"Okay. I think I'm ready."

“Before we get started, how about I tell you just a little about the artist, for the sake of getting to know one another. You’re a sincere sort, I feel that might help.”

"Oh, yeah. I'd love that, yeah." He frowns in confusion for just a moment. "You're the artist, right?"