Rise (Lykaios & Yuffie)

[Lykaios]

((Starting this because I think it'll be interesting to have a bit of Ascendence character back-story. In the main roleplay; it will later be revealed that the vast majority of Incarnates have met in the past, whether briefly or otherwise. So this seems only natural. Open to having a couple others join in on this if they wish to; just contact me and I'll see how I can fit you in.))

Sean Dane Michaelis at twenty-one years of age; standing at six-two, he is far from being short and his well-toned and muscular physique grant him a rather imposing look. Athletically built as he is, it's near impossible to look at him without feeling some form of threat, or challenge. Yet, right now; his rippled body is taut with anticipation. Having had work done at this parlour before, Sean's not new to getting tattooed, but it was never something that he could adjust to. Today, he was in with his two closest friends remaining from highschool; Drew, who was watching balefully, and Lenard, who was being tattooed for the street-gang he'd just been recruited into, who called themselves the 'Elementals'. Sean found the idea of recruiting for a gang pathetic, and turned down any who tried to turn him, saying that it was 'trash seeking garbage', and wasn't his idea of fun. Of course, this caused a bit of a fuss when it was one of his friends trying to recruit him.

Len was being tattooed with the gang's symbol of a ball of fire, with wisps of water, air, lightning and earth moving around it. As he sat forward on the chair, the tattooist looked at it as he did the piece, a faint scowl evident on his features. Clearly; he did not like the tattoo design being used as a gangs symbol. Sean tried to calm himself, feeling the strain from the imminent tattooing tugging at his thoughts. He was not accustomed to it, even though he'd had work done. He wasn't overly fond of being touched by anyone or anything that was outside of his control. Despite that he was in a controlled environment, in which he'd paid good money to have this work done; he still felt uneasy. It wasn't the pain, as he was well accustomed and used to that, but rather, the sensation itself that made him twitchy.

Exhaling, he attempted to clear his mind through meditation, to not focus on the tattooing, but rather something more to his acclimatisation. His masters had always told him that meditation was his greatest weakness, though; as he was scarcely capable of controlling his mind well enough to focus. The only other weakness they found was his self-control...or lack-thereof. They'd all seemed of mind that if he were to ever find peace of mind and a level of aelf-control; he could be incredibly dangerous. Well; more than he was.

Len was still in the seat beside him when he spoke, and inwardly Sean cringed. Drew saw his expression and nodded; seemingly in agreement of Michaelis' sentiments.
"I was thinkin': why don't you guys wanna join up with the Elementals? There's some good perks to it, an' you'll be protected--"
"Shut up, kid. This tat's intricate enough, without you blowin' yer shit about that gang." his tattooist said, looking damned close to smacking Len upside the head.
"Sorry, sir." he mumbled, looking a bit worried.
"I ain't joining no gang, Len. And if you want to be protected, I'm pretty sure crossing Razor's 'beat list' from "buddy" to "thug" isn't gonna help you; know what I mean?" Drew said, waving his hand across his face as though swatting a fly. Drew had a good point; one that Sean didn't need to back. They both knew him well enough understand that Sean - who they had appropriately nick-named 'Razor' - had a thing against gangster's pushing people around for kicks. Unfortunately; in a location like California since the upheaval 22 years ago, it had become a fairly lawless location where street-crime was beginning to run rampant, and gangs were as common as pedestrians.

"Yeah, but Sean's our bro. He wouldn't drop me cause I did something that could save my life." Len responded.
"Depends on what you do with the position, Len. You try to screw with innocent people; you know I'll screw with you, right back." Sean finally added, feeling his silence would no longer benefit. Lenard looked troubled at Sean's words, but ultimately grimaced, knowing Sean wasn't kidding.
"Man, you know I'd never."
"We'll see. Gang mentality is catching. Now shut up about it, before your tattooist sticks the needle in deeper than he should." he said, the conversation closer.

The tattooist working on Len smiled briefly, amused by Sean's tactful use of a subtle hint.
"Couldn't 'a said it better, myself." he chuckled. Sean found his reply relieving; being able to concentrate a bit more now.

"So Sean, what are you getting done today?" the tattooist asked. He knew Sean from the several visits the young man had made so far since turning eighteen.
"I was hoping to get the right side of my back finished, today. My usual artist just doesn't seem to be here right now." he replied, looking over at the artist. He had his shirt off as he sat on the chair; waiting.

It was a lot of work he had done on his body so far. His entire right arm was tribalised, as was the right upper-most half of his back and on his shoulder to his neck. The tattooes had taken a long time, often being several hours each visit. Ultimately; Sean was going to have the right side of his back tribal-printed, as well as his right arm (which was done already) and left forearm. He hadn't quite figured out what he wanted on his chest or the left side of his back, but he figured he had more than enough time to decide.

"You have any suggestions for me after my tribal design is finished? I want to depart from over-loading the tribal body-art." he said to the artist.
"Nothing that stands out, Razor." the tattooist responded, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

Taking his indication, Sean dropped the subject.
"Hey, why does the tattooist call you Razor?" Drew asked.
"'Cause I'm here enough, he knows me by name, title and reputation." he replied curtly.
"And he got a bit edgy when he got his first tat done. Razor just seems appropriate." the tattooist added.
Sean growled quietly; preferring not to be reminded.

"Yeah, well...maybe one day I'll learn." he said under his breath.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

About then, the doorbell let out a soft jingle, announcing the entrance of another person. Upon looking over, the men's eyes would meet the presence of an amber-eyed, dark haired girl with a solemn expression and a bandaged hand. The tattooist nodded in recognition of the girl before turning his full attention back to his work. The girl glanced briefly at the customers, noting that one was receiving a tattoo she was all too familiar with, to which she scowled, not even TRYING to hide the glare, but she promptly turned away, then, heading into the rear of the shop, calling back over her shoulder to the tattooist.
"so, if I'm not mistaken, first day at any job should be your hardest, right? so what are you throwing at me, boss?" she asked, her voice somewhat bland and tinged with an certain unfocused anger, as though she just hated the world in general but didn't want to take it out on anyone in particular. "coffee runs? cleanup? checkout?"
"quiet for a minute, kid" he replied, gruffly, to which she shut her trap and shrugged, tossing her bag down in the place where all the employees kept their things, wandering back out to watch her boss at work, as much as she hated the tattoo. Everything she could learn was an improvement, and for her, learning was easy. Eventually her eyes wandered to the other two customers, one of which was currently shirtless and seemed to be waiting for his turn. He was already quite covered in art, and she had to admire his taste in tattoos. With that, she turned her unusually hued eyes back to her boss at work, not seeing fit to converse with the stranger unless he saw any good reason to speak to her first.

((this alright, Ly?))

[Lykaios]

When the girl walked in, Sean's mind immediately went to thinking she was another customer; from her cursory glance at the three of them: Michaelis and his friends. But his mind corrected him of the assumption the moment she stepped into the staff area. Surprise was barely concealed on his face as she returned; clearly expecting to be given the cruddy grunt-work duties most newbies got at places like these. He concealed his shock, and was quickly finding his expression replaced with a degree of humour, as he laughed. His expression looked a bit at odds with his countenance; so it was a sight to behold: even for his friends.

"So; this is the new girl you hired to replace Jerry? Careful, she might bite if you give her the workload she just asked for." he said to the artist quietly - never expecting her not to hear.
"And don't I know it." he replied, before indicating the desk for the girl. "Fetch us the design folios, would ya? Our tribesman wants to look into non-tribal designs once he's completed-- uh, how much more?"
"The lower back on the right side and left forearm. Might go a bit more, but it ultimately depends on what I find..." Sean replied.
"Grab the folios marked with 2, 7 and 8. I think those three might have some designs Sean might like." he asked the girl.

Sean noticed he seemed a bit hesitant with her; she was new and definitely young, so he wanted to give her some freedom, but not coddle her that she think him not trusting of her. To Sean, it seemed Len's artist - who was by extension, the shop owner - wanted to give her a chance that was quickly becoming rare in this town. Sean was glad some people would still show some humanity, now and then. He was so used to violence he'd nearly forgotten there was any form of peace in the world. As she stepped away to collect the mentioned folios (and any others she thought had some designs appropriate for Sean) Sean heard Len whisper something.

"Is she cute, a babe, or what? I can't see her with my face down."
"Shut it, kid. That's my staff you're talking about."
"Sorry, sir!" Len said again, as the artist leaned on him with a bit more force than was neccessary.

Drew and Sean knew from that not to answer. But Sean admired something about this girl; for one she was tough, and not about to be walked over. She didn't look to be physically attractive, but was fairly plain; but plain had it's own attractiveness about it. She was strong-willed though, and that was nice.

Considering the tattoo parlour's owner's attitude toward the girl, he figured it would be nice if he could do something for them.

"Name's Sean Michaelis. I just started a small dojo South of here called 'Razor's Martial Arts School'. I'm presently the...only instructor." he offered his hand in greeting. Sensing something from her he couldn't quite place; he left it at that for now.

((I'll uh, leave the tattooists to your discretion, since I presently don't remember their names '^^))

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

The girl smirked and glanced back at the shirtless man when he remarked she might bite, rather amused by his little jokes. She made no move to comment, however, moving instead to collect the files. She wandered behind the curtains behind the counter, where they kept the shelves full of files, and pulled out the files she'd been asked for, before flicking through some others to check for anything else of interest. With the chosen files in hand, she paced back out and passed the files over to Sean, a look of mild surprise crossing her face when he actually sought conversation.
"Nyx. Nyx Vincent." she said as an introduction, pausing briefly when Sean offered a hand in greeting before she took the offered hand and shook it slightly in greeting, not particularly used to be greeted in any form of manner, let alone a friendly one. After all, things weren't exactly happy-smiley anywhere nearby anymore, so people tended to be abrasive. "So I take it you're a rough-and-tough type, hmm? good choice in a hell-hole like this one. Only the tough make it in the world these days. Doesn't pay to be a pacifist" she remarked, her expression suggesting she was beginning to see something mildly interesting in the man. "Think I might of seen your dojo on the way here, actually. So what combat forms do you teach?" she queried, folding her arms and giving her dark, red-ish fringe a flick to get it out of her face.

[Lykaios]

She seemed to be cheering up a little with the conversation, but that might have just been Sean's imagination. When she queried him on the arts he taught, he smiled. "Mainly offensive arts; but the one's capable of being used defensively. I've got black belts in Aikido, Judo, Kick-boxing, Boxing, Karate, Tae Kwon Do and a few others. My masters always found my knowledge of other arts as I learnt more, to be worrying. But now I teach. It's better than what I could do with it." he replied, and considered her earlier comment.
"And yeah; being a defenceless kid is impossible here, these days. It's good to have some martial art behind you. Self-defence is for the smart; not the weak, anymore."

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

"indeed." Nyx agreed, seeming mildly impressed by the span of black belts Sean listed. When he made his comment on self-defence being for the smart, she laughed slightly, tapping the toe of one heeled, buckled boot on the wooden floor from where she leaned against the wall. "Self-defence is for those who give a damn about making something of themselves other than another headstone in the cemeteries. The smart get out of this pit" she quipped, standing up from the wall and gesturing to the files she had handed him. "see anything that tickles your fancy?" she asked, seeming to have labelled the man amusing enough not to ignore his existence.

[Lykaios]

"Well; ya gotta be able to take care of yourself, to get out of here." he responded, "So self-defence comes with the territory."

She was an interesting girl. She had a different way of thinking, and it made him smile about it. There weren't many quick-witted women around, and if they were; they rarely gave time of day to speak to him. He gave off too much of that 'tough guy, I kill you' aura for most of the folk that knew of him around here. It was partly why he'd gotten the dojo so cheap: the previous owner had been struggling to make ends meet, and when Sean made an offer; he just accepted right away. Bonus for him.

Looking through the files, he took note of several designs that caught his eye. One was of a cobra; to coil around his arm. Another was a rather violent looking bi-pedal werewolf; complete with drool and blood dripping from it's claws. The final one to catch his eye was of a simple design: the Ouroboros; or "the snake eating it's tail". What little he knew of the Ouroboros; was that it represented the never-ending cycle of life and death. Pointing to the last two in turn; he took note of them.

"Those are cool."

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

"touche" Nyx shrugged, turning briefly to her boss to ask him if there was anything else he needed her to do, before she turned her strangely coloured eyes back to Sean, capable of continuing conversation whether she was asked to do something or not, given it was a task indoors. "I tried a bit of basic self-defense in high-school once. I ran out of things to learn in the end and quit, I'm just too quick a learner, I suppose." she remarked, with another shrug. "I guess I never really decided on any professional training, though, I'm more interested in finding myself a job I enjoy that gets me enough pay to live on. The rest, I'll just wing it, I guess."

Nyx smiled in response to his choices, nodding in approval. "you have good taste." she pointed to the Ouroboros, as she continued. "Ouroboros is a favourite of mine in symbolism. I have one in a pendant, actually." she remarked, turning her attention to the werewolf, complimenting the detail under her breath. She felt a slight niggling of jealousy at the artist's skill, but it vanished quickly when she reminded herself she could probably do just as good if she put her mind to it.

[Lykaios]

He found her responses about martial art training a slight surprise: she learnt self-defence in highschool quickly? It was impressive, to say the least. But when she continued on a professional note, he smiled. "Well, everyone learns something that they sooner or later pass on to someone else." he pointed to himself, then continued. "Aside from these two knuckle-heads; everyone in my graduating year of highschool voted me "Most Likely to End Up Dead Within Six Months". My graduating year had that one specifically added for my sake, can you believe that?" he added, with faked shock. "Here I am, though. Three and a half years later; still proving them wrong."

When she complimented him on his taste, he simply shrugged. "They just seem appropriate to me." was all he said. There wasn't much more he could say on that note. It was then that Sean's regular artist came in from an apparently late brunch...or had it simply been an early lunch?

"Oh, hey Sean. Didn't expect you so soon."
"Didn't plan on coming so soon. But my buddy had to be tattooed today, too. Still think he's an idiot." he replied, pointing at the bosses work on Len's shoulder. Sean's regular artist winced at the design.
"I see why." he stated, simply. "Alright then; shall we get you started?"
"Sure." Michaelis replied, handing the folios to the girl and leaning forward on the custom tattoo chair. It was going to sting a bit, but he was ready for it.

"Hey, Nyx; why don't you put your artistic skills to the test. I imagine those designs Sean showed you, were a bit out-dated. How 'bout you spruce 'em up a bit for when he's done with this session?" the boss said, clearly hoping to give the poor girl a chance to do something that was neither menial, nor something she didn't want to do.

Artistic skills were something Sean lacked even a rudimentary understanding of, so he felt a stab of jealousy at her for it. It wasn't important, though. When he had spare time these days, it was spent restoring some part of his dojo.

"Hey Nyx, why don't you come by for some lessons? I'll give you your first four for free." he said in earnest, before buckling down for his artist to finish the job.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Nyx nodded to her boss, taking the designs over to a workdesk and gathering some pencils and paper. "well...I suppose if I can find the time I could use some kind of workout. What days and times do you train?" she called back to Sean, starting with the Ouroboros first, as that was easier to work with. She felt quite good about already being allowed to do important work like designing, it made her feel like she was appreciated and it was something that made her very happy. She kept her eyes on her work, but she was listening closely and would reply when Sean spoke.

[Lykaios]

"It's open for the public, Tuesday to Saturday: 8 am till 8 pm. Private lessons I'll do on Monday's, and Sunday's are presently my only time off." he answered her question, before his artist tapped him for silence while he worked.

It was a long process. For the lower right side to be done; it took three hours, sitting in that chair. But he had every intention of having this design completed, before giving up on it. He stayed quiet for the entire duration, not focusing on anything except for his meditations; and that was incredibly difficult in itself. Len's tattoo was finished inside the first hour of Sean's, so he and Drew went out for lunch, while they waited for him.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Nyx had nodded and replied uttering that she would see if she had the spare time to come along. She then focused her thoughts on her work as Sean was asked to be silent, scribbling out the basic designs easily and then thinking back on images she had seen elsewhere and picking out what features it was that had made them so impressive, using similar techniques to add some interest to the old designs. By the time she was done, her boss was just adding the final touches to Sean's tattoo, so she stood to wait, leaning back on the counter one hand holding the designs and folded behind her back, the other twirling her loose fringe patiently around a finger, just her way of entertaining herself while she waited. When the tattoo was finished, she passed the designs to her boss, hoping he would like them. "I tried not to change them too much at the most basic, I figured that the designs themselves were good and that just the artwork needed some retouches." she said, leaning back against the counter again.

((sorry it took so long, was a bit lost on what I could write, hence it's short))

[Lykaios]

((Mine'll be short. After this; up to you whether you want to continue it.))

Sean eventually nodded off, as the artist worked; and only reawoke when the sound ceased and sensation stopped. Briefly embarrassed, he covered the flash of emotion instantly. He looked over to the Nyx as she showed her boss her redesigns. Inspecting the work with a professional air, he mostly hid his reactions to the designs till he looked at Sean, and cracked a smirk.

"I didn't hire Nyx just to diversify our staffs gender." he said with a light smile, as he handed the designs to Sean. As soon as he saw them, his jaw slackened and his eyes widened in amazement.
"Well, shit! These are amazing!" he said, looking at the new girl with respect.