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Instead, my mind clears.
I stare at Kevin, his eyes glittering with bloodlust.
Then I raise my hand and pack a punch.
21. OverHorseand Ditch
Philipp
“Alright, that’s it.” One last time, I wipe over the detail on the eye of the skull I’ve done on the client’s lower leg. Then I straighten up, letting my head roll to relax the tense neck muscles. As I look at the artwork that has just been created, a feeling of deep satisfaction floods me.
Without wanting to praise me: TheNetherworld Queenturned out really well for me.
However, the fact that the client gave me free rein in the design of her desired motif, as well as the virgin skin surface, contributed to the success.
Piece by piece, I absorb the details as I wipe one more time and cover the fresh lines with a thin layer of butter:
The skull with a classic queen’s crown is mostly surrounded by honeycomb, which I did as shading. The rest of the frame is formed by the thin line mesh of a three-dimensional star pattern and finally interwoven Tyr runes in hard black/white contrast are added at the top and bottom. The skull’s left eye socket is outlined by the crosshairs of a sniper, with the lifelike image of my client’s eye at its center.
As a special accent, I created the iris in the otherwise-black tattoo in a bright sky blue.
Hot damn! Now, on the shin of my arguably pain-ridden client, it looks even more gorgeous than I had imagined in my preliminary drawing!
“You look pleased,” she notes with a pained smile after the photos are taken, the final cleaning, and SupraSorb is applied.
“Is it that obvious?” I let her lead the way out the door, directing her to the reception area. “I’ll be even happier once you pay me, though…” With four breaks of thirty minutes each, the concentrated work of the last seven and a half hours will fill my cash register with almost two thousand euros.
“With card or cash?” Typical woman, she dives into her voluminous handbag.
“Whichever you like.” I gave myself the card reader as icing on the cake for the housewarming. Given the daily income, the fees barely strain the petty cash.
While she types her PIN into the keypad, I remove the care instructions from the printer. Since this was her first time with me, I explain exactly what to do and that I’m always standing by if she has any questions.
“Well then,” she finally says after putting everything away, reaching out to me. “Thank you and Merry Christmas!”
I shake on it. “Merry Christmas,” I reply automatically, although I don’t feel like celebrating at all.
She turns around and winces. “Oh, good gracious! It’s all dark already!”
Over her shoulder, I look through the glass front extending to the roof into the night-black sky. “Well, it’s…” I squint at the computer display. “…it’s already twenty to seven. At this time of year, the sun has long since set.”
Already halfway to the door, she pauses, turns, and winks at me. “Not quite…” She points behind her. “Your private central star is glowing over there…”
“You mean the neon signs from theMcDonald’sacross the expressway?” I laugh. “Nah, I certainly don’t frequent that place.”
“Too bad,” she says, giving me an ambiguous look. “I would have loved to have invited you.”
“Now? At Christmas?” When she nods, I shake my head. “No, sorry. I have an appointment…” That’s not true, but I don’t feel like dating a client. Maybe some other time. To pass the time, I talk to the clientele all the time. So, I noticed that she’s not exactly stupid and her crisp body is nothing to sneeze at, either.
“Well then…” She seems to have to tear herself away. “Ciao… and see you soon, I hope.”
“See you soon,” I echo, and she’s already gone. I catch my breath and shut down the computer.
Then it’s time to head back to the tattoo room. I wash my hands, disinfect them, and put on gloves.
Before I can clean it completely, I throw disposable razors and ink pots into the trash, and the used needles into the needle drop bin. I peel off the cling films; they, too, go into the residual waste. Then I wash everything down with surface disinfectant: the bottles, the tattoo butter jar, the power supply, and the cables. The footboard, the lamps, the chair and couch, and even my swivel stool. And, of course, the floor directly underneath.
Bottles and everything else I used are put back in their place in the closet. I disinfect the motor, put it in its packaging, and the handle goes into the ultrasonic bath with sanitizer.
