Jessica's POV

It was a spontaneous decision of mine to get a tattoo. Nothing big or fancy. Just something small, something symbolic, something that was meaningful.

When I told my friend, she just rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease," drawled Tiffany. "You? Getting a tattoo? Do the words: immense voluntary pain mean anything to you?"

"Why not?" I said, smiling, drawing an imaginary design on my arm. "I've always wanted one, just never been serious. Don't you think I will?"

Tiffany just rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Yeah, sure, you'll get one." She followed it by saying, "Of course not!"

So it was a big surprise to her when I pulled the Skintastic Tattoos And Piercings card from my wallet and waved it in her face. "I've got an appointment tomorrow afternoon. I've made the deposit. My tattooist's name is Yuri." I gave her a sly grin. "And you're coming with me."

=^~^=
 

Yuri, I thought to myself. Yu-ri.

It sort of rolled off the tongue. "Yuri..."

"Are you still going on about her name?" Tiffany groaned. "You've been saying it to yourself plenty since yesterday!"

"That's because it sounds so cool," I said, grinning. "Yuri... Yuri." I sighed dreamily. "...wonder what she looks like."

"You'll soon find out," said Tiffany, giving me an amused grin. She put on the indicator and slipped into a parking spot. As she turned off the engine, she propped a hand up behind her on the seat and gave me a slow, sneaky smile. "We're here."

"Already?"

"Yeah. Getting cold feet?"

I shook my head quickly. "Nope. Not at all."

But as I climbed out of the car and crossed the pavement into the three-storey arcade, my stomach quivered uneasily. It was like pre-public speaking nerves. I felt slightly sick, but more exhilarated. As we walked up the stairs, Tiffany gave a laugh. ", even I'm nervous! You can't tell me you're not?"

"Nope." But I said it too quickly and at her probing stare, flashed a nervous grin. "OK. Maybe a little."

"I knew it," she crowed. As we reached the last floor of the arcade, my nostrils were filled with the strong, sharp scent of antiseptic. "Whoo!" Tiffany waved a hand beneath her nose. "Smell that! It's making me sick!"

We walked closer and closer to the sliding doors, with the painted sign about the door saying Skintastic in big, bold, gothic letters. Just reading it made my throat close. I wasn't going to back out, but I also wasn't going to walk in there with no nerves what-so-ever. I opened the door and held my breath for a long second, releasing it with some of my axiousness. Tiffany nudged my side. "How you feeling, Jessi? Gonna puke yet?"

I rubbed my stomach and flashed an excited smile. "Not quite yet. Wait for the pain."

Inside the parlour was a mess of posters and pictures and drawings. Tattoo designs were all over the walls and roof, as well as in large folders and books on a small, square table. There were a few long couches pushed into a U-shape by the wall and there were heavy-set, tattoo covered people sitting on the cushions. There was a glass case by the door displaying all the different piercings available.

The air was full of the low buzz of guns and the whirling of fans overhead. Tiffany edged closer to my side and whispered, "It feels like we're out of place..."

I smirked. "That will only be you, soon. I'm going to be inducted into the Tattoo Club, it's gonna make me cool and bad-."

Tiffany rolled her eyes. "No amount of ink can make you bad-."

"Just like no amount of food would make you fat."

"Whatever," she scoffed.

"Yeah, I know," I grinned.

As we approached the counter, a tanned woman wondered towards us. She was slightly taller than me, with light olive skin that showed between the tattoos racing up her arms and neck. Her dark hair was done in ponytail and her ears were pierced with big black discs. She met my eyes and smiled an easy, white smile. "Hi, you made the appointment?"

"Um, yes," I said, cursing my voice for coming out like I was twelve and not twenty one.

Her smile widened. "Do you have the design?"

"Yes!" I dug around in my bag and pulled out the small square of folded paper. As I passed it to her, I added, "That's the size I want, too."

She walked around behind the desk and opened a photocopy machine. She glanced over and asked slyly, "You sure you don't want it bigger?"

"Not really," I said slowly, drawing up my arm and staring at the underside of my wrist. "I don't want it to be too, you know, bold."

"Oh, okay." She shrugged her shoulders, but still looked at me. "You positive?"

"Uhm..." Her smile was doing wonders to my already-quivering stomach. I glanced at Tiffany. She was looking around with a lost look upon her face, eyes wide and innocent. "What do you think?"

"I think... you should go for it," she chirped. "Who cares. It'll look good anyway."

My mind wrapped around the idea, and I said carefully, "Alright, a little bigger, but not too much."

"Good on you," said Yuri.

Good on you, was repeated in my thoughts, and I smiled dreamily. Tiffany nudged me. "You're gonna die," she said.

My smile twisted. "Thanks for the support, Tiff. I feel the love."

She leant closer and her eyes slid to Yuri, whose back was turned towards us. "I feel a little something else," she said. She smirked. "Something starting with 'L' but ending a little differently... It rhymes with... trust."

"Shut up," I hissed, looking at Yuri j