Skins & Needles (COMPLETE)

A Change of Scenery Part 1

Charlotte

After that Monday, the rest of the week was somewhat uneventful. We saw some regular clients, but mostly randoms. Phoenix wasn't by any means a small city, and even though Skins and Needles sat on the outskirts of town, we had the best reviews of any shop across the board. Both tourists and natives that didn't mind going to a smaller shop sought us out for our great work, so while we were the most trusted parlor by the more dangerous individuals in town, that wasn't the only type of client we'd see.

Even with the bustle of work, my mind constantly circled back to the conversations I'd had on Monday. Adrian and Ryanne seemed optimistic about my invitation to this elusive party most of the city's underground criminals would be attending, but Arsen seemed so hesitant about it the second it was brought up. Granted, I had only met him that day, and knew the others better, but I thought we had been getting along almost too well, and the idea of me going seemed to bother him.

"Thanks for taking me this close to getting off work," a voice said, tugging me out of my thoughtful daze. It was Saturday, just hours before I had to be ready for the party, and I was doing a tattoo for a girl, Sarah, in remembrance of her late mother.

"Not a big deal at all!" I assured her, and continued shading the last rose of three. "I'm always down for doing tattoos like this. I have a tattoo for my mom too." I motioned to the sunflowers on my right arm.

"Those are pretty," she commented. "Did you lose your mother?"

I smiled a little as I worked, but it was melancholy.

"In a sense," I told her, and set my shader down to start cleaning off her fresh tattoo.

"Did she die?" Sarah asked, before blushing. "Sorry, that's really personal."

"It's okay," I reassured. "She didn't die, as far as I know, but I don't think I'll ever see her again."

Sarah was quiet after that, as I cleaned her tattoo of all stray ink.

"What do you think?" I asked when I was done. "If you see anything you think is off, let me know and I'll fix it for you."

Sarah examined her tattoo with tears in her eyes. It was of three wild roses with her mother's favorite song lyrics underneath.

"I love it," she finally said. 'It's perfect!"

"I'm so glad!" I smiled, motioning her back over. I went through the healing protocol with her as I rubbed solvent on her arm and bandaged it up. When I was done, I led her to the front counter to pay and purchase ointment if she chose.

"A hundred and thirty," she said as she laid out cash, "plus tip!"

"Thank you so much, and if you're ever looking to get another, we'd love to see you return!" I watched as she headed for the door, raising my eyebrows when she turned back just before exiting.

"I hope you can see your mother again someday," Sarah told me with a sad smile, and disappeared from the shop.

I glanced at Jeremy, who knew a fair amount about my past, and he shrugged.

"She means well," he said, and I nodded.

"Of course," I sighed. It was then that I remembered the event. "Hey, Jer, how formal is this thing? I have no idea how to dress."

"I still can't believe they invited you," he chuckled. "It pays to be in good company with these folks. The event... It'll be pretty upscale. If you have a nice dress, wear it, and if you don't, get one."

"Noted," I breathed. "I'm gonna clock out then. Eight sharp?"

"You got it, girly!"

I cleaned up my station in a slight rush, mentally going through my closet and deciding that I was definitely in need of something new to wear. Fortunately, the area where Skins and Needles was located had an abundance of little boutiques, and I wouldn't have to go far to find a dress.

"See you guys!" I called to my other shopmates, Sam and Jackson, as I headed out the back. The dress shop was a two minute walk after that, and even after the short distance, I was relieved when I stepped inside and the cool air blew around me.

I wasn't really a "fancy" person, meaning most of my clothes, while stylish (to me, at least), came from thrift stores and garage sales. This must have shown on my face as I looked around cluelessly, because it didn't take long for a woman to approach me.

"Need help finding something?" she asked, and I let out a relieved breath.

"Yes, please!" I laughed. "I have no idea how to dress shop."

"Well, what's the occasion?"

"I guess it's kind of an upscale cocktail party? I've never been, but that's the vibe I'm getting."

The woman took note, and we began looking through racks as a team. Eventually, through trial and error, and "wow, this makes me look like I have no ass," we found a high-necked, backless navy dress that showed off my tattoos and flattered my curves. It only cost me two whole day's earnings and tips...

This party better be legit, I thought as I headed home with the dress that I assumed was made of Vicuña wool for the price. I was still, in all honesty, nervous for this party, but after finding my outfit, I felt a little better. At least if things got deadly, I would still be the best dressed?

Upon arriving home, I promptly showered and dried my hair, as I was down to just two hours before Jeremy was picking me up to carpool to the party. For my hair, I would wear a simple updo to tame my wild waves, and for my makeup, winged eyeliner, smoky shadow, and mascara with a dark red lip.

When I heard the knock on my door, my heart leapt, and I hurriedly pulled on my shoes before half-running to unlock it.

"Are you ready?" Jeremy asked, holding the door open for me. I nodded, and descended the stairs with a hand on the rail so I wouldn't wipe out in my heels.

"I'm really nervous," I admitted as I hopped into his truck. "I've never been to a fancy party before, let alone one with people like..."

"Yeah," Jeremy said, before giving me a squeeze on the arm. "Don't worry, Charlotte. In your two years working here, you've managed to stay out of trouble and gain the respect of a lot of powerful folks. I'm sure you'll do fine. Just be very careful, and try not to get caught eavesdropping. There are things you might not want to hear."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Coach Jer," I teased, and he grinned.

"You seemed like you needed it," he chuckled. "And by the way, you look beautiful."

I blushed a little and glanced at my reflection. Jeremy, in the years I'd known him, had become almost like a father to me, and I realized as he spoke that I had majorly missed out on a lot of this. My own dad never gave me a pep talk before a big event, or drove me to prom, or anything like that. And at twenty-two, I was happily of the mindset "better late than never."

"I'm really glad you gave me a chance," I told Jeremy as we drove. "You know, at the shop and everything. Being a part of Skins and Needles is the closest thing to family I have."

"Don't get all emotional on me, Sassy," Jeremy said gruffly, using the nickname he'd given me when I first started working at the shop. I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye though, and that was enough.

---

Hey all! Back with more S&N and I think for now, I'm going to go with a loose update schedule of 2-3 chapters per week! I'm still editing through the second half of drafted chapters, and am writing-wise on the final two (!!!), and I want to make sure I don't overwhelm myself as I'm trying to write and edit four other projects at once.

Anyway, next update will be in a day or two, and I hope to see you then <3

Happy reading!

-Haybails