Unexpected Company (James)

[Kate]

It was the day. That's right the day she was going to get her tattoo, or at least the base work done. It would take awhile with all the detailing that had to be done. Plus she had to pick out the surrounding parts of the tattoo. Kate was dressed very simply so that everything that was about to happen would take place rather easily. The blonde wore an aqua blue tank top over her bright green bikini swing suit. Grey sweats around her hips, with the bottom of her bikini under that. Bright blue flip flops on her feet, showing off her pedicured toes.

The girl swung the door open, bells chiming her entrance. She milled about for awhile, looking through things. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail. So, her other tattoo and her scar were out for everyone to see. The guy at the front desk, heavily pierced and tattooed, raised an eyebrow at her but otherwise ignored her.

Her hand lifted up and began to flip through a couple of books stapled to the walls, as the door opened to let some one else inside.

[James Everwood]

James was not looking forward to this. Every time he went somewhere with the guys from the site they always got into something like this. Someone would drink one too many beers, and idiotic ideas would be exchanged, and the only reason James was with them is to drive them. He himself didn't have a vehicle, but he drove one of the guys' trucks since he didn't want them to get hurt or hurt someone else on the road. James didn't like drinking, and he didn't do it himself for a million and a half reasons. In the end of the day he pretty much saw it as a bad thing to do. He wouldn't get on someones case about it so long as they didn't hurt anyone else with their drinking, but he himself didn't do it.

"Frank, I swear to you that isn't how it went down. Now can we just drop it?" James said. And Frank and Carl just sort of laughed at him smacking him on the back.

"Who's the little blond number, hey Carl, she's about Jamie boys age ain't she?" The guy said, and James looked at the girl. She was beautiful by James' standard. Of course, judging by her outfit and her body she was well outside of James' league. Not to mention, girls like her didn't like guys like James. In his experience, they thought of him as poor dirty white trash.

Sweet mother of Moses.....

"Looks about so 'dere Frank. What say you and me have a chat with the pretty little broad," Carl said, the two bigger men started to walk over to her, James walked behind them trying to stop them, "Hey missy! I was thinkin of gettin a naked lady tattooed on my arm, you got an hour to stand around so the artist can get your body right?"

"Guys, back off, go sit down," James said, and they looked down at James who, despite being 6'3", was still a bit smaller then them. They laughed it off and went to sit down. James turned towards the girl and said, "Sorry about that. They are mostly nice guys they've just had a few, but I'll keep them off your back since you probably don't like guys with hair all over their body......... and no force on earth will get me to tell you how I know that they do."

He started to turn around and go back towards the guys assuming the girl wouldn't want to talk to him anymore. Maybe she didn't, who knew, either way he wasn't nervous when talking to her. He didn't know why, it was probably because he was just trying to apologize for the guys he worked with. All three of the guys, James included, were wearing their work attire. Work jeans, steel toed boots, and long sleeve t-shirts, thick ones too. Carl and Frank's shirts were plaid, but james' was just a solid color of blue.

"Carl, you still got your hard hat on," Frank said, knocking it off of Carls head and into Carls lap. They both laughed stupidly at this.

[Kate]

Some guys came in, and once again... what the hell did they feed these fuckers around here? Really? One eyebrow cocked, and she kept flipping through a few things. Oh, she heard every single word they had said, and noted that someone was a couple cups over their limit. At least from the way they sounded. And then the tallest one (SO TALL) came over to apologize. When he talked to her, Kate couldn't help it, a smirk broke out on those full lips of hers.

"Of course, of course darling."

She winked at him as he sauntered back to his amigos. Of course she had to say something about the nude pose. She kept wandering the tattoos, and paused at some a few paces to the left of them. Then those emerald eyes landed on them, one eyebrow cocked.

"And just so you know Mister... not for all the money in the world you damned drunk."

And with such a sweet smile too. But her eyes were so icy, until they rested on the youngest. They were as sweet as sugar to him, and her next words were toward him.

"And thank you boyo, but I can stand up for myself."

Would the stupid idiot react? Maybe... Kate was almost hoping so...

[James Everwood]

"Heh, she sure got you carl!" Frank said, laughing with his arms crossed. Frank got up and walked to the counter and began having a conversation with the man, he was probably trying to either bribe or intimidate the guy into getting into a room with Carl quicker. They had their hearts set on getting some flaming skull tattoo of some sort on their asses. He didn't quite understand it, but they did drink quite a lot once they were done at the job site.

"Girlie don't make me come over there and slap that sass right out of---" The guy stopped from fear. He saw James eye, he saw that James had a look on his face, one the man in all his time working with James had never seen him with. It scared him, but it also pissed him off a little that James was wearing it towards him like that since James worked under Carl, "You gonna get smart with me, kid?"

"I don't know Carl, are you going to get dumb with me?" He said, and took a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket, shoving it into Carl's hand, "Bribe the man at the counter, get a room, I'll be in there in a moment after finding the tattoo you are looking for. Got it?"

James turned towards the girl after the two walked off, "Sorry about that, I'm not trying to protect you or anything like that, I just don't like drunk and hitting women."

Hit's a little too close to home, no pun intended.

"However, with them gone, you have the rare privilege of giving them a mark on their body that won't fade in a few weeks. See, they think they are getting tattoo's of flaming skulls on their asses, but what they really get, is up to you. Sound like a good idea?"

[Kate]

Oh god, this guy sure was... well he was something. Her nose wrinkled, and she snickered. Wicked intent crossing her face, and those emerald eyes lighting up in a way that could only be called evil. The blonde turned to the guy at the counter, and kept smiling.

"Give them hearts, with the words ' I love...' and each other's names. And if you don't want to do it.... well..."

She slapped the card on the table. The little black card. The one where you had to spend something around a quarter of a million a year just to keep the damned thing. That's right, Kate McHallin would bribe where she wanted to.

The man simply asked her if she was ready to get her tattoo. Kate smiled and pulled a slip of paper from her... erm, bikini top. She slapped that on the counter too.

"Tramp stamp me baby. I want that in the middle, with some lines and designs on the outside. Make it look pretty."

She winked at him, and he wandered off to get things set up. That left her alone in the room with the very, very tall male. The blonde looked up at him, and smiled softly.

"Are you getting some ink too handsome?"

[James Everwood]

"Give them hearts, with the words ' I love...' and each other's names. And if you don't want to do it.... well..."

"Sounds perfect to me," He said and looked to the guy, "Make it so, number one."

James was a bit of a geek. Sure he played football, sure he was big. But the fact was when you boiled it down to it's most basic essence, James was a geek through and through. He loved comic books, action figures, star wars, star trek, and anything have to do with anything geeky. He just kept it hidden since he didn't have anyone to really geek bond with.

When the girl slapped down a black card he knew what it was. It depressed him so much to see it. He was looking at someone who was on the opposite side of the wealth spectrum. She was definitely wealthy. He wasn't sad because she was rich, so much as it made him realize how poor he was.

"Are you getting some ink too handsome?"

"If you're payin' I don't see why not. But I refuse to get a tattoo that says I heart Carl on my ass," He said and thought about what he would get, "In fact, what I'd get would be a little on the geeky side. But since nobody will ever probably see me with my shirt off, I'm OK with that. So, you're getting a 'tramp stamp'? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

He was trying to be funny, the truth of the matter was she might be older then him for all he knew. But seeing as he was in his construction clothes, he felt older for some odd reason.

[Kate]

Both eyebrows rose, she really hadn't pegged him for a geek. At least not from his looks, She licked her lips and grinned. Her paying? Well, she hadn't said anything of that sort... but sure, why the hell not? Meh, might as well be nice for one day. She paused for a moment and looked at his eye patch, she had to fucking know... but maybe not right now.

"Nerd it up? I suppose whatever floats your boat. And yes, tramp stamp. Helps a guy figure out where he's suppose to put his hands."

She was teasing him, not really caring if he knew what tramp stamps were for or not. She effortlessly... didn't care. However, Kate held out her well manicured hand for him to shake. If he did, he'd find her skin to be perfectly smooth and soft... despite all the fighting she had been into.

" Kate McHallin, nerd boy. I'll bet you have a decent body under there... and if you don't take your shirt off often you must be shy."

Shy boys were so fun to tease, they blushed so hard. Kate was almost grinning at the thought of teasing him... if he was such a male.

[James Everwood]

"Nerd it up? I suppose whatever floats your boat. And yes, tramp stamp. Helps a guy figure out where he's suppose to put his hands."

He laughed nervously, putting his elbows on the counter and leaning a little of his weight on it. He nearly slipped but pulled it off as a maneuver since there was a book of tattoo's down the counter a bit where they showcased some tattoo's they have given recently. He flipped through it and listened to her.

"Kate McHallin, nerd boy. I'll bet you have a decent body under there... and if you don't take your shirt off often you must be shy."

"Something like that, yeah," He said, trying to avoid the issue of what was underneath his shirt. He was shy, and he was nervous around beautiful rich girls. But more so then that, he really didn't want her peeking under the hood. After all, he was a sweet innocent boy who did not want to be corrupted. That is, he wanted to be corrupted sure, he's a sixteen year old boy. It takes all the energy he can muster not to run around screaming 'corrupt me!', but he wasn't a fan of people seeing his body. Hence the long sleeve shirts, and the being evasive about this conversation.

The man from behind the counter came back, apparently another room was ready from the looks of it, so if he wanted a tattoo he'd have to wait till she was done. He'd go in with her if she wanted him to. But he wasn't sure if he wanted her in there when he got his done.

"So, you OK with me watching? I'd rather not be in the lobby after Frank and Carl realize that their flaming skulls are actually just confessions of their 'flaming' souls."

[Kate]

"Sure Nerd Boy. You know, if you want me to stop calling you that... you should just give me your name."

Kate followed the older man to the room. The tattoo artist, another male much like the first, gestured toward the table/chair/whatever she'd be lying on. Without much hesitation, Kate stripped down to her bathing suit. That's right, shirt peeled off first, followed by dropping trow. The blonde liked her body, and did not hold back from showing it off. There was her white rose tattoo, minor scars here and there... and then, the horribly carved into her back R.O.B. She didn't cover them, didn't even move to do anything about it.

"Frank and Carl seem to be an odd group for you to hang out with, so I'm guessing it's not completely by choice. Are they bullying you? I can have a word with them later... or my drones can."

That's right, One Eye and Croaker had shown up. Two towering (well not to James) suited men. One with only one eye and a horrid scar down his face. They were both grumbling, and glaring at her as she snickered at them.

"Mistress McHallin... you ditched us again..." Croaker started, but One Eye as normal butted in...

"You hire us years ago, after your accident to watch your ass and then you wander off?"

"Yes boys, yes. Mistress needed some space, from you two. So go wait in the lobby. And kick the burly guys who come out of the other room in the ass would ya?"

She smirked at James, and laid down on the... whatever it was. The tattoo artist picked up the paper with the design, and asked her if she was sure this was what she wanted. Kate only grinned, and arched an eyebrow. Tattoo go on now? He began to clean her skin with a cotton swab.

[James Everwood]

"Sure Nerd Boy. You know, if you want me to stop calling you that... you should just give me your name."

"I don't know, it does have a nice ring to it," He said thinking about it, "Kind of super hero-ish in a way you know?" He said and then followed her into the room where she began to strip down. He immediately turned away, he didn't feel right watching her take clothes off for some reason. Even if she was incredibly smoking hot, he wasn't about to pull the creepy stalker looking thing.

"Frank and Carl seem to be an odd group for you to hang out with, so I'm guessing it's not completely by choice. Are they bullying you? I can have a word with them later... or my drones can."

"I work with them," He said, "Construction. They may be knuckleheads but I trust them with my life. Carl is my foreman, and sometimes I just take care of them when they are a bit drunk is all."

Then the drones she was talking about talked to her. James looked at them, and realized one of them was like James, except their scar was large and horrific and able to be seen. James' scar from when he was stabbed wasn't as big, and it was well hidden by the patch. Seeing that man made him glad he didn't walk around without his eye patch on.

Kate laid down on the adjustable chair. Tattoo artists had all kinds of adjustable chairs like this one, and he began cleaning her skin and then getting the ink ready. He swore the guy went through those protective gloves like it was nobody's business, "In any case, my name is James," He said, sitting in a chair that was there for guests of the people getting tattooed, "James Everwood."

The tattoo artist got to work, the buzz of the needle going as he began putting the design Kate wanted on her lower back, the 'tramp stamp' region.

"So, how bad does it hurt?" He asked, just making conversation. He wasn't all too nervous about getting a tattoo. Pain wasn't that big of a deal to him, and he had plenty of scars on his body to know that this couldn't be any worse then having a cigarette put out on you.

[Kate]

"It hurts depending on what pain you've felt in your life..."

Something in her voice sounded so... jaded. Like this would never be anything to what she had felt before. That nothing would ever hurt like that again. But Kate really had to think on what hurt more... the emotional pain, or the physical? Probably the one instance that she had felt both wrapped in one... when she had been raped. Kate controlled the sudden shudder that wanted to rip through her body, because of course that would ruin the work the tattoo artist was doing.

"But really, it does hurt a bit. Depending on where and all. Shouldn't be too bad on your chest James. This is my second tattoo, I got the rose and vines when I was fourteen. My dad made the mistake of promising me whatever I wanted, guaranteed yes to something. I had convinced him I wanted my own pony, as stupid as that is. The look on his face was priceless..."

She snorted a bit of laughter, and grinned. Closing those emerald eyes and remaining calm. They would be here for awhile.

[James Everwood]

Oh no she's one of those types... the ones who got a pony when they were a kid. Something about this girl just screams out of my league. Oh well, might as well get a free tattoo. After all, if what she said is true then I shouldn't have a single thing to worry about.

James smiled wondering about some of the scars on her body, but he wouldn't ask. It was a rude question to ask after all, and he'd rather not let her know that his peripheral vision of his only eye was soaking in her body like water to a sponge. She was definitely gorgeous, and she seemed to like making that very clear with her clothing. He wondered how Carl and Frank were doing but he pushed the thought of them out of his head.

"I guess I'm not too worried about it then," He decided to say, "I've had my fair share of pillow fights. I'm sure this can't possibly hurt any worse then goose feathers, right?"

He was hoping to get a rise out of her without making her screw the tattoo artist up. He knew what he was going to get, he even had a picture of it in his wallet. Or rather, on his wallet. Because he was a huge geek he had a star wars rebellion wallet, and while it was empty because of the money he spent to get it, it was so worth eating potatoes for a month just to be able to sleep comfortably knowing he wasn't going to get kicked out of his apartment.

"So, do you go to school around here?"

[Kate]

She chuckled, softly so she didn't mess up the work going on. The tattoo would be dark blue-black, with her pale skin being the white parts. The lines around it would be black, and dark blue respectfully, all in all pretty damned badass.

"Yeah... Moral Crest High, PHS#42... third one in my list of high schools. Started with 552, made it to 259, and now here. Makes a girl wonder if this place is going to be any different. The guys sure have been. Tall, handsome, suave gents you are around here."

Yeah, that one made her think of Adrian. He was a rich boy much like herself who damn well knew how to keep a lady on her toes. Kate snuggled her cheek deeper into the cushion of the chair and relaxed.

"You go to school around here too? Or are you just in the area for work?"

Construction right? Who knew, they might be building that office building down town that she was in the process of buying. A nice little number at that too. Brand spanking new and all that jazz.

"Hey, are you working on that place on Main and fifth? Or somewhere else?"

[James Everwood]

"Same place as you," He said, "But I've pretty much been there for awhile now, I didn't transfer with all you guys from 259. And yeah, we are actually. At least that's our most recent project we've got going," He said, watching the tattoo go on being made. He leaned back in the chair, sore from a day of work. He had to skip school every once in awhile to rest up or go in to work early. It was hard enough living alone but with all the classes he had to skip and all the work he was having to do he hardly ever gave his body time to rest. He shut his eye for a moment while leaning back in the chair, resting.

"Don't know anything about your last school, but some of the people from their are scary strong. At least, nothing I've seen before," He said, reaching up and scratching his nose with his left hand, he quickly dropped it and then decided he would ask her about her life a bit more. After all, it seemed a lot more interesting then sitting there and talking about him, "So, if it's not too rude of me to ask, what does daddy dearest do that got you the sweet luxury life? Is it one of those twenty word long business title sort of things, or one of those if I told you I would have to kill you and your pet dog sort of things?"

[Kate]

She snorted just a bit, and smiled to herself. Her emerald eyes were closed, but she heard him move around. Funny how this was all going down, really. The blonde smiled just slightly, and began to explain a few things about her life.

"Call it a mix. My father made a huge amount of cash with luck and hard work. Then he gambled, and invested and made a shit load of cash. More than he could spend in a lifetime, more than I could spend, and more than my future possible children could spend..."

Yeah, that damned rich. And not old money, but rather hard work. Honest, hard work that very few people actually did in this day and age. Kate included, to be honest.

"Then he owed the mafia a bit, not too much, but a good amount. He didn't want to pay, and well... he sent me away, into hiding. Then he and my step mother wound up dead because of his stupidity. After I legally got the money, I cut a deal, paid them their money and handed a business over. Now I'm invested in a ton of projects and places, businesses around the world... including the one you're working on at the moment."