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"And you're sure? That's the tattoo you want?" Willow raised her eyebrows, purple as the hair on her head. A true blue tattoo artist, head to toe dripping with ink.

"It is. Don't be afraid to say no. I've already had three this morning." Crystal stretched out in the seat, picking the last of the bagel out of her teeth.

"I'm not surprised," the artist said as she looked around. The only other worker in the parlor was intensely focused on his Call off Duty match. 

Crystal shrugged and started to stand.

"But you know what? Fuck it. I'll do it, free hand, like these. Probably never get a chance to do that otherwise. You like this style?"

"As long as it's got soul in it, it works."

"Take a seat, then. Where do you want it?" The woman started preparing at the small table beside the chair.

"Dealer's choice."

"You know, I thought you might say that."

The afternoon blended into dull hums, punctuated only by an occasional "Fuck!" from the other artist. Crystal relaxed into the familiar pain. She wondered what it would feel like after this.

"Just finishing up. You are a champ. Proper care ensures that your tattoo heals beautifully and retains its vibrancy. It's important to follow these steps diligently." Willow snapped off her gloves. "Firstly, keep the bandage on for at least a few hours to reduce the risk of-"

"Of course, I've had plenty of tattoos before. I know the drill."

"Oh, really? I must admit, I'm surprised. You don't look like the type. They must be quite discreet."

Crystal was debating between a couple of funny answers to that when the door slammed open. She smelled him before she saw him. Cheap body spray and gun oil.

TacJac, trailed by a couple of his toomies, held guns out. Willow held her hands up, Crystal shrugged and decided to join too.

"A little late in the evening for sunglasses eh, Mr Hart?" She tried to give a comforting look to Willow who just gave her back a baffled expression.

"You know these guys? Mr. Hart?"

"Unfortunately. And that was a joke, never mind."

"Well, Ink Drinker, seems you found yourself in quite the pickle. My tactical arsenal has been fully tailored to provide maximum defensive power against every single weapon you have on your sleeve. My boys are absolutely gift wrapped in my stunning armor."

"Oh yeah?" She considered hemming in the sarcasm but jokes weren't really fun when they went over the victim's head. It just felt mean. 

"Laser whip? Anti light shield. Gamma burst? Tactical lead lined apron. Megahorn? Sonic canceling double cufflinks."

"Wow, double? I wasn't expecting that."

"Well let me take the wind actually out of your sails. Flame dissolving foam dispensing sunglasses. That flamethrower you just got is absolutely worthless."

Crystal allowed him to step up to the seat and he ripped the bandage off her back. It stung a little. "I did mention to a couple folks I was going to get that today. Changed my mind on the way over."

"I don't understand, you got a tattoo of nothing?"

"It moved, dumbass."

She held up her hand where a small artistic version of Willow herself danced between the fingers, wielding her own tattoo gun. The small animated figure looked up at Crystal inquisitively.

"Dealer's choice," she answered. The tattoo self-portrait became a blur and stilled after a moment revealing a large metal rod up one of Crystal's fingers.

A bolt of electricity shot out, killing the electronics that covered the three incompetent villains. All the gadgets and gizmos fell off in clumps with perfect comedic timing. The only thing that would have made it better is if they were wearing tighty whities underneath instead of what looked like scuba suits.

"You may have outsmarted me this time but you've not seen the last of me." TacJac began frantically grabbing up the armor pieces. His boys had already hit the door.

"Scariest threat you've made so far." She called after them. She smiled back at Willow. "Sorry about that. Thanks again by the way, couldn't have asked for anything better."

The tattoo Willow slid down to rest on the skin of Crystal's collarbone. She waved at her creator.

Willow awkwardly waved back, clearly still in shock.

"Fuck!"

They both flinched and looked over to see the headphone adorned coworker hadn't even noticed the quick exchange.

"I would say come again, but I don't think I actually want that," Willow said.

"Eh, I think I'll probably take care of the rest of what I want in house, anyway. Have a good one." She dropped all the money she had in her wallet in the jar by the table. It was probably too much but who cares.

The last threads of evening faded and Crystal pulled the flashlight from her leg up to her hand to illuminate her path. A thin chill carried on the breeze.

"Hey little Willow, start working on a scarf."

The tattoo gave a thumbs up and her gun started humming. 

There was the answer to her question. It didn't hurt at all.

/r/surinical

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Submitted by Surinical on Wed, May 31, 2023 to /r/WritingPrompts/

The prompt

You are able to manipulate and manifest your tattoos, moving them around your body and turning them into real-world objects. Wings, a dagger, or even something as mundane as glasses. Always at your disposal.