Moral of the Story (Ani)

[Deleted]

Late November 2025

Blair had been working at Mystery Ink Arts for a number of months by the time that November was nearly over, and it was hard to believe that she had been in her apprenticeship for so long. She was getting much better at tattooing, though she was obviously nowhere near to the same skill level as someone like her boss, Bobby. Apprenticeship wasn't all tattooing, either; nine times out of ten, it was some combination of working as an office assistant for the shop and acting as a janitor. Knowing what she had signed up for, though, meant that Blair couldn't complain, and she did feel lucky that Bobby genuinely cared about her—even if she was newly nineteen and it was a little weird to her to have him looking out for her.

On that particular day, one of the clients scheduled had booked an appointment for a tattoo cover-up. It wasn't typically something that she did; most tattoos were actually far more difficult to cover up than people gave their tattoo artists credit for, though there was a lot that they could do with magic to conceal anything that was outdated, offensive, or otherwise embarrassing.

Being entrusted with that task was also a little freaky, but Blair trusted that the other artists knew what they were doing to let her have control over another person's skin. It would be difficult, she knew, but she would also have to see what she was working with firsthand before she jumped straight into anything. With that in mind, she had done her best to prepare beforehand, and all she could do was wait and hope that the client was actually going to show.

@ani

[Deleted]

Late November
@blair

The month, so far, had been one of the most intense of her life, and that was saying something. Somehow, she'd ended up going with Rhys back to England. Partly for his own safety and partly for her own. The country had more fire power currently, with so many MACUSA and Magical Interpol agents then the rest of Europe. Plus, their government was more stable then her own. In all, it meant her father and sisters would have a harder time trying to get to her here without getting caught themselves.

But she'd worry about them later. She needed to get her father's mark covered. It would give her away to anyone that knew of him, and no doubt her sisters' would use it to try to find her. So, after doing some of her own research, and asking Rhys, she'd found a shop that seemed competent. A magical one as well, so they might be able to use spells and such to try and lighten the original so the cover job would be better. To be honest she didn't really care what it looked like covered, she just wanted it covered. Believably.

Ani had used temporary dye to turn her hair a brilliant red, and magically adjusted her hair to be the same length once more. A pair of even dark contacts turned her usually lighter brown eyes to almost black. Another spell had made her skin even paler and dusted freckles across her nose and cheeks. Over all it was a rather convincing transformation, but it was easy for her. Becoming someone else was natural for Ani. She tossed on a pair of wide brim glasses just in case, and a pair of worn jeans with a plain black shirt. Her family would recognize her, after a moment, obviously, but that moment would be all she needed if they showed up. It'd throw them off just long enough for her to react. It would also convincingly throw off anyone else that worked for them, or knew her family well.

She walked briskly into the tattoo shop and leaned on the receptionist's counter, smiling brilliantly. Now would be where she shined. Become someone else. "I have an appointment with Blair? The name's Anna." The receptionist nodded and stepped away to go get Blair.

[Deleted]

Late November 2025

It wasn't long before a relatively young woman with shocking red hair and freckles entered the tattoo parlor. Her appearance wasn't anything particularly different from what Blair was used to seeing around London or around the shop, so it didn't really strike her in any way until she heard her mention to the receptionist something that sounded an awful lot like "Blair".

Sure enough, she must have said her name, because the receptionist came to let her know that her client was there. She hadn't been a no-show, so things were going well so far. Blair had never understood the logic behind putting down a deposit for a piece of professional artwork and then not showing up to get it tattooed or even letting the artist know. Of course emergencies happened from time to time, but people did it with enough frequency that she was always cautious about getting her hopes up too high.

After she had exchanged a few words with the receptionist, Blair quickly tied up her hair into something that resembled a bun so that it would be out of her way once she began working and walked over to where her client was waiting, her red hair in contrast against the relatively tame interior of the shop. "Hi," she smiled to her casually but politely, holding out her hand for her to shake. "It's… Anna, right?"

@ani

[Deleted]

Late November
@blair

Ani eyed the streets through the windows as the receptionist left, her smile vanishing. Even though it had been weeks since the last run in with her family she was still cautious, wary. Always on guard and eyes peeled. No doubt they'd find her here eventually, and once they did it didn't matter how much power the countries had. Her father would come. Before that happened she should move on. Leave before she got too comfortable. But that would take some planning. She couldn't access any of her bank accounts, least her father was watching them. She had some cash, enough to last a few months, and cover up a pesty tattoo, but past that... She'd have to start looking for work soon.

She heard footsteps approaching and turned back, pretending to eye a piece of art before the younger woman appeared and offered her hand to shake. Ani turned to face her, flashing her own smile again and reaching out, giving the girl's hand a flimsy shake. All a part of the act. "Hi, yes! Anna." she spoke with a faint polish accent, just a touch though. Like someone that had been born there but spent most their life in the UK speaking English. "You are Blair?"

[Deleted]

Late November 2025

In a European accent that Blair couldn't exactly place off the top of her head, the woman confirmed that she was Anna… which would have been really freaking embarrassing if she weren't, Blair thought. Anna returned her handshake—not firmly but enough. "You are Blair?" she asked her, and Blair almost wondered if Anna was questioning what a teenager was doing as her tattoo artist.

"Yeah," Blair nodded, her expression relaxing a little as she answered Anna. "I'm Blair. It's nice to meet you." Luckily, hers wasn't a very common name, so there was little risk of getting two Blairs somewhere. "You ready?" she checked with her. "I just have some paperwork for you real quick first." She had been through that same song and dance so many times that it got boring on occasion, but Blair knew the importance of checking for anything that would have made her, Bobby, or the shop liable if anything went wrong. She doubted would take too long because it didn't look as though Anna was secretly under seventeen or under the influence of anything that would require her to be turned away. So that would be fairly straightforward, and then they could get to the good stuff.

@ani

[Deleted]

Late November
@blair

Ani released the girls hand and dropped her own to her side. "Nice to meet you." She returned the pleasantry. She was going to play today nice. She needed the tattoo covered and she didn't want to piss off the person with the needle.

Paperwork, of course. That made sense. Ani had prepared for that. She'd spent a week building this alias, and making sure to dot all the i's and cross the t's. She was ready to sell it, as much as needed. "Of course, no problem. " She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small wallet. "I also have the rest of the cost. Do I give that to you, or the receptionist?" She pulled out a fake (but very well forged) ID, acknowledging her identity as "Anna Kaminski". It might not fool a Magical Interpol agent, but no one except a trained expert would doubt it's authenticity.

[Deleted]

Late November 2025

Anna was pleasant to deal with, which was always a plus. Most of the shop's clientele were pretty nice, Blair had to say, but she couldn't recall having seen Anna in the shop before. She said that the paperwork would be no problem and went ahead and pulled out her wallet and her identification. "I also have the rest of the cost. Do I give that to you, or the receptionist?"

"Great. Yeah, you can just give that to the receptionist," Blair nodded. She wasn't the one responsible for handling the money or making sure that it reached the right accounts, thank Merlin.

In the meantime, she summoned up the consent forms that Anna needed to complete before she could get tattooed. The instructions were on the papers—the usual signing or initialing where indicated to show acknowledgment of whatever the document was saying at that particular point—and nothing out of the ordinary, so she took the forms and held them out to Anna as she addressed her again. "You'll just need to read through these and then either sign or write your initials where it says to do that," she explained to her. "This is basically just to confirm in writing that you're consenting to being tattooed today, that you're at least seventeen years of age, and that you don't have any health conditions that we need to know about," Blair added, grabbing a self-inking quill from the desk for Anna so that she had something with which to write. "Here."

@ani

[Deleted]

Late November
@blair

Ani set the wallet and ID on the edge of the reception desk so that she could take the consent form. She nodded as it was explained to give it to the receptionist, and then began to explain the paperwork. Ani honestly didn't care. She just wanted to get the tattoo covered and get out. But, the shop had to cover their ass, making sure that they were protected in case anything did happen. Honestly, even if anything did Ani wouldn't care. The end result was all that mattered. Almost dying really changed your priorities.

She accepted the quill, skimming the paperwork at a reasonable rate so that it seemed as if she was actually taking it seriously and making sure to understand the agreement before signing. She set it on the desk to initial each spot , then finished fully signing in her fake name at the bottom. Once down, she held it and the quill out for Blair to take. "Anything else you need from me?"

[Deleted]

Late November 2025

Paperwork was a hassle. Blair knew that from experience, thanks to whoever it was who had mugged her and stolen half the belongings she had of any real value, but it was still something that she had to do. Occasionally, she had seen clients try to reason with the artist over something that they felt was too strict. The usual suspect was alcohol, which wasn't exactly a surprise. People made questionable decisions with tattoos when they were drunk, number one. Number two, alcohol thinned blood, which meant that people were more likely to bleed excessively once they got stuck with a bunch of needles. Besides the obvious dangers of blood loss, it made it difficult to tattoo a person's skin as accurately, and it had the potential to screw with the ink and make the art look crappy. So, while it could still be done theoretically, anybody who actually valued their career as a tattoo artist wouldn't risk it.

As Anna was working on filling out the paperwork itself, Blair glanced at her ID and made note of the birthdate given on it. She hadn't had any doubt that Anna was of age, but formalities existed.

Then, when Anna had finished the paperwork and handed it back to her, Blair read over it, checking to see if there was anything of which she needed to make an additional note or raise with Bobby. It looked clear and good, so there was that. Although Anna asked if there was anything else that she needed from her, it certainly didn't look like it, and Blair shook her head. "No. Everything looks good," she answered with another slight smile, quickly filing the forms and putting the quill away. "We can go on back now," she added, motioning for Anna to follow her to the station that she would be using.

@ani

[Deleted]

Late November
@blair

It was a quick process, thankfully, and no serious questions asked. That was always the perfect scenario for any cover. The less you answered, the less you had to lie about. While Ani was, obviously, an accomplished liar, that didn't mean she was over confident about it. One of the many lessons from her father. Don't make it complicated. The more complicated it was, the easier to trip up. She picked up her wallet and ID once done, stuffing them back in her back pocket. "Great!"

Ani followed the other girl back. Her gaze took in everything, though she made sure to not look to quickly, instead just making it seem like mild curiosity at the shops interior. In reality she'd already scouted the exits, if they were needed. Always know all your escape routes when entering a building, that had been ingrained in her like so many other lessons. "I'm fine sitting or laying down. Whichever works better for you," she offered as they reached the station. Seeing as it was on the back of her right shoulder. Honestly, Ani would prefer to be sitting, to run quickly if she had too, but she had to play it cool in the shop and do what the artist preferred.

[Deleted]

Late November 2025

"I'm fine sitting or laying down. Whichever works better for you," Anna told her as they got to the work station.

"Whichever is more comfortable for you is cool with me," Blair answered her, finishing her prep of the station itself as she spoke. She could work with it either way, but what mattered more was that Anna would be comfortable enough that she wouldn't feel the need to shift around while she was working. She wasn't sure how long it was going to take, but the cover-up would have to be at least marginally larger than the piece that she had started out with. Whatever details and shading needed to be factored in would also influence the length of time it would take, and it would be better to be comfortable in anticipation of a longer sitting. If it took less time, then great, but Blair didn't want to promise one thing and then seem as though she was taking ten years.

"And the tattoo you're looking to get covered is on your right shoulder, right?" she checked with her as she washed her hands, making sure she had confirmed that she wasn't mistaking the placement of the piece she'd be covering up. She hadn't met with Anna previously to see the tattoo for herself, so that would be the first order of business.

@ani

[Deleted]

Late November
@blair

Anna nodded, though was glad at the answer. She really would prefer to sit. More alert that way. As Blair went to work setting up the station, Anna got comfortable, sitting in the chair and leaning into the rest so that her shoulder was close to Blair. She pulled down the sleeve on her right shoulder, slipping just that arm out so that her right shoulder would be perfectly exposed but she wasn't indecent in any way. She brushed her red dyed hair over to her left shoulder, clear of the tattoo. This one." The tattoo in question wasn't bad, it had been done well. it was a decorative and elaborate T, about 2 inches tall and 1 inch wide. While some people, mainly Magical Interpol and more Eastern European Countries would recognize the mark she'd chosen this shop for the exact reason that it didn't have any East European ties. There were several Americans, and as such would be unfamiliar with the Armenian dark wizard and assassin she called father. It would mean nothing to them.

"My Ex. It was Stupid, I know." She explained. It was a likely cover story for letter or name tattoos. Something to remind them of their significant other, only to regret it when they broke up.

[Deleted]

Late November 2025

Anna sat herself down and slipped her arm out from her sleeve so that her shoulder was fully visible and accessible. "This one," she indicated, and Blair nodded, looking at it as she slipped a pair of gloves on. The tattoo in question was a single letter "T". It wasn't bad from a technical standpoint; had been done well, and it didn't look as though it had gotten blown out or faded or anything, but it also wasn't so fresh that it would be a pain to cover up from her end of things. It was on the smaller side—nothing itty-bitty, but definitely small enough that she had room to work with it without a significant challenge. That was good. It was probably as good of a situation as Blair could aim for.

"My ex," Anna explained. "It was stupid, I know."

It happened. Blair just considered herself lucky that she hadn't gotten any tattoos for Whiskey. "Yeah, I know the feeling," she laughed a little, but she didn't actually go into it, either. "So what are you thinking about for a cover-up? I feel like there's a lot that I could do with this, no problem." It would be easy enough to incorporate the existing "T" into a lot of other designs, but what mattered most was that Anna was happy with the end result.

@ani

[Deleted]

Late November
@blair

Ani smiled in response. Good, a laugh was good. It meant Blair was relaxed. Didn't feel suspicious of her in any way. And definitely didn't recognize the mark. That was the real key. As long as it wasn't recognized, she was safe. "Hopefully you didn't get their name permanently inked on your body."

Ani hadn't actually thought about what she might want for a cover up. She'd been so caught up in the need to get it covered that she'd missed that crucial step. But, she didn't have to think. She knew what she wanted. "A bird flying out of a cage. The exact details I'll leave to you." Free as a bird. That's what she was now. She wasn't in her father's cage anymore. Trapped by his rules. Sure, that also meant she was being hunted by her father and sisters, but she was still free. Free to do what she wanted, when she wanted, however she wanted. IT was a strange feeling. Freedom....

[Deleted]

Late November 2025

"Hopefully you didn't get their name permanently inked on your body," Anna commented when she sympathized with the ex situation. That probably would have been a bad idea, aside from the fact that tattooing a lover's name was maybe not the greatest idea anyway, in the event that things went south. When your ex's name was also a type of hard liquor, Blair thought, tattooing their name was even more ill-advised, possibly. Without context, it probably would have made her seem like an alcoholic or as though she had gotten tattooed on a dare. Which was worse was hard to say.

"No, no… Luckily, I didn't do that," Blair laughed. She had dodged that bullet.

As far as the cover-up of her own past mistake, Anna explained what it was that she was looking for. "A bird flying out of a cage," she said. "The exact details I'll leave to you."

That was easily doable, Blair thought, already developing a mental picture of what that might look like along with the existing tattoo as its base. "Sweet. I can do that for you for sure." It was relatively common imagery, from her perspective, but she had seen way worse.

"Okay, so the first thing that I'm going to do," Blair started, filling Anna in on the process, "is I'm gonna trace an outline of the tattoo as you have it right now." That way, she could develop a design based off of it exactly, instead of taking her chances at doing things freehand. "And then I'll work on creating a new design for the birdcage." It was nothing too involved, so it would probably be pretty quick. "You can see how you like it, I'll make any adjustments, and then we'll get that tattooed for you. Sound good?"

@ani