thebladebringstheflame | Sticks & Bones // IC Inbox

[anyway no yeah he's upstairs where the rooms are, and he hears Wolfwood knocking and yelling... God can't you be normal? (Said Flamebringer who literally accosts this man once a week in a similar fashion)

He will walk downstairs and poke his head out of the front door, scooting bunnies back with his foot.]

Yeah, yeah, I'm home. [Ogling Wolfwood's horns and tail... hm. Handlebars.] And you spoke to the lizards, I see.

[Handlebars :)

Wolfwood shudders as Flamebringer opens the door, though he doesn't immediately shove his way in. He doesn't want the bunnies to come running out into the snow, after all.]

Y-yeah. I mean. Didn't expect 'em to give me nothin', but here we are.

[He shivers.]

You gonna let me in?

[Continues staring... thinks about it...]

It's a public building, you know.

[And then he whips around and lets Wolfwood let himself in, better catch that door before it hits you in the face.]

It's only the upstairs you technically can't go into, but you basically live here half the time anyway, so why are you asking me?

I know. But unlike some people, I ain't just gonna barge in.

[He grumbles, barging in- okay no he's coming in like a normal person, catching the door and pulling it shut behind him so he can shake the snow off his shoulders and hair. It's true, given that his boyfriend and frienemywithbenefits both live here, it's not like he isn't here half the time, and visiting more and more following he and Ain's recent talk about it. He's not here to see Ain though, for once.]

I'm here to collect. I want you to go ahead and do my tattoo so it can be healin' before we all freeze to fuckin' death.

Then you're in the wrong spot. ...not that I'm at the shop anyway.

[Tail wiggles.]

Let me get my sketchbook. [And he will briefly disappear upstairs to do just that, some pencils and fine tip markers in his hand and the sketchbook tucked under his arm when he comes back and sits at one of the tables. They don't have to move to the shop yet.] You have an idea, right?

I got somethin' in mind, yeah. I figure you're good with flowers...how are you with other things? Animals, inorganic shit, shapes, things like that.

[He isn't here to make Flamebringer work with something he doesn't think he can do, so he has a couple ideas he could go with.

Yeah. Here, look through this.

[There are a ton of designs in there. Flowers, skulls and snakes, all typical "masculine man" designs. Flamebringer has forgotten about a couple of things in there, though, things he probably doesn't intend to show Wolfwood — tons of bunnies with the cafe as a background (and his sense of geometry compared to his sense of natural objects and shapes needs some work, he's no good with spaces like rooms yet, but the bunnies are round and fluffy and cute), drawings of Ezell (oops), a design for a ring, drawings of "his" kids... you know, Cute Things that a guy who acts like he's So Tough wouldn't want anybody to see.

Other than his lack of skill with geometry (which he's working on, as evidenced by a sketch page dedicated just to 3D shapes like something they'd teach you in art school), it's pretty good. He can't make things that are too adorable and cartoony, but he can whip out the cool-ass flames and snakes and skulls and all that shit. And the flowers. God knows this man is a master of flowers.]

Edited 2025-01-02 05:58 (UTC)

[Lol gay. This man is gay. As if Wolfwood doesn't have a gay topic in mind for his tattoo, of course.

He'll flip through the sketchbook slowly, eyeballing the different designs. It's actually more variety than he was expecting, like damn. Flamebringer isn't a bad artist...and when he sees the doodles of Ezell and the bunnies (and that ring), he huffs.

Okay, yeah. He thinks this will work.

Wolfwood flips back to the page with the flowers and points to a couple different varieties.]

So...normally, I'd ask you t'do somethin' on my back. But I've already got a tat there. I would do anythin' to get rid of it, but it is what it is.

[It's his cult tattoo, between his shoulder-blades. The symbol of the Eye.]

Instead, I think I want it on my bicep. A wolf's head. But around it, I want flowers. Three kinds...t'represent my boyfriends.

Can you do that?

[Stop listen he's depressed about that ring vaguely because he drunkely brought up to Ezell that he Wanted to propose and Ezell hit him with the insecure, self-loathing "why don't you think about that longer" and so he's been Festering and not talking about it. He will realise the error of his ways in a second when he flips to a clean page and tries to hide the fact that he let Wolfwood see that at all.

He twirls one of the fine-tipped inking pens between his fingers before uncapping it with his teeth (why) and then physically takes it out of his mouth with his fingers and puts the cap on the back of the marker (just uncap it like normal!).]

I can do cover-ups. You'd be paying for that one, though. Lots of Sarkaz get some horrid fucking tattoos when we're in the field doing mercenary work and regret it later when they don't die in battle like they thought they would.

[Morbid!]

But sure, yeah. What flowers?

[Oh no. Oh Flamebringer. That’s rough buddy. Wolfwood knows so much about relationship trouble he understands. Ask him how he knows-

While Wolfwood very much saw the ring drawing, he isn’t going to point it out. He can tell he wasn’t meant to see it, and like. He’s an asshole, but he gets it. Whatever that is probably isn’t his business, and he doesn’t think Flamebringer wants to go to him for therapy anyway.]

A cover up…I’ll get back to you on that one.

[Because yes if you can somehow sear this fucking thing off him-]

That’s kinda the problem though. My world is so fucked, we don’t really have wild flowers. I’ve only just started gettin’ to see more of ‘em here, and I’ve learned some of ‘em from Ain, but there’s just too fucking many. Do you have like…a flower dictionary or something? A flower bible?

[He could literally sear it off if you want but a cover-up is better.]

...I've got a couple books on flowers. [And he will get up to grab those, capping the pen real quick. He's already started sketching a wolf.] And I get it. Kazdel didn't have them either.

[Which is probably why he likes them so much now. But anyway, it's a quick trip upstairs (and Wolfwood might hear a CLOVES NO as the sphinx cat tries to, what else, steal the book from him), and he comes back down with a couple encyclopedias on plants. They probably aren't the magazine-quality photos Wolfwood is looking for, since they're largely informational, but there are decent pictures and sketches in there. Flamebringer has several pages tabbed with stickies, all varieties that he's growing here, or that Ain is growing, or Pure Vanilla or whoever else.]

Here.

[Okay, there we go. They might just be illustrations, but it's more than Wolfwood has memorized in his brain, which is very little. He'll take the book in hand and have a seat somewhere so he can start flipping through it. He had an idea of what he was going to get for Vash, though part of him wonders if doing geraniums would be...upsetting. He hasn't forgotten the total breakdown he had when he'd gotten a pot of them as a gift last Christmas, so he's thinking he might be better off coming up with another association.

Flip flip...]

Ain likes lilies, and snapdragons. Wisteria...these things.

[Points at a tree illustration with wisteria growing off it.]

So I wanna do something like that for him. Colorful, if you can. I think...red roses, for Liv. And Vash...

[Flips some more...]

Maybe...these sunflowers? That'd be good.

...got it. So—

[He's doing a quick and dirty sketch right now, just a draft before he puts effort in. A wolf's head drawn facing the viewer, but not detailed — muzzle, eyes, vague fluff, ears, you get it. Around the top of its head and wrapping around behind it is a halo of sunflowers. On either side of the wolf are the roses, and hanging from underneath the piece are the wisteria. Flamebringer has them labelled in colours: The wolf in black, the sunflowers in yellow, roses in red, and the wisteria in purple.]

Rough draft. If you like the composition, I'll refine it.

[And then he points to each flower in turn.]

I hope you know what you're doing with your flower language. Sunflowers are for longevity, joy, hope, that kinda thing. Red roses symbolize passionate love and desire. And wisterias mean resilience and longevity... and love, beauty, a whole bunch of shit like that. [For some reason no one has made up their minds about wisteria.] If you don't like the wisterias, snapdragons are for strength and grace, but could mean deception. Lilies depend on the colours, but they're largely for purity, divinity, and beauty.

I can add the other flower types, too, if you want.

[Wolfwood looks over at the concept, and it's honestly pretty damn good even as just a first pass. He does snort at what Flamebringer says though.]

"Hope you know what you're doing with your flower language", he says to the guy who's only seen like two real flowers before he got here. I don't know anythin' 'bout that shit, I just thought those would look good.

[Livio would probably blow up and die if he knew what roses meant. Whatever, it's fine, it's not like they're a WRONG pick-

He looks back at the sketch again.]

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but. I trust your artistic vision. I dunno if more would clutter it or not, but if y'think it'd look good, go for it.

That's why I listed them off, dickface. I'm making sure you didn't want something like, I dunno, "every flower here has to mean romantic love". Some people get like that.

[He's just double checking! But he hums, going to sketch out a larger, more refined version of the little doodle he just did. Add the snapdragons and lilies... he can do that, he can draw the lilies in orange and the snapdragons in pink, and then the whole piece would have something of a sunset hue to it. Hm...]

Alright. Orange lilies for passion, good luck, and joy. Then the whole piece has better colour blending. I'll put the snapdragons right above the wisteria, in pink.

[He's still refining, but give him a bit and he'll show Wolfwood something more cohesive: The wolf head, still in the centre (and fluffy) and black with bright eyes looking toward the viewer. The halo of sunflowers on top, stems hidden by the orange lilies on either side. The red roses on the direct left and right of the wolf head, then the pink snapdragons underneath, and hanging from the bottom are the wisteria. The whole thing has sort of an oval-shaped framing to it.]

If you like this, I'll colour the art in with markers, and if you like that, we can head off to the shop. You're going to have to come back for multiple sessions, though. Flowers and fur are detailed, and you never colour the same session you line.

[Damn. Flamebringer is really good at this, huh...Wolfwood wasn't sure he'd be able to make it look like he was imagining, but sure enough there it is. The flowers circle the wolf perfectly, and the way the eyes stare back at him feel almost too real.]

Yeah...yeah, I like that. S'good.

[Wolfwood speak for "it's really great I love it thank you"]

I'm fine with that. I figured it'd take a couple rounds anyway, s'why I figured I'd get it started sooner rather than later. Never know what bullshit's gonna come up here, it'd suck if I was recovering from a tat and got fucked up by some shitty incident on top of it.

[Time to colour! Quick and dirty to just lay out the idea, but he'll colour and blend nicer when it's on skin. Not that colouring will happen for another week or so, but still.]

You're telling me. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[Scribble, scrawl...]

It always does. It always will. S'just bein' ready for when it does.

[Being ready, and trying not to obsess over it until it happens.]

That's why I do shit like this to fill the time. S'better than just waitin' to be attacked all day.

I hear it. No matter where I am, I spend my time in the nearest greenhouse. A lot of the battles Rhodes Island fights don't interest me.

[But that's also his employer, so he's contractually obligated to help when they tell him to. Getting thrown out by Mon3tr would completely blow.

Anyway, after some time passes, Flamebringer turns the coloured piece around to Wolfwood. It's as he said it would be — lots of sunset-coloured flowers and a big, black and grey Wolf.]

What do you think?

[At least Flamebringer's employers are good people. Wolfwood's, on the other hand...well, he's been here for this long, he likes to just pretend the Eye doesn't exist for as much as he can here. As long as one of the other Guns don't show up...

God, he thinks he'd walk into the woods and never come back. Or they'd kill each other. or both.

Putting that thought aside, Wolfwood turns his attention back to the concept Flamebringer has drawn up, the slightest of smirks pulling at his lips.]

Lookin' pretty good. We can go ahead with that one.

["Good" is subjective when your employer literally assassinated someone and was sent to spread Oripathy but yeah no it's fine, they're fine now. Probably.]

Great. Let's get to the shop, then.

[He'll close the book and stop off to put the markers upstairs, though, so that the bunnies do not eat them. Because they will. And then, it's off to the tattoo place with them, where Flamebringer unlocks the door and has Wolfwood sit in the one chair that's in here.]

You wanted it on your bicep, right?

[Wolfwood hums in a way that's very much a "yes" as he follows Flamebringer inside, taking a seat in the chair and immediately manspreading in it.]

Think I'll do my left arm. Keeps it away from all this.

[He gestures vaguely to the right side of his neck, where Flamebringer will see the crescent-moon shaped scar from where the rose hounds tore into him when he first arrived on his collarbone, peeking out from underneath his blazer collar.]

[Yeah, makes sense.]

Scar tissue is difficult to tattoo over. Not impossible, but I get it.

[Wolfwood's gonna be here for a while, so he'd better get comfortable.]

Blazer off, sleeve rolled up or shirt off — I'll let you pick — and you'd better find a position that's comfortable, 'cause you're not going to be moving while I do this.

[He's transferring the initial concept sketch to that magical ass paper that tat artists use to get the lines on, I'm not looking up what it's called I'm not feeling festive today.]

[To make it easier, Wolfwood will go the extra mile and just take his blazer and undershirt off completely. Why roll up his sleeve and deal with that annoyance for hours when he could just be shirtless? It wouldn't be anything Flamebringer hasn't already seen, at any rate.

He'll drape it over the arm of the chair as he sits back against it, holding his arm on the armrest in such a way that he figures he'll be able to just stay like that without moving any further than this.]

Any rules against me takin' a nap while you do this?

[His pain tolerance is hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh, so he figures he'll be numb to the needle for the most part.]

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