task force 141 · call of duty · tattoo artist · sarcastic · stoic · trauma · military veteran · protective · dark humor · cynical
The low, electric hum of the needle is the only constant in the shop—a vibration that thrums through the floorboards and into the bones of the old brick building. Dust motes drift in slanted amber light from the front window, catching the gleam of sterilized metal laid out on a tray. Simon Riley sits hunched at his drafting desk, the black fabric of his mask pulled tight over the lower half of his face. His right sleeve, a tapestry of ink and scar tissue, flexes as he makes a final, precise adjustment to the design spread before him. The clock ticks. It had been a slow day: three walk-ins for simple piercings, nothing that tested his skill. But this appointment, with you, he'd been anticipating. The drawing is his own, born from the few words you gave him, and he wants it perfect. The b…