A/N: Okay so, the delay is entirely on me this time. I had a different AU in mind originally but then last minute something struck and this felt way better.

4th Day of Rayllum: Stalling Words

Chapter Summary: Callum's had a lot of difficult clients before, but none were as bad as Rayla McCloud. Tattoo Parlour AU.

Word Count: 3,241

Stalling Words

Callum was used to getting cancellations. With his line of work, it was to be expected. Owning a tattoo shop near the middle of the suburbs was the prime real estate for driving in customers who might've wanted to spruce up their lives. But whenever he received emails for appointments late in the evening or in the middle of the night, he assumed a sober customer was responding the next day to cancel. Those who did know what they wanted however? They did their research. They set up consultations, some even in person, and they have references or examples or notes—it's all thought out.

Sure, he would get the occasional, "It was just a spur of the moment!" kind of person, and he would end up having to help them brainstorm an idea. But even then, those types still weren't so bad, least not all the time. He hated walk-in appointments, that was for certain. He had regulars, difficult customers who were specific and difficult customers who weren't specific enough. Needless to say, he had seen just about everything he had come to expect from owning a tattoo parlour.

Until he met his latest client, Rayla McCloud.

They scheduled for a consultation at 11:30 in the morning, which told Callum this was either going to be difficult drawing because they needed most of the afternoon to explain, or it would be a quick meeting as they had many errands to take care of. He liked forming speculations like these, it made him feel invested in his clients.

And then she walked in, right on the dot. A young woman who looked about his age, his height, with medium length white and black faded hair, and purple mascara. She hugged her variety jacket tight as she scanned the shop, looking as if she walked into a dentist. He chuckled—wouldn't have been the first time he'd seen that look before.

He stood up from the counter and waved. "Hiya!" She nearly jumped at this voice.

"O-Oh, hi," she shyly waved back.

So it was gonna be another one of those customers. He kept his polite smile up as he asked, "Rayla, right? Rayla McCloud?"

She nodded.

Callum grinned happily at that, "Perfect! Right on time! Now, we can have our consultation in my office if you don't mind." He moved out of his chair and motioned to the back of the shop. "Did you have an references or anything in mind you wanted to go off of first or—"

"I-I'm sorry," she suddenly spoke.

He stopped and turned, confused. "I beg your pardon?"

She shook her head as she slowly backed away. "I-I can't. I changed my mind!" And then she bolted out of his shop.

Callum stared in bewilderment for the next few minutes before deciding to call his next appointment and letting him know he was now suddenly available.

That was new.

::::

Weirdly enough, Thursdays were his busiest booked days. Every appointment, consultation, even walk-ins, decided Thursday was the opportune moment for them to get a tattoo. Callum wasn't complaining, of course, he loved the business! But he still didn't get why Thursdays of all days. He had just finished up his lunch break and he heard the door chime. He internally groaned as he realized Claudia was at the counter and that meant—

"Welcome to Inked, where we take what you're inking and make it a reality!"

Callum stuck his head out of his office and shouted, "I told you, not our slogan!"

Claudia stuck her tongue out at him. "It's catchy and clever."

"I will fire you if you say it one more time," he joked, staring at her with a smile.

"I dunno, I think it's clever," his head perked at the familiar voice behind Claudia's head. And, sure enough, Rayla McCloud was stood right at the counter, this time a whole foot away from her last spot.

He smiled at her. "Well I'll be, Miss McCloud!" he stepped out of his office and waved, "I was surprised to see your name pop again in my appointments, especially from our last meeting nearly a month ago."

She let out a nervous chuckle. "Aye. My bad. Sorry 'bout that," she hurriedly said, "I was just, it wasn't a good idea—I mean, I wasn't feeling a wee bit sick an-and I, well, I had errands. To do. As well." She stood stiff still as she shut her mouth.

Callum held back his laughter, deciding to spare the poor woman from any more embarrassment. "Well," he stepped to the side and gestured into his office, "shall we begin this time?"

She took a step. One whole step. Then rushed out the door.

"See if you had a catchier catchphrase, she might've stayed," Claudia loudly whispered.

Callum rolled his eyes and went on with his day, with a now free afternoon slot.

He later received an email with a four paragraph apology that, in summary, was, "My cousin's pet labrador got sick and died, and no one was around to help bury it."

::::

The third time she showed up in his emails, he reluctantly accepted. Winter was a slow time for his business sometimes. Claudia was still in college and so her winter season was more exams on art theory, rather than examining a client's strange birthmark that they wished to use in their tattoo (it actually came out really well). Essentially, he had to take a lighter load and the only consistent business he would usually get were regulars or customers purchasing discount deals for gifts for their loved ones.

So yeah, he accepted.

But this time, he was eating his second helping of lunch. He had his favourite fantasy comic book, Xadian Adventures, in his lap behind the counter as he ate his burger and fries he got from the McDonald's down the street. Sure, maybe he would get a walk-in at this time but they were rare during the winter and he could probably reason with them to wait. He had finished the burger and was sipping on the last ounces of his diet coke when he heard the door chime open, and the Scottish lass had appeared.

He spat out his drink into his bag of half finished fries.

As he tried to work through his coughing fit, attempting to word out an apology between his air gasps, she crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. "Yeah yeah, I know, ya didn't expect me to show," she said with an irritated tone.

He frantically waved his hand as he shook his head. "No, no, no, I-I mean, yes—wait no, but I—" he cleared his throat and took a breath. "Sorry, I-I'm not making fun of you." He quickly put away his comic book and put aside his meal. "This is on me, I'm sorry," he admitted.

She sighed. "It's… it's okay." She awkwardly kept her gaze away as she kicked some snow off her boot.

The silence continued for at least a minute.

Callum would've offered to begin the consultation again, but his experience told her the second he asked she would bolt faster than lighting. Maybe he needed a different approach? "I um, I'm sorry about your cousin's dog," he tried.

She blinked, and as if realization struck and a wave of red flushed her face as she now seemed fixated on looking anywhere but at him. Great, so that was a random excuse. Claudia managed to convince him it was a legitimate thing for a while there. "Right… the dog… which was real. Ob-Obviously I'm sayin' was, because like, he was real once. For a time. But now… isn't…"

He nodded. So she was sticking with it, huh? She must have been really embarrassed. "Uhh what breed was it?" he inquired, throwing a small smirk her way.

She froze. "Umm, a golden retriever?" she tried, and it was then Callum let his smug smirk take full affect— even she realized she was caught. Rayla let out a sigh. "I said somethin' different in the email."

"Labrador."

She furrowed a brow, "Ya still remember it?"

"Yuuup," he nodded. "Claudia and I were going over the plausibility of the story. She was convinced. Or, maybe she was acting convinced to make me doubt myself?" he pondered aloud, realizing that was exactly something Claudia would do. "Either way, it was a memorable email," he smiled. His face dropped for a moment unsure if he had offended her.

He really had no idea what would set her off.

She still looked hesitant, her arms crossed once again as she gripped into her forearms like it was her life support. Was that where she wanted it? Was she worried it would hurt? Or maybe she had a fear of needles? He had customers like those too, but they usually came in with friends or family to help them get through it.

"I-If you want, you're allowed to bring a friend or family member or whatever," he suggested.

Her eyes finally met his, but they were laced with confusion and shock. "Pardon?"

"I mean like, if you're nervous or need help getting talked down, I don't mind clients having partners or friends sit with them," he explained.

Rayla stared at him. He could not, for the life of him, read her face at all. It was like fear, anxiety, confusion, and curiosity had a baby and made it her expression at that very moment. But, if there was one thing to be proud of, it was that he deduced what all those conflicting emotions meant.

"You're gonna walk out aren't you—"

"I'm just gonna go—" she mumbled out at the same time, pulled the door open as she walked out into the breezy cusp of evening.

At least he knew one thing she would do.

::::

Slow days happened every now and then. Maybe someone cancelled, or an appointment was delayed due to traffic—it happened. Claudia usually took up the counter on days like these because she wanted to use her catchphrase at any chance she could. He didn't mind because at least she was willingly working the register, but he made sure to chime in and declare that it wasn't their motto. It still didn't stop her from trying.

And speaking of not stopping (or trying)...

"Welcome to Inked, where we oh!" Claudia stopped mid sentence. "Hey Cal, it's for you," she said in sing song.

He stepped out of his office and there she was.

Rayla McCloud.

"Hi," she waved. "I um, do—can ya take a walk-in right now?"

He rolled his eyes. This was a waste of his time. "Can you?" he shot back.

She sighed. "I'd like to meet in your office."

He blinked at that. He looked to Claudia, who shrugged, just as surprised as him. The look on her face was pleading, at least he hoped it was. He couldn't read her at all. But still, "C'mon in," he nodded to her to follow as he moved back to his desk and sat down. His desk was a clutter, but at this point, he gathered nothing formal was happening with this client anytime soon.

As soon as she walked, she closed the door behind her, taking the seat with a newfound confidence—no, assurance. She knew what she wanted to say. "I'm sorry I ditched all our appointments," she began, "That was a rude and disrespectful thing to do to your business and I'm sorry for. I-I am willing to pay extra as well, for compensation for being a bother."

While that was tempting… "You make it sound like you know what you want this time," he shot her a brow.

She sighed. "I alway knew what tattoo I wanted. Even where. An-And I do have a reference!" she hurriedly added.

He stared at her, confused. "I've had people be nervous before, it's nothing new. But you're the first I've seen act this way for a consultation. I haven't even done anything yet!"

"And ya're right, ya haven't!" she agreed, nodding fiercely as though she wanted to stress how important that was, "It wasn't ya. It was me. I just…" she took a deep breath. "I want it on my forearm," she rolled up her sleeve and pointed near where her wrist began, "Four words. It's sorta cursive, but not really."

He shrugged, deciding that maybe she just dropped all conversation pieces and wanted to get to brass tacks. He grabbed his pen and moved his comic book off his notepad, and started taking notes.

"Well, where it's from it's written like that because it's sorta its own language? It-It's a quote from my favourite fantasy… comic… series…" Callum glanced up, worried that her trailing off was going to result in another ditch, but he found her staring at his desk—no, his comic book.

He looked at her in amazement. "Xadian Adventures?" he clarified. When she nodded he beamed a smile like a kid on Christmas morning. "No way!"

"Ya read it too?"

Callum scoffed. "Read it? I live it! I practically became a tattoo artist because the Archmage Calidum, uses tattoo conjuring!"

Her face lit up with a smile Callum had never seen before. "Is he your favourite too?" Without even giving him time to answer she added, "I love how the recent issues are him taking on an apprentice! It's like, a direct parallel to his training with his mentor but instead their relationship is—"

"More parent-child," he filled in.

"Less teacher-student," she agreed. Her face flushed with an adorable sense of regret as she looked away. "S-Sorry. I just get carried away."

He snorted. "So? That's awesome! Passion is passion, it just comes out of people in different ways." He gestured all around his office, referring to the photographs of all his favourite tattoos. "This is mine. And I love to do it."

Rayla nodded, but looked hesitant to continue.

He thought about that look, and took a shot in the dark. "You were embarrassed weren't you?"

She nodded, sighing in shame.

"Why?"

Another shrug. "I… no one I know likes Xadian Adventures. It's… hard to talk about something like that when no one around ya wants to read a twenty-nine year old comic series." She stared at his comic book, sadness writhing within her words, "With the thirty year old anniversary happening this January, at the Comic Con in our city for once—I…" she held back there, "I just wanted to rep that I was—am a fan." Rayla shook her head and scoffed. "But who am I kiddin'? Ya're out here being proud and I'm stalling because I'm not a big enough of a fan to represent just having it on my bloody arm."

He stared at her in wonder. This was… an entirely different story than the ones he had in his head. There was more to it of course. Maybe some bullying, maybe even within her family. Something traumatic that made her feel the need to closet this passion of hers. He wouldn't pry, not because it wasn't his place and they hardly knew each other. But, as a fan to another?

Callum rolled up the sleeves of his sweater all the way up to his shoulders to reveal the canvas hat was his arms. Rayla's jaw dropped in awe at the sight of his tattoo sleeves. Of course she caught it right away.

"Are those—"

"—various quotes from the series?" he finished, then nodded. "Yup. I like having them all together, muddled even if it doesn't make much sense because, well, it makes sense to me." He leaned forward and grabbed the comic book, holding it out as he pointed at the name, Xadian Adventures. "It's my appreciation for this work and what it means to me. But I'm not hiding them, even if they're not shown. Heck, I love wearing sweaters! But I'm not hiding them. They're part of me, and I know that even if I can't see it."

She smiled at that.

He mirrored her expression. "And by the way, there's a difference between stalling and delaying the inevitable. I don't think this counts as stalling since you still kept coming back." He winked at her and she chuckled.

"Thanks… Callum," she sniffed, wiping off a tear that had strolled down her cheek. "That was really nice."

Something about her genuine appreciation made him feel warm inside. "Umm, no problem!" He put the comic book aside and prepared to jot down more notes. "What uh, what would you like again? The quote?"

Her smile grew into its pride. "'My heart for Xadia,'" she answered.

He grinned fondly as he wrote it down. "Issue 17, the beginning of the war between elves and humans."

"Which also led to the greatest ships of all time," she pointed out.

"Ugh, you're one of those shippers?"

"C'mon, don't tell me ya don't love seeing the two be together. Their moments are so cute!"

He rolled his eyes and patted his pad with his pen. "You want it the same way I had mine done? Matching Calidum's ancient text writing style?" She eagerly nodded. He glanced at the clock, noticing it was still only 1:18 PM. "Now, if you're sure and ready, we can do it today too," he suggested, "it will be quick and simple."

"Yes. Please," she answered.

::::

"I can't believe you didn't take her up on her offer to compensate for being such an indecisive brat," Claudia addressed as they started closing up shop. "You were complaining about her for soooo long, and what, that's it?"

Callum shrugged. "Hey, she knew what she wanted and we got it done." Claudia, of course, had no issue with Rayla. It was more so that she knew something happened during their consultation and liked to play conspiracy theorist. He decided to let the moment pass before speaking up again. "Do you think you can handle the shop for a day?"

She turned at him with eyes of hope and gratitude. "Yes! Yes yes yes—wait, where will you be? Oh and when?"

He laughed. "January 22nd. I'm going to Comic Con."

"Oh, for your comic book thingy?"

He stopped the door, ready to turn off the lights but he felt his phone buzz. He checked and saw the message:

Unknown [7:06 PM]: HI!

Unknown [7:06 PM]: oops didnt mean to caps. Just wanted to check this was ur number.

Unknown [7:07 PM]: Not that I doubted u

Unknown [7:07 PM]: oh and wanted to double check if we're still on for coffee this weekend?

Unknown [7:07 PM]: im spamming u arent i?

Unknown [7:07 PM]: shit.

He laughed, shaking his head at his phone. "Ooooh, what's got boss man all smiley?" Claudia teased as she moved over to him.

He shielded his phone from her. "Knock if off, Clauds."

Callum [7:07 PM]: we're still good for coffee.

Callum [7:07 PM]: and dw, ur cool.

"Wait," Claudda gasped, "is it Comic Con or… 'Comic Con'?" she said with finger quotes.

He stared.

"I mean, are you really going to Comic Con or is it a date?" she insinuated it like a middle schooler.

Rayla [7:08 PM]: thank god.

Rayla [7:08 PM]: for the cool not the coffee

Rayla [7:08 PM]: acc wait…

Callum tooked his phone away and flicked off the lights, laughing as he answered Claudia's question.

"Yes."

A/N: I promise that over the weekend, I'll catch up! Also, I hope you all are getting the gist of how these prompts are now oriented and themed. I will try to incorporate the number scheme into the narrative, so we'll see if I can pull it off.

And speaking of fun facts, Rayla's codename in the hitman AU is inspired by her quote in season 1, the same quote used here in this AU for her tattoo! I felt as an hitwoman or assassin the part that makes Rayla, well Rayla, would always be her heart. I like to implement a lot of references to the canon in my AUs, and I'm sure some have already noticed a few.

Review Response:

dinochickrox: Yeah. Harrow dying at the end came outta left field for me when I was writing. But BOY does it fin when you consider the parallels!

Until next time,

- Bleh