The hustle and bustle of the dining hall was in overdrive that night as everyone had apparently worked up an appetite from the day's training and matches. The group of four congratulated Kathryn and Robbie for making the two top spots on the leaderboard. Robbie thanked his friends while Kathryn boasted quite lively on how she was going to win this bet, totally confident in herself and her abilities. The four then told the two Dauntless borns how their matches of the week fared; Warsan was still in his mood and barely spoke all night.

Nikki grabbed a hold of Isabelle's shoulders as she shook them quite forcefully as they sat for dinner. "That's what I'm here to do," Nikki recited the brunette's words from earlier that day to Kathryn and Robbie, "to prove that I am Dauntless! Oh, it was so brilliant! I wish you guys were there, you would've loved it—especially you Kathryn!"

Robbie raised a brow to the brunette, "you said this, to Eric?"

Isabelle nodded, although she wasn't entirely pleased with herself for being so brash, "I didn't mean to… it just kinda slipped out."

"Well you told him," Kathryn replied as she winked playfully to her friend.

"I said I didn't mean to! I'm just so sick of everyone thinking I don't belong here."

Mattie took a sip from her cup, "I hope you know that we're joking, right? I mean, we joke around with everyone here; it's not like we're picking on you or anything."

"I know that," Isabelle admitted, "I meant people like Eric and Avicus."

"Avicus?" Nikki asked through gritted teeth, "what did that prick say to you?"

Isabelle waved her hand, signaling them to stop investigating, "it's nothing, just Avicus being himself."

"A prick," Nikki finished.

"Yeah."

"The best part," Mattie spoke as she finished chewing her food, "about when you told Eric off, was the expression on his face. It looked like he wanted to snap you in two."

Isabelle groaned as she rested her head on the table. She was doing fine by simply improving herself during training, but then she had to open her mouth. Eric was not someone she wanted to get on his bad side; Isabelle had seen and heard of what Eric was capable of doing to initiates when they've back-talked or disappointed him. Isabelle didn't want to end up like them—that was the last thing she wanted.

"I have an idea," Kathryn said as she poked Isabelle frantically, "I know how to turn that frown upside down."

Groggily, the brunette looked up but Kathryn kept poking her. "If I let you speak, can you stop touching me?"

Kathryn nodded.

"What is it then?"

"Why don't we get out of here after dinner? We can go to the parlor and get some tattoos, all of us! It'll be fun."

"I'm done for that," Nikki said.

Mattie and Robbie agreed. Warsan wanted nothing to do with the parlor and abruptly left the dining hall to retire to bed, his failure in the ring making him irritable. Isabelle though it over: having a tattoo or a piercing could be fun and it'll make her feel a little more like she belonged here with the other Dauntless members; even Four had tattoos even though he never showed them off like Eric or Ashur did. Maybe it'd give her some confidence in her training to show people that she wasn't afraid of anything.

"Yeah," she finally breathed out, "let's do it."

Kathryn grabbed the edge of the table and shook it fiercely out of pure excitement, "fuck yeah, let's get tatted up!"

"Initiate!" Ashur's voice boomed from across the room, causing Kathryn to stop her antics immediately as she turned to look at him, "settle down!"

"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir! Won't happen again, sir!" The way she replied was almost sarcastic, but Ashur was too tired to get into it with her so he left the dining hall. Kathryn smirked over at her friends, "I got him wrapped around my finger," her smirk broadened when she glanced over at Isabelle, "you should take note."

"I hope one day he kicks your ass," Robbie replied, looking at his sister. Kathryn only responded by sticking her tongue out at him.

After dinner, the gang changed out of their training clothes and opted for their more appealing night attire that they had bought a few nights ago at the Top Shop with the points that were given for spending. Isabelle wore a long-sleeved shirt that had mesh on the upper part of her chest and on her sleeves, revealing some skin, as well as skin-tight black jeans. She also wore black combat boots that had a small, thick heel which helped give her an extra inch or two.

Nikki wore a black dress and regular combat boots while Mattie wore black cargo pants and a black tank top with her own combat boots. Kathryn dressed similarly to Isabelle, only she opted to sport a black vest over her shirt; the girls had even done their own makeup, something that was a new experience to them all except for Kathryn who gave out tips whenever she could. Meanwhile, Robbie wore simple black pants and a matching vest over a black wife-beater. After they got ready, the five of them headed down to the tattoo parlor.

When the entered, Isabelle was in awe at the beauty of the parlor. Each section of it had a different colored light that hung above, giving that specific section of the parlor a certain color. There were also so many designs that were displayed on yellow-tinted plexiglass all over the shop; there were hundreds to choose from making it hard for the group to decide on which design to get.

"Can I help you?" A woman's voice called out as she stepped from behind a large curtain—it probably led into the back room.

"We're just looking right now. Thanks." Robbie replied to be polite.

"Alright. My name's Tori, come see me when you picked out a design. If I'm busy, Holland or Alois over there can help you out."

The group nodded in thanks as they scattered around the parlor, looking at all the different designs. Isabelle wandered off with Robbie as they examined each one, taking some inter consideration while others they scratched off their list all together.

Robbie was looking at some Celtic-inspired designs before he found one that caught his eye. He picked up the plexiglass and held it in his hands, staring at it for a moment. Isabelle was looking at her own when she felt felt Robbie tap her shoulder, "how about this one?"

She turned to look at the design he had picked out, her mouth fell slightly at the one he chose. It was all line work, but with so many different linear designs interwoven together; some lines thicker than others while they shaped unique tribal motifs. "That's stunning Robbie. I think you chose a good one. Where would you put it?"

"I'm thinking about making it a sleeve, starting from the base of my neck wrapping all the way down just past my elbow. How does that sound? Would that look cool or no?"

"It looks awesome, Robbie. Seriously."

He smiled, thanking the girl before he caught sight of his sister waving her arms at him.

"Hey, Rob," Kathryn shouted from across the parlor, "we should get matching tattoos!"

Robbie grimaced and gave his sister the finger, eliciting a fit of giggles from the other Dauntless born and Nikki who stood by her side. He thanked Isabelle again before he was off to find one of the tattoo artists, whoever was available. She smiled as he ventured away. Nikki, Mattie, and Kathryn caught up with the brunette, showing her the designs they had chosen for themselves. Nikki decided on stars to be placed above her left breast while Mattie had chosen a lion line-art concept to go on the inside of her forearm. Kathryn opted for a wolf on her calf.

"How about you?" Nikki asked. "What are you getting?"

Isabelle shook her head, "No tattoo for me sadly."

"What? Why not?"

"I think I'd rather wait until after initiation to get a tattoo—I don't want to jinx it."

"So, you're not gonna get anything? You came all the way down here." Kathryn asked.

Isabelle couldn't help but contain a smile, "I didn't say that. I think I'm gonna get a piercing or two."

"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"

With their minds set, the other three initiates getting tattoos made their way over to Tori who was almost done with Robbie's tattoo; they all stood around the boy, watching the procedure as it wrapped up.

"I don't mean to intrude," a voice said behind Isabelle, causing her to jump slightly as she turned to see an older man; he had taupe-colored hair tied behind him in a long braid. He was watching her behind thick-rimmed glasses, "I heard ya were interested in some piercings?"

Isabelle continued to examine the man as the tattoos on his neck were quite visible, as were the piercings in his septum, eyebrow, and lip along with his stretched out earlobes. He reached out a tattooed hand, "the name's Holland. And you are?"

"Isabelle," she replied automatically, taking his hand. She couldn't take her eyes off of his majestic mustache as it was styled to curl upwards.

"Nice to meet ya. Do ya have any idea of what'cha might like?"

The girl blushed slightly as she shook her head, avoiding his eyes, "I have no idea."

Holland smiled, leading her over to his chair. "Not to worry, Isabelle. I have a book of all the piercings I can perform, so just take a look and whatever ya want I'll be happy to make it happen. Just holler for me when you've decided."

Isabelle thanked Holland as he strolled away, offering to help Tori out with the tattoos of her friends. And so she opened the book, flipping through page after page of pictures of all the different types of piercings. Some had caught her eye while others made her cringe, wondering how someone could ever possible get that pierced. Isabelle shuddered at the mere thought.

It took Isabelle a good five minutes to go through the entire book; only a few minutes later did Holland reappear with a smile on his face. "So, did ya find any that caught'cha attention?"

"Several," Isabelle replied honestly, "I don't know how to possibly choose among them."

"Can I let you in on a little secret?"

The girl nodded.

"Ya can get more than one at a time; it all just depends on how well ya can tolerate pain."

"And the depth of my purse," Isabelle added with a grin, although remaining somewhat serious.

The tatted man laughed, shaking his head in amusement at the girl's words. "Initiates get tattoos and piercings free of charge—it encourages ya younglings to do well during training; leaders also get tattoos for free, but that's a different story."

Isabelle smiled at the news, turning back to the book as she flipped through the pages, trying to find the images of the piercing that she wanted. "In that case, I'd like this one," she said as she pointed to a specific lip piercing.

"Ah, the labret; good choice."

"And then I want my ears stretched with tapers and my left cartilage pierced, please."

Holland nodded, pursing his lips playfully as he thought over Isabelle's demands. "I will get my equipment ready then. Just sit back and relax; I'll be back momentarily."

Isabelle nodded as she sat back in the chair, crossing her ankles together as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She could hear Kathryn's voice as she had just finished getting her tattoo, squealing about how marvelous it was, which caused Isabelle to chuckle. She also heard the door to the parlor open, signaling that someone new had entered the shop.

All was quiet and serene until Isabelle heard footsteps approach, stopping just as the person had reached her chair.

"Brave enough for a tattoo, huh initiate?"

Isabelle slowly opened her eyes to look up at Eric as he stood before her, towering over her sitting form. "Not today, sir."

"Piercings then?"

Isabelle nodded, never breaking eye contact with her instructor. "A few."

"A few?" He asked, arching his brows in feign surprise. "How many, exactly?"

"Three."

He nodded, turning his attention over to Isabelle's friends as they all took pride in their new tattoos. "I don't see your dark-skinned friend amongst the others. Where he is?"

"Not feeling well, sir. He thought it was best for him to rest before tomorrow's training."

"I'd rest too if I had the shit beat out of me by someone of a significantly lower rank. Wouldn't you agree?"

The girl swallowed hard, trying to suppress an expression of distaste while holding back her tongue. "Yes, sir."

"Probably a good thing though," the blond said, "that Warsan isn't here; it'd be a shame if he were to get a tattoo and then have to leave Dauntless permanently."

"Does that happen, sir? Initiates getting tattoos and then end up not making it in?"

"All the time."

"What happens then?"

"We burn the tattoo off."

Holland came back with the much needed supplies, dumping them on the over-head table, pushing it towards his chair. "Eric!" He exclaimed loudly with a grin, "good to see ya, brother. Back for another piercing? Or another tattoo, perhaps?"

"I've been feeling the need for a tattoo this time, Holland."

"Splendid! I'll be with ya as soon as I'm finished with Isabelle here. You can take a look around the shop for—"

"I have my tattoo picked out already," Eric replied, "I'll just wait here until your done."

This time it was Holland who swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding with a nervous smile. He cleaned his equipment with disinfectant before turning to the girl. "Alright Isabelle," he said as he picked up his slotted forceps, taking a hold of her bottom lip as he pulled it down in preparation for the piercing, "there's just gonna be a slight pinch as the needle goes through."

"Don't flinch," Eric threatened, a stoic smirk smug on his face.

Was this a test? Isabelle thought. It didn't matter because the brunette didn't so much as blink as Holland quickly slid the needle through the middle of her bottom lip; he grabbed the stud and slid it through as well before turning the clasp shut so that it was secure between the skin.

"How does that feel, Is?" The artist asked. He then turned to the leader as he raised a pierced brow, "looks pretty good, huh Eric?"

"Enchanting," he mocked playfully.

Isabelle ignored the leader as she smiled over at Holland, "It feels fine."

Holland smiled back, nodding in joy. He was just as delicate, yet fast with her cartilage piercing and her tapers. It wasn't long before she was done and he explained to her how to take care of the piercings. Holland offered a mirror for Isabelle to take a look at his fine work. "Do they fit your satisfaction?"

"They're amazing, thank you Holland."

Holland laughed, bowing slightly, "I aim to please. How does she fare, Eric?"

There was silence as Eric's intense blue eyes scanned over her face. He paused at her lips, her bottom lip that was now slightly red and swollen from being penetrated by with a needle; his gaze roamed to her eyes that appeared darker than they naturally were underneath the colored lights above. He caught himself staring, so he averted his gaze to glance back over at Holland. "She looks more Dauntless every time I see her."

It was that comment that made a light blush creep onto Isabelle's cheeks, feeling her face warm up instantly. Eric smirked, proud of his achievement, before he started to make his way towards Tori, "I'll be back in a moment, Holland."

Once the leader was out of earshot, Holland nudged the frozen girl with his elbow, "that's the closet thing to a compliment that I've heard to slip from his mouth—I think he likes ya."

Isabelle scoffed, looking up at Holland, "I doubt it."