A/N: Deconstruct - Epica
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, all rights to go respectful owners.
"So, how is the wedding planning?" Nozomi asked, as she finished the outline with a mental sigh of relief: 50% through, keep it up, Nozomi, she thought to herself.
"It's getting there," Kotori looked at Umi, who gulped and instantly balled her hands into fists.
Before Nozomi could talk, Rin snapped up and gasped.
"I'M DONE!"
Nozomi moved the needle away from Kotori and looked over at her apprentice. The orange-haired girl smiled and held up the slab of pig skin with pride.
"It's finished!"
"That's fantastic! Well done, Rin-chan," Nozomi congratulated the young girl, who have a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her face.
Nozomi motioned to Kotori, "Would you mind it if Rin-chan has a look?"
"Not at all,"
"Rin-chan!" Nozomi called out to her apprentice, and jerked her head to motion her over.
"Come have a look at this."
Rin walked over, and gasped. The lines were so neat and perfect, even the small beads to form the silver chain were so intricate.
"Do you see how my hand hasn't faltered?" Nozomi pointed this out as she change the needle to a shading needle. Rin nodded as Nozomi dipped the needles into the white ink on her table.
"It takes time, but your hand will grow accustom to holding the needle steadily for long periods of time."
Rin was noting everything down mentally as Nozomi started to colour in the flower.
"H-Hey, Nozomi?" Umi had checked her watch and grimaced at the time.
"It's quarter to six..."
"I am aware of the time, Umi-chan," Nozomi responded lightly, wiping away more droplets. Umi looked down at Kotori, who squinted in pain as Nozomi shaded the top of the flower on her ribs.
"Do you reckon we could take no more clients and just finish Kotori?"
Nozomi looked up at Umi, eyes glistening.
"We normally keep our doors open until the very last second, but," she looked back down at Kotori.
"Just this once, I will allow it."
"Thank you so much," Umi bowed, and then went to close up her piercing room quickly in order to return to her fiancé's side as soon as possible.
Rin looked up from the tattoo to Kotori.
"It looks really amazing, Kotori-san!"
"Thank you, Rin-chan. Nozomi-san's work is truly something special."
"Ah, I'm just a humble tattoo artist," Nozomi chuckled, changing colours from white to green.
"Rin-chan, leave the pig skin in the break room for me to look at tomorrow, and then we can work on your technique some more, okay?"
"Okay!" Rin hopped off to do as she was told.
"A little birdie tells me that you're worried about Umi-chan," Nozomi quietly said to Kotori, who winced.
"Ah! W-well, I am…very worried, actually."
"Umi-chan loves you very much, y'know,"
"I know, but…she's been very awkward when we talk about the wedding…and she's been avoiding talking about it to her parents, even though they know…"
Nozomi chuckled as she changed the colour to silver.
"Kotori-chan, have you ever been married before?"
"Wh-What?! No!" Kotori gasped and looked away with a blush.
"Well, I know that Umi-chan hasn't been married, either," Nozomi continued.
"It's a new experience for you both. This is a happy time, and a sad time for the both of you. No one knows what the future is going to hold for the both of you, so you may as well roll with it. I imagine that Umi-chan is nervous, very nervous."
Kotori thought over the words as Nozomi worked on the silver chain.
"We both know her parents want her to take over their dojo eventually, and we both know that her being a body piercer wasn't the ideal job her parents wanted her to have. I mean, look at us," Nozomi grinned at Kotori, green eyes gleaming and nose piercing glinting. Her stretchers were purple today.
"None of us were what our parents expected! Rin-chan is an amazing football player, and she's now my apprentice. Umi-chan is a fantastic archer, yet her main source of income comes from piercing people. Body piercing and running a dojo are two very different things, especially since her father is quite sick at the moment…"
"You're right…" Kotori sighed and bit her lip. Nozomi stopped tattooing for a second and looked up at the childcare worker.
"I'll be Umi-chan hasn't got got cold feet, Kotori-chan. Umi-chan is madly in love with you, and wants nothing more than to be with you. It's the pressure she puts on herself from her past that is probably making her feel awkward at the moment. That's what I think, anyway. Perhaps give her some time?"
"You think so?" Kotori sniffled, and Nozomi gestured to the break room.
"That's what the cards say, but this is none of my business," Nozomi winked at Kotori, just as Umi walked over with her jacket on and hair tied back to show off her multitude of ear piercings. She was chewing on her left snake bite.
"How are you doing, Kotori?"
"Quite well, Umi-chan," Kotori smiled back, blinking away the tears as she held out a hand for Umi to hold.
"Kotori-chan has been solid as a rock, I'm very impressed," Nozomi smiled, knowing how painful getting a tattoo on the side of the body is.
With a final touch of amber in the bird charm's eyes, Nozomi pulled away and smiled.
"We are all finished, Kotori," she announced, and the childcare worker gasped with delight.
Kotori got up with Umi's help and rushed to the mirror to look at Nozomi's work.
The green-eyed girl looked on, happy at her client's happiness, and tried to swallow the feelings that had crept up inside of her during that last hour with Kotori.
"You're at work, personal things stay outside of the doors," she told herself.