A/N:
My favourite song by 'No Doubt,' - Different People.
"Say, Umi?"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind taking a look at my naval piercing for a minute?" Eli placed a hand on her stomach. Umi raised her eyebrows, but agreed nonetheless.
"I might need a stronger light, though,"
"Our bathroom is just behind you, Umi-senpai," Rin pointed to the yellow door at the other end of the place.
The florist and piercer walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
"Okay," Umi clapped her hands together, switching to 'work mode.'
"What's up?"
"Well," Eli raised her white shirt up to show Umi, who bent down to get a closer look.
"The skin has just gone red, all of a sudden."
Umi observed at the piercing, noticing how the top was tinged with red.
"Would you mind if I touch it?" Umi asked, looking up at Eli.
"Not at all,"
Umi then got to her feet and washed her hands.
"It's a force of habit," Umi grinned, but Eli waved it away.
"I'm actually glad you washed your hands. Nozomi does it as well before she applies makeup."
"I've taught her well," Umi chuckled, then bent back down to gently press her fingers to the skin.
"Does it hurt when I touch it?" Umi asked, and Eli shook her head.
"Okay," Umi gently applied more pressure.
"Does it hurt at all?"
"No,"
"Okay, that's a good sign," Umi then ran her first finger over the red area and bit her lip in thought.
"The skin seems rather warm, have you bumped or knocked it at all lately?"
Eli's cheeks flushed to match her stomach, and Umi chuckled.
"Okay, let me rephrase: Any bumps or knocks that haven't involved Nozomi?"
"N-Not really…" Eli thought as her cheeks died down.
"I lean against the counter at work sometimes and bend over a bit?"
"It looks like it's just an irritation from leaning, then," Umi stood up and washed her hands again.
"The only thing I can recommend is to just be careful where you lean. You do yoga, yes?"
"On Sunday evenings and Monday afternoons,"
"Okay, just be careful when you lie on your stomach," Umi advised, then pulls out three small white packets.
"These are alcohol swaps. If it starts to hurt, gently rub these on and around the piercing. Sea-salt spray also works, ask Nozomi for some because I know she hoards those things like cats."
Eli chuckled and took the packets. "You just carry those around with you?"
"I pierce people for a living, Eli. Plus, look at me," Umi gestured to herself: a left snake bite, right eyebrow, septum and what looked like thousands in her ears, plus the stretchers in her ears were nearly twice the size of Nozomi's.
"I'm a walking pin-cushion. I need to be careful, especially around Rin, because she's practically a bulldozer. Plus Kotori can be clumsy sometimes, especially in bed."
Eli laughed as the two exited the bathroom.
The doorbell rung, and Hanayo got up again to answer.
"Honoka!"
"Hey Hanayo-chan!" The bundle of orange energy threw itself at the childcare worker.
"Hi Honoka-chan!" Kotori and Rin called out as the girl entered the room.
"Hello everyone!"
"Who's this, Honoka?" Umi was looking at the short girl behind the daycare owner. The girl had short brown hair with an exposed forehead.
"Oh, right," Honoka held the girl's hand and smiled broadly.
"This is Tsubasa!"
A chorus of 'nice to meet you' sounded as the three of them sat down at the table.
"Well, now that we are all here, let's get the food out," Maki stood up, followed by Rin and Hanayo, and went to the kitchen.
"I have to admit, Rin, you may have an extreme case of the jitters, but you sure know how to make a damn good Ramen," Umi smiled at the apprentice.
Rin blushed sheepishly as Hanayo took her hand.
"Rin-chan has done nothing but cook all this ramen today. Maki and I cleaned up the entire place, and I only made the rice, so it's all Rin's cooking,"
"It's really good, Rin!" Honoka complimented her fellow orange-haired girl with a mouthful of noodles. Umi sighed, after years of being Honoka's flatmate, she still had no table manners.
"So, when's the wedding, you two?" Nico asked Kotori and Umi, who both blushed.
"W-Well, we were thinking a summer wedding, so around July maybe?"
"A summer wedding!"
"That's so very Kotori," Eli smiled.
"But Umi, are you going to wear a traditional dress or a standard white one?"
"That depends on the ceremony, really. I mean, I'd love to have a traditional wedding, but I think Kotori prefers a regular one, right?"
"My mum had a western ceremony, but I think merging the two would be ideal,"
"That would be amazing!"
Wedding talk when on for sometime, and Nozomi was more than content with just listening and eating.
Until, Tsubasa spoke up,
"So, I know that Honoka runs the childcare centre with Kotori and Hanayo, but what do the rest of you do?"
Eli and Nozomi looked at each other, but Nico quickly answered for them.
"Maki and myself work at Eli's flower shop, and Umi and Rin work at Nozomi's parlour."
"A flower shop? Interesting," Tsubasa turned her attention to Eli, who was sipping her sake.
"And you three…" she gestured to Umi, Rin and Nozomi in a strange tone.
"I'm a body piercer," Umi spoke up and put down her chopsticks.
"Nozomi owns a tattoo and piercing parlour. Rin is her apprentice,"
Tsubasa's nose crinkled slightly, then grinned.
"That's an interesting business," the girl took a sip of her sake.
"So, how does someone get into the tattooing industry?"
"Well," Nozomi smiled and raised her chopsticks to her mouth.
"I did an apprenticeship when I was in Italy for a while, then continued it when I came back from Japan."
"An apprenticeship? So there is no course for tattooing in universities, then?"
Umi shot Tsubasa a look, but Kotori grabbed her hand. Next to Nozomi, Eli could sense some tension, but Nozomi's ever present smile did not falter once.
"There is no course dedicated to tattooing, no. However, I am first and foremost and artist, and hold a bachelor of fine arts, with honours."
"All tattooists, like Nozomi-senpai said, are artists. Funny story, I - hah - used to get into a bit of trouble for my art, but now it's my full time focus," Rin awkwardly scratched at her cheek, with Hanayo smiling at her wryly.
"Art wasn't always Rin-chan's main focus, though," Hanayo added.
"You used to play for a team around here, didn't you Rin?" Honoka asked, and Rin nodded.
"Yeah, I was part of a B-league team, but I stopped after I ripped my hamstring. Now I just coach on the side of my apprenticeship."
"Ah, so you didn't just get possessed by some demon and gave up a perfectly good experience for something completely different."
The comment from Tsubasa made Rin fall silent, and she dipped her head.
Eli glowered at Tsubasa, and Umi bit her lip with furrowed brows.
The only way to described Tsubasa's voice was venomous.
"Rin is a fantastic apprentice, and learns fast. Not to mention her artwork is some of the best I've seen," Umi immediately responded as Hanayo put an arm around Rin.
"Everyone has a change in career once or twice in their lifetime," Eli had her hands under the table, which were clenched in fists of anger.
Honoka looked from Tsubasa to her friends with worry, then cleared her throat.
"Y-yeah! I used to be an idol back in high-school, and I was supposed to inherit my family's sweetshop, but I wanted to work with children."
"Although I work at the childcare centre, I'm also studying a textiles course," Kotori grinned while Umi still frowned.
"Maki studies medicine, and the flower shop is a job to help her get through uni," Nico added, sensing the tension growing by every second.
"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but I just think there could have been better options out there aside from doing a hobby all day."
"I-It's not just a hobby," Rin was shrinking in her seat. At this point, Eli and Umi were ready to snap.
"Ts-Tsubasa…" Honoka stuttered and was turning red from embarrassment. The venomous girl turned to face Honoka.
"Oh come on, Honoka. Artists make barely any money, and the majority of them are just alcoholic drug addicts who play with expensive toys and leave their mark on random people! Imagine what your parents would think if you chose that job!"
Umi slammed her hands onto the table, making Kotori and Hanayo jump.
Rin glanced at Nozomi, tears in her chartreuse eyes.
Nozomi just smiled at the girl and took hold of Eli's shaking fists under the table.
"Tsubasa-san,"
The woman turned to face the owner of Lily White. Nozomi put down her sake and locked eyes.
"I hear you are a high-school teacher, is that correct?"
"It is. Why?"
Nozomi patted Eli's hand under the table.
"Did you know in some countries, teachers go on strike sometimes? Due to their low pay and lack of job security? Of course, it's not their fault; they are just soldiers on the frontline and follow the curriculum - a set schedule for each day, with very minimal freedom for the teacher. From what I have experienced in my schooling days, each teacher had to teach their class certain topics by the book, with barely any choice other than how they delivered the information."
Tsubasa opened her mouth, but Nozomi kept going,
"Much like the corporate world, the teaching industry only cares if you have the degree and experience to enter their prestigious world. Even art teachers are limited to what they can do, because there is that very curriculum looming over them. I would know, as my own tattoo master was a former art teacher because she got into tattooing."
Silence fell over the table.
"In my experience of owning an independent business for nearly five years, there is the constant threat of going under, losing staff, being unable to afford rent, ecetera ecetera. And that's only half of it," Nozomi opened her eyes and stared into her bowl of half-eaten ramen.
"But…I have two wonderful staff members with very respectful and well-educated backgrounds. Umi-chan, although a body piercer, has a degree in biology and is a competitive archer," Nozomi smiled at Umi, then turned her gaze to Rin.
"And Rin-chan…I could have never asked for a more diligent apprentice. She learns fast and has the stamina from her football days to complete the work I give her."
Nozomi turned back to Tsubasa, and picked up her sake.
"Unlike some industries, I am able to hand pick my staff based on not only their qualifications, but by their persona. We may not look like the most appealing people to certain members of society, but there is a famous saying that goes don't judge a book buy it's cover, and that, Tsubuasa-san, is something you need to learn. Perhaps one of your students could teach it for you?"
Nico gasped and stuffed a fist in her mouth.
"Oooh buurrrnnn," she mumbled as Tsubasa just sat there, eyes wide and mouth gaping like a fish.
As Nozomi took a sip from her sake, the schoolteacher stood up from the table and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
Silence hung over the table once again.
The riceball clock on the wall ticked loudly, as if trying to crack the silence with each literal passing second.
Kotori turned to Honoka, who was motionless and staring at her sake.
"Y-You're not going to after her, Honoka-chan?"
Honoka shook her head, "No one who is that narrow-minded deserves to be in my life…"
"S-Senpai," Rin was a babbling mess of silent tears, but Hanayo drew her into a hug.
"Nozomi-san's right about you, Rin-chan,"
"I meant every word," Nozomi smiled at her apprentice.
"You're an awesome tattoo master, Nozomi," Umi compliment as she took a sip of sake.
"It's weird to be called that," Nozomi mused while Eli just sat next to her, completely dumbfounded as to what had just happened.
"N-Nozomi," the blonde turned to her girlfriend.
"Y-you just wiped the floor with Honoka's new lady."
"Eli-chan, Tsubasa said some horrible things, there's no way she's my lady now!" Honoka folded her arms and huffed.
"To think I liked her butt…No one talks about my friends like that and gets away with it."
"You seemed to have moved on rather quickly, Honoka-chan," Hanayo smiled at her boss.
"Hanayo-chan, there a two things that cross the line when someone dates me: Cheating and narrow-mindedness," Honoka held up her sake and took a swig.
Eli glanced at Nozomi again, wondering what was going through her head.
"Are you okay?" Eli nudged Nozomi's side again, concern shadowing her features.
Nozomi's smile did not reach her eyes as she held Eli's hand with a sigh.
"It's the same response I use every time some talks about my staff- my friends- like that," Nozomi stared into her bowl again.
Tsubasa's words had impacted her, and reminded her of a situation from years ago.
"How could you tarnish your skin with this vulgar?! You are a respectable girl, Nozomi!"
"Oh please, like
you would know about being respectable after what you did to mum!"
Nozomi blinked, and slowly at more Ramen, getting those awful memories out of her head.
Look, the point of this chapter was to address the common prejudice against the tattoo industry. Some tattoo artists don't make as much as teachers, doctors or CEOs, but the majority of them do just fine. Some tattoo artists are millionaires, and can branch out into other styles of artwork. Some even go into public speaking, modelling, and even the makeup industry.
The stereotype of all tattoo artists being alcoholic, drug-addicted dropouts needs to stop. They are artists before anything else.