Jareth exited the 6th tattoo parlor he had been to and returned to the cab. After being laughed at and ridiculed at all the shops, he decided this would not work. Unlike the Underground, the tattoo artists here didn't keep a record of their work, nor was their art different enough, for text at least, to tell who did it. Then a horrible thought occurred to him. What if the terrible tattoos were done in the Underground?
"Take me back to the MGM Grand." He told the cabbie. Once he was back inside his suite, he sat on his bed and tried to summon a crystal to his hand. To his relief, one appeared with no issue. "Thank the gods that blasted ale is wearing off."
He held the crystal before him and focused on calling the one soul in his castle he trusted. "Cooky."
A moment later, her aged face appeared. "Ah, Your Majesty, did you find the young lady? Was it the champion?"
"I haven't found her, but it appears it was the Lady Sarah. I've seen images of us together." Jareth explained. "Now, I need you to do something important for me, and it must be done with the utmost discretion."
"Of course; what do you need, dear?" Cooky asked.
"Check the registry and see if an Underground artist is responsible for this horrid text on my person," Jareth said through gritted teeth.
"You think it was done here?" Cooky's eye grew wide. "But that would mean-"
"I know exactly what it would mean. But either Sarah accompanied me back to the Underground, or I took her purse home with me as some odd trophy. I pray I'm wrong, but the artists here do not keep records as we do. For them, body art is simply art. Meaning is only found by those getting the art, and even then, there isn't always a meaning besides they thought it looked nice." He sighed and shook his head. "But if it was done by one of ours then at least I'll have an easier time finding Sarah."
"Your magic still not working?"
"Barely. The ale is starting to wear off, but it will take more time. I'm exhausted and no closer to finding her than I was when I arrived. I'll stay here and rest. Just check the registry and send a sealed note by goblin. They'll be able to find me."
"Of course, sire, you rest, and I'll do all I can here. Perhaps after some rest, your magic will return." Cooky stated before she disappeared.
Jareth tossed the crystal on the bed beside him and looked around. He kicked off his shoes and started removing his suit. "When this is over, I'm going to ban dragon ale. Anyone caught with it will be bogged immediately." He grumbled as he climbed into bed.
He pulled the covers over his naked form and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep.
Several hours later, Jareth woke up feeling refreshed. He no longer felt weak or restrained. Flexing his fingers, he summoned crystal after crystal and threw them at the wall. Each one changed the wall to a new color or image. Laughing, he got out of bed and headed for the shower. "Now, maybe I can find that infuriating woman and discover what happened."
He turned the shower on and climbed in. Once he had washed, he returned to the bedroom, not even bothering to dress or wrap a towel around himself.
A loud pop filled the room as a small grey goblin appeared before him, her back facing him. "Kingy?"
"Yes?"
She turned to face him, and her face turned red before quickly turning around. "Pardon me, Kingy. Cooky sent this." She closed her eyes and held up a sealed note.
Smirking, Jareth waved his hand and dressed in a dark grey suit before taking the note. "Thank you, Poppy. Return home and thank Cooky for me."
She nodded and disappeared with a pop, her eyes still shut.
Jareth hurriedly opened the note and read it. He immediately sat on the bed. "Damn it!" He then reread the message and fell back on the bed, laughing.
"Your lovely work of art was added to the official registry at 3:47 am. You'll be delighted to know that another entry was made at 3:54 am that, like yours, was a custom design. It was placed on the Lady Sarah Williams of the above. Her seal reads 'J's Pink Flapper'. Congratulations, my dear, you're married.
-Cooky"