palacechristian | Christian. Body Art.

Body-Art.

The car drew to a smooth halt and Christian got out, folder under his arm and Lawrence right behind him. They'd driven around for a while, making sure they had no press on their tail and Christian had dressed down, faded jeans, t-shirt and sneakers and had made the booking under a pseudonym.

He took a quick look around the mostly residential street and then ducked under the awning and into the shop. A bell tinkled and he blinked against the sudden gloom, Lawrence stepping in front of him protectively, obviously unhappy with the switch.

As his eyes adjusted he saw a tall man stepped through a curtain behind the desk. His dark hair was braided and his skin tanned, a start contrast to the light-colored eyes and white teeth that flashed in a welcoming smile. He looked at them enquiringly.

"I have an appointment." Christian told him. "Chris Bale?"

"Chris, yeah. I'm Greek. Nice to meet you. You brought your own art, right?" Greek held his right hand out to shake and his left to take the folder, figuring it was the man's art. He glanced at the man with Chris. "You getting something too?"

"No." Christian said hastily. "He's . . . moral support."

By some small miracle it seemed that Greek hadn't recognized him and Christian was relieved. This was a personal quest, not fodder for the public and what his father would say when he found out . . . Well, Christian didn't want to contemplate that just yet. Marton's view of body-art, he knew well and it wasn't favorable.

"It's a generic picture." he told the man, offering the folder "But I modified it."

Greek carried the paper to the counter and studied it. "Rope? Huh? M'kay, where ya putting it? and you wanting standard ink or laser?" He looked at the drawing and then back up at Christian and smiled.

Christian moved to stand beside him, shooting Lawrence a quelling glance. "Wrist." he said. "Where I wear my watch. There are times I'll need to cover it." he shrugged. "Laser though, definitely. Cause I'd like to keep the colors real."

"Hmm.. rope natural color? Cool. You got any other art work on ya Chris? Ever had a tat?" Greek held his hand out. "Lemme see your wrist and then we can do the paperwork." He took Chris' hand and studied the skin. "Yeah, you’re good to go." Greek pulled a form toward him and filled in a few blanks. "Here sign this. The amount's at the bottom. If it looks cool to you, let's do this." He pushed back from the counter and stretched, watching the man as he read the forms.

"Nope. Never have."

Christian scanned the forms, reading them fast, but thoroughly, acutely conscious of Lawrence's regard. Then he picked up the pen and signed, fully, completely and clearly, as there was no way around it. He skimmed the paper across the desk and back to Greek, kind of hoping the other man wouldn't bother to actually read the signature, but resigned to discovery if he did.

"You good with pain Chris? Moral support over there not gonna have to sit on ya or chase ya down is he?" Greek said with a smooth drawl and then flashed a smile a shark would be proud of. "I don’t mind if ya yell. But you move and you'll fuck up my work, and I don’t like sending shitty art out to represent me. Got it?"

"Got it." Christian returned the smile. He liked this feller. "I'm good with pain. Won't move. Dunno bout Lawrence tho'." He turned and looked at his bodyguard with a raised eyebrow.

"You stand there and watch this? Not gonna faint or nothing?" Lawrence pursed his lips but refused to take the bait.

Christian's grin widened as he turned back to Greek. "Seems we're organized." he told him.

"Good." Greek said and motioned toward the back room, looking the man identified as Lawrence up and down.

"Well big boy, you drop, go the other way. Sit down and get comfy, I'm gonna set up."

Greek lay out his equipment, humming as he double checked everything. He ran the art through the transfer machine and then placed it on Chris' wrist, leaving a blue mark on the tan skin.

"Okay bud, see if that's where you want it."

Lawrence seemed to have made an executive decision about Greek, either that or he really did not want to watch. He stayed in the doorway, pushing the curtain aside and leaned on the doorframe, picking up a magazine and beginning to flip through it. Christian snorted his amusement and then turned his attention to the placement.

"A little higher." he told the other man. "Where the skin's paler." He watched as Greek made the adjustment and looked over at his instruments with interest.

"Okay Chris. Mmmm. Let's do this. Keep your arm up here and steady, if you need a break, let me know. Gotta sneeze, cough, whatever, let me know."

Greek lay Chris' arm on the table edge and picked up the laser cutter and started burning the artwork. Looking up to judge the man's reaction, making sure he was gonna be okay, he smiled when he saw how relaxed Chris was. Good, it made his job a hell of a lot easier when the customer didn't jump and bitch.

"So a rope, huh? Any significance, or just like rope?"

"'kay." There was surprisingly little pain involved, he found. A burning sensation that was fairly steady and so it was easy to adjust to and ignore. He watched the pattern slowly begin to appear with fascination and no small amount of awe at Greek's artistry.

"Personal significance." he said, flicking his eyes across to Lawrence who was doing his best to ignore events. "Closed loop is for strength, solidarity. The cut ends are freedom." He didn't feel at all stupid for saying it out loud as Greek had a number of his own symbols tattooed on his flesh.

"Good choice. Art should reflect something personal, it should mean something. I understand folks getting flash art, it pays the rent, but I just think original is best." Greek said, concentrating until he completed one band.

"You're doing great dude. You got fuckin' beautiful skin for this. You would make an incredible canvas. I could 'paint' you like a masterpiece." Greek said, voice low, rough. He looked up at the man suddenly, laughing. "Sorry your highness. I get carried away." He looked down and continued to work.

Sprung! Christian grinned at the man's casual identification; his enthusiasm for his art something he could well understand.

"I'll tell my father you said so." he chuckled.

"Hey Lawrence!" he called out. "What do you think dad would do if I went home covered?"

Lawrence looked up and pulled a face. "Gut you, most likely." he muttered darkly. Lawrence was obviously not happy.

"Oh, come on, Lawrence." Christian wheedled, his high spirits showing through. "You're supposed to protect me and that includes from dad!"

Lawrence harrumphed. "Ain't nothing or nobody gonna save you when he sees that!" He pointed. "And I aint getting in his way!"

Greek laughed at the exchange. "I would imagine your father would appreciate art, but maybe not on his son, yeah?" He worked some more then sat back, smiling. "There, you are done." Greek watched the young man, hoping he liked the work.

Christian lifted his wrist and slowly turned it, his face reflecting his pleasure.

"That, is truly awesome." he smiled. "Thank you!"

He stared at the design, convince for a moment that if he ran his finger over it he'd be able to feel the fibers, trace the curved edge. "Just amazing . . ."

His voice trailed off and he looked up at Greek, suddenly self-conscious. "Sorry." his face flushed and he got to his feet.

"Let's settle shall we?" he pulled his wallet from his rear pocket and followed Greek back out to the front of the shop.

"Glad you like it." Greek smiled and took the money from Chris. "Man, anything else you want done. Come back to see me."