let's dance to joy division ! * olivia.

[maddi bb !]

aleks carmichael !

[/font]

let's dance to joy division,
and celebrate the irony,
that everything is going wrong
but we're just so happy!
~ joy division, the wombats.

Aleks' chest was filled with nervous energy. It wasn't the costant energy he usually experienced with ADD, it was a nervous-excited energy. He had agreed to meet his new friend Liv at Skin Deep Designs, the local tattoo parlour in Windsor. It was funny that this location was the first they chose off the top of their head - a rather odd place for newly made friends to go. But, nothing about Aleks Carmichael was even remotely normal. He was practically the definition of strange. So it didn't phase him. Plus, he was 20 years old, and he had been getting into all sorts of shenanigans since he was 12, so he wasn't worried about his parents opinion or what others would say. He thought it would be a good life experience.

Getting a tattoo wasn't an act of rebellion at all. It was more an expression of Aleks' individuality. Aleks had a creative mind, one full of life and colour and ideas. He was an artist, a painter to be specific, and expressing himself as a person in paint was so important because he was rarely able to do it through actual, well thought out words. The tattoo design would be so crucial - it had to express who he was as a person: spontaneous, spacey and quirky. Aleks clasped his hands together, pondering over his tattoo choice. That was if he didn't chicken out. He had the money, the time, and thankfully, the patience at the moment, and he had always wanted to get one, so it seemed like a good idea. He wondered what Olivia would do - would she get one? Would she just want to look? What would she get if she did?

Speaking of Olivia, Aleks glanced at his phone poking out of the pocket of his baggy jeans. She wasn't late - not yet. Aleks, for once, was early. He stood outside the doorway of the tattoo parlour, watching the odd person come and go. He couldn't wait to go in and look at all the designs and tattoos. He scanned the horizon with steel blue eyes, waiting for her car. They were supposed to meet soon, and Aleks couldn't help but jump from foot to foot, attempting to diffuse his energy.

status done + closed
notes it's short but oh well![/blockquote]

[/justie]

Olivia pulled her taurus into the first parking place she found at Skin Deep Designs. She put her wallet into her pocket and grabbed her phone from the passenger seat. She checked the time, right on it. She smiled to herself, but then it turned to some sort of lopsided grimace, as she didn't know what design she would be getting. Olivia stuffed her keys in her pocket and headed for the front of the building. She found Aleks waiting out front for her. She flashed him a smile and looked at the front of the tattoo parlor slightly warily. She wasn't a fan of pain. But Aleks was there, so maybe it would be alright.

Hokay, well...here goes, I guess. she said to fill the space. Her fingers were busily twirling the ring on her finger for something to do. Now she was beginning to feel a little more nervous about it. She heaved a breath before entering. Olivia wasn't sure what to expect when she walked in. Dark and gloomy? Or super sterile like a hospital? It was sort of a mix? There was a big desk sort of area where a scary looking guy with thousands of tattoos standing behind it. Olivia swallowed and stepped up to the desk, looking at Aleks to find any strength she could. Um, hi. We'd uh, like to look at some designs first, please. she said, trying to give him a small smile. The man behind the counter gave her a soft smile and placed two large binders full of pictures on the counter in front of them. Olivia looked at Aleks, This might take longer than expected. she said, trying to give a light hearted laugh.

---

notes one two

[maddi bb !]

aleks carmichael !

[/font]

let's dance to joy division,
and celebrate the irony,
that everything is going wrong
but we're just so happy!
~ joy division, the wombats.

Aleks' mind wandered a little while he was waiting for Olivia. Mostly, he thought about his tattoo. He still hadn't a clue what he was going to get. He knew, however, that when you got into the tattoo parlour they had big binders of designs. He knew what he didn't want, that was for sure. He didn't want a tribal pattern or a BIG design. He didn't want a girl's name, a portrait, or just something to decorate his body. He did want it to mean something, because it was going to be on his body forever.

As he pondered this thought, he saw a car pull up ahead of him. The driver was Olivia, and her expression embodied what he was feeling right now. Her face was a little bit nervous, a little bit excited, but altogether happy to see him. He smiled. His nervousness was diffused a little by her presence. She exited her car, shutting the door behind her. He watched quietly as she made sure she had her wallet and phone. She turned to him and spoke. He nodded. "Just remember, you don't have to get something. If you don't feel like it, don't feel pressured," he said, making sure she was aware he wasn't making her do anything.

They entered the tattoo parlour. It had a very interesting inner decor. It was 50s style, with pin-up girls decorating the walls. The waiting room seats were red and vinyl, and a few binders were strewn out in front of them on the table, presumably the ones that people chose their tattoos from. The pair walked up to the big desk were a rather large man with several tattoos stood, waiting. Olivia spoke and Aleks was glad. He was a bit jittery and for once in his life, he wasn't spewing word vomit everywhere.

They were handed two large binders. "No kidding... so many choices! I can't wait to see what designs there will be." Aleks said, his mood slowly rising. The tattoo parlour wasn't quite as bad as he had expected. And the pain couldn't be that bad... he had fallen, scraped, broken and blistered several parts of his body so he knew pain. They sat on the seats in the waiting room, Aleks' knees touching Olivia's. He leaned over, took a binder and began to flip through the pages. They started out pretty tame; small symbols that could fit anywhere on the body. He looked with interest at the Chinese characters and considered them. "Any you like? I see a few that are interesting but none that I would like, you know, permanently put onto my body. Yet." Aleks asked, grinning.

status closed for luffly Justinaaa (:
notes CLICK! I'll explain them later on. Oh, and your second link doesn't work, love. (: [/blockquote]

[/justie]

Having Aleks' knees touching hers was comforting and electrifying all at once. Olivia gave a small nod when he said that she didn't have to pick anything right now. But they were here, she had the money, and she wanted one. True, the money could probably be put to better uses like buying something for Sorry or new clothes for herself, but she figured it was time she did something for herself for a change. She looked at Aleks out of the corner of her eye and watched him flip through the binders for a couple minutes. She could tell he was nervous too. And it was a rational nervousness. Sometimes Olivia became nervous over the silliest things. Like being in new surroundings, meeting new people, trying new things. This was definitely on the list and covered almost all the bases.

Olivia now realised she was starting at Aleks, and she blushed and looked back at the binder that sat before her. There were all sorts of designs to choose from. Simple things like shapes and flowers and hearts, intricate celtic knots, to more difficult looking designs like entire scenes and larger versions of animals and words. She wanted something meaningful. Olivia let out a laugh. Yeah, there's like a thousand things to pick from. she said, flipping through the neverending images. Can you believe how big some of these are? Look at this one she held the binder between the two of them and pointed to a picture of a girl that had a whole ocean scene tattooed on her back. It was so large and detailed, and it had to have been expensive.

She looked up at Aleks. Yet? What, so we're gonna have to make a trip for a second one? she asked him with a grin and nudging him in the arm. She looked back down at the book in front of her, then to the binder in front of Aleks. Wait, lemme see that one. she said, placing her hand on his to stop him from turning the page. There were two pictures on this page that she was looking at. One was a rather crude picture of a horse that reminded her of a cave painting. The other was a picture of small horseshoes in a trail over someone's foot. Olivia's face scrunched up in thought. She liked them both. What do you think of those two? she asked, using her other hand to point to them. Her thoughts flickered to her hand still holding his, but then they instantly flicked back to the task at hand.

---

notes try again? it's tiny horseshoes across someone's foot. i dunno why it isn't working. i'm eager to find out about the one you picked!

[maddi bb !]

aleks carmichael !

[/font]

let's dance to joy division,
and celebrate the irony,
that everything is going wrong
but we're just so happy!
~ joy division, the wombats.

He noticed Olivia's gaze had strayed to his face, staring in a way that wasn't creepy or weird. It was kind of like she was contemplating him, which made him interested. She blushed as he returned the gaze. "What?" He asked softly. Aleks was never shy. This was a universal statement. He didn't hesitate to approach people and experiment with anything he could. He had a very long and, for lack of a better word, unique history of experimenting. His shyness had been obliterated with his condition.

Her attention focused back to the binders, and his own followed. "I know. I can't even imagine having that much ink on me... I think it's a little scary," he admitted. His voice carried a little too loud because the guy at the counter looked up at him, glaring slightly. "I mean," he stuttered, covering up his goof. "I just can't imagine how many appointments and how much money and how weird it would feel." His babbling seemed to satisfy the guy, because he returned to his reading material on the counter in front of him.

When she inquired about the addition of 'yet' into his last bit of speech, he grinned again. "No, I mean, I haven't found one I like yet. But if you want to come back again to get another tattoo, fine by me! Just call me up and I'll accompany you." Aleks added in clarification, making the atmosphere a little lighter with a joke. When Olivia pointed at two different designs on the pages, he leaned over to inspect them. "Wow, the cave painting horse is really cool. I think that would look really cool. It's not just a little horse or horseshoe, which all riders seem to stick to. It's different. I like the horseshoes too... across the foot would look really cool." He said. "That probably didn't help you at all, because you still have to decide between the two." He laughed.

Aleks kept looking for his own tattoo. His eyes jumped across the Chinese character page. He read the meanings of each, and an idea popped into his head. His eyes landed on the characters for calm and serenity, something he was always striving for, and energy, something he always had. "I think I'm going to use Chinese characters," he announced, again slightly too loudly. The guy at the counter was now giving him the evil eye. "Or would that be lame?" He asked, hesitating slightly.

status closed for luffly Justinaaa (:
notes CLICK! It's still not working. Evil link! Have you tried saving the picture and uploading it onto tinypic or something? [/blockquote]

[/justie]

Aleks had caught her staring. She wasn't sure what to say. Aleks was always so straightforward and outgoing and always spoke his mind. True, Olivia was outgoing, but when it came to things such as this, she tended to curl up a little. But somehow the tattoo parlor felt a little empowering. She looked back at him again. She bit her lip and looked into his beautiful eyes that were so full of life, they were almost overflowing with it. I think you're cute. Olivia said. She gave him a small, embarrassed smile and looked back down at the books again.

Oh, I dunno if I'll get a second one. It depends on how the first one goes. I don't have a very good pain tolerance. she laughed at the last bit. She hadn't had any horrible injuries from riding or anything. She'd fallen off before, but never hurt herself terribly. Then Olivia wondered about Aleks. Would he be a wuss and cry and whimper when he got his done? Maybe he wouldn't cry? She'd find out. He didn't strike her as someone who would. She laughed as he commented on the two she picked. Aleks! That doesn't help me at all! she stole a look at him before looking back down at the pictures. Well, I don't know if I'd want the horseshoes on my foot or not. I want it someplace out of the ordinary...but nowhere awkward, because that'd just be uncomfortable to have done... she added. Like people that get things tattooed in certain places, Olivia didn't know how they could do that. She thought it would be even more painful, and how awkward would that be, getting a tattoo on your boob or something?

Maybe the cave painting on my shoulder, if I got that one. The horseshoes around my wrist? Nah. Ooh, what about behind my ear? But I don't put my hair up very often. Olivia was doing the rambling thing again. She wasn't sure if Aleks had been serious about his ADD thing earlier, or if he was just naturally talkative and jittery. Not that it would change things. He asked her about the Chinese characters. She looked at a page full of them. Some looked so abstract, and some did look like the meaning. She looked from the page back up at Aleks. I don't think it's lame. Which ones were you thinking about? she asked. Olivia looked back at the page and tried to think of which one Aleks would pick. Olivia suddenly felt nervous again. She gave Aleks' hand a gentle squeeze, and she tried to let the nervousness melt away.

---

notes ok this should work bahaha.

[maddi bb !]

aleks carmichael !

[/font]

let's dance to joy division,
and celebrate the irony,
that everything is going wrong
but we're just so happy!
~ joy division, the wombats.

Olivia's explanation for her staring, 'I think you're cute', made Aleks laugh. "Well, I'm glad you find me so... endearing." He replied, throwing in a completely out-of-character adjective in the sentence. "You're not half bad yourself, miss Olivia Wood," he joked. He wondered how she would take it. He really hated it when pretty girls sold themselves short and didn't know how to take compliments. One of his past girlfriends had been like that - unable to take a compliment of any kind. So insecure that she had to constantly say 'No, I'm not that pretty'. It made Aleks sad.

He listened to her tattoo ideas. If she got something done, it had to be something good. Something she would like on her body for the rest of her life. "No awkward places. Deal?" He said. Trying to decide on placement was a key part in getting the tattoo. It had to be a place where you could hide it, as well, for future jobs or careers. Aleks was thinking probably shoulder or ankle for his, but most likely shoudler blade as ankles seem like they'd be more of a girl thing. "Well, if it helps, I think that tattoos on ankles, shoulder blades, necks and collar bones are sexy." He said with a grin. He continued flipping through the books, not overthinking his last comment.

There were a few pads of paper sitting on the table with pencils. Probably brainstorming ideas. He leaned forward and grabbed a pad and pencil, gripping the pencil familiarly between his fingers. He began to sketch a sort of ying and yang type design with the two Chinese characters, harmony or peace and energy. They fit together but were very different, one character completely filled in and the other just an outline. He showed the sketch to Olivia. "Basically like this. The Chinese characters are harmony or peace," he gestured to one side of the ying-yang, "and the symbol for energy. It kind of makes sense when you think about me." He explained. "What do you think?"

status closed for luffly Justinaaa (:
notes CLICK! Link is working, yay! Also, I sowwy for being so late. -hands 'I sowwy' cookies- [/blockquote]

[/justie]

Olivia couldn't help but giggle at the word 'endearing.' It wasn't a common word at all. Though Olivia had used it probably only twice before. She glanced at Aleks after he commented her. Oh, thanks. she blushed, suddenly feeling like a bashful child. He was just so darn cute. Anyway, back to business. Aleks had such a way with surprise. He was so random most times. Olivia liked that about him. She laughed when he said which locations he found to be sexy for a tattoo. She wasn't sure she could conceal something on her neck or collarbone very easily. She wanted to pick her shoulder or ankle just because it was one that he had said, but she also wanted it to be somewhere unusual but not awkward.

She put her hand on the page she was looking at and flipped several more, just looking for anything else that migh catch her eye. What if you could get your tongue tattooed? That'd be really weird...I don't imagine that could ever be possible. Not that I would want to do it. she thought aloud. Olivia shuddered at the thought. Meh. That'd just be plain uncomfortable.




not done. gah! i have a million things to do and not enough time. ok not really a million. i have to clean my room and it's already 7:30 PM!!