Love And Ink

The Black Cat tattoo parlor had been a popular one around these parts, the tattoos always seemed to come out a bit better, lasted a bit longer, stayed more vibrant. They had a magical quality to it, and customers liked to joke that the artist was some kind of witch. She laughed it off of course, but her mirth came from a different reason. There was a legend that involved witches that involved her kind, a witch that could change into a cat nine times and back. But no, she wasn't a witch. Tint was a Cat Sìth, a fae with the ability to change into a large cat and take the souls of the dead. Of course, Tint had given up her life of soul eating for something more normal. At least, her life was pretty normal. Until she decided to take in a stray •°•°•°•°•° I had just finished cleaning up my equipment, I liked to keep everything nice and sanitary. Probably more than most other artists would recommend, but I was a stickler for keeping things clean. After I put everything into place, I left the parlor through the side door, a door that led to the vestibule of my home. The vestibule only had the front door, a coat rack, rug and then the stairs that led up to the second floor and to my apartment. I was going to head up to my apartment, when I heard some noises coming from outside. Panting, groaning. And then came the smell, the smell of dog and blood. I nearly gagged, it really wasn't a good scent mix, but held myself back and went to my front door. I unlocked the door, and opened it up. What I saw shocked me, a crumpled mess of a man laying in the street infront of my home. Long, shaggy green hair. Pale skin. And, oh my God, bruises. So many bruises, and cuts. Bleeding cuts. I immediately rushed over to him, a rumble appearing in my chest. Purring, at a frequency that could help his wounds. I carefully helped him up, despite his groans of protest, and brought him inside to the vestibule. I briefly stopped to close my door, and placed my hand over a sigil on the doorframe to activate it. Something, whatever did this to him, was most likely going to come looking. And I wasn't going to let them find him. I helped him up the stairs and into my place, immediately taking him over to the bathroom. I sat him down on the closed toilet and proceeded to draw a bath. While waiting for the water, I went to the cupboard and got out a first aid kit I kept in there. When I turned around, he was staring at me. Or, I think he was. I didn't know, his eyes, sclera and all, were completely black. I shook off the surprise, and went over to him, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it in the bath on the way. I kneeled down infront of him, and only then realized he was completely naked. Well s**t. Biting back a groan, I started gently cleaning his wounds. He didn't so much grunt. Hell, he hadn't made a noise since we came into the bathroom. I glanced up at him, and it seemed like he was watching me. His eyes were facing me, so I assumed he was looking anyway. Something around his neck caught my attention too, it looked like a shackle with a broken chain. s**t. "What the hell happened to you?" I questioned him, but he didn't answer. Maybe they took away his speech, maybe that was the magic I felt coming from the shackle around his neck. I froze. Dark green hair. Dog smell. Magic to keep him quiet. Cu Sìth. Dear god, I hope he wasn't a Cu Sìth. I'd hate to be harboring some fae's pet, especially one strong enough to capture a Cu Sìth. "You're not a Cu Sìth, are you?" He didn't answer, but he didn't need to. The expression on his face told me all I need to know. "Well f**k" I sighed. After I finished cleaning up his wounds, I got out a jar with a green paste inside. I opened it and smeared some of the paste on his open wounds, and the paste was immediately absorbed into the skin. "That'll heal you up real fast. Made by some water sprites, not sure about what's in it but I'd rather not know" Silence. "Well, let's get you cleaned up. You smell, you know" More silence. "Yeah, that's not gonna work" I stood up straight and glared at the shackle. I reached for it, but he pulled back. I frowned at him and pretended to back off, but before he could react again, I grabbed hold of the shackle. He went to grab my arm, but before he could, I snapped the shackle off and tossed it to the side. His eyes went wide, his body tense. He briefly gazed in the direction of the shackle, before looking back at me. "...Why did you do that?" Oh. I didn't expect that. His voice was so... soft. And calm. He sounded like he would be very soothing to listen to. I expected something louder, like a dog's bark. I tensed up. Yeah, probably better that he doesn't bark. "Well," I started, "it was getting annoying talking to myself. And keeping that thing around you isn't going to help you" ".. she'll be mad..." "She won't find you. Not with that tracking spell obliterated and the wards I have on my house. Now, get your smelly ass up and get in the bath" He just stared, but when I grabbed his arm and pulled him up, he obeyed and got into the bath. "Good. Now get yourself cleaned up. I'll be outside if you need anything" I then left the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Once I got outside, I leaned on the wall opposite the door and slid down onto the floor. I sighed to myself, "what the f**k did I get myself into..."