ghost_holder | Well I've got thick skin and an elastic heart

Krem was out in the morning. Today was a day that he went to the clinic to see his doctor for his medication, and he'd spent two nights out before to avoid the quiet of the apartment. But now he knew he needed to head back, if only to freshen up, change, make himself look somewhat like a member of society.

He was fidgeting with his keys when he spotted Aggie standing in front of the door, and he smiled a little bit. There were times that he was fairly sure theirs was a mostly reciprocal guardianship. They looked out for each other as much as he simply looked out for her.

"Hello, Aggie," he said, approaching the door and reaching around her to unlock it. "Did you come for tea?"

"Kind of," she says. Raising a hand, Aggie waggles a finger in the air, now tinged with green. She could open the lock but chooses not to. Even if her power lacks limits, Aggie can impose them on herself and be polite. "I had a favor to ask but let's have tea first."

Once Krem lets her in, Aggie slips over to his kitchen to find mugs and put fresh water in his kettle. "What kind do you want?"

Krem didn't give her a swat, though he cocked an eyebrow at her small exertion of power. He was well aware that she could have gotten into the apartment on her own if she'd wanted to--had, in fact, said on more than one occasion that she was welcome to come and go whenever and however she liked because he knew she was capable of it with her particular talents being what they were--but he would prefer it with a key rather than magic, when all was said and done.

"Mint, I think. Am I going to like this favor, or do I need to look very sternly at some other adults and act like I understand how anything works in this city? Or look very sternly at other children from over your shoulder while you read them a riot act?"

"I don't know. Why do you think I'm buttering you up with tea? Or...margarining you up, since you can't eat dairy." Chattering a bit, trying to fill the air for both their sakes, Aggie filled two steeping baskets with tea. Peppermint for Krem and rose black tea for herself. "And it's not that kind of favor anyway." Though Aggie is glad to know now that if she ever needs someone to glare menacingly, Krem won't be opposed.

"I want to get my ears pierced."

Krem chuckled a little, watching the way that Aggie moved easily and proficiently around his kitchen now. He pulled the almond milk out of the fridge as well, setting it on the counter for when the tea was ready.

"Oh, is that all?" He smiled softly. "I suppose there are far worse things you could be asking to go off and do. Sky diving or something like that. Why a piercing?"

His tone wasn't dismissive, just purely curious. He was sure she'd thought about it thoroughly, as Aggie was a very practical young lady, but he would like to hear the reasoning she'd come up with before he went along with it.

"I liked all the jewelry at the Mardi Gras party," she admits. Contemplating the rest of her explanation, Aggie busies herself with sweetening her own mug of tea and then going over to Krem's sofa, settling herself down at one end with legs folded beneath her. "And it'd never have been allowed, where I came from. They would've said it was vanity."

Here, in Darrow, there are no such attachments or concerns. Aggie is allowed to decide she wants to do something if it makes her feel pretty or fashionable. Just because.

"Reasonable enough," Krem conceded, finishing up doctoring his own tea and coming over to the couch as well. He curled into the corner and contemplated if he knew anywhere, off the top of his head, that did piercings. He was sure there were places in the mall that did them, but they didn't seem quite reputable enough for the situation.

He smiled, softly, and gave her a little wink. "Maybe I'll get a piercing with you."

"Really?" Aggie brightens. She doesn't really know why, given that Krem doesn't put a lot of limitations on Aggie, seeming to trust her common sense. In an odd way, it works; Krem treats her like an adult so Aggie does her best to behave with the responsibility of one.

Scrutinizing Krem's face, she purses her lips thoughtfully. "What would you get pierced?"

"I don't see why not," Krem said, shrugging his shoulder and sipping his tea quietly for a moment. He thought it over one last time and then nodded. "You're a very smart young lady and know yourself well, you take care of all your pets very well, and you make very good decisions for yourself, and ask for help when you need it. You know that I'm here when you need me, and that I'm here for you. I think you've put good thought into this decision."

He reached over and gently ruffled her hair, grinning. "I don't know. Maybe something shocking--a facial one? What about an eyebrow? Or my nose?"

Aggie laughs and ducks her head, as if she's in any way actually offended by the ruffle. Krem's been a good guardian to her that she can suffer a little teasing. It's not like he tries to actually be overbearing and parental, caring about her and respecting her instead, which Aggie can appreciate and allow.

"What about your lip. So it looks like you have a fang when you smile."

Krem hummed a little, contemplating that. The lip was probably just a little safer than the eyebrow or the nose, considering his work at the gym, though probably a little less tasteful for his work at the department store. He supposed if it really became an issue, he could always just be a freelance hire; but Biffy liked him well enough, and he was the best and most proficient tailor on staff, that he doubted they would make too much noise.

"That does sound kind of fun, actually," he said, a soft confession. "And I best it hurts more than getting your ears done, too."

"Isn't that a reason not to do it?" Aggie says, though she has to admit that she's being a little hypocritical. Though she's been warned by her classmates that it will hurt, she's still determined to go through with it. "Or are we both being stubborn now?"

"I think we're both being stubborn, but when aren't we?" Krem said with a smile. He polished off his tea and got up to go put the dish in the sink and put the teas and honey and almond milk away where they all belong. "But also, it's a bit of solidarity. If mine hurts more than yours, than you can laugh at me making a face. Ladies tend to be better with pain anyway, I've found."

He came back out of the kitchen sweeping his fingers through his hair idly. "What do you think then? I'm fair sure the shop that did my tattoo does piercings, they should be well good."

Aggie grins, then nods. Lifting a finger, she sends a little dart of lightning at him that doesn't actually strike. She just wants to tease and make a playful threat, like any child might do for their caregiver.

"How much will they cost, do you think? I have money saved up but I don't really know."

Krem laughed as she sparked at him. He lifted an eyebrow at her teacup in silent question if she was finished with hers as well, and hummed over her question for a moment.

"Less than my tattoo, I should definitely hope," Krem said speculatively. "And I imagine your ears will be less than my lip, as well? But if you haven't enough saved up, I can pay a little extra toward it. Pay for the jewelry, or for the piercing itself, if the fees on those are separate. We'll ask them when we get there, and see how it is. How does that sound?"

"Well, my ears will only be two needles. How many did you have?" She jabs a finger at him with no magic behind it, just teasing accusation. It's hard to imagine getting a tattoo, though she likes the idea of Krem's. Aggie doesn't leave much sentimental value on images, even now, though she's attached to other things.

What she does know is how to be stubborn and Aggie's face scrunches just a little, just enough to be stubborn. "I can pay for it."

"I don't think it's a matter of the number of needles, so much as how much you might squirm." He wiggled his own finger at her, a vague threat that he might attack her with tickling, though he didn't quite get close enough for it. He grinned, though, which was a nice change of things.

He hummed and nodded, flapping a hand easily. He didn't doubt it. "I know," he said. "But just in case."

Grinning, Aggie reaches out and taps her fingertip against his before scooting back against the arm of the sofa. It would be easy to curl up and fall asleep here, feeling safe, even though she rarely sleeps more than a catnap at a time.

"Can we go right now?" she asks hopefully.

"We absolutely can, of course," Krem said with a nod. He collected Aggie's cup and put it into the kitchen to be dealt with later, then collected his wallet and shoes at the door, smiling at her. There was a thread of excitement in him, mostly for Aggie, but for himself as well. It was different than the tattoo, which had been healing for him. This was a just because, a solidarity, a something else and a change. He rather liked that.

"Let's go stick ourselves full of holes, shall we?"

Eagerly, Aggie scrambles out of her seat and hurries over to the door with him. Her own shoes are still on and she's ready to go, thrilled at the prospect of this small adventure. It pleases her that she doesn't have to fight for it, even if she does still have the list of arguments ready.

Barbara had always asked for a reason but Aggie suspects that had been because she liked having her ward being able to explain herself.

"Yeah, let's go!"

He smiled, pleased mostly with Aggie's enthusiasm. She was, he knew, a relatively enthusiastic girl but she tried very hard to keep her maturity and reserve to a maximum at all times. It was good to see her act more like her apparent age from time to time.

The walk over to the tattoo and piercing parlor didn't take overly long, though because they were walk-ins and didn't have an appointment they had to wait to be seen. It gave them a chance to look at the jewelry some, though they wouldn't be able to put anything so extravagant in until after the initial healing process was completed.

"I like those ones," Aggie says, pointing to a set of plain captive bead rings, studded with a marbled green bead that reminds her of a cat's eye. They'll be simple, not ostentatious, which she likes. For all that she's sworn off the forced modesty of Blithe Hollow, Aggie still prefers to dress simply.

Pointing to some of the other rings, she looks back to Krem. "What about you?"

"Not a stud or simpler ring?" he asked softly. The beaded ring seemed momentarily outlandish to him, when thinking of Aggie, and he was sure it wouldn't be what they put in her at the start. But he hummed and looked over the case quietly.

"I think I'll have to start off with a ring like that too," he said softly. The ones with the beads on them did look awfully nice, relatively modest and simple. There were a couple brightly rainbow colored ones that he looked at enviously for a bit, before his eyes drifted back to the more plain silver and black.

"The metal ring is still titanium. Do you think it's too flashy?" Aggie frowns her uncertainty and eases toward the plainer rings with no embellishment. "Do you think these are better?"

It occurs to her after a second too late that Krem might be joking and Aggie flushes a little.

"No, no, not too flashy," he assured softly, shaking his head. "I just haven't seen a lot of people wearing those in their ears, except when they're bigger. Uh, the thicker rings."

"Gauged," Mo, who'd done his tattoo and was handling their piercings, supplied, coming around from where she'd been preparing the piercing area for them. She smiled and nodded her head a little to gesture them back. "We normally start with studs for ears, because the backs can be taken off when you're cleaning. But we can do a ring instead if you want. The problem with capture beads is that those beads like to go missing sometimes."

"That's okay," Aggie says, pointing to one of the slightly thicker rings next to a sign that says all piercing start at that size. "Fourteen gauge doesn't seem that oversized. I wouldn't mind that."

Fishing out her money, Aggie nods to the boy behind the counter. "Two of those, please. And I'll pay for the piercing now." She already knows she won't regret it.

Aggie was given the earrings and rung out for them and the piercing cost, which wasn't too expensive--only a little more expensive for the price of the different jewelry. In the room that Mo had set up for the piercing, she waited for them to come in.

Krem didn't get himself any jewelry yet, content to settle with the starter jewelry for now until he was healed up. He paid for his piercing and ushered Aggie into the room, smiling softly at her and thanking Mo for fitting them in to the schedule.

Mo smiled at the both of them. "Who's up first?"

"Me," Aggie says. She nods firmly to Moe and then hops up on the cushioned table, thinking idly that it's just like going to the doctor to get her shots. Fixing Krem with a big grin that makes her look tougher than she feels, she sits still and takes a deep breath.

"Okay." Mo picks up her first needle and lets it press against Aggie earlobe. "Nice deep breath. One...two...three." The needle pushes through as Aggie exhales and her eyes pop wide open, more surprised than alarmed or upset.

Krem smiled, sitting on the lower waiting bench in the room as he watched Aggie take the seat. He bit the inside of his lip lightly, managing not to chuckle as Aggie's eyes went big with surprise as her ear was pinched and pierced, watching with a sort of morbid fascination as Mo slipped the ring into the fresh new hole.

The second one went just as quickly, and then it was done. Mo offered Aggie a mirror so she could see how it looked, easing her off the table as she cleaned it off quickly and gestured for Krem to take her place.

Despite Mo's instructions, Aggie can't help wanting to reach out and touch her earrings, constantly reaching up and stopping herself at the last second. She finally has to wait and sit on her hands while she watches Krem settle into his seat while Mo switches on fresh gloves and gets out a fresh needle. Biting he lip, she cranes around the side to get a better look, grinning a little.

"It's going to be great."

Mo had Krem lie back on the table, and Krem looked over at Aggie, lifting his eyebrows at her in quiet anticipation. He'd never done anything like this before. The tattoo had been one thing, and he'd sort of known what to expect with that from watching Tris get hers. Even though he'd just watched Aggie get hers, he didn't really know what to expect.

"Deep breath," Mo said, taking Krem's lower lip between her fingers and adjusting it out carefully. "Three...two...one--"

Krem made a soft, startled noise as the needle slid into his lip.

"You flinched," Aggie teases playfully, unhelpfully. Krem will tease her later, she's sure, about the way her eyes nearly popped out so she thinks it's an even swap. Swinging her legs a little, she waits for Mo to say if there's anything else.

"Do I look more grown up now?"

"The tough looking ones are always the biggest babies," Mo assured Aggie with a grin while she slid the ring into the fresh hole. As Krem was sitting up, she went over the procedures on cleaning the piercings with Aggie first. Hers were the easier instructions for now.

She gave Krem a little card that went over the fine details of his dos and don'ts, and he went a little hot at the ears as Mo laughed and went over how to clean his piercing, and that he'd be able to switch to a different piece of jewelry in about a month.

"Any other questions for me right now?"

Aggie covers her mouth with her hands to stifle a tiny laugh, no quite successful in her effort. "He's very tough," she says, sincere around the giggle. Krem is one of the strongst people she knows, even if he does flinch at having needles put through his face.

"No. Can I get the saline at the front?" she asks, nodding toward the counter display.

Mo nodded and shooed them both out of the room so that she could clean up after them. Krem tucked his rule card into the pocket of his jeans as he trailed out of the room after Aggie, back to the front counter to get some salt and saline spray for himself. He got an extra bottle of the spray to have at his house, in case Aggie was over and needed to use it.

He smiled at her, a bit lopsided for the way that he could already feel his lip swelling a little bit. "Not too bad, right?"

"Not too bad," she agrees. At the front, she buys two bottles and drops her own rule card into the bottom of the little plastic bag. While he pays for his bottles, Aggie looks back at Krem with a thoughtful smile.

"I like it," she says, pointing to his lip. "You look...hm..." For a second, Aggie pretends as if she's never heard the swear before before finally saying, "Badass."

Krem laughed softly at the way that Aggie deliberated over her choice in words, as if she'd either never heard swearing before or was uncertain of the particular word she wanted to use for the look Krem had achieved. He kept his smile in place and reached over, ruffling her hair gently.

"Come on. Let's go celebrate our new looks. I'll buy you some pizza."

"Mmm, pizza," she agrees. Poking Krem in the stomach, Aggie raises her eyebrows. "Should we celebrate with something that doesn't have dairy?" He might be her designated adult but Aggie can still tease.

"But I do want to celebrate."

"I'll get a salad," Krem said. It was a lie. He wouldn't get a salad, and they both knew it. But it would be worth it, he was pretty sure. Pizza tended to be worth it in the moment. Most things did. He wrapped his arm around Aggie's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze, smiling at her. It was a good day, and they deserved a nice treat to go along with it.

Well I've got thick skin and an elastic heart

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