THE TATTOO.

by

Greystar

“. . . As long as you don't get a tattoo, I'll be happy.”

“You mean, another tattoo.”

That line had almost managed to be her undoing. It wasn’t that she actually cared about what Grandma Ruth thought about it, the old fuddy duddy was still living back in the nineteen fifties. It was the rest of the family that would go through the proverbial roof if they found out, and Jake was already bed ridden. If he found out she had a tattoo, that would kill him for sure.

Whenever she was around Grandma Ruth during her visit she had to resist the urge to check and make sure it was properly hidden. Normally her clothes were more than enough to keep it covered, or she dropped her hair down over it and didn’t worry about it. This time, though, she decided to take the extra measure of a layer of concealed, despite the awkward location. She knew she was being paranoid about the situation, but all things considered, it was better safe than sorry.

Once Grandma Ruth had finally left after Jake had went dancing through the house, she had managed to relax a little. Now she wouldn’t have to worry about Grandma finding out, but there was still the rest of the family to consider. There was a chance that a makeup stain in a strange place would arouse suspicion when the laundry was sorted, but she could avoid that simply by doing her own. But she wasn’t worried about it tonight, though. The concealer was beginning to itch, and she needed to wash it off.

She collected a basin of hot water from the bathroom, as well as a bottle of makeup remover foam, and went into her bedroom as quietly as she could manage. A little water sloshed out of the basin in the hall, but it would dry before anyone noticed it.

She set the basin on the floor and took a washcloth out of the water, wringing most of the water out of it and squeezing a little of the cleanser onto the cloth. She worked the foam into the folds of the cloth until it was a thick lather, then bent forward, tossing her hair over so it hung down to the floor. Standing over the basin, she fought the effects of a head-rush for a second and began rubbing the back of her neck and between her shoulders with the cloth.

It wasn’t long before the white cleanser took on a flesh tone as it dissolved the concealer from the back of her neck. Without straightening up, she reached down and rinsed out the cloth and wiped the back of her neck again, picking up the remaining soap and make up. Her shirt was now a little damp around the spot she had just washed off, but that would dry.

Quinn stood up, tossing her hair back in an arc that nearly brushed the ceiling. She walked over to her full-length mirrors and adjusted the angle of one so she could see the back of her neck in the reflection of the other. She pulled her hair out of the way and stood at an angle between the mirrors, smiling to herself as she looked at the Chinese character for ‘Beauty’ tattooed on the back of her neck in dark sapphire ink.

If they only knew, Quinn thought as she looked at her reflection.

Maybe she would get another tattoo, once she got some money for that “new pleather jacket.” She examined her thigh in the mirror and mentally toyed with the image of a rose.

Fin

Legal Drek: Daria and her cohorts are owned by MTV and Viacom who REALLY NEED TO RELEASE DARIA ON DVD!!