Tattoos and Flowers

Coffee and Flowers

Leia unlocked the door to the parlor and opened it with a grunt. The bell rang as the door opened and shut, and she changed the "closed" sign to the side that said "open." She rubbed her hands together, "Another day started right." She sighed and put down her bag. It was 9:00 AM and nobody ever got here until after 12:00, and even then it wasn't usually busy until the weekend rush of drunk rebel and imperial soldiers alike sprung for the occasional tattoo- usually the symbols of their cause, or drunk "I love ____" tattoos that they would inevitably regret in the morning. Leia liked her job, but she always felt bad for the people who regretted their tattoos the next day. 

The bell rang and Leia jumped, not expecting a customer. She looked up and saw her bright eyed brother, combed hair and bright smile. "Mornin', Leia," he smiled at her before going down stairs to check supplies. Luke didn't give tattoos, he didn't have any. Sure, he was interested in the art, but he was more focused on his jedi training. He worked part time with Leia, helping out and doing little jobs as a sort of intern, and the rest of the time he trained. Girls would always come in to flirt with him, asking him questions about the jedi way, until they had to leave. He was, although exactly the same age as Leia, much less mature, despite his status. Leia admitted, though, that he was good company, and fun to have around. 

"Luke," Leia called down to her brother, who popped up to the main level of the rented space.

"Uhuh?" He responded to his sister.

"C'you get kaffe?" 

"Yeah, ok, one sec. Do you have credits?"

"I'm your sister, you can spare credits for me, no?"

"Fiiiiiiiiine," Luke rolled his eyes and stomped out of the parlor, Leia laughed at her drama queen brother.

After Luke left, the air was quiet. There was nobody to talk to, and nothing to do. She started sketching tattoo ideas in a notebook, the bell rang again and Luke walked in, handing her a kaffe and taking something else out for himself.

"Kaffe?" Leia asked between sips of her own steaming drink.

"Hot chocolate," Luke grinned, Leia laughed.

"You're seven!" She laughed and ripped off a piece of her notebook, crumpled it up, and threw it at her brother, who hit it away at her. As they laughed, Luke piped up,

"You know the empty building next door?" Luke asked his sister, blue eyes wide.

"Mhm, what about it?" Leia responded, finishing her kaffe.

"Sold. To a florist or something," Luke said.

"Wow, d'you know who bought it?" 

"Some Corellian dude, Han something, I dunno," Luke shrugged and took a sip of his hot chocolate (which had copious amounts of whipped cream).

"Huh. Cool, I guess," Leia took off her sweater and draped it over the back of her chair. Luke left the room to go do something or other down stairs, and Leia was once again left alone. She picked up the crumpled piece of paper and continued her tattoo sketch.

It was a flower.