[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Thank you" he said, suddenly, earnestly, and looked the old man in the eye. "You - the amount of time, and skill you put into me - I hardly recognise myself, and I can't thank you enough."

The old man grinned, and waved at him. "Ye paid a fair penny fer me services, an' ye got yer fair exchange."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"I'll try to bring back something other than a mangled limb this time" he muttered, and waved goodbye to the old man, turning to leave and stopping in his tracks as he spotted a large, top-notch shot of him from behind in nothing but a pair of shorts, plastered on the back of the door.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Speechless, he gaped at the old man with wide eyes, and was rewarded with another bout of loud laughter. Sure, he remembered the photo being taken - the old man had posed him just-so, showing the full length of his back, arms and legs outstretched and head turned to look at the camera over his shoulder to show as much of the markings off as possible.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Now surely ye remember the chat we had, about preservin' the work we did before ye go off an' do somethin' daft with it" the old man teased, eyes bright with amusement at Iilanthys' stunned face. Granted, he had given his permission for the photo to be displayed, and granted, it wasn't risque in any way, but he had assumed a small photo would be put up in the studio.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"I thought it would be put in your studio, with the other full-body shots" he said, glancing back to look at the photo - his photo. I'm full colour, it was a magnificent shot, his profile showing off his handsome face and the physique he had won back after his illness, though it had taken a lot of hard work.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"An' hide it where few will ever see it? Come on Sonny, that's me masterpiece, me life's best work up there - I've never heard of anyone ever doin' a full-body marking, except me, an' ye had two of 'em put on together. Yer a work of art, Sonny, an' I wanted it where everyone who comes in can see it, as they'll all leave the same way."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The old man sat back and folded his arms, and his lazy smile told Iilanthys he knew he had won.

He shook his head, and with a rueful smile he said his goodbyes and made his way out the door, stopping one last time to wave at the old man as it closed behind him.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He shook his head, smile still on his face, and breathed in the salty air deeply, already missing the smoky smell of the shop and the company of the old man.

As he walked towards the dock, he spotted a tobacconist and on a whim stepped inside, emerging with several cartons of familiar-smelling cigarettes.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He lit one, and inhaled deeply, burning smoke mixing with the salty sea air into a taste he could recognise with his eyes closed, one that had swirled around him through the long hours in the shop and had comforted him in his pain.

He grinned, and took a lazy puff as he walked up the gangplank, towards a new adventure.

Finished