[DDC] show me what i'm looking for. [raj]

Had Maia not explained the place in great detail Gregoire doubted he would have ever found it. Trampling through the forest was not something he was especially accustomed to. He wasn't much of out in the woods kind of guy. As an artist he appreciated nature but it was used as sketching material, not as a place to set up shop. House calls were also not something Gregoire did often, nor were they something he was called upon to do often, but of course he could not turn Maia down when she asked him for this favor. The little siren had told him about her dear friend and the miserable pain that she was in and asked if Gregoire could help. He first wondered how he would possibly be able to help, after all, he wasn't a healer and he wasn't particularly good at that kind of magic. When she explained how the things he did happened to be good at would be helpful he was of course intrigued. Packing his magical tattooing equipment (which consisted of far less materials than the muggle type) into a black back pack the French man apparated as close as he could to the outskirts of the forrest and then set forth inside. Long legs clad in black jeans pushed him further and further into the dark woods as the sun began to set. It wasn't difficult to see yet but there was always the possibility of getting lost.

Not only had he been given in depth instructions but he was also equipped with a very special compass that was enchanted to point him in the direction of the isolated cabin. Without that he was certain he would of been a goner by now. The need flicked this way and that as he tried to watch out for underbrush and any possible wild animals that might be lurking around. Were there wolves in these woods? He wondered if he should of found that out earlier but it was too late now. With his free hand he pulled the back pack back up firmly on his shoulder and then reached for the wand that was sticking out of the top of it, just in case. It was maybe a forty minute walk before he finally reached the place. He was fairly certain the compass led him over the same small river stream twice but it didn't bother him. He was glad it wasn't too warm yet and the bugs hadn't eaten him alive on trip as he approached the little homestead. Knocking softly on the door he waited for an answer and put on his best smile. He wasn't sure if Maia was going to be home tonight but he was excited to see her and he was looking forward to meeting her friend. Maia cared for people like no one else Gregoire had ever known so he knew if she was important to Maia she had to be something special.

"Bonjour," He said briefly, his forever French accent bleeding straight through and then he offered her a warm smile. "Maia might of mentioned to you that I would be stopping by? My name is Gregoire Cartier." His name rolled off his tongue thickly accented and he pulled the bag from his shoulders. He assumed if she lived out here there was a good possibility she was in hiding or just preferred isolation so he thought it would be best to show right up front that he posed no threat to her. Maia had not gone into much detail about this young woman. "I'm the tattoo artist." He slid his bag down his arm and knelt down slowly to unzip the top of it, revealing something similar to  a tattooing gun with with enchantments engraved all down the side and a few selections of ink, just the basics.

"You must be Rajani? "

Pain prickled against her skin causing red welts to form along her spine. Rouged and angry each welt swelled and throbbed causing sweat too pool beneath her tightened corset. Deft magical floating hands stretched and tightened the strings of her corset, knowing that compressing the wounds seemed to help numb her from the pain. It seemed the only plus side of her fathers wizarding blood, was the ability to preform handy incantations and with Maia being absent often of late, Raj needed her enchanted hands when the changes came upon her. It seemed that each year, Raj would have less and less time during which she could truly control her abilities. Yet no matter how quickly the change took her it would never fully allow her to become a pure Keres. So instead she suffered through more and more pain.

Research had led her to an answer to help suppress and slow her transformation. Several tomes states that runic magic when embossed into the skin could help strengthen a persons ability to control their powers. After telling Maia of her findings, she was pleasantly surprised to find out her friend knew of a practitioner who could help and he was coming to see her today. Raj wasn't often excited for humans to visit the cabin, but the thought of a great runic wizard coming to her aid filled her with a hopeful thrill. The books had described the art being passed down through generations of monks...and she'd never seen a monk before, though she respected the race for their discipline.

As she paced around her living room, cats following at her heels she let her sense drift. Her nose twitched as she smelled the air, searching for the aura of a human to signal the monks arrival. The little hairs within her nostrils prickled as his scent waved against them. He smelled the slightest bit of fear and longing, mixed with a thrilling excitement. The smell reminded her of black truffles and cinnamon. Just as he knocked at the door she pulled it open, barely listening to his introduction. Raj took in a big whiff of the his tasty scent and then stared at him with pure confusion. He wasn't what she had expect from a monk, in fact he looked a lot more like some ruffian she meet in Knockturn Alley, but he did smell wonderful. A monk AND a tattoo artist, this was truly a wonderful curiosity. "Bonjour Gregoire, i've been expecting you. You can call me Raj. Please come in I am honored that you were able to come to my home." Raj's eyes flashed between their natural violet to a blood red, signaling her excitement. In her excitement she had not realized her hand had begun to partially talon and as she reached to help lead him in, she quickly withdrew it. "Er...i'm sorry. I guess i'm a bit excited for your visit."

So making house calls wasn't something Gregoire normally did but really he didn't mind getting out of London for the afternoon. It wasn't like he had anywhere to be really. Sure he had a job, but he was his own boss so if he wanted to leave the job in his capable apprentices hands for a few hours he had that freedom. It was nice to be able to come and go, no restrictions, and even travelling this far out into the woods didn't bother him too much. He stood at the door waiting for an answer as he heard noises from behind it. It sounded like someone was moving about and for a moment Gregoire wondered if Maia would be here too. It would be less awkward with their mutual acquaintance but Gregoire wasn't a shy man so it would be alright even if she wasn't. The woman standing in the doorway was not what he had expected and he could tell from the look on her face that he wasn't either. Gregoire was used to getting that look, the 'are you serious?' look like some how because he was covered in ink he was less mature than straight laced men his age. He was in his thirties but age was just a number to Gregoire, he lived life to the fullest and learned quickly to not mind the looks people gave him.

Usually he assumed they were rushing to judgment but there was something different about the look she gave him. He didn't feel like she disapproved of him but more that he had caught her off guard. Had Maia not told her anything about him? He nodded politely at her welcome and gave her a lopsided toothy grin. As he moved to step into the small cabin he caught a glimpse of her eyes. Violet was a strange color to begin with but when they flashed red he took a step back instinctively. Now he was the one caught off guard and immediately he wished he hadn't reacted that way. He wasn't the type to judge, she could be half goat and he'd still be polite to her, things like that didn't matter to the poor pureblooded freakishly tall man. Her hand stretched out to him and pale eyes turned toward it as her fingertips grew sharp. This time he was surprised, but not so much that he reacted rudely. "Does that hurt?" He asked empathetically. He knew he was here to help her with pain, he was going to tattoo runes on her skin that would help her manage it, but he hadn't been told what was causing her the pain in the first place. Without another pause Gregoire stepped into the cabin and smiled at what he found. It was quaint but it a perfectly Maia kind of way, chests and sparkling things scattered about the room. There were cats, more of them than Gregoire had time to count, and everything seemed so cozy. It reminded him of the tiny home he'd grown up in and he felt at ease here.

Turning back toward her he gave her another soft smile and set his bag down on the ground. "You have a lovely home." He said politely, like he'd been taught, and then he took another look around. "Have you lived here long?" He thought it might be best if they got some small talk in before she took off some clothing and he pushed ink into her skin with sharp needles. It was only polite right?

For several bitter moments, Raj's breath caught in her throat as she witnessed his uneasiness towards her. It was never her attention to scare him, but when her excitement got the best of her Raj had a difficult time controlling her abilities. Raj offered her a closed lip smile as to not frighten him further with her teeth. She only wished to show the monk respect, "Very kind of you to say. Could I offer you some pie? I have apple tarts in the fridge." Shuffling automatically towards the kitchen a small bead of sweat nervously formed on her brow. "We've been here for a few years now. I work in Knockturn Alley, so I enjoy the solace of being out in the woods."

Not waiting for him to take her offer for food, Raj began to pick through her tarts to find which had the best caramelized coating. It was only appropriate that her monk was treated with the best she could offer. Having these ruins carved into her could mean an answer to dulling some of the pain she had experienced on a daily basis. With less pain, Raj would be able to control herself better and perhaps she would feel less isolated. The only thing that Raj truly envied about Maia was her charisma. Maia felt such wondrous self-assurance and could spend hours out on the town without fear of being discovered. Raj may have been a home body, but it would have been nice to feel some type of safety to meander around London whenever she felt like it.

With a wistful sigh she scurried back into the room, tart in hand. "You'll have to let me know if you would like anything else. We've got a fairly well stocked kitchen and i'm sure your work takes a good bit out of you. Please sit! Be comfortable." Raj nervously shuffled to plump the couches pillows.

Gregoire knew well and good how to be polite, his mother had made sure of that, but he wasn't about to turn down some sweet treats. When she offered him some pie it took all of two seconds before he was smiling and nodding his head. "I would love some." He said before laughing out the next comment, "If your baking is anything like Maia's I might end up in a sugar coma." He smiled at the thought of his friend, she was a sight to see when she was baking. The cutest mess really. He nodded at her suggestion of taking a seat and being comfortable and that wasn't hard to do here. Despite the strangeness of the witch in front of him Gregoire felt oddly at peace in this cabin. In a way the quiet soothed him and made him wonder when the last time he had real quiet was. Maybe he was a woods kind of person and he had just never known it. Either way he was enjoying his time here so far and Rajani was a perfect host. Taking his seat as the small table the hand inside the cabin Gregoire set down his bag just in time for her to return with a tart in hand. "Merci beaucoup," He said in French as she handed him the plate and he set it gently on top of the table before breaking off a piece to take a bite. "This is very good, apple you said?" He asked, still making small talk because it wasn't just her trying to set him at ease.

He had always been a kind and gentle person, despite his towering size and for what they were about to start it would be important that she felt safe with him. She'd need to trust him for the enchanted runes to really take hold, for the magic to be at its strongest. He had never done something this complex but he'd more than splashed around in the area over the years. Gregoire had pioneered some of the more common methods of magical tattoos during his long career but he wasn't over confident in his abilities either. This was hard work and hard work was always best done on a full stomach. He took another bite before looking up toward her, "Could I trouble you for a glass of water?" He asked looking up from the table with another kind smile on his tired looking face. "And if its not to much to ask will you tell me a bit about yourself? About what is troubling you so I can do my best work?" He hated to probe for information, especially if it was something that was difficult for her to talk about but he couldn't do the job without knowing the details.