How Great Thou Art

Kai had always wanted a tattoo. Nothing too big, just a small one - one with meaning. And finally, he knew what he wanted to get.

Besides, he'd come into the shop before with Korra, who was covered in tats and always adding more, and well, the tattoo artist was gorgeous. Her name was Jinora, and word on the street was she was the best tattoo artist in the country. It wasn't hard to see why. With her hair always pulled back into a messy bun, multiple piercings on her ears, her beautiful brown eyes focused completely on her work. Her tattoos were almost as beautiful; on one wrist, she had a few spirals, the symbol of the Air Nomads, over a blue arrow that trailed down her inner forearm. On her other arm was a quote, although Kai had never been able to read it, done in calligraphy. He knew there was another one, as Korra had said she had three, but Kai had no idea what it was.

So he knew that when the time came to get a tattoo, he wanted her. He had thought about the tattoo for years and had finally decided to get it. And, by some miracle, he had managed to get an appointment.

Taking a deep breath, Kai entered the shop.

Jinora looked up as he entered, offering him an easy smile. "You must be Kai. Korra's friend, right?" She stuck out her hand. Kai nodded and shook it, hoping his palms weren't sweaty. His fingers tingled when Jinora let go of his hand. "Take a seat in that chair," she pointed over to the one near the counter.

Kai sat, trying not to fidget.

Jinora checked the needle and ink. "Have you decided on what you want?" she asked. "Or should I pull out the Idea Book?" She rapped her fingers on the thick book resting on the counter, full of pictures and suggestions for tattoos.

"Nah, that's okay, I've decided on what I want," Kai said, injecting confidence into his voice. "Brought a picture." He handed her the small print-out, their fingers brushing together. Kai felt heat rise to his face.

"Alright then," Jinora said, laying the piece of paper nearby for reference. She looked like she was thinking fast and hard. "Interesting..." she muttered so quietly he almost didn't here it. She clasped her hands together and looked up at him, grinning, as if she hadn't said anything; what was that about? "Let's get started. Where do you want it?"

Kai placed his hand over his right shoulder. "Here," he said, rolling up his sleeve.

"Let me get a pin to hold that sleeve in place," Jinora said, turning her back to him and rummaging through a door. When she turned back to him, there was an apologetic smile on her face. "I don't have any pins left, and we don't want the sleeve to fall back down and get in the way, so can you...?" she trailed off, flushing.

Kai made the connection. "Oh, erm, right..." He tried to get his blushing under control as he lifted off his shirt. Why hadn't he just worn a sleeveless one? God he was an idiot. A part of him - it was stupid really - but a part of him hoped Jinora liked what she saw, anyway. He was fit, on the leaner side, not ripped or anything, but he'd always thought he was a pretty attractive guy.

He avoided looking at Jinora for as long as possible, but when he finally peeked at her she looked away quickly; had she been staring, he wondered. Maybe she was embarrassed about this as he was.

"So, ready to start?" Jinora asked, her cheeks still a bright pink.

"Y-yeah," Kai answered.

She lightly rubbed the area on his shoulder with a wet rag. And then, she poised the needle, and pressed it against his hurt just about as much as Kai had expected, but he stayed still. "So, you in college?" Jinora said casually - trying to keep him distracted, smart, while she stayed completely concentrated on her work. (A perfect opportunity to stare at her and not have to worry about being caught, because that had been embarrassing the last time he'd come in with Korra.)

"Oh yeah. I'm an art student."

"Art student hmm? What do you draw?"

"Lots of stuff. Little cartoons, designs. Models for paintings, sometimes. None of them are as pretty as you though." It came out before Kai had thought about what he was saying, and he mentally smacked himself. Jinora's needle paused. Great, now he had just embarrassed himself in front of her during their first real conversation, and he was going to be stuck in this chair for a while too, just fantastic.

He swallowed his embarrassment to steal a glance at her. She looked very pleased with herself, still blushing. "That's very sweet of you Kai." And she resumed working.

Sweet of you. What did that mean? Did she like him? Kai gulped. At least they were alone in the parlor. Then again, he was aloneshirtless with her, so maybe it wasn't much better...

"So what made you decide to get the tattoo?" Jinora said.

"I'll you why if you tell me about yours," he countered. She raised an eyebrow. "I've always been curious about the quote on your arm."

"Oh that? It's the definition of a serendipity. 'The art of making happy, accidental discoveries.'"she flashed him a quick smile that made his stomach flip before turning back to his tattoo. "I'm a hopeless romantic, if you couldn't tell." Kai chuckled softly, making sure not to move too much.

"Do you have any other tattoos?" he said, grinning at her.

"Just one, on my left shoulder... And you, my friend, are done." She stepped back, admiring her handiwork - or just admiring him? "Take a look." Jinora handed him a mirror.

Kai inspected his new tattoo: a white yang symbol, half of the traditional yin and yang one. It stood out starkly against his darker skin. "You did an amazing job," Kai noted. "Got it just like the picture and everything. You're really talented."

Jinora blushed slightly. "Thank you Kai. You'll have to sit tight to let it dry for a few minutes. Luckily, you're my last customer of the day."

"Jinora..." Kai trailed off; he gathered up his courage. "Why did you say my tattoo was interesting?"

"Oh, um..." Jinora smiled nervously. "It's just, because of the one I have - I - I'll show you." She rolled up the sleeve of her left shoulder, and in the exact same place on her shoulder, like the other half of his tattoo, was the black yang symbol. "Funny coincidence, hmm?" She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Very serendipitous," Kai replied in a mock-wise voice. Jinora giggled. "So, erm, Jinora?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide and attentive. "W-would you like to -?"

"Go on a date?" Jinora finished, trying not to smile. Kai nodded and she laughed. "Sure. Coffee once your tattoo is dry and you have a shirt on?" Kai nodded again. "One condition: I wanna see your drawings. Some of them might make great editions to the Idea Book."

Kai blushed furiously, beaming at her. "I think I can manage that."

"And besides, I still wanna know why you decided on this tattoo," Jinora said, tossing him his shirt. Kai pulled it out, and then his jacket. He fished a few coins out of his pocket and dropped them into the tip jar.

Jinora pulled on her coat and looped her arm though his. "Well, you see," Kai began, continuing to talk while they headed out of the parlor and down the street. "I had a feeling it might lead me to my soulmate. Guys can be hopeless romantics too."

"Good thing too," Jinora said sweetly, pulling him closer to her. Kai, emboldened, took her hand and didn't let go.

He knew they were just getting to know each other, knew that whatever they had was just beginning, but maybe, just maybe, they could be like their matching tattoos, and create something beautiful.