The Tattoo (formerly Unbreakable)

Long Enough to Know

In the morning Meriddion found herself seated in the hall of the cleansing center of Rings Reign, fiddled with the paper in her hands. Vaaru had told her to pick her slaves up and to take her fighter to the Ring center in San Diego. That way she could take Daniel to see his 'underling' fight for his birthday. Vaaru had set it up that the slave would be sure to win his first fight, but she had been more than assured that he would win even without the fight being rigged. Meriddion agreed to this and was now waiting to pick up the slaves. She sat in the lone chair that Ash had refused while he stood behind her. He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed staring at nothing.

"Ash?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you, for coming with me."

"You don't have to thank me for anything."

"Ash, please don't."

He didn't respond. Instead continuing to look at something as though it interested him. Meriddion turned in her chair to face him.

"Ash, please look at me."

"As you command."

"It's not like that, you know me Ash, why are you acting like this?"

"Because you made me come back here."

"When have you ever been here before?"

"When I was just a child, probably 14 years old."

"Y-you fought?"

"No. I got lucky enough to only be on the cleaning staff. But I was near enough the fights for long enough to know."

"Know what?"

"How barbaric the Ring is."

Meriddion was about to reply when a man opened the door they were sitting next to.

"Miss VanShay?"

"Yes?"

"Come with me please."

Meriddion stood and looked skeptically past the door. With a deep breath she followed the man through it.

The inside of the cleansing center was pure white and reminded Meriddion of a hospital. It stunk of cleaner and bleach and Meriddion's eyes hurt from the level of light that bounced off the floors and walls.

The man led her down the twists of hallways to a glass window. Inside she recognized the two slaves she had purchased.

"Can they see me?"

"No, it's a one way mirror."

"Oh."

Meriddion watched as the men were both suddenly hit with a harsh blast of water that Meriddion assumed to be freezing cold. When they were soaking wet the water turned off.

"Why am I here?"

"You need to make cosmetic decisions."

"Such as?"

"Haircut, if you'd like any piercings or other embellishments we're capable of providing it free of charge at the master's order. Then you'll need to choose attire."

"Um." Meriddion turned to Ash to inquire his opinion.

"The fighter is the only one that really matters. Cut his hair short, give him a tattoo that distinguishes him as your uncles, a last name maybe."

Meriddion nodded to the man and he wrote the request on a form with the slave's ID number identified at the top.

"What for the tattoo?"

Meriddion was about to give the man her uncle's last name when she recalled a particular nickname her mother had given him as a ruse when he had taken their stepfather's last name and she had not.

"Copps."

"Where?"

Meriddion again looked to Ash who answered the man.

"The upper part of his right arm."

"His name?"

"Whatever it was before."

The man nodded and pulled a second form to the top of his stack for the second slave.

Meriddion glanced at the young man. He was shivering and holding his arms around his torso. His hair was thick and black, longer than a general males but not below his ears. His deep brown eyes glanced up at the glass in fear as though he knew Meriddion was staring at him.

"Leave the second the way he is. Where do I go to choose clothing?"

"This way." The man led them away from the slaves to a room next door. Ash chose sweatpants for both the men and a muscle tank for the fighter while the second slave would wear a plain long sleeved shirt much like the one Ash wore. The man handed the items to an attendant and led Meriddion back to the glass she had stood before only moments prior.

The fighter was sitting compliantly while an older woman tattooed the requested name on his arm. The assistant entered the room and handed one set of clothing to the younger slave who was drying his hair with a towel. She set the other clothes next to the fighter as the young man looked skeptically at the outfit he had been given. He pulled the clothing on and was immediately handed a pair of loafers then led from the room.