[XOTM] Xero of the Month November 2022

Ito woke up in their bed on a cold November morning shivering. The temperature had drastically dropped during the night. So before they left the bed they turned and immediately grabbed the jacket hanging on one of the bottom bed posts in an attempt to keep themselves as warm as possible as they ready themselves for their morning. As the shop doesn’t open till noon, they have a slow chill morning of doing the behind the scenes work of owning a tattoo shop. After they had breakfast and coffee in front of the tv. They begin to research a new ink supplier for back up as the one the usual use is having delays recently. Its a long boring affair but just because a company claims they are stainable doesn’t mean they are. Afterwards they begin going through the messages, booking people, checking the schedule of their workers before posting it. Only then were they able to practice their drawing. They drew some things for fun but also tried out some new techniques and the style from a new show a ton of Xeros was going crazy about. Because of Ito’s relaxed demeanor, Xeros tend to assume it’s all fun for Ito. They would never guess all the hard work and crap they have to deal with after they get home or wake up in the morning to keep the shop running smoothly. Eventually Ito’s phones alarm ringed 10:45. They needed to get to the shop early today as a new apprentice was waiting for them. He was a kid fresh out of high school. But he was extremely talented in his art classes and had already won some awards for his art. When Ito saw his portfolio in the interview they know they had to hire him. Ito couldn’t wait to see him grow and breath new creative life into the shop. After navigating through the busy crowded market as Xeros quickly rush to find something to eat or get in some early Christmas shopping during their lunch break. Ito finally reached the entrance of their shop where a nervous but excited young Xero waited to start their first day. Before the shop open Ito walked the dude around showing him all the stations, how to sanitize the tools, the hygiene routine, introduced him to staff as they trickled in and even let him practice a bit with the tattoo machine. Just trying to get his nerves down as much as possible before the flood of costumers arrive. Finally it was time to open. Some regulars showed up trying to get some new ink for the holiday’s. One girl showed up obviously really nervous for her first tattoo but Ito is really experienced with this and through the consultation was able to calm her down. The apprentice really just watched and jumped in to help with small things when asked. But as everyone started on their clients you could feel the close family feel between the people tattooing. There was holiday plans shared, laughs had and beautiful art was created.