Work Text:
Jasper was a lover of detail; the intricate twisting designs of fine carvings in stone, or the delicate filigree on a finely worked occult blade.
Detail held beauty and mystery, none more so, than that which a tattooist needle had forever bestowed on the living flesh of the woman Eva had been in life.
That Eva had tattoos had been a strange revelation in itself.
Jasper had caught a glimpse, back under the ultraviolet lights in the Succubus club, of something on the skin of her delicate wrist as Eva, still a relative stranger at the time, had toyed with the blood in the champagne flute while she spoke with Annabelle at the bar.
Jasper’s gaze had lingered, perhaps longer than was appropriate, on the motion as the pale Tremere dipped her finger into the sanguine liquid and brought it up to her lips touching it delicately to her tongue.
Thankfully both women were too engaged in their conversation to catch Jasper staring.
He’d played that moment over in his mind many times in the following nights. Mainly to override the more disturbing events of that evening with something more worthy of remembrance.
The flash of ultraviolet on white had been teasingly brief, but he’d caught it even beneath the similar glow of the white lace at her wrists.
A lover of puzzles, Jasper had filed the image away, stubbornly trying not to think too much on it while he clung to his twisted obligation to Chloe.
Now though, free from all of that, months later, he smiled to himself in wonder as his fingers traced the ghostly expanse of beautiful white skin spread so freely before him.
Eva lay on her stomach among the tangled bedsheets in his haven. Her pearl white curls cascading across her shoulders as she read quietly.
Jasper had learned quickly, to his delight, that nudity was something Eva was extremely comfortable with.
She was not one to scramble for sheets or clothes after making love, leaving her body open to his wandering eyes and explorations.
There were secrets there to be found, clues to both her mortal and vampiric past.
His long fingers traced the curve of her hips, feeling her involuntarily shiver as he brushed the almost invisible lines at the base of her spine.
“Whatever you may think of it now, the peace sign meant alot to me back then.”
Jasper glanced up to see Eva had paused in her reading her eyes closed concentrating on the feeling of his fingers searching out the old lines of her tattoo.
His reply was to place a light lingering kiss across the centre of it.
Eva hummed her approval her eyes opening to return to her reading. She was used to Jasper’s explorations.
He had discovered several tattoos over the few months they’d spent together. All were nearly invisible, white against pale white. Strauss’ curse having stolen the vibrancy of the ink away many years ago.
The first night, when he’d finally gotten to hold her without fear of wards or refusal, Jasper had taken his time searching them all out, beginning with the careful removal of her lace bracer.
It had been strangely intimate taking her hand, he’d traced the lace with his fingers, prolonging the moment before he found his answers in the Small bracelet of leafed vines encircling her wrist beneath.
Sometimes the puzzle itself was worth more than the answer, the anticipation something to be savoured. So he had taken his time removing the delicate clothing that kept Eva’s secrets from him.
Hours after, before the sun began to rise he lay with her in his arms his eyes closed so he could better map all he had discovered in his mind. Every line and pattern that had been stripped of colour, every raised mark that had been inked half a century ago.
Jasper filled them in again, painting them anew in his minds eye.
The woman Eva had been had placed her soul on her skin in ink and blood. It was still there, but only for Jasper to see.
They hadn’t really spoken about them. Anything to do with Strauss and his mistreatment of Eva was to be approached carefully and only when Jasper could judge her to be in the right frame of mind for such things.
He was content though to feel out her secrets.
Eva giggled lightly as he bent again to run his tongue across the old tattoo tasting the cold flesh of her lower back.
Jasper smiled triumphantly as he heard the book close and felt the building warmth as the flesh under his touch blushed at her command.
As he called forth his own in answer he made a mental note to order a blacklight. Coloured or not, Eva deserved to see that those parts of her humanity had not been wiped away.