She could tell Harley was hardly convinced she really wanted to be there, her violet eyes seeming to pierce right through her as the Werefox sat in that tattoo chair, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and open to attack. She told herself to breathe through it, though she was successfully distracted by Harley's next words. Remembering back to that last time in the former Ark, she quirked a brow at the other Were. "Well, could you blame me? You tossed that guy like a sack of potatoes. If he wasn't already injured, I would have had to heal him from that." She met the woman's gaze evenly, though there was no challenge there, only a curiosity. She knew from the first moment she met the other Were that Harley had her walls up tight and though she may never know why, she at least wanted her pack mate to know that she meant to more than just an acquaintance. They might not end up friends, but she wanted to know her by more than name and pack affiliation.

Under the woman's intense gaze, she shifted a bit in the seat, but kept her calm, bringing her hands together across her lap as she waited to see what would happen next. It was like Harley was trying to figure it all out so Alexis told herself she'd sit here until she came to some kind of conclusion. Either she might be asked to leave or maybe, just maybe, Harley would go through with the tattoo. The WereFox found herself wondering if it would hurt a lot. Maybe she should have started with something small? But a tiny voice inside her head told her that she was done being weak and powerless. She was done taking the high road, the easy road. Something so permanent on her skin should mean something. Her back straightened in resolve. For a moment more, the violet-eyed woman watched her, but then a new look came over her pretty features and she stepped over to the chair, ready to look at her designs.

Harley studied the two trees for a moment before she lifted her gaze back to Alexis' own, though this time her eyes only looked at her with the air of a professional, none of the former suspicion slipping through. She offered to do a few designs, maybe a mix of the two trees and Alexis' eyes widened a bit eagerly as she nodded. "I'd like that. I want the trunk to run here...." She leaned forward to run her fingers up her spine. "And the branches to snake out toward my shoulders." She bit her bottom lip as she waited for Harley's feedback, sure that she was going to try to talk her out of it, tell her how that was too big, or in too painful a spot. She'd done some research on tattoos, but the location had a meaning for her too.

When her pack mate asked about the meaning, Alexis offered a small smile and nodded. "More like death and rebirth. The silk is my past, flimsy and weak. Delicate and pliable, easily manipulated. I was actually called Silk one...by my former pack." She looked down for a moment and took a breath before continuing. "I was used for my gifts, taught to steal because no one could hear me coming or going. My father saw me only as a reminder of what I took from him....my mother. She died when I was born." She bit her lip at the bitter memories before shaking her head. "The tree represents my new life with the Nightshade pack. Durable and strong, yet even it's destructible in the right conditions. I thought I lost my chance with them...twice before, actually. Once, when my cowardice led to some bad decisions and a dear friend was hurt, then again when my father found me."

Heaving a sigh, she swallowed at the memories of that horrific day before glancing back up at Harley. "The branches will lead to my future, whatever that may bring. There's hope in the green leaves, but the charred wood reminds me that nothing is permanent, untouchable." Searching the woman's features for a moment, she offered that same small smile again. "So, what do you think?"

alexis wilde