She didn’t think any of them needed to lose weight, but a woman’s self-image was a funny thing. The group followed her from the front, into the first area she had set up with a couple of easy portable obstacles.
“We’re going to start with some basic Parkour moves. I’ll teach you the most efficient way to get over obstacles. Then, if you are interested, I can show you some moves you could learn to give it a little more flair.” Jade gestured up to the far wall. “Over there we have mountain climbing, with courses from absolute beginner all the way up to extreme difficulty down at the far end.”
“Oh my god you have your own P-Parkour Warrior set-up in here!” Cami bounced on her toes with excitement.
“Yes, the majority of the space is taken up by the obstacles that you see on the TV competitions. We try to switch those up about every four months to give it variety. The harder ones are over the foam pits, but we still ask that you be careful and get supervision, or a harness, before trying them. We also have a large trampoline at the far end.”
Pixie clapped her hands. “Are we going to try that?”
“Sure. We offer gymnastics classes for the little ones, but nothing like any of the more structured student gyms have.” A sense of pride filled Jade as the women explored the different areas for a few minutes.
She and Eric had designed this place themselves from the ground up. It was the size of three small warehouses, side by side, with long foam pits that were able to be covered or opened, depending on the obstacles that were over them, and what kind of safety was needed.
“This is a lot more impressive than I thought it w-was going to be.” Cami had her hands on her hips. Her eyes were wide as saucers. The women looked ready to start, so Jade moved them back into the open area she had set up.
“All right, if you guys are comfortable, how about we get started on some stretches?”
Pixie and Tari pulled off their long sleeve t-shirts to expose the sports bras underneath before lining up with their friends on the mat in front of her. Jade started them off with some simple leg stretches.
“Stretching is critical when you are doing Parkour. You’d be surprised how many muscles will thank you for it afterwards. Most people don’t realize that as we get older, our bodies settle into a routine. Once the exploration and learning we do in childhood is done, our muscles get set into patterns because we repeat the same motions over and over. So, if you don’t get yourself properly stretched before we start, you’re going to be hurting tomorrow.”
Jade led them through her usual warm-up routine and was pleasantly surprised at how flexible they all were. She caught sight of some gorgeous artwork on Pixie’s shoulders. Unable to resist she moved closer to get a better look.
When she could finally get a good look at Pixie’s shoulder, the depiction of an adorable fairy entranced her. The color and details were astounding. The watercolor effect on the shading wasn’t unusual, but the mixture of the intense detail on the outline made her think she knew who the artist was. The hyper-realistic depiction of a screaming demon on the woman’s other shoulder was a shocking contrast. It looked so real Jade could almost suspect a photo transfer rather than a tattoo.
Those contrasting styles could only be achieved by two men whom she had been virtually stalking for almost two years. Excitement bubbled in her stomach as she wondered if Pixie might have met her celebrity crushes. Would it be rude to ask? If she kept herself in check and didn’t fangirl too hard, then it shouldn’t be an issue.
She could wait till the lesson was over. They were done stretching, and it was time to start running them through the courses. It would only be another hour, then she would have her curiosity assuaged… Nope, she had to find out if she was right.
“Pixie, I hope you don’t mind me asking. Do you have a tattoo from both Hannibal and Ink?” Jade knew her voice was pitched a little too high, but she couldn’t help it. Those men were the Michelangelo and Van Gogh of the tattoo world.
Pixie’s light laughter filled the room. “How did you know that’s who did my tattoos?”
It was their work. She knew it! “Oh, you have no idea how much I love their work. I think I’ve studied every one they’ve done that is out there on social media.” Joy bubbled in her stomach. “Hannibal’s mixture of soft and hard lines and insane amount of details makes it look like the tattoo could float right off the skin. I don’t think there’s anyone in the country who can match his style. The demon woman on your shoulder had to be one of his.”
“It’s a Banshee.” Pixie smiled.
“Oh, that’s awesome. Is it like an angel demon thing?”
“Yes, exactly.” The woman tilted her head. “What about my Fairy? How did you know Ink did it?”
Jade shrugged and shook her head at how silly she was being. “There’s maybe four people in the United States, who do work like that. He has a gorgeous watercolor style that feels soft, but then uses sharp line work that keeps it from looking blurry. All of his artwork has a touch of fantasy made into reality. When you add in the fact that the subject isn’t something that could have actually been a picture that was transferred into a stencil, you’re down to like two people in the US who could have done it. Put the two tattoos together and the fact that we are in Denver, well, it seemed obvious to me.”
Jojo crossed her arms and smiled. “Sounds like you know a lot about tattoos.”
“You know how you watch the Parkour Warriors show? Well, I love all the tattoo reality shows. Doesn’t matter if it is about coverups or who is the best artist, I can’t get enough of them. I might also read blogs and the magazines.”
Jojo laughed. “You’re a tattoo superfan.”
“You could say that.” Jade blushed. “When we set up shop here, I was excited that Dark Ink was so close. I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo from both of them. But they are not cheap. I’ve been building my business for the last two years, but I finally put aside enough money to get my name down on their list last month. I have my initial consultation appointment with Hannibal this week, but they couldn’t schedule the actual work till later.” It would be almost five months before she would have the finished products on her skin, but it would be worth it. “I can’t wait. Seriously, to meet someone with talent like that is going to be a treat. It would suck to find out that they are actually jerks.” She knew she was fangirling and tried to pull herself together. “Well, enough about my celebrity crushes. How about we get started on the fun part of the lesson?”
Chapter 2
I don’t come on demand.
Ink
Ink was not a fan of being summoned. Especially not by a three-word text followed by an address. Sharp’s Old Lady was an adorable woman, with an ability to cook that rivaled five-star chefs, but she could also be as crazy as a coon dog after being trapped in a kennel all day.