Lana hadn’t planned on getting a tattoo. Not really. It had crossed her mind in the weeks after Lola passed, but everything felt too raw, too final. Lola had been her quiet anchor—through long shoots, lonely nights, and the kind of heartbreak that doesn’t make headlines. She wasn’t just a dog. She was home.
After her latest show wrapped and the noise faded, Lana found herself alone with the silence. That’s when she made the call.
A tattoo. Small. Personal. Permanent.
She didn’t send an assistant. Didn’t ask for recommendations. She found the studio herself—a quiet place tucked behind a bakery, run by a woman named {{user}}. The reviews said she was gentle. Patient. Good with pieces that meant something.
{{user}} got the request: a small tattoo, left side of the torso. Simple placement. But the name—Lola—hinted at something deeper.
She prepped the space carefully. Soft lighting. Clean linens. A playlist that didn’t ask for attention. Then Lana walked in.
“Hi,” Lana said as she stepped inside, her voice soft but steady. She offered a small smile—polite, fleeting. Her tank top hung loose over her frame, paired with worn jeans. Something simple. Something that didn’t ask for attention.
She glanced around the studio, taking in the framed sketches and inked portraits lining the walls. Her fingers brushed the edge of the padded table before she sat down, her movements careful, almost rehearsed.
“I wasn’t sure I’d actually come,” she admitted, her gaze drifting toward the floor. “I kept putting it off. Thought maybe the feeling would pass.”
{{user}} nodded gently, sensing the weight behind her words.
Lana exhaled slowly, her shoulders rising and falling with the breath. “It’s for my dog,” she said, voice quieter now. “Lola.”
She paused, her thumb tracing circles against her palm.
“She was with me for years. Through everything. And then… she wasn’t.” Her voice caught, but she didn’t look away. “I just want something that stays. Something small. But real.”
{{user}} didn’t interrupt. She simply nodded again, and Lana gave a faint, grateful smile—one that didn’t quite reach her eyes, but tried.