Skin Magic: Fantasy

"You may keep a whole skin, though you have nothing else that can be hurt," the cloaked man said in a disinterested tone. At the sound of it, her entire skin tensed, the tattoos tightening defensively. She shuddered to think what he could do to her. A slender cut across one of her tattoos, and the work of years would be gone. All the careful movements, the padding on the furniture, the refusal to cook (so many kitchen accidents!), the staying indoors to protect her fragile skin, leaving only when ridiculously well-padded, down to the gloves, even in the summer...all a waste. And what would her life be then?


Inspiration: Today is Dickens' birthday, and this is a line from one of his works, Master Humphrey's Clock.
Story Potential: Low.
Notes: And her tattoos and power are broken, so she finds a new life and eventually, her way back to a less isolating power. Eh. It could be written, it could be a decent story, but it doesn't have that spark for me.