Having only one record store in the area for miles around had its perks. For one, the store essentially became a closely knit community; the staff knew all of their frequenters, and everybody was on pretty good terms with everyone else. You were pretty much guaranteed a friendly environment could easily spend hours talking the day away with the staff or another customer. Of course, there were downsides as well. The biggest one being that if you couldn't find something that you were looking for here, you were shit out of luck. Sure, the advent of the internet had completely eliminated the need for records and physical copies of music, but for a music nerd like Alysia, records were an absolute must. Nothing sounded better than a vinyl. Alysia flipped through the records, looking for a name that struck her fancy. It was one of those days where she didn't know what she wanted, and as such she found herself looking for something new. Her search had brought her to the mysterious section that was mysteriously labeled "Because We Feel Like It." Everything had been released in the past few years, but the genres were all over the place; everything from Kanye to Sara Bareilles, from Magic Man to Chet Faker. Big names, small names, it didn't matter. There was a little bit of everything, and if she had to be honest, Alysia wanted it all. She decided to play it safe with the new Say Anything album. Alysia had heard that [i]Hebrews[/i] was a stretch for the typically punk pop band, but a change in musical direction wasn't always a bad thing. Alysia took the record to the counter. As always, the cashier pulled a flash drive from the drawer and handed it to Alysia along with her receipt. The flash drive contained a digital copy of the album; an uncommon practice for most record stores, but Alysia wasn't about to complain. She smiled, stuffing the drive in her pocket and leaving the record store. She dumped the record into her black backpack, which contained only her laptop, a pair of headphones, and a pack of cigarettes. A bad habit, but immortality had its benefits for a reason, right? Alysia quickly checked to make sure nobody was watching, and ducked into an alleyway. From there, she dropped her façade, spread her wings, and took off. Her butterfly wings weren't built for speed and agility like those Shades with bird wings, but they were faster than walking. Alysia touched down behind her favorite coffee shop. She put her façade back on and walked back out towards the street. She sat down at an empty table in front of the store, removing the record and her laptop from her backpack. Setting the laptop on top of the record, she pulled the flash drive out of her pocket and inserted it into her laptop. Next, Alysia pulled out the headphones and a cigarette, followed by her lighter in her other pocket. She started up the album and lit a cigarette, leaning back in her chair. She smiled, Max Bemis' always energetic voice and the cigarette bringing her to a place that she could only describe as her happy place. -- "That looks great. Give me another pose, but with a little more attitude. Attitude looks good on you. Beautiful, I'm loving it, keep it coming, honey. Absolutely beautiful." The snaps of the shutter and the explosions of light from the flash bulbs dragged on and on as Markus reveled in the perfection of the photoshoot. The model he was working with, a young college student looking to make it in the modeling business, had a natural glow to her that Markus almost felt blessed to capture. Just as he took the last shot he needed, Markus' phone went off. He checked the caller ID; Jessica, his boss. Perfect timing. "Sup, Jess? Just finished working with that girl you sent my way, Sabrina," Markus set his camera on the small table behind him, waving Sabrina off to the side for a moment. "This'll just be a second," he mouthed to her. "Really? That sounds wonderful," Jess responded. God, she had such a hot voice. Markus absolutely loved talking to her. "So I'm guessing we're all good for this month's fashion spot?" "You got it. Just gotta send these pics and a final edit of the article to Alex for formatting and shit. I'll be all done by tomorrow morning." "Perfect. That's it, Markus, just checking in. Come by the office in a week or so for a print, if you want." [i]Click.[/i] Markus smiled. Another job well done, just the way Markus liked it. He turned to the woman waiting behind him. "Sabrina, baby," Markus spread his arms wide; she took the hint, meeting the hug. They pulled away from each other. "You're absolutely wonderful. I'll definitely call you again if I ever need you for another spot, okay?" Sabrina only smiled in response; she didn't talk much, which Markus regretted. The girl was smarter than she looked, and Markus loved talking to her. "I gotta finish up the article for tomorrow, so I've got to lock up. I'll call you," Markus headed for the door, Sabrina following closely behind. The two stepped out of Markus' studio, Markus locking up behind him. "Thanks for everything, Markus," Sabrina waved, heading off down the street. Markus jumped in his car, a new Honda Civic, heading towards the beach; writing on the beach was so much easier than writing up in his clammy apartment. When he arrived, he grabbed a blanket, his camera, and his laptop from the backseat. He walked down towards the water, settling down about forty yards from the shoreline. He spread the blanket out wide and sat down cross-legged upon it. He took the SD card from his camera and inserted it into the laptop, pulling up the article for the magazine as he loaded the pictures from the shoot onto his laptop. [i]Nothing like a pleasant afternoon at the beach[/i], Markus thought, smiling.