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TIMESTAMP: Some time after [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5530086][b][i]Opening Act[/i][/b][/url]
LOCATION(s): The Revolution Record, Beverly Hills
SONG: [url=https://youtu.be/QUFXva7f8s8?si=BQzYiDS1MIyOBC4h][b][i]Good Enough Reasons[/i][/b][/url]
STARING: [color=#98A38E] Kelsey Devon[/color], And
[color=#eedca5]Lucian Bowers[/color]
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[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/V4Rk70a.png[/img][/center]
[color=#98a38e]“Thank you again! Take care!” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]A different variation of the same phrase flowed from Kelsey’s lips with each exiting customer. The service persona had been drilled into her for years up until this moment. “Kind words and a smile” as her grandfather called, and those words held true in the smile she wore at that moment. Although, the outwardly kind gesture she offered to each and every customer of the store wasn’t the hallow facade plastered upon most retail worker’s faces and voices. Her words were authentic. Kelsey clung to the notion of the store like her life depended on it. From every particle of dust in the back storage room, to the vinyls that lined every foot of the front, she adored it. She loved the store more than her grandparents did, and they were the ones who had it built. Anything she did in the store, whether that be sweeping the hardwood floors that lined the building, stocking the shelves with whatever new shipment of vinyls her grandparents ordered, or even the simple act of interacting with customers, Kelsey put all her energy into it. The store was her home away from home; She needed it. The store was a reminder, but also a distraction from her father; anything to take her mind off the brunt of the pain. [/color]

[color=#f3f3f3]Kelsey’s hand traced the abstract art piece that lay on the cover of the vinyl that played record player beside her. “The Moon and The Melodies,” an album Kelsey had heard plenty of times in the past, one of her grandfather’s favorites, and what he had decided to play for before he left on an errand. An ethereal concoction that comforted the ears, but Kelsey much preferred listening to one of the playlists she had painstakingly put together the day prior. The day was slow, and the music that poured out of the surprisingly well-maintained gramophone hadn’t worked to speed it up. Kelsey had started a habit of counting the number of new faces who had visited the store, and today her count stayed at zero, with joining the past two weeks streak of all zeros. Nothing could ever beat the day a couple of weeks ago where she counted at least ten. Now that was a monumental day. It wasn’t all empty though, the regulars came by here and there, satisfying their musical cravings with a dose of Revolution Records almost endless supply. Kelsey was sure there was almost nothing they didn’t have, Grandpa Grant always managed to find the most obscure things in the back with a random story to go along with it too. That, unsurprisingly, held true for almost anything you could find in plain sight or hidden within the store, it was laced with its own easter eggs so to say to find in unexpecting locations. The customer earlier was also a regular, a sweet old man who was a friend of the older Devons, just seeking to chat, he had talked to Kelsey for around an hour before making his exit with his purchase, she’d have to let her grandparents know he came by. [/color]

[color=#f3f3f3]Kelsey’s ears perked up with the blissful ring of the bell upon the shop’s door, breaking the stream of music in her ear. Her eyes looked up from the desk, and saw another one of the shop's regulars, Lucian. [/color][color=#98a38e]“Hey! If it isn’t Lucian Bower seeking comfort in this shop once again. Looking for anything specific, Lucy? I saw a few new LPs from some bands I know you listen to while stocking today. Or are you just browsing?” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]It was a sight for sore eyes to see Lucian again, although he did come into the shop at least once a week, she meant in general. Despite the lives they had led up until this point the two kids were old friends, both a chip of the Harlem neighborhood both settled in Los Angeles. Kelsey had been a close friend of Lucian since their younger years. Before he and Rocky were truly involved in a life he’d rather not talk about, they were joined at the hip. They only started to drift away when that became his priority, and before they could fix anything she had already moved away. Their reconnection was one unexpected by both, before he had even seen the girl walking the halls of their shared school, his uncle had brought him to the store in which they stood on a day she was working. After the moment of shocked faces, and a storm of questions thrown at the other, the two had been reconnected. [/color]

[color=#eedca5]“You hear my sister call me that one time and you stick with it for so many years,” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Lucian sighed at the advent of the nickname he had desired she’d forget. One he had been called by few and one he’d never forget. He hated it, the name hung heavy on his soul as it was burned into his ears each time it was said. That was something he have to tell her another time, though. Lucian was here for music, and he’d be damned if he let anything put a damper on the day he was having.[/color][color=#eedca5] “And, nah, I’m just lookin’ around, Kels. Don’t really got much in mind but I do got some news you might wanna hear.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Those words caught her attention more than his own arrival had, Kelsey sat up in her chair, raising her eyebrow as she looked focused more on her friend. [/color][color=#98a38e]“Oh shit? What has been up with you recently, Lucy? And for the record, it was TWICE, not once I heard Eliza call you that.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Lucian sighed at the girl's last remark, his hands searching through the crate of vinyls on the stand in front of him, no real direction in mind just scouring for anything that looked good enough. [/color][color=#eedca5]“Well, I might be joining a band soon. Don’t get too excited now, nothing is set in stone but, I mean, it’s looking good.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]His eyes focused on the records as he softly pulled one up from the rest, inspecting the cover, and reading the songlist on the back before placing it back into the slot it came from.[/color][color=#eedca5] “Y’know Helen right? The one with the jet black hair, and drives the sick hearse? Yeah her. She’s the one that asked me to join. Me, her, and this cat named “Yani” as the first three. Fire, right?”[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“Holy shit, Lucian! Finally putting those sticks to work. You really came far from the one music class in the 5th grade, huh? I remember when you barely even knew how to drum, and here you are about to do it for a band? God. When y’all have your first show, tell me, I’ll be the first one there!” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Kelsey sat back in her chair, her smile was reinforced with Lucian’s proclamation. She was glad for Lucian, he needed something like this. What the store meant to Kelsey was similar to what drumming meant to Lucian. She knew he wanted to put it out there, to have his pain shown to more than just himself, so to see him finally have that outlet meant a lot to her.[/color]

[color=#eedca5]“When we make it to the first show, I ain’t gonna let you miss it.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Lucian turned his head to look at the girl, returning a smile back to her before switching his search to another genre. [/color][color=#eedca5]“Off topic but what happened to to the Devons today?” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Lucian realized, finally looking around the store for the short old man always spouting tidbits of lore about the store or his career. He was usually always around the front or somewhere hidden in the back, always popping up as soon as he heard his name. Grant Devon was quite an eccentric old man, you never really knew his next move. Laura Devon was always the one who brought the man back from whatever planet his mind inhabited, much like Kelsey she cared for all who entered the doors to her store, they were both a truly sweet couple Lucian had the blessing to interact with. Before Kelsey had a chance to get a word out to answer Lucian’s question, another set of words attacked her ears like a volley of arrows. [/color][color=#eedca5]“KELSEY, WHY ARE THE POTHOS DYING? ARE YOU OVER WATERIN’ THEM? I TOLD YOU ONLY ONCE A WEEK. HAVE YOU SEEN THE FUNGUS GROWTH IN THE POT??” [/color]

[color=#98a38e]“HEY, I TOLD THEM ONLY ONCE A WEEK TOO. THIS ISN’T MY FAULT!”[/color]

[color=#eedca5]“YOU’RE KILLIN’ MY UNCLE’S POOR GIFT.” [/color]

[color=#98a38e]“BLAME MY GRANDPARENTS NOT ME! THEY ARE THE ONES WHO WATER IT.”[/color]

[color=#f3f3f3]Lucian was distraught, well, not really, but the abuse of the poor vining plant he helped set up around the store for the Devins was a disappointing site. He was only playing around with his friend, letting out a faux sigh before speaking,[/color][color=#eedca5] “Christ, Kels, can’t even keep a pothos plant alive. I’ll have to help you repot it, the soil in these pots has too much fungi growth, and we’ll have to prune off some parts of the leaves too.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Lucian held one of the dead leaves in his hand, the yellow leaf laid in his hand under the Beverly Hills sun shining through from the window, the ends of the leave slightly curling up at the ends with signs of browning. Two years ago, Lucian wouldn’t have given a single care to gardening, his life here had given him so many opportunities to explore than he had in the past. Without the move? He would’ve most likely ended up like the leaf in his hand. After what happened to him? It was a shock he wasn’t like the leaf but still shining green. He counted his blessings every day.  [/color]

[color=#98a38e]“Yadda, yadda, yadda, talk to the hand buddy.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Kelsey thrust her palms from off the table they rested, hiding her smile behind her outstretched hands. It felt like the old times, back when they were just kids messing around with whatever, and doing random things together. Two-thirds of a former trio, if only he were here. Kelsey let out a laugh as she rested her hands back on the counter. [/color][color=#98a38e]“But in all seriousness, just call me whenever, dude. To answer your question before I was so rudely interrupted, they are out grocery shopping. Given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and your talk of plants, you want to go spark up in the back?”[/color][color=#f3f3f3] Kelsey made the motion of striking an invisible lighter in her hand as she looked over at Lucian. [/color][color=#eedca5]“Don’t you gotta, y’know, watch the store?”[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“I haven’t taken my break yet all day, plus, nobody will notice if the store is closed for a bit. I deserve some time for myself, this is hard work, Lucy.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Kelsey stated proudly, the smile still plastered all over her overzealous face. [/color]

[color=#eedca5]“If you say so. I was just going to do the same shit alone at home later, so might as well.”[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“Now that's more like it, Lucy! Flip the ‘out to lunch’ sign on the door, and lock if for me, my good friend.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Lucian followed his friend’s instructions, soon placing the records he intended to buy later on the counter before following Kelsey off to where they would smoke.[/color]

[hr]

[color=#98a38e]“Welcome back, my friend, to Revolution Record’s humble break room!” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Humble was certainly the correct word to describe the room the pair stood within. The break room, if you could call it that with the size, was night and day compared to the shop floor. The desultory decorations found all across the front room were void as one stepped into the break room, alone sat a solitary table with a few chairs pushed under it, with a kitchenette set up to the wall beside them. The room sat with a stagnant air before the two rushed new life into its atmosphere.[/color][color=#eedca5] “Does anyone even come into this room? Christ.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]With Kesley’s flick of the light, the two took a seat at the small table in the center of the room. [/color][color=#98a38e]“If they did they would notice I am the only one with a key, but as you can see barely even I use it.”[/color]

[color=#eedca5]“Solid reasonin’. An’ I ain’t one to complain over free weed but bro, that shit you had last time was terrible.”[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“LOW BLOW, WOW. We agreed never to speak on it again too. But rest assured, Lucy, this is of the highest quality!” [/color]

[color=#eedca5]“Oh I hope it is.” [/color]

[color=#f3f3f3]Kelsey’s hands were busy at work crafting the blunt for the two of them to pass as they chatted. The contents of the small bookbag that had sat on the table before their entrance was scattered around the surface. Kelsey placed the grinder in her hand back onto the table as she poured the grounded remains onto the woods she held in the other. The leaf was delicate, but she had rolled it so many times through trial and error it had become muscle memory. As her fingers rolled up the leaf she peered over at her friend across the table. This had become almost a routine for them, to come back here and reminisce over a blunt. Ever since he arrived in their junior year, it had always been the two of them in the back room just chatting about anything that plagued each other's minds. They were mutually each’s biggest supporter, closer than they were back when they were rowdy kids. Kelsey brought the blunt up to her lips, sealing it before placing it down on the tray before her. [/color][color=#98a38e]“You got a lighter, Lucy? I think mine might be dead.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Rummaging in her pockets in search of the light she had bought earlier.[/color] [color=#eedca5]“I told you that them crackhead lighters ain't it.”[/color] [color=#f3f3f3]Lucian slid his light across the table to his friend, he always kept working one on him, just in case.[/color][color=#98a38e] “Thank you!” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]With the blunt in-between her fingers she brought Lucian’s lighter up to light it, taking the first drag on her creation. The smoke permeated every part of her lungs before cascading out as she opened her mouth, handing the blunt and the light back over to her friend. Lucian took a hit on the blunt before speaking, the smoke filled his lungs like the thoughts did his mind. [/color][color=#eedca5]“You ever miss Harlem?”[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“I mean, I guess? Not really the city, more my father and my friends, and I already got a part of that place smoking with me. You alright, Lucian?”[/color]

[color=#eedca5]“Been on edge my whole life, Kels, you get used to it. An’ ion know, guess I just miss my peoples.”[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“Shit, I know being here without father hurt me a lot, I can’t imagine how you must feel without Eliza.”[/color]

[color=#eedca5]“Was supposed to be us two ‘gainst the world, and now we two different sides of the country.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Lucian took another drag before passing it back to Kelsey. This was the only way Lucian found he could talk about that life without breaking down into the mess that he kept locked within. [/color]

[color=#98a38e]“I am so sorry, Lucian.”[/color]

[color=#eedca5]“You ain’t gotta apologize, aint shit you did wrong. I blame my life-givers for that. An’ with Rocky, Christ, I don’t even wanna think ‘bout that. Makes my heart hurt in all the wrong ways.”[/color][color=#f3f3f3] Lucian rubbed his shoulder, lightly feeling over the scar that sat there through his shirt.[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“I feel you, we all miss him.”[/color][color=#f3f3f3] Kelsey held the blunt in her hand as she looked over at her friend. When Lucian had told her the news her heart was broken too, like it was smashed into a million pieces as the last vestige of hopeful belief that she would be able to see her old friend again faded away. He and Lucian were the brothers she never had, the pain ran deep and the fact that they never had the chance to reconnect stuck her deeper. She tried to understand Lucian’s pain, she hurt for Rocky as well, but to actually be there the moment it happened was a type of pain she could never imagine. Lucian was able to hold his pain just as well as her mother could. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen Lucian cry over their friend but when he first told her the tears flowed like hot lava down her face. She didn’t know how he did it, to keep his pain bundled up so deeply in as big of a heart as he had still shocked her, in her own heart she wished she could handle her own pain as well as he appeared to be. Little did she know that behind Lucian facade of managed grief, he was still that kid frozen in the moment, his mind never truly having left that one street corner that altered his life drastically. She had yet to see little glimpses of his grief that punctured the surface when his ears were assaulted with sudden loud noises. The pain that showed through his eyes when he would fall to the floor winded, gasping for any air he could take in, and on the verge of tears. She never saw the tremors that washed through his body when he was awoken in the middle of the night by a nightmare he never dared to retell. After she took another hit, a light stream of hot tears rolled down from her eyes. [/color][color=#eedca5]“Ah fuck, I didn’t mean to make you cry, Kels.”[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“You’re alright, Lucy. You know I’m a crier, and this isn’t making it any better.” [/color][color=#f3f3f3]Kelsey let out a light laugh through the smoke, and tears, passing back over to Lucian[/color]

[color=#eedca5]“If this means anythin’ now, this is way better stuff than last time.” [/color]

[color=#98a38e]“See! I told you.[/color]

[color=#eedca5]“We’re still smokin’ my shit next time, this is still subpar.”[/color]

[color=#98a38e]“Alright. You’re done.”[/color]