HEY, i think i just saw ANDREA WEBER walking down the strip. stop by to catch up and you’ll learn the THIRTY THREE YEAR OLD is working as a RECORD EXPERT AT SKRATCH RECORDS and lives in A SMALL COTTAGE IN HENDERSON. given they are CREATIVE but OVERPROTECTIVE, it’s likely that they ARE NOT a vampire. on the flipside, rumor has it that SHE HAS BEEN STALKED SINCE HIGH SCHOOL and it keeps them looking over their shoulder. i bet you can find them tearing up the dance floor to EYES WITHOUT A FACE BY BILLY IDOL and you’ll know why they’re called THE GHOST. ☾ .⭒˚ kerli koiv. non binary + she/they, pansexual + leo.
Tw: Bullying, Self Harm
Name: Andrea Weber
Nicknames: Webby, Andi
Age: Thirty two
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Occupation: Record expert at Skratch Records.
Bio:
Andrea was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland although you wouldn’t believe them as their accent seems to sound American. Their accent does show when she gets either really excited or really annoyed at something, then people see that she wasn’t lying.
Their mother is a music teacher and their father is a paramedic. She is also the eldest of the three children, having a younger brother and sister.
She got their love of music from their mother, learning as much as she could even learning piano and guitar. Their music taste is a mix of their own favourite music and their parents who had similar tastes.
Their childhood was fairly normal, but she was known to be very quiet person in school, keeping to themselves and getting lost in daydreams than talking to people. She did have some friends in primary school but grew apart from them once she hit secondary school.
She still spent time to themselves in secondary, excelling in music,German and English, but once classes was over people would torment them to no end. They would take their things, hide them on them in places she couldn’t reach and trip or push them in the halls or in gym.
The bullying and stress of school began to take a toll on them in their last year to the point that she began to self harm. Their parents and brother found out about it and explained it to the principal who sorted it out.
She thought that she was in the clear, but it seemed like she wasn’t, there was something happening to them and she didn’t know who it was or why they were doing it, always feeling unsafe, eyes always on them.
By the time of her college years, they had moved over to the states for it as her brother was living there.
They travelled around for a while but soon found herself calling Vegas home, after being there a few years, they are comfortable in their work as a record expert, doing something that she loves.
Small facts:
Has multiple tattoos, mainly on their arms and two on their back.
She is Pansexual
She is Wiccan and has been for fifteen years.
Although she is quiet when you first meet them, they are very talkative once she gets to know a person.
Has a cat called Sooty
Is normally seen in dark clothing or bright clothing, very rarely mixing both.
Is still close friends with one of their ex’s both of them believing they were better off as friends.
Has been known to play Dungeons & Dragons in their spare time as an elven bard.
She gave a small smile and nod--personally, she couldn't recall the woman's name, not that she'd admit it, but she certainly looked familiar herself. When the blonde mentioned that she'd known Cy and Stella a long time, she wondered how they'd come to be acquainted, though she figured it was probably none of her business. Light brows furrowed, she said "If you don't mind me asking... How does one even become a 'record expert'?..." The question hadn't come from superstition but pure curiosity. She'd honestly never heard of such a thing but she believed that they existed. After all, Romi didn't know the first thing about records but she knew her way around an industrial kitchen. She supposed everyone had their strengths. "What's your name?" she asked, admittedly a bit intrigued. "I'm Romi." She hoped the name wouldn't spark too much recognition. In all honesty, she'd thought about changing her name altogether, now that she was no longer affiliated with the family --her last name and perhaps her first as well--but unfortunately, she felt like her name really suited her and she wasn't sure if she could get away with that, especially since she'd remained in Vegas.
Andrea could be terrible when it came to names or faces, she would either remember the name and not the face or the other way around, so it really wasn't her fault that she didn't know her name. "I don't mind at all, it is a mix of going to college for music and also growing up with a music teacher for a mother, she could talk your ears off about music if you let her." She couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape from her lips. She thought back to times growing up where her mother would teach her about different records in the vast collection the family had. "Oh it's nice to meet you Romi." The blonde held out one of her hands to her, showing the snake tattoo wrapped around her wrist and onto the back of her hand. "I'm Andrea, but you can call me Andi if you prefer." The name Romi sounded familiar, but so did a lot of names around town. "Romi is a very pretty name, can't say I've met that many, but it suits you."
Harsh smiled. "Tables are spaces too confined," he said. "They always feel like they aren't the right size for what you want to do." Except for examination tables, he knew that from real on-set experience. He took a look at the piles and considered the titles, the artwork, but he couldn't figure out what her system was. He knew as well that he better not try to help people with organisation, unless it was bringing the leftovers to the trash heap.
"New music?" he asked.
"Okay good, because I feel terrible if I walk into a store and don't buy anything." He picked one cover he'd been looking at. "I might be a bit shallow, I think the cover should entice you to buy it. Or at least say something about the music. And I like it because I know I couldn't come up with it myself."
The offer of kindness took him by surprise, and the smile he gave her was genuine and relaxed. "I worked a night shift," he said. Because Harsh rarely told people about his job as an actor. If people didn't recognise him, that was all the better. "I have a day shift tomorrow, so going to bed now seems like a sure way to ruin my night." He paused. "So I'd love a coffee."
"I couldn't agree with you more with that, the days in college where I experienced all too small tables were through the roof. That and it helps to work on the floor so none of them get damaged from an accidental fall." She explained, having learned quite a bit from experience. Instead she had the records on the ground in piles organised by genre so it was easier for her to put out instead of going back and forth to different sections all of the time.
"Sure are, also got a few old ones that were donated, but still in really good condition." She replied with a bright smile, holding up one of the donated records in her hands.
"I do that too, even if it's something small. I guess that's why I have so many notebooks at home." Andrea couldn't help but chuckle softly. "I'm always fascinated when the cover doesn't reflect the album, it could be a great cover but a terrible album or the other way around. Just finding a terrible album cover but the music is some of the best you've ever heard!"
"Oh wow, I can imagine that the night shift can be pretty tough sometimes." She spoke, leaning her arms against the counter top. "Ah, so you need all of the caffeine in the world to keep you going, I understand. I'll be right back with the coffee." Clapping her hands together, the blonde disappeared into the back. A few minutes later, she came out with two mugs of coffee.
Bo nodded, filing the information away for later. They'd tried camomille tea, but nothing much seemed to work. If there was a solution to their problem, it didn't seem to be something they could pin down. Some days there were no nightmares, some days he barely slept. "Teas and lavender mist, okay, I'll remember that, I'm excited to see if I can pin down a dream expert. Maybe a neuro-scientist, I think I remember hearing about one of them."
"Signs work," Bo agreed. "It's the home made style for me. This place always feel so... friendly. Like you can just have a sit down and you're transported to someone's living-room." And as someone who had spend a good chunk of time not having a home, he appreciated these places. "Me too. There is a small fund from the radio as well," he said. "I have to use it." He nodded and walked over to the section of the store. "How is business going?" he asked.
Andrea had lived with nightmares for a while, but they had seemed to fade when she left home. They only started back up that night on the water tower and she hated them with a passion. She was able to get a bit of sleep during the night, but when she woke, she found it tough to get back to sleep after the nightmare. "I mean I have heard of people who are experts in dreams, but I don't think that I have ever heard of or met a neuro-scientist that could specialise in that. But thank you again, I owe you for this." She smiled, hoping that Bo would be able to find somebody who knew what her nightmares meant.
"I think that's what Stella and Cy wanted it to feel like when they opened this place, warm and inviting and stands out from the other record stores around." Andrea explained, eyes wandering around for a moment. She had been in a few other stores in the area and they were all cold feeling, she was glad that she didn't work in anyone of those. "Well you need to spend and this is the best place for it." She smiled brightly. "It's going good. A bit slow at the moment, but it usually is at this hour, gives me time to sort things out."
"You two seem perfect for one another." Ivy's words were as sincere as they could come — normally, she was as coarse as velcro on the inside of someone's shoe. There was no cushiness to most of her observations, inclined to call everything how she saw it. Supposedly, the realism was a trait shared between her and her own partner. Aurelia and Andrea appeared to balance one another out like yin and yang — though Aiying wasn't as familiar with the psychic medium as their own brother, there was a sagacity about them that they could appreciate. Especially since they were inarguably a person who acted first and thought about it later. "Wow, this lunch looks delicious. Thank you for cooking. I... can't remember the last time I had a homemade meal, our apartment is so fucking small you can barely use the single burner."
It hasn't really stopped, faint whispers, a feeling of being watched. Involuntarily, a shudder crept through Ivy's spine, and the frown bowed as deep as the fear that invaded into their bones. "Did you ever... get a good look at it? Did it look like a person to you?" Belatedly, it occurred to them that it was probably obnoxious to ask without a good explanation — the pink-haired counterpart could descry trauma when they saw it. Averting their mocha hues, they rocked their body forward where they sat, mulling over how to explain it. "Um... I saw these weird red eyes a while back... When we had that crazy storm, I swear there was, like, a dozen of them or more... I thought maybe it was a bunch of rats or something. You know, crawling out and looking for somewhere to hide if their nest got ruined... I don't know."
Taking the mug and steeping the bag into it, they fell silent again, the heartbeat accelerating in their chest and creeping up to their throat. The silent scream that they tried to let out in the alley. "But... I quit that Chuck E. Cheese place recently because, um... a couple months ago, I was locking up and this woman... I thought she was following me. I hadn't seen her before. Like, tall, brunette, with these... eyes. Like, you can't look away, but you know when someone's, like... evil. You know?" Maybe Andrea didn't. Maybe Aiying only understood that because they had stared it in the face before.
Blowing on her mug after idly staring into the depths as the water swirled into a darker and darker shade, a menacing sight that zeroed in on the memories replaying in their head. "She cornered me there," she continued on to explain, "And I swear, when she opened her mouth, she had... all these teeth. I don't think people have that many teeth, like... sharp rows of all these fucking teeth. Before she could do anything, I was... able to stab her with my keys and get away." Pausing, she let her tale sink in for the blonde, before asking in a voice that matched her size, "Do you... think that's the same thing? That that's the creature."
"I think that we are too." Andrea spoke with a soft tone to her voice. After all of the bad relationships that she had in the past, she was so happy to finally have somebody who loved her just as much as she loved them. She couldn't help but smile at Ivy once the lunch was plated up. "You are more than welcome. I know that feeling all too well, I have gotten to cook more than I have in a long time. If you both ever want to come over for dinner or something, you're more than welcome to give me a call."
Andrea bit her lip not saying a word, just letting the thoughts fill her head. "I did, I mean the one that attacked us in the apartment was like a little creature, at first I thought it was Sooty until I got a good look at it. I drew some pictures of them, I can get my notebook and show you if you like." She offered up, glad to finally have somebody that knew exactly what she went through. "I understand you, I mean I was up on the water tower when it first happened, it's haunting all those eyes on you, there are times where I feel like they could pounce out at me if I saw them again."
Andrea turned her attention to her own mug after handing Ivy theirs, she didn't say a word, instead, she held her mug in her hand, listening to every single detail of Ivy's experience. The woman sounded haunting, there was nothing scarier than having red eyes gazing right at you. "I think that they could be connected, the red eyes, the teeth, possibly becoming creatures to get us at home." She spoke, taking a small sip of her tea. "This might be me watching too much tv, but do you think it could be, vampires?"
To be honest, for most of her life, Romi had been used to people being at her beck and call and she was still getting used to the fact that literally overnight, her life wasn't like that anymore. Her new hair color was certainly helping her blend in. Like it or not, walking around town with her long, blonde hair was not a good idea right now. She was trying to avoid her father and his associates at all costs and not because she necessarily thought that he would go after her but because the entire situation had been fucking humiliating. And honestly, when the blonde behind the counter asked if they'd met before, she wasn't sure whether she should feel relieved or worried that she'd been recognized. Scrunching her brows for a moment, she said "Uh... I'm, uh... Friends with the owner. I was at Cy and Stella's wedding, so..." Romi didn't really remember seeing the blonde there. To be honest, she was a little too busy being caught off guard by seeing her presumed-to-be-dead sister so her memory was a little shoddy. "Have you...worked here long?" she asked, feeling a bit awkward.
Andrea seen many people come and go through the store and around the area too, some had become faces she remembered and she was wondering if she had seen the other woman around town. She tilted her head a little before nodding it in understanding. "Ah maybe that's where I saw you, I had to leave early, had an emergency at home." Andrea explained, believing that it was just a fleeting glance before the blonde had to rush out of the wedding. "Yeah, I've been here since it opened, but knew Cy and Stella before hand. They needed a record expert and I have quite the extensive knowledge of records and music, so it kind of worked out nicely." She explained as she began to price up the records on the counter. "So if you ever need a hand finding something, I'm sure that I can find it."
adonis is still sat in the back, feeling even more woozy than he had initially as he can still feel the blood trickling down his neck. the source? well, he isn't really sure and that's definitely a problem. wouldn't he have noticed if something had happened to him? it's not like he hit his head on anything, and as previously stated, that's too much blood to just be coming from a bug bite.
when he sees the lasso swinging, he takes it upon himself to dive out the other door and begin running, screaming out for help. of course, no one seems to hear him – just his luck. or even worse, there is people who hear him, they just don't care.
he stops for a moment, then cuts and runs in the opposite direction. suddenly, there's a feeling of pressure on his arm and his eyes widen. though before he can turn to see who or what is grabbing onto him, he is suddenly yanked hard the other way.
jibril stares in horror as the scene unfolds before him, mouth still hanging open even seconds later. their heart is hammering so hard it feels like it's going to break loose from their chest. all they wanted was a nice, relaxing evening with his friends, why did it have to go this way?
blood rushes in his ears as he looks around, 'do something, anything' rings through his head. they can't just sit here like a deer in the headlights, waiting for something to happen. "i'm with dominic, screw this." he manages to squeak out, the first words he's uttered in the entire event.
they scramble towards the car door, clumsily clambering over iris, not caring how much they bump into her. his hand makes contact with the door handle and he pulls it open. jibril falls onto the gravel ungracefully as the door swings open, knees making hard contact with the ground, and an "oof." escapes them. right now, he can't be bothered to care about the stinging he feels in his knees and palms, the only thought in his head is 'escape.'
they manage to locate adonis as they get to their feet, instinctively reaching out towards their friend and yanking them towards another vehicle. jibril stares at adonis, his face an expression that pleads “let’s get out of here.” he's relieved to find that one of the nearby cars is unlocked, and surprisingly vacant, letting out an exhale when the door opens. he quickly climbs into the drivers' seat, but there's one issue: he can't find the keys. jibril pats the area of the car around him frantically, searching, but he can't locate them.
he makes eye contact with adonis, face pale as he utters the words. "i don't know how we're gonna get outta here, the keys aren't in the car."
The rope snags around his chest, rough material digging into the skin at his arms he's yanked off his feet, air being knocked out of him. Dominic didn't wait for the air to return to his lungs. As he's drug across the dirt, rocks catching the skin on his back, he fumbles with his pockets. He has a knife in there, but it's too deep. His arms can't reach the right angle to wiggle his fingers between the fabric. He inhales with a gasp and tries to grab at the rope instead. He's fucked. At least until he's close enough to use his legs.
The second Dominic got snagged by the rope and started getting dragged across the gravel, Iris had the deeply inconvenient realization that she was apparently going to have to get involved. Because clearly her evening needed a homicidal cowboy vampire. “Are you kidding me?” she snapped, already moving before the words had fully left her mouth. Jibril and Adonis were scrambling toward the other car, panic exploding through the drive-in lot while Dominic disappeared behind the horse in a spray of dirt and gravel. Iris only spared enough attention to make sure the two of them got inside before she turned sharply on her heel and started running straight toward the thing dragging him away. The vampire looked back at her then, red eyes glowing beneath the brim of its hat and unbelievably grinned.
“Oh, absolutely the fuck not.” Her boots slammed hard against the dirt as she picked up speed. The horse shrieked as it tore across the lot, Dominic still fighting against the rope behind it, but Iris focused on the rider instead. One target. One problem at a time. She launched herself upward without slowing. One hand caught the vampire by the front of his coat while the other hooked hard into his shoulder and suddenly both of them were getting ripped sideways out of the saddle. The impact hit hard enough to rattle her teeth as they crashed into the dirt together, gravel biting through her jeans. The cowboy recovered fast. Too fast. Its teeth flashed the second it twisted toward her with a snarl, clawed hand catching the front of her jacket and shoving her backward hard enough to tear fabric. Iris hit the ground, rolled once, then immediately grabbed a fistful of dirt and hurled it directly into the bastard’s face.
Before it could recover, Iris surged forward again. This time she hit it low Her shoulder slammed into its middle hard enough to drive it flat onto its back, and she immediately followed through; knee planting into its chest while one hand wrapped around its throat and forced its head hard into the gravel. the creature thrashed violently beneath her, horse screaming nearby as the rope finally loosened enough for Dominic to break free. “Stay down,” she hissed. The vampire swung at her once more and Iris ripped a wooden stake from the ground, swinging it forward with all of her might. “Well” she muttered, slightly out of breath now “This officially beats the worst drive-in experience I’ve ever had.” The fight seemed to leave the creature all at once; Its body suddenly slackened beneath her, red eyes dimming as it slumped bonelessly sideways against the saddle of the still-panicked horse. For one strange second, the entire drive-in lot went quiet except for the animal’s frantic breathing. Then the horse bolted.
“Oh, come on—” The steed tore wildly across the gravel lot without its rider properly seated, reins flying loose behind it while Iris pushed herself back onto her feet. She barely had time to turn before the horse barreled directly toward the vehicle Jibril and Adonis had taken shelter in. The collision hit with a deafening metallic crunch. The hood of the car caved inward from the impact...but the horse didn’t stop. Instead, the entire thing burst apart. Not blood. Not bone. Particles. Billions of glittering pieces exploded outward into the night air like ash caught in neon light, scattering across the parking lot in waves before slowly beginning to disappear altogether. The cowboy’s body dissolved with it, collapsing into the same strange burning fragments until there was nothing left except drifting sparks fading into darkness. Iris stared at the empty space for a beat too long.
Andrea had been watching the whole thing unfold from the back of the truck. She had been frozen in fear but her eyes had caught that of the red eyed cowboy, something about the red eyes had shaken her to her very core that her body didn't know how to react. The eyes were familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, but she knew that she had to get out of the truck and somewhere safe. She closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself, to get her body moving. She could hear the screams and voices around her, her attention turning to Iris, now fighting against the creature, the vampire that had Dominic in the lasso.
That's when she decided to make a break for it, hopping out of the back of the truck, hands still covered in the blood that covered the window. Her boots hit the ground with a thud, hopefully not loud enough to grab the attention of the vampire cowboy. She was really hoping that it was all a nightmare as her eyes darted around, finding the car where Adonis and Jibril and running for it, quickly opening the back door to get inside. "Please tell me you guys have the keys for this." Her heart was almost beating out her chest as her attention turned back to Iris, but that's not what her eyes fell on.
The horse the cowboy had been riding barreling towards the car, thankfully it was only the front of the car that seemed to be damaged before strange looking particles filled the air, looking like a mix of dust and glitter took the place of both the horse and the vampire. "I've had nightmares like this." She spoke up, running a blood covered hand through her hair, leaving a stain running through it. "Is everyone okay?!" She managed to speak up yet her voice was showing how shaken up she really was.
Bo, eager not to give himself away but also curious to what she had tried, nodded with a kind and surprised way. "What have you been trying already?" he asked, if asked he'd just say so he could check it with the dream expert. He was sure he could find one, he had emails upon emails with people with strange hobbies and interesting vocations who wanted to get on the show. Bo loved to talk with those who did something out of the ordinary.
"Oh nice!" Bo followed her instantly. "How have I never noticed this section before?" They stared at the sign, then grinned back at Andrea. "Your work?" It was cute to see Andrea's signature in the place, it gave the place a more homely feeling than the bigger stores that followed a business standard. "Agreed, and the smaller artists are always kinder, if you ask me. They want to make a name for themselves, sure, but they're also eager to do what they love. There's a work ethic to it that I find impressive."
"Well Relia gave be a few things to try, mainly teas and I've been using lavender mist, but I'm not sure if they are working as well as they should." Andrea admitted, she loved that she had a partner that was willing to help out and happy to know that Bo would help her out too. She would do anything to get rid of the nightmares, while she did get some rest, she did not get the good nights sleep that she had wanted to have in a long time.
"It's hard to miss, especially before I put up the sign, now, nobody can miss it." The blonde spoke with a proud smile on her face once he noticed the sign. She remembered spending some time on designing it, like a child in an art class, she wanted those up and coming to be seen in any way that she can. "I have met so many nice artists, even give me tickets for their shows, but I always give them the money, even if it was free." She spoke softly. "Have a look and see if you find anything that you like."
it seemed like a common theme for jibril as of late was trying new things. so, here he was, simultaneously having two experiences for the first time. 1. going to the drive-in, something they knew was a classic american activity. 2. seeing a western at a movie theater. they didn't know much about the genre besides it involved cowboys, but they were willing to give it a shot.
he'd managed to get a couple of his friends to tag along with him. they had all piled into a car together. jibril's already invested in the movie, devouring handful after handful of popcorn absentmindedly. but, their hand freezes mid-way to their mouth when they notice something odd. it seems like the cowboy's eyes are turning red, is it just his imagination? is the cowboy somehow getting closer too? they feel a chill run down their spine, terror clouding their senses.
he spins around to face the others in the backseat, inadvertently spilling the tub of popcorn into iris' lap. jibril wants to ask 'did you see that too?' but can't find the words, mouth opening and closing a few times. instead, they notice something even more horrifying, words written on the back windshield. he raises a trembling finger, pointing at the inscription.
adonis is not quite sure how he ended up in this situation but truthfully? he's not exactly complaining either. i mean, everyone here is cool enough and while westerns aren't really up his alley, he isn't paying the movie much mind anyways. okay, maybe he's had a few too many drinks and a spliff.. or two. but why not, right? they're supposed to be having a good time after all.
he chuckles as he tosses his arm around the back of the seats, leaning in slightly to the person next to him. though he's currently got his sights set on someone in particular, there's no harm in a little flirting when out with friends.. right? he's using one of his best lines when the passenger turns around to look at them.
or at least that's what he thinks.
he's puzzled by jibril's expression, but still, he's annoyed. he's trying to set a mood here.
“what gives? you jealous or somethin'?” his tone is only slightly feisty.
Andrea hadn't been to many drive in movies, she always thought that they were something that was only in media and not a real thing people did anymore. They didn't have them back home, so the blonde was interested in seeing what was on offer that night. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't any room left for her to sit in the truck, so instead decided to sit in the bed of it. In a way, she thought of it as a win since she could lay down when she wanted to.
They were more of a horror person, but westerns reminded her of her grandfather and how they would watch them together. This one she had never heard of but settled in none the less, watching from where she was, taking a small sip of her drink before eating some popcorn. The movie was just getting good when she could hear the sounds of voices raising from inside the truck. She hated when people talked during a movie, so she thought to take some action.
Putting down her popcorn, she crawled over to the window, giving it a knock with her hand, loud enough for them to here. "Will you shut up, some are trying to watch the movie." She groaned as she pulled her hand back, ready to dig in to her popcorn again. That's when she noticed it, her hand was wet, looking down at her hand, her eyes widened, red, her hand was red.
Her eyes darted to the window once again, frozen in fear at the words she was seeing. I've been waiting for you written in blood, she couldn't scream, no matter what she did. Part of her wanted to bang on the window for help, but her flight reflexes kicked in. She backed away, her hands to her head as she pulled her knees to her body. "This is a nightmare, this is a nightmare." She spoke, unsure if anyone could see or hear her
Harsh hadn't even seen her, and the sudden voice directed at him almost made him shoot up in surprise, if not for the post-set tiredness that usually overtook him when they started early. He could've gone home, go to bed early, sleep in, but while he was drowsy after the night shoot, he'd simply strolled down the block from set and walked into the first interesting store he found.
He listened on and off to music, having grown up with Bollywood, for the longest time that had been all he'd known. In his self-titled sad boy phase, after his mother's passing, it had just been whatever was on the radio that really brought him down to his feelings, stripped him bare, and left him feeling raw and sore all over.
Now he let other people direct what he listened to, so out of the loop he'd simply stopped trying to keep up with anything other than his job.
He offered her a tired smile. "While I've never seen anyone in a store do it, I do have to agree it's the best way, more room to place everything. And you're not tied to the dimensions of a table and a chair. Weird, but definitely a good call," he offered. Then shrugged. "And I apologize, I've been rudely standing here without the intention of buying anything, I just really like to look at the art."
She had almost popped up like she was a cartoon character, just appearing out of nowhere. While she did have a little bell and a sign pointing towards it on the counter, it would have been and easy thing for anybody to miss. She was just so lost in her work that it could have been hours until somebody had noticed her and she was thankful that it hadn't been that long at all.
"Usually I am set up at a table and sitting at it, but sometimes I end up hitting off the table, having records falling over and not to mention my back. Got to give my back a break when it comes to sorting things out." She spoke, fixing the ones that she had sorted out on to the counter that separated the two of them. "Oh there's no need to apologise, some people might think it's rude, but I don't. Some people come in to browse, but I've never met somebody who admires the art." She spoke, her eyes looking in to his for a moment before she spoke once more.
"You okay? You look pretty drained?" Her voice was soft as she spoke. "I can make some coffee up in the staff room if you'd like some." Andrea added.
Bo nodded sympathetically. He had his own experience with nightmares. The years after his family was murdered it felt like a blessing whenever he didn’t wake up drenched in sweat. He’d found keeping himself busy and his mind occupied usually made it so it was too distracted processing everything to even think of dreaming. But that advice might bring along questions, and Bo was certain they couldn’t answer those. “I hope the nightmares stop soon. I am sure I could wrangle some dream expert for my show, maybe ask them for some tips on how to get rid of nightmares?” they suggested. Anything to help a friend. “Hmm, just anything radio worthy… or well, new artists mostly, maybe local ones? So if their songs reach an audience I can invite them into the studio, perform it live.”
It hadn't been the first time that Andrea had trouble with nightmares, she had them through school thanks to her stalker and she thought that she had left it all behind, how wrong she was. She was trying to do everything she could to keep them at bay, it had been working, but every now and again a nightmare would startle her awake in the middle of the night. "I hope so too, I've been trying a fair few things but it seems to stop working after a while. Thank you, that would be very nice of you." Andrea gave them a warm smile. "I have just what you are looking for, some of the local artists come in with their music, when we sell something, the money goes right to them. They are just over here." She motioned to a small section with a sign reading LOCAL MUSIC, one that she had made herself. "I always love helping out the musicians and bands around here, best way to get a new favourite artist in your rotation."
ANDREA HAD ALWAYS BEEN A GREAT HELP, but she had especially been a good sport when the abilities of what the queenpin was able to accomplish on her own around the store had slowly becoming less and less, meanwhile, she had been picking up more time at the record store when she was even less capable behind a bar (and, against what she once hoped for, tips did not come in a surplus once she had passed having a cute baby bump). It wasn't surprising that the blonde attentively took to being called over, even if neither one was expecting the announcement that left her lips. It wasn't that Stella was entirely surprised, the Braxton Hicks had ben lingering around for awhile at that point, and she had already felt some that had been shrugged off and not exactly mentioned to her husband earlier in that day (which maybe on second thought wasn't the brightest, though she hadn't wanted to get him excited nor panicked for any falsehood). As Andrea's words sped up, she tried to practice the opposite and slow her own breathing. "Hey, it's all gonna be chill. Promise. Also remind him not to forget the bag. And the cassette player. I got a whole punk playlist for this thing." Any music lover wouldn't dream of not having one. "Maybe you should take a couple deep breathes, too." Maybe Stella should have been a bit more alarmed herself, as this was a new experience. It wasn't that she felt overly prepared, despite the many sleepless nights where a baby that was already seemingly taken after her night owl babies was active as ever gave her plenty of time to think about how the current moment would go, and every best and worst case scenario, but there was a rare settlement that had fallen over her now that it was actually happening.
Or maybe she was just too focused on every current physical feeling in her body to fly off the handle with her own alarmed ones.
"Y'know exactly what time in the afternoon it is? I think I'm supposed to tell 'em that when I get to the hospital. Actually, can you just bring that clock that's on the wall behind the registers in here? I gotta keep track of how longs between each--fuck, contraction." Standing wasn't exactly a good idea when she tried to lift herself from the chair again, falling back into it unceremoniously. "Also, Andrea? Tell him I'll kill him if he gets in an accident on the way here. That reminder is more important than the baby bag."
Andrea had been more busy with the store, since she would looking after it while Cy and Stella took time off, she had things either written down or put away in her mind. So when Stella had called her in the back only to find her in labor, things changed and her boss was the first priority for her. She looked at Stella for a moment, giving her a small nod as she took in every word that she said, even if she was in full panic mode. “Deep breaths, okay.” She closed her eyes and took deep breaths in and out a couple of times. “I think that I am the one that’s supposed to be telling you that and not the other way around.” Humor was her way of trying to get herself more calm, she needed to be there for Stella until Cy got to the store. It seemed like an eternity until Cy finally picked up the phone and did her best to keep herself composed as she relayed everything to Cy. "Also Stella will kill you if you get in an accident on the way here. Okay, I'll see you when you get here, remember, no accident." Andrea got off the phone and turned to Stella. "He said he's going to get here as fast as he can and he'll remember everything." Andrea spoke, clapping her hands together as she remembered what else she had to do.
The blonde quickly made her way outside to the front of the shop, telling people that they had to close for a little while but would be back open as soon as possible. Once the last customer had been apologised to and the door was closed, Andrea swiftly made her way back in to Stella. "Okay, store is empty, nobody is going to come in and bother you. I'll stay right here with you until Cy gets here." She gave Stella a reassuring smile before looking down at her watch. "It's three twenty five at the moment." She replied before almost jumping to make sure she didn't fall off the chair. "I think you should bring my watch instead of the clock, much smaller. Do you need me to get you anything?" Andrea asked, now by Stella's side, holding out her hand just in case she needed to hold it.
around his wrist, a sage green rope looped loosely—the leash to his four-legged companion—while the tote in his other hand grew slightly heavier with every stop. it hadn't been much, only a little bit of running around the city before it could be called a day; the natural consequence of being the one out of the four at home without more urgent schedules to abide by... such luck had chosen him with remarkable consistency. the last place to visit wasn't on the list, but one he'd chosen for himself. music, after all, quieted the noise beneath the noise. headphones on, the pianist moved through the shop with gentle ease, all at their own pace. the world beyond was far too loud, too fast, too bright, too much; they’d take whatever small mercies they could to soften it. after a few minutes of absent browsing, two eps found their way into his hands—the familiar works of jeff buckley and radiohead. there didn't seem to be anyone at the counter when he approached, and so he waited patiently, attention wandering instead, tracing shelves and corners and posters that were slightly curled at the edges, until it caught on andrea's. "ah—" headphones slid down, a smile blossoming. "no, i do most of it on the floor, too. it's easier on the body, i think," a nod. "i’d just like to get these two, please,” he spoke, attention briefly shifting elsewhere as brown orbs danced over the room, though the warm smile never left their face. “how is andrea doing?”
Andrea in some way, shape or form would live up to her nickname of Ghost, popping up out of nowhere or disappearing without a trace. It was a habit that she got in to during school and just never leaved her, but she was glad to see the smile on the familiar face standing at the counter. "I'm glad that I didn't scare you, happens more than you would think." She couldn't help but let a small chuckle fall from her lips. "That's exactly why I chose to do it on the floor and if I need to take a break, I can just lay down." Her eyes fell on to the records that he had been holding. "Great, I'll just ring those up for you now." She smiled, pushing the records she had been working with to the side of the counter so she could scan the ones for Boo. "I've been doing good, been keeping busy with the store, started cooking more and trying to relax more. How about you, how are you doing? Feels like it's been a while since I've seen you."
It made sense. Sort on the floor. There was the added benefit of not having to worry about dropping and breaking any valuable records, either. ❝I worked in a thrift store for a while when I was like, seventeen. This must've been like, '84 or '85? The owner of the thrift store wasn't careful and dropped some limited release they'd gotten their hands on and it shattered hitting the ground,❞ Even though Daisy wouldn't consider herself a music nut or records expert by any means, their breath had gotten stuck in their chest watching it happen. It had been worth a decent amount of money, and Daisy's dream of nabbing it while closing the store that night had shattered in front of her.
❝I'm looking for something, anything, better than the muzak that's playing in my store right now,❞ They complained. ❝Something with more of a beat to it. Preferably louder than four dryers running at once. What do you recommend?❞
Andrea couldn't help but wince at the thought of a limited release shattering, she didn't know what record it had been but it was the worst nightmare for any record collector. "I have been in some thrift stores and seen some really good ones for cheap, that's sort of a collectors dream. I thankfully haven't had that happen to me, did they find out after or before they broke it that it was a limited release?" Andrea couldn't help but let her curiosity get the better of her. Thankfully it hadn't happened in the store, at least not while she was there, sometimes they fell but she caught them just in time.
"Oh no, is it like that horrible elevator music they got playing in some of the casinos. I am so sorry to hear you have to put up with that but I can totally help. Well we have got quite a bit of that in the rock section, also in our pop music section too, nothing says drowning out the noise quite like heavy guitars or pumping electronic beats." She moved to grab two records, a rock music one and a pop music one. "Just some examples."
"Wow, Aurelia's place is lovely. I guess I should say your place now that it belongs to both of you." Grey eyes studied the kitchen as she found a place to sit, and accepted the jar as she waited for the water to warm up, cradling it in her hands as she thought about what to say. How to explain it to anyone else. Ivy had come all this way out of the city, hoping that with Andrea's previous encounter, the other wouldn't turn them away. Hell, they were at a loss for how to describe it to their girlfriend — they must have sounded ludicrous enough when they described how the dark lit up with glowing red eyes a few months back and gripped them with terror that someone was stalking them.
As it turned out, someone had been, but not the someone that they had been expecting.
"Do you remember that thing you were telling me about before you moved out of the townhouse? Like, what happened at the water tower and stuff." Running her thumbs across the ridges of the jar where the neck met the top, they finally plucked out a teabag and handed it back. "Did you ever feel... like something was watching you? When you had all that weird stuff happen with your radio?"
"Aurelia really did make it quite a beautiful place even before I moved in, I just added a few touches of my own. It really is like something from a storybook." Andrea's voice was soft as she spoke, her eyes wandering around the kitchen before she continued in making the lunch for the two of them. She had always been fond of making meals, especially for others, it was one of the ways she showed her affection or friendship to them. She made sure to make Ivy's favourite, something she had written down in a notepad along with other favourite meals of those around her, just in case they needed something comforting.
Andera almost froze as they mentioned the water tower, it seemed like ever since that night she was being haunted. Sometimes she felt eyes on her, only to turn around and see nothing and faint whispers, mainly coming from radios. The blonde took hold of two of the mugs, placing them down on the counter before grabbing the kettle to pour out the water. "Yeah, it's like it hasn't really stopped, faint whispers, a feeling of being watched." She began to explain. "The creature." Her voice was almost a whisper. "Have you been hearing and seeing things too?"
Bo took a deep breath, the LP caught by Andrea after the two of them had almost collided trying to stop it from rolling off. They let out a sigh and smiled at the other. "As long as the LP is alright," they said, offering the sleeve, not sure they could be trusted to put it back into its sleeve themself. The concern threw him for a moment, but he barely let it register on his face, instead, he played up the exasperation. Bo felt that in some situations, it was best to keep people thinking he was hopeless in some ways. "I'm fine," he said. "Just... trying to ignore the world, you know. Trying, and failing, obviously. My mind just trailed off while I'm trying to find some new music to play on air." He sighed. "How are you?" He'd much rather talk about other people, it was easy to be the wallflower when you showed interest in others.
It wouldn't have been the first time that Andrea had to come to the rescue of a rogue LP and not the first time she almost bumped in to somebody, especially a friend. The blonde looked the record over, making sure there were no scratches or cracks. "Yeah, looks like it's perfectly fine." She smiled, thanking them as she took the sleeve from them and placing the record inside. "I understand, with everything go on, it's hard to just ignore it, even when it seems like it's around nearly every corner." She explained, her voice soft as she placed the LP back down. "I'm doing okay, still haven't shaken some nightmares I've been having." Andrea admitted before turning her attention fully to Bo. "What sort of music were you looking for?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
Romi found that now that she was in her 'new life,' for lack of a better term, she had a lot more time on her hands to explore parts of the city that she'd never bothered with before. Of course, she'd been to the record shop before but that was before it had officially opened. She'd never actually perused all the music that they offered, nor had she purchased anything from them. To be fair, she couldn't really afford to purchase anything right now--it was a new feeling that she quite disliked. For most of her life, she'd been able to slide her daddy's plastic and get whatever she wanted. Now, she was relegated to a measly five fucking dollars and fifteen-cents an hour. It was literally pennies. But that didn't mean she couldn't look around.
When she peered over the counter out of curiosity and saw the blonde splayed out with all the records on the floor, her light brows furrowed. "I mean... I guess not at a record store, no... But no, I'm just looking around. Sorry to bother you." She hadn't meant any offense by it but to be honest, the brunette was still learning how to play nice with...well, almost everyone. She was still a bitch and that probably wasn't going to change but she did realize that she no longer held any sort of entitlement or prestige in this town--quite the opposite, actually. In fact, she'd even thought about changing her last name for the time being but she didn't really see much point. Most people already knew who she was, even if she was no longer sporting her signature long blonde locks.
Andrea usually had them resting on the box while she leaned over on a chair, but was not in the mood to work the rest of the day with a sore back. She looked at the stranger as she got to the counter, the records resting on the counter before she spoke up. "Oh no, you're not bothering me, sometimes I get lost in sorting things out that I sometimes forget that I have to take care of the rest of the store. A reason why I put that out, to remind me that there's customers." Andrea admitted, pointing to the bell on the counter. "I can get back to them later on, there's no rush with them. Are you sure there's nothing I can help you with? If you're just looking around, I'll be here if you need me." Andrea gave her a smile before squinting a little. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
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