Empire Records and Bidet [4/7]

[not_entirely]

Lucas opened up the store, then stood behind the desk, willing either his phone to ring or for Nadia to come in.

It would probably be a long day.

Today's music: Spinal Tap

Comments

[chasingangela]

Angela walked in with a camera around her neck and a carefully neutral expression on her face, ready to Create Art.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel came in with her, folding closed the umbrella he'd used against the rain and any possible stray bursts of sunlight. He tucked that into his bag and got out his pencil and sketchpad.

"Um... were you kidding about the Manilow thing?"

[not_entirely]

Lucas watched the two of them carefully, recognizing Angel as one of the kids who'd been involved in the events of last weekend.

He didn't approach.

[chasingangela]

Angela nodded to Lucas but wasn't sure how to approach him, either. Their relationship really wasn't at the, "Hi, my boyfriend faked several deaths in your store, sorry about that," point.

Instead, she turned to Angel. "I can honestly say I have never looked for Barry Manilow here. They have good indie music, though."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Never really been much for Middle Eastern music," Angel said. He looked around for anything that suggested itself as a possible picture. "Chinese isn't too bad though."

[chasingangela]

Angela gave Angel a strange look and bit back her smile. "No, I meant -- never mind. So you spent time in China?"

She aimed the camera at a wall covered with posters, framing the lens so the shot would show several partial images. click.

[not_entirely]

Lucas' curiosity was starting to overcome his trademark cool exterior.

"What exactly are you two doing?" He purposefully kept his tone light, though he was still keeping a very close eye on Angel.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"School assignment," Angel said. "Supposed to go out and find art."

[not_entirely]

Lucas steepled his fingers. "This is, actually, an art gallery as well as a music store, if you'd like to check our art section,"

[chasingangela]

"We're supposed to make art," Angela explained, feeling like an idiot for not saying what they were there for before she pulled out her camera. "But seeing the stuff you already have might give us ideas, or something. I mean, if it's okay."

She shot an uncertain glance at Lucas.

[not_entirely]

As far as Lucas knew, Angela hadn't been involved in any way with the shooting. She was just a good kid whose musical tastes had been trapped in the early nineties.

"That's fine. Though I may insist you buy a button."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel was still looking around. "I'm feeling the call of negative space."

[chasingangela]

Angela smiled at Lucas. "I'll buy three, promise."

Then she turned back to Angel. "Explain?"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Well this is a store, so it's all about filling the shelves so people can buy, right?" Angel said, pointing. "So to me there's a visual story in the empty spaces. Places where there isn't product. Who bought it? Why? What used to be there? That kind of thing."

[not_entirely]

Lucas smiled slightly, despite himself. AJ would have loved this guy.

[chasingangela]

"I like that idea a lot," Angela said, slowly, noticing Lucas' smile.

"What's been selling really well lately?" she asked him.

[not_entirely]

Lucas shrugged. In all honesty, he didn't remember, what with the whole being drunk for four straight days thing.

"Nothing in particular. Walk around, see what you can find."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel held up his pad. "Mind if I take some sketches?"

[chasingangela]

While Angel waited for Lucas to answer, Angela slipped away and began to photograph obviously empty slots in the CD racks.

[not_entirely]

Lucas shrugged. "Go ahead. But I might ask if I could use some of your work for advertising."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel smiled, flattered. "Sure. Thanks."

He looked around. One of the higher shelves caught his eye. He started to sketch it out, paying close attention to the shadows that fell in the empty spaces.

[chasingangela]

[OOC: Moving here.

[chasingangela]

Bored with photographing the CD racks, Angela shyly approached Lucas. "Could I take your picture? Or one of your art?"

[not_entirely]

Lucas tilted his head, smiling slightly. "Sure. I'm not the artist, though. Pretty much everything I have was done by a friend of mine."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Noticing them talking, Angel flipped to a new page and did a quick sketch of Angela, framing it so that the person she was talking to was also in shadow.

[chasingangela]

Angela noticed Angel sketching her and began to fidget with her hair, unfortunately.

"What kind of art does your friend make?"

[not_entirely]

"Paintings, mostly." Of beautiful women, mostly. "Though has been known to superglue things in the name of art as well."

[chasingangela]

Angela snapped a picture of Lucas, hopefully before he could realize she had the camera out. "Painting is cool. I hadn't heard of superglue as an artistic medium."

She put the camera down and scrunched her nose up thoughtfully. "Like, what type of stuff does he glue together?"

[not_entirely]

Lucas flinched ever so slightly at the sudden snapping of the camera, but otherwise didn't react. "Quarters, mostly."

[chasingangela]

Angela decided that one wasn't going to make sense. "Huh."

She tilted her head to one side, then decided to just go for it.. "So ... I got some flowers from Marty a few days ago. So he's probably okay. If you were worried. And, um, I only know about half the story, but it sounds like the whole thing was really intense."

[not_entirely]

Lucas sighed and ran a hand over his face. "If you understand half, you've probably got a better grasp on it than I do. When you talk to Marty, can you let him know that next time he uses my store to stage some deaths, if he would let me know first?"

[chasingangela]

Angela blinked. "Okay, the thing where they didn't tell you first? That was part of the half I didn't know."

"But, um, yeah. I'll tell him that."

[not_entirely]

"Thanks." Lucas hesitated for a moment, glancing over at his phone. "Do you know Nadia Santos?"

[chasingangela]

Angela nodded. "She's a friend, why?"

[not_entirely]

"I don't know if you knew, she was one of my employees. She quit yesterday. Rather unexpectedly. I just want to know if she's okay."

[chasingangela]

"I don't know," Angela said, looking surprised. "I talked to her Wednesday and she was -" Angela paused. Nadia hadn't been fine, and Parker had said the same. "She seemed kind of sad, like there was a lot going on for her."

"I could look for her in the dorms, if you want."

[OOC: Going AFK until 10 or so.]

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel had continued to sketch empty spots - the floor behind the counter, a slight gap in the door where Angel hadn't closed it properly - and didn't say anything. He didn't know what was up with Nadia, though if something was going on he wondered if it had anything to do with what happened with Bel.

[not_entirely]

Lucas shook his head. "That's alright. But if you do see her," he glanced up at Angel. "Either of you? Just let her know I want to talk to her, okay?"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel nodded. "Sure."

[chasingangela]

Angela also nodded, then glanced at her watch. "I should get back for music," she said, with some dismay. "But I'll keep an eye out for Nadia."

She paused. "And, Angel? I don't have the whole story, but I know you helped Marty last weekend. Thank you for that."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel put his things away so that he could leave as well. "You're welcome." He gave her a small smile. "You know he told me to look out for you."

[chasingangela]

Angela raised her eyebrow a fraction in disbelief, then let it fall as she smiled, thinking how much had changed since that fall. "Oh. I didn't know that. But I trust you, so --" She made a vague gesture. "I guess, thanks for that, too. I'll call you if anything happens."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"I appreciate that," Angel said. "I'd rather not give Marty more reasons to come after me with a cricket bat."

[chasingangela]

"I hope you can make it to graduation without that happening," Angela said. Her lightness was only slightly forced. "Just don't kiss him again."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Wasn't planning on it," Angel assured her. He got his umbrella ready for protection from whatever the weather threw at them on the way back to school.

[chasingangela]

"Good idea."

Angela threw the hood of her sweater over her head and waved goodbye to Lucas as she left the store.