The shop bell gives a soft chime as Sally steps into warmth, dust, and music. Rows of records lean in neat crates, their sleeves faded by years of hands.
She drifts to the rock section and starts flipping. AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the familiar covers rise out of the stacks like old friends.
The Clerk
Good taste. You looking for a first press, or just something to play loud?
The clerk, a thin man behind the counter with reading glasses and ink-stained fingers, watches her with easy patience. The shop hums around them, all soft speakers and paper sleeves.
Sally
These covers still feel right.
The Clerk
I just got a clean Zeppelin bin in this morning, and there’s a stack of Pink Floyd near the back wall. If you want AC/DC, check the import crate by the window.
Sally finds a rare groove in the calm, the kind that lets her breathe without listening for footsteps. A little handwritten card on the counter reads, New arrivals, ask me about the back room finds.
✓ Quest Accepted
Purchase a new record
“I walk over to the import crate by the window to look for the AC/DC records.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -2)
Sally leaves the crate stack and crosses to the window display, the floorboards giving a soft creak under each step. The import bin sits beneath a fading poster, its cardboard corners worn from a hundred searches.
She bends over the bin and starts sorting through the records, fingers sliding past cheap pop singles until black sleeves with bold lettering appear.
Sally
AC/DC.
Her hand stops on a clean import pressing, and she pulls it free. The sleeve is intact, the edges sharp, but the crate shifts hard enough to nick her knuckle on a cardboard divider.
The Clerk
Found one. That bin moved faster than I expected.
The clerk's voice stays light, but his eyes track the record in her hands a beat too long. Outside the window, a man in a dark coat pauses at the glass, then keeps walking.
Sally has the AC/DC record now, but the shop's calm has gone slightly wrong, and the clerk is watching her more carefully than before.
+ New Item Acquired
AC/DC record
“I bring the record to the counter and purchase it.”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +0)
Sally carries the AC/DC sleeve to the counter, careful with her nicked knuckle. The clerk straightens, gives the price without fuss, and slides the register open.
Coins and change trade hands. The clerk drops the record into a paper bag, then hesitates a fraction before letting go.
The Clerk
Good choice. This one’s been sitting there like it was waiting for someone.
Sally takes the bag. Through the front glass, the street reflects back the shop lights, and a dark coat lingers in the reflection longer than it should.
Sally
He knows my face.
The clerk’s smile thins as he follows her gaze. He looks toward the window, then away, suddenly tense.
The Clerk
You should probably head out now. Before your luck gets noticed.
Quest Complete
Purchase a new record
New Gift: Melodic Focus