Location VULTURE Record Store and Vinyl Cafe

This is an in-universe location thread.
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The spring sun warmed the petals of freshly bloomed buds, a light dee covering the streets in a hazy sheen slowly being eroded by the heat of the rising sun. As the world came to life around him Nathaniel walked with his earbuds in his ears, focused entirely on the list of items on his phone and crossing streets with the familiarity of one used to the morning bustle.

The wolf mask was nestled in his backpack, cradled against his laptop and a spare jacket innocuously despite its prominence in his mind. He had intentions to buy supplies, a project in mind so farfetched he had yet to even speak it out loud, the only anchor of that idea to reality the list he was carefully editing.

Heading out so early held its drawbacks, and one of those vibrated the pit of his stomach insistently as the scent of coffee and pastries drew Nathaniel’s gaze away from the screen. A record store and a cafe met his gaze, and odd amalgamation that seemed just the thing a kid more in touch might be interested in. Nathaniel was by no means an outcast, but the lane he walked tended toward an ignorance of current trends and interests. He didn’t even own a television.

Regardless of what it had been smashed together with, a cafe often had bits to eat, and though Nathaniel was not a fan of coffee most also sported a variety of teas. Satisfied he would find something palatable in the odd little business he tucked his phone back into his pocket and shuffled through the door casually.

Only to stop a few steps in, the odd sight of a young man in sunglasses spinning on his chair giving him a moment’s pause. It seemed the bored teller was stationed on the record shop side of the business, so after a beat Nathaniel simply walked to the counter of the cafe and scanned the contents of the menu wordlessly. Either another employee would help him, or the bored guy would have something else to do for a few minutes.




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[div][attr="style","grid-area:Main;color:#95877d;padding:9px;"][div][attr="style","grid-area:Left;"][div align="Left"][div style="font-family:'georgia';"]One of the first places that Todd hunted down when he found a new city was a good coffee shop. A diner worked fine, too. Diner coffee tended to be black and oily and brewed far too strong. But it worked. He didn't know why coffee worked, either, but he wasn't a scientist. No need to experiment beyond what did and did not work and coffee, he found, did work. Caffeine was a hunger suppressant, and that's all that mattered.

The thing is, if it's going to work, he might as well be able to enjoy it. So he'd done a little digging and quickly found a small list of coffee shops, cafes, and diners in the Pittsburgh area. A few different places popped up, some cute, some more blue-collar, but the VULTURE caught his attention. Mostly because they advertised actually good coffee at not absurd prices. Partly because he was curious about the record store side of it, though he'd need to get a job before he bought anything besides the necessities. There was definitely some concern about the kind of clientele being wealthy music snobs, and the fact that he'd stick out like a sore thumb even if it wasn't for his rumpled suit.

The smell of coffee and the soft sound of music dulled out any other worries almost as soon as he stepped out of his car. The shopfront was nice, and not intimidating. Better yet it didn't seem to be too busy this time of morning. As he stepped through the door he saw a teller spinning in a chair behind the record store's counter, and only one other person on the cafe side. There didn't seem to be a cashier behind the counter over there just yet. That was fine, he decided. Just standing in here seemed to make the cold fade away a little bit. Rather than stand in line, he made up his mind to start casually browsing the shelves, checking prices on some of the CDs and even casettes that caught his eye. Maybe he couldn't buy, but a little window shopping never hurt anyone.
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[div style="font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(10, 7, 21);font-family:monospace;padding:40px;max-width:1200px;margin:auto;color:white;"]Another day, another customer. Such was life- though, it didn't seem like Kosuke had any recognition of this fact. He was behind the desk in the record store, cold brew in hand, spinning around on the chair without a care in the world. It had been slow up until then, that was his excuse. He was the manager, that was his other excuse. He'd let his employees spin around on their chairs as well, if they wanted- much like he'd let them choose the background music when the store was empty. None of them had queued anything that day, though, so it was [font face="monospace"]his choice[/font] again.

Someone crossed the threshold into the record store, catching his eye moreso than the other one- because he had gone straight for the back. Kosuke sat up abruptly.

[font color="#ff0000"]"Hey, man! After anything in particular?"[/font]

----

[font color="ff0000"]"What can I getcha?"[/font]

The barista smiled, her piercings flashing in the light. This was a newcomer, it seemed- she always made an effort to be polite to newcomers. Regulars, she could joke around with. Everyone else did.[/div]
 
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[div][attr="style","grid-area:Main;color:#95877d;padding:9px;"][div][attr="style","grid-area:Left;"][div align="Left"][div style="font-family:'georgia';"]As Todd moved deeper into the belly of the store, he realized that the music he'd heard outside wasn't just muffled - it was soft, and in a language he didn't recognize. He didn't know what he'd expected. Most of the time, record stores played classics, old rock or darker country stuff that people could palate. Johnny Cash. Literally any big name 80's band. This felt much more modern. More hip. He should've expected it, obviously, this was a pretty hip place. And judging by the number of times "hip" was coming up in his inner monologue, he was very out of place.

But he found his head bobbing gently to the music when a voice pulled him out of his reverie. He couldn't tell if the chill that crept across his skin was something in that voice, his general unfamiliarity with the situation he'd just put himself into, or just a tiny itch of a deeper hunger. It didn't really matter, as the man from behind the counter spoke up.

There was a moment when Todd considered the options of "no, I'm fine, thanks" or "just browsing." But the shop was empty, there was still a line for coffee, and maybe he could do something to become a little more well-adjusted to his new surroundings, so he turned back and walked up to the counter.

[font color="#4b0101"]"I'm not real familiar with the music scene around here,"[/font] he said to the stranger. "So I guess I'm looking for local music. Relatively recent. "

It was everything he could do not to use the word "hip."

"I mean, if you don't have anything like that then I'm open to suggestions."[/div][/div][/div][/div]
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[font color="#006400"]By the time the menu had been read another customer had walked in, this one seemingly intent more upon the other side of the business than the caffeinated one. As Nathaniel set the menu down the guy spinning in the chair went to help the new customer, and Nathaniel was met with a pierced barista.

”Can I get green tea with honey and a muffin?” As he dug for his wallet he looked around the shop more, the music in the background wholly unfamiliar. ”This place seems pretty hip. I’m surprised you aren’t busier.” In truth the emptiness of the place made Nathaniel a bit nervous, as if he were standing center stage. His attempt at small talk was a symptom of that anxiety, anything to feel less out of place than he already did. He had to force himself to keep his eyes away from the shining piercings.

His father had always said what was popular was often corrupt, and so Nathaniel had stayed away from scenes like this for most of his life. It was easy enough with the umbrella of his father’s strict rules and insisted extracurricular activities. If he saw his son now, buying coffee in a record shop while chatting with a girl with facial piercings, well luckily a lifetime of good behavior had bought Nathaniel a fair amount of trust. He wouldn’t put it past his father to keep surveillance on him if he lost that.
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[div style="font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(10, 7, 21);font-family:monospace;padding:40px;max-width:1200px;margin:auto;color:white;"][font color="ff0000"]"...hip?"[/font]

He could hear the judgement in her tone, in spite of her ingenuine attempts to hide it.

[font color="ff0000"]"Uh-huh. Well, most'a our customers come in a little later- afternoon-evening time."[/font]

She laughed.

[font color="ff0000"]"Guess hipsters aren't typically morning people. I certainly ain't."[/font]

She pointed a thumb towards Kosuke.

[font color="ff0000"]"He certainly ain't."[/font]

The muffins were kept in the usual glass display, which was kept in almost uncharacteristically spotless condition. Well, uncharacteristic for the place. Not uncharacteristic for Cass, who seemed to spend most of her time picking up the slack of her slacker co-workers. Hey, at least that new hire seemed willing to do some work- or, at least, nervous enough to take convincing.

[font color="ff0000"]"Four ninety-nine."[/font] She said, plopping it onto the counter, [font color="ff0000"]"You can queue something on the soundsystem with that, as well."[/font]

A wry smile crossed her face.

[font color="ff0000"]"Anythin' hip you wanna play?"[/font]

----

Kosuke laughed.

[font color="ff0000"]"The music scene?"[/font] He grinned, [font color="ff0000"]"Honey, you're looking at him."[/font]

A dramatic hair-flick accompanied the statement, diffused with yet another laugh.

[font color="ff0000"]"I'm, uh- Vanity. From PREMORTEM. This is my day job."[/font]

He grinned.

[font color="ff0000"]"Man, I love saying that. I love it! Makes me feel like my old self again!"[/font]

Pre-MYTHOMANE, of course- though, it seemed that this stranger hadn't been around for that. Maybe the band name would've tipped him off. Either way, the event had been ruled an accident, and Kosuke was never one to let anything break his spirit, so his unwavering joviality wouldn't be seen as suspicious.

It never was.

[font color="ff0000"]"Anyway, uh, aside from my own self-shilling..."[/font]

With a sharp kick of his boot against the counter, the shopkeep managed to push himself halfway across the store- the chair rolling to a stop just in front of a section marked "VULTURE'S HOARD". This was clearly a favourite mode of transport for him. It was awfully precise, where he stopped.

[font color="ff0000"]"Ehhh, let's see..."[/font]

Still perched on the chair, he rifled through the discs, reading out the names one by one as he passed through them.

[font color="ff0000"]"The Girl at Ocean's End, they're alright... UNREVEAL... VANITY PRO- oh, that's my solo stuff, haha... uh, what sorta genres are you lookin' for? That might help narrow it down..."[/font][/div]
 
The cashier had a dramatic streak, which Todd found himself appreciating despite himself. He got the sense that Vanity actually enjoyed his “day job.” And for a musician working at a record store this must be the best day job he could’ve asked for. Judging by the precision of the roll-and-stop, he’d been here for a while.

Or just bored. Todd overheard the cashier say that the mornings tended to be slow.

But he followed the man who’d introduced himself as Vanity and stood nearby while he started to read off some band names. Maybe Todd stood a little further away than was strictly necessary, given there was still the endless cold under his skin. He’d have to take care of that asap. But before that, he’d get coffee, and before that, he’d at least humor the clerk, even if the coffee line seemed to be considerably shorter now.

“It’s your lucky day, Vanity. You’re looking at a blank slate.” He grinned, without the enthusiasm of Vanity’s smile, but friendly all the same. “I don’t like to sit still for very long, so I tend to just turn on the radio. I do like to check out local artists whenever I stop by a place for a while. I’ll try anything once.”
 
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Nat may not have been what others considered cool, at least not by the standards that seemed to matter in his school, but he had rubbed shoulders with various popular people in his school career. A few of them were the type who would visit a place like this, both for the music and the caffeine. Though Nat was ignorant to the trends of either of those topics he had learned a trick about record stores that he took a gamble on trying here. With a pensive look he took the muffin and turned to the arranged records on the other side of the shop.

”Let me thumb through real quick and I will see if anything catches my eye.” He resisted the urge to wink; it wasn’t as cool in real life as it was in the movies. It mostly just creeped people out. Lessons learned. He headed straight to the back, to the records that were used and already well loved. The cover he chose was faded and dusty, but the vinyl inside seemed to have been well cared for. Deafhaven was printed around the center.

Returning to the front with his prize in hand, Nat set the album down gently. ”Here you go. Any of the songs off of this one will work for me.” Of course he didn’t know any of the songs, or the band, but it couldn’t be that bad, could it? As long as they didn’t ask him to cite any of the lyrics he might even look cool for his choice. Not that he was really all that concerned with looking cool.
 



ONE
"Sunbather?" Cass turned the album over in her hand, "I like your style. 's not every day you hear this sort of thing in a cafe."

She flashed him a smile and set the disk in the player, allowing the first song to play throughout the cafe, prompting a mixed reaction from some patrons, and a distant nod of approval from her manager. Content with this, she turned around to start making his tea.

"Ain't seen you around before. You new in town, or 's this just your first time in here?"

----

"A blank slate, eeeeh?" Kosuke flashed a mischevious grin, "That is just what I wanna hear. Right, let's see..."

He adjusted his sunglasses.

"Well, if they're long journey's you're taking, I'd start by suggesting prog of some sort. Rise Radiant is a good start; Caligula's Horse makes great metal for people who don't like metal. And people who do like metal. That's all bases covered, right?"

He shrugged.

"As for what I've been up to myself, I've been relistening to Coaltar of the Deepers- Yukari Telepath still holds up. Fuck, most of their stuff does. I think I cited them in an interview as an inspiration for PREMORTEM- either that, or for my personal work. I've been trying to lean more into that sound lately- shoegaze, post-punk, those sorts of genres. The whole wall of noise aspect complements my voice pretty well."

Plus, as his band would attest, he had a bit of a thing for guitar pedals.

"Oh, for local stuff- well, UNREVEAL have always been a favourite of mine. Their bassist's a regular. Nice kid. Weird, but... nice."

He leaned forwards, pointing out a few records in the display.

"This section, VULTURE'S HOARD, is where we stock all the local stuff. I'd say the only band we dont have is Bill Timber and the Termites, but- ohoho, that might change soon."

If he could stomach listening to them long enough to get record, that was. God.

"I suppose I should recommend my own work. I'm not called Vanity for nothing, am I?"

Kosuke laughed.

"PREMORTEM is my band, VANITY PROJECT is my solo work. I can give you a copy of HIGHWAYMAN at a discount, if you'd like- that was our first major release, the one that got people talking."

Although, of course, nothing compared to the amount of people talking about MYTHOMANE, but they were talking about the actual music with this one.

"PROJECT is more experimental- it reviews well with who it's for, but it's not for everyone. My latest is--excuse the title--uh... FOR EVERY 500 STREAMS THIS GETS, I'LL KILL ANOTHER HOSTAGE. It's kinda-"

He paused. Then, he sat back up, smiling sheepishly at Todd.

"Aah, didn't mean to talk your ear off there, I apologise."
 
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He strolled over to the display and took a look at the different titles while Vanity talked about them. He still didn’t have a job, but he had a little money set aside for this. Maybe he could use some of his coffee budget too, or else just have an excuse to come back. He examined the album covers, and held onto Highwayman – the promise of a discount sold that one for sure. Unreveal could probably wait, and he glanced around before spotting the progressive rock section and picked out Rise Radiant. He liked the art on the cover, better than Yukari Telepath, so he picked that one, too.

Then Kosuke got to his latest Vanity Project release. Rather than flinch, however, he laughed at the title, his open, round laugh that was genuine rather than polite. He grinned at the storeowner as he picked the album up and brought it back up to the counter.

“That title alone’s sold me. Sounds pretty out there and, well, I did ask for something new. These four, then.”
 
"Out there is what I do best," Kosuke laughed, "But, ah- don't tell my bandmates that. They'll kill me if I make them play anything more complex than what they already do..."

Which, to be fair, was already quite complex- he had been pushing for a more eclectic sound since the beginning, constantly stretching their limits regarding what they could play. Some of them were getting quite good. Almost to his standards, now. For once, as well, the critics seemed to agree- or, they would, if MYTHOMANE wasn't such a poisoned title now.

Regardless, this guy seemed like he had taste, given that he accepted Kosuke's recommendations. Content with the transaction, Kosuke sat up and pushed his chair back over to the desk, once again stopping exactly where he wanted the chair to land. It was a lesson that seemed to have been learned from failure after failure, crash after crash, spilled coffee after spilled coffee.

"Right, I'll ring those up for ya."

Kosuke took the records behind the counter and began the process- but he didn't stop talking.

"So, thought I'd ask- what brings you to Pittsburgh?" He asked, "You said you travel a lot, right? Is this a temporary stop for you, or something more long-term?"
 
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Todd laughed on cue, the polite sort of laugh that didn’t leave room for misinterpretation. Vanity had remarkable balance – or patience, if he’d had to learn how to stop like that. Judging by the fact he was a musician, patience was actually more likely. Todd hadn’t ever managed an instrument himself. And he’d been too “sickly” for sports, so he sat out a lot of extracurriculars. He’d learned to laugh politely because that was the best way to slip into groups and get some social camouflage.

Vanity asked him a question, the polite kinda question that came with working any kind of cash register. Todd smiled, but shrugged when he answered.

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted, getting his wallet out and pulling cash. Credit cards weren’t good for the kind of paranoid he could be, when it came to being followed. “I’m looking for a mechanic job. If I can somebody willing to accept a weird schedule in the next week or two, I’ll stick around. If not I’ll hop down to Philly and see what happens there.”
 
"Mechanic, eh? God, we certainly need more of those, given the shit I've seen on these roads- hey, if you want, I could hook you up with the guy who fixes my bike. He's a bit of a hard-ass, but I'm sure he can at least help you network, even if he doesn't wanna help with much else."

Kosuke laughed.

"If he starts giving you shit, just tell him I sent ya. That usually shuts him up."

He shook his head and started packing the records in a plastic bag, taking care not to split the damn thing open on the corners.

"You let me know if you find any work, and I'll let you know if I need anything fixing. I'd be happy to return the custom- if just to see what you're listening to whilst you work."
 
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“Yeah, if you could get me his number, that’d be great.” A lead like that could be nice on a job hunt, if he was going to stick around for a bit.

He was shaken from wherever that was going by a gentle pressure against his leg, firm but soft. He looked down, to find a massive black cat weaving between his legs, purring furiously. He’d smelled the cat when he came in, but normally he’d have sensed her coming up. He must’ve been more interested in his conversation with Vanity than he thought.

Not invested enough to ignore a demanding cat roughly the size of a small dog, though. He glanced at Kosuke, then let himself laugh a little as he bent down to pick up the cunning predator that had snuck up on him.

“Well hey there, darling, what’s your name?”

He caught her underneath and tipped her over onto her back, cradling the massive cat like the baby she clearly was. His fingers gently rubbed through her thick fur as he smiled back up at Vanity, suddenly a little embarrassed.

“I uh – hope this is okay. Normally I take the cat’s permission and forget to ask anybody else around. She’s a beautiful animal.”
 
"I'll write it on your reciept, yeah?" Kosuke smiled "Oh, and I'll write my own as well, in case he starts giving you shit- or, y'know, in case you wanna chat. It's a hard place to move to, if you don't know anyone here. I'd be happy to show you around."

He took a pen from his jacket and wrote down two numbers- one labelled 'NASH', and the other 'KOSUKE :)'. His writing was surprisingly neat, considering everything else about him. Surprisingly legible. He slid the reciept across the counter and held up the bag of records-

"Ah-"

-and nearly dropped them when he saw what was happening.

Carrie was awake. She was awake, and she was active, moving towards his customer with an odd look in her eyes. Kosuke winced, expecting the little monster to start clawing the man's legs to shreds, bracing himself to jump across the counter to pry her jaws off whatever she managed to get them around, and then- oh god, oh god, he picked her up- that was a death sentence for everyone but himself- Carrie hated being off the ground, she hated being unable to escape...

...but she didn't seem to mind him.

Fuck, she seemed to quite like him, actually. Kosuke could count on one hand the number of people who could pick her up unscathed, and he himself counted for about three of them. He breathed a sigh of relief, the momentary panic evaporating from his face. Kosuke smiled down at Carrie.

"You've gone soft, Carrie-san." He shook his head, "What happened to you?"

He laughed, then looked up at the man holding her.

"Ah, her name's Carrie. Short for Carrion. She's a rescue, so she's usually a bit..."

He raised a hand and mimed a scratch.

"She keeps to herself, most of the time. Usually, I'm the only one who can go anywhere near her, but she seems to have taken a liking to you, ah..."

He shrugged.

"Don't think I caught your name, actually."
 
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He couldn’t miss the momentary panic in Vanity’s body language, and was prepared to put the cat back down at a word of warning. But it seemed that Vanity was more surprised than worried, and he nodded his understanding. That made sense. Most animals that had a lot of fear, even of people, reacted oddly to Todd. Their instincts didn’t ping him as a threat, unless they were loyal pets who registered him as an immediate threat to their people. He wasn’t threatening Kosuke, despite the hunger that still chewed on the edges of his bones, and so Carrie had no concerns about him.

“Todd!” he supplied, his fingers still knotting in Carrie's black fur. “Todd Fowler. I’d shake your hand, but now I’m worried about what she’ll do if I stop.”

And he laughed a little, a well-worn, polite laugh that indicated comfort. Carrie didn’t need that kind of reassurance to know that she was safe, but cats weren’t the prey that Todd’s body was specialized to. People, despite being people and not cats, still had the instincts that recognized a predator, and so to fit in, sometimes a polite laugh was necessary to convince the forebrain to tell the hindbrain to shut up about the fear, this was clearly a normal guy with weird vibes.

“You mentioned coming by the shop at some point once I’ve got a job? That’d be cool. Yeah, I could write my number down for you, too. Bikes aren’t my specialty but I know my way around one. What’s the make? Yamaha? You don’t look like a Harley guy.”
 
Kosuke smiled, a little nervously. Todd was right; if he stopped, Carrie would probably have something to say about it- and, unlike her owner, she tended to use her mouth for biting more than talking. It was strange that she seemed to like him; meek, polite types were usually her favourite targets, though they were often the ones to approach her first before talking to anyone else for warning. Still, he wasn't complaining; a day without a Carrie incident was a day without a disgruntled customer. Or, at least, a day with one less disgruntled customer.

He handed Todd a pen to write down his number.

"I don't?" He laughed, "You're technically right; I had one a couple years back, but I- it ended up getting trashed. Nash said it couldn't be salvaged, offered to buy it cheap for parts, I managed to negotiate a better deal, and I have one of his old Kawasakis now."

He shrugged.

"Ah, it's one of the nice ones too- no idea why he actually gave it to me, but I'm not complaining. Maybe he took it from someone else and said it was unsalvageable. Or maybe he's just easy to con."
 
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Todd kept scritching Carrie with the hand that held her while he took up the pen and scribbled down his number. His handwriting was fully legible, but nobody would call it neat. His burner still had the Columbus area code – he’d need to get that changed at some point, but for right now it was good enough.

He whistled under his breath as Kosuke described the bike. “That’s a good deal. A wrecked Harley for a Kawasaki? Man. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never worked on one personally, but if you’ve got the patience for me to tweak around with it for a while, I can figure it out.”

Maybe Neal could show him, but Todd’s instincts said that Neal wasn’t the kind of guy who’d be okay with Todd’s unusual sleep habits and patterns. That was, if Kosuke would be believed. He’d still try, though, and maybe he’d have a good recommendation.
 
"Well, hopefully you'll have a while to wait until you get the chance- I like to think I'm a careful rider."

Technically, he was- though he was careful in the way he was when he was walking. Near-misses, perfect stops, always on the brink of disaster; either an adrenaline junkie, or an incredibly lucky bastard. He was only really careful, in the traditional sense, when Carrie was with him.

"I'm sure it's not the only one Nash had, though. Maybe ask him if he has anything else unsalvagable."

He took the reciept and tucked it in his pocket, making a mental note to search the number (and the name) later. It was an odd habit of his, this research he did, but he'd always say it was down to curiosity. Kosuke liked knowing who he was talking to. He had done the same to Eli, when he had hired her, though that search proved ultimately rather useless. Perhaps Mr. Fowler's would yield some more interesting results.

"There you go- you, uh- you might have to put her down."

Kosuke passed the bag over the counter to Todd, leaning forwards to repeat himself to Carrie.

"He might have to put you down now. Please understand."
 
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Winter was on the way in Pittsburgh.

Coldcall's red parka didn't look altogether out of place. It was his signature garmant. He wasn't wearing the rest of the ensemble - mask and goggles - because that would lean a little too far into calling attention to himself. No, that was for when he was conducting an operation. This was lead-up, preparation for the biggest bank job in the history of the the state. The key for him, after all this time, had been putting together a crew. He was a perfectly capable solo act, but where he really shined was instrumentalizing the powers of other metas.

This idea had come to him when everyone else was asleep. Hours trawling through news websites and footage from the PREMORTEM concert - intuition linking bits and pieces.

"Hiya. I'm looking for, ah, Vanity."

The New York City accent marked him as an outsider, but his eyes appeared warm, friendly.

He smiled a wide smile.

"Would that be you?"
 
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