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[oh god you're tall. He doesn't usually stare at strangers-- that's rude-- but you kind of stand out and he's kind of caught by surprise? Give him a second and he will politely fix his eyes back on some random records.]

[He's pretty engrossed flipping through the ones in the back, a lot just shoved together looking for that hidden jewel. Suddenly he's become aware that someones looking at him and has to look about as if to make sure he's not imagining things. He's not put off though, at 6'9" he's used to the agape stare from time to time. He almost wants to tell the other to not worry about it, but it might almost a tad weirder to point it out and he just sort of stares at what's in his hands.]

[Shiramine blinks, as he watches the man with no real intent to watch the man-- that's creepy--, and comes to the conclusion that he must have noticed him staring but opted to tolerate it with an awkward sort of grace. Huh. ...That's kind of sweet, really; now Shiramine feels both bad and unapologetic as he continues to study the man. ...So he might have been bored. And it's always nice to see an adult so indulgent.]

[Well that certainly wasn't the response he was expecting! Not that he really knew what to expect now that he thought about it. He seems to think on that for a moment before he notices what the other has in his hand and points to it.]

You know, his "War Heroes" album was much better, at least for that time frame.

[Ah, he speaks. Shiramine suppresses a smirk, and flashes him a smile.]

Should I assume that is the general public's opinion, or...?

I don't think it's the general publics no. But it is the truth certainly. A much higher quality album, there's a lot of soul in it.

So you're like an expert? [Shiramine pulls out a couple of records (no he wasn't looking, so it's totally random), and holds them so the other man could see the covers.] Which would you recommend for an impressionable adolescent like me?

[Mark has been browsing, of course. When he notices the guy he met the other day standing across from him on the other side of the record display from him. Being so tall, Gabriel is kind of hard to miss. He offers the other a smile.]

Hey. It's you.

[He's surprised at first that he's being talked too as it doesn't happen that often. When he spots who it is though he offers a bright smile and a wave, balancing the stack of records he already has in his spare arm.]

Oh! Hello there! Ha! What a small world!

[He kept bumping into this other male, not that he minded in the least, it was a change from the sorts who he'd been bumping into more and more lately. Not that those people were bad just, overwhelming at times. It was a nice break.]

What a small world it truly is!

Edited (Icon fail that I didn't realize until on lunch break. xD) 2012-06-05 15:57 (UTC)

A bi of one yeah. It's my job after all! Well, one of them, actually it's more of a hobby then a smart business venture. [He looks at the selection the other has in his hand and frowns, nothing he has he'd really suggest to the other. He doesn't seem like the sort.] I think you'd have to tell me what you're really interested in first and we'll go from there!

[Mark waves back, glad that none of the records actually fall to the ground that Gabriel is carrying. That would have made him feel bad since he was distracting the other while his arms were all full. Besides, despite the durability of records, it just would have felt wrong to see them fall.]

Yeah, with the amount of people in the City. It always surprises me when I bump into people I know.

[He glances down at the records.] Find what you're looking for?

I think I'm sort of memorable! Of course I'm all over the place admittedly!

[Don't worry there Mark, Gabriel has gotten rather good at balancing about a million things at once. Not to mention his long arm span make it easier to do then most. There were some advantages to being freakishly large. He moves closer to the other so they aren't half hollering across the small store. Gabriel is soft spoken by nature, most Brits were, so he doesn't feel right half yelling at the other.]

Oh? Yes! I came for one thing but I've found a handful of things I could use in my own shop, and an album a customer of mines been looking for for ages! I was quite surprised to find it actually! So to say I've made out like a fat rat is an understatement.

What about you? Find any treasures?

Edited 2012-06-05 16:45 (UTC)

[Mark looks up at the other... and up some more as he comes around closer to him. It's really surprising how tall he is, even when you already know how tall he is.]

Oh, nothing yet. I got this new antique record player, one of those that's in a cabinet? Thought I'd look for some classic rock vinyls that are in decent shape to play on it.

[He looks around the place, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.] So where's your store?

[The day when almost being 7 feet tall becomes not so surprising Gabriel will be a happy boy. As it stands, pun not intended, he'll just have to live on with the slight gawking. It takes a while to get used to staring down a four eyed giraffe so he's hardly bothered by Mark's action and instead just let's out a soft chuckle.]

Oh! Is it a Victrola? I just got asked to fix one of those recently actually. They're brilliant machines! I've got one myself. Course I've got a couple of players.

Heh, it's a couple of blocks from here. It makes it nice since he and I trade records all the time! He's one of the few people I go too for stalk, there's another in midtown but he's not as easy to get too for me at least.

It is, it's one of those Victrola's that has the radio and the record player in it. Pretty cool. I just got the dirt and dust cleaned out of all the radio parts so that it's up and running too. Pretty cool.

[Mark's gaze lands on a wall a few feet away and he points.] Ah, found the classic rock section. Although I feel a little bit like a traitor buying things here when you own the same kind of shop.

Brilliant! I bet it's brilliant! I didn't start with one of those and I wish I had. You know what sounds great on them? Jazz. Of course I'm a sucker for Jazz. If you ever need parts or anything I can set you up with a guy on Staten who I get all my parts from. He's got great prices, don't ever go to the guy up around 103rd. He's terrible and quite rude! It's worth taking the ferry over and going to this guy.

[Gabriel just lets out a hearty laugh shaking his head at the others words.] Oh please don't! I'd rather you support any local shop rather then some big business type place like iTunes or whatever have you. Doesn't matter if you're buying from me or Jerry here! And as you can see I don't have any qualms about giving him business. Several of these are for my own collection so I don't get to trade those!

I'll have to look in the jazz section too then. And thanks for the tip. My dad has always been really big into jazz, the old big band era.

[Mark shoves his hands into his jeans pockets and shifts to the side, out of the way of the middle of the isle where the few people in the shop are walking.] I bet you have a really good collection, owning a shop and all...

Oh I love big band! Your dad has good tastes! Though classic rock, depending on how classic you're going, will sound alright on it. The speakers aren't usually set up for it though, so you may have to tweak them a bit. Which is pretty easy, you can go online and read up on how to do that!

[Standing already closer to the edge of the music bins he didn't have to move very much when people passed. Being so thin he doesn't usually have to move much to avoid people.] To be quite honest I believe that my shop is more a collection then an actual shop. [He laughs a bit.] I mean, I sell a bit but not a lot. So it's just a giant collection with a lot of doubles of the popular things that people buy so I can make a profit of it. At least with this new hipster revolution I've been making more money then I have in a while. I'd probably be out of business if it weren't for the hipsters!

Yeah? What happens if someone picks up a record you only have one copy of?

Well then I get to start the process of looking for it again, which is my favorite part of what I do. Looking for things and seeing what I can find. Anything I really like or want I keep at home in my collection which is actually almost the entirety of my wall in my living room. So really I could do with someone coming in and taking some of my stuff away.

That's pretty neat. I mean, you seem really passionate about it. It's nice. How long have you owned your store?

Yeah. I really am, probably overly so sometimes! But it's nice to sort of have a hobby. Do you have any hobbies Mark?
I've owned my shop for about seven years now? Not too long. I bought it a little after my thirtieth birthday.

I rebuild classic cars. It's pretty cool. Fun. I started doing it with my dad when I was young and now I do it all the time.

And that would make you... twenty-ish. Math is important. [He smirks at his own joke.]

Really! That's amazing! I've always wanted to get an old MG but I don't have the time or space to fix it up really. My best mate as a '69 Camaro.

Ha! As they say you're only as old as you allow yourself to be! This month I'm going to be twenty-one!

I recently sold a refurbished '69 Camaro. Nice car. Mostly I work out of a big garage behind my dad's home when I have the time. It's pretty nice.

Ah, drinking age. Twenty-one is a nice age to be. It's almost clean slate-ish.

I honestly think that's amazing Mark, it's a real talent! I love old cars, if I was more into driving I think I'd get one. As it is I hate driving, rather walk just about everywhere unless I have to. It's nice your dad has a garage to let you work out of! Behind my shop is a yard I store my Volvo in. But there's not much cover if I wanted to work on anything.

Well I figure that's the age you really get your first glimpse of adulthood but yet you're still a kid with limited responsibilities.

It's great. My dad kind of got me into it at a low point for me. So it's always been something that I do in my free time to cheer myself up. Plus I have my baby I keep up. She's a '76 Mustang convertible. Great condition. I swear I spoil him like he's a living breathing thing. Never sellin' that one.

Yeah, except you said you're working two jobs before, I think. I think you've probably got the responsibility part covered. What was it you said you did aside from owning the record store?

Oh! Those are nice too! I'm a Cobra fan myself but I like the old 'stangs as well! I bet it looks cool, what's the colour combination? If I might ask.

Oh no I just had the one when I was twenty-one, and actually I was still in school! I didn't teach back then, just worked in an office building in the cafe. I teach though now. Waiting until next week when were finally out! My school gets out on my birthday so it's pretty much the best gift I could get.

Cobras are nice cars too. My Steven is black and silver, sleek and classy as can be.

Ah, I misunderstood you then. Sorry about that. And hey, next week will be here pretty quick.

Steve is a very classy name for a car! I love it. I didn't name my car, if I did I'd probably name it 'Money Sucker' as I've put more money into it then it's worth.

Oh no worries. I wish I was really twenty-one again. But sadly that was years ago now. Don't worry about it!
It will thank goodness. I'm ready for summer! I'm taking two days of to veg and then I'm married to the vinyl for the rest of the summer.

Some of them really are money suckers. My Mustang is Steven after Steven Tyler, who I have forever had a crush on and am in no way ashamed of it.

Hate it when I get things mixed up. It happens sometimes though. Summer is when I get all the kids. They're out for school and they come hang out at the youth center.

Yeah mine is terrible, every time I turn around something needs to be fixed. Right now it has a tire that's leaking and needs a new back window. But I don't drive it enough to replace either of those things.

Oh it's not a big deal, it happens. It's not really all that important a thing to know! Youth center?

Yeah, I run a youth center in Brooklyn and a non-profit charity out of the youth center called Open Doors. We rebuild and build new houses for people in need. It's pretty rewarding work. And outside of that I have my own psychology practice. So, I keep pretty busy.

Oh wow! That's amazing! I don't think I could ever do anything like that, that's very admirable!

Oh, anybody could do it. If I did it, anybody can. It's definitely not as hard as being a school teacher... or a heart surgeon... or that guy who stands out on the corner come rain or shine spinning signs for those fast food restaurants.

Well neither job compares to being a heart surgeon! But I still think it's admirable! If you ever need a helping hand sometime let me know. I can't promise I'm very handy but I can at least make lemonade or something!

Yeah, my dad's a heart specialist so I know it can be a pretty tough gig. But we're always looking for help at the center. Always things that need doing. Plus just hanging around and being a presence with all the teenagers there. So really, you can stop by any time.

Is he? I can't say the same about my father. He was a fence salesman. Hardly a doctor.
Well I'm not handy, I'm really not making that up. I have to get my best mate Kenny to fix anything that goes wrong in my flat. But the latter I can do. Hanging around.

Well any kind of help and donations, whatever. And... nothing at all if you don't wanna do anything. It's really okay. It's all about the volunteering.

It'd be kind of a weird coincidence if our fathers did the same thing. [Mark smiles, amused at the idea.] Fence salesman sounds interesting though, did he go door to door?

Well uh, I can't really do that either. If it wasn't for Kenny's wife renting the upstairs of my shop I'd be in the red. But I can at least give my time.

It would be! But I don't really come from hearty stock like that I don't think. He went door to do yeah. He sold those plastic fences that look like wood.