Lucia's Birthday Shopping Trip

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 30, Post Number 736

-Capital Coffee, 10:15 A.M.-

Wearing her usual casual outfit of gray long-sleeved shirt, long white skirt, and brown boots with her black handbag slung onto her left shoulder, Lucia walked into Capital Coffee to get a cup of coffee before going shopping at Capital Crocus Mall. Lucia was pleasantly surprised to find that the line ahead of her consisted of only two people and the seating area of the coffee shop had only five other people sitting in it. That meant that there was a good chance that she could get her coffee and sit down to drink it in the shop instead of having to get a to-go cup. That would be a nice change, especially since it was her birthday.

Lucia did not feel thirty years old. Had it not been for the calendar on her iLac she would not have even known that it was her birthday today. It felt like any other day of the year except for the fact that she was born on this day thirty years ago. However, instead of taking a job, in recognition of her birthday Lucia decided to take a personal day and go shopping for some much-needed casual clothing... and perhaps a keyboard if she could find one.

Realizing that she had spent too long standing around while lost in thought, Lucia quickly moved up in line so that she did not hold up the people behind her, who had graciously waited instead of cutting ahead of her. Once Lucia moved up she apologized to the people behind her she had unintentionally delayed while lost in thought. They accepted the apology and no one seemed to hold the mistake against her. The people ahead of her eventually placed their orders and Lucia walked up to the counter, where she placed her order for a double espresso like she always did.

Lucia paid for the drink and walked over to the outer seating area of the coffee shop with windows facing the mall. There sat several white pod chairs in front of the windows. Lucia saw that all of them were empty, so today she had her choice of pod chair. She claimed the fourth one from the right and sat in it while waiting for her double espresso to be brought to her. While waiting she faced the mall and watched a steady stream of people enter and exit the building.

About ten minutes after placing the order a brown-haired young woman brought Lucia her coffee in a white styrofoam cup. Lucia received it and thanked the employee, then held the coffee cup in both hands and faced the window again. The blonde waited a minute or two to let the hot beverage cool down before taking a sip from the cup. The double espresso was perfect.

Satisfied that her drink was to her liking, Lucia sat and drank it as she watched crowds of people not only go into and come out of the shopping mall but also walk by it. She watched the hustle and bustle of Capital Crocus from within the safety of her seat in Capital Coffee and when her cup was empty she got out of her seat and walked up to the counter to get a refill. After getting the refill she reclaimed her seat and resumed watching the city until the second cup was empty. Once she drank the second cup dry Lucia considered throwing her cup away and leaving immediately to resist the temptation to buy a third cup for the road, but then she decided against it.

Today was her birthday.

Her birthday came along only once a year, so why not get that third cup?

Deciding to get the third cup of double espresso after all, Lucia left the comfort of her seat to go to the counter and buy another refill. She would probably regret drinking the third cup later, but right now she really wanted it. Besides, she would need the energy for her shopping trip. Contending with crowds of other shoppers was not an easy task and she would need to move quickly to avoid being caught in large crowds, so the extra energy granted by three cups of double espresso would be a big help.

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-Inside Capital Crocus Mall, 10:40 A.M.-

After downing three double espressos in a row earlier Lucia finally felt energized enough to take on the mall. She strolled into the mall food court and soon discovered that no amount of coffee could prepare her for what she was seeing. In front of her loomed large crowds of shoppers... some were heading for the stairwell to the left and others were in the food court itself. Both crowds were so thick that moving through them would be a challenge.

Lucia took a deep breath and waited for a few moments, then began walking right to take a look at the stores on the first floor. She was moving at a slow pace to give herself time to see everything on the first floor, but that slow pace was going to get her trampled by other shoppers if she did not start moving faster. She could feel someone almost walking on her heels, so she began walking faster and soon reached the front of a restaurant named All-Star Grill. Judging from what little of the restaurant she could see by peering in the front door, it was a sports-themed restaurant with sports memorabilia from several different sports hanging on the walls.

The place was packed with customers, so Lucia could forget about trying to get a meal there. Thankfully she was not hungry just yet, but it was only a matter of time before Lucia would need to find something to eat. The food court had been packed with customers too, so the food court was not an option. She might have to leave the mall to find somewhere to eat when the time came. She would cross that bridge when she got to it. In the meantime she would try to find something that justified this shopping trip like a decent shirt, skirt, or something else she could use to make a new casual outfit.

Lucia walked past All-Star Grill and reached a store named The Fashionable Lady. She peered inside and saw glass cases containing bottles of perfume in the front of the store plus some aisles of shelves in the back of the store that presumably contained other beauty products. She could not read the signs that labeled the aisles, so she would have to go in The Fashionable Lady if she wanted to find out what products they offered.

Lucia was not really interested in perfume, makeup, or lipstick, so she turned around and merged with a line of shoppers emerging from The Fashionable Lady, then started walking back towards the food court to see if she had missed anything on the first lap around the first floor. As she walked on the edge of the crowd she kept an eye out for any clothing stores and soon spotted one on the left side, a shop named Earthland Eagle. It was fairly busy, but it looked like it had some promising casual clothing on the racks. With nothing else to lose and having plenty of time on her hands, Lucia quickly got out of the crowd walking towards the food court and made her way to the entrance of Earthland Eagle, then darted inside the shop just as another crowd walking from the food court began to head her way.

-Inside Earthland Eagle-

Lucia stepped inside Earthland Eagle to find that it was fairly busy. She counted at least thirty female customers and eight female staff members inside; five of the staff members were manning the cash registers and three of them were helping the customers. Lucia looked to her left and saw racks of t-shirts along the left wall. She then looked to her right and saw racks of shorts along the right wall. There might be something worthwhile in this place.

Lucia turned left and began to walk towards the t-shirts as she listened to the music overhead. The music was some generic bubblegum pop fare with a female vocalist singing about how badly she wanted a boyfriend to go to the beach with. Lucia quickly tuned it out and focused on the rack of t-shirts, which was currently being perused by five young women. The Luminous Rose mage might have to wait awhile to get a chance to look at the t-shirts.

Lucia stopped and turned around to take a glance at the rack of shorts. There were so many shoppers in front of it that she knew approaching it would be an exercise in futility. She would just take a few steps back and find something else to browse at for awhile. However, she was not sure what she could look at that other shoppers were not blocking access to. Maybe she should come back to Earthland Eagle later.

With that Lucia turned around and walked towards the exit of Earthland Eagle. She would try her luck on the second floor and return to Earthland Eagle before she left the mall for the day. Maybe she could get a look at the shop's wares once some of the shoppers had move on to other stores.

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-On the second floor, inside The Modern Woman, thirty-five minutes later-

Having been unable to peruse the clothing inside Earthland Eagle due to the number of shoppers inside, Lucia chose to go to the second floor to see what clothing stores were there. After eventually reaching the second floor and finding a mall directory Lucia learned that there was a clothing store called The Modern Woman on the second floor. That store was currently her best bet to find some casual clothing, but she did not know how many shoppers were in the store right now. She suspected that she would have to navigate a crowded store, but that could not be helped.

Lucia stood just inside the entrance to The Modern Woman and looked around her. Just as she had predicted the store was packed with customers... an eyeball count tallied at least forty people, all of them female. That figure did not include the six female staff members. The blonde took a few steps into the store and gazed around her.

Near the window on the left side stood racks of shorts, pants, skirts, and other items. Near the wall on the right side stood racks of t-shirts and long-sleeved shirts. In between them were smaller racks that held a particular type of clothing like more shorts or more t-shirts. Regardless of where they were all the racks were being perused by shoppers and Lucia would have to muscle her way in to see the clothing that was available.

Deciding to look at the shirts first since she did not have many of those at home, Lucia walked over to the racks of shirts on the right side of the store and then got in the line that started at the far left side of the rack. She browsed at the shirts and waited until the person to her right moved on before moving down the rack. Lucia almost immediately saw a t-shirt or two that she liked... one of them was baby blue and the other was lavender. She looked a little to her right and saw a nice mint green t-shirt that looked like it had potential.

Lucia gently removed the hangers in question from the rack and browsed at her three finds. Lucia started with the baby blue t-shirt and held it up. She frowned a little because it was too thin for her liking, but she frowned even more once she realized that the baby blue shirt was shorter than the lavender and mint green ones. It eventually dawned on her that the baby blue shirt was a crop top and in her opinion she would not look good in one even if she were inclined to wear it.

The blonde quickly put the baby blue shirt back on the rack and began to examine her other two finds starting with the lavender shirt. The lavender shirt was of normal length. Lucia then used her left hand to feel the fabric and was displeased to learn that it was thin. She hung the lavender shirt up again and focused on the mint green t-shirt.

It was of normal length and the fabric was of normal thickness. Pleased that it had met two important criteria, Lucia checked the tag for the shirt's size. It was a Large, which was necessary considering her chest size.

Lucia had just claimed her first prize of the day.

Holding onto the hanger with her right hand, Lucia slowly moved down the rack of shirts as space permitted and continued to look for other shirts that were worth buying. As she moved right she found that the rack had gaps here and there like it had been picked over by the shoppers who had preceded her. However, on the far right side of the rack was a sizable selection of long-sleeved t-shirts. Lucia's eyes immediately gravitated towards them, but she would have to wait a bit to get to them since there were three other shoppers ahead of her who were browsing at the t-shirts in question.

Lucia patiently waited her turn while perfunctorily perusing the other items on the rack until she eventually got the chance she was waiting for. The three shoppers who were ahead of her moved on and Lucia was free to approach the long-sleeved t-shirts, which she did before anyone else could get ahead of her. Now that she was where she wanted to be the blonde took her time looking at the shirts that had caught her eye.

There were many different colors to choose from. She spotted baby blue, lavender, mint green, red, pink, orange, white, black, magenta, aqua, and gray, among other color options. This was exactly what she was looking for. Lucia began to look for a royal blue shirt and soon found one sandwiched in between the aqua and gray shirts. She gently pulled the hanger off of the rack and examined her find.

It was a royal blue long-sleeved shirt of normal length and of normal thickness. Lucia checked the tag in the shirt and found that the shirt was a Large. That was spendid.

Lucia put the hanger with the royal blue shirt in her right hand. She had just found her second purchase. She already had at least two shirts that were right for her, but she wanted to find at least two more before she moved on to look at the skirts. With that in mind Lucia continued to browse at the long-sleeved shirts for something else to add to her wardrobe.

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-Outside The Modern Woman, twenty-five minutes later-

Lucia had intended to stay in The Modern Woman and shop for some decent skirts or pants, but a sudden influx of shoppers entering the store had made it necessary to postpone that plan for another, hopefully less busy day. Lucia had opted to quit while she was ahead and buy the shirts she had in hand instead of hang around in the hope that she could get to the rack with the skirts and pants. At least she had a few new shirts to go with her pleated white skirt, which she was wearing along with her gray long-sleeved shirt and brown boots.

Lucia now stood outside The Modern Woman with her shirts in a single white plastic shopping bag with the store's name printed in pink letters and was trying to think of another clothing store to visit to try and find some other pants or skirts. That meant another visit to the mall directory. However, the mall was still crowded with shoppers, so she would have to imitate a salmon swimming upstream and go with the crowd to get to a mall directory. Lucia took a deep breath before joining the stream of shoppers that was going deeper into the second floor of the mall.

After swimming upstream Lucia broke away from the crowd to consult a mall directory located at the far end of the second floor. Once in front of it the blonde began to read what kind of clothing stores were on the second floor. She saw two names that immediately stood out... The Athlete's Edge and Intimate Secrets.

Lucia guessed from their names that The Athlete's Edge sold athletic apparel and that Intimate Secrets sold intimate apparel. Lucia did not particularly need either kind of clothing, so she scratched those two stores off of her list. She wondered if Capital Crocus Mall had any more clothing stores she could visit and decided to go to the third floor to see what she could find.

Turning away from the mall directory and waiting for just the right moment to merge with a crowd of people heading for the stairwell she had taken to get to the second floor. When the right moment came Lucia took advantage of it to seamlessly merge with the crowd without stepping on anyone's toes either literally or metaphorically. She began the walk back across the second floor towards the stairwell.

-On the third floor, ten minutes later-

The crowd heading to the third floor had been every bit as thick as the crowd on the second floor, which meant that getting to the third floor had taken a bit of time. After a bit of a struggle going up the stairs Lucia now stood on the third floor off to the side of the stairs. She took a few moments to catch her breath and locate the mall directory. Lucia spotted it on the other side of the third floor and she knew what that meant. She was in for another uphill struggle.

Lucia waited until she could merge with a crowd heading for the other side of the third floor and joined the very back of the crowd. Once she had found her place she walked with it until she got to the mall directory, where she broke away to consult it. She hoped that she could find another decent clothing store to visit.

Lucia sidled up to the mall directory and began to read it. After a minute or two of reading she frowned when she could not find any clothing stores. There were all kinds of other stores like The Music Vault, Animated Merchandise, and Resin Monuments, but she did not see any names that indicated the presence of a clothing store.

The blonde felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. Lucia was hoping to make a day-long shopping trip to celebrate her thirtieth birthday, but it seemed like her shopping trip was going to last an hour or two at most. Then she remembered that she wanted to buy a decent keyboard so that she could start playing piano again. It had been a long time since she had played the piano and a decent keyboard would make a good substitute for a full-sized piano like the one she had grown up playing.

Lucia recalled that some time ago her sister's acquaintance Angela Helton had told her about a shop called The High Note that sold musical instruments. However, Lucia had not had the time to look up the location of the shop because she had been busy with more pressing matters like trying to find Diana and doing jobs for Luminous Rose. As a result she had no idea where the shop was at. Lucia was just about to set down her shopping bag and dig her iLac out of her handbag when a brunette stepped in front of her.

"Hi Lucia!" The brunette greeted her. Lucia looked up and saw Angela Helton standing in front of her. Angela was wearing a pink Crocus Magicka University t-shirt with the university's name spelled in gold letters and a black skirt with white tennis shoes.

"Hi Angela!" Lucia returned the greeting. Angela looked at Lucia's lone shopping bag, then looked at the blonde.

"I see that you're doing some shopping." Angela observed.

"Yeah. Today's my birthday, so I figured that I'd celebrate by doing some shopping." Lucia replied calmly and stated why she was shopping. Angela was visibly delighted to hear that.

"Happy Birthday, Lucia!" Angela cheerfully wished the blonde.

"Thanks, Angela." Lucia replied.

"I hate to ask this question on your birthday, but have you heard from Diana lately?" Angela asked Lucia. The blonde shook her head.

"No, Angela. I haven't heard from her yet." Lucia replied in the negative. She had been hoping to hear from Diana some time soon, but a message from her sister had not yet materialized. Maybe a message from Diana would show up in her iLac's Messages some day.

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"Oh. Well then... let's just move on from that subject." Angela suggested once she found out that Lucia had not yet made contact with Diana. Lucia made a "Stop!" gesture with her free hand. She was willing to discuss the topic of her younger sister.

"It's nothing to be upset about, Angela. Diana's got her own career and probably has her own friends too. If she doesn't have time to send me a message, then she doesn't have time." Lucia replied without any animosity towards her sister. Diana was a mage with her own career and her own life. The older Winchester did not expect Diana to drop everything and focus her life around Lucia now that the latter was back. Angela folded her arms across her chest.

"Still, she should at least try to send you a message, especially since it's your birthday." Angela opined to Lucia.

"There's still plenty of time left in the day, Angela. I wouldn't give up just yet." Lucia spoke up in defense of her sister, reminding the brunette that there was still time for Diana to type up and send a birthday message to her. Upon hearing that Angela relented.

"Yeah. I suppose you're right." Angela said, lowering her arms back down to her sides. The brunette then smiled at Lucia.

"Anyway, we won't stand here all day and talk about that. I'm sure you want to do a lot more than just stand around and talk. It's your birthday, after all!" Angela declared her intent to move on from the subject so that Lucia could resume her birthday shopping. Lucia did not mind discussing the topic, but she could tell that Angela wanted to move on, so the blonde would let them move on to another subject. Angela took a second look at the shopping bags Lucia was holding in her right hand.

"I know that this is kinda sudden and kinda greedy and I shouldn't even ask you something like this on your birthday, but I'd like to ask you something." Angela started off. Lucia made eye contact with her and remained silent.

"Would you mind letting me join your shopping trip?" Angela asked Lucia. Lucia did not have to think very hard on that one.

"I don't mind at all, Angela." Lucia granted the brunette permission to join her. Angela smiled.

"Thanks, Lucia. I know that I shouldn't have even asked something like that of you, but I'm glad you let me join you." Angela thanked Lucia for letting her join the birthday shopping trip. Lucia did not think that her birthday was so special that no one was permitted to share in the occasion. Since Diana was not here Angela would make a good substitute. Besides, she felt like she owed Angela something for at least setting the Winchester sisters on the path to reuniting even if they had not reunited yet.

"If I may ask, what were you shopping for, Lucia?" Angela asked Lucia.

"I was looking for some decent skirts or pants to make new outfits with. I've tried Earthland Eagle and I've tried The Modern Woman, but both of those shops are absolutely packed. I came out of Earthland Eagle empty-handed and I only managed to get a few shirts from The Modern Woman." Lucia replied and stated that she had already tried two shops in the mall. Angela crossed her arms.

"Hmm... I don't know what to tell you, Lucia." Angela stated. Lucia refrained from commenting and let the brunette talk.

"I don't think you're the type to wear crop top and short shorts, so you might not get much out of a return trip to Earthland Eagle." Angela opined. Lucia nodded.

"I'm definitely not that type." Lucia replied calmly but in no uncertain terms.

"Fair enough." Angela conceded. She then tapped her right foot against the tile floor beneath her feet three times.

"Well... I hate to say it, but right now I'm not coming up with anything that can help you get some decent pants or skirts." Angela confessed that she was currently unable to help the blonde with her clothing quandary. Lucia shrugged her shoulders.

"It's no big deal if you can't think of anything, Angela. To be honest, I don't need to be here spending money, but it's my birthday. I wanted to do something on my birthday other than look for a job." Lucia confessed that she did not need to be here. She really needed to be doing work for Luminous Rose, not shopping in Capital Crocus Mall. Angela laughed.

"I don't need to be here either. I should be at home getting ready for Literature class tonight, but here I am at the mall." Angela said with a guilty smile. Lucia could not help but to be amused by the brunette's candor.

"Well then... I don't think I'm gonna find any more clothing here." Lucia said to her shopping partner.

"Was there anything else you were looking for? Any kind of music, video games, anime?" Angela asked the blonde if there was anything else at Capital Crocus Mall she was interested in.

"Well, I'm looking for a keyboard to play. I haven't played piano in years and since getting a full-sized piano's not feasible I kinda want a keyboard. But I remember you telling me that Capital Crocus Mall doesn't have an instrument shop." Lucia informed Angela of what she was looking for now that the prospect of getting additional clothing from here did not look so good.

"Yeah. The High Note has what you need. I can take you to it... if you'd like." Angela offered. That was another decision that did not take Lucia long to make.

"I'd like you to take me to The High Note, please." Lucia accepted the offer.

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-The High Note, fifty-five minutes later-

"And here we are, Lucia! This is The High Note!" Angela said the moment the duo stepped inside the door to the musical instrument shop. It had taken quite a bit of effort to get here. The foot traffic outside the mall was every bit as intense as the foot traffic inside of it and it had taken awhile to find this shop, but now they were inside of a compact musical instrument shop with a rectangular layout.

Lucia looked around The High Note and saw all kinds of musical instruments for sale. There were guitars on stands along the left wall. Both electric and acoustic guitars were offered with varying price tags depending on how much one was willing to pay for a guitar. Along the right wall were drum sets and a paper sign hanging that read "NO PLAYING THE DRUMS!" in all capital black letters scribbled in black marker.

Then there was a good selection of woodwind instruments in a glass display case near the back of the shop along the left wall after the guitar section ended. Lucia saw flutes, piccolos, clarinets, and oboes inside the display case, but she was not a woodwind instrument player. Woodwind instruments had been her late sister Melody Winchester's specialty and her woodwind instrument of choice had been the flute. Melody had also been good at the piano... in fact she was so good that she had been better than Lucia.

If Melody had lived longer there was no telling how good she would have gotten.

Lucia looked along the right wall after the drum section had ended and saw a glass display case of stringed instruments, mostly violas and violins. Seeing them reminded her of her late sister Katrina, who was the violinist of the family. Lucia turned away from that display case and looked for the keyboards.

"So, what do you think, Lucia?" Angela asked Lucia. Lucia turned to face the brunette and made eye contact with her.

"I'm impressed with the selection of musical instruments. There's quite a few instruments to choose from. I like this place." Lucia gave Angela her opinion of the store and its selection. The High Note was clean and neatly organized with clean and well-cared for instruments on display.

"I'm glad that you like this place, Lucia. I found it a few years ago and it's a nice place to go for musical instruments. I'm no musician, but I had a high school classmate who recommended this place. I drop by here every once in awhile just to look around." Angela told Lucia how she had discovered The High Note. Lucia gave a small smile.

"You said that you were looking for a keyboard, right?" Angela asked Lucia. The blonde nodded.

"Yes, Angela. I'm in the market for a keyboard since the place I live doesn't have enough space for me to buy a full-sized piano." Lucia replied in the affirmative.

"That's understandable. Maybe we can find something here that's to your liking!" Angela said. She pointed towards the back of the shop where a waist-high wooden counter with a cash register sat and the pair began to walk towards it. Lucia wondered what kinds of keyboards the shop offered.

When they reached the back of the store a tall and burly man with muscular arms emerged from the back door and leaned down on the counter. He was bald and wore a white t-shirt with blue jeans and sandals. He looked at the pair with narrowed brown eyes. He looked at Angela and sized her up for a moment, then smiled.

"Angela! Long time no see!" The man greeted the brunette in a deep voice.

"Hi Greg!" Angela greeted the man. Greg turned his eyes to Lucia.

"I see that you brought a friend with you today, Angela. Who might she be?" Greg asked the brunette.

"She's Lucia Winchester. She's the older sister of a friend of mine named Diana. Lucia's looking for a decent keyboard and I brought her here." Angela explained who the blonde at her side was and what she was doing here. Lucia raised a hand in greeting.

"So Lucia, you're looking for a keyboard, huh?" Greg asked Lucia. Lucia nodded.

"Yes sir. I'm looking for a keyboard. I'm accustomed to playing on a full-sized piano, but the place I live in isn't big enough to fit one." Lucia explained what she was after. Greg smiled.

"I think I got what you need, Lucia. As luck would have it, I have a few keyboards in inventory in the back." Greg told her. Lucia smiled.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see them, please." Lucia requested of the shop owner. He smiled again.

"It's no problem, Lucia. I'll go get them for you." Greg said. He stood up straight, turned around, and went through the door that led into the back of the shop. Angela turned to face Lucia.

"Greg's a pretty cool guy. He knows his stuff and he's really helpful." Angela assured Lucia that the man would be a big help when it came to picking out the right keyboard. Lucia would take Angela's word for it. The brunette knew Greg better than she did and if Angela was vouching for him he had to be a good guy.

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-Inside The High Note, twenty minutes later-

It had been twenty minutes since Greg had went into the back of the store to check his inventory for any keyboards he might have had in stock. Angela and Lucia had spent the time looking at each other and looking at the instruments in the display cases. Lucia was not really interested in purchasing another musical instrument because she only really knew how to play the piano, but she still could not help but to look at them anyway. She wished that she could have purchased and placed a full-sized piano in her room at Luminous Rose Guild Hall, but she would never dream of it. She would save such a luxury for when she got her own home.

Angela and Lucia were looking at each other when the door to the back of the shop opened and Greg emerged with a long rectangular cardboard box that he carried in one hand.

"I found one!" Greg announced in triumph. He gently placed the box on the counter to permit both young women a better view of his find. As Angela and Lucia began to look at the box Greg made eye contact with Lucia.

"I have both good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" He asked the blonde.

"I'll take the good news first, please." Lucia replied. She shuddered to think of what the bad news would be, but at least she would have the cushion of good news to balance what was to come.

"The good news is that you're looking at the last keyboard I have in inventory." Greg told her. That was not exactly the best "good news" that Lucia had heard, but at this point she would take what she could get.

"And what's the bad news, Greg?" Angela asked on Lucia's behalf.

"The bad news is that that's the last keyboard I have in stock. I looked and I looked but that was all I could find." Greg explained the bad news to Angela as Lucia quietly listened to what was being said.

"Unfortunately the bad news is a two-for-one special. This keyboard's a Yahmuhhai keyboard. It's a concert-grade musical instrument and because of that it's very expensive." Greg told the two young women. Lucia blinked while Angela's jaw dropped to the floor. After a few moments the brunette picked her jaw up and spoke to the shop owner.

"I'm kinda afraid to ask, but I have to know. How expensive are we talking about, Greg?" Angela asked the question that Lucia was reluctant to ask.

"I'm talkin' 100,000 Jewels kind of expensive." Greg told them plainly. Angela's face was eerily calm, but Lucia's jaw dropped all the way to the floor. 100,000 Jewels was way too expensive for Lucia's taste. It was also way too expensive for her budget. Well, that was not entirely true. She could afford it, but the purchase would take a sizable chunk out of her budget.

Angela locked eyes with Greg and smiled, then produced a platinum card of some kind.

"I want it." Angela said plainly while handing Greg the card. It did not take long for Lucia to figure out what was going on here.

Angela was going to buy the keyboard for her!

Lucia opened her mouth and started to protest, but by the time she could react it was way too late to prevent the transaction. Angela was already holding the receipt and the keyboard was being bagged up in a large white plastic bag with the store name printed in brass letters placed inside an open book of sheet music. The blonde could do nothing but accept the fait accompli that had just unfolded.

Angela grabbed the keyboard box and handed it to Lucia.

"Here you go, Lucia!" Angela said cheerfully. Lucia accepted the keyboard and felt like the weight of the world had just been dropped into her hands. She had not anticipated this happening and she definitely had not wanted Angela to buy the keyboard for her. All the blonde wanted to do was look at a keyboard, but here she was holding a brand-new concert-grade keyboard.

"Thanks, Angela. I didn't want you to do this for me, but... thank you." Lucia voiced what she was thinking. She hoped that Angela would not be insulted by Lucia's words. The blonde had not anticipated getting a keyboard this expensive and was overwhelmed by the generous gesture. She would owe Angela a big debt for the keyboard, but Lucia would gladly repay the debt because she did not like to owe anyone the kind of debt she had just incurred.

"Now let's go to my house. We'll talk more there." Angela suggested. Lucia, unable to speak at the moment, nodded her agreement to the proposal.

"Later, Greg! Thanks for your help!" Angela cheerfully bade Greg farewell. The burly shop owner waved at her with a smile.

"No Angela, thank YOU for your patronage!" Greg bade the brunette farewell. Lucia felt obligated to thank the burly man for his assistance.

"Thank you for your help today." Lucia thanked Greg with total sincerity. The blonde was still overwhelmed by emotion, so she kept her sentences short and sweet.

"You're welcome, Lucia. Have a nice day!" Greg bade her. Lucia waved goodbye and turned to follow Angela out of the shop and begin the trip towards her home. Lucia wondered what other surprises her birthday had in store for her.

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-Angela's House, thirty-six minutes later-

"And here we are! This is my place!" Angela announced to Lucia, sweeping her hand like a game show hostess towards the living room as Lucia wiped her feet off on a mat at the door and entered Angela's house. The foyer was an average foyer with nothing special about it. The living room, on the other hand, had more to it.

Dominating the living room was a large 72" flatscreen television mounted on the wall. There was a large brown leather couch facing the television along with two brown cloth chairs sitting along the right side of the living room. On the walls were numerous framed family photos of a smiling family, presumably Angela's family. Lucia did not look too closely at those.

"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about paying me back all the Jewels that I just spent on the Yahmuhhuh keyboard." Angela said as the latter took off her shoes. Lucia realized that she had not take off her boots and hastened to do so before she walked any further into Angela's house.

"You're right. That's exactly what I'm thinking." Lucia replied calmly. 100,000 Jewels was not exactly pocket change for the blonde. Not right now, anyway. Angela laughed.

"You're like your sister in that you don't want to owe a debt to anyone, but far less aggressive about it." Angela commented. Lucia made eye contact with her hostess.

"When I say that I mean that your sister really doesn't like being indebted to anyone. She goes out of her way to avoid debts and won't accept a favor from anyone until she's sure that she won't owe anything in return." Angela elaborated. Lucia frowned. That uncertainty was an unwelcome reminder of the attitude of their parents, who insisted that nothing was free and that every interaction with other people was a business transaction. There was a degree of truth to that belief, but Elizabeth and George Winchester took that belief a little too far and hammered it into their children that everyone they met had an angle.

"It was all I could do to get her to accept your Lacrima Identification Code a few months ago. I don't think that Diana sees what I did for her as a favor. She probably thinks she still owes me something and that I'm gonna call in that debt any day now." Angela continued. Lucia closed her eyes.

"I remember you telling me that a while back, but it's still true. Diana thinks that you want something else and you're waiting for the right time to call in the debt she owes you." Lucia replied, borrowing Angela's own phrase.

"I can kinda see where she's coming from, but it'd be nice if she learned that not everyone's out to exploit her." Angela expressed the wish that Diana would trust people a little more when they said that a favor was a favor. Lucia was not going to hold her breath on that one. Whatever her parents had done to Diana to distort her outlook on life, it was way too late to reverse it.

"I doubt that's going to happen any time soon, Angela. Maybe she'll change one day, but it's gonna take a lot of time for that to happen." Lucia replied but held out hope that Diana might change for the better someday. However, the blonde made it a point to point out that Diana's outlook was not going to change overnight.

"I can't force her to change, so all I can do is hope that she'll come around one day." Angela said.

"I know that you're not gonna leave your debt to me unpaid, Lucia. I can tell that you and Diana share that trait. You'd run to your home right now and get the money if you could." Angela opined.

"Yes I would." Lucia replied calmly and succinctly. She was not going to leave the debt unpaid. As soon as it was humanly possible she was going to go to Luminous Rose Guild Hall, get the 100,000 Jewels she owed Angela, and hurry back to Capital Crocus with the money. Then she would pay off Angela and that would be the end of the matter.

"I'm gonna be in class at Crocus Magicka University in a few hours, so I won't be here by the time you get back even if you were to leave right now, Lucia. I'll give you a month to pay it back, but I know it won't take you that long to pay me back." Angela gave a very generous timeframe in which to pay back the debt. Lucia was almost floored, but she was not going to argue with it. She had the money on hand... the trick was bringing it to Capital Crocus and making sure that Angela got her hands on it.

"All right then. What's the earliest time of day you're available?" Lucia asked Angela.

"I'm usually awake around 7:00 A.M. on the weekdays and 11:00 A.M. on the weekends. I have classes on the weekdays, so you stand the best chance of catching me then." Angela replied with everything Lucia needed to know.

"Got it." Lucia replied. Now that she had learned what she needed to know she was going to be back first thing in the morning with Angela's money. Lucia was not going to have a debt of 100,000 Jewels hanging over her head if she could help it.

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[Total Word Count: 7,180/10,000]

"You'll be back first thing tomorrow morning with the money, won't you?" Angela asked jokingly.

"I certainly will." Lucia replied with total sincerity. Angela had made the remark in jest, but that was Lucia's plan in a nutshell.

"You didn't have to pay me back, Lucia. I intended the Yahmuhhuh keyboard to be a birthday gift." Angela said. Lucia was not having that.

"I'm paying you back, Angela." Lucia affirmed politely but firmly. She did not want that debt over her head and she was going to pay it back the first thing tomorrow. Once she got back to Luminous Rose Guild Hall she would make a beeline for her room and put the money together so that she would have it ready to go for the return trip to Capital Crocus first thing in the morning.

"All right then, Lucia. I'll see you first thing tomorrow." Angela said half-jokingly. The brunette could poke fun at Lucia's plan if she wanted, but Lucia was completely serious. Maybe 100,000 Jewels was pocket change to the brunette, but to the blonde mage that was a big chunk of money. Lucia decided to let the matter drop and did not say anything in response to that last statement.

"Do you need me to leave so that you can get ready for classes?" Lucia asked Angela. The brunette nodded. Lucia started to walk away with the bag containing her new concert-grade keyboard but then thought better of it. Instead she deposited it in the living room as Angela watched.

"I'll come back tomorrow with the money. In the meantime keep the keyboard as insurance." Lucia said. Angela looked at her with incredulity, but the blonde would not be moved. Lucia was not taking the keyboard until it was fully paid for. She had waited to get a keyboard this long, so waiting one more day was a minor inconvenience.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Angela." Lucia said before turning around and walking to where she had put her boots, then put them on and tied the laces. She then walked towards the door and let herself out. She would come back tomorrow and pay off the debt, then have the keyboard free and clear.

-Capital Coffee, forty-five minutes later-

Having made her way to Capital Coffee with her shopping bags of clothes in tow, Lucia had entered the coffee shop and was waiting in line behind a line of university students who were talking excitedly about exams, campus gossip, and whatever else came to mind. She was fifteenth in line, so she was going to be here awhile.

While she waited Lucia listened to the music on the overhead speakers and noted that it was a generic pop song from an artist she did not recognize. Lucia turned her attention back to the line and watched it shrink a little as two people in line ordered their drinks and paid for them. She moved up and resumed waiting for her turn to order. Once she got up to the counter it would not take her long to make her order because she knew exactly what she wanted, which was a double espresso to go.

-Capital Coffee, thirty-two minutes later-

It had taken a lot longer than Lucia had anticipated for her to get her turn to order a beverage because most of the people ahead of her had been first-time patrons of Capital Coffee and thus did not know what they wanted, but Lucia took the wait in stride. It was not like she had anything else to do today. She had already done all of the clothes shopping that she was going to do and she had already obtained a keyboard thanks to Angela Helton's generosity. All that remained to be done was to pay Angela the money for the keyboard and that would be the end of the matter.

Now she was at the counter facing a young female employee with dark brown hair and green eyes. Lucia quickly placed her order and paid for it, a process which took roughly two minutes. She then went to an area to the left of the counter to wait for her drink to be delivered. While she waited she looked at the seating area and saw that it was full. There was not a single table or white pod chair left for her to claim, so her decision to order the drink to go had been a wise one.

Roughly seven minutes after placing the order Lucia received her drink in a white styrofoam cup and thanked the employee who had brought it to her, then slowly and carefully began to make her way towards the exit of the coffee shop with her beverage and shopping bags in tow. It was going to be a long walk back to Luminous Rose Guild Hall, so she had better get going while the foot traffic outside was not so thick that it slowed travel to a crawl.

[Post Word Count: 830]
[Total Word Count: 8,010/10,000]

-Capital Crocus, Angela's house, the next day, 7:00 A.M.-

Standing outside Angela Helton's door at 7:00 A.M. the next morning just like she had said she would, Lucia was holding the bag of Jewels she owed and had promised the brunette. With her was Will the robot. Will was here because Lucia wanted protection from local hoodlums without having to carry Shining Light with her.

Lucia was holding a big bag of Jewels that required both of her hands to hold and was traveling early in the morning. That would have made her a tempting target for local hoodlums looking for an easy target and when she was a block from her destination two or three sketchy-looking people did show an interest in the blonde and it was not because they considered her attractive. Thankfully Will sent them packing with a withering glare and a few steps towards the individuals in question, so they got nowhere near her. That was good because Lucia did not want things to end in violence even if it was justified.

"Do you want me to knock for you?" Will offered without sarcasm.

"Yes, please." Lucia replied politely. Will knocked on Angela's door for Lucia and stepped back. Roughly a minute later Angela was standing at the door dressed in a pink Crocus Magicka University t-shirt and black gym shorts. The brunette saw the big bag of Jewels and smiled.

"When you make a promise, you certainly keep it." Angela commented on the sight of Lucia holding a big bag of Jewels. The brunette then looked towards Will.

"I see you brought a friend with you." Angela added.

"Will's a good friend of mine. I brought him here as an escort because I had both hands full with this bag and I'll need him to escort me back home once I claim the keyboard." Lucia explained why she had brought the gray-clad robot with her.

"That makes sense." Angela commented. She then stepped aside.

"Why don't you two come on in?" Angela offered for the pair to enter her house so that they could talk inside instead of having to stand outside.

"Certainly." Will replied.

"Gladly." Lucia replied. Together Lucia and Will entered Angela's home and Angela shut the door behind them.

-Inside Angela's house, the foyer-

"Before we do anything else, let's settle the debt." Angela said in a serious tone. Lucia nodded and stepped forward, handing over the bag of Jewels. Angela opened it and looked inside, then closed it.

"All right, Lucia. You've kept up your end of the bargain. You've paid me back the 100,000 Jewels for the keyboard and I consider the debt paid off. You don't owe me anything else." Angela told Lucia. Angela walked to the back of her home for a moment, then returned to the living room where Lucia and Will were standing.

"Now that that's settled, you can claim the keyboard." Angela informed Lucia that the debt was settled once and for all and that the blonde was now free to take what was hers.

"Thanks, Angela." Lucia replied to the statement. The blonde was glad that the debt was considered settled now and forever. Now she could play the keyboard without the issue of her debt to Angela lurking in the back of her mind.

"It's no problem, Lucia." Angela replied with a smile. She then pointed towards the living room.

"Your keyboard's in there. I knew you'd be back for it today, so I left it right where you set it down." Angela informed Lucia of where the keyboard was. Lucia walked into the living room and found it exactly where she had left it. Will walked into the living room and offered Lucia a helping hand with the long and bulky box. Will picked it up for Lucia and held it in his hands with no visible strain whatsoever.

"Do you have class in a few hours?" Lucia asked her hostess.

"Yeah, I've got Literature and Biology this morning. Those are my least favorite classes." Angela answered with obvious displeasure. Lucia heard the response and knew that she had better leave so that Angela could prepare for class.

"In that case I'll be going so that I don't keep you from getting ready, Angela. Thanks again for purchasing the keyboard for me." Lucia informed Angela of her impending departure. The brunette smiled.

"OK, Lucia. See you later!" Angela bade Lucia farewell. Lucia waved goodbye and walked towards the door with Will carrying the precious cargo. Lucia opened the door and let Will pass through first, then went out the door and gently closed it behind her.

Lucia was now on her way back to Luminous Rose Guild Hall with her prize. She would take it back to her room and set it up. Chances were high that she would play a few musical pieces on it as soon as she set it up despite the fact that she should be looking for "serious" work now that her birthday shopping trip was over and her debt to Angela had been paid in full.

[Post Word Count: 850]
[Total Word Count: 8,860/10,000]

-The next day, Capital Crocus-

Yesterday Lucia had set up her keyboard in her room and had started playing it. She had played a few pieces she remembered from childhood and was halfway through Chopin's Nocture Op.9 No.2 when she realized that something was amiss.

There was nothing wrong with the keyboard itself. It played perfectly and sounded very much like a piano. It was a very good substitute for a full-sized piano and Lucia was glad that Angela had been generous enough to buy it for her. Rather the problem lay in the kind of music Lucia had played on it.

The Luminous Rose mage had started playing her classical music favorites and it was partway through Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata that she realized that she had forgotten to get a book or two of sheet music to go with it. While it was not an absolute must-have, it would be nice to learn some new classical music pieces to play besides just a few of classical music's "greatest hits" that everyone knew like Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and Chopin's Nocture Op.9 No.2. With the goal of finding a book or two of sheet music Lucia returned to Capital Crocus to find a store that sold some.

Dressed in her usual casual outfit complete with black handbag to contain the Jewels she had set aside to buy the sheet music with, Lucia began to walk towards The High Note. Since the store had sold her the keyboard to start with it was a logical step to begin her search there. Carefully making her way through the teeming crowds of pedestrians, Lucia began to retrace her steps to the music shop. It would take awhile to get there, but today time was no object for the blonde.

-Inside The High Note, forty-six minutes later-

The crowds had been pretty thick and they had gotten thicker the deeper she had moved into the city, but that was to be expected from a city of this size. Lucia had entered the shop without incident and was now making her way to the back to ask Greg whether The High Note sold sheet music or not. The blonde had taken seven steps into the shop when Greg appeared from the back and spotted her.

"Hey Lucia! How's it going?" Greg asked her in a jovial manner. Lucia raised a hand in greeting and waited until she was where Greg could hear her before speaking.

"It's going great, Greg." Lucia answered. Greg leaned on the back counter.

"What can I do for ya? How's the keyboard workin' out?" He asked her.

"It's working out well, Greg. It's definitely concert-grade. It sounds almost like a full-sized piano." Lucia told him. The burly man smiled.

"Great. I bet I know what you're here for." He said to her.

"Really?" Lucia asked in a tone free of sarcasm.

"Yeah. You want some sheet music, right?" He asked her.

"Yes. How did you know?" Lucia asked him. Greg smiled.

"I had a feeling that you'd be back for some sheet music. Since you bought an expensive Yahmuhhai keyboard I feel that you're pretty serious about learning how to play it. Not too many people buy that kind of instrument on a lark." Greg told her. That was sound reasoning that the blonde did not challenge.

"I used to play the piano when I was younger, so I already have a degree of musical experience. One day I want to buy a full-sized piano like the one I used to play when I was a child." Lucia told him of her musical experience. She was nowhere near as good as Melody Winchester, but Greg did not need to know that.

"I figured that you had some experience. But you didn't come here to chat with me. Lemme grab ya a sheet music book or two. What are ya after?" Greg inquired.

"Do you have any classical music?" Lucia asked. Greg smiled.

"You bet. Lemme go into the back and I'll find ya some I've got a few books lyin' around somewhere... there's not a whole lotta demand for piano music." He said. He walked into the back of the store and Lucia patiently waited for him in front of the counter. She was in no hurry.

-The High Note, seventeen minutes later-

Lucia saw Greg emerge from the back of the store with a handful of sheet music books. He gently set them on the counter and spread them out for Lucia. She counted nine total.

"OK Lucia, here we go. Nine books of classical music. It's a mix of composers like Liszt, Beethoven, Mozart, Satie, Chopin... and there's a couple of books with music from a wide variety of composers." Greg told her what he had managed to find for her. Lucia was pleased to hear those names. She was familiar with Beethove, Mozart, and Chopin, but she had a little knowledge of Liszt, namely through his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. The emphasis was on "a little" because she had not learned any other pieces composed by him.

"So, which ones will ya buy?" Greg asked her. Lucia folded her arms across her chest and looked at the books that had been set out before her. All of them were good choices for expanding her musical repertoire, so choosing which ones to buy was going to be tough.

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Lucia looked over all of the books and did her best to try and decide which ones she wanted to buy.

Beethoven was an easy choice.

So was Mozart.

Chopin was another guaranteed pick.

As for the rest of them, choosing from them was going to be slightly harder. Lucia was going to buy one of the books with an assortment of composers, but she was not sure which one she wanted. Since she had already picked three of her favorite composers she had a little wiggle room to choose something different.

"I'm definitely getting Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin." Lucia announced so that she did not keep Greg waiting for too long. He obligingly picked them up and set them off to the left of the other books, leaving the other six for her to choose from. Lucia turned her attention to the books with an assortment of composers. One had a blue cover and the other had a yellow cover.

"I'll take the blue book of assorted composers, please." Lucia informed him of another choice. He obligingly set it aside for her. She then turned her attention back to the other books.

Lucia thought about what to buy next. She was not sure whether she should walk away with what she had or press her luck and buy another book in the hope of finding some good music to learn to play. Her attention was focused on whether to buy either Liszt or the other book of assorted composers.

Lucia wanted to learn some music not written by her favorite three composers. She was genuinely interested in Liszt, but on the other hand she was also interested in the contents of the other book. She thought about it for a moment before making a choice.

Why not both?

"I'll take both Liszt and the other book of assorted composers." Lucia stated. Greg smiled as he set those two books aside along with her other picks.

"And I think I'll stop there." Lucia informed Greg.

"OK then. I'll go ahead and ring these up for ya." He said. He took the books she had picked to the cash register and rang them up. He gave her the total and Lucia fished out the Jewels necessary to pay him. He took the Jewels and printed out a receipt, then bagged the books for her before dropping the receipt into the bag.

"OK Lucia, here ya go." He said, handing the bag to her. Lucia took it from him.

"Thank you for your help today." Lucia thanked Greg for helping her find some sheet music.

"I'm glad to help." Greg assured her. Lucia took the bag into her right hand and waved goodbye.

"I'll see you later, Greg." Lucia bade farewell to the shop owner. He waved back.

"See ya later, Lucia." He bade her farewell in return. With that Lucia turned around and began to walk towards the shop exit. She had gotten what she came for and then some. She was going to have a lot of reading to do and a lot of musical pieces to learn.

[Post Word Count: 518]
[Total Word Count: 10,280/10,000]