Forza Forte

Opening Baggage

"Hey, Lucas, come help me with these boxes!" Sunny says while next to a couple of taped-up boxes. Lucas walks through the beaded curtain door into the shop while rubbing his eyes. "Good morning to you, too," Lucas says, yawning. "What's all this?" Sunny smiles at him, "they're shipments of records we just got in! Let's see if we got any goodies." Lucas walks up to Sunny as they start to take the tape off of the boxes. "That's pretty cool! Anything special you're hoping for?" Lucas says while moving one package onto the counter. "Well, you can't go wrong with more rap. I hope to find some unknown artists and give them the courtesy to hear their stories." Lucas pulls out some records and stares at the cover, "how do we even know what genre they are?" Sunny goes over to the vinyl player in the wall and plays a record, "that's the easy part. We listen and see where to put them. Some are full albums, while some are just singles." An acoustic guitar melody plays out while a tenor voice sings melodic lyrics about a woman with a group of male voices singing chords in the background. "Ah, I haven't heard this one in years." Lucas nods while he puts the artist's vinyl that he already knows onto shelves. "This song isn't bad, but not near their top 10 songs." Sunny shakes his head while taking the vinyl off and putting it on a shelf, "I didn't know you knew them, but even if that were true, it doesn't matter. Each album had a uniqueness to it. They were always trying new sounds and truly pioneered for a lot of not only artists but producers and engineers in general!"
Lucas looks at an album cover with a group of guys in front of mountains. He plays it on the vinyl before noticing the stacks of records Sunny put in front of different genre shelves. "Those just need to be sorted and put on the shelf, if you don't mind." Lucas starts to put them up when synths play with a trumpet and melodic piano chords. "Aye, youngin, what you know about this?" Sunny says while doing a little dance to the music. "I didn't know. That's why I played it," Lucas laughs while looking around to see if he missed some stacks of records. Sunny is dancing, snapping his fingers while Lucas's phone chimes. He notices it's a text message from Shanice and immediately checks.
-Hey, sorry for freaking out on you the other day. I was hoping you'd might wanna meet up at the galleria and I can explain it to you while I shop.-
Lucas takes a deep breath then  breathes out  before texting, -throw in like a tour around the city, and you got a deal- "hey sunny, do you mind if I take off a little early to swing by the Galleria?" Sunny takes the vinyl off and puts it on a shelf, "of course! That reminds me, I owe you something." Bright walks over and hands Lucas money, "you've been working here a couple of weeks now and definitely earned your fair share." Lucas pushes the money back, "it's okay Sunny! I appreciate you letting me stay here. You don't owe me anything." Sunny shakes his head, "No, I wouldn't feel right. You've been working hard and making it feel lively around here. It's the least I can do." Lucas takes the money and puts it into his pocket, "well, thank you, Sunny. I appreciate it! I'll probably pick up some new clothes while I'm out then. Shanice said she wanted to meet up and apologize for the other night." Sunny smiles, "I told you it would work out. She just needed some time. Remember to be aware of your surroundings. Forza Forte is unpredictable, and you can't let yourself get careless." Lucas nods his head, "yessir noted. Appreciate it!" Sunny waves before going through the beaded doorway.

~Shanice and Lucas soon meet up together at the Galleria~

"I was wondering when you would show up!" Shanice says with a smile while Lucas walks up to her. "My bad, I was finishing up work, plus the traffic out here is ridiculous," Lucas says with a smirk as they begin to walk around. "Let's grab some lunch here. I'm starving," Lucas says, stretching out his arms while looking towards the food court. "Dang, you just got here and already trying to sit down?" Shanice says, slightly pushing on Lucas's arm. Lucas laughs, "of course, I haven't eaten since breakfast!" A group of girls bumps into Lucas while running toward a makeup shop. "What the fuck? Watch where you're going! Man, is it always this busy and rowdy?" They sit at a table and stare at how packed the Galleria is. "Yeah, for the most part, but I think it's hectic today because of a makeup artist doing a meet and greet." Lucas is distracted, looking at the different food options, "yeah, that sounds lame, but to each their own," Lucas says while focusing on a burger spot. "Lucas! Is that you?" A voice says from behind them while Lucas jumps from hearing his voice. He sees a crowd of people and focuses in between to see a beautiful woman in the middle waving at him with a smile. "Dude! That's who I was talking about! You know Callista Vanity?" Shanice says, smiling in excitement. Lucas's eyes widen while the two lock eyes from a distance, "oh no."