go your own way.

the woman made a point, if the shop hadn't have been in town, she would have had to travel into dallas, which wouldn't have been a problem considering she was there so much. it was convenient. "people do say it's the universal language. after being in new york for so long sometimes i forget how popular country music is down here too, it wouldn't surprise me if every couple of houses on the block had an acoustic guitar."

Caroline nodded her head at the woman's statement. "I do give a lot of guitar lessons." She mused, before finally processing the other thing that the woman revealed. "You lived in New York?" She asked, her tone somehow perking up a bit. "I lived in New York when I first moved to the States. Wonderful city, isn't it?" She remarked, as Joe came back with the guitar.

Matt looked up, fingers tapping against his to go cup of coffee. Usually, he was a basic coffee with cream and two sugars kinda guy, but today for some reason he'd opted for a little bit of pumpkin flavoring. It was warm for October, but he could pretend otherwise. "Hey, Caroline. Good to see you. Wanna sit?" He gestured to the spot opposite him, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Things are good. Can't complain. We replaced the lightbulb that at one point I was convinced would put a hex on me if I blinked wrong, so safe to say we're not cursed. I think my newest problem--if you can call it that-- is being a fifth wheel to Mick and her guy and Javi and the girl he's sweet on. So, you know, just another day." He took a sip of his coffee. "How 'bout you?”

"Mickey and Aslan are doing well then?" She asked, when Matty revealed that he felt like a fifth wheel to those two couples. She was happy to hear that - she adored both of those people individually. "Maybe you just need to get on those dating apps if you're feeling lonely." Caroline suggested. "Not that I have much luck on them. But I'm not looking for a relationship." She added, with a shrug.

"Really? I'd love that, just let me know what works best for you. I'll have Aslan text you my number, okay?" Mickey was genuinely glad Caroline was up for getting dinner. She knew Aslan and Caroline were friends, and it was nice to see that she'd be able to get to know the woman even better. Where she usually struggled to befriend women, Caroline had been quick to be supportive and understanding toward Mickey, and that went a long way. "Well, obviously the music has to be the best part," she teased with a wink. "Otherwise, you could do a million things to talk to people." Reaching for the guitar strings and her receipt, Mickey gave Caroline a wide smile as she took a few steps backward toward the door. "Thank you again for all your help, Caroline. I'm really looking forward to dinner."

"Oh. Really? Thanks." Leo straightened up a bit, beaming with pride. He really liked working at the store--it gave him a chance to flex his knowledge of music and and felt a little like a safety net. At her question, he couldn't help but grin. "They're good. Things with the band are always good, though. Just the right sprinkle of chaos. How's Oliver doing?"

"What else could a bond possibly need?" She joked, with a small chortle. "Are you guys hoping to make it big?" She asked curiously, since she knew it was different for everyone. Personally, Caroline didn't really want fame. It's just music has always been her calling and she wanted nothing more than to work with it. She was happy running a store and teaching music. "Oliver is doing great."

"it's always nice to be able to support local business — i'm kind of surprised you had one in store but it's made this experience so much easier for me." as joe went to retrieve the guitar, charlie scanned her card to pay before placing it back in her purse, "what is the business like here in town for you, just out of curiosity?"

"Well, it's the only music store in town so it does pretty well." She said, in answer to the woman's question. "It filled a hole in the local market." She added, with a small laugh. "No matter where you go, people are going to be interested in playing music. It's so intertwined into every single culture."

"Just trying to do good by them. They deserve more than what we had." Not to rag on his parents. His dad was great. Mom could have used a gentler hand, but that was bygones the moment she left earthside. "You'd think but nope. The only one that had us spending money were her music lessons. The rest of her activities are brought on by the Fort Worth YMCA and after-school actitvies. We are so thankful for YMCA's that invest in our kids' futures. Lau and I pay it forward, though. We donate to them and all the places our kids make their stomping grounds so others have the same opportunities. What good is it being business owners if we don't give back, you know? Besides, can't recommend the Fort Worth YMCA enough. Their outdoor education programs helped our kids a ton. My youngest went from a shy kid to one who isn't afraid to speak up in front of others."

"The YMCA is really good." Caroline said, nodding her head in agreement. It wasn't really something her family utilized when she was younger, but it would definitely be something she would use as Oliver got older. "That's how I feel about music, I was lucky enough to have lessons and it changed my life. I want to make sure everyone can access them." The low-income family program she had in her store was one she was very proud of.

"Exactly!" Mickey laughed, glad Caroline understood her mindset. "I know logically they all get their own wear and tear, but it just feels like they should all be on the same page!" Mickey paid for the guitar strings, grateful that Caroline was so kind to her. She knew Aslan valued the woman's friendship, and Mickey was honestly a big fan of her, too. "Well, at least we know I will always be putting you to work," she teased. "We should get together sometime. We can get coffee or dinner. That way I wouldn't feel as terrible talking your ear off for too long in case you need to work."

"I would love to have dinner at some point." Caroline said, as she put the money through the cash register. "And chatting to customers is part of the job, so don't worry." She added, with a smile. "My favorite part that doesn't involve actually playing music, actually." She added - she always loved talking to people. Even when she worked in a horrible supermarket.

Matt breathed out a laugh, scrunching his nose. "Well, like. Yes. But it's complicated. Aren't most, if not all, sibling relationships complicated?" He chewed on the inside of his lower lip for a moment. "Typical sibling rivalry, our dad instilled this heavy competition in us and that kinda ruined....well, a lot of things. That's just my side of things, but I don't really have the right to speak on Mickey's behalf. I'd be lying if I said the reparation of our relationship wasn't at least part of the reason for being here. But it just worked out like that." He nodded at her. "You got any siblings?"

Caroline frowned at Matt's explanation of his relationship with his sister, it sounded kind of sad. She hoped that if she ever lucky enough to give Oliver siblings - have that big family she dreams of - that they just simply loved each other. But it was nice to see the man committed to repairing that relationship. "Oh no, I'm an only child."

"Ah, thanks. Just part of the academic journey," he said with a shrug. He hadn't considered just how interesting it was, just seemed like part of his obligations. "Are you much of a traveler?" He listened to her answer, keeping it simple. Isaac supposed he was expecting too much, a deep dive or more context to it. Forgetting he was essentially talking to a stranger. Then again, he supposed he was accustomed to just receiving more context from the get go. Blessing or curse from his previous career. "Damn, since you were a kid? That sounds like a while. So, music was your first love?" Isaac couldn't really disagree with that, scenic was really the only way he could describe Lakeside. "I think that's definitely your unique perspective, enjoying walking around here. Like I said, might just need to see things through your eyes. Happy to walk down the road with you," raising his hands up fairly quickly, a smoothie still in one hand, he added, "not a stalker, I swear. Just trying something new, I suppose."

"I have traveled a bit, but not so much anymore." Caroline said, in answer to his question. "Mummy, we go to England every Christmas!" Oliver protested, to which Caroline laughed and gave her son a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "I know, darling. But that's just to see grandma and grandpa." She explained. "When we're older we can go to other places, too!"

pulling out her bank card to pay, charlotte didn't even bat an eyelid at the price, a chuckle escaping at the woman's words, "that's no problem." even if the guitar corey wanted was more expensive, she would have happily paid it knowing that it was worth every dollar. "i appreciate your help with this. it's made getting this guitar so much easier than any other alternative."

Was Caroline dealing with some rich customer? That wasn't something to complain about at all. She set up the card reader for the woman before speaking again. "I appreciate your patronage." She said, before calling one of her employees over. "Joe, get one of these guitars from the back then put this one back on display."

He was grateful when she didn’t press or pry into what he’d meant when he’d briefly touched on the once-bright future he’d pissed away. Javi still hadn’t figured out how to talk about it, and he knew that was largely afraid of judgment over his prison stint. So many people heard prison and automatically assumed the worst and sometimes that was just too much to take for him. He’d much rather talk about gaming. “Sonic is a classic. The graphics are so much nicer than when we were kids,” he chuckled, his mind forever blown on just how far certain technologies had come. “I’m Javi, by the way,” he introduced before he got so swept up into talking about gaming that he forgot.

"I don't know, I kind of like the pixel art style." Caroline said, at the mention of better graphics. She wasn't an avid gamer, but she did go through stints where she'd play video games as a kid. With Jonathan being into video games, she also found herself on his console from time to time when she couldn't sleep at night. She often opted for more relaxing games, though. "I'm Caroline, nice to meet you Javi."