2010-05-16: Guitar Strings

Players:

Hosea_icon.jpg Kenta_icon.jpg Lucas_icon.jpg

Summary: Lucas doesn't exactly trust Hosea.

Date: May 16, 2010

Log Title Guitar Strings

Rating: PG


Xavier Mansion - Japanese Gardens

A large area of the grounds is landscaped with a Japanese Garden. A river filled with coi fish runs through the middle with a wooden bridge. There is even a small waterfall splashing on the rocks. Bamboo can be heard clacking on the rocks. A small statue of a Buddha can be found in various places. The trees hang over the area and when the flowers are in bloom, it brings a variety of color to the peaceful landscape


To not many people's surprise, as it's a very usual way to find Kenta, he's sitting in the garden with his guitar in his lap and cigarette dangling from his lips. He's not singing, not tonight, as he's too busy with filling his lungs full of smoke. There's a bottle of water next to him as he leans against a small tree. He presses the strings of the acoustic hard, to give it more of a louder, rougher edge, to the random song he's playing. It's supposed to have lyrics but Kenta isn't singing right now, so it's a lot of chords and not a set melody.

Lucas is walking along the path, out of the graveyard. He's carrying an old, worn notebook in his gloved hand. He's wearing a pair of khaki, cargo shorts and a wife beater. His stringy blond hair is messy and curls out from under an army green square-topped beret. He notices Kenta, and pauses, watching him. He's doing some kind of, 'should I go over there' debate.

With a massive white smile and wild hair, Hosea, the recent African addition to the school comes walking through the garden. He's been here a little more than a week, but he's still amazed by the place he finds himself. He is smelling flowers in the garden, and examining the artwork on the pots. As he crosses the bridge, he spots the Buddha statue, and looks curiously at it, tilting his head to one side. He focuses on the spot in front of the statue, and then takes a step forward.
He doesn't land in front of him, instead, he lands in the water, suddenly appearing near the shore up to his knees. He quickly hops out of the water, laughing at his failure to arrive in front of the statue, and holds up something bound in leather to keep it from getting wet as he shakes the water from his feet. Whatever is bound in the leather, it looks old and rather well used. It is held together with a strand of twine. He goes over to the statue, and mimicks its position, and then the raised hand waves at the statue, he shrugs, and turns around, spotting Kenta with his music, but not yet having taken note of Lucas.

At the sound of someone suddenly in the water, Kenta stops playing and looks up, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "You know, there's a pool at this school for swimming purposes and you don't have to worry about bothering the koi fish there." He says with a raised eyebrow and looking at Hosea with his solid black eyes. And only because Hosea looked up does Kenta spot Lucas on his way from the Graveyard. "Hey Lucas, how's the badass Paragon doing?"

Lucas sighs, almost as if he's annoyed he was just spotted, even though he wasn't hiding. He shrugs, "Ah ain't really the badass. Ah reckon that's prolly James." He folds his arms over his chest, tucking the rolled notebook into his back pocket, taking a few steps over towards Kenta. "What was that you was playin'?"

With a smile still on the tall dark man's face, he answers Kenta. "I am vedy sorry," he says. His voice is deep and rich, thick with a Nigerian accent. "I have been trying to use my powah." He walks away from the statue, toward the guitarist and the blond haired teen.
As he grows closer, his height becomes more obvious. He stands a solid 6'7", and while he is quite thin, he is built like a mack truck, his muscles bulging from his chest and arms and legs. "Your music is vedy good. You have a strong talent. My name is Hosea Ikbuku," he introduces himself, holding out his large hand to Kenta first, and assuming it is taken, he walks to Lucas and offers the same.

Kenta is sitting down so unless Hosea is bending down quite a bit, Kenta can't take the hand. "Oh yeah, you're not a badass Lucas, the guy with hands like yours." He says with a grin as he knows that Lucas has quite a bit of potential. "I was just playing something I wrote a few years back. Just kind of going through the motions, ya know." Kenta says with a shrug. "I'm Kenta, the music teacher here.

Lucas smirks, and nods, "Ah don't like to think brag that Ah could kill them all." He looks at Hosea, looks at the extended hand, says, "Hey," and then looks back at Kenta, otherwise ignoring Hosea. "It was pretty alright. Ah recorded somethin' for Rash with Connor's help. If'n it weren't too much trouble, Ah thought maybe Ah might play it for ya at some point…?"

Hosea did bend down so that Kenta could shake, and from the vantage point, a scar that runs from the left ear down under his jaw and across his throat can be seen. For Lucas' decline to the handshake, it doesn't seem to phase the African a bit. "You teach music?" he asks Kenta, though he also looks to Lucas with his comment. "That is vedy good. I do like to play music as well. You must make wonderful music." His white smile broadens.

Kenta takes a long drag of his cigarette, nodding to both HOsea and Lucas in regards to their questions. "Yup I'm the music teacher and sure Lucas, that sounds great. Anytime you want me to check something out musically let me know." He says letting out an exhale of smoke. "So Lucas, how is that guitar working for you? She okay?" He wants to make sure Lucas is finding an okay fit with the instrument.

Lucas nods, and shuffles his feet in an odd moment of sheepishness. "It's right fine, sir." He smiles, "Ah reckon Ah'm gonna need to restring it soon. Ah done about wore 'em out already." He glances at Hosea, then back at Kenta. "Ah'll email you the MP3 file."

Hosea arches his brow, and takes a step back, but his smile remains. His thumb idly rubs the leather wrapped object in his left hand, but he doesn't add any comments, simlpy listening to the other two talk for the moment.

"Let me know if you need someone to go with you to the music store, I'll be happy to tag along." Kenta says as he could stand to get some new strings himself. "And Lucas…none of that sir business, it's just Kenta." He says with a chuckle and finishes off his cigarette. "No problem, I'll be on the look out for it." He says before turning to look at Hosea. "So how long have you been here?"

Lucas nods, "That'd be great. Next week, after the allowances get handed out." He looks at Hosea, and adds to Kenta's question, "…and how long until you leave?"

Hosea taps his chin at Kenta's question. "I think…" he says, "I have been in dis school for now a little more than one week." He smiles. At Lucas' addition, he turns his head. Even this doesn't cause his smile doesn't drop, but he gains a more sober tone. "I am sorry friend, have I done something to upset you?" he asks. "I am afraid I make mistakes in American customs, and I apologize."

Kenta facepalm's at Lucas's question to Hosea and unlike most teachers, he doesn't say anything. He's kind of amused but it but he just shakes his head. "Don't worry about it Hosea, you're just getting the friendly Lucas treatment." He says before nodding to Lucas. "Though Lucas, I hope you don't mind six year olds cause I'll have my son with me next Saturday."

Lucas just rolls his eyes at Hosea and doesn't answer. He does, however, unfold his arms. Looking back to Kenta, he shrugs, "Nah. Ah hear he's right cool. Be good to meet the little turd you keep yammerin' about," he says, with a laugh. He runs his left hand casually over his back pocket, making sure his wallet's still there.

The gesture of Lucas is not lost on Hosea. He's a remarkably observant young man. If he wasn't, he'd have been dead long ago. He continues to smile, but his lips close, and he gives a long thoughtful look with his deep brown eyes before making his next statement. "I undahstand," he says. "It can be vedy hard to trust someone new. Sir, I hope dat you will not find me too troublesome. Anything of mine is yours if you need it." He doesn't use Lucas' name intentionally, for Lucas himself did not say his name, not because he didn't hear it.
He folds his hands over the tattered leather he holds, and repositions himself so that he can look at both Kenta and Lucas at the same time.

Kenta raises both eyebrows at Lucas and shakes his head. "Hey, call Armande a little turd again and I'll have in detention for a month." He ends it with a smile so it's kind of hard to tell if Kenta's being serious or sarcastic with that one. The gesture doesn't go unnoticed by Kenta but like before, he doesn't say anything. Especially since it seems Hosea already put in his two cents.

Lucas chuckles at Kenta's statement, and he nods, "Fair enough." He looks at Hosea, then back at Kenta. "Well… Ah reckon Ah'll leave you two to get to know one another then. Ah was just right passin' through anyways." He nods, preparing to go.

Hosea's original smile returns, his teeth showing again. "Thank you for greeting me," he says to Lucas. "You ah vedy kind. May God bless you today." He seems genuine enough. He looks back to Kenta.
"Is your child a mutant as well?" he asks Kenta. He doesn't know much about the X gene or how it works. "It is a great blessing to have children. And a son to carry on your name. You must be vedy proud."

Kenta stands up and lights up another cigarette. "I dunno yet Hosea, he's only six." Though he kind of hopes not but he knows Armande will probably end up a mutant. "I guess, I mean, Armande's a good kid and he means a lot to me." It's not about carrying on a name. "Speaking of Armande, I gotta head inside and make sure he's in bed for school tomorrow. Nice meeting you Hosea." Kenta says as he heads off after Lucas. "Hang on Lucas, I'm gonna follow you inside."

Lucas gives a little grumpy look to Hosea as he turns to go, mumbling, "Ah don't believe in God." He takes a few steps, and pauses, with a sigh, before looking at Kenta. "Yes, sir," he says, this time with teenage sarcasm.

Hosea's smile does drop as Lucas makes his comment about God, as if the teen had just driven a knife in his chest. "May He bless you anyway," he adds, his gaze fixed on the pair.

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