Players:
Summary: Mason and Daisuke are about a different as night and day.
Date: March 10, 2011
Log Title: Learn All The Instruments
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Music Room
The music room has four levels of tiers that each sit one row in a semi circle. On the floor in the semi circle is grand piano. There is a large closet on either side of the room, one filled with string instruments and the other filled with various wind and brass instruments. There are a few guitars in the back of the room next to a large variety of percussion instruments. All the instruments here are for the students to use provided they take care of them and clean any necessary parts after they use it. The room is sound proof, so once the door is closed, the music being played will not interrupt the other classrooms.
No teachers need Daisuke's help today and he doesn't have any tutoring lessons this morning so he's in the empty music room. The sounds of him banging away on the drums doesn't carry out into the hallway due to the room being sound proof. He's sheed his sweetshirt and is just wearing a sleevless t-shirt as he plays away. There's a thin sheen of sweet on Dai which shows how long he's been practicing.
Mason would practice his violin in his room usually. But Quill is there, and…that's not condusive. So the pop star is up the stairs to the school wing during his free hour, carrying the small case with him. The ever trendy teen wears a pair of cargo shorts, despite the chilly weather, and an untucked white dress shirt. The door to the music room opens, and in he walks, the sounds of the drums washing over him. He walks down the graduated levels of the room, listening to Dai as he pounds away on the drums. One instrument Mason hasn't yet learned to play.
Daisuke's skill on the drums is decent enough. He's not amazing or anything but he definately knows what he's doing. It's not until he pauses to grab a drink of water from the water bottle next to him that he notices he has an audience. He quickly throws on his hoodie hoping that Mason didn't see any of the scars on his arms before giving him a wave. "Hey, if you need the room to practice just let me know."
Mason doesn't seem to be concerned about the scars, everybody here seems to have a story, and some are more traumatic than others. Though it's also quite possible he didn't notice them. "Just kickin' around, don't let me shove you out," he says. "You're not bad. I haven't yet learned to play the drums. I've never really done any percussion instruments. How long have you been playin'?"
Daisuke takes a while to think on the answer. "Since I was…thirteen I think so about six or seven years?" He gives a slow nod as that sounds about right to him. "Percussion is the only thing I've ever played. I've been looking into getting my own set of drums for a few years now but I just don't have anywhere to put them so I'm content with the school's. I'm Daisuke by the way, or just Dai."
"Mason," comes the quick answer, the blond teen plopping into one of the chairs on the second row. "So have you been here all that time?" he asks, tilting the chair back on two legs and resting his feet on the chair in front of it, showing off the soles of his Air Jordans.
Daisuke shakes his head. "No, I came here when I was sixteen, so this August will be four years. I graduated two years ago and am working as a tutor here now." He says his voice fairly quiet when he speeks. He takes another drink from his bottle of water and brushes his messed up hair out of his face. "Sorry if I assume wrong but you're newish here?"
Mason shrugs, "Ish," he confirms. Mason's voice is far from quiet, it's solid and confident, though not necessarily boistrous. "Got here back in November, but I'm gone a lot, got classes down in the city, so I gotta be down there pretty often. Makes me wish I had one of those teleporting powers. It'd make things so much easier. You don't know how hard it is for me to go on the subway." He chuckles a little at the thought.
Daisuke raises an eyebrow at Mason. "What do you mean it's hard for you to go into the subway? It's really not that hard to navigate. But then I could be saying that because I grew up in Queens." He has no clue who Mason Steele is being a bit older and not listening to much American music. "Or is there an aspect of your powers that isn't apparent?"
"Well, I'm kinda famous," Mason offers, realizing that Dai doesn't know his fame. "I used to star on that Micaela Shaw show, and I make pretty well with my music." He uses Micaela Shaw's name as a point of reference, since she is the much more famous teen star. "Fangirls haunt the subways, so I usually try to wear sunglasses or something. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've been late to class more than once because of it," he states with a laugh. Doesn't sound like he minds as much as he plays up.
Daisuke slowly shakes his head. "Sorry, all that stuff is going over my head. Only television I really watch is either the Discovery channel or the Science Channel." He admits as he doesn't watch a lot of television. "I know more about Japanese pop culture then I do American even though I was born and raised here."
Mason shrugs, letting the chair back down and opening his case to reveal the violin. "Don't worry about it. It's kinda nice not to be famous sometimes. Some people think I'm gonna replace Justin Bieber or something. I don't know if I want to be that famous. I don't know anything about Japanese pop culture. Though have you met Shane yet?" he asks. "She came in about a week after I did. She's huge on anime and all that stuff. We came from the same school out in LA."
It's another name that goes right over Daisuke's head and he just shrugs. "I met Shane, she seems alright. She's like a Harajuku girl. We talked a bit about Anime and Video games. I like anime but I don't know if I'm huge on it? I used to go into Chinatown with my brother and get tapes and DVDs to watch years ago. It didn't matter how bad the subtitles were since I am fluent in speaking Japanese."
Mason gives a strange look back at Daisuke, "Hara-what?" he asks. He pulls the violin from the case, and begins to tune it by ear, one string at a time. "She and I used to go to the same school out in LA," he informs the Japanese man. "When the school came and talked to me, I wanted to make sure they talked to her too." He pauses. "By the way, nobody outside this school knows I'm a mutant except my mom," he comments. "I know you probably wouldn't say anything, but…just to be sure, don't say anything."
Daisuke puts up his hands, which are each holding a drumstick, giving Mason a weird look. "Mums the word." It's in that tone of 'whatever dude'. "Cool, I didn't know anyone before coming to this school so it must be easier having a friend to start off with so it's not ass overwhelming. And Harajuku, it's an area of Japan. It's common to see people in costumes and intricate styles of clothes like Shane's there hanging out. Especially on Sunday's."
"Really? That's kinda weird," Mason answers. "I bet Shane would love it there, though. I don't know if you can really say we're friends," he adds. "Used to be, still kinda working that out here, though." He starts a scale, testing his tuning of the strings.
"Why is that weird?" Daisuke asks partially out of confusion and partially out of curosity. "Ah, well it still must have been nice to at least know someone instead of coming here without knowing anyone." He comments letting the drumsticks fall onto the drums a few times in a slow pattern. "I like Japan, my Grandmother lives there so I visit once or twice a year."
"I dunno," Mason answers, "It's like pretending its Halloween every day. It's like if I walked around in my stage outfits everywhere. It's the kind of thing Lady Gaga would do. It's loud and over the top. People don't really wear that stuff around, you know? In LA, Shane only wore them on occasion. But here, she seems to have made it part of her identity." He starts playing a casual tune in time with the drums. "I've never been to Japan yet, maybe one day."
"Whose Lady Gaga?" Daisuke asks. "Is she someone important in France? And what's wrong with how she dresses? You wear what you like." He comments as he sees nothing wrong with what she wears. "Most of my clothes aren't exactly American fashion but I wear them cause I like them and feel comfortable. And also it's not easy adjusting to a new school and being a mutant so we change things as we evolve."
"Wow, you been living in a hole?" Mason asks with a laugh, stopping his tune. "She's one of the biggest artists out there. Even people who don't listen to music know who she is. She wears really crazy outfits to draw attention. Works well, too. She even wore a dress made out of meat. Bra with fireworks spraying out of it. All kinds of weird stuff. She's pretty hot, too. I was at a party with her last year, she's always performing, even when she's just hanging out with people. I don't think she wears her stuff to feel comfortable, she likes to push her image. I mean, it's her image, so she can do what she likes, it seems to ahve worked pretty well so far."
Daisuke frowns and his eyes glance down at Mason's comment. "I just don't follow pop culture in America. Growing up we didn't watch much American television, my Father liked the house to be a Japanese as possible. So I never payed much attention to American music." He says quietly and then pushes his hair back. "So, you don't have a problem with Lady Gaga and her image with wearing meat dresses, but you do have a problem with Shane wearing what she likes and maybe it's her image? Is it because it's okay for a famous person to wear something extreme but not a non-famous person?"
Mason shakes his head, and points at Daisuke with his bow. "I didn't say I had a problem with it, I just said it's kinda weird." He shrugs. "I mean, people can wear whatever they like. Some people think I'm strange and weird, too." Of course Mason is usually wearing whatever is most popular. "Though I'm thinking of getting somebody to design my own line of shoes. Could be a good way to get some extra publicity."
Daisuke raises an eyebrow at Mason and then shakes his head. "Just, everyone is different, doesn't mean their weird." He says putting down the drumsticks to grab his water bottle. "So what instrument is it that you play Mason?"
"Depends on the crowd. My first love is piano. Been playing it as long as I can remember. Got me a ride to Julliard, so that's why you probably haven't seen me here. I spend a lot of time down in the city at class. Obviously violin, guitar, a little sax and trumpet." Mason plays a quick tune on the violin, illustrating. "Personal goal is to learn every instrument." He laughs, "Which might take me a while. But for concerts I only play piano and guitar."
"Every instrument?" Daisuke says sounding skeptical. "I think it'd be a better idea to learn what every instrument is first. There are a lot of instruments out there and from many different countries. I don't mean to be crushing on your goal but just something to think about. You should go to the Metropolitan Museum of art and look at the collection of instruments there."
"Oh yeah," Mason grins. "I'm starting with the common ones, like everything you find in the orchestra. I'll work on the unknown ones once I have all the main ones down." He stops the violin again, "How about you? You seem to be out of school, what do you plan to do with your life?" he asks. "Wanna be a big drummer? I can get you set up with some folks if you want."
"I still don't know." Daisuke says as he did have plans when he was sixteen but they've kind of been met. "I just stick aroudn here till I figure that out. And I don't play drums to be a rock star or anything famous." He says making a face. "I do it for me and cause I like it. I figure maybe someday I'll be an X-Man or something."
"Man, that would be pretty cool, being a superhero. Chicks dig the tights, too. I dunno if I could do that. It's really cool, but I'm not much of a fighter." He gives a shrug. "My mom would kill me, too. She wouldn't let me go to Barnes because she was afraid they wanted to turn me into a weapon."
"I don't know, relationships and me, I think I prefer being single and not doing things 'for the chicks'." Daisuke says and he sounds really awkward saying 'for the chicks'. "Well my Grandmother is the only family I have so if I wanted to be a superhero ro not, there really isn't anyone to say no. It must be nice to have a Mom worried about you though."
Mason gives Daisuke a look as if he's from another planet, putting down the violin. "You don't always have to have a relationship," Mason points out. "Just can hook up with them to have a good time if that's how you roll." He doesn't say it as if it is a perspective to look down on, and there is a certain base connotation implied by 'good time'. "My mom's okay, she just…well, think if Ms. Frost was your mother. They are two of a kind. I love her and all, but…she's always trying to control me. I'm breaking her of the habit, though."
Daisuke gets quiet, really quiet and it takes a while before he answers, completely ignoring anything said about one night stands. "I would rather have Ms. Frost as my Mom then no mother at all." He admits. "My Mom died when I was four, I don't really remember her so I'd be happy if I had a Mom that was worried about me and a part of my life."
Mason's turn to get quiet now. His mom is still around, not something he appreciates as much as he should. "I guess I never thought about it like that," he admits, setting the violin back down. "I kinda feel like that about my Dad. He's not dead or anything, but I never see him. He just…doesn't care I guess. I guess it'd really suck if I didn't have either parent. Sorry about your mom."
Daisuke stands up and streches. "Well sorry to depress you so I'm going to end this conversation. I gotta hit the showers anyway and you want to practice." He picks up his stuff and offers Mason a smile. "Don't worry about it, she passed away when I was four and at least I get to visit her once a year. Nice meeting you Mason." He says as he slips out the door.
