2010-11-24: Tale Of Two Prodigies

Players:

Mason_icon.jpg Kenta_icon.jpg

Summary: Kenta, the gifted guitarist, meets Mason, the gifted pianist, and they talk about what musicians like to talk about. Getting abducted by aliens.

Date: Tuesday, November 23, 2010. 11:04am.

Log Title: Tale of Two Prodigies

Rating: G


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.


What one might expect from a teacher you wouldn't find with Kenta. He's in his class room, electric guitar plugged in and is jamming away, playing whatever notes come to mind. He's dressed in a pair of black jeans with a loose fitting, purple button down shirt left half way open. All the black markings on his arms and chest are visible along with his solid black eyes as he plays. Even though it's not any recognizable tune one thing is for certain, he's good. Really good, quite amazing actually.

He looks stoned. Mason was up until 5am playing his keyboard last night, like every good piano addict should, and then was given the willies by Kisha's tales of terror about the school's past events. Still, though the pretty boy doesn't look as pretty as he usually does, Mason is up and at'em. Or at least he's up. The blond pop star rouses slightly as he grows near the music room. He knows good music when he hears it, and that's it.
Through the door he comes, a saxophone reed in his fingers which he twiddles. He wears a thin white dress shirt unbuttoned, with an aqua blue Tee underneath. Grey cargo pants hang loosely on his frame, showing the top line of his boxers. He doesn't speak to Kenta, not wishing to interrupt him, but instead bounces down the graduated steps of the room. Why are these types always too big for one step, but not big enough for two?

Kenta slows down his playing to breaking into a guitar solo that you might hear during an 80's rock ballad where you can hear almost each note seperately. He stops on a note and holds it, and that's when he notices Mason walk into the room. The music teacher stops playing and raises a hand in a wave at the student. "Hello there. I'm Kenta Gilpatrick, I'm the music teacher here. I don't believe we've met."

"Mason Steele," the teen pop star answers as he pockets the reed. He takes the steps needed to get close enough get close enough to shake the guitar prodigy's hand, holding his own out cofindently. "You're pretty slick on that," he says. "I've heard a lot of guys lay down, but that was amazing."

Kenta smiles and nods. "Nice to meet you Mason. And thanks, I've had years of practice." He shakes Mason's hand with a nod and Mason would be able to tell that the teacher's hand is cold, unaturally cold. "Also I was in a local band when I was a teenager so I've been playing a long time. What what's that you got there?" Indicating the reed.

Mason pulls the sax reed out, rattling it in its case. "Just a reed," he answers. "Not much of a player on the sax, more of a piano man myself, but I'm going to learn every instrument there is," he says, as if it was already a done deal. "I have a band too, that's pretty sweet." Of course, his band goes on tour, but he doesn't bring that up, he'll prefer to not play the celebrity card around other real musicians.

"I never played the sax or anything like it. I'm a guitar guy, singer, a bit of the bass and a bit on piano." Kenta focused on a few things rather than spread himself out that way he can get good with what he wants. "Learn every instrument there is, that's quite a task. I know me, personally, have no desire to learn something like a didgeridoo." He says with a chuckle. "I like to stick to a few things I'm comfortable with. Accousitc Guitar and Electric Guitar has always been my thing."

The blond teen grins, "I can't promise I'll be good at them all," he says. "Trumpet and sax I'm not that hot on so far, so we'll see how the woodwinds and brass treat me. I'm sure you could give me some tips on guitar. I've do some acoustic and electric too. You ever do classical guitar?" he asks. "I've been trying to work that up so that as I get older I can move into a broader target audience." Sounds like he plans to make his living off of music. "Man, classical is insane, though."

Kenta nods. "Yeah, I just never did much with the Classical Guitar. As a kid I wanted to be a rock star so I mostly stuck with that and with being a Dad it's easier just to stick with what I know. It's just I more prefer the steel stings instead of the nylon ones." He says as he goes to turn off his amps and rest his red fender on his guitar stand. That guitar is his baby. "Lucas here is also quite the guitar player."

"Well you got the chops," Mason answers. "How come you're teaching at a private school? I know a ton of agents that would take you in a heartbeat." He sits down at the piano bench, and reveals the keys. His fingers pet them without pressing any of them yet. "You just lose the itch?"

Kenta smiles and shakes his head. "Well for one, I'm a single parent. My main focus is my son, Armande. Two, just a lot of bad breaks. My band moved on without me and you know how it goes, life." Leaving it as simple as possible. "It's not a loose of itch, I love preforming in front of people just not really my life anymore. Also I figured I'd come back to the school I graduated from to help teach."

Mason shrugs, "Huh," he says, "Well, I don't plan on letting anything stop me. I'm headed straight for the top." He starts a chord, and then moves into a rather jazzy sounding piano rock. It has a certain Gershwin flare to it, but is his own composition. It would appear that he takes to piano the way Kenta does to guitar. His fingers dance effortlessly across the keys, as if he wasn't even thinking about it. "~This elevator's heading straight for the top of the line! Everybody's talkin' bout it, This elevator don't stop til we learn how to fly! Everybody's talkin' bout it, Why don't we SHOUT ABOUT IT!" He stops. It's one of his more popular songs, but of course if Kenta isn't familiar with pop music, he may not have heard it.

Kenta doesn't admit to Mason that he thought just like he did at his age, he doesn't want to crush the kids dreams. "So where did you learn to play?" The song isn't familar to Kenta but then he doesn't listen to much pop music though Armande is starting to get to that age. He knows some recent stuff provide it was over three years ago.

A few chords are casually played, not as a piece of music, but it seems that Mason just continues them as something to do with his hands. "Well, I've been playing since I was three," he says. "Started in Denver, then when I was a bit older we moved to Pasadena." He offers a shrug. "I've learned from a lot of people, got a scholarship to Julliard just before I heard about this place, so it was good timing to come to New York. In the spring I'll start some pre-college classes there." He tosses his head to the side to reset his blond locks. "It's been a lot of fun."

"What grade are you in?" Kenta asks at the mention of a scolarship since Julliard is a college. "I actually went to Julliard for a year." He had scolarship as well but he doesn't mention that. "I started guitar lessons when I was ten but then, that was over twenty years ago." He says with a chuckle. "Once my son is a bit older I'll see if there is any instrument he is interested it. I don't expect him to follow in my footsteps but it'd be nice if he did."

"Sophomore," Mason answers. "Turns out that impressing people at high brow functions has its advantages. And to think I didn't even want to go to that one, I was trying to get a date that night, but my mom made me go. Never been so glad to miss out on a date," he laughs, "That's cool that you went to Julliard, it must've been intense. I'm told that it's not like when you usually go to school. I'm used to being the guy who blows everybody's mind, but there, I'll probably be run of the mill, because everybody is that good."

Kenta nods. "Yeah, it's a lot of talent there. A lot." He doesn't say much about Mason but Kenta does think this kid has a lot to learn about the real world. "I only went for a few months. Something happened and I didn't have a choice in the matter and had to drop out." Which is a rough way of putting what happened. "Actually the torture was not being able to play guitar for about three years, though I still had my voice. And there are many people who blow people's minds there." He says with a laugh. "Just a tip, focus on one or two main things, when you start spreading yourself too thin you become a jack of all trades, master of none."

Mason shrugs, not wise enough to heed Kenta's admonishment. "I'm already a master of piano and organ." Not exactly a humble statement. "I just love all the instruments, I don't need to be fantastic at them all, I just like to play them. Piano is what I really love, and I do that the most, but I don't see why I shouldn't learn other stuff, too. We had a band director in my last school who knew how to play every instrument in the band, he did okay. How come you had to drop out?" he asks. "Was it your power?" Of course, that would be a little late for a power manifestation, but he doesn't know much about such things.

Kenta raises his eyebrow at Mason. He's not sure the kid is quite a master, talented sure, skilled more than likely, good, probably but master is something he won't even claim in the guitar. "I had to drop out cause I ended up getting into some…trouble. It's not a good story, I was essentially abducted by aliens." He figures that's the best way to describe it. "Um…listen. It's part of being a mutant, weird shit does happen. Doesn't mean it's going destory your dreams." Like it did his." And my powers, I control a power called Dark Force. You can see it in my eyes and on my skin, that's all energy."

"Aliens?" Mason's cheerful demeanor leaves rather suddenly. "I met a girl named Kisha last night, she said people get abducted by demons and stuff all the time here. Is that true? I thought maybe she just didn't like me flirting with her." He lifts one arm to rub the other nervously. "Dark Force sounds pretty cool. You'd fit in with a metal band just fine."

Kenta shakes his head. "All the time, no. Though stuff does happen occasionally. It's part of being a mutant and being in a school filled with kids with super powers." He can't lie and say it's perfectly safe. "Though usually things work out okay in the end. I was one of the people that was taken by the demons to another dimension, it sucked but we all made it out safely." And in regards to the Dark Force Kenta shrugs. "Well it's an energy linked to another dimension."

Works out okay in the end? That's the look that he returns to the teacher. "Man, and my old school the worst thing I usually had to worry about was which girl to take out on a Saturday night. And being discovered as a mutant." He smiles again weakly. "I guess I better start figuring out exactly what my powers can do," he says. He doesn't really know much about them yet, and he manifested over a year ago. "If we get attacked, I better know how to defend myself."

"Yeah the worst thing you'll have to worry about here what disaster might happen next Saturday night." Kenta jokes not serious at all about it. "But things are probably stricter here then your last school too since we have a ton of kids running around with super powers. Knowing how to defend yourself is good and that's what training is for."

Mason nods, and gets up from the bench. "Well, I gotta get to my next class," he says. "It was good to meet you, we'll have to jam out sometime soon, maybe get your friend Lucas, and I know there's a guy named Connor here that plays the drums. It'll be good times."

Kenta nods. "Yeah, Connor's a pretty good drummer. There's a kid Daisuke whose not bad himself either." Kenta says as he nods to Mason. "And I'm gonna follow you out a bit, I gotta head outside for my smoke break." He says grabbing a pack of cigarettes from a jacket and lighter before leaving the room as well.

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