|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:04 pm
Seated alone in the Piano Hall of Barren Pines, Serenade had finished a satisfactory practice of one of Chopin's Nocturnes; she had decided that it was easier for her to focus on the classics for now. The book was closed and though she was ready to stand up, leave and return to her dorm room, she continued to sit there, staring at the piano keys.
Suddenly, her back straightened as something seemed to click in her mind, and she began to play a piece entirely from memory. It was a simple piece, but a fun one, and one she enjoyed playing every now and then. Serenade was always afraid of getting rusty at old pieces she had already mastered, and therefore thought it best to play at least one after she was done with her own practice, to see how much she could remember.
She swayed gently as she played the Chopsticks Waltz, so engrossed in the music that she wouldn't have noticed if someone had entered at this instant.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:11 pm
Usually people noticed when Benson Beldon entered the room, because he entered every room as though somebody had rolled out a red carpet ahead of him and had announced on trumpets: Benny has entered the building!. In fact, he stood at the doorway and waited patiently for the pretty green-haired Serenade to notice that he had come in, and was a little dispossessed when she didn't.
So he went forward, shaking one hand through his strawberry hair, leaning against the piano to investigate what held her attention so thoroughly that she couldn't notice Benny -- and listened avidly, watching as she focused her entire attention on the black and white keys. Not quite knowing how assbaggy it was to interrupt, he suddenly said: "Hey, that's Chopsticks!" and looked thrilled that he had identified it. In fact, he even said: "Huh. Go me!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:30 pm
She did notice the older boy when he decided to lean against the piano and was surprised, blinking at him with her dark pink eyes and she offered him a small smile, continuing her practice. Then he spoke, and her fingers halted; Serenade didn't like being interrupted, though she would never admonish someone for doing so. It was a fairly popular song, so she wasn't surprised that others would recognize it.
"You know how to play, Benny?" She asked him, eyes wide. Yes, she knew Benny (and as he would say, of course she would), knew that he was one of the sports stars, but Serenade herself wasn't good in anything to do with sports. It rather boggled her how one could be skilled at both.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 1:09 am
"Oh, no, I never learnt," said Benny breezily. "Never had time. Not to say that I'm not musical. Apparently I had a talent when I was a kid. My mother used to give me some pots and pans -- Mom wanted me to play the violin, but then, well, my talents lay in other directions, sweetheart."
He made to sit down at the piano seat with her, so that both of them were sharing the space on it. "You've been playing your whole life, though, haven't you? Huh. That's impressive. Seriously. I'm impressed. I'm always saying, Serenade is the piano genius, so help me God! How does Chopsticks go again?"
He placed two fingers at C and D, squashing them down atonally, and frowned at the piano when it did not give out the correct noise. Benny frowning was a comical object; his entire face radiated disappointed annoyance.
(Truthfully Benny was not actually musical.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:11 am
She giggled at the thought of a young Benny smashing pots and pans together to make noise, or whatever sounded musical, then probably swinging one as if it was a sort of racket, mimicking sports players on the television. She shifted to the other side as he sat, smiling and blushing at the same time at the compliment.
If it had been anyone that was musically gifted playing like that, Serenade would have immediately frowned. But this was Benny, and he was just a beginner, and she allowed that mistake to slip by. She simply smiled at him and took his left index finger, placing it on an F and then his right one, placing it on the G. With that, she pushed them both down gently at the same time. "See?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:18 am
Benny pressed them down again, his dismay immediately changing into delight -- it was childlike, openhearted delight with the fact that it sounded right. "Oh, now that's it," he said, and he pressed his fingers down -- he mashed them a few times for the Chopsticks opening, dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah, looking as though he had just written his own sonata. "Damn! That is so cool." Again the mashing: dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah. It was a relief that Serenade had a lot of persistence and patience with beginners. "I'm ready -- born ready, show me the next bit."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:29 pm
Serenade smiled; she remembered when she had first successfully mastered a song, and knew that pride, and although Benny's accomplishment was rather um...insignificant compared to that, that look on his face signified that he thought it anything but. "Okay, so, move your left index finger one key to the left and press both keys again."
She found this rather amusing really though she doubted that she would choose the path of a piano teacher; she would much rather perform instead.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:41 pm
Benny painstakingly moved his fingers one key from the left and banged them down -- broke into an amused smile as the notes sounded right to him, apparently, delighted by the concept. "Well, what do you know!" he said. "I'm a natural." Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah. "How about you teach me a song? You can teach me a song, right? Of course you can -- you know all about this piano showbiz, don't you?"
Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah. "I'll totally show Grayson," he said. "Or should I say, my prom date. You got a prom date, sweetheart?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 10:49 pm
"I don't mind." Serenade said pleasantly. It was nice to see someone so enthused about the piano and music, even if he wasn't exactly what could be classified as musically gifted. Besides, Benny was an interesting student to have.
She hadn't really understood why two boys were going with each other to the prom; Serenade was still stuck in the mindset of romantic relationships being heterosexual, and simply shrugged it off as them going as friends. "Nope." She said, but didn't seem to mind the fact. "It's not compulsory to go with a date, right?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:56 pm
"Nope," said Benny cheerfully, still banging his fingers down. "You can go stag -- well, stag is for men, sweetheart, you'd be going -- doe? Deer? Doe." He pressed the keys down again. "It's too bad that a cute thing like you doesn't have a date. You sure you don't have any boy waiting in the wings? Come on, you can tell me. Who do you like?"
He added, "I won't tell anyone, I swear to God, nobody keeps a secret like me."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:30 am
"Stag?" Serenade repeated politely, though she was honestly befuddled by the words Benny was using. Why on earth was he referring to animals when they were talking about prom dates?
Then his next few sentences came. The girl sat there, looking utterly puzzled, turning to regard Benny with a confused stare. "Uh...no? I don't think anyone's waiting for me?" She then paused for a while, attempting to think through his words and try to understand what he meant. The problem with Serenade was she didn't get things until you spelt it out for her. "But I like a lot of people." She said, matter-of-factly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:14 am
He laughed as though she were trying to be coy, and reached over and chucked indulgently under her chin. "Come on, sweetheart," he said encouragingly. "Who do you like. You know. Like-like. Have a crush on. Want to go out with. Think they're cute. Not friendly like, and not just that you think they're handsome -- I mean, you probably think I'm handsome, I know -- but you think they're dateable."
He was still playing those two notes. "Come on. Don't make me guess. Sébastien? Do you like Sébastien Leblanc? Or -- Cam Bleaker?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:40 am
Serenade's first reaction was to blink at him then reached over and moved his fingers; the left one moving down one key again and the right one moving up to the B key. "Sébastien?" She repeated the name. She managed to connect the name to one of the performers, but she didn't really know him, to be honest. "And Cam?"
She shook her head, giving him a gentle smile. "I don't really know them well enough, Benny."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:52 am
"Jude Lawson?" he persisted. "Throw me a bone here, Serenade!" Benny moved his fingers to the keys that she guided his fingers to -- and, painstakingly, went through all of the movements she'd shown him from beginning to end, starting with the first two keys, looking proud that he'd remembered the entire thing. "Come on. I'll have to start listing ridiculous people soon. Andeon Boskovic? Sue Gottschalk?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:48 am
"Jude's like a big brother to me, Benny." She admonished him gently, her fingers resting on the piano keys one octave down, playing along with him and pressing down the next few notes that he hadn't learned yet slowly, so that he was able to follow along. That is, if he wasn't too preoccupied with questioning her still. "No, and no. I'm not romantically interested in anyone now. Sadly." It would do well to help her understand the music score she had decided to abandon until she could put in the emotions needed for it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
