ooc log: Cigarettes and Sheet Music
Who: Gokudera and Allen
What: Gokudera teaches Allen how to play the piano... or at least the basics
Where: The Sweet Death Submarine
When: Sometime in the middle of April
Warning: I don't think Gokudera actually curses in this one.
The clock on the wall ticks away the minutes while Gokudera waits for his pupil to arrive. He's sitting in an unmarked room before his electric keyboard, arms crossed defensively over his chest. This isn't so bad... but it's a bit embarrassing how very small and insignificant the keyboard is compared to his baby grand. Alas, the beautiful instrument is much too small to play, and this... this hunk of plastic, metal, and wires is all he has to fall back on. He can only hope that Allen won't tease him. It's not like the boy has any right to be so ungrateful! Gokudera isn't even demanding payment for these lessons. The silver-haired teen taps a foot impatiently, and turns on the -it doesn't deserve to be called- instrument. A single chord is pressed on the plastic keys and he sighs. It will just have to do.
Allen wanders along the various corridors in the submarine. He wonders if Gokudera's okay with it, or if Gokudera said yes just for the moment because he was, well, happy. But nevermind, he tells himself, it wouldn't kill if he couldn't learn how to play the piano. He watches out for a music room as he goes along, and enjoys a quiet moment of random walking before he stops and listens. He's missed it, but there it is. If he hadn't heard the sound of a piano from the room, he might have continued walking and got himself lost. Doubling back, he rests a hand on the door for a moment and listens hard. He can’t hear anything else, but he pushes and goes in. So it was the right room. Standing around just in front of the door, he took in the look of the place. Then he greets, "Gokudera?"
He sits up a little straighter when his name is called and swivels about quickly on the bench he'd set out. Gokudera has only seen Allen in person on a few occasions, and even though Miranda seems to think there's some kind of ill-will he harbors for the exorcist, there isn't. Gokudera lifts a hand, motioning him in while he adjusts the volume on the machine. There are many controls set to mimic various instruments, and even sample songs. Call him old-fashioned for it, but the teen would prefer this keyboard have pedals rather than so many options. After all, the piano is something he takes seriously, and unlike his toys, likes it to stay pretty simple. It's familiar enough, and he's sure he can base a lesson on it. He even has homework for Allen for the end so he can make sure that his words have been heard and he hasn't wasted a moment.
Allen offers Gokudera a friendly smile. The situation is the same on Allen's side, but in Allen's opinion Gokudera is a bit unpredictable - not scary, but maybe "unexpected" - a bit like a much nicer version of Kanda, though, he thinks to himself wryly. But mostly Miranda loves Gokudera, so Allen is fine with him. Allen starts and moves towards Gokudera when he motions to him, taking in the appearance of the electronic piano. They don’t have keyboards back at home in his era so Allen is curious. He immediately compares it with the piano in the Ark he remembers and notes the differences. Confusion flickers over his face for a moment as he studies the foreign item, but he keeps quiet about it. Something from Gokudera’s world. He pauses.
"Well, what are you waiting for, a written invitation?" Gokudera leans back on his palms and cocks an eyebrow at the boy examining the machine before them. There's plenty of room for Allen to sit beside him. Not too close, though. Still, he hardly expects Allen to just stand there and stare at him. He knows that this guy has never seen an electric keyboard before. Miranda had stared at it curiously in much the same manner. It's really kind of annoying, though, and only makes him more impatient to get started.
"No, of course not. Sorry." Allen barely stops himself from rolling his eyes and retorting and instead sits next to Gokudera. Or, to be more precise, on the edge of the bench, further from Gokudera. Obviously Gokudera is not one for close contact. It is a mutual thing and in a way, a form of respect. He lifts his eyes from the keyboard to Gokudera for a moment before saying, "What are you going to be teaching?"
Allen hears alarms ringing in his head.
"Do you know anything about piano?" Gokudera asks and turns away from Allen to look at the keys spread out before them. He's never taught this to anyone, doesn't even know if he'll be a great teacher, but it's worth a shot. His hands move to the white and black plastic. It's not cold, but it's not warm either. Unlike most days, his pale hands are free of his many rings, and there aren't any large studded bracelets or wristbands. No, today nothing is going to get in the way of his playing -not that he's really ever paid much mind to it before- or his teaching. A certain part of him wants to impress, or maybe it's a fear that he doesn't want to embarrass himself. He's not accustomed to playing for anyone, let alone play for the sake of enlightening someone else. But the pressure is still light. This isn't the Tenth, and if this guy judges harshly, it won't hurt the Italian... it'll only end up making things difficult for the exorcist. His fingers rest on the keys, and just being able to feel the music without making it is distraction enough from his impatience.
Allen thinks for a moment. "I've played a song on one before. I guess. Just that once," he says truthfully. Allen actually doesn‘t know how to play. However, he shakes his head and grins, the way a person does after losing a match with his friend and his face just says "Oh well, we tried". He turns his gaze to the keyboard again. He won't admit it, but he's slightly worried he'll mess up and Gokudera won't teach him anymore. He isn't the type to get passionate over music, and he‘s here for a much more selfish reason than he‘d like to let on. "But no. I don't."
He doesn't seem too upset. Gokudera had prepared for as much, and by prepare, he had dug up every book he could find on playing piano. They're sitting in a tall stack next to him, and a notebook and pencil rests at the very top of the pile. He pulls his glasses on and pulls his hair back, "Then we'll start with the basics!" the teen says, seeming all too enthusiastic as his nerdy front takes center stage. The teen turns and moves through his stack of books until he finds one with relatively easy music to play. It's certainly not for a beginner, but it's the most basic he can find. If Allen completely screws up, then he may very well just have to write down the notes and everything for him. "The scale!" He holds the book up, open, and right into Allen's face, pointing at the little black notes that dance up the sheet. "Each of these represents a note that corresponds with a key."
Needless to say, Allen is feeling highly alarmed. The change is sudden and, well, unexpected. And then he notices the stack of books and immediately feels a drop in the temperature of everything. Studying was never his forte and never would be, since he hadn't even started off literate. Still, he straightens his back and tells himself to CONCENTRATE. He hasn't seen Gokudera with glasses on before. How strange, and yet calming to know that Gokudera wasn‘t that eccentric. In the middle of this he gets a book shoved in his face. Eyes widening for a brief moment, he considers running for it, but he's in it and he's in it for good, and so he replies, "O-Okay!" though he's leaning away already, and feels like falling off the bench.
Gokudera moves the book to sit before them, propped up awkwardly above the keys on what he had presumed to be a sheet rest. "It starts with middle C." His finger presses down on the white key, and the sound isn't too loud, but it's audible enough where it counts. "It is located here, on the treble clef." He uses his other hand to point at the note it corresponds to on the sheet. "And you play the treble clef with your right hand. Everything below middle C..." He switches hands, playing progressively lower, "Is the bass clef. You play it with your left." He looks up at Allen, wondering if he should hand over that pencil and notebook so he can take notes. "Shouldn't you write it down?" He asks, sounding more than expectant for Allen's affirmative.
Allen moves back to a more comfortable sitting position. He could deal with this new Gokudera. At least It seems nicer, he tells himself. Allen focuses. Middle C is that key, he reminds himself right after Gokudera says so. Allen quickly glances at the sheet. The treble clef. That elegant-looking symbol, he presumes. Quite something to remember just for that one key, he muses, getting distracted for a moment before pulling himself back to the lesson. Everything below middle C was a bass clef? So a treble clef and a bass clef tells you which hand to use? all this races through Allen's mind as Gokudera speaks and he's barely keeping up. When Gokudera looks at him, Allen thinks he's going to get scolded and tries to appear more alert. "Y-yes, I should. I don‘t have anything to write on, though," he says, nodding quickly.
He rolls his eyes and grabs the notebook and pencil, flipping to a blank page and handing it over to Allen. "Next time, don't forget it. I'm not going to hold your hand through the whole thing." Gokudera crosses his arms over his chest, clearly displeased with the fact that his student didn't arrive prepared like he'd hoped. "The treble clef for the higher notes, and the bass clef for the lower notes."
Allen apologises curtly and quickly writes things that Gokudera has taught so far in his slightly messy handwriting, point-notes, fringe hanging over his face. He looks up again at the lower end of the keyboard and comprehends. Looking up, he says, "Got it."
Since Allen is writing, he obviously knows the alphabet, so he nods. "They go in order." His fingers start to move up from C, and he reads them aloud, "C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C... It only goes as far as G." And they haven't moved onto flats and sharps. The teen takes his student's pencil and draws him the lines, and the notes, little dots on very straight lines that climb upwards. "See, they move up and get higher to indicate the pitch." He hands the pencil back and flips through his sheet music, looking for a song that would directly address his next point and make the explanation smoother, as well as the transition into it.
Allen follows fine but expects a H halfway through Gokudera's playing, showing how he knows zero about music. "No H, so it repeats?" Allen counts the keys on the keyboard and sees something like sets of C to B with five black ones in between. So it was uniform, right? Allen nods. At least he knows that the higher up the keys you go, the higher the pitch of the sounds. He re-receives the notebook with a light inclination of the head as a way of saying Thanks and scrutinizes the notes.
He hums, "Yeah. No H." Gokudera's right hand moves along the treble clef notes gracefully, thumb on the first C. His fingers don't leave, and after he hits E, his thumb moves under and gently picks up to play along until his small finger settles on the last note. "You're going to have to play the scale too. First with your right, then your left, both the treble and bass." He stands so Allen can easily reach the notes he'd just been playing, and hovers over his shoulder, glasses flashing slightly.
Allen notes that down, too. His head is tilted slightly as he watches Gokudera play, listening to the sound of the keyboard. It sounds different, Allen thinks with his eyebrows up just a bit, though keeping it to himself. "The scale. Mm, okay." Allen shifts slightly to move towards the centre of the bench, feeling unnerved. He uses his right hand first, and it hovers there above five keys like something tempted. Then he pauses. Begins playing with more grace than a first-timer should have, a different look in his eyes and his face.
Gokudera doesn't notice the change, or rather, he notices that Allen's fingers move with more ease. Good, he's getting comfortable. "Always leave one finger on while moving along the scale. Play from this C, to the other." The teen points over Allen's hand. "Then you'll play the treble cleff with the other hand like so." He begins playing it along with the boy, so they play in unison. It isn't anything overwhelming or beautiful, and the fact that he's trying to hear the pace and match it makes it a little uneven.
Allen's expressions clears when Gokudera speaks again, and he himself doesn't seem to realise the switch from just now. When Gokudera plays, Allen hastens to keep up, only this time slightly more detachedly. He purses his lips for a moment. He feels inadequate, not up to standards.
"Just make sure you practice. I won't teach you until you can play it without a single fumble." Gokudera straightens up, arms folded gracefully over his chest as he looks down at Allen's hands. He can see the unease now and wonder if it's only while he is watching. "When you're good enough, a real test would be to play for other people."
"What do you mean, you won't teach me until I can play it without a single fumble?" Allen mutters under his breath. "You're already teaching me." Quickly catching Gokudera's line of sight, though, he removes his hands from anywhere near the piano as if electrocuted. Maybe Gokudera wouldn't let him near the piano again. Ever. Oh, joy. Allen smiles a bit at Gokudera's words, though. "That will take long."
"Just the scale." He says, rolling his eyes, "If you can't play the scale, then you can't play a song! I won't teach someone who isn't going to put in the effort!" Gokudera barks. "Once you have the scale, then you can move on."
Allen half-coughs to hide his snort. "I've got you." Gokudera was human after all. "I'll put in effort," Allen says with conviction, turning on the bench to face him fully, the side of his mouth twitching into a very dry smile that was unlike him.
"..." Well, that was odd. "Just play the damned scale!" Gokudera says, not interested in making a friend or bright smiles. "I'm only doing this because I won't sit by and watch you butcher a song." There's an unspoken reason behind his attitude. "It's not like it's some charity work."
"... Um." Yes, it certainly was. "Yessir," Allen says quickly by reflex - but not because he wants to - banging his knee as he turns back as fast as he can. He winces a bit before quickly laying his hand at where it should be. He closes his eyes for a moment and exhales, and begins to play the scale again, this time more smoothly but still with inexperience.
"I'll give you some songs that exclusively focus on the treble, then the bass cleff... You can practice on them as well." Gokudera doesn't keep a lot of sheet music. The only booklet he has is the one his boss gave him for his last birthday and he doubts Allen could play any songs by Chopin... not yet. The teen pushes his glasses up, takes the notebook from Allen, and begins writing the music. "It will also be a proper introduction to reading the sheet music."
"Okay. Am I allowed to practice in this room even if nobody's inside?" Allen asks, craning his neck to try to look at what Gokudera is writing for a while before giving up and continuing to closely examine the keyboard. He hopes sarcastically that Gokudera teaches as well as he smokes.
Gokudera has never taught anyone how to play before, and only hopes that he can be patient enough with Allen. The resolve to prove himself as capable of doing so is so strong that it's a safe assumption that he'd risk all the time needed to help his student. If he needs to stay up late at night writing simple songs just to get the basics down, then he'll do it. The pencil lead snaps with how much pressure is placed behind it and he blinks as it bounces off the lens of his glasses. "Yeah, do what you want..." This isn't his most valuable possession, and if Allen wants to improve, then who is he to stand in his way? The Vongola Storm Guardian adds on a few more notes and then drops the thin book in Allen's lap. "There's a key with the notes labeled. We'll get into sharps and flats later once you have this figured out." If this guy ends up being someone who can only play by ear, Gokudera is going to have a massive headache in his future.
Allen stretches his back discreetly, feeling in the air that the lesson will be ending soon. He hears a very quiet pinging noise and then looks up to see Gokudera and his pencil battling in glorious harmony and snickers under his gloved hands. When the book drops into Allen's lap Allen grabs it and peers at it. Kind of like the alphabet and Mana. "Ah... Err, okay." Somehow Cross calling him a lousy student flashes through his mind and he thinks it might actually be fractionally true, seeing as how he answers the same thing repeatedly.
"Get it?" He folds his arms over his chest and looks down through his glasses at Allen and the keyboard. His handwriting is very neat, and the lines look as though they'd been drawn with a ruler. He thinks something of when he was raised in the palace and had several teachers, all very private, and very strict. Most of them had been temporary, but when he'd been their student, he was nigh the most outstanding pupil they'd had the pleasure of working with (save for when dynamite began to mix with his temper). Gokudera doesn't want to be temporary, wants his genius to shine through when he watches Allen, and he's going to hammer his lessons into the boy relentlessly in order to do so.
"I suppose I do. This might take awhile," Allen says, though in actual fact he is quite the fast learner when it comes to certain matters, maybe inbred ones. He raises an eyebrow at the precision of Gokudera's writing and wonders why such a seemingly high-classed person acts so... Unseemly. He ponders Gokudera's attack range and resolves on not making any mistakes if it can be helped, in case a future piano lesson were to turn into a one-person massacre. He glances one more time at the notebook. "So this is the homework?"
"Yeah. Just let me know when you've got it memorized and we can move on." He supposes he should come up with some kind of test for Allen, but knows it will be worth more time and thought than he's willing to spend. Gokudera reaches into his pocket and takes out a cigarette, "I'll give you a week. These are only the basics, so you should get it fairly quickly. That will also give you enough time to practice."
"I'll let you know," Allen says briskly. He eyes the cigarette as if it is some dangerous animal and stands up quickly, holding the notebook close . Hopefully a week will be enough. "Alright. I'll do my best," Allen says, smiling.
He isn't making a move to light it, and his eyes widen as he watches Allen move quickly. There's a tiny bit of concern in his eyes that's quickly masked behind frustration. "Good." Gokudera almost looks proud, then hits the power switch on the keyboard before moving to the door and holding it open, waiting for Allen to leave.
Allen hopes his movement hasn't been too offensive and smiles wider and more genuinely. Looking pleasantly surprised that Gokudera would open the door first, Allen mumbles a neutral-sounding Goodbye before quickly exiting the room.
For all the gruffness he'd maintained moments ago, Gokudera is gentle when he turns back to the keyboard. It's not his baby grand the Tenth had bought him, but it's the same keyboard he's played on since he arrived on the Grand Line. Austria and Spitfire could have their playoffs between elegant instruments. This little hunk of plastic, metal, and wires was really growing on him. He thinks that if Allen becomes really good, he just might give it to him. A genuinely affectionate smile graces the mafioso's face as he presses a silent chord. Who knows? Maybe the kid would actually enjoy himself?
What: Gokudera teaches Allen how to play the piano... or at least the basics
Where: The Sweet Death Submarine
When: Sometime in the middle of April
Warning: I don't think Gokudera actually curses in this one.
The clock on the wall ticks away the minutes while Gokudera waits for his pupil to arrive. He's sitting in an unmarked room before his electric keyboard, arms crossed defensively over his chest. This isn't so bad... but it's a bit embarrassing how very small and insignificant the keyboard is compared to his baby grand. Alas, the beautiful instrument is much too small to play, and this... this hunk of plastic, metal, and wires is all he has to fall back on. He can only hope that Allen won't tease him. It's not like the boy has any right to be so ungrateful! Gokudera isn't even demanding payment for these lessons. The silver-haired teen taps a foot impatiently, and turns on the -it doesn't deserve to be called- instrument. A single chord is pressed on the plastic keys and he sighs. It will just have to do.
Allen wanders along the various corridors in the submarine. He wonders if Gokudera's okay with it, or if Gokudera said yes just for the moment because he was, well, happy. But nevermind, he tells himself, it wouldn't kill if he couldn't learn how to play the piano. He watches out for a music room as he goes along, and enjoys a quiet moment of random walking before he stops and listens. He's missed it, but there it is. If he hadn't heard the sound of a piano from the room, he might have continued walking and got himself lost. Doubling back, he rests a hand on the door for a moment and listens hard. He can’t hear anything else, but he pushes and goes in. So it was the right room. Standing around just in front of the door, he took in the look of the place. Then he greets, "Gokudera?"
He sits up a little straighter when his name is called and swivels about quickly on the bench he'd set out. Gokudera has only seen Allen in person on a few occasions, and even though Miranda seems to think there's some kind of ill-will he harbors for the exorcist, there isn't. Gokudera lifts a hand, motioning him in while he adjusts the volume on the machine. There are many controls set to mimic various instruments, and even sample songs. Call him old-fashioned for it, but the teen would prefer this keyboard have pedals rather than so many options. After all, the piano is something he takes seriously, and unlike his toys, likes it to stay pretty simple. It's familiar enough, and he's sure he can base a lesson on it. He even has homework for Allen for the end so he can make sure that his words have been heard and he hasn't wasted a moment.
Allen offers Gokudera a friendly smile. The situation is the same on Allen's side, but in Allen's opinion Gokudera is a bit unpredictable - not scary, but maybe "unexpected" - a bit like a much nicer version of Kanda, though, he thinks to himself wryly. But mostly Miranda loves Gokudera, so Allen is fine with him. Allen starts and moves towards Gokudera when he motions to him, taking in the appearance of the electronic piano. They don’t have keyboards back at home in his era so Allen is curious. He immediately compares it with the piano in the Ark he remembers and notes the differences. Confusion flickers over his face for a moment as he studies the foreign item, but he keeps quiet about it. Something from Gokudera’s world. He pauses.
"Well, what are you waiting for, a written invitation?" Gokudera leans back on his palms and cocks an eyebrow at the boy examining the machine before them. There's plenty of room for Allen to sit beside him. Not too close, though. Still, he hardly expects Allen to just stand there and stare at him. He knows that this guy has never seen an electric keyboard before. Miranda had stared at it curiously in much the same manner. It's really kind of annoying, though, and only makes him more impatient to get started.
"No, of course not. Sorry." Allen barely stops himself from rolling his eyes and retorting and instead sits next to Gokudera. Or, to be more precise, on the edge of the bench, further from Gokudera. Obviously Gokudera is not one for close contact. It is a mutual thing and in a way, a form of respect. He lifts his eyes from the keyboard to Gokudera for a moment before saying, "What are you going to be teaching?"
Allen hears alarms ringing in his head.
"Do you know anything about piano?" Gokudera asks and turns away from Allen to look at the keys spread out before them. He's never taught this to anyone, doesn't even know if he'll be a great teacher, but it's worth a shot. His hands move to the white and black plastic. It's not cold, but it's not warm either. Unlike most days, his pale hands are free of his many rings, and there aren't any large studded bracelets or wristbands. No, today nothing is going to get in the way of his playing -not that he's really ever paid much mind to it before- or his teaching. A certain part of him wants to impress, or maybe it's a fear that he doesn't want to embarrass himself. He's not accustomed to playing for anyone, let alone play for the sake of enlightening someone else. But the pressure is still light. This isn't the Tenth, and if this guy judges harshly, it won't hurt the Italian... it'll only end up making things difficult for the exorcist. His fingers rest on the keys, and just being able to feel the music without making it is distraction enough from his impatience.
Allen thinks for a moment. "I've played a song on one before. I guess. Just that once," he says truthfully. Allen actually doesn‘t know how to play. However, he shakes his head and grins, the way a person does after losing a match with his friend and his face just says "Oh well, we tried". He turns his gaze to the keyboard again. He won't admit it, but he's slightly worried he'll mess up and Gokudera won't teach him anymore. He isn't the type to get passionate over music, and he‘s here for a much more selfish reason than he‘d like to let on. "But no. I don't."
He doesn't seem too upset. Gokudera had prepared for as much, and by prepare, he had dug up every book he could find on playing piano. They're sitting in a tall stack next to him, and a notebook and pencil rests at the very top of the pile. He pulls his glasses on and pulls his hair back, "Then we'll start with the basics!" the teen says, seeming all too enthusiastic as his nerdy front takes center stage. The teen turns and moves through his stack of books until he finds one with relatively easy music to play. It's certainly not for a beginner, but it's the most basic he can find. If Allen completely screws up, then he may very well just have to write down the notes and everything for him. "The scale!" He holds the book up, open, and right into Allen's face, pointing at the little black notes that dance up the sheet. "Each of these represents a note that corresponds with a key."
Needless to say, Allen is feeling highly alarmed. The change is sudden and, well, unexpected. And then he notices the stack of books and immediately feels a drop in the temperature of everything. Studying was never his forte and never would be, since he hadn't even started off literate. Still, he straightens his back and tells himself to CONCENTRATE. He hasn't seen Gokudera with glasses on before. How strange, and yet calming to know that Gokudera wasn‘t that eccentric. In the middle of this he gets a book shoved in his face. Eyes widening for a brief moment, he considers running for it, but he's in it and he's in it for good, and so he replies, "O-Okay!" though he's leaning away already, and feels like falling off the bench.
Gokudera moves the book to sit before them, propped up awkwardly above the keys on what he had presumed to be a sheet rest. "It starts with middle C." His finger presses down on the white key, and the sound isn't too loud, but it's audible enough where it counts. "It is located here, on the treble clef." He uses his other hand to point at the note it corresponds to on the sheet. "And you play the treble clef with your right hand. Everything below middle C..." He switches hands, playing progressively lower, "Is the bass clef. You play it with your left." He looks up at Allen, wondering if he should hand over that pencil and notebook so he can take notes. "Shouldn't you write it down?" He asks, sounding more than expectant for Allen's affirmative.
Allen moves back to a more comfortable sitting position. He could deal with this new Gokudera. At least It seems nicer, he tells himself. Allen focuses. Middle C is that key, he reminds himself right after Gokudera says so. Allen quickly glances at the sheet. The treble clef. That elegant-looking symbol, he presumes. Quite something to remember just for that one key, he muses, getting distracted for a moment before pulling himself back to the lesson. Everything below middle C was a bass clef? So a treble clef and a bass clef tells you which hand to use? all this races through Allen's mind as Gokudera speaks and he's barely keeping up. When Gokudera looks at him, Allen thinks he's going to get scolded and tries to appear more alert. "Y-yes, I should. I don‘t have anything to write on, though," he says, nodding quickly.
He rolls his eyes and grabs the notebook and pencil, flipping to a blank page and handing it over to Allen. "Next time, don't forget it. I'm not going to hold your hand through the whole thing." Gokudera crosses his arms over his chest, clearly displeased with the fact that his student didn't arrive prepared like he'd hoped. "The treble clef for the higher notes, and the bass clef for the lower notes."
Allen apologises curtly and quickly writes things that Gokudera has taught so far in his slightly messy handwriting, point-notes, fringe hanging over his face. He looks up again at the lower end of the keyboard and comprehends. Looking up, he says, "Got it."
Since Allen is writing, he obviously knows the alphabet, so he nods. "They go in order." His fingers start to move up from C, and he reads them aloud, "C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C... It only goes as far as G." And they haven't moved onto flats and sharps. The teen takes his student's pencil and draws him the lines, and the notes, little dots on very straight lines that climb upwards. "See, they move up and get higher to indicate the pitch." He hands the pencil back and flips through his sheet music, looking for a song that would directly address his next point and make the explanation smoother, as well as the transition into it.
Allen follows fine but expects a H halfway through Gokudera's playing, showing how he knows zero about music. "No H, so it repeats?" Allen counts the keys on the keyboard and sees something like sets of C to B with five black ones in between. So it was uniform, right? Allen nods. At least he knows that the higher up the keys you go, the higher the pitch of the sounds. He re-receives the notebook with a light inclination of the head as a way of saying Thanks and scrutinizes the notes.
He hums, "Yeah. No H." Gokudera's right hand moves along the treble clef notes gracefully, thumb on the first C. His fingers don't leave, and after he hits E, his thumb moves under and gently picks up to play along until his small finger settles on the last note. "You're going to have to play the scale too. First with your right, then your left, both the treble and bass." He stands so Allen can easily reach the notes he'd just been playing, and hovers over his shoulder, glasses flashing slightly.
Allen notes that down, too. His head is tilted slightly as he watches Gokudera play, listening to the sound of the keyboard. It sounds different, Allen thinks with his eyebrows up just a bit, though keeping it to himself. "The scale. Mm, okay." Allen shifts slightly to move towards the centre of the bench, feeling unnerved. He uses his right hand first, and it hovers there above five keys like something tempted. Then he pauses. Begins playing with more grace than a first-timer should have, a different look in his eyes and his face.
Gokudera doesn't notice the change, or rather, he notices that Allen's fingers move with more ease. Good, he's getting comfortable. "Always leave one finger on while moving along the scale. Play from this C, to the other." The teen points over Allen's hand. "Then you'll play the treble cleff with the other hand like so." He begins playing it along with the boy, so they play in unison. It isn't anything overwhelming or beautiful, and the fact that he's trying to hear the pace and match it makes it a little uneven.
Allen's expressions clears when Gokudera speaks again, and he himself doesn't seem to realise the switch from just now. When Gokudera plays, Allen hastens to keep up, only this time slightly more detachedly. He purses his lips for a moment. He feels inadequate, not up to standards.
"Just make sure you practice. I won't teach you until you can play it without a single fumble." Gokudera straightens up, arms folded gracefully over his chest as he looks down at Allen's hands. He can see the unease now and wonder if it's only while he is watching. "When you're good enough, a real test would be to play for other people."
"What do you mean, you won't teach me until I can play it without a single fumble?" Allen mutters under his breath. "You're already teaching me." Quickly catching Gokudera's line of sight, though, he removes his hands from anywhere near the piano as if electrocuted. Maybe Gokudera wouldn't let him near the piano again. Ever. Oh, joy. Allen smiles a bit at Gokudera's words, though. "That will take long."
"Just the scale." He says, rolling his eyes, "If you can't play the scale, then you can't play a song! I won't teach someone who isn't going to put in the effort!" Gokudera barks. "Once you have the scale, then you can move on."
Allen half-coughs to hide his snort. "I've got you." Gokudera was human after all. "I'll put in effort," Allen says with conviction, turning on the bench to face him fully, the side of his mouth twitching into a very dry smile that was unlike him.
"..." Well, that was odd. "Just play the damned scale!" Gokudera says, not interested in making a friend or bright smiles. "I'm only doing this because I won't sit by and watch you butcher a song." There's an unspoken reason behind his attitude. "It's not like it's some charity work."
"... Um." Yes, it certainly was. "Yessir," Allen says quickly by reflex - but not because he wants to - banging his knee as he turns back as fast as he can. He winces a bit before quickly laying his hand at where it should be. He closes his eyes for a moment and exhales, and begins to play the scale again, this time more smoothly but still with inexperience.
"I'll give you some songs that exclusively focus on the treble, then the bass cleff... You can practice on them as well." Gokudera doesn't keep a lot of sheet music. The only booklet he has is the one his boss gave him for his last birthday and he doubts Allen could play any songs by Chopin... not yet. The teen pushes his glasses up, takes the notebook from Allen, and begins writing the music. "It will also be a proper introduction to reading the sheet music."
"Okay. Am I allowed to practice in this room even if nobody's inside?" Allen asks, craning his neck to try to look at what Gokudera is writing for a while before giving up and continuing to closely examine the keyboard. He hopes sarcastically that Gokudera teaches as well as he smokes.
Gokudera has never taught anyone how to play before, and only hopes that he can be patient enough with Allen. The resolve to prove himself as capable of doing so is so strong that it's a safe assumption that he'd risk all the time needed to help his student. If he needs to stay up late at night writing simple songs just to get the basics down, then he'll do it. The pencil lead snaps with how much pressure is placed behind it and he blinks as it bounces off the lens of his glasses. "Yeah, do what you want..." This isn't his most valuable possession, and if Allen wants to improve, then who is he to stand in his way? The Vongola Storm Guardian adds on a few more notes and then drops the thin book in Allen's lap. "There's a key with the notes labeled. We'll get into sharps and flats later once you have this figured out." If this guy ends up being someone who can only play by ear, Gokudera is going to have a massive headache in his future.
Allen stretches his back discreetly, feeling in the air that the lesson will be ending soon. He hears a very quiet pinging noise and then looks up to see Gokudera and his pencil battling in glorious harmony and snickers under his gloved hands. When the book drops into Allen's lap Allen grabs it and peers at it. Kind of like the alphabet and Mana. "Ah... Err, okay." Somehow Cross calling him a lousy student flashes through his mind and he thinks it might actually be fractionally true, seeing as how he answers the same thing repeatedly.
"Get it?" He folds his arms over his chest and looks down through his glasses at Allen and the keyboard. His handwriting is very neat, and the lines look as though they'd been drawn with a ruler. He thinks something of when he was raised in the palace and had several teachers, all very private, and very strict. Most of them had been temporary, but when he'd been their student, he was nigh the most outstanding pupil they'd had the pleasure of working with (save for when dynamite began to mix with his temper). Gokudera doesn't want to be temporary, wants his genius to shine through when he watches Allen, and he's going to hammer his lessons into the boy relentlessly in order to do so.
"I suppose I do. This might take awhile," Allen says, though in actual fact he is quite the fast learner when it comes to certain matters, maybe inbred ones. He raises an eyebrow at the precision of Gokudera's writing and wonders why such a seemingly high-classed person acts so... Unseemly. He ponders Gokudera's attack range and resolves on not making any mistakes if it can be helped, in case a future piano lesson were to turn into a one-person massacre. He glances one more time at the notebook. "So this is the homework?"
"Yeah. Just let me know when you've got it memorized and we can move on." He supposes he should come up with some kind of test for Allen, but knows it will be worth more time and thought than he's willing to spend. Gokudera reaches into his pocket and takes out a cigarette, "I'll give you a week. These are only the basics, so you should get it fairly quickly. That will also give you enough time to practice."
"I'll let you know," Allen says briskly. He eyes the cigarette as if it is some dangerous animal and stands up quickly, holding the notebook close . Hopefully a week will be enough. "Alright. I'll do my best," Allen says, smiling.
He isn't making a move to light it, and his eyes widen as he watches Allen move quickly. There's a tiny bit of concern in his eyes that's quickly masked behind frustration. "Good." Gokudera almost looks proud, then hits the power switch on the keyboard before moving to the door and holding it open, waiting for Allen to leave.
Allen hopes his movement hasn't been too offensive and smiles wider and more genuinely. Looking pleasantly surprised that Gokudera would open the door first, Allen mumbles a neutral-sounding Goodbye before quickly exiting the room.
For all the gruffness he'd maintained moments ago, Gokudera is gentle when he turns back to the keyboard. It's not his baby grand the Tenth had bought him, but it's the same keyboard he's played on since he arrived on the Grand Line. Austria and Spitfire could have their playoffs between elegant instruments. This little hunk of plastic, metal, and wires was really growing on him. He thinks that if Allen becomes really good, he just might give it to him. A genuinely affectionate smile graces the mafioso's face as he presses a silent chord. Who knows? Maybe the kid would actually enjoy himself?