damned_institute | Day 53: Music Room

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Day 53: Music Room

Well, if it wasn't his favorite time of the week. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Of course in this case, distance makes Klavier feel like an abused, neglected animal who was only now being allowed a taste of actual food. These people were such savages. It was still absolutely absurd that they were allowed access to this room so rarely. But the tactic was also brilliant on their part, sad to say. Klavier was always at his quietest and most obedient on Music Room days. The perfect model patient. He would give them no excuse to deprive him of this precious time.

Today was going to be a little different, however. Not only was he given access to music today, but a bout of entertainment as well. Apparently that band that had been setting up tryouts for the last week was ready to get the show on the road and start their auditions. Normally, this was the sort of project he wouldn't hesitate to take part in. But aside from the injury to his left hand and shoulder, there were three critical factors keeping him from doing so:

1. The band was named "Sex Bob-Omb." Klavier may have missed the band scene, but he had no intention of attaching his name to some Tom Jones cover band.
2. There weren't many actual instruments in the Music Room; certainly not enough variety to form the type of band they want. The one who made the poster said something about improvising instruments through whatever means necessary. A noble goal, but again, Klavier was not so desperate yet as to reduce himself to playing with a box of tissues strung up with rubber bands. That was too pathetic an image to ever place himself into.
3. The person who had posted placed up a sample music sheet of one of their songs. Klavier had no idea how many people here could actually read music enough to know what it was they were looking at there, but he had been able to decipher it perfectly. Their music... it was kind of god-awful.

In short, this was basically a disaster waiting to happen. The hints were enough to tell him this was likely going to be something akin to nails on a chalkboard... amplified by five. So honestly, he should be as far away from this room as humanly possible.

But he was not going to let these people ruin his rare access time to the Music Room. No, instead he took one of their old CD players and a carefully selected CD of choice (for the sake of his sanity) and took a seat at one of the tables, turning the chair so as to get an optimal view of the show. Why not? No harm in indulging in a little "entertainment," yes?

[free to anyone who wants to watch this train wreck with him :D ]

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Klavier blinked once, looking back at Dent with a mildly surprised expression. That Dent believed him so easily was one thing, but for him to make that assertion? Now Klavier was the one who felt he'd slipped up with his words. He tried covering this, however, with a brief chuckle.

"Ha! I never said anything that, now did I? That sounds a bit harsh, if you ask me." And he would certainly never say anything that would make him come off as a complete jerk. Even if Dent was basically on the money. He smiled. "But if you want to compare, you could say I probably have more... experience, yes."

He hadn't even been thinking along the lines of comparison, honestly. Mostly because there was no comparison to be made. The Gavinners had been topping music charts for seven strong years, while this "Sex Bob-Omb" group... They struck him as the one-hit wonder garage band type who might be popular with the teenybopper crowd for a while. Maybe. That was a extremely optimistic for just having seen some partial sheet music. So really, he'd just been comparing their music to general standards of talent.

Comparing them to the exception would just be extremely unfair. Klavier wasn't a complete monster.

Even if Klavier did what he could to sugarcoat it, the meaning was still pretty clear to Dent. It made sense that he wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, though, since a few of those kids looked like they were barely out of puberty. Gavin didn't look too old himself, but he was clearly well into his twenties, so there was that.

"When did you start playing?" he asked, more as a way to move the conversation along. It didn't really matter to him in the end, but they had to pass the time somehow, and Klavier didn't seem to be in the mood for a more serious chat.

Besides, he had to admit that he was curious about the idea of a musician-slash-prosecutor. Or was it the other way around? It seemed that Gavin took his job as an attorney more seriously, so maybe the band was just an on-the-side thing. Harvey couldn't really imagine how he had the time for something like that, but he also knew that not everyone was as OCD as he was. On the other hand, Klavier hardly came across as a slacker, either.

It was that uncertainty that made him decide to dig for more information, since he really just didn't get how this all fit together yet.

It was obvious Dent was just making conversation, but Klavier was delighted the other man was actually interested enough to ask. When he'd first entered the Prosecutor's Office, it was pretty obvious the senior prosecutors were slightly less than impressed upon introduction. Most notably Payne. He'd had to wait until after his first trial before they'd drop the "Kid" nickname. Not that he cared, mind you, but it was an idea he'd grown accustomed to.

"Ah. Since I was younger than any of them, I'll bet." He really wasn't any good at guessing ages, but he was sure none of them were younger than ten. "The band, however, has been going a little over seven years. Perhaps you've heard of us? The Gavinners?"

It probably sounded really obvious when one knew, but few people actually connected Gavin and the Gavinners together unless they knew already. And the fact that Klavier was both a prosecutor and a musician was something that mainly got media coverage in California. Anywhere else would likely only know him from the band. Still, anyone who knew him as a lawyer wouldn't necessarily connect his name with the band unless they were a big fan. So the fact that Dent hadn't made the connection either didn't seem strange.

It was usually those who started at a young age who ended up being truly talented musicians, from what Harvey knew. Which wasn't much, but it was common sense that getting an early start would lead to having a familiarity with an instrument that others might not. Seven years was a long time for a band to last, especially when one of its members was so young. He'd probably started it up as a teenager, then.

"Can't say I've heard of it," Harvey admitted with a shake of his head, "but I'm also not exactly up to date on popular music." It was possible he'd heard one of the band's songs without realizing it, but he wasn't exactly going to ask Klavier to recreate one of their singles here. He probably wasn't even the singer...

The real question here, though, was obvious. "If you got started off doing the band thing, then what made you want to be a prosecutor?" It wasn't a very logical path, at least not from Harvey's perspective. Klavier probably had a good explanation for it, seeing how you had to have a good reason to want to suffer through law school and everything else that becoming an attorney entailed.

Pity. Dent had no idea what he was missing. Oh, to imagine all the songs and bands the man was depriving himself of. Them included. It truly was a shame. Ah, well. To each their own, he supposed. Some people simply didn't appreciate the importance of music.

"I'm afraid you have it backwards there, Herr Dent. I was studying to be a prosecutor long before there ever was a band. We only started my last year of law school." Which had been a surprising turn of events. Who could imagine a simple hobby would turn into something lucrative? "As for what got me interested... My brother was planning to be a lawyer first. I suppose you could say... that's what piqued my interest. Initially, that is."

Strange. This was the first time he had spoken of his brother out loud since he had disappeared. And yet he didn't feel like he was being torn apart from the inside out just by mentioning it. Either he was more comfortable talking to Dent than he'd thought or he was starting to handle the reality of the situation a little better now that time had passed. Or it was the music. It could always be the music.

The nickname came out of nowhere, and Harvey was left to stare blankly at the man for a moment. Klaiver was of German descent, though, so it made sense. He just hadn't been expecting it, and he wasn't all that used to getting caught off-guard. He did his best to brush it off with a well-placed cough, but he figured Gavin would notice either way.

As the man went on to explain, Harvey nodded, realizing then that even if Klavier's love for music had started at a young age, he hadn't developed it into something more than a passion until he was already studying law. It was still hard to imagine someone having the time or the energy to start up a band while in law school, but maybe the man was just that dedicated. Either that, or quite the procrastinator.

While Harvey was an only child, he could see how a sibling might be a point of inspiration when it came to a career choice. It was as good of a reason as any, he supposed, though it did make it seem like Gavin might have just been following in his brother's footsteps instead of making his own choices. From the sound of it, though, his reasoning had evolved and matured over time. "Fair enough," he said with a shrug. "So would you say that you put your job as a prosecutor above your band, then?" Maybe it was cruel to ask the man to put one above the other, but he was curious.

Oh, yes. Klavier definitely noticed. Of course, he didn't plan on saying anything about it, but the reaction did earn a huge grin. No, not so much the reaction as it was the fact that he'd been surprised at all. Was he unaccustomed to things like that? Now Klavier was really curious about the kind of atmosphere Dent worked in. He seemed like so much more of a straitlaced adult than anyone found in the L.A. Prosecutor's Office. He bet Dent didn't converse playfully with others terribly often. That just made Klavier want to do so more just to trip him up more in the future. He had to admit it was kind of... endearing. In an odd sort of way. Heh.

And here Klavier also understood one more thing. The point of these questions, it wasn't just for the sake of conversation or curiosity, really. Dent wanted to know how dedicated Klavier was. There weren't too many prosecutors, or lawyers in general, who moonlighted in other professions. The split focus probably seemed strange. So when the question was asked, Klavier didn't see anything cruel about it. In fact, it spoke very highly of where Dent placed his priorities.

"Absolutely," he said without even having to think on it. "The band is really just a hobby in comparison. My only true instrument... is the law. And it's one I plan to play so long as there is breath in my body. ...As I'm sure is the same for you."

Why did the man have such a huge grin on his face? Was it all because of his reaction? Luckily, it seemed like Klavier was smart enough to not comment on it or outright laugh about it, which meant that Harvey was relatively willing to let it go. If anything, it just meant that he was going to have to get used to being called that. (It was better than Harv, that was for sure.)

Gavin gave his response quickly, and while the way he described it was a bit over-the-top and borderline cheesy, he seemed genuine in his sentiment. That was good to hear, and he nodded. It was automatic, and only afterward did he remind himself that he wasn't even a prosecutor anymore. Due to circumstances out of his control, yes, but the realization was enough to twist the knife.

"It doesn't look like we'll get a chance to for a while," he responded in order to avoid the indirect question Klavier had posed. He didn't need to get into it now, but surely the man could understand why someone with a wound like his wouldn't be able to continue working.

Thankfully, he was actually saved from any potential awkwardness when the intercom went off, announcing that it was time for them to move back to their rooms. Harvey stood up promptly, but not so quickly that it would be suspicious. "Well, it was good to talk to you again, Gavin," he said, actually meaning it. "I'm sure I'll see you around soon." The other man didn't seem like the sort who would be disappearing anytime soon. Then again, who knew?

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Day 53: Music Room

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