Nightly Lessons Book I: The Book of Beginnings

[Peeker]

Janus smirked. "Clue? With only two people?" He shook his head. "My sister loved Clue... she was always begging us to play it with her... I was still younger then, though... couldn't really play by myself... I always got to be on my dad's team..." He smiled at the memory. "...by the time I was able to play by myself, she thought she was too old for it... we only played a couple of games together..."

As for Monopoly... well, Janus was a big fan of the game, but he'd only played at his friends' houses - his mother and sister had never liked it, and his dad explained that he got very... competitive... during those games, and he didn't want to upset little Jake... so it hadn't even been in the house.

"If you want to try a game of Clue, that'll be okay." He smiled. "I get to be Mr. Green, though." He added, impishly.

"So sure. Lets see if I can actually play a violin with little hands like this." He suggested.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal grinned.

"I'm usually him. The few times I played it with Gabby and Aleks, Gabby was Mrs. White and Aleks was Cornal Mustard. I guess I'll have to be Professor Plum then," Mikeal laughed at the memory. "Who do you think Alice would be? Ms. Peacock, or Miss Scarlet?"

Mikeal lead the boy to the study and held out a violin that was just the right size for the boy before grabbing his own along with a score for them to play.

"Shall we?" It wasn't an easy score, but then again, it was to help Janus try something a little harder and new. "It's not an easy one, but it's one of my favorites. Don't worry about playing wrong. It's the first time you're looking at it."

[Peeker]

"Aleksandr said the same thing when I played with him, last..."

It had been a week with very little music, so, in addition to his smalller body, he found himself having a hard time - it was a wonderful piece though. Wild in speed... very intense, yet so carefully written, in control of itself... Janus didn't mind the many stop-ups and pauses he was taking, but slowly adjusted to his new body's playing style, and could eventually make it through the first page without a problem.

Breathing heavy from concentration, Janus lowered the instrument for a moment. "...so did Lord Razziel teach you the violin the same way he did me? Two days alone, with a piece, and then every mistake... was a mistake?"

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal stopped for a second and looked at Janus. He was enjoying the playing with the boy, no matter how many stops they had, and now understood why Aleks loved the piano lessons he had with his girls. He suspected though, that Alice was probably more of a flue type then piano although she could easily learn both if she would just focus.

"Not quiet," He answered as he lowered the violin. "I knew how to play a fiddle before hand so he exspected me to understand to violin on the first day. I don't think I sat that whole week or lay on my back. It wasn't uncommon for children to eat while standing back then. I had an hour to learn this one..."

He played a few lines of a melody and looked at Janus.

"It's called 'Salut d'amour'." Mikeal grinned. "Gabby though I played it horribly at the time, mostly because I hated it."

He ruffled Janus hair and grinned.

"Don't worry though, I don't exspect you to master any of these in the first week. Everything comes at it's own pace."

[Peeker]

Janus smiled back. "I've been taking music lessons since I was... I dunno, ten? I'm sure I'll figure it out. Dad said it was genetic. The music, I mean." Janus lifted the violin again, and rested it against his neck.

"Do you still play it horribly?" He teased. "Or did Razziel go at you until he was satisfied?" He gave another joking smile. "Really, though. You keep telling me about him, and keep feeling like I was.. lucky, somehow..." He shook his head. "I can't believe you were even able to keep calm in the room with him."

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal made his violin yowl on purpose and looked at Janus with his own grin.

"Why do you think I played horribly?" He laughed. "I was terrified with him in the room. My third lesson I had to keep my leggings around my knees so that if I played wrong he wouldn't have to waste time... Thank god Aleks never did that. He'd let you mouth off first, then get to the bottom of things."

He set about playing again and flipped the page.

"Line's five to ten are double pace Janus," He grinned at the boy. This was the real hard part. "Get ready."

[Peeker]

"Oh boy..."

It took a little longer to get him moving, but, as was the case with many fast pieces, the very speed at which they had to be played gave the player a sense of what was coming up. Anticipation helped the player turn the long stream of notes into one action, and eventually, the first two or three pages of the section were being steadily churned out. After that, Janus fell apart rather completely, but he was proud of the fact that he had as much as he did under control.

"You know, its weird? ....I feel... like... when I do something wrong in front of Lord Aleksandr? Its.. really wrong, y'know? When... when he was.. meaner, I guess, or stricter... did he still do all that talking, first? Make you feel like you deserved it before you got it?"

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"Oh Gods yes," Mikeal answered getting there the piece easily, which he should have since he'd spent nearly 60 years playing it. "Him and Lucy. I swear to god, getting in trouble with both of them ARRGH!"

Mikeal groaned as he remember the time he had sneaked a peek on Gabby undressing. He had been in Lucy's care then and after Aleks was done with him and his hide, Lucy had her own go with him and it had been looooooong.

"... but don't get Aleks wrong, Janus. He was never meaner. He was perfectly normal to any parent of mine and Gabby's time," Mikeal began playing again. "It was just... when Gabby came into his care, she had a lot of problems, emotional. I'm not sure what they were, but she was a lot like crystal. It didn't take a lot to make her break."

[Peeker]

Mikeal blazed through the piece with an ease Janus hoped to reach, soon. It really was a charming bit of music.

He nodded to his sire. Mikeal didn't seem too happy to remember that one. "I guess.... Sires change along with their fledglings, huh?" He grinned a little, trying to shake off the weight he was sure Mikeal felt, thinking about Gabby. "Luckily, after working with me, you'll be smarter, stronger, faster, a better dancer, a better cook, a better gamer..." He stuck his tongue out again. "Yeah, you're pretty darn lucky to get me - I mean, I'm better than you all over." He chuckled, and hopped a step away from Mikeal, just in case...

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"Oh really? Well there is one thing I'm better at then you..." Mikeal grinned at him, seeing a teasing game starting. "This!"

With a dizzying amount of speed, Mikeal took both violins down and picked Janus up and over his shoulder.

"I'm stronger then you!" He laughed and lightly tickled Janus behind the knees before pulling him down into a hug. "But you are right. I am very lucky to have you."

He smiled again and set the boy on his feet.

"I think we have time for another go before I try and get a hold of Aleks and see if he and Alice would like to join us in a game of Clue. Feel up to the challenge?" He held the violins again and smiled. "I'm sure you'll catch onto this peice fast."